Android, Application, Google, Technology
"We (T-Mobile and Google) had been working for months and months with a small team in Building 44 in Mountain View, CA. We had seen about 9 different versions of the new "Homescreen" for and I still wasn't completely certain we had seen the last one. I remember Fridays being "Donut Day" at the cafe there, and the arcade where I would spend my lunch with a bunch of Android coders playing old school video games - the team was bursting with excitement over what they were building and bringing to the world," said Des Smith, a member of the original Android team, in a post on Google+.
Today, Android accounts for around 80 per cent of the global smartphone market. In other words, four out of five smartphone around the world run on Google's Android OS.
It
was five years ago when Google had announced to the world its Android
OS and the first handset to run Android, T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream).The Android operating system, acquired by Google in 2005, has also been a runaway success, enabling third-party handset makers like Samsung to overtake Apple Inc while also spawning a massive economy of third-party apps that are only loosely affiliated with Google.
Application, Technology
Apple's iOS 7 is finally here, and the update is an exciting one for
many as it's the biggest update the firm has released since the launch
of the original iPhone. However, it's also an uncertain update for
others - with some not so keen on Jonny Ive's radical user interface
overhaul and threatening to switch to Android because of it.
Here at The INQUIRER we've been using iOS 7 for a couple of months,
and there's no doubt that the update is a huge departure from iOS 6, but
in our opinion, it's a change that has been needed for a long time.
Design
Apple's iOS 7 has been heralded by most as a flat design due to the lack of texture on app icons, the bare-bones fonts and the minimalistic menus. However, we don't think that's the right word to describe it, as Apple's new colour pallette, swooshy transitions and live wallpapers make iOS more vibrant and exciting than ever.
The first thing you'll notice once past the simplified set-up menu is the revamped lock screen. The new iOS lock screen lets you swipe anywhere on the screen to unlock your iPhone or iPad, and also features dynamic wallpapers that appear to move with you as you move your iPhone, thanks to Apple's new Parallax Effect feature. Thankfully the camera button remains intact, so it's just as quick to fire up the photo app.
There's also support for the Notifications Center from the lock
screen, as well as Apple's new Control Center, which can be accessed by
swiping up from the bottom of the screen. This has proven to be one of
our favourite features of iOS 7 thus far, as the Bluetooth and WiFi
toggle switches have saved us from trawling through the Settings menu
every day, and the music controls are much slicker than those found on
iOS 6.
Once the handset is unlocked, everything looks completely different at first, although users will soon realise that it's not really different in terms of usability. Safari's icon, for example, is now a basic compass icon, while Weather features a simpler, gradiant background and a stripped down picture. While app icons have been completely reworked by Ive and his team, everything still works in a similar way as previous versions of the mobile operating system, despite looking radically different.
Apple has reworked folders too. In addition to the option to have multiple pages so you no longer have to have two Games folders, the look and feel has changed, with folders now opening to fill the screen. Another difference users will notice is the status bar across the top, while the drastic font changes across the board add to changed look of the iOS user interface.
Multitasking has also been given an overhaul, and is now reminiscent of HP's WebOS with its card-based interface. Double tap on the Home button now and it will display windows showcasing all of your open apps, which can be closed by swiping them away. While we prefer this to Apple's earlier multitasking menu, we have found that it is a longer process than clearing apps by double tapping on the home button in iOS 6.
There's no denying that the design changes will take a while to get used to, but we think that most users will grow to love it.
Design
Apple's iOS 7 has been heralded by most as a flat design due to the lack of texture on app icons, the bare-bones fonts and the minimalistic menus. However, we don't think that's the right word to describe it, as Apple's new colour pallette, swooshy transitions and live wallpapers make iOS more vibrant and exciting than ever.
The first thing you'll notice once past the simplified set-up menu is the revamped lock screen. The new iOS lock screen lets you swipe anywhere on the screen to unlock your iPhone or iPad, and also features dynamic wallpapers that appear to move with you as you move your iPhone, thanks to Apple's new Parallax Effect feature. Thankfully the camera button remains intact, so it's just as quick to fire up the photo app.
Once the handset is unlocked, everything looks completely different at first, although users will soon realise that it's not really different in terms of usability. Safari's icon, for example, is now a basic compass icon, while Weather features a simpler, gradiant background and a stripped down picture. While app icons have been completely reworked by Ive and his team, everything still works in a similar way as previous versions of the mobile operating system, despite looking radically different.
Apple has reworked folders too. In addition to the option to have multiple pages so you no longer have to have two Games folders, the look and feel has changed, with folders now opening to fill the screen. Another difference users will notice is the status bar across the top, while the drastic font changes across the board add to changed look of the iOS user interface.
Multitasking has also been given an overhaul, and is now reminiscent of HP's WebOS with its card-based interface. Double tap on the Home button now and it will display windows showcasing all of your open apps, which can be closed by swiping them away. While we prefer this to Apple's earlier multitasking menu, we have found that it is a longer process than clearing apps by double tapping on the home button in iOS 6.
