Google Releases 'Android Design' Style Guide
What makes something an "Ice Cream Sandwich" device? What does it mean to embody the spirit of Android? To help answer these questions, Google on Thursday unveiled Android Design, a guide for how to create the best Android apps and interfaces.
Android Design is "the place to learn about principles, building blocks, and patterns for creating world-class Android user interfaces," Christian Robertson, head of the Android visual design group, said in a blog post. "Whether you're a UI professional or a developer playing that role, these docs show you how to make good design decisions, big and small."
Robertson said Google is "committed to helping you design amazing apps that people love," and promised more in-depth content on Android Design, as well as design-related blog posts and Google+ Hangouts, in the coming months.
At this point, the Web site has basic tutorials on Android style, patterns, and building blocks.
Google said the latest version of its Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, focused on three overarching goals for core apps and the system at large: enchant me; simplify my life; and make me amazing.
During an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt touched on the need for an aesthetically pleasing user interface. The search giant wants to attract "people with great taste," Schmidt said. The new model for Android is "cleaner, pristine, and more spare," he said, doing "enough of what you need" without cluttering the space.
That's a description you might normally hear coming from Apple, a company that prides itself on a simple, intuitive design across all its devices. Google, meanwhile, has a customizable UI that could look very different from one device to the next. There are also many different versions of Android floating around—Ice Cream Sandwich is on just 0.6 percent of devices at this point—which has prompted concerns about Android fragmentation. At CES, however, Schmidt said he was not convinced Android was fragmented, arguing instead that there was a "differentiation" between the versions.
For more, see PCMag's full review of Ice Cream Sandwich and the slideshow below.
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For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.Google Search for iPad gets new design and lots of new features
Google Search for iPad has been updated with a new design that lets you search faster and more interactive than before. The search results displays instantly when you start typing. It also has a new slide-in pane when you click a result that lets you go back and forth from results to web pages quickly.
New features in Google Search for iPad
See search results and websites side-by-side to browse pages and results with the new slide-in paneGet to the right answer faster with Instant Previews and Google InstantView visual preview of the pages for your search result just by tapping the icon in the top rightSee images full-screen with image browsing in new image carousel and easily swipe through them to see other similar imagesNow just Swipe right to view snapshots of pages you’ve visited, stacked and organized by search term.Tap the magnifying glass on the top right-hand corner to highlight the most relevant section of the page and also recommend pages you like with the new +1 button.Now you can access the favorite Google services like Google News, Calendar and more from the new Apps menu.Here is a short video demo of the new Google Search app for iPad from GoogleThe Google Search for iPhone also gets some minor bug fixes and full-screen mode for search results and pages. Download the Google Search for iPad and iPhone from the Apple iTunes store ( iOS 4.0 or later) for free.
Passionate about Mobile phones and Gadgets. Love to explore new and innovative mobile phone Apps.Sprint announces HTC EVO Design 4G, coming on October 23 for $99.99
Sprint has announced another phone in the HTC EVO family, the HTC EVO Design 4G. It has 4-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touchscreen display and has aluminum unibody design. It is powered by 1.2GHz processor and runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). It features 5MP rear-facing camera with flash and HD video recording and a 1.3MP front-facing camera.
Other features include, 3G / 4G capabilities, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA, 8GB microSD card included with support for up to 32GB with MicroSD, and a 1520 mAh Lithium Ion battery.
It also comes with Sprint applications, including Sprint Zone, Sprint TV & Movies, Sprint Football Live, Sprint Navigation, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile. The HTC Watch that lets you watch shows and movies on the go.
HTC EVO Design 4G would be available through all Sprint sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Web Sales and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) starting October 23rd for $99.99 (excluding taxes) with a new 2 year service agreement or eligible upgrade and after a $50 mail-in rebate via reward card.