ICS to introduce some levels of uniformity

[wake69]

FYI, good quick read and about time

Google: Android 4.0 'Holo' theme to be mandatory on all devices with Android Market -- Engadget

 

[andyandroid81891]

We all knew Google had a big set of balls but it's nice to see them.

Google: Android 4.0 'Holo' theme to be mandatory on all devices with Android Market -- Engadget

I think this is great news. Even thought it doesn't mean that all phones will come with stock android going forward it seems likely that we will see more stock droids and that is great news.

 

[darkuni]

Good ... I'd love to know that if I buy a Motorola or HTC or Samsung phone, I can ALWAYS revert to ICS vanilla style.

 

[UssjTrunks]

"Don't be alarmed, though, because manufacturer customizations aren't going anywhere, and the changes aren't terribly drastic."

So what exactly is this accomplishing then?

 

[SBCT]

Completely agree!

 

[chanchan05]

I think its the menu structures, and the dials vs +/- buttons in Sense vs TW UI.

 

[alostpacket]

This doesnt actually mean the user can switch to the stock experience though -- actually this is really just a baby step where app devs can request the stock theme for any buttons, widgets, etc. in their apps.

While nice, the fragmentation across devices needs to be fixed at the content provider and API level.

This is still a step in the right direction though. But it's not the kind of (optional) protection from manufacturer and carrier customization we all want, unfortunately.

Edit: Also I moved this thread to the Android lounge as I think lots of people with different devices may be interested in this

 

[EarlyMon]

Merged similar threads.

 

[alostpacket]

it seems this story hit slashdot as well:

Holo Theme Is Now Mandatory For Android Devices - Slashdot

I posted a comment to try and quell a troll there but we'll see, things get buried there fast heh

Also, here's the official Android dev blog post by Adam Powell

Android Developers Blog: Holo Everywhere

 

[Zoandroid]

I just read about this today for the first time. My question is - how will this affect the custom ROM development side of ICS? I mean, I have seen negative comments mentioned, for example, about Moto Blur theme and how glad some ROM devs were to ditch it and use something of their own creation instead. When I see the word "required" I always envision being told I maybe cannot do what I might prefer to do when modifying something. So could this Holo theme inclusion, required in order to access Google Play, put a kink in developer abilities to change the user experience on their ROMs?