May be leaving Android

[ardchoille]

While it doesn't address your main concerns of: 1) being easily customizable 2) not needing root, have you tried Metamorph?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.xda.metamorph

How to MetaMorph/Theme - xda-developers

It's fairly straightforward to change icons like that. But NANDroids should be made and care should be taken, because it's easy for things to go wrong. So yeah, not as easy as changing the wallpaper (which I agree, it should be that easy to slap in some pngs to change icons), but it is possible to quickly assimilate icons into a new ROM, if a rooted user truly wishes to do it.

I liked Metamorph but a mishap with it required me to do a nandroid restore and I lost interest. Take a look at the attached images. I feel that the common user shouldn't have to root just to change the image in the first attachment to be more visually appealing like the image in the second attachment. If I have to stare at a device the whole time I'm using it's going to need at least some aesthetic value.

 

[jerofld]

I liked Metamorph but a mishap with it required me to do a nandroid restore and I lost interest. Take a look at the attached images. I feel that the common user shouldn't have to root just to change the image in the first attachment to be more visible as in the image in the second attachment.

I agree, it's nothing an average user, even an average root user, should even attempt. I also wish it was easy enough to slap some new PNGs in a folder and use them...or even an app that shows you what your current images look like and give you the option to use different ones, so users don't accidentally delete the stock ones. But the images would have to be stored on the internal flash, because the images would be temporarily lost if an SD card was mounted.

I thought ICS was also supposed to let users customize their home, back, and other software buttons without root. If so, that'd be a good first step.

 

[ardchoille]

I agree, it's nothing an average user, even an average root user, should even attempt. I also wish it was easy enough to slap some new PNGs in a folder and use them...or even an app that shows you what your current images look like and give you the option to use different ones, so users don't accidentally delete the stock ones. But the images would have to be stored on the internal flash, because the images would be temporarily lost if an SD card was mounted.

I thought ICS was also supposed to let users customize their home, back, and other software buttons without root. If so, that'd be a good first step.

Perhaps Google used the current theme mechanism because they couldn't guarantee that a user would even have an SD card or that the manufacturer would include hardware for internal SD memory.

My phone is an HTC Evo 4G and it has a 4.3 inch screen. I can install a launcher that allows the hiding of the dockbar at the bottom of the screen (ADW EX) - this increases usable screen real estate in home screens. The Galaxy Nexus has a 4.6 inch screen. Now, that sounds like a huge improvement over the Evo 4G, but the gnex has a notification bar at the top and button bar at the bottom, neither of which can be permanently hidden, AFAIK. So, while the physical screen size on the gnex is greater than that of the Evo 4G, the user is still being robbed of precious screen real estate due to having two bars (top and bottom) rather than just the one bar at the top of Gingerbread. I don't recall any option to allow the user to permanently hide the button bar at the bottom of the screen in ICS. The hardware buttons in pre-honeycomb releases were beneficial with regard to usable screen real estate.

 

[jerofld]

I didn't mean customized like that. I meant that I had thought that you could change the home button to be the icon of your favorite sports team, for example.

 

[ardchoille]

I didn't mean customized like that. I meant that I had thought that you could change the home button to be the icon of your favorite sports team, for example.

Oh, I'm not sure.. I won't be using ICS.. hoping that Jelly Bean has a more comfortable UI.

 

[jerofld]

Oh, you had asked for a way to contact Google about Android?

Issues - android - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting

I think that's the best you're going to get.

 

[ardchoille]

Oh, you had asked for a way to contact Google about Android?

Issues - android - Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project - Google Project Hosting

I think that's the best you're going to get.

Thank you! I've made some idea submissions.

 

[Yeahha]

Perhaps Google used the current theme mechanism because they couldn't guarantee that a user would even have an SD card or that the manufacturer would include hardware for internal SD memory.

My phone is an HTC Evo 4G and it has a 4.3 inch screen. I can install a launcher that allows the hiding of the dockbar at the bottom of the screen (ADW EX) - this increases usable screen real estate in home screens. The Galaxy Nexus has a 4.6 inch screen. Now, that sounds like a huge improvement over the Evo 4G, but the gnex has a notification bar at the top and button bar at the bottom, neither of which can be permanently hidden, AFAIK. So, while the physical screen size on the gnex is greater than that of the Evo 4G, the user is still being robbed of precious screen real estate due to having two bars (top and bottom) rather than just the one bar at the top of Gingerbread. I don't recall any option to allow the user to permanently hide the button bar at the bottom of the screen in ICS. The hardware buttons in pre-honeycomb releases were beneficial with regard to usable screen real estate.

Depending on the launcher you can hide the notification bar on the Gnex. Most roms now include a toggle for hiding the navigation bar at the bottom. I currently have neither bar and use yet another app to navigate by touching the edge of the screen...I wish this was a native feature not left to the dev community to figure out...and agree that with an OS as customizable as Android Google should come up with an easy way to allow the user to theme it without rooting...

 

[ardchoille]

I've submitted some bugs along with some ideas on how to fix them. Hopefully Google's devs are willing to listen.

 

[alostpacket]

Does anyone know how to contact Google's Android dev team directly? I bet if they read this thread they could walk away with something that would benefit Android.

You can tweet them @android

That account is read by the Android Developer Advocates at Google.

 

[ardchoille]

Just gotta put in my 2

 

[Crashdamage]

I know what you mean. I put all my eggs in one basket too. I theme and develop for Android devices, some of my apps are in the Android market, and I have created my own roms.

Unfortunately, we are forced to choose an OS for mobile devices (be it Android, iOS or whatever) which at best is 'kinda sorta' open source. That is, it's open except for the parts that aren't.

Obviously a better solution would be to have a choice of fully open Linux distros that could be freely installed on many mobile devices much like PCs. You'd still be choosing a basket to put your eggs in, but it would be a very capable, open basket. But that ain't gonna happen.

At least Android is open enough that you can create ROMs.

I loved Android from cupcake to froyo and tried to use only google products. My assimilation into the google give was complete.

I started with a very early G1 I got on pre-order. And I'm not a developer so my situation is different than yours. But I always knew I should avoid reliance on anything Google as much as possible. So far I've resisted using all Google services except Google Voice. It's just too handy for business.

Then google made a drastic change in their UI and now I'm stuck with a UI that I feel is dark, dreary and sad until I can find a computer and time to change it back to the bright and cheery UI like to was in froyo.

I like what I'be seen and seems most reviews have been positive. Too bad it doesn't work for you. I know changing it to suit will be a major hassle but at least it's possible. Small comfort...

 

[ardchoille]

Unfortunately, we are forced to choose an OS for mobile devices (be it Android, iOS or whatever) which at best is 'kinda sorta' open source. That is, it's open except for the parts that aren't.

Obviously a better solution would be to have a choice of fully open Linux distros that could be freely installed on many mobile devices much like PCs. You'd still be choosing a basket to put your eggs in, but it would be a very capable, open basket. But that ain't gonna happen.

Actually, Canonical is actively working on bringing Ubuntu to Android as a native OS, so that should be interesting. Much of Apple's OS is open source, being based on BSD. Not all of vanilla Android is open source and useable as one sees fit. This is why the Android market cannot legally be bundled with 3rd party roms without compliance with Google's rules - the Cyanogenmod team went through this not long ago.

So, both worlds have their positives and negatives.

 

[Crashdamage]

Actually, Canonical is actively working on bringing Ubuntu to Android as a native OS, so that should be interesting.

That is likely doomed due to driver problems. And unless it is offered pre-installed by some OEMs it will never be more than a niche OS anyway. That's always been what held Linux back.

]Much of Apple's OS is open source, being based on BSD.

As I understand it that's limited mostly to a chunk of the kernel and some basic libraries. Not so much really.

Not all of vanilla Android is open source and useable as one sees fit. This is why the Android market cannot legally be bundled with 3rd party roms without compliance with Google's rules - the Cyanogenmod team went through this not long ago.

Yeah, like I said, it's open except for the parts that aren't.

So, both worlds have their positives and negatives.

I'm not really happy about using Android. I just see it as the best of several poor choices.