Android's growing problem: the end of the stock UI

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bbonko

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Recently, there was a debate here about the relative performance of the iPhone 4 against various Android devices. Right now, a high-end phone with Android 2.2 should be the fastest at web browsing out there, if not in general.

And it is. Just look at these charts.

But there's a sobering reality hiding there. Android only laps the iPhone 4 on one device, and it's one which exited the market after six months. The best phone... is one you can't buy.

Yes, most or all of the Android phones in those tests will get 2.2, and they'll get much faster. However, you'll have to wait for the updates because of the custom UIs. Droid X we know gets its update in August; the others we're not so sure about. What's more, they still might not be as fast as the Nexus One when they do. In stock form, Sense UI and Blur impose a performance hit, even if it's slight.

You may think "just put a custom ROM on it," and that's true for most of the phones on the chart, but we've seen where things are going. On the Droid X, the bootloader is locked down thoroughly enough that it may actually be impossible to get a pure Android build in place. If the Motorola Milestone (international Droid) doesn't have custom ROMs several months later, what makes you think you'll get Android 2.2, 3.0 or any future release ahead of the months-long delays Motorola might impose on it? There's no guarantee HTC won't toughen up, and it's certainly not fair to ask a mainstream user to install an unofficial, warranty-breaking ROM.

As such, while the iPhone 4 may not be the fastest phone in theory, it is in practice, simply because manufacturers are being allowed not only delay releases due to custom UIs but, in a few cases, are making it difficult or impossible to upgrade early if you know what you're doing. And without a phone like the Nexus One still readily available on the market, most of the public won't know that they could have a better Android experience than they do.

At this point, let's just hope HTC, Motorola or someone else can make both a good phone design and have the kindness to leave the OS alone. Otherwise, Apple may still have the better experience in practice, even if not in theory.
 
Droid 2 is coming in August with Froyo.

Galaxy S scheduled to get Froyo in updates starting in September.

Fastest browsing period has nothing to do with Webkit. Its with Opera Mini 5.1. You get that with both iPhone and Android. Since its server boosted, the speed doesn't come from the phone itself but from the Opera server backend. Which means it doesn't matter what platform its on, whether its a 528MHz ARM11 processor or a gigahertz Cortex A8 chip. if you ever tried Opera Mini 5.1, it clocks the head off Webkit browsers anytime due to the server compression. Let me add something, and that's Opera Mini 5.1 is much better integrated now with Android than it is with iOS since Android allows it to become the default browser and to send links to it within other apps (only the Blackberry OS has these abilities as well).

Also, stock Androids aren't gone. They've moved to the lower end handsets where the manufacturer might think its too much of a bother to add the cost of adding a UI on them. This is particularly true with LG and Samsung Androids, though not with HTC.

We can also expect stock Androids to appear with cheap tablets. Again, from small makers, trying to keep the costs as low as possible. Making UIs do add cost. Every Android tablet always had stock Android.

The last thing I must mention, is that with the exception of HTC Sense and Sony Ericsson Rachel, UIs upon Android are getting "lighter". This is true with the new Motoblur, Touchwiz 3.0, and other new reskinning efforts. Which means they don't go down that deep. That makes the phone faster to update in the future. If you compare HTC Sense to Samsung Touchwiz 3.0, you will find Samsung modifies a lot less of the internal Android apps, for example. The call app of the Samsung is stock (except for the video call button on the international Galaxy S), and it also uses the stock Gallery app you see on the Nexus One.

Don't expect makers and carriers to push phones with a "me too" interface. When you don't have differentiation, you don't have margins. Its a fact in the industry that exclusivity and differentiation is what makes carriers and makers invest in the marketing to truly push these phones. If every HTC, Samsung, Motorola phone has the same Android UI, the incentive to push them dissipates. This is also true with the upcoming Windows Phone 7. It was a problem with Windows Mobile before. If you got phones with the same cookie interface, they lost the incentive. That's also been a problem with the iPhone hitting multiple carriers on the international field. Carriers actually invest more time and marketing their "exclusive" phones as opposed to a phone that other carriers also have.
 
I am really not a fan of any extra layer on top of android. I'm very happy with vanilla android on my nexus. HTC sense is The best of all the layers out there, but I still don't like it.

The power of being stock is a huge advantage. Just this week Google updates the repository with a new Google apps package. Being stock I just flash the new file and now I'm using the new gmail app which has some nice improvements. Just like that you get the latest and greatest right from the source. What more could you ask for. Way better than waiting months for some manufacturer to decide if and when they will give you the same update. Who are they to dictate what i should get?
 
Actually, GMail on all Androids, even with all the UIs, remains stock and unaltered by UIs.

The Nexus One comes with some neat apps on its own that its not shared to other Androids, like the News and Weather widget and the Alarm Clock. The Gallery app, which is not used on the HTC Sense devices, shows up on the Galaxy S devices. I prefer this over the HTC Sense gallery app or the Sony Ericsson Mediascape app. The standard Call app, which is not used on the HTC Sense phones too, shows up on both the Motoblur Droid X and Galaxy S. This one I prefer over the HTC Sense call app.
 
Custom UIs are minor annoyances at best and very superficial. People need to stop whining about them as it could be much worse. No one outside of the benchmark freaks and grumpy, never satisfied individuals who whine about the 1 second lag their app is taking to load really care. Manufacturers need to brand their phone in some way, and with the ever increasing giant touchscreen look and no room for customization, the UI is the next best thing. The stock Android UI also lacks the streamlined simplicity that a lot of non power users want.

The iPhone will always be ahead in the UI department, because of its simplicity and "it just works" mentality. Android is open source and made for customization, so the experience is always varied and never fully optimized.
 
Motorola appears headed to dropping their Motoblur anyway, though they will still "theme" the stock Android UI and package their widgets.

Despite Touchwiz, Samsung does not package it on their mid and lower end Android handsets. Stock remains on the mid to low end.

LG doesn't add a UI but only themes the stock Android UI. If you see on the LG Ally, Optimius and so are, are not UI'ed but themed Android plus bundled widgets.

All the Android tablets coming out from China use the raw interface.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.1-update1; en-us; SAMSUNG-SGH-I897/I897UCJH3 Build/ECLAIR) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17)

rumor had it that 3.0 gingerbread would bring an end to custom ui's. Lets hope that's a true rumor!
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.1-update1; en-us; SAMSUNG-SGH-I897/I897UCJH3 Build/ECLAIR) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17)



I guess we will wait and see......
 
T-Mobile G2 appears to have stock UI.

So does every tablet, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab,.

A number of mid end phones have the stock UI, LG Ally, Samsung Intercept, LG GT540... I guess they're trying to keep costs so low so they won't bother with a layer.
 
You must be watching the wrong videos.

Hardware specs

Android 2.2 running TouchWiz 3.07-inch TFT LCD with 1024 x 600 resolution (WSVGA)Weighs 380 grams1GHz Cortex A8 processor16GB or 32GB internal storagemicroSD expansion for up to 32GB additional storageFront-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and rear 3 megapixel camera with flash4,000mAh battery3G data / voice (there's a speakerphone and Bluetooth for phone calls, but no earpiece)5GHz dual-band 802.11n WiFiStandard back color is white, carriers might offer different colorsFull HD video playbackThere's a 30-pin dock connector on the bottom that allows for HDMI, USB, and docking accessories (a car dock at least is planned)http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/02/samsung-galaxy-tab-preview/
 
LOL. Which videos.

Like this one from CNET?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaBi13FnJo8

You see Touchwiz here?

Oh what about this one? See any Touchwiz here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaUnd5ce1Wo&feature=related

Oh and this one. See any Touchwiz here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfb8YFIK95E&feature=related

See this one too. Any Touchwiz here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDlZoQxaD78&feature=related

Heck, let's make it short.

Go to YouTube dot com. Look at the Search entry box and type "Samsung Galaxy Tab". Find me a single video, A SINGLE VIDEO, there of the Galaxy Tab that actually has Touchwiz 3.0 like you see on the Galaxy S on it.
 
From what i see, theres AT LEAST the Samsung launcher, and apps, i dont see how/ why it wouldnt have touchwiz if it had the launcher, widgets, and apps.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/204729/samsung_launches_galaxy_tab.html?tk=hp_new

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38939390/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/samsung-galaxy-tab-what-you-need-to-know-711188

Eh, i got bored with the links. Its pretty much engadget, MSNBC, Techradar, Gizmodo, PCworld, Phanroid against Drill bit. And if i had to say so, i'd repeat myself from my heading. If the launcher, widgets, and apps are there, what makes you think touchwiz isnt?


(edit)

Samsung's own website doesnt list Touchwiz, however its called "Android Samsung UI" with "multiple hybrid widgets, and apps." Take that for what you will.
 
Touchwiz doesn't have the grid on the lower bottom,

Here, take a look at CNET's video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaBi13FnJo8

Look closely at the lower bottom. You see a grid icon that says Applications right? That's the standard icon used on Froyo. Applications launch icon on the Touchwiz is an orange shipped thing with an outline of a house.

Samsung's only modification of the Froyo UI is when you switch to the Applications page and you see the side swipe used on the screen instead of the up and down 3D scroll that looks like the beginning of Star Wars. Which is a good thing since the 3D interface makes it choppy if you got too many icons. But look closely at the bottom, you got the standard Home button to return to the Home Screen instead of the buttons the Galaxy S uses.

But look at the home screen again, that's pretty much standard Froyo without the phone icon.
 
Trust me, you can argue all you want, but it DOES run Touchwiz.
And please drop your know-it-all attitude as I am tiring of it very quickly. Consider that a warning.

The Samsung Galaxy S Tab teaser website clearly shows that it's NOT running stock Android: http://galaxytab.samsungmobile.com/
It's also running the SAME Samsung Touchwiz widgets that the Galaxy S phone is running.

All you have to do is a little research.
 
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