Android Thoughts

(UPDATED: September 23, 2012)

I have been reading a lot about the Android operating system recently. The interest in Android has surfaced as I've been reading about portable music players online as well as in watching YouTube videos. This blog post just features my thoughts on the Android OS. Problem is, I have NEVER used ANY device that has Android. So as you read this post, please note that I have absolutely no experience with using any device equipped with Android.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S)

SEP 23 2012 - added some extra commentary regarding two Android interfaces

--- Android OS: First Thoughts ---

I post blog entries for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is because I feel this is the best place to share things intimate to me and that I can get across to as vast of an audience as possible. Here's a little Android to set the mood for this blog post:


^ from: 148apps.biz - This chartruese-colored fellow is the Android. It just wants to make friends, and it loves eating Apples.

I read on Wikipedia that Android is Linux-based. I have a faint memory of using a computer equipped with Linux. So I can't say that I am any Linux veteran- because I am not! A big advantage for the Android interface is that it is present across many different devices. So it isn't like the iPod Touch, which exclusively uses iOS (though I have heard of some people try to install Android on Apple devices, but I think you have to jailbreak them to do so). I have also learned that for smartphones, there are multiple carriers you can access rather than have one specific company you're bound to via contract. I am not a phone person, so I can't comment any further on Android as far as smartphones are concerned.

While it is recommended to go to Google Play (formerly Android Market) for all of your app needs and such, you can install almost ANY program on an Android device since Android is open source, compared to iOS. You can program almost anything on an Android device. Possibilities are seemingly endless using Android.

Thoughts on the Interface Itself.

Android is not as pretty as iOS to look at. However, items such as live wallpapers and widgets make the experience more customizable than iOS. I find it very interesting just what someone can place onto one page of a screen when in the Home section.

As I began to learn more about Android, I had to familiarize myself with the different interfaces- Froyo, Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, and the recently-unveiled Jelly Bean interface.

iOS vs. Android.

(ADDED: July 6, 2012)
In this culture of seeking superlatives, people will try to find any sort of way to declare one thing superior to another. So is the case of Apple's iOS and Android. I have no experience with either interface. All I know is that both have their respective advantages and disadvantages. I won't spend a lot of time here trying to discuss whichever one is better. For that, you'll have to look elsewhere.


There is your look at Android from me. Let's talk more on Android, shall we?

--- Why Have I Become Interested in Android? ---

The reason why I became interested in Android is while I have been into getting an iPod Touch, I increasingly became convinced and respectful of the Samsung Galaxy Player over the iPod Touch. Remember I had a tough time choosing between the two devices in my "Take Your Pick" between the iPod Touch and the Samsung Galaxy Player. The Samsung Galaxy Player series all run on the Android Gingerbread interface. Many even question if the Galaxy Player series would even support later Android versions, such as Ice Cream Sandwich.

So I started watching more videos on Android Gingerbread to know exactly what this version of Android has to offer. A few other portable media players, such as the Sony Walkman Z Series, also use Gingerbread. I took my further learning to reading up on what Gingerbread offers. Suffice to say, you can do a whole lot with Android.

--- Extra Thoughts on Android ---

(ADDED: July 6, 2012)

Android has come in a variety of different interfaces throughout the entirety of its existence. As I tried to familiarize myself with the different interfaces of Android, I thought about some of the different interfaces. So here is a brief look at some of the ones I know of best.

Android Version Names.

(ADDED: September 23, 2012)
Android didn't start using those unique names until first using Cupcake as the first of the Android interface namesakes. Each of the interface names are either named after dessert or something sweet. Here are the interface names for Android:

• Cupcake
• Doughnut
• Eclair
• Froyo
• Gingerbread
• Honeycomb (only for tablets)
• Ice Cream Sandwich
• Jelly Bean
• Key Lime Pie (the next interface name)

So now that you are aware of the interfaces of Android, let me go further with the ones I've used.

Android Gingerbread.

Android Gingerbread (2.3) is featured on certain devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy Player series and a handful of smartphones. It is a very nice interface for what it is.

(ADDED: September 23, 2012) After having familiarized myself with Gingerbread a bit, I do enjoy its simplicity once I finally played around with a few Samsung Galaxy Players. A lot of older devices are equipped with the Gingerbread interface.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The delicious Ice Cream Sandwich interface is a beautiful-looking one. Videos I've seen of Ice Cream Sandwich show this interface running very smoothly with a lovely-looking interface. I don't know too much about the interface itself to professionally discuss it here.

(ADDED: September 23, 2012) Ice Cream Sandwich is very much a stylish interface. I love how smooth browsing and operating with ICS is. I think it looks best on smartphones and on 10-inch tablet computers.

Android Jelly Bean.

Jelly Bean is the latest Android interface as of this post. Among two highlights of Jelly Bean that I can remember is the ability to resize and move widgets. It also has Google Voice Search, which works very nicely. Many people compare Google Voice Search to Apple's Siri. But for the most part, Google Voice Search was intended to be a useful and powerful searching tool as opposed to something comical (like how some people use Siri). While Jelly Bean runs beautifully, I am told that both ICS and Jelly Bean run slower than Gingerbread. So I would imagine you need a device with a powerful processor to take advantage of it if that's true.


As of this post, the next Android interface will be called "Key Lime Pie." I still haven't used anything of Android to talk about the interface like I actually know something about it. I one day hope to play around with Android to see what it is about. I really want to get the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 as my MP3 player as well as to work with Android. If I can't get the 4.0, then the 3.6 will do. Still- I want to get some real Android experience to be able to discuss it.





I still have not actually accessed or used any Android-equipped device. What all you have read is based on thoughts alone on something I have no experience of using. I hope I could eventually get my own Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 (or maybe the 4.0 Galaxy Player) so I could finally play around with the Android interface while also having one as the successor to my SanDisk Sansa Fuze as my MP3 player of choice. I want to get the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 whether buying one myself or being extremely generous to get one as a gift from someone who isn't suspicious or shady. Anyhow, the whole point of this is to say that the Android interface is highly fascinating. What do you make of Android? Perhaps we can share thoughts here.

To learn more about the Android operating system, please visit: www.android.com.


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