Filed under: OS Updates, Google
Google demos latest version of Android cellphone OS
by Brad Linder May 28th 2008
While Google may not be ready to release its Android mobile operating system on the world yet, the company did demonstrate the latest version of its upcoming cellphone OS today.
Overall, Android has an iPhone-like look and feel. The home screen has a program launcher that looks remarkably similar to Apple's. But there are a few things that set it apart. First, the status bar that shows up at the top of every page is far more interactive. You can click and drag any item on the status bar from any program to pull down a menu that will show you missed calls, unread emails, or other information.
You can also easily customize the shortcuts on your home screen as well as the look and location of widgets like a clock. And while you can zoom in and out of web pages using the mobile browser much the same way you can with Safari for the iPhone or Opera Mini for pretty much every other phone, you can also double click on the screen to open a magnifying glass-type box that lets you zoom in on just portions of a web page.
In addition to the video above, the folks at Android Community shot a few videos demonstrating Google Maps, Street View, and Pac-Man running on a prototype Android device.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pasha said 8:40PM on 5-28-2008
Let's see how Verizon will cripple this.
iPhone was not enough to make me jump ship, but if Verizon doesn't get a full featured android phone, i'll consider the switch.
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Sam said 8:06AM on 5-29-2008
I have been a BlackBerry user for about a year now, I swore I would never stray; I'm not sure what I'm gunna do.
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LOs said 8:42AM on 5-29-2008
Seems only yesterday the iPhone was the way to go, now I see why Apple and M$ are so worried about Google.
This is a real competitor, I'm going to hold off buying a new smartphone until some of these hit the market.
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TurboFool said 12:15PM on 5-29-2008
I'm in love. I've been a Windows Mobile user for a while now, and I may stay there until the app community grows enough for Android, along with support for the different document types I use, Exchange, etc. That said, when all that's in place, I can see myself switching very fast. This OS looks fantastic. It looks like everything the iPhone almost was, and everything I wish Windows Mobile could be. Performance looks amazing, customization incredible, usability flawless. And I have no concerns that Google would stop constantly updating and improving upon it, and with the open source elements of this, I'd have full confidence that I'd be able to continue to make this phone anything I want it to be. So damn good.
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