Google is in midst of a
huge revamp, not just from a design standpoint, but also in terms of how it's day-to-day affairs are run, having grown too large to contain all its ambitions in one single place, under a single name. Thus came the
Alphabet, but let's talk about A for Android. With Marshmallow release around the corner, and possibly the next Nexus phones too, is the web-giant ready to take Android to the next level? We'll have to wait and watch, even so by encompassing
features like app-level permissions, Now on Tap, Android Pay and a ton of other improvements, Android 6.0 definitely sounds like an exciting update over Lollipop, the first Android version to incorporate Google's gorgeous visual language called
Material Design.
I, for one, have made no secret of my admiration and love for this Matías Duarte-led design philosophy, and yet there have been some niggling concerns over Google's delay in updating its own apps to comply with Material Design. Google Admin, for instance, received an
interface overhaul just last week, and
Google Authenticator is still stuck in Holo mode, while, curiously, its
iOS counterpart has already received a coat of Material makeover. Still, it's a cause for joy when Google releases new apps. And that's precisely what happened last week.
Google Now: Android/iOS - That the company changed its logo aside,
Google Now is the app where it's the most apparent (I haven't officially received the update as you can see from above), with splashes of red, yellow, green and blue everywhere. Not to mention the fact that it's beautiful and refreshing, especially the new card layouts.
Google Street View: Android/iOS - Google you know did the right thing by unbundling individual app updates from the operating system, putting them on the Play Store, unlike Apple, which is forced to release an OS update even to fix a flaw with one single app. While I wish Apple would follow the same, imagine my surprise when I updated Google Maps to the latest version to find an altogether new app in my app drawer. Yes it's Street View, which has made a comeback (I vaguely recall seeing it on the drawer during my Xperia X10 Mini Pro days back in 2010). But this new version is a traveller's delight and I have been spending insanely long amounts of time exploring the photospheres.
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| Google Street View |
Google On: Android/iOS - Google's hardware ambitions are well-known by now, but even then, it surprised everyone by launching a wireless router
OnHub last month for $200. Google On is nothing but a companion app that lets you manage the router, at the same time presenting you with a list of devices connected to the network, and also run speed tests in case of a Wi-Fi slow-down. And if you are wondering why have I put it on the best apps list, you need an eye check up, like immediately. It's hands down one of the
best designed apps I've ever seen. The colour scheme in particular is just fantastic.
Some odds and ends:
- Google Translate (v. 4.3) adds options for system-wide translation if you are rocking Android 6.0 preview. Now Google, please add the dictionary too!
- I have written about Android Lollipop's inconsistent share sheet menu, but it looks like steps are being taken to rectify it. Case in example is Chrome 45.
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The share menus in YouTube/Google Photos and the rest of the apps (middle two),
and an earlier version of Chrome (leftmost) vs. Chrome 45 (right) |
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