Tablets on Android 4 0. Some features of the new operating system
In the second half of October 2011, along with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone - the first based on the new version of the OS. The main goal of the developers was to combine smartphone (up to Android 2.3) and tablet versions (starting from Android 3.0) in one OS. API level is 14.
So let's look at the basics innovations Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
Lock screen
Google has received a patent for gesture unlock technology. You can drag the lock from the center of the screen onto the application icon you want, for example Contacts, and it will launch immediately. In addition, Android 4.0 has the ability to unlock the screen using the user's face detection function.
Content sharing
With the new Android Beam service, users can transfer files between Android devices in just a couple of taps using NFC technology. To do this, you just need to connect the devices to each other for a few seconds.
APPLICATIONS
The application menu now has a section for widgets, which can now be scaled with your fingers. In addition, there is support for folders. To create a folder, simply drag the icon of one application onto the icon of another.
Internet browser
The new browser is now very similar to Google Chrome - it can sync bookmarks with the PC version. The browser has become faster.
Download manager
In the new version of the OS, you can set a limit on the amount of data transferred from the Internet and regulate the operation of Wi-Fi.
Camera
The new version of the Camera application allows you to take panoramic photos and edit them with a new built-in editor. You can cut out individual fragments, apply various filters, etc.
Contacts
The contacts application has been completely transformed and has become more convenient to use. There is a feature that allows you to automatically send an SMS message to the caller when you are busy and cannot answer the call.
Google Mail now allows you to search offline.
Calendar
The updated calendar offers users multi-touch zooming. The higher the zoom, the more information, ranging from monthly information to the to-do list for a specific day.
System interface
Android 4.0 has a completely new user interface. The developers tried to take into account most of the users' wishes. The notification panel displays icons of applications that sent notifications. The main virtual buttons are always located at the bottom of the screen in case the smartphone does not have hardware keys, such as the Galaxy Nexus. The main set of buttons: “Back”, “Home” and a button for calling a list of running applications. By the way, applications can now be terminated using gestures, and virtual buttons can be disabled or changed.
Other
There is now standard support for creating screenshots. In order to take a screenshot, you need to simultaneously hold down the device's on/off key and one of the volume buttons.
The new version of the OS has improved speech recognition functions and voice control capabilities. Voice text input is supported. However, it is worth noting that this functionality requires a constant Internet connection, because... recognition takes place on Google servers.
Built-in Applications
- API Demos
- Browser
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Camera
- Clock
- Custom Locale
- Dev Tools
- Downloads
- Gallery
- Gestures Builder
- Messaging
- Music
- People
- Phone
- Search
- Settings
- Speech Recorder
- Widget Preview
Emulator skins
- QVGA (240×320, low density, small screen)
- WQVGA400 (240×400, low density, normal screen)
- WQVGA432 (240×432, low density, normal screen)
- HVGA (320×480, medium density, normal screen)
- WVGA800 (480×800, high density, normal screen)
- WVGA854 (480×854 high density, normal screen)
- WXGA720 (1280×720, extra-high density, normal screen) new
- WSVGA (1024×600, medium density, large screen) new
- WXGA (1280×800, medium density, xlarge screen)
16.05.2012 5180
Huawei MediaPad tablet with Android 4.0.3 (ICS) - review
Well, the first (in my case) tablet has arrived for review, for which there is already official firmware Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich.
In addition, I have long been interested in this seven-inch Huawei MediaPad as a representative of a series of budget tablets (price in Moscow is about 12-13 thousand rubles). So in this review we will look at this tablet in particular, and what the tablet version of Android 4.0.3 is in general.
: Android 3.2 (Android 4.0.3): Qualcomm 1.2GHz Dual Core
Flash memory: 8 GB
RAM: 1 GB
Display: 7"" LCD WXGA (1280x800 IPS), glossy, capacitive sensor, multitouch compatible
Net: Wi-Fi 802.11b / 802.11g / 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1
Memory card: microSD up to 32 GB
Input Output: microUSB, microHDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Battery: built-in, 4100 mAh
Cameras: on the back cover 5 megapixels with autofocus, on the front - 1.3 megapixels
Additionally: G-sensor, E-compass
GPS: There is
Dimensions: 190×124×11 mm
Weight: 390 g What immediately attracts attention here? The display, of course! Firstly, the IPS matrix is very cool for a budget model. Secondly, the WXGA resolution (1280x800) is the same only in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, while in the HTC Flyer and Acer Iconia Tab A100 it is 1024x700. But the built-in memory is not enough, only 8 GB. However, with microSD support this is not a particular problem - all kinds of music and videos can be written to microSD. Equipment The option is budget, so no pampering: device, USB-microUSB cable, power adapter. All. Appearance and features
The top part of the tablet is quite typical: screen, black frame. For the top cover, regular tempered glass is used - no Gorilla Glass, no oleophobic coating, so the screen gets dirty instantly.
Top part
The bottom cover, which is integral with the ends, is made of brushed aluminum and looks very good.
Back cover
The upper insert, made of black rubberized plastic, is non-removable and contains a slightly protruding camera lens. The bottom insert is removable - underneath there are slots for a SIM card and microSD.
Removed insert
Rubberized inserts allow you to grip the tablet in landscape orientation. The bulging camera is a bit of a nuisance. The top end has a headphone jack and two speakers. By the way, the location of the speakers is extremely unfortunate. Such tablets are usually held in landscape orientation, so that the speakers are covered steadily with the left hand.
Top end
The right side is the power button, volume control.
Right end
The bottom end is the output of the power adapter, miniHDMI, miniUSB and reset. A separate adapter is needed; the tablet charges via USB very, very slowly, even if it is the network adapter that is used, and not the computer’s USB port.
By definition, there are no other control keys here other than power and volume control - in Android, starting from the third version, all control is done through on-screen buttons. What can we say about the appearance of the tablet? In my opinion, it looks decent and solid. A little thick (but seven-inch ones are all like that), but the materials and finishing are very high quality, there are no complaints here. Installing Android 4.0.3 This tablet had Android 3.2 installed, but since the official fourth firmware for it had already been released, I decided to install it. You can at least take it, the flashing process (very simple) is described here. Tablet operation on Android 4.0.3
The desktop of a loaded four on this tablet looks like this.
Desktop
As you can see, the differences from the third version are absolutely minimal. More precisely, purely visually they are not visible at all. All the same three on-screen control keys at the bottom left - return, home, taskbar. The same application key in the upper right corner. Well, links to Google search and Google voice search in the upper left corner. The lower right corner is a notification area that can be expanded.
Expanded notification area
The taskbar is also almost the same as it was in the third version.
Task bar
When you switch the screen icons to editing mode, grid crosses appear on the display.
This didn't seem to happen before.
Layout grid
Installed applications called by the corresponding button.
Installed applications
"Widgets" tab.
Widgets
The "+" button, previously located in the upper right corner of all desktops, has disappeared. Now adding application icons or widgets is done from the list of applications/widgets. Select an application icon or widget, press and hold it with your finger: scrollable desktops appear in front of you, on any of which you can place this icon or widget. It all happens, of course, clearly, but the “+” button was removed completely in vain - now you have to perform an unnecessary action.
Installing the application Installing the widget Well, now let's see what has changed (and whether it has changed) in standard Android applications compared to the third version, and at the same time let's check how these applications work on this tablet.
Keyboard
Russian layout
The keyboard also turned out to be crooked: no matter how hard I tried, specifying two or more language layouts, by swiping on the spacebar, the languages completely refused to switch, despite the fact that the name of the layout appeared on the spacebar. However, this is Android, so there are no problems: I just installed my favorite Smart Keyboard Pro and didn’t worry about it.
English Smartkey layout
Russian layout
Portrait mode
Here's a landscape one.
Landscape
The bookmarks section displays two types of bookmarks: local bookmarks and bookmarks related to your Google account, which are taken from Google Chrome. If you use Chrome, it’s very convenient: all your bookmarks are automatically included in the tablet. The bookmarks themselves are displayed either as previews or as a list.
Previews
List
In the same section there is a window with your browsing history (today, yesterday, last seven days, frequently visited), as well as a window for saved pages. Here is the browser menu. A couple of items have been added there - “Save page” (there is a window for calling saved pages in the bookmarks section) and “Full version”.
Browser menu
It is convenient to use at this resolution.
List of letters
The phone works fully on this tablet - you can use both speakerphone and headset. Recent calls are displayed next to the dialer.
Dialing a number
If you click on the lower left icon, a list of contacts with a search will appear.
Contact list
Selected contacts.
Selected contacts
Call history section.
Call history
Favorite contacts section.
On the left are large favorites icons, on the right is a list of frequently called and all contacts.
Favorite Contacts
The service during a conversation is worse than on a smartphone, but you can use it - there is speaker switching, pause, and hold mode.
If you click on the lower left icon, a list of contacts with a search will appear.
Call
SMS/MMS
Receiving and sending SMS/MMS.
Full service, convenient to use.
Selecting a recipient
Viewing albums, pictures in albums, enlarged viewing, sending to photo hosting sites or via SMS, slide shows, editing.
Albums
Photos in albums
Full screen viewing and sharing
Image menu
The video player hasn't changed much.
Whatever formats it has not reproduced, it does not reproduce those. There is an icon for locking the screen, sharing videos on YoutTube and FaceBook, sending videos via MMS, BT and mail. Able to customize gestures - adjusting volume or brightness.
I also learned how to load subtitles, but the Russian ones are loaded extremely crookedly - they don’t understand the encoding.
Player with menu
Loaded Russian subtitles
However, as usual, it is better to use some proven player - for me it is MX Player Pro.
Everything is fine there with the formats (almost everything plays) and with subtitles.
Viewing albums, pictures in albums, enlarged viewing, sending to photo hosting sites or via SMS, slide shows, editing.
Next, it was interesting to see how the tablet played various high-definition videos. It turned out that even 1080p plays normally and without delays, but only if the hardware decoder is supported for the codec being played. In this case, there are no delays or jerks.
1080i and 1080p videos
The work with music here is just as poor as in the third version. Neither you have any decent selection, nor any other services. It’s not even clear why developers have such an attitude towards playing audio tracks.
Songs in the album
Playback
Day
Agenda
Reading To read books, the Aldiko program is installed here. Not the best reader in the world, but it reads PDF decently, although it is slow. Book in EPUB
To read books, the Aldiko program is installed here. Not the best reader in the world, but it reads PDF decently, although it is slow.
PDF document
With regular text book formats, the main problem is that the program does not know how to create a two-column mode in landscape orientation - this is more convenient for reading on tablets. And out of habit, I wrote that all this can be easily solved by downloading the CoolReader reader - but no, CoolReader on this version for some reason displays a black screen instead of a book page. They'll probably fix it soon, but for now it's not working.
By moving the circle, you can unlock the tablet, go to answer a call, go to the camera, or go to SMS messages. Well, in general, that’s all for the main installed applications, which may somehow depend on the version itself. Practice has shown that there is very little new here, compared to the third version. And the applications that caused criticism in the third version were never completed. Probably, the essence of the transition to the fourth version was only to make a universal version: a version for tablets and smartphones. The tablet part has not undergone any serious modifications at all. Camera The camera here is very unstable - apparently it's a matter of specific firmware. Firstly, quite often when trying to make some settings it simply turns off with an error. Secondly, the display on the right in all modes shows a very noticeable pink noise, which, however, is absent in the frames and videos.
Noisy frame
The camera takes frankly bad pictures even in normal lighting conditions: it focuses disgustingly (although there is autofocus), it makes a fool of itself with the white balance, it is terribly “noisy”, and the overall quality, despite 5 megapixels, is below par. Please make sure (I did not process them in any way, I just made them smaller; clicking on them will open enlarged images). I also chose decent shots.
Sample frames
Video is even worse: the picture is cloudy, blurry, very noisy, and becomes completely blurry at the slightest movement of the camera. Here is a screenshot with VGA resolution.
VGA
Here is a screenshot with a resolution of 720p - there is also this pink interference on the right.
720p
In general, the camera is definitely a bad one. You can even compare. Here are two pictures in the same conditions with a difference of literally two seconds. The first one is on this camera. The second is on a Samsung Galaxy Note, so as not to compare with a camera (clickable).
In addition, I have long been interested in this seven-inch Huawei MediaPad as a representative of a series of budget tablets (price in Moscow is about 12-13 thousand rubles). So in this review we will look at this tablet in particular, and what the tablet version of Android 4.0.3 is in general.
Samsung Galaxy Note
Well, in Skype the front camera transmits very nicely. Not exactly brilliant, but cute - admire it.
Image from the tablet on the receiving computer
HiSuite
Quadrant 2
AnTuTu - like this.
AnTuTu Benchmark
Tests from AnTuTu
However, for me personally, all these tests range from anti-too-too to flashlight, so let's see what the tablet produces during normal operation. So. First, work on the Internet: automatic brightness adjustment, Wi-Fi turned on, the page in the browser reloads every minute. Internet surfing - 6 hours 20 minutes. Not bad, in my opinion. Not horror at all. Watching a video: wireless networks are disabled, normal brightness, a regular TV series is playing (in a loop). Watching video - 4 hours 45 minutes. Almost five o'clock. Good too. Well, and the typewriter mode - reading and typing with the wireless connection turned off and the screen backlight saving mode. - Typewriter 7 hours 10 minutes . In general, battery life is not bad. Nothing particularly impressive, but not disappointing either. Well what can I say? In general, I clearly liked the machine. For that kind of money - a very good display (even higher than usual resolution), good performance, good battery life, nice design and downright cool finishes and body materials. The fourth Android works well on the tablet, although occasionally minor glitches are observed - the default keyboard and camera operation. The only thing I really didn’t like was the camera, but that’s not fatal - who actually uses the camera a lot on a tablet? In addition, it’s possible that these are just jambs of a particular instance, you never know... Otherwise, it’s a very decent tablet. For budget seven-inch devices, this is clearly one of the best in this class.
Android 4.0 is now what is called a hot new product. The new version is just starting to hit the market, but Google promises it will soon take center stage. The manufacturer is traditionally optimistic in describing the system: the new version of Ice Cream Sandwich offers many serious changes in the interface, which will make working with phones and tablets using Android much more convenient.
In this regard, it is very interesting to see the system in operation. But for now, alas, the opportunities to get acquainted with it are extremely limited: only the new Galaxy Nexus smartphone has been released on the market, in which Ice Cream Sandwich is already installed, and just a couple of days ago there were reports that a new version of the system has become available for the previous generation flagship, Google Nexus S.
At the same time, there is practically no information about what Android 4.0 is for tablets. Well, with the exception of brief official statements from manufacturers promising updates for already released tablets to version 4.0 and the announcement of some tablet for $100. And I personally really wanted to fill this gap.
Help came in the form of a project porting this operating system to the x86 platform. A few weeks ago they released the first test build of Android 4.0.1, which we immediately took advantage of by installing it on the tablet we had at our disposal. Although it doesn't work very well yet, we were able to not only work with it, but also compare it with Android 3.1 Honeycomb. Of course, the conclusions are very preliminary: firstly, a test version in which many things do not work, and secondly, it works on a non-native platform. However, the organization of the interface and the main functions can be compared. Well, let's get started.
A little history
The demand for tablets was huge, but the supply... The fact is that manufacturers had nothing to compete with the iPad: neither a normal platform, nor an operating system, nor even a device concept. Out of desperation, tablets running Windows CE or desktop Windows were announced and sometimes even entered the market, but they were very poorly suited for finger operation, so they simply could not be considered competitors to the iPad.
The only more or less suitable system turned out to be Google Android, which, in addition to all its advantages, was free and open source. The Chinese were the first to produce Android tablets (and often on very outdated versions). They were not confused by the telephone orientation of the system; they did not even turn off the telephone unit, which, in the absence of a cellular module, hung in the air. Gradually, the world's leading manufacturers began to pay attention to the platform.
Samsung made a very interesting move: instead of removing telephone components from the system, it, on the contrary, provided the tablet with the ability to make calls and included this as one of the advantages of the system. In general, the Galaxy Tab tablet turned out to be quite successful in terms of functionality, and for a long time it remained the only one of its kind, which greatly helped it in sales, even despite the high price. Tablets based on the “telephone” version 2.x are still being released; an example is HTC Flyer, which entered the market just before the end of Android 2.x.
The market, manufacturers, and the very logic of competition required Google to provide an up-to-date operating system aimed specifically at tablets. This version was Android 3.0 Honeycomb, introduced at the end of February 2011. And immediately after its release, the new system revealed a number of unexpected features. Firstly (however, this is obvious), version 3.0 from the very beginning was positioned only for devices with a large screen diagonal and horizontal orientation, i.e. tablets. By this, by the way, Google broke its own version numbering, because it turned out that there would be no 3.0 for phones in principle. Secondly, even semi-officially, Android 3.0 was seen as an experimental offshoot, without any long-term prospects. Thirdly, the system is aimed at a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and, in fact, only for 10-inch tablets. So, for example, Acer, when releasing the Iconia A100, had to go to some lengths to make the system work on a 7-inch screen.
Finally, Google did not release the source code for version 3.0 of Honeycomb. Formally, the company promised that it would provide access to the source codes when the system was fully developed to support all the necessary devices, not just tablets. In the meantime, Google does not want developers to use it in various “unauthorized ways” (difficult to translate, but the point is to prohibit uncontrolled use and the development of additional modules). In reality, this turned out to be the fact that only version 4.0 of Ice Cream Sandwich was released to the public.
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Let's briefly go over the main innovations and features of the Android 3.x operating system, which is used in the vast majority of modern tablets. In principle, we already have a review on the site dedicated to user impressions of the new system, so we will focus on the technological innovations indicated by the manufacturer: this will help us when analyzing the innovations of version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Compared to 2.x, the new version had a very much changed interface, which significantly changed the logic of working with the system, as well as a number of technological improvements to the platform (for example, the use of hardware acceleration in the interface). You can read a general overview of innovations on the manufacturer’s website.
So, the interface and control system have changed the most. The desktops have changed; in 3.0 they scroll through with a 3D effect. Accessing applications is now done via a button at the top right of the screen. Applications in the list began to scroll sideways, which is logical for this screen orientation.
The management system has completely changed. The interface is supposed to have two panels: System Bar and Action Bar. The first is intended for system functions and management, the second concentrates the functions of the application and is controlled by it, i.e. the content of the panel depends on the application developers.
Let's say a few words about the system panel. Its elements can be divided into three large groups: control buttons, notifications, system functions (time, battery status and wireless networks). In 3.0, Google decided to completely abandon hardware buttons, moving all controls to the screen. There are three on-screen buttons, but only two traditional ones remain: “back” (go back one step in an application or close the current application) and “home” (immediately exit to the desktop). The search button has disappeared (search is now represented as a button in the upper left corner) and the “menu”. By the way, the menu button may appear next to the main buttons in the bottom bar for some older applications optimized for 2.x. For applications adapted to 3.0, this button should appear in the top bar. But there is a separate button for calling “recently launched applications” for easier transition between them. If you click on the panel in the information area (where the clock is), a system control menu will appear: some of the most common actions, such as adjusting the brightness, are placed right there. The same menu displays full versions of notifications (icons indicating their availability are shown to the left of the infozone). From this menu you can directly go to the tablet settings.
A number of other changes were made to the system. For example, a different keyboard (according to the manufacturer’s explanations, made so that it is more convenient to use on tablets, but I didn’t really notice this - approx. author), improvements such as “improved copy-paste support” (it has become more convenient to delimit the selection area). Some programs, for example mail, received a “two-window” interface (we won’t say where it was written off from). In technical terms, the main innovations were the use of hardware acceleration in the system interface and support for multi-core processors. We will talk about some points in more detail below.
The launch of Android 3.0 Honeycomb turned out to be very crumpled: in an effort to release the new system quickly (clouds were slowly gathering over the market in the form of the iPad 2), the “flagship” Motorola Xoom tablet was released onto the market clearly unfinished (including in terms of software). This led to a flood of negative reviews that spoiled the first, most important impression of the system and the products on it.
Moreover, professional reviews and feedback on the new system were also either contradictory or rather negative. It seemed to me that this was mainly due to two reasons: firstly, many journalists were waiting for a breakthrough against the background of the already existing iOS, and secondly, they were already too accustomed to the iPad, and when reviewing new tablets, stereotypes were broken. However, the system did have many controversial issues and shortcomings. Not to mention the fact that in terms of overall user experience, Honeycomb clearly did not match the iPad, and Xoom was significantly more expensive. Which had an extremely negative impact on sales levels.
Google quickly released system 3.1, on which all other tablets went on sale. Then 3.2 was released, in which the list of changes was extremely small. I think that we will no longer see new versions of 3.x, because the transition to the 4th version is coming.
What's new in Android 4.0?
After the “tablet” 3.x, the main task of Android 4.0 is to once again become a single operating system for phones and tablets. It should launch and work normally on both classes of devices. In particular, developers are promised a single development environment for phones and tablets (surprisingly, was it different before?!).
Most reviews talk about the new version as a breakthrough, something new and unique. Moreover, all reviews are made on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone, so the comparison is with versions 2.3.x (at best), and with such a comparison the changes are truly radical. In reality, many ideological points and decisions in the interface are taken directly from version 3.0. Therefore, when I installed the new version of Android on the tablet, I did not see any significant differences compared to version 3.0.
By the way, if you look carefully, at the official presentation of Android 4.0, company representatives said a lot of beautiful words about the new system, but for some reason they were talking only about phones. As far as I know, there was no mention of tablets at all. However, we will return to this topic at the end of the material. For now, let's look at Android 4.0 - very briefly.
New font Roboto: improves readability, etc. This point in the description is very reminiscent of “our answer to Microsoft,” which has been talking so long and persistently about the new font in Windows Phone 7.
New system features: Improved multitasking, including a list of recently launched apps. Hardware acceleration of the 3D interface (as far as I understand, this item is directly taken from version 3.0). Added Android Beam (using NFC to organize direct interaction between devices, identification, etc.) and Wi-Fi Direct - direct connection of two devices via Wi-Fi. USB host support (it seems to be available in 3.1-3.2). In the new system, you can not only remove self-installed applications, but also disable system applications and services so that they do not consume resources. Control has been introduced over the amount of information transmitted over cellular networks, with the ability to configure warnings and blocking and with a breakdown of consumption by application. That is, you can identify which application consumes a lot of traffic and deny it access to the network. Unlocking by the user's face, new Bluetooth capabilities (for example, connecting medical devices), etc.
Interface changes:
- Magazine-style interface: interface like magazines. A different organization of large square elements on the screen is proposed. It doesn't seem to be a direct borrowing, but it looks very similar to Windows Metro.
- New animation of menus and transitions, 3D animation of desktops (applied already in 3.0).
- Improved notifications. Icons appear in the lower right corner. By clicking on them, you can call up the notification itself. A notification can have active elements - for example, a “reply” button for a letter, a player button (also introduced in 3.0).
- List of recently opened applications.
- The ability to “swipe” to remove applications and notifications.
- Customizable widgets (you can scroll inside the widget and fine-tune its size)
- Ability to organize folders by simply dragging one icon onto another. In the future, the folder can be renamed arbitrarily.
- Two control panels - bottom (system) and top (action bar). There are no changes compared to 3.0.
- Virtual buttons on the system panel, complete absence of hardware buttons.
- Improved copy-paste - like in 3.0, but graphically shows where the selected piece will be moved and pasted.
- New keyboard with improved prediction, voice control.
- New lock screen. It was worth criticizing Windows Phone for placing player control on the lockscreen, as Google did the same. That is, on a tablet it’s not scary, but on a phone there will be the same problems.
- Ability to take screenshots regularly (Power + Vol. Down buttons).
Firmware changes. It is argued that there is a lot of new things in standard programs and utilities. The calendar interface has been updated to allow scaling. The Voicemail application has been redesigned. The camera application has been greatly changed. It is now possible to enable tracking focus, there is no lag when pressing the shutter, the camera itself can focus on the face and shoot it. Simplified access to camera settings. We changed the organization and appearance of the gallery, and added a photo editor.
The “People” hub has been added to the system. Now it groups all information about a contact, including information from social networks, etc. (In terms of organization and appearance, it is almost directly borrowed from Windows Phone, and in its own system it still looks like a foreign element.)
A new browser that has a number of interesting features: it can request the desktop version of the site, saves pages for offline reading, incognito mode, active zoom, and can synchronize with Google Chrome. Although this is not a mobile version of Chrome (why hasn't it been made yet?), it uses the same WebKit engine. They promise that performance has been improved and pages are rendered faster. Supports up to 16 tabs. (In fact, the browser is almost identical to the one installed in Android 3.0.)
Commenting on this list, you immediately notice how surprisingly similar the lists of innovations in the 3rd and 4th versions are. If you carefully look at the same one to check (not to mention more reputable sources, such as “native” version descriptions and ), then you can immediately see that most of the innovations indicated for the 3rd and 4th versions are the same even in the wording.
We have not yet had the opportunity to thoroughly get acquainted with the original tablet on Android 4.01, but the first test build of Android-x86 was recently released. Which we researched (to the extent that we managed to make it work).
Equipment
Thanks to the courtesy of Acer, we received an Acer Iconia W500 tablet on the AMD Brazos platform (C-50 chip). The first version of Android 4.0.1 x86 worked correctly only on this platform, while on the Intel platform it had a number of significant problems (although they seem to have already been resolved).
For comparison, we use the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with the Android 3.1 operating system, kindly provided to us for testing. In this regard, I must make a reservation: the OS on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been modified by the manufacturer, so the appearance and some functions may differ from “pure” Android. However, we have nothing to choose from. And users who have tablets with bare Android 3.x OS can compare our version with what is shown on theirs.
Android 4.0 in real life
In principle, if you choose everything correctly, the system can be installed even from a flash drive, and quite quickly. But at the same time, it is very demanding on the installer that creates the flash drive (it started for me with only one).
You can also install Android in parallel with Windows. But you have to be careful, and just in case, make a backup of the original system (for example, the old OS stopped running for me, but I installed Android in the same section, because the performance of Windows was not a priority).
However, upon startup it turned out that on my Android system there was a conflict between the kernel and video addresses, so the system worked for about 10 minutes, after which the screen went blank and then filled with garbage - and I had to reboot.
The system starts quickly - faster than a Samsung tablet. It is also smoother in operation - however, Samsung has its own shell and many programs of its own, which negatively affects performance. And our copy of the Galaxy Tab was pretty littered.
In our Android-x86 build, quite a few functions did not work; even a couple of settings items (for example, Storage) caused a crash. The vaunted ability to take screenshots by pressing two keys did not work (which is a pity: we would have had great screenshots, especially since Samsung can also easily take them). The camera did not start, which is very annoying, because I really wanted to evaluate the new interface. Finally, and this is a real shame, Google's voice control and voice search functions did not launch. But, let me emphasize once again, this is a purely preliminary assembly, and there is no need to pay attention to the inoperability of the elements in it.
So let's move on to looking at the external features of the interface, which work quite well.
Lock screen
The lock screen is made tragically blue, in dark colors (so that AMOLED consumes less energy?). The fonts for the inscriptions and clocks on the two tablets are completely different, but Samsung uses its own fonts.
The status bar in the lower right corner is active in version 4.0. That is, if you click on the clock, the main menu appears, from which you can make some settings - for example, turn Wi-Fi on or off. True, the system will not allow you to go beyond this window: if, say, you select to go to settings, the corresponding window will open only after unlocking the device. By the way, in 4.0 they promise to display the player buttons directly on the lock panel. In 3.1 there is no such thing, and the only possible action is unlocking.
I have already expressed my opinion that active elements on the lock screen are some kind of internal contradiction. Either this is a lock screen, when everything is locked, or this is a control screen - then what does locking have to do with it? Although in some cases this may be useful for a phone in order to quickly set up something, it also increases the likelihood of accidental operation.
Finally, in 4.0, multiple elements can be placed on the unlock ring. So far it is known that you can call the camera directly from there. Although, by the way, I don’t know whether tablets will have this functionality. Because of this, to unlock the tablet, you need to drag the icon to the right (in 3.1 - in any direction).
Desktops and application menus
The structure of the desktops has not changed: they are organized and scrolled in the same way as in 3.1. Even the frames disappear the same way when the desktop is in place. In 4.0 there are no desktop numbers, so it is not clear which one you are on. The list of what can be placed on desktops has not changed, but the placement mechanism has changed a lot.
Desktops scroll with a 3D effect; when scrolling, a blue border appears on the desktop, which disappears once the desk is in place.
In 4.0, widgets that can scroll content within themselves are announced as a new feature. In addition, the size of the widget can be changed arbitrarily to fit the available space.
Widgets and shortcuts are removed in the same way: if you hold your finger on an element, you can move it, and a trash bin appears in the upper right corner. By the way, using this function on a tablet with a large screen is not very convenient - you have to drag the shortcut across the entire screen with the risk that it will become unhooked.
The transition to the applications menu in both versions is done through the “Applications” icon (in version 4.0 there is no inscription, only a graphic element remains). The icon is located in the upper right corner, which is again inconvenient: as a rule, you hold the tablet by the bottom of the side panels, i.e., you have to reach far to reach it, you have to let go of your right hand and hold the tablet with your left hand.
The organization of the application menu in Android 4.0 has been completely changed and, in my opinion, not for the better. In 3.1, only application icons were in the list, and you could choose to show them all or only those installed by the user.
In 4.0, all programs and widgets are combined into a single list; you can switch between them, for example, using the bookmarks at the top of the screen. But if you scroll through the list of applications to the right, then after the last page it will simply scroll further to widgets. Moreover, this list does not show widgets, but their icons, i.e. they are inactive and do not display information.
The animation of the application menu has changed; in 3.1 it was a ribbon of several screens that were scrolling through. In 4.0, the old window still moves sideways, but the new one “pops up” from under it. The old page always goes to the left, but if you swipe your finger from left to right, it will return, and the current one will go down. Moreover, if you go to the right to the end of the applications, widgets will begin to appear, which then need to be moved to the desktop.
In this menu, you can grab the widget - then the application menu will disappear, and the desktop will open, where you can install this widget.
It seems to me that for a tablet the scheme implemented in 3.1 is much more convenient, where there is a list of widgets at the bottom, and thumbnails of all five desktops at the top. The widget is removed in the same way in both versions: if you hold your finger on it, it “unsticks” from the table, after which it must be transferred to the virtual trash can.
Desktop menu and notifications
Let's look at two new and important controls.
Firstly, this is the main menu that appears when you click on the notification area.
As you can see, in 4.0 the menu that initially appears is uninformative (it duplicates data from the notification panel and displays notifications). To access the most necessary functions, you need to additionally click on the on-screen button on the right. True, large icons in 3.0 are a proprietary Samsung addition; in a clean system this window looks different. But it’s immediately clear what Google developers should strive for.
The second important element is notifications. In both tablet versions they are implemented in a similar way.
A small icon appears in the system tray, next to the clock. If you click on it, only this notification will open. If you open the main menu, it will show the latest 3-5 notifications; they can be removed one at a time.
To remove a notification in 3.0, you need to click on the cross on it. In 4.0, you can dismiss notifications by simply swiping them off the screen.
Control
Well, let's not talk about the touchscreen, that's already clear.
Both systems have three control buttons, all buttons are located on the screen. By the way, I don’t really understand why there was a taskbar, because there are too few functional elements on it (the middle, for example, always remained empty for me), so I always get the impression that this is “to spite Windows.” Which, if I understand correctly, is going to abandon the taskbar altogether.
The functions of the buttons do not differ from 3.x - the same standard “Back”, “Home” and “Application list”. The hardware Menu button is no longer there, it is now a button with three stripes that appears anywhere: either in the taskbar next to the three main buttons, or in the upper right corner if there is a separate panel there.
Unfortunately, the button to show active applications did not work for us. It's a shame - this is one of the most interesting and controversial features of Android. Therefore, an opinion about its work had to be based on Android 3.1.
According to the developer, the keyboard has changed a little, but I didn’t notice any significant changes. Perhaps the predictions have indeed improved, but this still does not amount to a breakthrough. But what immediately catches your eye is that the external style has changed: instead of beautifully designed “real life” embossed buttons, the keyboard has become a set of light rectangles (which also makes me think of a metro style, however, I may be biased here).
Settings
The system settings menu has changed a lot in terms of organization: the structure has become simpler and more logical, some items have moved from one group to another. It seemed to me that using the settings has really become more convenient, but in order to form an opinion, you need to actively use the device for some time, and with Android 4 such an opportunity has not yet presented itself.
For example, the wireless network settings menu has changed a lot.
It definitely looks simpler and more logical now, and some settings have been moved to a separate tab.
I don’t want to go deeper into comparing the organization of menu elements, so we’ll just provide comparative screenshots of the settings windows on two tablets. Those readers who are interested can judge for themselves what has changed.
We will turn to the most interesting point - the ability to control mobile traffic for a certain period. There are zeros in the screenshot, because only traffic through cellular networks is counted (and we did not use our tablets in this mode during testing).
As you can see, you can set the period for which the calculation will be made. In addition, this same menu item displays a breakdown of which applications consume how much traffic. That is, you can immediately assess what is causing the overspending and block the offending application from accessing the network (or configure it).
Now let's move on to analyzing the main applications that come with the system.
System applications in Android 3.0 and 4.0
Browser
Judging by the optimistic statements, the browser should be new and somehow unusual, but in reality it is the same browser as in version 3.0. Well, that is, compared to the browser in 2.x, this is probably a really big step forward, but in 3.0 the browser had absolutely the same functionality. Even synchronization with Google Chrome was already in the 3rd version of Android.
At the same time, in version 4 there is a traditionally unclear situation with support for Flash technology. Adobe has globally abandoned mobile Flash, advising the transition to HTML5 and Adobe AIR. On the other hand, it seems that the module for the 4th version of Android should still be released, but how, when and whether it will be at all is still unknown. In 3.1, by the way, flash works. For example, embedded videos and live streams are displayed correctly not only in the built-in browser, but also in Opera Mobile (although, for example, not in Firefox).
Among the features of the work, it is worth noting that the browser in 3.0 opens a new tab in the background, and in 4.0 it becomes active. In 4.0, the browser supports high-resolution icons, but they are not displayed correctly.
You can get acquainted with the appearance of the browser, menus and settings windows in the gallery of screenshots.
Mail client
We swapped two icons, but I didn’t notice any other changes.
Android Market
To my surprise, this application has undergone the most changes. If you look at the store’s start page, some doubts arise: did I end up in the right store? It is designed in the form of large rectangular tiles with information on them.
What immediately attracts attention is that there are fewer elements on the screen, but they have become larger. Most likely, this is the result of adaptation to small smartphone screens.
The application description has been revised. Unnecessary elements have been removed from it, and now it is arranged more economically. Screenshots were moved to the upper right sector, a single window was created with the overall rating, etc.
This concludes the comparison of the interfaces of the two versions of Android. In my opinion, if there are any differences, they are so insignificant that they do not in any way resemble a new version. In addition, it is generally unclear about most of the new functions - whether they are new or taken directly from 3.0, and are new only when applied to mobile phones.
A little more interesting are the additional settings, in particular the control of mobile traffic, but this is not an improvement, but rather a compensation for a system feature deliberately built into Android, when applications are allowed to surf the Internet on their own. Which is what they use.
Multitasking as it is
4.0 has another feature taken directly from 3.1 - improved multitasking and control over it. As already noted, the button for calling the list of applications on the screen did not work in our assembly, but, as far as I understand from the available documents, this function is implemented in the same way as in 3.1.
Firstly, I don’t really understand why they are talking about improved multitasking when they are actually discussing the implementation of visual control over launched applications. Secondly, we are not talking about a “list of active applications”, but about a “list of recently launched applications”. This is an important caveat, because these applications may still be running in the background, or they may have already been forcibly terminated and unloaded - it is impossible to find out what happened to them from the standard manager.
The developers say that Android uses a fairly standard algorithm: the application is kept in memory as long as there is enough memory capacity, after which the regular application manager kills some of them. Moreover, the unloading mechanism is very strict: the task manager forcibly unloads the application from memory immediately, without giving it the opportunity to save its state. Thus, the application state is saved only when the application switches from active to background (that is, when you move from it to another application). If the application was doing something else in the background, the results will most likely be lost. There are other subtleties, too, such as how fully the application's state is preserved when it goes into the background.
Based on the results of active work with Android 3.1, I was left with the impression that the application may well be killed by a timeout. For example, if you open several tabs in the browser, turn off the screen, get ready, leave the office, walk to the subway and turn on the screen there, then the browser will almost certainly start again and... of course, the tabs will not be saved! Even if they were fully loaded by the time the screen turned off. It is not clear why the browser is killed, because the tablet is in sleep mode and it is unlikely that the memory was required for anything else.
Apparently, the manufacturer is aware of the problem, but instead of solving it, it chose to do workarounds: the standard browser has a “save page for offline viewing” option. Which, in my opinion, is a crutch, but not a solution. For comparison, the browser on a smartphone with WinPhone 7 allows you to open tabs and then read them one by one on the go. And phones must have stricter requirements for power consumption and memory consumption than tablets.
In general, the issue of performance and memory management (including unexpected forced unloading of applications) is constantly raised on forums, and there is no single answer. And most often - specifically in relation to Android. Moreover, many people are surprised that the hardware characteristics of the device seem to be good, and everything is optimized - but still there are always some problems.
In general, this is not the multitasking we are used to. The question is not even that applications freeze in the background, but that they can be arbitrarily killed by the system at the most unexpected moment, along with all the information, i.e. there is no stability and predictability of the system’s behavior. You can only access the list of what was recently launched, and even then not always - as far as I understand, it includes applications that you exit using the “Home” button, but not the “Back” button (in the second case, they close themselves regularly) . Every now and then I came across a situation where the application I just closed was not in the list. Accordingly, it is not very clear what happens if you remove an application from this list with a “swipe”. Is it forced to close? Or is it closed using standard means while saving the state? Not to mention the fact that the system is quite likely already removed from this list before you. I won’t talk about version 4.0 - maybe the algorithm has been changed somehow and only running applications are shown - but so far I haven’t been able to find accurate reliable information specifically about management 4.0.
Some features of the new operating system
I will briefly dwell on two more features.
First, there's the much-touted hardware acceleration. It works, according to Google representatives, not everywhere, but only for some window elements, while others are still drawn using CPU resources. The only change in 4.0 is that the system now tries to enable acceleration by default, whereas in previous versions it had to be forced on the application.
Secondly, the situation with support for Mass Storage Device and memory cards. In modern versions of Android, internal memory is combined into a single address space. First of all, this was done in order to avoid situations when there is a lot of memory on the phone, and there is nowhere to install applications (I think many people remember this situation). Therefore, the sdcard folder is virtual and is mounted inside the system. According to the developers, this is done to ensure that the system maintains a common file storage that does not interfere with the protected areas of applications. And since this is a single address space of the OS, it cannot give direct access to it to external devices - for example, a computer. Therefore, direct connection of internal memory as a Mass Storage Device is not available. If the device has a slot for an SD card, then this card will be visible to external devices, but it will also be available to the system as external data storage.
As far as I understand, this situation is also a consequence of the ideological conflict within Android. On the one hand, developers strive to make new systems simpler and more trouble-free to use, bringing them to the level of competitors in this parameter. On the other hand, the internal basic principles of Android organization are such that they require significantly greater user participation: for example, it is based on access to files on disks, while competitors only have “their” application working with files, i.e. you are not focusing on files, but for the tasks of a specific application. And these problems must be solved somehow.
Let me also remind you that the presence of an external slot for memory cards is one of the advantageous differences between Android and its competitors, which, for approximately the same reasons (ease of use, uniform structure, security), simply excluded the possibility of using external cards altogether.
Will ideological issues have an impact?
Speaking about version 4.0, it is necessary to at least briefly recall the two main problems of the Google Android system.
The first problem is platform fragmentation. For Android, there are a large number of devices, versions of the operating system, shells, etc. This significantly complicates development, since many parameters must be taken into account. Both Microsoft and Apple solve this problem by limiting the choice of platforms and components, and also create a low-level software layer. Applications run at a high level and use standard system calls, so it doesn't matter what the hardware platform is - these problems are taken care of by the operating system. Android cannot go down this path, because it was originally created under the ideology of openness. In addition, a critical mass of devices and software has already been accumulated for it, so it is becoming more and more difficult to globally change the ideology or technical aspects of the platform.
In this situation, the company took a very necessary step for itself: it allocated a separate branch of the operating system, simplified the hardware configuration as much as possible (one hardware platform, one screen resolution, etc.), closed it for modifications by third parties... All this was necessary in order to in order to cut off all the secondary factors and focus on the main thing - testing out new technologies and a new user interface. Then, based on the results of the updates, it prepared a new general-purpose OS, 4.0, which is already designed for the entire range of supported devices, but borrows the main technologies and interface features of version 3.0. Surely Google expects that over some time all devices will receive the update, and 4.0 will be installed on all current devices, becoming a new unified platform that developers will focus on in their applications. And support for those devices that cannot be updated will most likely be discontinued. And here the second problem arises: gigantic delays with updates.
This is the scourge of Google. Not everyone has updated to 2.1 yet since 2.2 came out. 2.3 was released, but a significant number of devices that appeared on the market right before the announcement still run on 2.2. The company is trying to shift the responsibility onto smartphone manufacturers and operators, who are responsible for the final testing and creation of firmware for a specific device, but this is clearly a common problem. Updates appear several months after the release of a new version of the operating system and (more offensively) the appearance of devices with it on the market. Moreover, very often there are unexpected and unpleasant refusals to update certain products that are still quite viable and have not yet exhausted their life cycle.
The situation with 4.0 is no different. As far as I understand, Google’s position will be to transfer the existing fleet of more or less modern devices to the 4.0 platform as much as possible. Moreover, there is already a requirement for mandatory support for devices for 18 months after the start of release (after a number of very shameful cases when devices that were released almost 8-9 months ago did not receive updates). Therefore, manufacturers are actively reporting their readiness to update their devices to Android 4.0. But this does not eliminate the delay in receiving updates.
After all, announcements are announcements, and even in them the timing of updates, as a rule, is not at all close: spring or even the second quarter of next year. When did Galaxy Nexus go on sale? And Google Nexus S started updating just yesterday. And it is already known for sure that Nexus One will not receive an official update. In general, it’s an unlucky phone - HTC doesn’t update its version, and Google... With tablets the situation is completely foggy. ASUS Transformer Prime on the new Tegra 3 chipset should appear on the market with Honeycomb 3.2 and only then be updated to 4.0. By the way, its release to the market was even delayed due to “discovered problems with Wi-Fi sensitivity.” When testing Android 4.0, I also discovered problems with Wi-Fi sensitivity - I often used two tablets side by side, and it was very noticeable that the tablet with 4.0 had a worse connection to the network. By the way, 4.0 can declare a network with a weak signal as a “network with unreliable connection” and refuses to connect to it.
About the market and prospects
On this note, let’s return to the question asked at the beginning of the material: why did they ignore tablets at the presentation of Android 4.0 and talk only about smartphones?
Yes, because 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich can only be called new in relation to smartphones running versions 2.x. For them, for phones - yes, this is really a step forward... mmm, in some direction. Therefore, reviewers (and so far only phones with 4.0 are reviewed) compare 2.x with 4.0 and find a lot of surprising things for themselves. In reality, Android 4.0 is designed to drag all (including controversial) innovations of 3.0 onto phones. So if you compare the new version with the functionality of tablets based on 3.0 Honeycomb, then the changes made are, well, probably similar to version 3.3 with a new theme. There was no point in holding a world premiere for this, so tablets were quietly excluded from the guest list.
In this light, the general situation with Google products begins to look like another “train over there... on cats!” Only in contrast to Microsoft, which carried out annual beta testing of its own telephone system on the main target audience (and now distributes the global Mango update for them, bringing the OS to a more or less decent state, and pretends that there is nothing terrible about it), Google decided not to risk its main and most successful smartphone market, but experimented with tablet users, of whom there are fewer and who have no choice: either Chinese crafts on Android 2.3, or here’s something at least somewhat similar to a tablet OS, but on our terms, or - they sell iPads. Having tested the new system and the new interface and recognized that it is quite viable, Google simply transfers this platform to smartphones. Which, by the way, during this time have become almost more productive than tablets. At least the videos definitely play better.
In general, Google is repeating Microsoft's move (although everyone has done this before, to one degree or another), releasing a beta version under the guise of a new operating system, and then a normal operating system with an increased number (in this case it is “3.0” and “ 4.0"). Moreover, the company is now announcing that this is a new step in the development of the industry in general. And in both cases we observe the same result: a complete failure of sales and general discontent in the market.
It is, of course, difficult to make a direct comparison, but for the 3rd quarter (and only for it) Apple reported 9.25 million iPads sold. According to the company's estimates, for the year - about 40 million. In November, Andy Rubin gave a figure of 6 million Android tablets in the world - in total and for all time. That is, we can say that the number of iPads in the world is 10 times (if not more) greater than the total number of Android tablets.
In addition, unlike the iPad, Google is a complete failure with applications: there are still very few optimized specifically for tablets. And those that exist cannot be found in the existing structure of the Android Market, because they are not highlighted there in any way. There are many reasons for this, one of which is extremely poor interaction with developers. At the moment, they do not see a sane market for Android tablets in which it is worth investing effort and where it is worth hoping for at least some return on investment. That's why they don't work on it. Of course, for version 4.0 there should be a unified development environment for tablets and phones. As they say, “thank you, finally.” Otherwise, you have to use applications written for phones and hope that they will work correctly.
That is, there is still a strong impression that it was more important for Google to test out the new OS (even in its bare form) than to interest developers (unlike, by the way, Microsoft, which was actively working in this direction). I think this is why tablet owners are so persistently told that they will receive version 4.0 on their devices. Like, six months ago we took advantage of you a little, but you didn’t get what you expected. But now - here’s a new system, and maybe there will be applications there too...
Moreover, in the story with tablets, Google was by no means alone in recruiting beta testers: NVIDIA became the second important participant in the process. Tegra 2, released to great fanfare, having serious problems with high-resolution video playback (see, for example, this review of ours) and a slightly different level of performance and power consumption than expected - is also a beta project. And now Tegra 3 is entering the market (by the way, you can see an overview of its capabilities on our website) with a funny name for Russians “Kal-El”, which promises 4 cores (plus one small one) and high performance (many times more), and improved energy efficiency (many times higher) and that’s it. Let's see how this new generation turns out.
In the meantime, if you look closely at the tablet that was in my hands, it becomes a little sad. However, nothing is perfect in the world. Tablets with the Android 3.0 (and even 4.0) operating system have a number of advantages: openness, the ability to customize, etc. With a competing Apple solution, this cannot be achieved; there you can only do what is allowed and offered. In general, you can use this tablet normally and update it to the desired state if necessary. At the same time, Chinese tablets will be finished have to, but the iPad is basically impossible. (There, jailbreaking is considered a cool hack...)
conclusions
After our acquaintance, we got the strong impression that Android 4.0 is by no means a new operating system. This is a slightly updated and improved 3.2, redesigned so that it works without problems not only on tablets, but also on smartphones. All the main components of the system remain the same; Moreover, even what is declared as innovations 4.0, is such only when compared with 2.x. Therefore, smartphone owners will find many new and interesting solutions in it - unlike owners of tablets with Android 3.x.
I hope that a much more important consequence will be the creation of a new unified platform for smartphones and tablets. And something tells me that Google, which is now slowly changing its market strategy, will try to further develop, unite and make this single platform more attractive precisely as a single universal solution. Let's see.
for the Acer Iconia W500 tablet provided for testing
The editors thank the company's representative office
for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet provided for testing
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