Ice Cream Sandwich rips Metro?

[Steppa.Sound]

Looking at the release of Ice Cream Sandwich I cant help but feel that Google has followed WP7 lead of a clean, modern, flat, grown up design. Gone are the bubbly, gradient UI elements.

BTW The one thing that I am drooling over about the Ice Cream Sandwich release are the specs of Nexus phone (damn!):
4.65 " HD super AMOLED display (res 720x1280)
1.2GHz dual-core Cortex A9-based processor
1GB of RAM. 5MP camera capable of shooting 1080p video/1.3MP front camera
LTE and NFC support
1750mAh battery
16 or 32GB flavors expandable via a microSD card slot

HTC Titan aside, WP7 needs more phones with killer hardware!

 

[ninjaap]

**** yeah it rips on Metro.

 

[Dr.Phil]

I know that alot of people are upset that ICS borrowed some elements from both iOS and WP7, but you have to give them credit for being smart. They brought in all of the good elements of both OS' while still giving users more customization. I will admit I am starting to give Android a second look after today's announcement. And we also have to remember that Android ABSOLUTELY needed this because it is what they are going to use to overpower Apple in the marketplace.

Now, when it comes to WP7 and the upcoming Windows Phone 8 I think Microsoft is going to want to really ramp up the idea on the Metro UI and the cross-platform ability. I was reading an article in PC World the other day and they were talking about Windows 8 and how whatever computer you sign onto that has Windows 8 will load up your own customized homepage. I would love for that to move over to the phone as well. Microsoft can go big on the idea of the Cloud and if they are smart they may want to look at buying up some WebOS patents. They could come in handy with that kind of thinking. Microsoft also needs to take the lead in the mobile phone gaming world. Hey, I would love to see the anti-Nexus, perhaps call it the Xbox phone? That would be interesting. Those are two areas where if Microsoft addresses within the next year, they will at least take on Apple and maybe put themselves within sights of Android.

 

[Steppa.Sound]

Now, when it comes to WP7 and the upcoming Windows Phone 8 I think Microsoft is going to want to really ramp up the idea on the Metro UI and the cross-platform ability. I was reading an article in PC World the other day and they were talking about Windows 8 and how whatever computer you sign onto that has Windows 8 will load up your own customized homepage.

I am really hoping MS pushes with hard with the cross platform innovation. It seems that WP7/Metro/Win 8 is finally beginning to generate long lasting buzz, which needs to build into snowballing momentum fast.

Don't let us down MS!

 

[KingCrimson]

The nice thing is MSFT has spent the last few years building cloud services that are seamlessly accessible across multiple OS. Win7/Win8/WP7. Stuff like SkyDrive, Zune Pass.

 

[1jaxstate1]

So what. WP7 got app "cards" switching from WebOS. Got the idea of FB integration from WebOS. Glad they did, it's much better in WP7. I think they all use the same feature set, and try to implement it differently.

Now, their "people app" is just a damn shame. That's not adding anything, just a blatant copy.

 

[Dr.Phil]

The nice thing is MSFT has spent the last few years building cloud services that are seamlessly accessible across multiple OS. Win7/Win8/WP7. Stuff like SkyDrive, Zune Pass.

The biggest competition that people are not seeing when it comes to this aspect is Amazon. Amazon as you know has released the Fire tablet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they also released their own phone with its own custom Android UI like the Fire. This would be some real competition for Win8 and its cross-platform Metro UI. You are talking about it being able to do pretty much the same thing, but where they would really get people is the cut in prices on the products they offer. However, like I have said before Microsoft has some REAL potential when it comes to the gaming aspect. This whole idea that you can play a game like Kinectimals and be able to transfer data between your Xbox and your phone is something they should capitalize on. It reminds me of when I had a Sega Dreamcast and you had those little memory things that you could play minigames on. It was fun to have on you to play around when you were in school.

 

[Steppa.Sound]

Functionality (features) will continue to be ripped from one platform to another (i.e. what Consumers like, they will get).

My beef is that the ISC UI design is a direct RIP from Metro. I do wonder if this "new" Android" UI will be pushed to their 250,000 apps (thats why I love WP7. All the apps on my phone follow the same design parameters).

 

[KingCrimson]

The biggest competition that people are not seeing when it comes to this aspect is Amazon. Amazon as you know has released the Fire tablet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they also released their own phone with its own custom Android UI like the Fire. This would be some real competition for Win8 and its cross-platform Metro UI. You are talking about it being able to do pretty much the same thing, but where they would really get people is the cut in prices on the products they offer. However, like I have said before Microsoft has some REAL potential when it comes to the gaming aspect. This whole idea that you can play a game like Kinectimals and be able to transfer data between your Xbox and your phone is something they should capitalize on. It reminds me of when I had a Sega Dreamcast and you had those little memory things that you could play minigames on. It was fun to have on you to play around when you were in school.

Tell me about it - I'm one of the Kindle Fire pre-orders!

 

[Steppa.Sound]

However, like I have said before Microsoft has some REAL potential when it comes to the gaming aspect. This whole idea that you can play a game like Kinectimals and be able to transfer data between your Xbox and your phone is something they should capitalize on.

Honestly, how many people WORLDWIDE are gamers? Isn't that a small subset of the smartphone buying population?

 

[cedarlog]

if you cant beat them copy them

 

[theefman]

So what. WP7 got app "cards" switching from WebOS. Got the idea of FB integration from WebOS. Glad they did, it's much better in WP7. I think they all use the same feature set, and try to implement it differently.

Now, their "people app" is just a damn shame. That's not adding anything, just a blatant copy.

Copying a feature and implementing it differently is not the same as copying and pasting the feature wholesale. Ripping the people hub's look and functionality is blatant, and to top it all the designer then talks trash about WP7's Metro UI? They probably copied WP7 because they know MS is less likely to sue than apple, if they had had the courage to rip more of ios you would have seen the lawsuits start flying already. Dishonest and hypocritical, typical google.

 

[1jaxstate1]

We agree. Pretty shameful that they did it.

Copying a feature and implementing it differently is not the same as copying and pasting the feature wholesale. Ripping the people hub's look and functionality is blatant, and to top it all the designer then talks trash about WP7's Metro UI? They probably copied WP7 because they know MS is less likely to sue than apple, if they had had the courage to rip more of ios you would have seen the lawsuits start flying already. Dishonest and hypocritical, typical google.

 

[Pronk]

I am massively underwhelmed by the Galaxy Nexus/ICS. I think (other than the very lovely screen) the design of the phone is horrible. It might look better in real life, but all the screenshots/videos make it look decidedly bland (especially up against the Droid RAZR, which looks much more striking). And ICS really is a big rip-off of WP7 in many ways, but still with that clunky, undesigned, un-uniform look. I loathe the fact that widgets can just be splurged anywhere and don't automatically snap to any sort of nice grid alignment. It's just messy.

I suppose the one big bonus of Android phones is that you can change the launcher. I know if I had ICS I'd be bored of that glowing blue Tron look in days, and would be hunting round for a new theme with a bit more elegance.

 

[1jaxstate1]

I was disappointed too. But more with the design of the phone. Those pre-released shots made the phone look like a miracle of modern mechanical engineer. The actual phone, not so much. Big letdown. As far as ICS, it's just another version of Android, which at this point, I can't tell them apart.

I am massively underwhelmed by the Galaxy Nexus/ICS. I think (other than the very lovely screen) the design of the phone is horrible. It might look better in real life, but all the screenshots/videos make it look decidedly bland (especially up against the Droid RAZR, which looks much more striking). And ICS really is a big rip-off of WP7 in many ways, but still with that clunky, undesigned, un-uniform look. I loathe the fact that widgets can just be splurged anywhere and don't automatically snap to any sort of nice grid alignment. It's just messy.

I suppose the one big bonus of Android phones is that you can change the launcher. I know if I had ICS I'd be bored of that glowing blue Tron look in days, and would be hunting round for a new theme with a bit more elegance.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

Also, according to numerous reports, ICS still has the lag that Windows Phone and iOS doesn't (and Blackberry PlayBook OS), and this is because the "smooth" operating systems are composite based, whereas Android is not because of Java. From what I understand, until they re-write the OS, the lag will never go away no matter HOW many cores it uses. This why I don't trip about not having a battery hogging dual-core phone (except for gaming maybe, and even still, great gaming can be achieved with a single core with a decent GPU) because our software was OPTIMIZED for the hardware. I was underwhelmed last night as well, and am just sitting tight to see what the next round of Windows Phone devices bring next year =/

I still have my Nexus S 4G, so I guess I have the best of both worlds if I want to go back =D

 

[power5]

Gaming is the same size market as the movie industry. Lots of people play games.

I can not find a video of the people hub of ICS but the rest of the UI looks like android to me. I do not see any huge differences between ICS and Gingerbread. But I am not very familiar with android.

 

[Vallos]

I understand the premise on how/why a company sues over patents, but the fine details is where I'm ignorant at. Being that Microsoft has patent the Metro UI, what can they do to Google in this case of "copying" some aspects of the Metro UI?

 

[theefman]

We agree. Pretty shameful that they did it.

Man, those pigs are flying! . What bugs me is the work MS did with WP trying not to look like anything else out there yet they were almost universally panned for it. Yet when google steals it its suddenly beautiful and "innovative". I wonder how the WP team that worked on the design feels to see their own work not get the recognition it deserves yet a ripoff being praised.

 

[selfcreation]

google= fail.

MEtro UI is horrible? yet they copy it.... more fails....