Google Fights Microsoft

Google Fights Microsoft With New Android Branding

Along with a tweak in the application design guidelines, Google has updated its own applications for Android with a subtle graphical tweak to remind users just who the driving force behind the ecosystem actually is. Not only are splash screens now an acceptable part of Android design, Google is making immediate use of them in a defensive move against other cloud providers such as Microsoft.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is challenging Google in the cloud

Opening the latest updates to its apps will result in a white screen and an oversized icon to be shown, along with the familiar Google corporate logo (reports Tom Maxwell). The changes are rolling out across the platform now through the automatic app updates through the Play Store, with the productivity apps of Google Docs and Google Sheets some of the earliest apps to show the Google emblazoned splash screen.

Previous versions of Android discouraged this practice, and there’s no technical reason why they should be brought back now in terms of the time required to open an application on an Android device. It’s always been in the best interests of a developer to have an app open as quickly as possible, and resorting to a splash screen to cover a few seconds of background action was always a rather quick sticking plaster over a complicated subject.

So why bring them in now, and especially why bring them in to Google’s own apps? I think the answer is branding and mind share. Mountain View is taking a defensive posture around the impact of a resurgent Microsoft.

Google splash screen branding in Sheets

Splash screens can be a useful tool to remind users of pertinent details around an application. A larger icon in the same style of that in the app launcher is a notable confirmation of the application that you have opened. The only other bit of information in Google’s new splash screens is the Google name.

Google already exerts a significant amount of control over the look and feel of Android handsets that sign up for Google Play certification, such as the placement of a Google search box, where applications and widgets can be found, and visible Android branding when handsets are booted. Apparently the teams at Mountain View want a few more opportunities to remind users that the handset they have is focused around Google, and are sneaking this one through the system via an app update rather than something lower down the software stack in the firmware.

Stay connected for more latest updates...

Comments

Firefox

Firefox For Android Passes 100 Million Downloads In The Google Play Store Google's mobile version of Chrome has become the de facto standard browser for Android, but never let it be said that it's the only option. Mozilla Firefox, which predates Chrome on both desktop platforms and Android , has been downloaded from the Play Store 100 million times. Mozilla decided to toast the occasion on its official blog . Aside from the obvious user interface differences, the Android version of Firefox has gradually added compelling features like integration with synced Mozilla services (which are a godsend if you use the desktop browser as your primary web interface), extra user-accessible tools like a fullscreen switch, customized search engines, and add-ons that expand the base app's functionality. Though detailed download information isn't posted to the Play Store, it's probably second only to Chrome (and the original AOSP browser in markets like Chi

Apple iPhone 8, iPhone X event: Live stream

Apple’s iPhone X will mark the 10th anniversary edition of the smartphone, while iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be seen as upgrades to the iPhone 7 series. So what time will the Apple event start, and how can one view the livestream? We answer all your questions below. Apple iPhone X event: Timing, how to watch live stream Apple’s September 12 event or the iPhone X event takes place at 10.00 AM Pacific Time (PDT) which is 10.30 PM IST in India. Apple will have a livestream for the event as always and this uses the company’s own HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology. Apple is launching this phone in the Steve Jobs Theater, in the new Apple Park Campus, which is also a first. Apple event time across world: San Francisco: 10 AM, New York: 1 PM, London: 6PM, Berlin: 7 PM, Moscow: 8 PM, New Delhi: 10:30 PM, Beijing: 1 AM (September 13), Tokyo: 2 AM (September 13) / Sydney: 3 AM (September 13). Apple users should be able to watch the livestream on their iOS or MacOS device itsel

Best Time

The best time to buy an Android phone is April The world of Android smartphones can often be chaotic and disorganized, but this year it seems to have settled on the month of April for the debut and availability of the widest range of attractive new devices. Six months after Google’s release of Android Marshmallow, all the hardware manufacturers are now ready to deliver a deluge of phones built around the latest version of the operating system. It’s already begun with handsets like the Xiaomi Mi 5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Huawei’s P9 flagship and its dual-camera system are set to launch on April 6th, which is also when Meizu will unveil its M3 Note . A week later, HTC will pull the curtain back on its 2016 flagship, expected to be called the HTC 10 , and Oppo will join the fun at around the same with the international release of its R9 and R9 Plus . Whether it’s the R9’s 16-megapixel selfie camera, the revival of HTC’s BoomSound, or the prospect of another Huawei smartphone wit

Techlicious

Search This Blog