Why Google Should Embrace OEM Customisations

With Jellybean just around the corner Ice Cream Sandwich still only runs on 7% of Android devices, this a problem because it means that a lot of Android users are left running outdated software and having an outdated experience. OEMs are to blame, but you can't really blame them either, they want to differentiate their products from the others who are all running Android as well, and they want some branding so that people can recognise it's their product, which makes sense but it also causes problems. To brand Android the OEMs have to hack their own skins and customisations on to it, which they have to do for each individual device they sell each time a new version of Android is released and this takes a lot of time.

But

If Google embraced the customisations this could all be easier,  by developing a plugin and skins system OEMs can add their changes in this format. This would be better because it would allow Google to still have control of software versioning while OEMs just have to worry about their own plugins, theoretically if this was done correctly then Google could update all Android phones at the same time and the OEM plugins would still be compatible unless something major changes, in which case Google just has to warn them of the changes before release and they can just update their plugins.

Fragmentation = Solved (partially)

Named and shamed: Magnet Kitchens

Well this is just awful.

Android Jelly Bean: What I Want To See

The current rumours about Google's Android plans suggest that the company will be launching Nexus devices from all major device manufacturers directly from it's own Play Store in a bid to bypass carriers and subsequently bypass the carrier testing that causes the widely despised version update delays. This is great news for people who like to buy their devices outright and quite frankly I'm all for anything that takes carriers out of the equation.

There's a question i ask myself every month when the dreaded phone bill comes in, why do i pay for calls and messages when i call and message my friends for free elsewhere?

iMessage?


When iMessage was announced i thought "Yes! This is it, Apple is trying to replace SMS, it's finally dead!", but it turns out that wasn't the case.  One company can't replace a service available on any network and any phone with a closed service - especially when it's only available on only one brand of phone. It's great for people with iPhones (in theory) but when it comes to messaging everyone else they were always going to fall back to SMS.

Bearing this in mind i want to suggest one thing, merging Google Talk and Messaging, automatically using Talk where available. This is the same sort of route as iMessage, and obviously wouldn't on it's own replace SMS, but it's a start. The next step would be the major players (Google, Apple, Samsung & carriers) coming together and setting a standard for a messaging service to replace SMS once and for all.

And calls?


Google Talk on the web is already capable of voice calls so i don't see why it couldn't be integrated into Android, using the same method of automatically calling Talk where available, lack of good network coverage may require a fallback to network calls, one of the reason SMS & network calls cant be completely scrapped just yet. But again i would like to see a standard for VoIP calls on all future smartphones.

What this would mean for phone contracts


Due to the heavy reliance on network calls and texts i wouldn't expect it to change anything anytime soon, but if we get to a stage where the majority of us are communicating through an internet based service then hopefully we'll be seeing 'data-only' plans, which would provide the carriers with an opportunity to  evolve and create new types of contracts. Surprise, surprise, i have a suggestion...

Phone contracts are a hassle, sometimes you pay something for the phone, sometimes you don't but either way we are roped into mostly 2 year contracts, which means for 2 years we're stuck with the same phone.  I don't think this really suits this day and age because new versions of phones aren't released every 2 years, take the iPhone for example, a new model released every year for coming on 6 years. The Nexus phones - released yearly. Within a short amount of time our devices feel dated.

A new contract model


I propose contracts be more flexible, so here's what i'd like to see.

• 'Free' device
• Baseline monthly cost for internet - £5pm
• Monthly cost for device - varies but let's say £15pm
• A maximum length - i.e max length 18mth
• Customer should be able to pay whatever they want whenever - meaning that on those months you have more money you can pay more, and pay off your device faster
• Flexible upgrades - As soon as you've paid off your device, you can upgrade to a new model 

A model like this would work just as well for tablets. If Google could work with carriers to provide this themselves through the Play Store then they could really establish themselves as a device retailer, and we may even see some 'brick & mortar' Play Stores on our high streets...

Ubuntu: "Places"

Mark Shuttleworth recently wrote a great little blog post entitled 'Holistic UI is smarter UX' in which he explains how UI elements are better when they are aware of their surroundings, i.e (from his post) delaying notifications when the mouse is moving in the area where they appear.

The Ubuntu for Android and Ubuntu TV projects are less subtle extensions of this philosophy, software that adjusts based on it's surroundings whether that's a TV (taking on a UI suitable for a TV) or a phone in a lapdock (displaying full Ubuntu).

We can go a step further

Ubuntu adjusts to what device we're using it on because devices have different capabilities and uses, but where we use these devices is also an important factor as to how we use them. 

For example:

• When i am using Ubuntu on my laptop at home i would normally just be surfing the web, managing various social networks, chatting, checking emails or watching videos.
• Yet if i was using in an office, the chat and social aspects of Ubuntu would be a distraction to me while i'd be trying to work using productivity apps.

Other places will vary from people to people be it friend's houses, outdoors or the library.

In February, Canonical announced  Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix, a version of Ubuntu aimed at enterprise use sporting the most common changes made by businesses using Ubuntu. It's a good idea, but i don't think it needs a separate download. 

A truly mobile OS

One of Ubuntu & Linux's main strengths is it's flexibility, it runs everywhere and Ubuntu could play on that by making the system truly dynamic.

How?

Using either location services or simply just basing it on what network the device is connected to the user could set up what i'm dubbing 'Places'.

You assign a location or preferably a network to a place and when you are there Ubuntu adapts to the requirements you set (with a few default settings i.e, my place, work place, school place). The Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix could be incorporated as the default setting for 'Work Place", eliminating the need for a separate download.

A few settings suggestions:

My place

• Startup applications: Chat, social, browser
• Settings: Medium volume, status available
• Launcher defaults: Games, music

Work place

• Startup applications: Email, word processor, chat
• Settings: Muted volume, local chat only
• Launcher defaults: Office apps

(Not sure how it would work but a network that defined it's own 'Place' settings would be of great use to an office place)

Or create your own

Thoughts?

Ubuntu: The Social OS

Ubuntu needs apps. It's one of the long standing drawbacks of the otherwise great OS. Our apps just can't compete with the competition. Canonical believes it can change that by providing a Software Centre and a developer site. But i think we need to do more.

Existing Apps

Ubuntu already comes equipped with LibreOffice and has a host of other productivity apps available but the choice is lackluster at best.  Most apps appear to have been made to copy functionality from apps available on other platforms, with little focus on experience. The result is often ugly. The experience tends to be disappointing (with a few exceptions), especially to a user coming from greener pastures hoping to get the same or better out of his system for production use.

Ubuntu apps (or Linux apps in general) seem to be playing a game of copy and catch up.




Standing out from the crowd

One of the long standing reasons a lot of companies/people won’t migrate to Ubuntu is for the lack of Adobe Creative Suite or Autodesk support.  It’s sort of a Catch-22, Adobe don’t think it’s worth their while because the market share is small, the market share is small partly because of the lack of Adobe wares.  So if they won't bring the creative suite to us, we make a creative suite, one that may not initially be better from the get go but will bring some revolutionary features to the market making Ubuntu the exclusive place to get a highly productive creative app experience.

So how do we do this?

In order to attract customers to Ubuntu these features have to be baked in to the OS and accessible to any app, which would mean that even if the apps were ported to other platforms they wouldn’t get the same great experience they would get in Ubuntu.

Features:

• Online/local multi-user project collaboration
• Teams - Groups of people/contacts to make it easier to manage who works on a project
• Social device integration - Use a tablet for drawing, a laptop for typing and a TV for project overview all on the same project while still seamlessly collaborating with your team.

What you end up with is essentially a social operating system.

Apps

It would take way too long to start from scratch so i suggest either forking or rebranding and modifying existing apps.

These apps are the most important and most seemingly do-able:

• Photo Editing - GiMP is already a great photo editing tool, an updated interface and integration into the proposed features and it would be ready to go. The name is a problem though, if changing it isn't an option then we may have to fork it.
• Vector Editing - Inkscape already great and would benefit from the proposed features.
• Video Editing - Novacut would be a fantastic addition to the suite.
• Sound Editing - Audacity is the only app i’m aware of but suggestions would be appreciated. Needs a new theme.

If anyone would be willing to work on this let me know!

Ubuntu Software Center Mockup

Put this together in reply to another mockup on OMG!Ubuntu.

it's not perfect but its better than the current design:

VIdeo of Refined Ubuntu Boot Concept

Threw this together: