Google tweaks Android UI in version 1.5
A more streamlined look is coming to Android 1.5 as Google tweaks the look and feel of certain buttons and fields within the mobile operating system.
Google is planning some noticeable user interface changes to Android 1.5, which is expected to be released at the end of April.
The company posted a few screenshots of sample changes made to the UI that could potentially break existing applications. Buttons and check-boxes have been tweaked with a simpler, streamlined look that would seem to make it easier to sort through various fields but could present problems for application developers who wrote their apps with the older button fields in mind.
Of course, that's why companies release things in beta, and the tweaks should be relatively easy for developers to incorporate into their apps before the OS goes live. It shows, however, that the UI for Android is still very much a work in progress and could evolve further before Android 2.0 comes out.
Check out my colleague Stephen Shankland's story from Tuesday for more information on the new features that will be released along with Android 1.5.