Android 3.0 - this is not an accident!

No matter how cool Android 2.x is, no matter how much you stretch it on large screens, it doesn't work for tablets anyway. The first “tablets” that appeared on the market more than once and not two confirmed: the big screen assumes a completely different scenario of working with the device, and therefore another interface. The only tablet on 2.x, which I did not want to immediately throw out - HTC Flyer, but he will soon get an “adult” firmware from Android 3.0. The question is: what is the salt of the new OS, and why does it fit perfectly on the tablets, and is not suitable for smarts at all? Let's figure it out!

What is what?

The diagonal of the tablets is much larger than that of the largest communicators. The resolution is also closer to the notebook (1280 x 800 pixels - a common solution for 10 inches). It was logical to increase the number of seats for application labels and widgets. If desired, the user can pave the main screen as much as 56 icons!

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The desktop, of course, is not one - there are five in the system without branded add-ons — two each to the right and left of the main one. Graphically, it is represented as a concave wall. In my opinion beautiful and comfortable.

At the same time, the control panel always remains below, no matter what programs the user runs. On the left there are buttons for returning to the previous level of the menu and the main screen, as well as a button for calling up a list of running programs. On the right there are always clocks, indicators of wireless networks, and periodically there are notifications about incoming letters, messages, updates, etc.

Settings

By clicking on the clock in the lower right corner, a quick settings panel pops up, from which you can immediately go to the main menu by clicking on the inscription Settings.

A long press on the screen brings up another batch of settings relating to the desktop. From there, you can drag and drop widgets, application shortcuts or change the background to one of the five screens.

Programs

The list of programs appears by clicking on the Apps button (surprisingly, right? :), located in the upper right corner. The list is traditionally divided into all installed applications and those that were downloaded from the Market.

Many people were interested in: is the program for 2.x working normally under 3.0? I answer: almost everything that can be found in the app store, perfectly stretched to the big screen and works. However, even if it is not stretched, it still works, it does not occupy all the available space on the display.

One of the interesting pre-installed programs is Books - a “bookshelf” combined with an electronic store. In Russia, however, this service is not yet available, so it remains to be content with free books and publications in English.

Browser

The browser in Android 3.0 is almost the full version of Chrome for desktops: convenient tabs, address bar combined with search, flash and fairly advanced settings.

The calendar

Working with the calendar on the big screen is much more convenient than on a medium-sized display. As is the case with the browser, this is almost the complete analogue of the desktop version of the service.

Contacts

Contact information is also extremely conveniently organized. On one screen, both the address book and the details of a specific entry are placed immediately. Naturally, right from here you can write a letter, invite a person to chat, or call if the appropriate VoIP application is installed.

post office

The Gmail client in the tablet version has undergone significant changes. As in many other parts of the interface (and Gmail is actually part of Android), on the left is a drop-down list with accounts and a list of folders (or, if you go to the level below, the list of letters in the folder).

Gtalk

The Google Jabber client, like the mail client, is divided into two unequal parts. One third is occupied by the contact list, and the other two by the chat itself. And that is important! - the client supports the simultaneous launch of multiple accounts, which I have always lacked in smartphones.

Gallery

But the program, which aggregates all the images stored on the device or in Picasa network storage, is no different from the one to which everyone is used to on smartphones. The only difference is how many albums can fit on the screen.

Cards

Google Maps is also almost a clone of the smartphone version, with the only difference being that it’s more convenient to plan routes and study satellite images on a large display and higher resolution.

Player

But the interface of the music application on the contrary seemed not so convenient. Yes, it has been largely reworked, but it’s still more comfortable to operate the player with one hand. Fortunately, the control buttons while running the program also appear from below - in the control panel, so you don’t have to constantly switch between applications.

YouTube

The client interface for accessing this video service is not similar to any of the versions for other platforms, but the designers clearly wanted to make it look like a virtual semicircular wall with desktops.

Keyboard

Even before I got acquainted with the system, this particular moment caused me the greatest fears - would the Cyrillic layout be convenient? Can I print quickly?

It turned out that the localization was quite successful. Putting the gadget on your lap, you can print at the same speed as on a laptop keyboard. Solid positive! But only the switching of languages turned out to be inconvenient - to do this, click on the corresponding icon on the taskbar and select the desired layout from the list that appears. There is no separate button. Sadness ...

But there is a button to start the speech recognition system. Moreover, Russian is also supported. But, of course, there are a lot of errors, and at a fast pace this input method does not completely roll.

Portrait mode

Often when working with a device, it is more convenient to turn it vertically. In this case, the interface also rotates and slightly modified. In particular, it is more convenient to print on weight precisely in this position, since in landscape mode the thumbs do not reach all the buttons.

Summary

Google did a great job. Tablet on Android 3.0 and “tablet” on 2.x - it's just heaven and earth! It’s like a table patty with a liver and a fuagra ... Like a stool and an easy chair by the fireplace! .. How ... In short, a very convenient system turned out: you can work with the mail comfortably, chat in GTalk, walk around the Web, and even type big texts. Of course, there were no flaws, but I am sure that in the next versions they will be fixed. A great start for further development.