Gingerbread's Focus on Tablets - Hurting Phone Users?

[icu]

I could do a whole mess of research and try to answer this myself, but I though it would be an interesting discussion (I haven't explored all the changes in Gingerbread since I have a Fascinate ...)

With the push toward Android tablets I am wondering:

a) Is the research and work being done/that's been done taken away from work that could have improved the phone-user's experience?

b) Is there portions of Gingerbread which may adversely affect phone-users or are most to the "tablet optimizations" going to help phone-users as well?

The thought of a great Android tablet sounds great and as a gadget-lover it has me very interested, but I know I'm not going to buy one any time soon. I'm just concerned that work that could have gone toward Android's phone/smaller screen use are being put on the back-burner. Again, this could be entirely ignorant as this is admittedly what I am atm.

 

[Smokexz]

Gingerbread does not offer tablet optimizations, besides that... I agree, maybe tablet optimization might damper our phone experience. You have to consider though, Google is smarter than that. They will most likely make Honeycomb for phones and Honeycomb for tablets... or they might just make Honeycomb, tablets only. Either one is a smart decision, rather than changing the entire UI for a device you have owned for a year.

Sent from my Nexus S

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Gingerbread does not offer tablet optimizations, besides that... I agree, maybe tablet optimization might damper our phone experience. You have to consider though, Google is smarter than that. They will most likely make Honeycomb for phones and Honeycomb for tablets... or they might just make Honeycomb, tablets only. Either one is a smart decision, rather than changing the entire UI for a device you have owned for a year.

Sent from my Nexus S

I agree with that for one main reason; Google has already said that Honeycomb is coming in two flavors, a version completely optimized for Tablets and then the Phone version. It?s coming straight from the horses mouth, so take it for what it?s worth.

 

[icu]

That makes total sense so mark that "BUSTED" - I guess I just thought that perhaps they are directing resources toward the tablet version that could otherwise be used to improve the core phone OS version. Just a random thought based on nothing.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

That makes total sense so mark that "BUSTED" - I guess I just thought that perhaps they are directing resources toward the tablet version that could otherwise be used to improve the core phone OS version. Just a random thought based on nothing.

Hey, it?s a very reasonable concern. I think if Google hadn?t ever said otherwise I would be concerned about the same thing. But I too think Google knows better than to neglect the platform that really pushed Android into what it is today.