Report: Google focusing on UI for next major Android release

Google is already hard at work on its next major update to Android and is reportedly "laser focused" on the user experience of the open source mobile operating system. According to TechCrunch, which quotes "multiple sources close to Google", the company hopes that it can get Android's user experience closer to that of Apple's iPhone, while also making custom user interface (UI) layers, such as HTC's Sense or Motorola's Blur unnecessary.

The report adds that the core set of features wanted by the Android team are already "more or less" included in the latest version of Android, making user experience changes the next logical step forward. Exact details of the next major release, Android 3.0 code named "Gingerbread", have yet to be confirmed. Version 3.0 is expected to arrive in the fourth quarter of this year.

The latest release of Android is version 2.2, code named "Froyo", released at this year's Google I/O developer conference. So far, the only device to be officially updated to Android 2.2 is Google's Nexus One smartphone and relatively few devices have received the over-the-air update.

See also:

• Google I/O: Android 2.2 "Froyo" announced, a report from The H.

(crve)