Android Skins: The Forum Topic

Posted by Someguyperson on November 11, 2011 10:24 am 3

In this topic I'll try to explain what skins exactly are, where they are, why people hate them, and what companies should do about them. First thing's first; let's explain what a skin is. First, let's explain some other similar Android terms.

What Are They?

• .apk - The file format Android uses to install applications
• Launcher - A launcher is quite simply the application that is launched when you press the home button. It is an application, it can be installed by a simple .apk and can have a verity of functions and forms.
• Theme - A theme is a pallet that can be applied to an application, or even the entire OS itself. A theme doesn't add or remove any functionality (changing the font to something miserable doesn't count) and only changes the appearance of an application or the OS itself.
• Skin - A skin is a combination of a launcher and theme and can come with custom applications and/ or widgets.

Where Are They?

Ok, now that that's out of the way, where are all these Android skins? The first place they can be found is on every single Android device that comes straight out of the package. Almost every manufacturer has a custom skin to give each device it's own, personal feel (supposedly) and is supposed to complement the hardware with software.

Android skins can't be bought on the market and are baked into each ROM. You can change the skin, but only by rooting and changing your ROM. Due to the drastic measure it takes to remove a skin, not many people want to void their warranty just to change a couple of aesthetics. This leads customers to become frustrated and just want the stock version of Android.

What Kinds Are There?

HTC Sense

HTC Sense was one of the first, if not the first custom skin for the Android operating system. It features large icons and widgets that take up entire homescreens.

Samsung TouchWiz

TouchWiz was clearly inspired by iOS, but has taken its own route after the Galaxy S II was released.

Motorola's Interface

Motorola's skin was by far the worst, requiring an account with Motorola in order for the phone to even work! Needless to say, Blur is out, but a similar skin took its place. The skin is much more understated than it used to be though.

Sony's Interface

Sony's skin is much more understated than the others, but because Sony doesn't have a whole lot of market share, there isn't a whole lot of complaining about it.

LG's Interface

LG has a TouchWiz-esque skin with its own 3D -looking widgets.

Now for the custom ROMs:

Cyanogenmod

Cyanogenmod is actually the ROM that I use. It is fast, feature packed, and about as close to stock as you can get on most devices.

MIUI

MIUI is a very beautiful ROM and almost completely an iOS ripoff. It is regarded as one of the best looking skins out there.

Why Do People Hate Manufacturer Skins?

There is a multitude of reasons why people don't like Android skins, but the primary problem is that you just can't get rid of them. Users can easily change their launchers out with one of the more popular options such as LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or GO Launcher. All three launchers have some level of theming to them as well. There are even applications that you can install to change things like the camera application, messaging application, and the lockscreen. Yet, despite having the ability to nearly make your phone run Windows Phone 7, there are massive complaints about skins.

The main problem, is that manufacturer skins are so pervasive, that even after changing every single aspect of your phone, it still seems to have a "heart" of Sense, Blur, or whatever skin your phone runs. The skins don't just change a couple settings, they change everything. Even the setting menus and possibly even fonts are all altered to the manufacturer's will. In most cases, these changes are made in poor taste, but it wouldn't be so bad if the manufacturer didn't integrate them into the operating system as much as they do.

Why Are They There In The First Place?

If skins are so horrible, why even have them in the first place? In the Android ecosystem, Google releases the same source code to all manufacturers at roughly the same time (one always has a head start with the Nexus devices, but let's not harp on that). The result is an extremely competitive operating system on which virtually any company has a chance to enter the handset market. This seems like an extremely favorable climate for any handset manufacturer, but there are caveats.

Because all manufacturers have access to the same materials and chipsets, it is extremely hard to differentiate on purely hardware, forcing manufacturers to differentiate on software in addition to design. Hardware design is obviously the first thing a consumer looks at, so manufacturers obviously need to put out attractive hardware or they wouldn't sell anything.

Software, on the other hand, is something that users seem to pay much less attention to when they purchase a handset. Software can be changed a lot more easily than the size of the phone after all. The problem with this logic is that not all phones will receive updates or even deserve them. Because of the current pace of handset evolution, manufacturers can't keep up enough with all the updates and everything starts to become one big mess.

The odd thing is, even with all the manufacturers making handsets, almost none of them run stock Android. Why does this happen when it is actually easier for manufacturers to make a stock product instead of the customized versions everyone sells?

The T-Mobile G2x was one of the few high-end phones to run stock Android

Let's pretend that you are 7 years old and want to set up a lemonade stand. Now, let's pretend that 4 more kids on your street decide to make lemonade stands that day too. It is a hot day after all. Anyway, all of you come to the conclusion that if you all sell the exact same lemonade, why would anybody drink your lemonade as opposed to anyone else's? Later that day/ week, everyone decides to make their lemonade a little different from another. One thinks more lemons will help, while another thinks more sugar is best. Another thinks of selling cookies alongside the lemonade (Motorola) while another decodes to make pink lemonade (HTC). Regardless, they all move in different directions trying to appeal to different consumers, but all have forgotten how to appease the greatest number of customers; just sell plain old lemonade.

It seems that all the manufacturers have lost the true essence of Android by gimmicky software and UI. Clearly, this isn't going in a very good direction, so what can manufacturers do?

What Can Be Done?

The entire reason manufacturers put skins on their handsets if for differentiation, but how can they all sell different software while still selling the stock Android experience that everyone claims to love? It doesn't seem like anyone in the forums here or anywhere else has thought about how to allow manufacturers to differentiate while keeping a stock environment if you want one. Here's my idea:

Instead of manufacturers adding value to their products by hard coding bloat into the operating system, they should add value to the Android market and include it on their handsets for free. It might seem a little weird once you hear it at first, but let's be honest, making money off a free, opensource operating system seemed silly too.

Anyway, I feel that manufacturers should install a stock version of Android on their handsets and then install their own custom launcher and applications through the market. Sell, for instance, the entire Sense suite of applications and whatnot for $10-$20 on the Android market and include it for free on HTC phones for free. If a user doesn't like an application, he/ she could just set the stock version to default, or even remove the entire Sense application from his/ her phone.

What about themes though? I feel that the only way manufacturers would actually carry through with this is if they hard coded a theming engine into the operating system, like in Cyanogenmod and MIUI. Again, sell the HTC Sense theme for $3-$5 on the Android market and include it on all HTC phones. Not only will it be easier for consumers, but HTC could bring the newer versions of Sense to much older versions of Sense.

Cyanogenmod and MIUI have a built-in theming applications

The added benefit of selling skins on the Android market is profound. Not only can the separation of software help in development of patches and updates, but it can create a new revenue stream for the manufacturer. If manufacturers realize that they can make a pretty penny on these applications by selling them at a cost, other developers will come out with better preforming paid applications rather than the ad-supported applications out now. It would make consumers happier, developers happier, and Android a more profitable operating system to work on.

Now, the part that most people don't want to hear. How to manufacturers make consumers upgrade their phones? This is actually a problem, because these handsets are great revenue sources for these corporations. I feel that manufacturers can promise one or two major Android revisions and then drop support for the platform. It is hard to say that, but I feel after a year or two most people need to upgrade their phones anyway and the newest version of Android could easily be another incentive to keep up with the times.

Take the Nexus One for instance. Google famously dropped support for the device with the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich, but let's think why for a moment. Google still supports the Nexus S, so let's see what differs between the two. The main difference is in hardware. The Nexus One doesn't support NFC and doesn't have a front facing camera in addition to having a really weak GPU by today's standards. Now let's think about what Ice Cream Sandwich brings in terms of features. ICS brought face unlock (with the front facing camera), Android Beam (using NFC), and has a large focus on GPU acceleration. The hardware in the Nexus One simply doesn't support these features, which makes the whole experience not the one Google had in mind. I feel that in the next revision of Android, multithreading will be a huge deal and as such, the Nexus S will be dropped from official updates.

Conclusion

I feel that this problem has not been given enough thought and that with some inspiring ideas, Android could become much better than it is in it's current state. Of course, that would require actual thought and no trolling, but a guy can dream, can't he?