SamMobile is a great place to find some new Samsung-related things every now and then, but today they outdid themselves with this one. We’re talking ‘compare a goldfish to a shark’ outdid, by the way. Today, SamMobile posted up a video to their full tour of Android L. Yes, the developer preview has been out for a few months since Google I/O concluded this summer. But that’s not the Android L I’m talking about. They are looking around Android L running on and for the Samsung Galaxy S5. Fully Touchwiz-ed to the nines, clad in Samsung and Material Design, it looks rather amazing. And here’s exactly why.
So, everyone that watched Google I/O remembers the quick looks through Android L we got in the main event’s presentation. And anyone that installed the preview on their Nexus 5 or 7 remembers how it looked and functioned. Mainly, the skin that is Touchwiz just layers next to Android L, rather than on top as in previous versions of Android (compare Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, on the Galaxy Nexus to the Galaxy S III and you’ll see what I mean). Samsung has apparently recognized that Andorid L, along with holding new design guidelines for apps and interactions within Android. This shows in the shots and video that SamMobile has (and we will include; screenshots in the gallery below, video linked just below this chunk of text here) show that Samsung has kept the Galaxy S5’s Touchwiz intact, but given space and way for L and its unique features and changes over Kit Kat, Android 4.4, instead of doing their usual ‘Touchwiz ALL the things’ method of customization. Give it a look, folks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yBLqnokjPM
Now, after watching that, what is at the forefront of your mind? Did Samsung ruin Android L by just adding what they had to and still just have it be Touchwiz-tastic everywhere? Or do you think, maybe, this is Samsung finally deciding to listen to Google’s request this spring of ‘tone it down on the S crap’? Maybe a little of both, since Samsung makes their phones functionality extended over that of Google’s Nexus line and HTC’s family of devices running Sense UI. The build in the video and screenshots (which will be below) are an early alpha build, even though Android L’s announcement and release looms on the horizon, especially since it’s October now, so keep that in mind when looking for lag and jitteriness in the video demonstration.
So, after looking at the Galaxy S5’s own ‘developer preview’ of sorts, what do you think? Do you think that it will make both purists and Touchwiz fans happy, with a mix of both? Do you think that HTC has to step it up if it wants to compete with its own Material iteration of Sense UI against Touchwiz with MD in ltow? Let us know your thoughts below, and try not to bash Samsung for being Samsung with Touchwiz guys.
