Sigh....The Android fork has arrived

[P4man]

Are there separate versions of Windows for 640x480 and 1920x1200?

Nope, and thats the main reason MS has utterly failed to get a foothold in the tablet market so far. The same desktop UI that works on HD monitors with a mouse and keyboard just doesnt work on a touch tablet or a phone.

I agree though that it just should be a different UI running on the same OS. Im pretty sure thats where Google is heading, but they may have rushed things a bit as android was in dire need of a tablet version. In the long run I suspect they will seperate the UI more cleanly and merge the underlying OS again. Either that or they intend to merge honeycomb with chromeos and keep the "other" android for phones.

 

[BoberFett]

Nope, and thats the main reason MS has utterly failed to get a foothold in the tablet market so far. The same desktop UI that works on HD monitors with a mouse and keyboard just doesnt work on a touch tablet or a phone.

I agree though that it just should be a different UI running on the same OS. Im pretty sure thats where Google is heading, but they may have rushed things a bit as android was in dire need of a tablet version. In the long run I suspect they will seperate the UI more cleanly and merge the underlying OS again. Either that or they intend to merge honeycomb with chromeos and keep the "other" android for phones.

Which has nothing to do with resolution. The problems with windows is that it's still keyboard/mouse operated and the entire UI is not designed for touchscreens. As long as you've got a keyboard/mouse, Windows will run at any resolution and monitor size you throw at it.

 

[P4man]

Which has nothing to do with resolution. The problems with windows is that it's still keyboard/mouse operated and the entire UI is not designed for touchscreens. As long as you've got a keyboard/mouse, Windows will run at any resolution and monitor size you throw at it.

Touch is obviously a big difference, but its not only that. The entire windows UI is simply unsuitable for tablets. The way you launch apps (that horrible cludge of a start menu), close apps, the whole concept of a "desktop" its all completley wrong. Look at RIMs playbook demo to get an idea what a proper designed tablet UI looks like"
http://www.slashgear.com/blackberry-playbook-demo-and-hands-on-by-mike-lazaridis-07124552/

Its brilliant, but completely unsuitable for desktops. And even questionable for a phone.

Point is just that different devices need different UIs. That goes for android, as it goes for windows. Resolution isnt the only factor.

 

[BoberFett]

Point is just that different devices need different UIs. That goes for android, as it goes for windows. Resolution isnt the only factor.

Phones and tablets are the same device in different sizes.

 

[BoberFett]

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/365293/google-to-merge-smartphone-and-tablet-versions-of-android

/facepalm

 

[akugami]

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/365293/google-to-merge-smartphone-and-tablet-versions-of-android

/facepalm

I don't get the facepalm. Isn't this what a lot of people were predicting. My own opinion was that this was the most likely course in post #8. It's the same exact thing Apple has done with the version/feature differences of Apple's iPad and iPhone that has now been merged back into one version. Like the iPhone and iPad, there will still be some differences but anything useful in the tablet version of Android will be rolled into the phone version.