will android ever have a gpu accelerated UI?

[tommo123]

i havent heard anything about gingerbread or honeycomb having this (IMO) 'must have' feature. no matter which rom i try there's always an element of lag when moving between screens, scrolling through apps etc. some less than others of course.

the phones in the last year have gpus powerful enough to do this, so why not?

 

[MrX8503]

Here's a semi answer from Google.

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=6914

Quite frankly, it wasn't a real answer, but it sounds like fragmentation may be a problem in implementing the GPU.

Gingerbread is supposed to address speed issues, but no specifics has been said on what those features are. I've played with many top tier android devices and when I go back to my iPhone4, its clearly visible that Android is not there yet. Users who have only ever used an Android device would never know this because they haven't experienced what fluidity is.

For example a friend of mine has an LG Ally and he's unaware of its laggy performance.

 

[tommo123]

no reason that phones with low end gpus cant make do with the current (crappy) system while those with better ones can't move onwards and upwards

i havent really uses an iphone. not properly anywa but i know that android could be better. it's like back in the xp days and zooming in on an image. it stuttered and was an ugly mess to zoom in, in vista and onwards thanks tp gpu accleration, it's nice and fluid

so at this point, the iphone is fluid, as is winmo 7. this leaves android the slow man in the room

 

[MrX8503]

Well its probably the fragmentation that is at fault. WP7 has some consistency so it was probably easier for them to implement GPU acceleration. As a collective group there are a lot of Android handsets, but how many of those are running 2.3? Not many. I don't think Google would want to abandon such a large amount of customers by catering to those who have Froyo.

 

[boomhower]

Screw fragmentation excuse. Enable it for higher end devices with snapdragon and hummingbird and leave it the way it is for the lower end.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Screw fragmentation excuse. Enable it for higher end devices with snapdragon and hummingbird and leave it the way it is for the lower end.

seriously. GPU acceleration worked fine when we had ATI cards, NVidia cards and 3dfx cards. Sure some games ran better on Glide or whatever, but we had some form of acceleration.

This is just completely pissing me off because there is no smooth Android UI yet. Either go with no widgets or whatever... Bleh.

 

[Bateluer]

For example a friend of mine has an LG Ally and he's unaware of its laggy performance.

You know the LG Ally is a low end device, right?

High end Android devices are very fluid, especially once they've been 'user optimized'.

 

[thescreensavers]

Screw fragmentation excuse. Enable it for higher end devices with snapdragon and hummingbird and leave it the way it is for the lower end.

You missed the OMAP 3630 but ill let you off this time

 

[tommo123]

You know the LG Ally is a low end device, right?

High end Android devices are very fluid, especially once they've been 'user optimized'.

i have a desire and tried open desire (aosp) as well as a miui rom (and about a dozen others) - and overclocked it. it's still laggy at times when it shouldn't be due to not having an accelerated UI.

this far into the game it's not a forgivable thing to leave out IMO.

 

[Bateluer]

i have a desire and tried open desire (aosp) as well as a miui rom (and about a dozen others) - and overclocked it. it's still laggy at times when it shouldn't be due to not having an accelerated UI.

this far into the game it's not a forgivable thing to leave out IMO.

I agree, its a feature Google needs to add. The CPU/GPUs in phones are becoming increasingly powerful and unless you're gaming on the phone, that GPU is wasted. There's still a very big difference between a low end phone, like the Ally, and higher end Droid Xs, G2s, MT4Gs, and Galaxy S. Compare matching fruit, if you're going to point how how fluid the iPhone 4 is, you need to compare it against competing products. And that means high end Android devices. An Ally vs iPhone 4/Quadroid/OMAP is like calling a Corolla crap because it can't accelerate as fast as a Ferrari.

Still, the only time I get UI lag on my Droid 1@800Mhz with CM6.1 or Sapphire 1.1.1 is when I try to navigate the UI while its installing applications. Have to give it the time it need to finish before I try anything. Really chugs when I reflash the phone and it connects to my wifi at home for the first time to reDL all my applications.

 

[Patranus]

A mobile phone is a consumer electronics device not a computer.

Consumers expect them to work across product lines as advertised.

 

[MrX8503]

You know the LG Ally is a low end device, right?

High end Android devices are very fluid, especially once they've been 'user optimized'.

I'm aware of that.

What I'm saying is that people don't know what fluid is until they use an iPhone. My friend who has only been accustomed to slow phones isn't aware of his LG Ally being slow because that's all he's ever experienced. The same can be said for top end Android phones as well.

 

[QueBert]

my Droid 1 is OC'ed to 1.1 and with nothing open it can feel really sluggish at times. I'm use to it so I don't really even notice it any more. But it's still there. I haven't been following 2.3 but I hope to shit it'll work on my D1, I know by Google's specs my phone won't get an official 2.3 but some hax0r will release it, I hope...

 

[gsaldivar]

A mobile phone is a consumer electronics device not a computer.

Consumers expect them to work across product lines as advertised.

Um, I think it's safe to say that the market has changed since 1990. :biggrin:

 

[Patranus]

Um, I think it's safe to say that the market has changed since 1990. :biggrin:

Not it hasn't.

While these phones are computers, people DO NOT view them as pocket computers.

 

[Bateluer]

I know by Google's specs my phone won't get an official 2.3 but some hax0r will release it, I hope...

Those 1Ghz requirements were false, and confirmed by Google as false. Repeatedly. Wish people would stop bringing it up.

Still, the D1 may not get an official Gingerbread build from Moto/Verizon, but I'm positive that we'll have several builds available to us.

Not it hasn't.

While these phones are computers, people DO NOT view them as pocket computers.

Err, the market has changed a LOT since 1990. Today's smart phones are pocket computers and many customers treat and use them as such. Its why people get so irritated with pre-installed applications, locked 'features', and carrier restrictions that they don't have to put up with on their PCs at home.

 

[gsaldivar]

Not it hasn't.

While these phones are computers, people DO NOT view them as pocket computers.

Nonsense Patranus, of course they do.

The last few years people are lining up in record numbers for the privilege of paying $1000+/year to own the latest smartphones. And that trend has continued to grow DESPITE the recession...

Do you think that demand is just because people are being sold on the convenience of a cell phone? Nope. It's a feature-driven market now... People are using these devices for Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, IM chat, Web browsing, Email, GPS Navigation etc... It's nothing less than a total shift in the mobile market space.

Frankly, you're deluding yourself if you insist people still think of these devices as simple phones...

 

[QueBert]

Those 1Ghz requirements were false, and confirmed by Google as false. Repeatedly. Wish people would stop bringing it up.

Never heard about a 1ghz requirement, I did read at a bunch of places that 2.3 will need a device with 512mb of memory, and the D1 doesn't have that.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

I have a Droid Incredible, and the biggest issue for me is the random slowdowns I get from time to time. Sometimes the GUI is smooth as butter, other times it slows down for no apparent reason. What's worse is ever since the 2.2 upgrade I've been getting major keyboard lag.

It's so bad I'm definitely considering jumping to WP7 once they come out on Verizon. I'm someone that values performance over flashiness, and I'll take WP7's simple GUI + fluid performance any day of the week over Android's fragmenting user experience.

 

[gsaldivar]

I have a Droid Incredible, and the biggest issue for me is the random slowdowns I get from time to time.

It's probably garbage collection or one or more apps that you have running in the background. I spent months with tons of stuff installed on my DInc (yes it did get laggy after a few months of installing tons of apps). Once I narrowed it down to a set of apps that I need/use, I did a clean wipe and installed only those. I'm totally fast & lag-free now. I would recommend giving that a shot.

 

[Patranus]

Nonsense Patranus, of course they do.

The last few years people are lining up in record numbers for the privilege of paying $1000+/year to own the latest smartphones. And that trend has continued to grow DESPITE the recession...

Do you think that demand is just because people are being sold on the convenience of a cell phone? Nope. It's a feature-driven market now... People are using these devices for Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, IM chat, Web browsing, Email, GPS Navigation etc... It's nothing less than a total shift in the mobile market space.

Frankly, you're deluding yourself if you insist people still think of these devices as simple phones...

Where did I say that people didn't use these devices like the computers they are?

What I said was they view them as consumer electronics NOT computers.

There is a big difference between what you are saying and what I am saying.

 

[Bateluer]

over Android's fragmenting user experience.

This is something Google needs to address if they want to keep the momentum going. Android itself isn't fragmenting. Its the manufacturers and carries adding all their own crap, UI overlays(uninstallable), pre-installed junkware(uninstallable), and every body and their uncle wanting to have an app store. Choice is great, but having app stores from every carrier is not. Especially when its easy to see certain carriers(Verizon) barring their Android phones from the Android Market in favor of their VCAST App Store.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

It's probably garbage collection or one or more apps that you have running in the background. I spent months with tons of stuff installed on my DInc (yes it did get laggy after a few months of installing tons of apps). Once I narrowed it down to a set of apps that I need/use, I did a clean wipe and installed only those. I'm totally fast & lag-free now. I would recommend giving that a shot.

maybe, but the thing is that its still not as fast as a iP4 =[ that's all im asking for google.

 

[tommo123]

gsaldivar has a point in what he says. it's definetely less laggy without any/many apps installed. but, that's not really useful. you can't really argue that the phone is fine to use, as long as you don't install many apps on it

this should have been fixed with 2.1 at least. no excuse as far as 2.2 goes. at this rate, i'm expecting to upgrade my desire next oct and am 50/50 whether android will have this must have feature by even then

i wont ever move to an iphone. i despise the company. but now i do have an option in winmo 7, and by next year i imagine it to be something i'll consider if android hasn't caught up yet

 

[MrX8503]

It's probably garbage collection or one or more apps that you have running in the background. I spent months with tons of stuff installed on my DInc (yes it did get laggy after a few months of installing tons of apps). Once I narrowed it down to a set of apps that I need/use, I did a clean wipe and installed only those. I'm totally fast & lag-free now. I would recommend giving that a shot.

I can probably guarantee that even after all of your cleaning and optimizations that its still not as fast as an iP4. I have 7GB of apps on my iP4 and it still runs circles around the best of Android devices.

Even if it does make your phone run faster, I don't know why you would cripple a smartphone by limiting your app usage. Its similar to the users who optimize their battery and barely use their phone throughout the day so that it doesn't die on them. Why own a smartphone then if you can't use it?

gsaldivar has a point in what he says. it's definetely less laggy without any/many apps installed. but, that's not really useful. you can't really argue that the phone is fine to use, as long as you don't install many apps on it

this should have been fixed with 2.1 at least. no excuse as far as 2.2 goes. at this rate, i'm expecting to upgrade my desire next oct and am 50/50 whether android will have this must have feature by even then

i wont ever move to an iphone. i despise the company. but now i do have an option in winmo 7, and by next year i imagine it to be something i'll consider if android hasn't caught up yet

If you don't like Apple then WP7 may be an alternative. From previews its a speedy phone and the funny thing is that the GPU it's using isn't all that powerful.