Google’s original Android tablet UI design revealed

By Cory Gunther
on 25 Apr, 2012

In case you haven’t been following along today. Google and Oracle are still knee-deep in battle and their lawyers have their work cut out for them. Lucky for us the lawsuit by Oracle is revealing all sorts of juicy information. From the original “Google Phone” in 2006, to the first ever revenue numbers of Android alone and more. All that and more can be seen below but check out this photo from 2010 revealing Google’s initial tablet UI for Android.

All the details provided here and from previous reports today (linked to below) are coming from slides released from the lawsuit. The image you see above is an early look of what appears to be a FroYo and Gingerbread based UI for tablets, with a few small ideas similar to what we know and have seen now with Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich. I for one actually like this more animated and casual design, although the new Holo theme is great too.

From the large widgets, to the simple multitask button on bottom and more. The quick icons for Gtalk, Gmail and Calender on the bottom left are interesting, and have since been replaced with on-screen navigation buttons. I actually wouldn’t mind a few of those with 4.0 but I’m happy with Ice Cream Sandwich just how it is too.

Looking over the data Google expected to sell around .5 million tablets in 2010, with those numbers increasing to over 20 million tablet sales by 2012. They also were forecasting to own almost a third of the tablet market by the end of 2012. Below you’ll see our coverage that in 2011 Google had around 27% of the tablet market – so that forecast seems quite accurate.

Pretty interesting results from today regarding the original Google Phone, Android’s earning, and even this tablet UI design. What do you guys think of the results, and do you like that tablet UI from 2010?

[Images via Oracle vs Google trial exhibit]

Uplift_Humanity

These UIs look horrendous! Klutzy and cluttered.
No difference from the concept of visual “widgets” as OS X introduced in 2005.

From these “insider” disclosures, forced out into the open because of the lawsuit — we now see Google was intent on copying Apple no matter what. They didn’t have any original ideas with respect to the user-interface for Android. Even this early iteration copied Apple’s Widgets, and the final interface was wholly copied — again from Apple’s iPhone.

I hate it when companies can’t innovate so they copy their competitors. And it took a major lawsuit to bring out the truth.

Google, shame shame.
- joseph ray
  
  you have fucking down syndrome. you realize that apple copies more than anybody in the world. i mean holy shit that new drop down multitasking bar was from the first droid for christ sake. but they are only a few years behind on that one. oh and siri was a con too. look at the facts you apple prick all apple knows how to do is take an idea, repackage it, and add a catchy song so people will buy it. DICK!
  - ThunderBone
    
    Truth hurts droidboi? doesnt it?
    
    How does it feel cheerleading shamelessly copied technology Doriboi? You guys will be considered cheapos because people like you bought Android only because it was a cheap imitation of iPhone.
    
    Cheapo is what a cheapo does. Buys a cheap imitation.
- Oic4q2
  
  Wow, I’m not sure I have ever come across a more clearly fulfilled and happy human being as you. I think we could all learn from your sage words and positive attitude.