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Dear Google,
Holy sh*t! What kind of freak-show-abomination-iPhone-deformed-love-child-from-Hell have I stumbled upon here?! Let’s not mince words, if these Google Babel (Google Babel is now rumored to replace Google Talk, this is how the Gmail interpretation looks) screenshots are to be believed, Google is starting the iPhonification of their design! This better be a joke, if not, this ought to be stopped dead in its putrid bunion-footed tracks!
Just look at these screenshots (above), I couldn’t help but stare at these in utter fricken’ disbelief. These are the ugliest most cartoonish bunch of emoticons I’ve ever seen used on a Google interface! The last thing I want, and I’m willing to hazard 75% of your user base agrees with me, is for some cutsie iPhone inspired crap on my mean-lean-Android-machine. I certainly dread the thought that this design may overlap into Android…
When ICS came out I think we were all pleasantly surprised by the new skin, Android became even more clean, more futuristic and just plain more mature looking. Now, even if these images were just a first concept, I’m freaking out thinking my precious Android experience is going to be ripped to shreds by candy canes and cuddly bears!
I was worried when I first saw the minimalistic nature of ICS, I wasn’t sure if you were going to be able to pull it off, I surely didn’t want it to be too clean and start looking like Windows Phone 7 does. Fortunately, you nailed the redesign and offered just enough of a clean look while still being unmistakably Android, the devil was in the details…
Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be true if this redesign of Google Talk into Google Babel looks anything like the above. Looking at the screenshots I see the familiar clean look of ICS, so crisp, so beautiful, only to be totally destroyed by a quick glance down at the 16 stuffed animal emoticons presented before me! Google just stop this, Larry, Sergey, who’s listening? Kill this.
Ultimately, if this is real, if you decided to go this cutsie crap direction with Google Babel, I will be sorely disappointed and I will have to find ways to either block this content or replace this app.
Sincerely,
Your biggest Android fan!
Those screenshots aren’t from Android. They’re from the Gmail web interface. You may want to check your facts before posting diatribes.
Amen
Here Here
THANK YOU!
What I’m getting at is that letting this type of design even creep in, no matter how or where, is scary. I think we all agree clean is good and this is bad.
I modified the original article from your suggestion in order to not be so misleading. Cheers