Motorola in the Android playground

The Spotlight has had a chance to review some of the external ascetics of the Photon so let’s dig into the UI and the features unique to Motorola’s overlay on the Android operating system.   When you consider purchasing an Android based phone I would highly recommend that you review your options and understand what features each manufacture brings to the table.  This will allow you to compare the features between each and determine which one best supports your intended use.  The convenient characteristic of the Android operating system from phone to phone is that the basics of interacting with the homescreens and performing commands will remain constant allowing users to easily adapt to new Android phones as they upgrade. The real beauty though of the wondrous world of Android lies within the open nature of the platform allowing each manufacture’s creativity and vision to influence their device’s capabilities and niche in the market place.   During the EVO 3D’s time in the Mobile Spotlight I had the opportunity to cover off on HTC’s take on Android and the wonderful job they did with widget presentation and social media integration.  Now that the Spotlight has it glaring beam set squarely on the Photon let’s see what features Motorola has incorporate to enhance their user’s experience and see what sets it apart from the Android pack.

Kickstand Mode

In the first post on the Photon we briefly discussed the quality of the kickstand and the optional mode the phone can be placed in while the kickstand is engaged.  The kickstand mode is a nice software addition placing a little more purpose behind integrating a kickstand into the device. (more than simply propping it up)  Here are some quick highlights:    

1.       Mode Selection-  upon the initial launch of the kickstand mode you will have the option to select which mode you want to appear when the kickstand is engaged presenting you with two options.  The first is the widget clock display and what I would consider the intended display of the kickstand mode.  Explained below this mode gives you a customizable view that differentiates your view from the standard homescreens.  If your desktop is to your liking simply select  Homescreen mode and the device will display your  seven homescreens in landscape mode. 

2.      Widget Clock display customization-  The widget clock display places a digital clock in the center of the screen, three static icons vertically on the left side of the screen, and a scrolling bar of customizable short cut icons at the bottom.  The static icons presented vertically cover the three basic functions of diming the display of the device, setting a timer/alarm clock event, and exiting out of the kickstand mode.  I can understand why Motorola selected the exit command as a key function but can’t say I fully understand the need for the other two.   The customizable scrolling bar at the bottom of the screen is the real gem allowing users to select up to 4 app shortcuts and doc widgets on each of the three scrolling bars. (that’s right potentially 12 short cuts, I don’t care what anyone says I think you are good at math. . . )  Transitioning between the 3 bars is done in the same manner as moving between homescreens by swiping across the bar area.  Customizing the apps is as simple as long hold an empty space in the ribbon and select which of your favorite apps you would like quick access to.

Features Features Features

In addition to the kickstand mode and a couple of other cool viewing modes, which we’ll get to on another occasion, here is a list of what Motorola brings to the Android party:

1.       Dock Icons-  Four stationary icons viewable across all seven home screens, arranged in a single row at the bottom of the display.   Three of the four are customizable allowing you to pick any of your apps for quick selections; the fourth is a launch button bringing you to your app list screen.  Since I’m an entertainment geek naturally Netflix and Doubletwist made my dock icon list.  J

2.      Home Button Navigation-   as mentioned above the Photon has seven home screens, three flanking each side of what I would consider your main home screen.  In an effort to be able to quickly navigate screens and save a few flicks when you find yourself on one of the secondary home screens and want to make it back to the main screen simply hit the home icon button.   Nothing special here as several phones do the same, but touch the home screen button again and an image of all seven window appear on your display.  From this view any one of the home screens can be selected, which is handy when you just can’t remember where that dang flashlight widget is. . .

3.      Double Tap Home Button-  No I’m not talking about a Gangster finishing move here but rather another short cut tool.  In the settings menu under Applications there is an option to leverage your home button as an application launcher.  Simply select from the list the allowable applications to assign to this function then test it out by doing a quick double tap of the home icon button.  I find this particularly useful when attempting to place a phone call as initiating voice services on an Android device can involve a ridiculous amount of screen selections when you don’t have the contact set up as direct dial shortcut. 

4.      Group Applications-   This one is a nice little organization feature that rids the user from having to comb through massive application lists just to find that one app rarely used.  Instead of having a static list in alphabetical order a group or category can be created and apps can be assigned to it.  Once established you can go into your list view, select a category and only those applications assigned to that category will appear.  Traditionally I have organized my apps on my device leveraging subfolders on my home screens but if you are looking for a way to keep your display free of clutter this is definitely a viable option.

5.      Widget Customization-  Ever wished you could resize a widget to change it’s appearance?  The photon has you covered.   By long holding an established widget one can customize the size of the widget by leveraging the resize arrows that appear.   Resizing will be limited to standardized tile dimensions so you can’t go really crazy but it does provide some flexibility if you want to shrink or expand a widget’s display. 

Well in an effort to stay true to my mission statement I will end there and live to post another day.  In an effort to fully arm you with all my experiences I do need to make a quick mention of an annoying little bug I’m running into with voice calls.  A software glitch is creating a silent audio problem where both parties involved can’t hear are unable to hear each other.   The problem is known and being worked but just know until a fix is available you will need to powercycle your device to get the audio working again.  Many more topics to discuss so stay tuned and see you next time in the Spotlight! 

Link to the previous Motorola Photon Post:
http://mblspt.blogspot.com/2011/08/motorola-photon-not-just-for-suits.html