Android By Russell Holly Feb. 7, 2014 1:27 pm
If you are a fan of HTC’s Blinkfeed tool from their last wave of Android phones, you can expect it to be even better in the next update.
The HTC One brought about a lot of unique features from HTC, many of which became staples in their OS moving forward. Perhaps the most ambitious because of how drastically it sought to change user behavior on the Android homescreen was Blinkfeed.
This smooth mashup of social networking aggregator and RSS feed gave users a single place to consume information from a ton of sources, without disrupting basic functionality like commenting or sharing. HTC has been consistently making updates to the Blinkfeed service in order to increase the number of sources the service pulls from, but it looks like the HTC M8 will be the first time we see a visual overhaul of Blinkfeed.
HTC is taking advantage of some of the design changes to Android in Kit Kat and making Blinkfeed appear full screen. The app clearly looks like it goes back behind the icons in the launcher and down behind the software buttons, and then the clock stretches up to the notification tray. The end result is a nice, fluid looking homescreen with very few lines and plenty of room for information. If the last version of Blinkfeed is any indicator, this will be an optional experience.
This screenshot also goes a long way to confirm rumors that the HTC M8 will have software keys, unlike the touch buttons that are on the HTC One. This is a huge design change for HTC, and a welcome departure from the quirky setup found on their last flagship. Coupled with the new dual sensor camera, this is shaping up to be a smartphone worth getting excited over.
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The HTC One brought about a lot of unique features from HTC, many of which became staples in their OS moving forward. Perhaps the most ambitious because of how drastically it sought to change user behavior on the Android homescreen was Blinkfeed.
This smooth mashup of social networking aggregator and RSS feed gave users a single place to consume information from a ton of sources, without disrupting basic functionality like commenting or sharing. HTC has been consistently making updates to the Blinkfeed service in order to increase the number of sources the service pulls from, but it looks like the HTC M8 will be the first time we see a visual overhaul of Blinkfeed.
HTC is taking advantage of some of the design changes to Android in Kit Kat and making Blinkfeed appear full screen. The app clearly looks like it goes back behind the icons in the launcher and down behind the software buttons, and then the clock stretches up to the notification tray. The end result is a nice, fluid looking homescreen with very few lines and plenty of room for information. If the last version of Blinkfeed is any indicator, this will be an optional experience.
This screenshot also goes a long way to confirm rumors that the HTC M8 will have software keys, unlike the touch buttons that are on the HTC One. This is a huge design change for HTC, and a welcome departure from the quirky setup found on their last flagship. Coupled with the new dual sensor camera, this is shaping up to be a smartphone worth getting excited over.
More...
