There’s a lot that has been said about Google’s recent “dress-down” of Samsung where the result was Google agreeing to selling off Motorola while Samsung is reported to have agreed to tone down its extreme customizations to Android. What had all of a sudden piqued a silent Google’s interest? Samsung’s recently announced tablet line-up, the Galaxy Tab PRO. Those tablets pack a new UI which is a stark contrast to stock Android and is more of a Windows 8 than anything else. While Google and Samsung have been mum about what else they discussed in their intensive talks that led to the 10 year patent cross-licensing deal, it may be a while before we see Samsung tone down on its customizations to Android if the new update to its own app store, Samsung Apps, rolled out throughout this ending week are anything to go by.
I got the update to the new Samsung Apps four days ago as I set up my new Samsung device and didn’t take much notice of the new colourful and conspicuously tabbed (tile-inspired) interface with outstanding flat features and not your traditional colourful cartoony Samsung stuff. We heard of Samsung’s plans to go big with software this year as the company finally acknowledged that software was its Achilles heel and this could just be part of what the Koreans have in store for us not only in 2014 but in years to come. The Galaxy S4, Samsung’s 2013 flagship smartphone was a true demonstration that the company needs to go much further than bombarding users with features they neither craved nor miss when turned off and with the Tizen story still being something for the rumour mill and no smartphones running the show, we have absolutely no idea what Samsung plans to do to outsmart the competition but the UI on the Galaxy Tab PRO which is replicated in the redesigned Samsung Apps is a true indicator. Of course we have just a few more hours till the Galaxy S5 clearly makes a statement and shows us the road Android’s most profitable OEM plans to walk.
