Android Bootstrap
github.com
github.com
This means that users will get a consistent user experience throughout various applications and won't have to run around trying to figure out what's a button and what's a text input.
Sadly, this project essentially destroys all of that work and something tells me it won't work correctly on the most customized devices (like the old Motorola RAZR running 2.3 for example).
Nice idea but I don't think it makes much sense in it's current state.
I suppose it makes sense from a branding perspective, but any designer worth their weight should be able to come up with a distinctive branded experience that doesn't revamp the entire, default, builtin experience on the device.
The initial target was iOS and then clients requested Android compatibility as well. Designs for iOS are completed and implemented and are then re-used for Android. The excuse is 'consistent user experience' but really they just don't want to do the same job twice for a platform that generally has less usage and provides less profit (in our case at least).
I took matters into my own hands and there are noticeable differences between the two applications. There was of course some backlash (I flat out refused to put a 'back' button on the action bar for example or move the sliding menu to the right side) but in general the look and feel is consistent across the two platforms.
That doesn't (and won't) stop me from using native controls such as text inputs and dialogs that users on Android are quite familiar with.
In case someone has no clue what the hell I'm talking about I'd be happy to share some screenshots via pm.
Yeah, this is a sign of a bad PM, who doesn't understand the market or mobile ecosystem enough to realize that the targets are completely different.
On the other hand, if the interface was designed to be completely unique and skirted all the specifics of the deployment platform, in an attempt to be branded or for reuse of designs, that's reasonable. Often, however, it is obvious that the design was optimized for another platform than the one you're using it on. "Custom back button" on Android, indeed.
Unfortunate naming collision with Donn Felker's http://www.androidbootstrap.com/ though :(
This could be a good use case for sites that have a "mobile version" but don't want to/need to mimic the full android look but get close.
EDIT: I am definitely wrong on this (didn't read the docs careful enough). Thanks for the correction on this everyone.
This isn't for mobile HTML5 development.
I guess the only real use is for the icon font, but people were doing that already and it's best practice to generate one with just the symbols you need.
Because the built-in resources are very Google-brand looking. Big apps have their own style. They'll follow UI norms, but don't need to look like Google made the app.