Massive Android Redesign Called Quantum Paper is Coming

Most people would argue that the most important aspect of consumer devices is simply how well it works. But we all know that’s bogus: just as important to how well something works is how good it looks while doing it. That’s what makes the news that Google will be giving Android a pretty big design overhaul – soon enough one of the best mobile operating systems will soon look a whole lot more interesting.

According to leaks supposedly obtained by AndroidPolice this week, Google will soon be rolling out a new design for Android and its associated apps called Quantum Paper. In a number of images obtained and posted by Geek.com regarding a forthcoming overhaul to Gmail, Quantum Paper seems to be a streamlined, simplified style of rendering Android apps that looks like it continues along the same path set out by current Google apps like Drive, Play Store, and Play Music.

More than that, though, it seems as though Google is working on a set of tools and guidelines for third party developers to create apps that fit in with the design as well. Additionally, the post says that Google will likely use these guidelines for its own apps that appear on other mobile operating systems, like Apple’s iOS. The effect, you might gather, is to better differentiate what Google is doing in the mobile space from what Apple has on offer.

“The framework will include interface, motion, and interaction […] on all platforms, making for not just clearer and more consistent UI but also a more consistent user experience,” says the post. “…having this range of tools and guidelines available should make the process of designing new interactions and apps much simpler for those working on any platform.”

As to when we might see Quantum Paper, the post says it won’t be until Google announces Android L, otherwise known as Android 5.0, or Lolipop. Since the company just released a small tweak to Android 4.4, aka KitKat, it seems unlikely that the company would release Android 5 at its I/O event later this month. But hopefully we’ll get it before the year is out – and a bunch of redesigned Android apps to boot.

[Source: AndroidPolice via BGR, Geek.com]