Someone gets hands on with Google’s Android OS emulator

Website Mobile Review has managed to have a first look at Google’s Android OS using an emulator.

The review checked out the browser and the Google Maps application as well as the phonebook and a few other apps.

Like the iPhone you can apparently navigate the browser by sweeping your fingers around pages although apparently Google Maps didn’t render properly on the emulator, which is surprising on a Google OS, don’t you think?

Anyway, Maps was touted as ‘one of the more interesting applications’ letting you search for places, calculate routes and even save locations to your phonebook contacts.

The phonebook offers a wide range of personalisation and as mentioned above addresses can be linked to Maps for easy plotting of routes. The reviewer was so impressed they even claimed, “…if they keep it this way, then [Android phones] will offer a phonebook that is second to no smartphone software.’ Quite a claim.

And the conclusion? Well to be honest, a little inconclusive. The reviewer did say (in a nod to the iPhone’s control system), that ‘most contemporary approaches to device management have been implemented, which is obviously a good thing.’ So that answers that then!

You can read the full review and see more screenshots here.

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