[jpxxx]

I don't know if I have any grand thesis, I'm just complaining into a textbox.

Bottom-basement minute-one functionality in Android still seems to be in flux, and it's bothersome to me. Hardware buttons become software buttons become contextual buttons become hardware buttons again. Launchers are now widgets are now resizable widgets are now autolayout widgets are now fixed. PIN unlock is now dot unlock is now swipe unlock is now picture unlock is now face unlock is now biometric unlock is now passcode unlock. It all depends on a matrix of Carrier, Manufacturer, Customization, and Major Version that makes it difficult to guess what you're going to expect when you up to a new phone, a new line, a new family, or pick up someone else's device and try to be productive.

On one hand you've got a profound proliferation of designs targeted at a profound proliferation of markets, which is good. But on the other hand you've got these evolving fiefdoms of UI that impose their own vision on top of a platform that is increasingly under the control of Google's own vision. (for instance the end of theming and other 4.0 era mandates) The relearning costs are enormous for the tech-uninvolved and the UI-blind. We don't experience them because we're fluent.

This gray goo platform is now shipping a half billion units a year and the market is still trying to figure out if there should even be a back button. It's unsettling.