Originally Posted by Capt'n Corrupt

Here's a neat video that completely skipped my radar.

Here is Google demoing the Android 3 UI with their upcoming music app!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dttyQo3BPrk

Things to note about the UI in this demo:
- The background isn't a solid colour but a raster. This is a VERY cool enhancement that will be well utilized for some very funky effects and unique app look and feel.
- The background is fully parallax scrolled. Much like the Android homescreen or maemo5 homescreen, the foreground scrolls at a different rate than the background! Very slick.
- It is almost certainly hardware accelerated to be running at these interactive rates, which will mean a buttery smooth experience.
- Swiping the the side can navigate between tabs (ala the new Youtube app)

It's actually interesting, that the UI has a lot in common with the upcoming WP7 UI, as it features similar styling, though is seemingly not as constrained.

Originally Posted by etuoyo

Did he say all your music is available as a stream or did he say not as a stream?

Originally Posted by Capt'n Corrupt

As I understand it you can push the actual file to your phone, and you can also list/stream songs from your machine (without downloading the actual file).

This is a fantastic feature that makes the software that much better. I can't wait for this functionality when I have my Tab, and my GF will like it as well, as we'll liberate our collection and play music anywhere in the house using the device.

Did I mention that the Tabs speakers are supposed to be very good?!

+1 Tab.

Originally Posted by etuoyo

So would PC need to be on though? I guess it would but would be perfect if it did not.

Originally Posted by Capt'n Corrupt

This is a good question. There are many projects that offer different Android skins. It is not required to go through google to implement them. The 'skins' are basically just programs, like any app, but make the launcher UI look and act differently.

In fact, many apps are available via the web and you don't have to go through the marketplace to install them! They feature a simple QR code that you can take a picture of on your phone for painless installation. You can also navigate to them using the phone's browser.

So to answer your question: yes, someone could easily implement and distribute the customizations that I suggested without needing Google's approval to do so.

Lastly, there's a rich scripting framework available as a project that lets you write scripts that interact with the SDK directly, so you can quickly create/test useful programs without publishing.

Android is very open to customization, which is why many prefer it to other market alternatives.

Originally Posted by Capt'n Corrupt

Here's video showing an Adobe air app on the Galaxy Tab.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owTsqWKe-3E

It runs well, but I personally wouldn't develop using AIR. Something tells me that the processor is at 100% most of the time. Ugh.

Originally Posted by danramos

Case in point... Here's my favorite UI replacement for the Launcher desktop:
http://www.launcherpro.com/

I even paid for their app because I REEEEEALLY like the flexibility it gives me. I use it, now, even with new ROMs all the time. (Ultimate Droid gives you a choice of something like four Launcher replacements to choose from, in fact)