Google OS Fuchsia Features Armadillo, New User Interface For Tablets & Smartphones

Fuchsia, a new OS from Google, discarded the Linux-based kernel which was used in the Android OS of Google and replaced it  a new one, Magenta. The project added a new user interface for tablets and smartphones. Armadillo is the code name of the UI.

Android Authority reports that techies could download the Fuchsia OS source and Armadillo UI. Then they could compile it into an Android APK and run it on an Android device. The Armadillo would show a home screen formatted to work like a vertical scrolling list.

The home screen of the UI of Fuchsia would show the user’s profile picture, the current date, location, and in the center is a battery icon. There are Story cards above the profile that show apps that were recently opened. Under the profile is a scrolling list of suggestions for the day. To exit the screen, the user must hit the Home button at the bottom of the UI.

The Verge notes that when Fuchsia was first reported in August, it only showed then a command line form. Kyle Bradshaw at Hotfix discovered Armadillo, the UI of the new OS. It was built in the Flutter SDK of Google used to create a cross-platform code which could run on several OS such as Android, iOS, and Fuchsia.

Although Fuchsia is an OS focused on the smartphone and tablet, it was built around a card-based system to manage different apps. Different cards could be dragged and used in a split-screen or tabbed interface. It apparently includes some style suggestion of Google Now.

Android Guys observes some reluctance on Google’s part to provide more information about Fuchsia. The tech website speculates that Google could be experimenting only with Armadillo, the UI of the new OS. However, it does not discount the possibility that Google could replace Android with Fuchsia in the future. Or it could unveil more details at the Google I/O Developer Conference which begins on May 17.