YouTube for Android gets redesigned with new UI, quick access to channels, and video preloading

By Gene Ryan Briones on 06/27/2012, filed in Home > CellPhones

YouTube for Android gets redesigned with new UI, quick access to channels, and video preloading We’ve already felt the “Google love” earlier today at Google I/O and we are certainly excited about what’s to come in the next couple of days. In addition to the announcements, YouTube app for Android has just been redesigned. The latest update includes a nifty guide on the left side of the screen that gives users instant access to their channel subscriptions, as well as a feed of activity showing the latest and best videos from their favorite YouTube channels. Also, YouTube for Android now allows users to preload videos from their subscribed channels on their phone via Wi-Fi.

To do that, users will have to enable “Preloading” in the settings menu. The update also brings the capability to turn your phone into a remote, so that you can play YouTube videos on other devices. Google said that it is planning to make the feature available across connected TVs and living room devices in the future. The new YouTube app is currently available for devices running Android 4.0 and Android 4.1. But Google said that these features will be deployed on later versions of Android in the following months.

Android: Android is the mobile operating system from Google. The software was originally built by a company called Android Inc, that was purchased by Google in 2005. From its modest debuts, Android has become a powerhouse that powers not only smartphones and tablet, but a host of other less high-profile devices and gadgets. Although Android is not a community-driven project, Google does release the source code as open-source under the Apache license. You can follow Ubergizmo on Android with Google Currents.

Google: Google is an Internet Search company with profits mainly derived from its AdWords advertising program. Google is also known for other high-profile web-related products such as Chrome, GMail, Google Docs or Google Map, and it has also made a very successful entry into the mobile handset market with its Android mobile operating system. The company was created in 1998 and went public in 2004. Google is one of the most visited site in the world.

YouTube: is a video-sharing website where users can upload videos. It is currently (7/2012) the largest such site, and was founded in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, who all worked at PayPal before. While it mainly featured movies from regular folks (and some illegal user uploads) at the beginning, but eventually YouTube grabbed enough market share to attract higher quality content over the years. Now, there is something for everyone, and YouTube continues to push for high-quality content, while keeping the support from amateur video-makers. The company was acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.6B.

Join a great community!