Android 5, Lollipop Not so Sweet

Perhaps its that I tried the pre-Release Android 5 (L) on my Nexus 5.

But when it finally arrived via the OTA.. I was summarily not impressed by the meager improvements.

For one the blending of Corporate and Personal email into a unified InBox, and then this invitation only migration to "InBox" and this focused effort by Google to port everything over to serve Google's needs above my own were off putting to say the least.

The Roundy space wasting icons in the mail app just smack of extremism.

Need we mention "Blindly White Background Theme - On everything?" (And the API only allows changing the Background in Apps.. not the Drawers or.. Google Controlled elements of Android?)

I thought there was something of an over reaction to the Apple Scott Forestall, Microsoft Snofsky era of Skeumorphism.. but the flat pastel Era of the over indulgent.. "change for the sake of change" era is a real time waster for me.

Last weekend I finally fired the Retro-Rockets and did a factory reset on my Nexus 5 back to KitKat.

And "Boy!" am I glad that i did.. I miss absolutely [Nothing] from Android "L" (5 or Lollipop) -- absolutely "Nothing".

My News & Weather app were sorely missed, all the apps that didn't work on the new Android were back.. and it was just familar and comfortable.

I hate to "hold back" and avoid learning new things.. I know there is an inherent penalty for not being "Up to Date".

But this last year all the major companies seem to have collectively gone "Mad" with change for no reason and had a lot of frankly "Bad Ideas"... it's a Lost year for sure.

What looks promising though, is there have been a lot of "take back" and "rollback" and die down of the Shrill voices of "I love this.." for no apparent reason.

Touch isn't a must have feature any more, Battery life is back on everyone's Wishlist, and Usable "now" not later.. is becoming important again.