27
Mar
robotoslab

Closer Look: Google Keep Actually Shipped With A New (Serif) Font – Introducing Roboto Slab [Download]

Posted by in Android OS, Jelly Bean 4.2, News

Google Keep, the app that Goog sprung as (almost) a surprise recently, is interesting. Its functionality is undoubtedly handy, and – if Google chooses to pursue the service in earnest – it could actually be a decent competitor to other note taking apps like Evernote.

Something else has had us interested though, and that's Keep's UI and UX. There are a few weird things going on, but one stuck out: what is that serif font? The font, for those who don't know, appears only in some parts of the app. Notably, it comprises the text of every note. This is only the case for the mobile app, however.

08
Jan
play logo

Don't Adjust Your Monitors: Google Just Updated The Web Play Store With Its Roboto Font Everywhere

Posted by in Google, News

If you fired up the web version of the Play Store today and everything felt a little off, don't panic. Google just decided to apply its Roboto font to all text on the site. Stock Android users will already be familiar with the typeface as the default setting for all written words on their Nexus devices. Outside of that family, though, it may be relatively unknown. Which is a shame, because it's beautiful.

2013-01-08_15h12_11

The new...

playstore

...and the old.

robotofont

That being said, in times past Roboto has not shown itself to be terribly versatile in scaling down to relatively low-ppi displays such as computer monitors and in this case it seems to work alright for headings, though to my eyes, some of the smaller text gets a little messy.

19
Oct
10-18-2011-7-26-11-PM1

Get The New ICS Font Roboto On Your Android Device Right Now

Posted by in Applications, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Tips & Tutorials

Today's Ice Cream Sandwich announcement yielded a number of exciting enhancements, but not quite as distinctive as the new font Roboto. Indeed during the keynote, the presenter spent an inordinate amount of time expounding the virtues of this font. Roboto is a sans-serif font with characters that have a pleasing roundness, and are spaced evenly, making e-mails, clocks, and menus easy on the eyes, and, in the words of one presenter, "a pleasure to read".

Unfortunately, as the font comes with the new OS, the majority of Android users will not be able to experience Roboto until their devices are upgraded to Android 4.0.

18
Oct
10-18-2011 7-26-11 PM

Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Closer Look - Roboto Type Face Is "A Pleasure" To Read

Posted by in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Off-Topic

One of Android's new features that was stressed pretty heavily on stage tonight was Roboto, a system font created specifically for Ice Cream Sandwich, which, in all honesty, looks a lot better than the system fonts we've seen before.

At first I questioned why it was necessary to spend so much time discussing a simple type face (one without even a hint of a serif), but when I thought about it, it made sense - most of the things we do on Android devices involve letters and numbers in some way, and why not make those characters aesthetically pleasing? It's a relatively small touch that goes a long way in terms of user experience.

28
Jul
Roboto_Large

[New Game Review] Roboto Brings High-Quality Cel-Shading To Android In A Fun Platformer: Who's Ready To Hoverboard?

Posted by in Game Reviews, Games

Platform games seem to be in short supply on Android. Aside from a few standouts (like Replica Island), they don't seem to be the type of game one equates with success on a mobile platform. They usually have trouble combining tight controls, fun concepts and longevity into one package.

r1

However, this game, Roboto, looks to change that. Coming at us from developer Fenix Fire, Roboto tells us a story about a teen robot (above, in blue) in love, who is trying to find his way to his sweetie to... do whatever robots do.

The robot traverses levels through his hoverboard, defeating enemies and bosses along the way.