New Review Pages are here! We need your help!

By Android Central  | Jan 19 2012 | 4:05 pm  | 35 Comments

Android Central

A while back we asked you to give us feedback on the new Phone Compare pages we were working on -- this went so well we’re now putting out a sneak peek of the Review Pages, too.

We’re considering moving away from a score-based review and instead focus on delivering bite-size content within the review itself that helps you make an informed decision about a phone. (User Reviews will still be ratings-based however, as an average score from many ratings is still of relevance).

Please take a moment and click through to the full-scale image below and help us out by commenting.

Some of the things we’re looking for answers to:

  • How does the overall layout work for you?
  • Do you get a quick and valuable overview without scrolling?
  • Is there enough content within the whole review for you to make an informed decision?
  • Is there anything missing? Is there too much of something?

Thanks! - David Lundblad, Mobile Nations Design Director

Android Central

"I am the Android Alpha, and the Omega."

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There are 35 comments. Add yours.

anthony2558 says:

Great job.

DocToxyn says:

Damn, that's a lot of work. Nice job AC!

San Juan says:

How about adding a new catagory,
You have the good, the Bad and then the conclusion.
I have seen some subjective things in the bad section. Like this phone is too big, or the volume is too low. These kind of items are very valuable and worth noting, but instead of putting them in the bad column, how about adding a "questionable" column. here you can put items you think may be good or bad.
So you will have Pro's, Con's and the Questionable.

fatboy97 says:

Nice work... I like the sections. Is there going to be a way of comparing multiple devices... maybe 3 or 4 devices with a grid?

jean15paul says:

they previewed that about a month ago. look: http://www.androidcentral.com/help-android-central-new-feature-part-ii

tony bag o donuts says:

I agree 100% with San Juan.....very nice job though!

patfactorx says:

Looks great. Can we get a navigation bar though to make scrolling easier?

raazman says:

There should be a section for pure specs that should be standardized for all phones so that comparison can be done with complete and compatible (same units) with other specs.

jean15paul says:

There will be... look http://www.androidcentral.com/help-android-central-new-feature-part-ii

jean15paul says:

I love the layout and the way the article is broken down. I also love the info graphics. I (and I suspect many other people) don't want to have to read the whole article to get the general idea. I like that I can get the big picture without have to read all the little details, but I'm glad the details are there for when I'm actually buying.

The one suggestion I'd make is to include more pull quotes (or take-away statement if they aren't quores) within each section. It looks like each section has at least one, but one for each major point whould make it that much easier to quickly get information.

My rating for the review: 9.5/10 :)

bdfull3r says:

if i could i would recommend a table with a slew of benchmark tests. Quadrant, Linpack, Anatutu, sunspider, etc ofr comparison with recent/similar phones

toosweetnitemare says:

i love the new layout. I do have one feature request though, a user based and reviewer based top ten list. What i mean by this, is that if the review has a STAR or whatever you want to use (i suggest the AC logo) then at a quick glance a reader can know that this phone is currently ranked as one of the top ten phones to have. something like that would be very useful for uninformed buyers when they are looking for their first phone.

zachthebomb13 says:

I love the new layout. I usually go to CNET for my reviews, but I think this is a whole lot better.

krid says:

It's a thing of beauty. There are nits I could pick, but I'd rather see it go live now and get ongoing improvements. This will make Android Central the model for other review sites.

milominderbinder says:

When you do reviews could you ask the staff to go back to including the RAM and screen resolution? Jared and others aren't always including the basics

Thanks!

beatrixasdfghjk. says:

You made a typo: 'HADWARE REVIEW', up the top.

fvineyard says:

Nice job. I like it.

mightyfo says:

Really Great Job!! The lay out is really great. There is tons of information within everything to come out with an informative decision.

MentalDragon says:

Great Job!! Love the site.

felipe66 says:

If someone cannot make an informed decision after viewing that page, they should not have access to the internet, let alone a smartphone.

alxrock says:

Looks great, but I would recommend adding a +/- next to each category to quickly identify whether it was good or not (since Google lets you +1 things you like, it seems like a good fit).
For example, if you wanted to quickly skim the article, you would see Camera(-) and know that it was something that didn't fare so well against the competition, then the you could read into detail about why it was a negative.
Also, I'd like to see the Specs at the beginning of the review rather than the end.

haison says:

looks really good. I can't wait to see more reviews and comparison pages.

mikeisnowonfire says:

The layout is nice, clean, and easy to read. The sections were broken up and explained well, and everything was easy to find. I worry that you putting the pros, cons, and conclusion at the top of the article will keep your average reader from reading the whole thing, so maybe consider moving that further down the article. I would also like to see the specs early on in the review instead of at the end. Me nitpicking aside, I think this is a fantastic step forward, and that this setup will be very helpful going forward.

jean15paul says:

mikeisnowonfire said, "I worry that you putting the pros, cons, and conclusion at the top of the article will keep your average reader from reading the whole thing, so maybe consider moving that further down the article."

But that's the point, not everyone want to or has time to read the whole thing. You should make the basic info and overall conclusions easy to find so people don't have to read the whole thing, and IF they choose to then they have the option to read on for more detail.

Speaking for myself personally, I don't have time to read every article that I'm interested in, so I start off all articles that I want to read by skimming over them. Then I decide if I want to read in more detail. I LOVE articles where I can get the overall info without having to read everthing. And I stop going to sites that articles that are both long and too difficult to get information.

I understand that's not how everyone does it, but in this age of hundreds of emails a day you have to be concise if you want to communicate information to people.

jean15paul says:

ironically, after posting my own comment, I see that it's too long and I probably wouldn't read it. LOL

Skidmark911 says:

I enjoyed the article and I love the layout. Makes me want to buy an Experia Active, and I hate Sony.

csalak says:

Go live, go live! It's a big improvement on the existing layout. Great job.

Chuckles 135 says:

Love the new layout. Hopefully it will go live soon. I especially like how the information is broken down into the various categories. Kudos to the designers.

awfredricks says:

Looks awesome. Everything seems really well thought out.

verbuyst says:

A few things I would like to add our:
1) Make it downloadable (so people can download the whole review in *.pdf or *.epub) people who want to read on the plane, train,.. can also enjoy the read but don't have internet connection at that time
2) It's not clear if your gonna put the whole review in one page or multiple pages so you have page 1: summary, page 2: hardware,... (make it a choice for people in a setting)
3) If possible make a battery review (hours wise), short comparison by price or hardware to other phones that you reviewed. (something like gsmarena)
4) Accessoires that can be bought with this phone in your store (that stand out or you have on sale)
5) Nothing, I like the design overall feel of the text flow.
I would love to read your review of the Samsung Galaxy S III next month ;-)

ChillFactorz says:

are their going to be filters for Carriers, processors, brands, cameras, etc? not sure if this was already dicussed, maybe different wording, but same affect. I find filters on other site like AT&T's site, useful to quickly eliminate the WP7s, iPs, and Dumb Phones, to get to the meat of my decisions making. I find the rest of the lay out, to be a very useful experience.

garfnodie says:

I like the "Hackability" section of the article, great for those interested in rooting their devices, but maybe include more information in there for the hacking stuff. Information such as the phones code name (i.e. Nexus One is know as Passion) could be in there, as well info about the international version of the phone, like how the OG Droid is the Milestone in Europe, or info comparing the VZW Galaxy Nexus to the GSM Galaxy Nexus to the forthcoming Spring Nexus, or again, at least making it easy to get to the info with one click.

Marper says:

How about providing a "real world PERFORMANCE" scale. Load each of the phones up with apps and provide some insight into performance degradation if possible. I've purchased a number of phones recently out of contract at full value based on the overall look and feel of the "stock" hw/sw and after loading apps on those devices go through the same experience I see many complain about primarily lag, slow response on net / navigation for the carriers, etc. It's great to have a review based on the feature, look and feel of stock, but everyone is doing that. I've yet to find a site that actually put the devices through their paces and provide a "true" value add review of performance and functionality (real world). Just my brain dump. By the way I really like the look, feel and lay that you've setup, just wish to see more comprehensive review.

dancing-bass says:

Another idea... you have a "hackability" section (obviously for advanced users). Why not swing the other way and have a "noobs" section. Ok, you'll have to name it something else... but for someone like myself who has experience with older BB's and abit of iOS, but doesn't yet own an Android, or really know that much about them. Nexus for a noob? maybe. maybe an HTC/Sense would be more user friendly? Possibly. Or is a Sammy/TouchWiz more better suited? Just a thought. Of course it's late (for me) and my train of thought somewhat derailed as I was typing... so I'll shut up. If you use the idea, cool. If not, I really like the format of what you've got. I can't think of anything I DON'T like about it, so I'll take what I can get :)

Nirvana328 says:

how about a stack up section, where you compare certain strengths and weaknesses of each phone to other popular phones in the same category;

ie: Comparing the Incredible 1 to the 2, or the Thunderbolt to the HTC Evo 4G. So we know how the feel or performance compares to other popular devices so everyone can sort of have a baseline understanding of the phone.

So for instance, "this phone battery was great with regular usage, outlasting the battery of my Evo, but not quite as long as the Samsung Galaxy Epic..."