Google reportedly focusing on UI with its next revision of Android

It's not really a big stretch to come up with, but TechCrunch chief Michael Arrington says he has "multiple sources close to Google" who tell him the stock Android user interface will get a pretty big overhaul in the next version, tentatively nicknamed Gingerbread and possibly headed for release by the end of the year.

Like we said, it makes sense. Froyo is largely under-the-hood adjustments -- though there are a fair amount of visual tweaks -- so it stands to reason that UI is up next, especially given the acquisition of UI-specialist Matia Duarte, who left Palm and is now User Experience Director for Android.

But you have to wonder how many carriers and/or manufacturers will be willing to forgo their own custom UIs for stock, no matter how good it is. Still, options are good, so we look forward to seeing whatever Google cooks up next. [TechCrunch]