You’re not going crazy if you noticed something a bit off with your pictures on the Droid after the long-awaited Android 2.1 update because Google admits there’s a lower image quality than in the previous Gallery application.
“The Gallery app in Android 2.0.1 is different from the Gallery app in Android 2.1,” Google said in a statement. “Google developed Gallery in Android 2.0.1, which uses 24-bit color rendered using 2D technology. On the other hand, Cooliris created Gallery in Android 2.1, which uses 16-bit textures rendered using 3D technology. We don’t have anything specific to share at this time regarding the Gallery app in future versions.”
So it’s kind of lame but I understand the trade-off: the new Gallery app with 2.1 is far cooler than the one before it, which was boring garbage. I’m sure Android 2.2 will restore the image quality, so let’s start the countdown for that one. Oh, this issue was first brought up by the good folks at DisplayMate and they have an excellent comparison of the screens on the Droid and Nexus One. Check it out with the “via” link below if you’re so inclined.
[Via Gearlog and DisplayMate]