Android - Benefit of using actionbar over a view?

Question

Recently I've heard the recommendation of using actionbar to manage user actions and navigation in the app.

However to implement this and have my app be compatible with lower versions I have to use actionbarsherlock, also I'll have to change some themes, so it comes to my mind: All this looks like a lot of effort when I could just add a custom view to my activities' layout as they need it.

Is there a real benefit in performance or something when using action bar?

Answer 1

I think it's more about user experience. The action bar makes an interface consistent across applications. Here is the quote from developer.android.com

"You should use the action bar in most activities that need to prominently present user actions or global navigation, because the action bar offers users a consistent interface across applications and the system gracefully adapts the action bar's appearance for different screen configurations".

The developer site also says the primary goals of the action bar are to:

• Provide a dedicated space for identifying the application brand and user location.
• Provide consistent navigation and view refinement across different applications.
• Make key actions for the activity (such as "search", "create", "share", etc.) prominent and accessible to the user in a predictable way.