Related
Now Froyo is supposed to be a major milestone with Android, but, frankly, I think the same thing was said about Android 2.1. I don't care much for the USB tethering (because we already have that), wifi hotspot feature (because I'm not going to use it), and so on, but there are a few major points of things I'm hanging on.
Notably, the supposed performance improvement being 2-5x greater than Android 2.1 That is a big claim and, if true, then the Captivate will be completely lag free on stock. If so, the usability on this phone will just shoot straight up. The smoother transition and animation should also help this greatly.
I'm not too concerned about having Flash 10.1, but Froyo is also supposed to come with numerous other improvements. I know the browser is being updated to support some hardware features, but I hope Google is also improving the general usability of the browser. As it is now, it kind of sucks. Additionally, I also hope the Youtube app is also updated.
Nonetheless, even if all the others remain nothing more than a dream, I, at the least, hope the improvement performance/transitions/animation turns out to be something of substance.
Well, here's to September.
The Captivate has plenty of cpu power... it seems that most of the lag we are expeirencing comes with the filesystem Samsung has chosen to use and it's poor I/O performance. I'm not sure if Froyo will help too much - but I would expect that once 2.2 hits the custom ROM scene will really kick off, and hopefull somebody will implement YAFFS or whatever some of the other phones (Nexus 1, etc) are using.
We may see better battery life if the system needs fewer CPU cycles to accomplish the same tasks it's doing now.
Don't forget - we'll also receive the new kernal which should double the available RAM from 256mb in 2.1 to 512mb in 2.2 - though the system seems to currently report there is currently 325mb aviable. In either case, it will be a big increase - though I'm not really having any memory issues at the moment.
I'm trying not to get too excited for it, but it does make some impressive promises.
^ Well, Samsung does have its own customized version of Android. I'd imagine that the one they're rolling out in September will contain an improved filesystem (as I've heard that Samsung is currently aware of the issue) and, in combination with Froyo's own improvements, should do a lot to help Android perform better.
I wasn't aware of the kernel thing. I don't see how is that possible, though. The Captivate has a total of 512MB RAM, so wouldn't it need a part of that in order to operate normally?
The new kernel in 2.2 has HIMEM support and supports more than 256mb, which is what 2.1 is limited to. I'm not sure if Samsung tweaked the kernel to support the 325mb we have now or how that figure is derived, but right now we can't use all the RAM that the Captivate packs.
^ I looked up info on 'HIGHMEM' and I see what you mean now. The updated kernel supports devices with RAM greater than 256MB RAM. I thought you actually meant that the kernel will make all 512MB available for the user.
Alright, that sounds good. I guess the additional support may be why there is supposed to be increased smoothness and animation.
8525Smart said:
Now Froyo is supposed to be a major milestone with Android, but, frankly, I think the same thing was said about Android 2.1. I don't care much for the USB tethering (because we already have that), wifi hotspot feature (because I'm not going to use it), and so on, but there are a few major points of things I'm hanging on.
Notably, the supposed performance improvement being 2-5x greater than Android 2.1 That is a big claim and, if true, then the Captivate will be completely lag free on stock. If so, the usability on this phone will just shoot straight up. The smoother transition and animation should also help this greatly.
I'm not too concerned about having Flash 10.1, but Froyo is also supposed to come with numerous other improvements. I know the browser is being updated to support some hardware features, but I hope Google is also improving the general usability of the browser. As it is now, it kind of sucks. Additionally, I also hope the Youtube app is also updated.
Nonetheless, even if all the others remain nothing more than a dream, I, at the least, hope the improvement performance/transitions/animation turns out to be something of substance.
Well, here's to September.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree with you. I couldn't care less about tethering, hotspot or Flash. I never used them and never will. I just don't need them.
The only thing I care about is the speed improvement. I don't really believe it will have 2-5x improvement boost because, well, every claim is exaggerated. But I am expecting something.
That said, I am not too optimistic though. I have tried several Droid 2 in Verizon stores. It's very disappointing. It feels rather sluggish and laggy. Even worse than the Captivate now. And apparently Engadget reviewer agrees with me.
So as much as I welcome the birth of 2.2, I am not as optimistic as others.
And final words, I don't think we'll get the update in Sept. I think Samsung will (hopefully) release it in Sept, but it will take AT&T another month or two to load their crap.
I wish I am wrong.
mwxiao said:
And final words, I don't think we'll get the update in Sept. I think Samsung will (hopefully) release it in Sept, but it will take AT&T another month or two to load their crap.
I wish I am wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the test roms that have come out are from Samsung and they already have AT&T crap on them, I believe its safe to assume that Samsung is making the roms for AT&T. So, there should be no extra step for AT&T to load their crap...it should come directly from Samsung.
Considering 2.2 has gotten a ton of praise from other phones that are already using it I'm sure our Froyo will be a worthwhile upgrade as well. Sure, Samsung might screw the pooch on some things again, but overall it will be better.
This isn't Windoze, how can an upgrade be disappointing?
Bring on the Froyo!
cappysw10 said:
This isn't Windoze, how can an upgrade be disappointing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure an update is always good. But if it doesn't meet the high expectations, it will be a disappointment. And I think the expectations are pretty high.
mwxiao said:
That said, I am not too optimistic though. I have tried several Droid 2 in Verizon stores. It's very disappointing. It feels rather sluggish and laggy. Even worse than the Captivate now. And apparently Engadget reviewer agrees with me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoa, looks like I was a bit outdated. I actually hadn't realize Motorola's Droid 2 was using Froyo already (I still thought the Nexus One was the only phone that had it ).
Regarding the September release, I actually thought it was taking until September because Samsung is currently modifying all of their Froyo ROMs for each individual smartphone/carrier. After all, Froyo has technically been released already, so why else is Samsung taking until September to officially release it to all of their handsets?
glio1337 said:
Considering 2.2 has gotten a ton of praise from other phones that are already using it I'm sure our Froyo will be a worthwhile upgrade as well. Sure, Samsung might screw the pooch on some things again, but overall it will be better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's just the thing, though. As I said, prior Android releases have garnered praise too. Eclair has gotten praise and was said to improve hardware performance, have a better browser UI, improved virtual keyboard, and so on. Of those three, I think the only one I would agree has truly improved is the virtual keyboard (I think the Android keyboard works very well on Eclair). The other listed improvements? Not so much.
Of course, Froyo will be better overall, but I just hope it's actually a milestone release with the proclaimed changes making a big difference instead of just steadily updating the platform with people telling me afterwards to wait for Gingerbread.
When reviews from places like Gizmodo, Engadget, Boy Genius etc say that they think 2.2 is a worthy step up from 2.1, I tend to take it as truth.
Regardless of any of that, all of the goodness from 2.2 is dependent on Samsung/ATT because they have the power to muck it up badly as they did with 2.1.
glio1337 said:
When reviews from places like Gizmodo, Engadget, Boy Genius etc say that they think 2.2 is a worthy step up from 2.1, I tend to take it as truth.
Regardless of any of that, all of the goodness from 2.2 is dependent on Samsung/ATT because they have the power to muck it up badly as they did with 2.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I find engadget and gizmodo to be awful at everything but aggregating news. Their opinions are always so uninformed and seem to be governed by whatever the fashionable opinion at the time.
Their product reviews are pretty good, or at the very least talk about the things most people would care about.
8525Smart said:
After all, Froyo has technically been released already, so why else is Samsung taking until September to officially release it to all of their handsets?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung needs to customize it for its hardware and put on Twisted-Wiz UI. It's slow.
That's just the thing, though. As I said, prior Android releases have garnered praise too. Eclair has gotten praise and was said to improve hardware performance, have a better browser UI, improved virtual keyboard, and so on. Of those three, I think the only one I would agree has truly improved is the virtual keyboard (I think the Android keyboard works very well on Eclair). The other listed improvements? Not so much.
Of course, Froyo will be better overall, but I just hope it's actually a milestone release with the proclaimed changes making a big difference instead of just steadily updating the platform with people telling me afterwards to wait for Gingerbread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe a 0.1 upgrade will be considered as milestone. We will definitely see speed improvement. But it's normal for every update. You always wait for the next update. It's always snappier.
glio1337 said:
When reviews from places like Gizmodo, Engadget, Boy Genius etc say that they think 2.2 is a worthy step up from 2.1, I tend to take it as truth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of cause it's gonna be a worthy update. It's always worthy to upgrade to the next version. The question is, is it going to be as dramatic as they claimed? Personally, I don't think so.
cappysw10 said:
This isn't Windoze, how can an upgrade be disappointing?
Bring on the Froyo!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta love windows haters...
Any way, I cannot wait for froyo because I want to be able to move apps to the SD, to use flash without having to use Skyfire and using the extra memory should help too.
Plus I am expecting a TON of ROMs when it comes out so slowly but surely they phone would be maximize.
shaolin95 said:
...be able to move apps to the SD...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quoted for truth
I am more looking forward to an official lag fix and GPS fix moreso than Froyo.
I just read somewhere that JIT was written for the snapdragon processors and that while it may give us a little performance it wasn't really written for the hummingbird processor in our phones...so the chances of Samsung rewriting it just for us is probably very slim
The claims of 2-5x performance increase do seem hard to believe, but I believe these figures came from actual testing on the Nexus One running 2.2. Of course, I think we all know how reliable benchmarks are...
September is only a few hours away... where is our Froyo!!
Would the community rather have 2.2 by tomorrow, with no indication or promise of future updates, or 3.0 almost as soon as it comes out? I'm curious to see the community opinion.
Good question. I know a lot more about 2.2 right now, and the JIT compiler, developer push notifications and Flash in the browser are pretty good things.
I really don't think we're getting 3.0
Without knowing how it runs on our phone or using it, who would sign up for it? This is a loaded question - wait for some reviews then ask the question.
And when you say "when 3.0 is released" - I assume you mean Mid October even though it is not possible for a port to hit our phone for months?
The only logical answer is to say 2.2 now - 3.0 is an unknown - when will it be available and how will it run on our hardware? What features does it add? etc.
And in the end, everyone would say give me 2.2 now and still complain later when they can't update to 3.0.
k2snowboards88 said:
I really don't think we're getting 3.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct. Samsung has only committed to one major update and that is FroYo.
Everyone knows how much Samsung hates giving software updates so you can bet the house that Gingerbread is not coming to Galaxy S. They'll be on to their next big thing by then. They refuse to waste software engineers on putting out updates once they already have your money.
derek4484 said:
That is correct. Samsung has only committed to one major update and that is FroYo.
Everyone knows how much Samsung hates giving software updates so you can bet the house that Gingerbread is not coming to Galaxy S. They'll be on to their next big thing by then. They refuse to waste software engineers on putting out updates once they already have your money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that was honestly the case I'd never buy another Samsung product again. I'm locked into this phone for at least two years, it should last at least 4. This thing had better get 3.0 at least. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, I haven't had too many samsung experiences in general.
From the little I've read, it sounds like 3.0 is more intended for larger devices.
brandonb81 said:
If that was honestly the case I'd never buy another Samsung product again. I'm locked into this phone for at least two years, it should last at least 4. This thing had better get 3.0 at least. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, I haven't had too many samsung experiences in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung is notorious for not giving software updates. Once they have your money they dont care about you.
Ask anybody else who's had a samsung smartphone. Especially anyone with a Samsung Beam, they just announced yesterday 2.1 is as far as its going and its a pretty new phone. Samsung Moment did get one update from 1.6 to 2.1 but thats as far as its going and that phone is still pretty new, its was only released less than a year ago. Other samsung phones never even got a single update they're still on 1.5/1.6.
brandonb81 said:
If that was honestly the case I'd never buy another Samsung product again. I'm locked into this phone for at least two years, it should last at least 4. This thing had better get 3.0 at least. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, I haven't had too many samsung experiences in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to agree. Not only would I never buy another Samsung product but I'd tell anyone that would listen not to buy one either.
jdsemler said:
From the little I've read, it sounds like 3.0 is more intended for larger devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not true. The next version is certainly designed for phones. Google was bragging about Gingerbread at their last conference.
The carrier is just as responsible for software updates as the manufacturer. If the carrier has no interest, then Samsung won't build it.
cappysw10 said:
I would have to agree. Not only would I never buy another Samsung product but I'd tell anyone that would listen not to buy one either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that they should be legally required to give you updates for however long your contract is. But they dont. Samsung has already stated they are going to give us one major update, and that is from 2.1 to 2.2. They'll give maintenance updates but thats it.
I think we will receive 3.0 - the only logical reason we wouldn't would be if another wave of Galaxy S phones came in that were twice as powerful.
Currently we are boasting a 1GHz processor, 512mb of RAM and a 4" AMOLED screen. Top of the line as smartphones are concerned. Now If a 2GHz, 1GB Ram phone came out then I could see us possibly not getting 3.0.... but I personally think it's the reason why Samsung has been so quiet about our 2.2 questions.
The Original Motorola Droid was on 2.2 before the Droid X! - sometimes pre-existence is better ;D
We have the exact recommended specs for gingerbread. Google released them a few weeks ago. I don't see a point release (2.1 - 2.2) as being a major update. Granted, its a nice bump in terms of upgrades and additions but is not what I would consider major.
I would like to see 2.2 as soon as possible, and then maybe 3.0 if Samsung bothers to get it done (which I would only give a 50% chance of occuring).
It's important to get 2.2 onto these phones so the developers can use it as the base for their modifications and ROMs. I think the chances of getting 2.2 in late october or mid november are pretty good, but I wouldn't expect 3.0 to land until next year (if it happens).
I'm really looking forward to 2.2, but I want the newest version of Swype even more urgently. I can't believe I have this device that says "look at me I have swype," but doesn't even have any way of getting the newest version with the text input button. Heck, I would even pay a few bucks to get the latest version, but there's simply no way at all to get it.
Is seriously doubt we'll get 3.0. I would be happy with a GPS fix and 2.2.
gtg465x said:
Is seriously doubt we'll get 3.0. I would be happy with a GPS fix and 2.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. Just make this phone actually work and I'll be happy.
I would be happy as hell with ASOP 2.2, anything that has no touch wiz.
Sent from my HTC Dream using XDA App
gtg465x said:
Is seriously doubt we'll get 3.0. I would be happy with a GPS fix and 2.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would imagine, though, that with Cyanogenmod having brought Froyo 2.2 to the T-Mobile G1, we will get a version of 3.0 on our Captivates even if it is not from Samsung.
elgo said:
I would imagine, though, that with Cyanogenmod having brought Froyo 2.2 to the T-Mobile G1, we will get a version of 3.0 on our Captivates even if it is not from Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess maybe I'm just a pessimist, but what would make you think that cyanogen would bring 3.0 to the Captivate? They havent even brought 2.2 to it yet?
Here we are the last week of December. Promised dates for Froyo on the captivate have come and gone and keep changing. Samsung releases a new Android platform in the Nexus S and Google has control of software releases on it. I've had my Captivate since September, I'm running a custom ROM (Cognition) and for the most part my phone works with the GPS being the only sore spot.
Has Samsung/ATT abandoned development? Will we SEE Froyo released at all?
At this point I think the idea that they've scrapped it and are moving to Gingerbread is a pipedream.
There hasn't been a leaked final Froyo yet and that is really suprising to me.
We have the hottest hardware available right now and it's bogged down by the crappy stock software and 2.1 releases are crippled because we don't have proper source code for the Devs to work from.
I'm getting frustrated and contemplating selling this phone, but I LOVE the android platform and want to stick with it.
I feel the same way but I'm gonna hold out just a little longer
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
gunnyman said:
We have the hottest hardware available right now and it's bogged down by the crappy stock software and 2.1 releases
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out and out, I disagree with this. A Voodoo lagfix charged Cappy (i.e RFS-fixed) merely lacks Flash from 2.2.
There is no need on the Hummingbird platform for the 2.2 JIT improvements that dramatically boosted the performance of Snapdragon based handsets.
Touchwiz/Sense/etc is merely a demon that plagued pre 2.3 devices (and we haven't seen what Carrier/Vendor bull**** is coming with 2.3 yet, I wouldn't say we're out of the woods yet) and to be honest they are all as bad as each other - particularly if they are so ingrained that you can't dump them by replacing their components without root (much less adb/full rom flash).
There is 3 problems with the Captivate platform, to be sure, imo in the order of importance.
1. RFS
2. GPS
3. AT&T/Samsung's lack of updates/source/news
Overall, I think that Froyo is being held up over GPS not being "fixed" as well as the sleeping shutdown bug, and AT&T's general ineptitude.
tahnks for cutting off what I said to make your point. STOCK SOFTWARE SUCKS. Devs' custome ROMS are good, but held back due to the lack of an official 2.2 release and source code.
gunnyman said:
tahnks for cutting off what I said to make your point. STOCK SOFTWARE SUCKS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't.
RFS does. If no-one had to suffer Touchwiz with RFS, there wouldn't be quite as much hate as there is.
1randomtask said:
It doesn't.
RFS does. If no-one had to suffer Touchwiz with RFS, there wouldn't be quite as much hate as there is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's STOCK and can't be modified without rooting therefore my point stands.
i really dont see what is wrong with the custom roms based on leaked firmware, it runs very smooth, and coming from a nexus one, there is definitely a noticeable difference.
but then again, the nexus one is almost a whole year older than the galaxy s phones, so if there is no difference, i would say they are doing it wrong.
meh.. Ive come to depend 100% on XDA for my updates.
I don't think we will ever see any official OTA updates from Att any time soon.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
SAmsung reps are telling AT&T they are skipping 2.2 and just putting out 2.3. Heard it from the horse's mouth ...
Take it for whatever that is worth. I doubt Samsung USA reps have a clue anymore, but that is what they shared with AT&T.
It's a good thing we have so many awesome devs creating new ROMs that are imo much better than anything AT&T/Samsung could ever release as the official updates would still come with tons of AT&T bloatware and TouchWiz, and would most likely use the laggy RFS filesystem like JF6 and JH7.
A.VOID said:
SAmsung reps are telling AT&T they are skipping 2.2 and just putting out 2.3. Heard it from the horse's mouth ...
Take it for whatever that is worth. I doubt Samsung USA reps have a clue anymore, but that is what they shared with AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which "horse's mouth" is that? Mr. Ed?
It's just that there's been such a large herd of them.
I'm jumping to a free streak from my Dell rep. Can't wait to get the larger screen and front facing camera for video chatting...
wish there was more dev on it though.
I'm just curious but since ICS is coming, what does that mean for us? All I've heard is another UI overhaul for phones to give them more honeycomb, but what do we get? If Hardware Acceleration is in then I would be happy, but there doesn't seem to be anything in it for us tablet users.
Unless I'm missing something.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393797,00.asp#fbid=eHhpmAndRdICant really say kinda early..heres something I found but still unsure
I hope it means an update and AOSP!!
Not sure what the link was for...... Didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Sorry. But I'm just not sure if I would be excited about ics on my Xoom.
Imma say that it will be on the original Xoom's without a doubt. I read in an article that ICS will be able to run on older devices, thus it's almost a guarantee the Xoom will see it officially. Annnnd for some reason it does not... have no fear, as the devs will be here to solve that problem! The OG Droid was left out of the update loop awhile back because newer models replaced it, but we still have the most current updates on it thanks to the brilliant devs. Just gotta have some faith in your XDA community, and they will figure something out.
But again, I think the OP wants to know (...like I also do) what's the big improvement gonna be?
As I stated on another recent post, the big deal for me as I see it is that (presumably) the SC for HC will be released and then the ROM goodness will follow. But if it's anything like what happened with Froyo, etc, the Honeycomb custom ROMs will kick the stock Icecream Sandwichs' ass.
-No?
Psychokitty said:
But again, I think the OP wants to know (...like I also do) what's the big improvement gonna be?
As I stated on another recent post, the big deal for me as I see it is that (presumably) the SC for HC will be released and then the ROM goodness will follow. But if it's anything like what happened with Froyo, etc, the Honeycomb custom ROMs will kick the stock Icecream Sandwichs' ass.
-No?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for being the only reply actually related to my post, but Google had stated a long time ago that the SC for hc will never be released as the SC for ics will be released instead. But since phones will get more hc goodness, what do we get?(which is the main question in the topic)
I think at this point, it's a wait-and-see kind of thing.
But I think finally having the source code is the biggest news here. I think it will be the dawning of a golden age for the XOOM, so to speak.
Also, one advantage to the phone side getting lumped in to the same OS is that we will see a boost in apps that are tablet optimized since the devs will be able to work all of it into one .apk instead of focusing on two separate projects.
These are the two things I'm personally looking forward to the most as far as the tablet side goes.
Of course, it would be nice to be surprised, too.
kenfly said:
Thanks for being the only reply actually related to my post, but Google had stated a long time ago that the SC for hc will never be released as the SC for ics will be released instead. But since phones will get more hc goodness, what do we get?(which is the main question in the topic)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I think, since ICS will be open source, we will get additional development for the Xoom, beyond the wonderful feature additions and enhancements we have gotten with the limited HC.
Don't you think so?
From my understanding, Ice Cream Sandwich is an over haul for phones to bring out an honeycomb interface while allowing for tablet support as well and it will be more controlled by the king them self, Google.
What this means? All android devices will now be updated at the same time as it'll be more tightly integrated which means developers will need to start just making widgets for there own devices instead of a completely different interfaces like they do today. In a way, it'll be exactly what Honeycomb tablets are today (if you look at all the honeycomb tablets that's out, the interface is the same, only differences is that others will have widgets and/or wallpapers designed just for there tablets (i.e., samsung has the touchwiz) but can be upgraded all the same).
This is supposed to be more more uniform support and faster updates.
Will this go into effect right away? Probably not since the manufacturers will still need to make to update go through but we should also expect to see faster updates as well (there's still a lot of users out there still waiting on Gingerbread releases for there devices so with this making it more uniformed should allow for faster releases).
This is only from what I've heard, though.
This is from a PC World article this morning:
Although Google has kept its cards close to its vest about ICS, a number of things have been reported about it.
Widgets will be richer and resizable, as they are in the tablet version of Android.
More multitasking will be added to the system and the OS will be open source.
The system will be tailored to take advantage of devices that use the Texas Instrument's OMAP chip.
As with any Android upgrade, what Android devices will be eligible for the new system will remain with the manufacturers, but two good bets for the upgraded OS are the Samsung Nexus S and the Motorola Xoom.
---
I think it is important to understand one thing about ICS. It is intended to reunify the OS on all device types (like iOS). What this means for tablet (and conversely smartphone) users is that app development will improve and we will get better apps. These apps will make it easier to share functions between your tablet and your smartphone.
We would have found out more next Tuesday, but the announcements for ICS have been postponed. The postponement was for a good reason though. We still don't know what the reschedule date will be, other than sometime this month.
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade.. and the hardware itself is getting old(while still running ICS thanks to our great community, it raises the question how much farther will the phone be able to be updated..)
a cheaper alternative maybe? or its just that good..
That's exactly what manufacturers wants to hear from consumers. Why buy phones that have lasting dollar values and gets frequent software updates when you can buy a new expensive one every year that doesn't have great built quality and with zero to almost no software update?
Android can use a bit cleaning up on the performance side, even the Galaxy Note stock rom have hiccups because of the bloatness, with quadcore phones they'll have more excuss to bloat and put animations in. Windows Phone 7 seems to do fine with single core. It's not like my Galaxy S is struggling with any of the new games at 800x480 resolution.
Well we already know Samsung said "Nope, ain't gonna happen" for ICS on the Captivate even in spite of builds being made available by the talented folk here at XDA and at other places online. The excuse that "the hardware isn't capable of running ICS adequately" is always a crock because I'm running Doc's Master v8 right now, ICS 4.0.3 based, and I get higher benchmarks with this ROM than the stock KK4 AT&T Gingerbread 2.3.5 ROM with:
- Quadrant
- Antutu
- Vellamo (with Vellamo I actually get slightly higher scores than a Galaxy Nexus, unbelievable)
and several others I've tried recently. So much for being "inadequate" or an underpowered device...
So, Samsung, stop whining and making excuses and just give us some ICS source so people can make a pure ROM I suppose.
Doc's v9 is nice since it's currently a beta and completely unthemed, but a lot of stuff won't install properly on it from Play (although I can install them from the APKs if I remember to manually save them in between ROM swaps).
It's a great phone, it has a beautiful design overall (one of my all time favorites, with the HD2 still being the king of all smartphones to me), USB and headphone connections on the top - I hate it when they're on the sides or bottom, and the main draw being the Super AMOLED display.
People still buy 'em, so Samsung keeps making 'em and AT&T keeps selling 'em.
Works for me.
Snow_fox said:
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade.. and the hardware itself is getting old(while still running ICS thanks to our great community, it raises the question how much farther will the phone be able to be updated..)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The R&D and tooling have long been paid for and there are still people buying. It's practically free money for them. The longer they're made, the cheaper they can get. The cheaper they can get, the more they're sold.
I sought this phone out actively because I liked my Epic and knew how to root & fix it easily. I didn't want a contract and for $250 brand new vs $600 for a Note it was a no-brainer.
Snow_fox said:
Anyone have any idea why they are still producing this phone? It just seems strange they would still be making new ones when most early adopts are already up for an upgrade..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple, it sells. And with it running 2.3.5, it's very much up to date OS wise. It's not ICS, but at this point what is?
The early adopters are a rather small crowd of people that seems large to us because they are the tech obsesses folks that make xda what it is. They count for next to nothing compared to the "average user."
This phone is exactly what Samsung aimed for it to be, a Flagship. It was way a head of the curve when it first came out, and is still a great phone. It's been muddied by the early releases but, the fact that Samsung still won out (and is the top selling android manufacturer) means it really was an excellent device (and family of devices).
It's time is almost up though, because ICS really is beyond its abilities.
br0adband said:
The excuse that "the hardware isn't capable of running ICS adequately" is always a crock because I'm running Doc's Master v8 right now, ICS 4.0.3 based
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it can't. We don't even have half the features, almost everything new to ICS has been stripped out because we don't have the hardware for it. Sure, the core OS can be made to run on our phone, but even at that we can't run it properly. The things your comparing against are to that of 2.2, ICS is not some dinky internal tweaks. It's a whole new OS, it's 4.0 not 2.4. Now I'll admit that most of the new parts to ICS are little more then shiny buttons that don't serve us much good. But it's rather easy to dismiss things you've never been able to do before. Once you get your hands on a phone actually built for ICS, that is then made future-proof like the ours was, you'll look back at the cappy and laugh at it.
DaNaRkI said:
Once you get your hands on a phone actually built for ICS, that is then made future-proof like the ours was, you'll look back at the cappy and laugh at it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a Galaxy Nexus - the flagship Android 4.0 device - and couldn't stand it so I returned it and decided to wait on something better. Then the Galaxy Note came out and I can't wait to see what ICS can really do on that device, but since I can't actually afford one I guess that won't matter anyway.
Found this Captivate on craigslist for $60 and it's been fantastic since the moment I bought it. I swear the SGS feels more responsive and stable running a "hack" ROM of the same OS than the Nexus did/does. Yes it could just be some placebo effect, I suppose. A benchmark using Vellamo puts this SGS running an ICS ROM (at 1.2 GHz) outpacing the Nexus, go figure - a single core device running an unofficial hack of an OS besting the dual core flagship device for that very OS... ain't it cool?
There may be some aspects of ICS that the SGS can't do (NFC, etc) but they just so happen to be features I don't give a damn about, either so... it all works out in the end.
phone is sold
as long as ppl buy it.
u can get iPhone3gs u know - @ great price.
br0adband said:
Had a Galaxy Nexus - the flagship Android 4.0 device - and couldn't stand it so I returned it and decided to wait on something better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy Nexus is not a flagship, just like the Nexus S was not. It's a debut phone and like the other Nexus phones, a developers phone. It's mean to showcase the abilities of ICS, not push the limits of a phone. Our phone came out before the Nexus S, yet that phone has a lot of the exact same internals. Why? ours was made future-proofed, nothing better was needed for GB. The Galaxy Nexus was also not top of the line at it's release, just compare it to an SGS2. Future proof would have meant that LTE was designed into the phone at start, not added later.
But you do bring up a very good point that I already admitted to, most of the new abilities are rather unnecessary for a phone. But I don't doubt that once a good ICS phone comes out we'll find ways to work them into our daily life. Just like we have for all the unnecessary things that the Cappy can do now.
The Captivate is a pretty solid phone still. I still have mine kicking around that I use now for playing music since my Galaxy Nexus doesnt have external memory (and apps are getting bigger and bigger in size so I need all the space I can get) so this phone does quite well for that.
I think I would still be using this phone if it had a bigger screen (I got big hands) and if Samsung was continuing to update this.
i use my spare captivate as a skype phone (between rom tests).
and where is the phone still being sold?