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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
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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.
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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?
(this post is a bit long, if you want to read it fast go directly to my questions.)
Hi everyone,
I'm about to buy a phone in order to kind of "fix" myself on a device since I have owned seven phones in the last six months.
I'm considering many devices by many constructors but I would like to have other people opinion about the one to choose.
I'll try to make it short:
To give an idea of my questions right now I will go fast over the experience I had with the main devices I onwed recently.
THE FOLLOWING IS AN UNINTERESTING PART FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS NO TIME TO LOOSE SO SKIP IT IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT A NOOB'S EXPERIENCE
Galaxy Nexus: fastboot is awesome, love the fact it is closer to Google but I was very disapointed when I learned that Samsung modifies even the Nexus's software, cm9 on it is as nice as fastboot. Screen drains to much battery and is not as beautiful as should be with such a high pixel density. Also suprisingly a bit laggy. Had to be sent to samsung it had a problem with the cpu...
Optimus 3D: the 3d is not a joke since it works but... Haven't had this device for long but I was unsatisfied with the stock rom (LG's main problem).
Motorolla Atrix: favorite device! Screen is as beautiful as GN on my opinion, with cm7 or 9 it becomes really nice on sftware too. Battery life is the best point of this device and the best I've had.
Optimus 2x: tried it for a few days, like the nvflash facility and the hardware capacity but only MIUI based on GB was a correct software for me, cm7's not too bad but cm9 is still very buggy.
Nexus S: for the hardware specs it is by far the best on software side, feels more solid than the gn. Battery is just average and speed is not really sufficient for my usage, expecially for switching apps on the stock ROM, cm9 or latest MIUI.
END OF THE UNINTERESTING PART (I hope)
So, here i am with experience from Samsung, Motorola and LG. Hardwarewise I have no problem with LG or Motorola but with Samsung it is less convincing.
Software, I would like to begin to develop for the next device I will get, I am an intermediate developper in Java and a decent Linux user. So it would be nice that the device has open drivers.
Here is my problem, I want to buy a device that I will keep for at least two years, I will try ArchlinuxARM and that kind of project with it.
My hesitation goes between the HTC Amaze 4G at 40$, the Galaxy Nexus at 50$ and the optimus 2x for free. I considered the sIII too but it will be 200$ and it is not worth it for me.
As I am not really confident with the durability of the GN, my mind is more with the Amaze for now but I only tried it in a store with, of course, the stock ROM. The 2x is like the less interesting option, I think.
>>> HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS! <<<
Am I right to think that the HTC Amaze 4G has tougher hardware?
Are the drivers open source or are they going to be soon? I read somewhere on the forum that people were asking HTC to release the sources, is it likely to happen?
What is the state of the ics based ROMs for the Amaze? Stable? Fluid? Comparated with cm9 nightlies on the GN?
Why the * is the Galaxy Nexus laggy?????????????? This device is supposed to be Google's flagship actually but, you know, it is just not as fluid as I think it should be.
The title of this topic is talking about philosophy, it is because I care about the constructor's philosophy. I mean, do you think that one of Samsung or LG or HTC is producing better hardware and/or is easier to fix at home? Do you think one of them is a bit less likely to produce with programmed obsolescence in mind?
Thank you for reading this loong post!
Thank you even more for giving me your opinion!
HTC will only be releasing the source for the kernel. All the other drivers for non Nexus phones are and always will be closed source. If you want to really develop with open source then your best bet is a Nexus.
sent from my cell in Arkham
This is actually quite sad that big companies like that don't participate more into open source software. I understand easily why M$ doesn't but it is harder to understand why the hardware manufacturers don't help the community...
Oh wait I just understood! Other companies that have even worse ROMs than HTC would be able to use their ideas.
I still think that it will change someday in the future. It cant continue like this indefinitely while more and more people learn about thé existence of open source and how better it can be than closed source.
But now I thought I had made a decision and that messes my mind once again I know now that thé Nexus series is the only way to be fully open source but there still is the point of hardware durability and that is somehow mlre important since it stays easier to use and develop for a phone that works!
What about the amount of hardware defects on one and the other?
My GN was overheating a lot, does the Amaze has this problem too?
Sent from my android
I'm about to get my new phone. And was dead set on getting the HTC One X. But as time's gone on, I'm left more and more unsure of the decision. Between the lack of ROM support which is really just a derivative of HTC's failure to foster/support the open source community in the same way that Samsung has. i.e. SGS3 already having CM9 support. On top of that, now there are things like dropped signals and what-not. I'm wondering whether or not the HOX is really going to be a sound 18 month investment that'll keep me fairly in check with the latest hardware and software developments?
get SGS3
end
another nagger
CM9 we have it already working fully
dropped signal on defected devices only! why isnt this clear enough!
Buy an iPhone
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
hamdir said:
get SGS3
end
another nagger
CM9 we have it already working fully
dropped signal on defected devices only! why isnt this clear enough!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung isn't an option for me. It's just a brand I've never had an affinity to. Having CM9 working and having official CM support are hugely different things. Not to mention that the hardware in HTCs will never be fully supported die to the use of proprietary drivers.
Sent from my Incredible S using Tapatalk 2
agree with hamdir..we got all the best roms up and running and got like 3 versions of cm9 which are fully working..what else do you want? and we also got a Paranoidandroid port so again what else would you want...plus windows phone 8 ports should be dropping if the rumoured Tegra 3 chips they would be using would make it easy to port so again i say what else do you want? lol
go and get yourself an s3 my friend and be happy
Think of the One X as the modern HD2 phone with the support we are getting and not even been 3 months since the phone has been released and look what we have already
sabret00the said:
I'm about to get my new phone. And was dead set on getting the HTC One X. But as time's gone on, I'm left more and more unsure of the decision. Between the lack of ROM support which is really just a derivative of HTC's failure to foster/support the open source community in the same way that Samsung has. i.e. SGS3 already having CM9 support. On top of that, now there are things like dropped signals and what-not. I'm wondering whether or not the HOX is really going to be a sound 18 month investment that'll keep me fairly in check with the latest hardware and software developments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What answers do you expect in the HOX forum....
SGS3 is not without its issues too, one guy even had his phone set on fire on him. LOL
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2
sabret00the said:
Samsung isn't an option for me. It's just a brand I've never had an affinity to. Having CM9 working and having official CM support are hugely different things. Not to mention that the hardware in HTCs will never be fully supported die to the use of proprietary drivers.
Sent from my Incredible S using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seriously whats up with all this proprietary talk i don't get it
we have tons of kernel devs doing wonders like Goku said and its just been three month
we just had a completely working linux 3.4 kernel written from scratch by devs and even wifi drivers are being written for scratch
lack of ROM support are you kidding me
we had a fully working CM9 in just one month from release you really think CM9 official will not come? official CM will always favor devices close to the nexus line in terms of release date
In a word, yes get the hox, I played with an siii today, screen is so dull, touch wiz is awful and from all accounts camera is better on the hox. Don't bother with roms myself as I find the hox works just about perfect on stock.
Do it get the hox!
Agree I was actually thinking about switching until I tried S3... The HOX is indeed the best.
Sckank said:
Agree I was actually thinking about switching until I tried S3... The HOX is indeed the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say 'the best', both devices have pros and cons.
- but for what I'm after, beautiful phone, feels premium, awesome screen, OTA updates and dedicated nvidia T3 optimized games, the HOX is definitely the better option for me as I don't require removable battery or sd card slot.
But for me, the screen alone is sooo much better on the HOX, and the screen is always the most important spec of any large touch screen phone.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
chrisjcks said:
I wouldn't say 'the best', both devices have pros and cons.
- but for what I'm after, beautiful phone, feels premium, awesome screen, OTA updates and dedicated nvidia T3 optimized games, the HOX is definitely the better option for me as I don't require removable battery or sd card slot.
But for me, the screen alone is sooo much better on the HOX, and the screen is always the most important spec of any large touch screen phone.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, or just like I said, the best. ;-)
Oh, the HOX sounds better too.
Sckank said:
Yes, or just like I said, the best. ;-)
Oh, the HOX sounds better too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use sound enhancer mode it sounds even better..link in my sig
hamdir said:
seriously whats up with all this proprietary talk i don't get it
we have tons of kernel devs doing wonders like Goku said and its just been three month
we just had a completely working linux 3.4 kernel written from scratch by devs and even wifi drivers are being written for scratch
lack of ROM support are you kidding me
we had a fully working CM9 in just one month from release you really think CM9 official will not come? official CM will always favor devices close to the nexus line in terms of release date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but on my current device. Despite having all the goodies and kernel development. The camera still doesn't work as good as the stock. There's still sound issues etc. I never read about these things with OMAP devices.
Spewy1 said:
In a word, yes get the hox, I played with an siii today, screen is so dull, touch wiz is awful and from all accounts camera is better on the hox. Don't bother with roms myself as I find the hox works just about perfect on stock.
Do it get the hox!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I really just want it for the hardware. But rating is over the S3 does bring a smile to my face.
See what happens to SGS3 when SGS4 coming in. HOX will get better support. I mean long term support. Look at SGS2, not much going in in the original development, ICS upgrade are rushed work. I have a SGS2 so I know the dev environment for that phone. Most dev ditch it for Galaxy Nexus or SGS3. Look at SGS1, no official ICS by Samsung lolz, which have the same spec as Nexus S, and reason is Touchwiz related. Yes SGS3 get CM9 first. Now lets see who get CM10 first. SGS2 got a late CM9 cuz of sources. Not only late on releasing sources, but Samsung messed it up. The CM9 devs almost give up(which i'm glad they didnt) and now AOSP roms are better than TW ICS on SGS2. HTC Sensation got CM9 first compared to SGS2(which was released at the same time). See what i did there? Samsung will dump their previous flagship that easy.
Sensation VS SGS2
- same time release with Gingerbread but when ICS rolled out, Samsung released a rushed firmware upgrade and rushed sources, which makes CM9 slower while Sensation got everything working easily in the early CM9 phase. SGS2 had it too, but too many things not working.
- Sensation still got true and RD devs working on, while SGS2 has many winzippers(no offense to anyone) only(see their forums, has it split between 2 development threads). cuz RD devs on SGS2 find it difficult to work with SGS2 sources. I am not sure why, but no updates for months from them, except CM9 team.
SGS3? yeah cuz they got released with ICS so they got CM9 working fast. Now see when Jelly Bean comes. SGS2 has a lot of devs in the early days, but most has ditch it half way. I admit, SGS2 is still a great device. it was a legendary that revolutionize the dual core, but Samsung wasted it when they have a new flagships.
Your choice. if you like changing phones, go for SGS3, cuz you can buy SGS4 afterwards. but if not, go for HOX, more power till the end of its life. else, buy an iphone. much more easier, peace of mind.
I think the HOX is a brilliant phone, and I've had none of the more permanent faults, like the WiFi issue..
Only fault I've had was the yellow spots, but they went away the next day and I haven't seen them since, also I think it was my own fault.. I was in a public place and I was messing about with settings when it started blaring out music, really loud, and I couldn't turn it down, so I applied pressure to the back to silence it.
Your choice in the end.
I've got both devices and will be sending back my SGS3 for a full refund.
Why?
- I prefer Sense,
- I prefer SLCD2,
- I prefer the brightness,
- I prefer the looks,
- I prefer the build,
- I prefer HTCs overall device support including OTAs and longer albeit slower releases of newer Android versions,
- I prefer the helpful guys on this side,
- I prefer the camera
- I prefer the social network integration,
- I prefer the mail app,
etc etc
Both are good phones don't get me wrong, I'll keep saying any user will be happy with either BUT:
- Removable/extendable battery
- Extendable storage
If the above 2 are important to you avoid the HOX and opt for something else, if not an issue the HOX is a good choice out of the 2 top end Android handsets presently.
I'm not going to say buy the HOX over the SGS3 or vice versa, but I do suggest you handle both then make a decision as user experience is better than me or anyone else saying x y or z about the device.
Another opened BS thread, clutter, nothing to learn, boring, pfffff...
To my opinion it's, to yours it's probably not.
Thanks again everyone. As I said, for me thi sis more about hardware purchase than software preference. I'm not too fond of Sense and really haven't played with TW enough to have an educated decision. But ultimately want rid of the bloat and want to be in charge of my own destiny. Hearing that this phone is considered a first class citizen of the community and is most likely to be the successor to the HD2 is what swings it for me. As I'm coming the Incredible S which for all of it's beauty is essentially a third class citizen. I'll look forward to picking up my HOX midweek.
sabret00the said:
Thanks again everyone. As I said, for me thi sis more about hardware purchase than software preference. I'm not too fond of Sense and really haven't played with TW enough to have an educated decision. But ultimately want rid of the bloat and want to be in charge of my own destiny. Hearing that this phone is considered a first class citizen of the community and is most likely to be the successor to the HD2 is what swings it for me. As I'm coming the Incredible S which for all of it's beauty is essentially a third class citizen. I'll look forward to picking up my HOX midweek.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will never get a real successor to the HD2. I highly doubt that there will be a phone released any time soon which will be able to do so much and still have such active development after nearly three years.
The One X is good but Sense is very unnecessary for ICS in comparison to GB and Froyo. TouchWiz on the other hand is actually rather great now. I hated it for older versions of Android but it seems perfect on the SGS3. It's the little details which are really very impressive, and it's just so smooth. And to whoever said the screen on the SGS3 is dull, with all due respect are you an idiot?! It's by far the best phone screen I've used (better than the One X as well).
One more advantage of the SGS3 over the One X is just how simple it is to root. From what I've read about the One X, it's a bit troublesome to root and flash custom ROMs etc. whilst even someone like myself (never flashed a native Android phone before) can easily use Odin and flash things without really having to do too much thinking.
Nigeldg said:
You will never get a real successor to the HD2. I highly doubt that there will be a phone released any time soon which will be able to do so much and still have such active development after nearly three years.
The One X is good but Sense is very unnecessary for ICS in comparison to GB and Froyo. TouchWiz on the other hand is actually rather great now. I hated it for older versions of Android but it seems perfect on the SGS3. It's the little details which are really very impressive, and it's just so smooth. And to whoever said the screen on the SGS3 is dull, with all due respect are you an idiot?! It's by far the best phone screen I've used (better than the One X as well).
One more advantage of the SGS3 over the One X is just how simple it is to root. From what I've read about the One X, it's a bit troublesome to root and flash custom ROMs etc. whilst even someone like myself (never flashed a native Android phone before) can easily use Odin and flash things without really having to do too much thinking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one x's screen is better then the s3's... It's sharper and the colours look so much better. Plus u can actually view it in sunlight.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Hi, I need a replacement for my girlfriends ZTE Blade's, she needs two phones. I have been looking for something similar in size, and the ONE S looks to fit the bill. It's not hugely bigger. Although a handset with a 3.7 screen would be ideal.
I have no desire to root the phone etc. I just need to give her something reliable and dependable. The specs of the ONE S would suit her fine. But I'm thinking there may be a caveat. Such as, HTC are as bad as LG when it comes to OS software updates. Or the battery life sucks big time. Or sense really slows everything down.
The iPhone would be perfect in terms of size, specs and performance. But we are an ANDROID family, so I would like to keep our investment in Tablets and software.
My sincere apologies for the hugely general question. My current handset a Galaxy NEXUS which was such an easy choice, I'm running official Jelly Bean. But, choosing for a petite lady, something that works and won't become outdated in 12 months is super hard.
She has a 10" Galaxy Tab which recently got ICS, and I want to keep the devices running comparable versions of the OS.
I would be very grateful for any insights, or other handset recommendation's. Many thanks. Anil
Addition: I thought I would point out after user Ollaz's response below, I plan on only buying an unlocked retail version of any handset.
Why not the HTC One S. The updates are also affected by the carrier as they need to be approved, but as HTC said a few months ago, that they will be focusing on the One series and will not release new phones all the time, which means that these devices will get updates. But of course, buying any new product has the problem of eventually getting old and it will be just cut off. The way it has to be.
Also, in the same range there appears to be the ASUS Padfone (which is one hell of a device, but I didn't buy it because god knows if or when ASUS will update their devices). The LG Optimus 4X kinda seems like a beast and is in the same price range.
Ollaz said:
Why not the HTC One S. The updates are also affected by the carrier as they need to be approved, but as HTC said a few months ago, that they will be focusing on the One series and will not release new phones all the time, which means that these devices will get updates. But of course, buying any new product has the problem of eventually getting old and it will be just cut off. The way it has to be.
Also, in the same range there appears to be the ASUS Padfone (which is one hell of a device, but I didn't buy it because god knows if or when ASUS will update their devices). The LG Optimus 4X kinda seems like a beast and is in the same price range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Ollaz, thanks for the info on HTC devices. I plan on buying a retail version of any handset, not locked to any one carrier etc. I appreciate technology moves on and some devices get left behind. My recently retired Optimus 2X still only has an official Ginger Bread release, even though the hardware is more than capable of running ICS.
I have an ASUS Transformer and it received an ICS update early this year. So in my book ASUS are pretty good whereas software updates are concerned. If Google made a sub four inch handset I would buy that without hesitation. Beast hardware is only as good as the software. And LG have a terrible software update record.
Thanks. Have fun. Anil
First off, the Asus Transformer is a different case. Since it's a tablet, it doesn't have to go through the extra step of carrier testing that a phone does for an update.
My came from a 3.7" HTC Incredible and really wanted to stick with a smaller form factor she could use with one hand (typing being the biggest issue). She is very happy with the One S, she just had to get used to using two hands for typing, but its thinness made it an easier transition from the old phone.
FWIW, HTC has already promised Jelly Bean will be coming within a few months, and I wouldn't necessarily expect the Transformer to get it.
radar5 said:
First off, the Asus Transformer is a different case. Since it's a tablet, it doesn't have to go through the extra step of carrier testing that a phone does for an update.
My came from a 3.7" HTC Incredible and really wanted to stick with a smaller form factor she could use with one hand (typing being the biggest issue). She is very happy with the One S, she just had to get used to using two hands for typing, but its thinness made it an easier transition from the old phone.
FWIW, HTC has already promised Jelly Bean will be coming within a few months, and I wouldn't necessarily expect the Transformer to get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi radar5, thanks for sharing your experiences. I have to disagree with the point regarding "carrier testing". I always buy stock retail devices, with no ball & chain 12-24-36 month contracts. My LG O2X came completely stock, there are no carrier hurdles for LG to jump. Yet their handset is two years behind the OS release curve. The worlds first dual-core phone, and it's still on Gingerbread. Nothing to do with carriers.
I would buy another ASUS product, they have provided 5 updates since I bought the Transformer Tablet. Two of those have been major OS updates. I wouldn't go near LG with a very long stick. HTC looks as if it is learning this lesson of keeping your hardware reasonably up to date with the latest OS.
Apple do an excellent job in this area, they're not perfect, but better than most ANDROID OEM's. Hopefully HTC is getting their **** together, and their simpler hardware line up is a sign of the future. Resulting in timely OS updates. And easier consumer hardware choices.
At the moment HTC's One S is my current choice for my girlfriends next handset. I did see something today which made me pause for thought. ACER's Liquid Glow, a truly terrible name, but it's a 3.7" handset running ICS. And the slated European price is €179.99. The One S in Italy cost's €485 from AMAZON. A big difference.
Thanks. Have fun. Anil
I see where you're headed with this, but keep in mind you can't comprare that ACER and the One S. The specs are way too off for that.
Ollaz said:
I see where you're headed with this, but keep in mind you can't comprare that ACER and the One S. The specs are way too off for that.
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Hi Ollaz, my girlfriends current handset's the ZTE Blade's are great, except they only run Gingerbread. Switching between Gingerbread and ICS does become a little annoying. Gmail is a great case in point. The ICS version is way better than the Gingerbread version.
So horsepower specs are not that important. And anyway, my retired Optimus 2X has great specs, but still only has old software. Some of the newer HTC phones have better specs than my Galaxy NEXUS. But my GNEX is running a stock version of Jelly Bean 4.1.1, now, today. Not some marketing quarter in the future which invariably gets moved.
I love having a fast phone, but my girlfriend needs stability and OS device parity. Thanks for your thoughts, they have been helpful in making me decide what I need to buy.
I must admit I was a little shocked when I discovered the price of the One S in Italy. HTC want iPhone 4s money, they are crazy! No wonder their sales revenue has dropped 60%. Selling purely on hardware specs has a really limited shelf life. Sooner or later you have to innovate in software. All HTC and most ANDROID OEM's do, is a few custom apps and skins. Google writes the OS for free!
Many thanks. Anil
Hi,
So I'm new to Android, and I've only had a Nexus 7 for a week (I sold it) which I rooted and had some custom roms for.
I wanted the Xperia Z, but it's shape is too square and thus bulky. I like that this Razr HD is a bit water resistant, has excellent battery, the keflav back, and is a less cumbersome size.
But- i'm concerned as this device isn't one of the more popular. Does this mean i will have to wait much longer for upgrades even if rooted? And less support in future? could some apps not run/be designed for this device?
Basically- Im someone who keeps their phone for ages. Im still using a jailbroken 3GS happily. As much as i dont like apple- its good that i can always run the latest OS...
Just wanted thoughts on all this. Cheers
ycon said:
Hi,
So I'm new to Android, and I've only had a Nexus 7 for a week (I sold it) which I rooted and had some custom roms for.
I wanted the Xperia Z, but it's shape is too square and thus bulky. I like that this Razr HD is a bit water resistant, has excellent battery, the keflav back, and is a less cumbersome size.
But- i'm concerned as this device isn't one of the more popular. Does this mean i will have to wait much longer for upgrades even if rooted? And less support in future? could some apps not run/be designed for this device?
Basically- Im someone who keeps their phone for ages. Im still using a jailbroken 3GS happily. As much as i dont like apple- its good that i can always run the latest OS...
Just wanted thoughts on all this. Cheers
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Official upgrades for android devices are at the whim of the manufacturer and the carrier unless we're talking about a nexus device which gets updates directly from Google. On Verizon updates typically take longer to come out due to what they say is extensive testing, but recently they've been better about it imo. Unofficial updates are governed by the amount and quality of developers on that particular device. For moto phones we have a nice core of developers that keep us up to date. Now that the newest moto phones have had their bootloaders unlocked, development has really picked up. The development scene on Android is a lot different and more complicated then the Apple side. Due to the amount of high end android devices that are released every year the development scene moves pretty quickly. That isn't to say older devices aren't dev'd for but it is a possibility to consider. In the moto world devices as far back as the droid 3 are still actively supported. Many of us started out with moto and have never left.
Don't worry about the apps. Unless the device falls really behind in the os version all apps will be supported. It's not like apple where if your phone doesn't have the latest update a third of the apps don't work. There are apps coded specifically for features only available on the latest Android version but those are very few due to people wanting to make money lol.
sent from my xt926 RAZR maxx hd
Cheers for that really helpful response.
It all seems pretty good to me with app compatibility.
So- if I understand correctly, if I unlock the bootloader & root my phone, I wont have to rely on Moto/my carrier for the OS updates?
Are there any other general things I should know before saying no to more mainstream (GS4) device?
Cheers
ycon said:
Cheers for that really helpful response.
It all seems pretty good to me with app compatibility.
So- if I understand correctly, if I unlock the bootloader & root my phone, I wont have to rely on Moto/my carrier for the OS updates?
Are there any other general things I should know before saying no to more mainstream (GS4) device?
Cheers
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Yes to your first question. Technically you would only need root to stop carrier updates but none of the new roms are being developed for locked devices.
Firstly know that the HD has basically the same innards as the gs3 except with 1gb less ram and a less impressive camera. The two monster phones out/coming out right now are the gs4 and the HTC one with a new nexus hopefully out soon. The gs4 represents some of the best hardware available (with newer still coming out later this year) and will have a lot of Dev focus. Out of those 3 phones Verizon will only be getting the gs4 most likely. In terms of what phone to get I would say you need to physically handle each before making a decision. If you must be on Verizon then the gs4 would be a great choice but some people don't like the build materials and feel of the phone (similar to gs3). People sticking with moto appreciate the solid feel, excellent materials, amazing radio strength, and battery life.
sent from my xt926 RAZR maxx hd
koftheworld;4080229The gs4 represents some of the best hardware available (with newer still coming out later this year) and will have a lot of Dev focus. Out of those 3 phones Verizon will only be getting the gs4 most likely. In terms of what phone to get I would say you need to physically handle each before making a decision. If you must be on Verizon then the gs4 would be a great choice but some people don't like the build materials and feel of the phone (similar to gs3). People sticking with moto appreciate the solid feel said:
Cheers for that. I am not on Verizon (I'm in Australia), I'll buy the phone unlocked.
I have had a look at the GS4, HTC One and Razr all together.
The GS4 is my favourite in terms of size, but I'd rather sacrifice the power (Quad core) for the longer battery, better call reception, stronger build, and lower price of the Razr HD.
I might jsut have to wait for the new Nexus phone to come out. I've heard Google will be subsidizing it, so the price might be right.
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