Google with multiple OEM for upcoming Nexus(es) - Android General

The Verge just posted a developing story about Google giving early sdk access to multiple OEM's and having various Nexus phones to choose from this year. Also, they'd be selling directly.
What do you guys think? I think it's an awesome approach to get some great competition between OEM's with pure google experience. Nexus might finally become a more common phone name with the general public too!
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/15/3022682/google-direct-sales-multiple-device-OEMs

That sounds to good to be true. More likely is that multiple OEMs have early access to the next Android version, so that they have enough time to skin it.

Android police just reported too saying the source is from wall street journal. Guess we will have to wait til google I/O for any announcements.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

That sounds to good to be true. More likely is that multiple OEMs have early access to the next Android version, so that they have enough time to skin it.
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Lol true story
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

This would be an absolute pipedream. Competition like that would mean that Samsung could no longer halfass the specs/accessories as with the Galaxy Nexus.
Also, the precedent of multiple phones could pave way for the Nexus NoteTM.
Now, as for the announcement itself, the reasons for skepticism are obvious, but it isn't as unrealistic as it might seem as first, precisely because google is now selling devices over "play". Right now, their catalog is looking a bit empty, and this would be a great way to fill it.
The only concern I'd have is fragmentation of the xda-devs. It'd be a terrible shame to have certain ROMS and kernels available only for certain nexii, whereas they used to all be on the nexus. Still, this is a price I'd gladly pay for the competitive drive.

Yes and it will take some control away from the carriers and into Google's hands. Just think about all those Nexus phones getting updates direct from Google!
Its a crazy rumor at the moment but if google really wanted to shake things up this might be a very bold move.
Also I'm not sure how much of an issue rom fragmentation would be. All the devices would be pure aosp and easily unlocked. There wouldn't have to do any crazy hacks due to lack of drivers like One X camera etc.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

lazaro17 said:
Also I'm not sure how much of an issue rom fragmentation would be. All the devices would be pure aosp and easily unlocked. There wouldn't have to do any crazy hacks due to lack of drivers like One X camera etc.
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Well, I don't know how hard kernel devving for multiple devices is; I suppose you could be right.
It still goes without saying, though, that the devs probably wouldn't buy all five of the nexuses. This could limit practical support (of which trial-and-error is a large part, from what I've gathered from Ezekeel), which is why, despite that it is one of my dreams come true, I fear five might be too much.

Supposedly Samsung is making it, if its true then the prototype is said to have Android 4.1, Exynos quad core processor, 2GB of ram and a 1900x1080 screen, so I want itttttttt noooowwwwww
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S

thebobp said:
Well, I don't know how hard kernel devving for multiple devices is; I suppose you could be right.
It still goes without saying, though, that the devs probably wouldn't buy all five of the nexuses. This could limit practical support (of which trial-and-error is a large part, from what I've gathered from Ezekeel), which is why, despite that it is one of my dreams come true, I fear five might be too much.
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Yea sorry I meant roms could be ported easily. Kernels would be the issue.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Related

What will the next big Google phone be?

I know that typically a few "Google Experience" devices come out each year. But, has there been any speculation on what the next major Google phone will be... as in the Nexus S sequel. (I am aware this hasn't been out that long, but it isn't in the cards to upgrade now, so I'm looking to the future )
I'm hoping it's a Nexus device either from HTC or Motorola - however with this 'own Motorola OS' rumour swirling around, that's looking unlikely, currently. But if the HTC Pyramid is a Nexus device, that'll be my next phone. Period. It'll be my next phone even if it isn't
Ya, I'm using an Atrix right now, and while I know it gets a lot of hate, I love the power. It's a great phone in terms of speed and potential. And, in spite of the restrictions it can do a lot. But, I want the freedom of a full on Google phone. I can't wait to hear what the Nexus 3 will be.
The Nexus One was clearly designed to rival anything else at the time in terms of specs, to be a development platform that would stay relevant for as long as possible.
This was a handset designed to make a serious splash and show Google's vision and determination for the platform.
The Nexus S on the other hand is a single-sore handset in a soon-to-be dual-core world. It's the complete opposite of the Nexus One in terms of making a splash, the only news features it brought to the table were gimmicks, like the concave screen; or features that are some time away from having any mainstream significance, like NFC.
The only thing I can think of is that there's some sort reason why Google have chosen to stick with single-sores CPUs for now - lack of proper dual-core utilisation by the OS maybe? I mean, it's not much of a development platform if you start introducing new features/hardware that the OS can't make proper use of...
The next Nexus handset will be a dual-core CPU, we can be sure of that. And I personally reckon it will be launched to accompany an Android update that introduces proper dual-core optimisation.
But that's just me.
Step666 said:
The Nexus One was clearly designed to rival anything else at the time in terms of specs, to be a development platform that would stay relevant for as long as possible.
This was a handset designed to make a serious splash and show Google's vision and determination for the platform.
The Nexus S on the other hand is a single-sore handset in a soon-to-be dual-core world. It's the complete opposite of the Nexus One in terms of making a splash, the only news features it brought to the table were gimmicks, like the concave screen; or features that are some time away from having any mainstream significance, like NFC.
The only thing I can think of is that there's some sort reason why Google have chosen to stick with single-sores CPUs for now - lack of proper dual-core utilisation by the OS maybe? I mean, it's not much of a development platform if you start introducing new features/hardware that the OS can't make proper use of...
The next Nexus handset will be a dual-core CPU, we can be sure of that. And I personally reckon it will be launched to accompany an Android update that introduces proper dual-core optimisation.
But that's just me.
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The Galaxy S was one of the best selling Android phones. Most likely the most sales for a similar models of this generation and there's even more variations just coming out. A Nexus S device made sense. Create a platform phone that has the broadest reach in terms of compatibility. Devs can then base their apps on that consistency. The Nexus One was simliar - (how many phones had the first gen Snapdragon? Tons.). They picked right for the time frame. Dual cores came out soon after but I don't see that level of hardware consistency coming until later this year.
I disagree - if they wanted a dev platform using the Hummingbird CPU, the time to release it was the same sort of time as the original Galaxy S, get it out there ASAP so that the people who needed it could start using it immediately.
They were late.
Which is not to say too late, it will still be of some use but plenty of developers will already have a Galaxy S is they want a Hummingbird-based test-bed, especially given how easy it is to get stock Android on it.
Also, whilst some manufacturers like Samsung are developing their own dual-core CPUs and HTC seem woefully tied to Qualcomm, nVidia's Tegra2 SoC does seem to have reached some level of wide-spread adoption - certainly amongst tablets and also with some of the dual-core handsets that are coming to the market. Heck, even Samsung are using it to bolster their low Exynos supplies.
It wouldn't've been too much of a gamble on Google's part to have released a Tegra2-based dev handset IMO - not really that much less consistency than there has been the past 12 months.
No idea.... please post if come to know about it.
The Nexus is a showcase phone so the next one will showcase Ice-Cream when it comes...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...h-new-Ice-Cream-Android-operating-system.html
I hope it's a Verizon phone, every other carrier has or will be getting a Nexus phone.
Sent from my Incredible with the XDA Premium App.
I Am Marino said:
I hope it's a Verizon phone, every other carrier has or will be getting a Nexus phone.
Sent from my Incredible with the XDA Premium App.
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Making it useless for a majority of the world... not sure I can see that happen while there are now radio chips that allow both GSM and CDMA.
DirkGently1 said:
The Nexus is a showcase phone so the next one will showcase Ice-Cream when it comes...
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I agree. It will definitely be using IceCream I think, and I'd definitely imagine it being HTC considering Motorola has dev's working on their own OS supposedly. Samsung and Sony pretty much do their own thing yeah?
buxtahuda said:
I'd definitely imagine it being HTC considering Motorola has dev's working on their own OS supposedly. Samsung and Sony pretty much do their own thing yeah?
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Why would Samsung be any less likely to get the nod for the next Nexus handset than HTC? Both manufacturers have produced a Nexus-branded handset each, with Google choosing to move from HTC to Samsung for the last one.
If anything, I'd say Samsung are more likely to be selected, especially given they're actually improving on their previous handsets while HTC have stagnated.
As for SE, their entire survival revolves round Android, so I would hardly describe them as 'doing their own thing'.
I haven't particularly kept up with it all, only started the Android craze when I got this phone. I just remember the last time I looked at a SE phone it was using its own OS. And I definitely haven't worried with Droids or Nexus's, I didn't realize that the last Nexus was Samsung, I thought they were rolling heavy just on the Galaxy series.
We all start somewhere yeah
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Should partner with HTC ... should set a standard like what N1 did.
I would choose HTC again also. I do not agree that HTC is stagnated.
The build quality of the HTC´s phones is way better than Sammy. Sammy phones all look and feel like cheep plastic.
Just my 2 cents..
viperblast said:
I would choose HTC again also. I do not agree that HTC is stagnated.
The build quality of the HTC´s phones is way better than Sammy. Sammy phones all look and feel like cheep plastic.
Just my 2 cents..
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True. I feel the same, any smartphone Samsung I've put in my hand feels like I'd lose or crush it easily. However I have noticed their screens seem a bit better in sunlight, and they do seem to try and innovate a bit. But HTC (they didn't used to be though) has finally gotten to a consistent point on quality.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA Premium
I guess there's still no rumors yet on what the ice cream showcase phone will be... I've been scouring the internet.
Hopefully google has learned to just sell their software and stay away from selling their own devices.

IPhone trying to ban sales of Galaxy phones in Europe

IPhone is really trying to ban Galaxy phones now ??? in Europe ???
See link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14652482
What is going on Galaxy can get around this Just by not including their comple rom...........
This would create a GREAT opportunity for MIUI or CM to assist in the battle against IPhones specious arguments
Your Thought ??
oka1 said:
IPhone is really trying to ban Galaxy phones now ??? in Europe ???
See link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14652482
What is going on Galaxy can get around this Just by not including their comple rom...........
This would create a GREAT opportunity for MIUI or CM to assist in the battle against IPhones specious arguments
Your Thought ??
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The major selling point of the s2 is the fact that it's the only hardware accelerated android phone. Throw cm7 or miui on there and its just another mediocre android device that's completely unimpressive. Unless either miui or cm plan on writing brand new drivers and Samsung intends to offer some sort of licensing deal then there's no real plus side to it.
Apple is pretty obnoxious. Their patents are ridiculously general
oka1 said:
IPhone is really trying to ban Galaxy phones now ??? in Europe ???
See link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14652482
What is going on Galaxy can get around this Just by not including their comple rom...........
This would create a GREAT opportunity for MIUI or CM to assist in the battle against IPhones specious arguments
Your Thought ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not trying, actually doing. This time it is in the Netherlands where it is illegal for Samsung to sell the Galaxy S, Galaxy S 2.
MartyLK said:
his time it is in the Netherlands where it is illegal for Samsung to sell the Galaxy S, Galaxy S 2.
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No it's not. The injunction would take effect sometime in October, but by then Samsung will have their phones updated, so it's moot.
@z33dev33l: There is more to a phone than which chip is responsible for scrolling.
Gusar321 said:
No it's not. The injunction would take effect sometime in October, but by then Samsung will have their phones updated, so it's moot.
@z33dev33l: There is more to a phone than which chip is responsible for scrolling.
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its still just another laggy android phone without samsungs drivers.
Yeah, no matter how many people tell you they don't see any problems, all Androids are so laggy you measure scrolling in seconds per frame instead of frames per second. Sure.
Get a new shtick please, this one is getting boring.
Gusar321 said:
Yeah, no matter how many people tell you they don't see any problems, all Androids are so laggy you measure scrolling in seconds per frame instead of frames per second. Sure.
Get a new shtick please, this is is getting boring.
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nonsensical post first of all, second of all android did seem smooth til I got something smoother. Now every time I try to use an android device, gs2 included, I notice these little catches that I wouldn't have even seen before but now make the phone feel like I paid 500 dollars for feel cheap.
Of course it's nonsensical. But it's what you're saying all the time! So the nonsense is not on my part, but on yours. You *are* constantly talking as if Android is so slow, and as if all that matters on a phone is which chip does the scrolling. But of course when you're saying it, you don't see the nonsense in it.
protip, as usual: don't feed the troll.
Gusar321 said:
Of course it's nonsensical. But it's what you're saying all the time! So the nonsense is not on my part, but on yours. You *are* constantly talking as if Android is so slow, and as if all that matters on a phone is which chip does the scrolling. But of course when you're saying it, you don't see the nonsense in it.
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I was talking about your "seconds per frame" comment, none of what you said there made any sort of sense. Android is slow which is one of many faults in it, I like a phone that just works, nothing I have to crack flash roms to, nothing I have to download 40 apps to before it has basic functions, and certainly nothing that lags relentlessly and force closes on me. I just wanted a device that works how a smartphone should without spending days or weeks making it do so before the phone became moderately useful.
just to make sure you guys don't forget, considering my last reminder was on page 1:
don't feed the troll.
I don't even know why people with Iphones make an account on XDA...You take what apple gives you and that's that.
lowandbehold said:
I don't even know why people with Iphones make an account on XDA...You take what apple gives you and that's that.
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iPhones are horrendous aside from the app market, the UI is more cluttered than android though admittedly more uniform, and the hardware offers no choices. I am a long time winmo user and for a year and a half used android, I still have 14 android phones that dont get used. I'm just always on the lookout for the best. I'm a fanboy of no OS, whatever is best is what I use.
z33dev33l said:
I was talking about your "seconds per frame" comment, none of what you said there made any sort of sense.
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Oh, come on, surely you know that graphics speed (particularly 3d graphics) is measured in frames per second. You can't be going on and on about GPU acceleration the way you do and not know that. You're ether more clueless than I thought or just really good at trolling.
z33dev33l said:
I'm a fanboy of no OS
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You're capable of saying that with a straight face? Impressive. Very impressive. Oh, and LOL.
z33dev33l said:
of course I know that but your seconds per frame comment was what made no sense at all.
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Oh please. You have a brain. Use it.
pmcqueen said:
protip, as usual: don't feed the troll.
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Exactly,
BTW Samsung did enter into a agreement with Cyanogen group, my guess is it was preemptive strategy.
People who look at an Android phone as laggy have not really taken advantage of ALL the great work by the Devs here @ XDA, or Rootzwiki or elsewhere. My phone is screaming fast great battery life....etc.
My guess is Samsung along with HTC in particular are integrating the advancements made by US in the android community, because the fact that the op system is open all advancements can be blended in the best and fastest way. That is the beauty of the Android op system.
What Android is lacking is a singular voice......... Iphone is one phone one supplier. Android is many. So Iphone can effect great marketing assuring the customer that paying more for less is awesome and makes them feel good. But the fact is the Iphone is less for more. Android needs to get this message out in a single voice from all suppliers.
Gusar321 said:
Oh, come on, surely you know that graphics speed (particularly 3d graphics) is measured in frames per second. You can't be going on and on about GPU acceleration the way you do and not know that. You're ether more clueless than I thought or just really good at trolling.
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of course I know that but your seconds per frame comment was what made no sense at all.
oka1 said:
Exactly,
BTW Samsung did enter into a agreement with Cyanogen group, my guess is it was preemptive strategy.
People who look at an Android phone as laggy have not really taken advantage of ALL the great work by the Devs here @ XDA, or Rootzwiki or elsewhere. My phone is screaming fast great battery life....etc.
My guess is Samsung along with HTC in particular are integrating the advancements made by US in the android community, because the fact that the op system is open all advancements can be blended in the best and fastest way. That is the beauty of the Android op system.
What Android is lacking is a singular voice......... Iphone is one phone one supplier. Android is many. So Iphone can effect great marketing assuring the customer that paying more for less is awesome and makes them feel good. But the fact is the Iphone is less for more. Android needs to get this message out in a single voice from all suppliers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so they're combining the efforts of the xda community, google, and all of the OEMs to make an OS work almost as well as wp7 and (sadly) IOS do? Of course people will still have full system access to slow it down.
z33 i perfectly understand the point you wanna make here. I know you're not a simple troll, just a quite informed and very very picky user (like i am after all). Tbh i wasn't really likely to pick another android phone in the latest months, because i was (and i actually still am) disappointed about how the aosp is managed by google. After a year of usage i came to the conclusion that android os has many, MANY flaws. I started considering other devices, like wp7 phones, the iphone and even the new bold 9900, but after a lot of reflections i came to a quite simple conclusion: sure android isn't perfect, but jumping ship to any other os would have still felt like a downgrade to me, being used to what android offers to users: it simply felt like not having a real choice. Basically i (re)discovered that messing up my phone and being able to plug it to every pc or mac as a mere mass storage is actually something i like and need. So a couple weeks ago i looked around, checked which one was the most up to date and powerful android phone and picked up my sgs2, simple as that. Now i'm running a simple aosp rom, and i can say i'm not bothered that much about not having samsung's hw accelerated ui (which is a bit of a lie actually: if you load the tw launcher with a few widgets it actually lags): i use opera mobile for browsing, which is totally fast and smooth (buttery smooth), and launcher pro plus as a launcher, which is virtually lag free on this device, regardless how badly you load it with widgets.
It's true, you can see it from what i just said, android is all about workarounds to avoid flaws and bugs, but honestly i prefer *****ing a bit more with my phone to get it running as i like rather than getting any wp7 or ios device that takes no effort to "customize", but at the end of the day is like a wife telling you what you can and can't do
That's the way i see it at least...
Gusar321 said:
No it's not. The injunction would take effect sometime in October, but by then Samsung will have their phones updated, so it's moot.
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And the Tab isn't included
I expect an update from Google reasonably quickly which will prevent Apple trying the same trick with other companies.
In other news, Nokia have won against Apple, meaning they'll earn royalties from Apple.

Fragmentation is the reason we don't have official gb

I am genuinely pissed after they postponed the ICS event because I felt like that would be the infuses' time to get current with its OS. Maybe I'm venting my frustration a bit but 500K+ devices are turned on per day(at least for the next few months). I see that version pie chart and Froyo is still number 1 despite GB releasing roughly 10 months ago(not to mention a new version is weeks from releasing) . It's exactly why I come here.
I would also like to point out that the Fragmentation also causes what I like to call a popularity contest. Yes you have a crap ton of device options but guess what the carriers and manufacturer are making sure the cash cows are first in line. Do you think they have as many engineers/developers working with the ChaCha as they do on sgs2? Hell no
Why is Google shooting themselves in the foot in staying current? Why on earth haven't they sat down with the phone manufacturers and hammered out some sort of standard to speed up adoption of new OS?
Android has a wide array of devices and that makes them unique and better than the competition by offering choice.
I understand that the burden of keeping up to speed primarily falls to the manufacturer/carriers which blows for us. The maker/google contract states the carrier only has update the device for 18 months. The definition and or frequency of an update is obscure at best.
I don't even want to guess how much money is being wasted on development overlapping costs because of the hodgepodge of devices. I tried to find out exactly how many hardware devices are currently supported. I found a list of everything but no summary I didn't feel like counting the but a good estimate is 350 + worldwide.
I understand the development life cycle as well as a hardware life-cycle. I fail to understand why integration of an update takes longer than one quarter to apply.
Google develops tests and releases system updates. The manufacturers takes that update and tests it with their bull**** on top (IE touch wiz and sense) then they test on devices.
Carriers finally now test the update, certify it, and push to users(never pushed at one time because they would never risk any downtime or damage to their network).
Wtf google step your game up and reduce the impact of Fragmentation because its only going to get worse and worse.
I'm the kind of device user that makes a well informed decision and won't get a new device until it breaks or I lose it(wow thinking about it I really am horrible with phones).
I have had this phone since it came out in April and I love it (I left it in a cab during the first 2 weeks I had it but was able to get my replacement soon after). Basically I'm a day one Adopter I had my original rooted and rom'd. It drastically improved the general usability of the phone. I decided to wait to mod the phone until I got the official gb to see what it could bring to the table. I really like the one click update with no issues but my hand has been forced. My device has been becoming noticeably slower and i find myself pulling the battery at least once every 2 days. To use it as a phone like it was intended I need to port to a mod. The
Thank you developers for implementing what the billion dollar corporations could not in literally 1/10 of the time.
Sorry if I ranted I'm pissed and there's no way I'm going down to wallstreet lol I'm lazy.
Jason
Note: I also read that it could reach nearly 1 million devices a day by the end of Oct/Nov.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
Trust me I understand your frustration! According to google ICS was supposed to be that game changing release but honestly marketing is what is stopping companies from unifying. A majority of people who get an Android device don't know what the hell to do with it, how it works, or in the most part don't care (or at least don't seem to understand the difference between froyo and GB) they just want a functioning
phone. Then comes ios, that's why it's so popular.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
I do venture to say that android developers are hurting as well with having to unnecessarily cater to multiple versions of the same OS. I was under the impression that ICS was that as well and will be a step in that direction. Once again how long will that take to push out to consumers? Are we supposed to wait until then? Google just needs to grow some balls and steer the proverbial green bull by the horns before the amount of devices becomes the reason we dont run with the bulls anymore.
jasonk1229 said:
I do venture to say that android developers are hurting as well with having to unnecessarily cater to multiple versions of the same OS. I was under the impression that ICS was that as well and will be a step in that direction. Once again how long will that take to push out to consumers? Are we supposed to wait until then? Google just needs to grow some balls and steer the proverbial green bull by the horns before the amount of devices becomes the reason we dont run with the bulls anymore.
Click to expand...
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Quite frankly your frustration (and mine) is backed by the dev community; to atleast some extent. Although, I still believe google saw the bright green money tree right above their noses and since then, can not let go of the smell! In other words, there wont' be a solution in the near future.
Android has become more like Linux in terms of fragmentation!
diablo009 said:
Android has become more like Linux in terms of fragmentation!
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I couldn't name to you all the releases that are out there
Yes I love my Infuse but Fragmentation really move my temper gauge over the top. Still loving the infuse 4g screen, but the apps almost all force close error, and my facebook app sometime does not notify me on the notifiction bar and so is textfree app, i am really getting frustrated even yahoo a very big company the video call is a mess, i am in the edge of going back to iPhone which is not my choice, but google make this on OS, stop fragmentation.
spirikitik said:
Yes I love my Infuse but Fragmentation really move my temper gauge over the top. Still loving the infuse 4g screen, but the apps almost all force close error, and my facebook app sometime does not notify me on the notifiction bar and so is textfree app, i am really getting frustrated even yahoo a very big company the video call is a mess, i am in the edge of going back to iPhone which is not my choice, but google make this on OS, stop fragmentation.
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Are you running a custom rom, kernel, radio, are you OC/UV?
Any and all of these things can and will give you instability. I had a cm7 theme that kept crashing the system on my backflip.
The only way to do away with MOST not all issues is to live in "the box".
Android fragmentation is a big problem.
You're kidding yourself if you think the Infuse will ever get an update to ICS.
MikeyMike01 said:
You're kidding yourself if you think the Infuse will ever get an update to ICS.
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Lol. By the ICS is out on a couple phones he would've switched to a different phone.
MikeyMike01 said:
Android fragmentation is a big problem.
You're kidding yourself if you think the Infuse will ever get an update to ICS.
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There comes devs who may port it (hopefully). Ics is supposed to get rid of the fragmentation, and maybegoogle has something up there sleeve to combine all phones and most get ics who knows. Google and Sammy have just hired cynagen (sorry bad speling) and other major devs. They may just help figure out this problem, where they are actually smart and put this into consideration.
I want my freakin Gingerbread! Stupid fragmentation! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Kevinr678 said:
I want my freakin Gingerbread! Stupid fragmentation! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
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Really missing my old HTC phones right now. Hell, one official rom could be easily ported over to like six others with those phones. Samsung has fantastic hardware but HTC dev support is superior.
Sent from my Samsung Infuse
slapshot30 said:
Really missing my old HTC phones right now. Hell, one official rom could be easily ported over to like six others with those phones. Samsung has fantastic hardware but HTC dev support is superior.
Sent from my Samsung Infuse
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Completely agreed. Phone's that will never officially have things like Sense 3.5 have it, and the same with firmwares. I do love my Samsung though.
Ryanscool said:
There comes devs who may port it (hopefully). Ics is supposed to get rid of the fragmentation, and maybegoogle has something up there sleeve to combine all phones and most get ics who knows. Google and Sammy have just hired cynagen (sorry bad speling) and other major devs. They may just help figure out this problem, where they are actually smart and put this into consideration.
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Problem is that every phone has vendor-proprietary bits to handle specific hardware support that aren't portable. The Apache license of the Android userland stack makes this possible. Also the ability to have proprietary modules loaded by the kernel doesn't help - for example the FSR and RFS drivers in the Infuse. The same reason you'll likely never see ICS for the Infuse is the same reason you didn't see CM7 until Rogers Gingerbread dropped. (It existed, but it was in a barely usable state until the vendor-proprietary stuff from Rogers GB could get pulled in.)
The good news is that I think Google is forcing vendors to "play nicer" as far as the low-level vendor-proprietary code in order to make AOSP bringups easier. They enforced a LOT of standardization with Honeycomb - the question is can they keep that going with ICS without witholding source like with HC? I think that by exercising tighter control over Google Apps licensing they can.
The Galaxy S II is a hint of things to come - while it still has vendor-proprietary libraries in the userland stack, it has zero closed-source components in the kernel, unlike previous Samsungs.
Motivation and $.
my opinion only...but, phone carriers have no motivation* to update the o.s. of phones already sold.
Just a few random thoughts...
1. Limited $ to be made from you (the customer waiting for an upgrade)
....a. sale of the device is already made.
....b. buyer is already locked into a long-term contract.
2. they are a phone company not a software company...thus any software developers they might have are probably focused on future sales and testing.
3. they don't make money releasing updates to already sold phones.
4. support staff would have to be pretty good size.
I wonder if the phone providers keep software upgrade staff or do they contract that out??? say to the phone manufacture (i.e. samsung, htc)? I have no idea.
(I am assuming it's the phone carriers who are the primary cause of delays in releasing software updates...not necessarily the
* what's more important to them? Future repeat customers due to good service OR simply getting them locked into longterm service contracts? Obviously point 2.
I wish fragmentation was decreased to that of the IBM compatibe market. (Am I the only one that still calls them that?)
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk
Interesting point I would have to say they contract the work out to upgrade versions. If they haven't already I wouldn't be surprised to see full teams being hired as android becomes more permanent.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
Great post
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
The debate continues on TechCrunch:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/27/charted-android-fragmentation/

THE PROBLEM WITH ANDROID THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED - OEMs

This is what i think the real and biggest problem with android is, the battle is not with apple, their os or their phone. The actual problem is this-
"Google has done an extremely awesome job with jelly bean, the 'project butter' has really changed the Android experience, experience is fast and ultra responsive, devices dont lag when u turn them on or when u wake them from sleep. Google Now is pretty instant and gives some delightfully satisfying answers which the software is all about, offline voice typing is also pretty accurate, fast and an actual step forward with voice typing, the animations are wonderful, the lockscreen is simple and easy to use and its pretty fast, and what to say about notifications they are just a treat to use.
But all of what google has done is waste, total waste.
Cause OEMs wont be able give JB to their devices. Why? Because they will be busy to make stock JB look ugly, they will be busy to just change the way the UI looks so that their device can look be different no matter if its uglier than stock, they will be busy to add stupid features like 'direct call' when the call button is just their above the messages(I MEAN ITS JUST ONE FREAKING TAP ON THE CALL BUTTON AS ITS JUST RIGHT THEIR, U R LOOKING AT THE SCREEN ANYWAY SO U CAN JUST PRESS THAT FREAKING BUTTON TO CALL THAT PERSON), features like 'Tap to Top' (CAN'T U JUST FLICK UR FINGER ON THE SCREEN TO SCROLL BACK TO TOP, IT TURNS OUT THAT U CAN BUT OEMs HAVE TO ADD THESE FANCY FEATURES TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT THEY CAN DO FANCY 'CODING'), they have to add fancy and weird lockscreen. I know some features are important to add for ur company like various camera settings that google don't add cause they simply dont feel the need of those settings, BUT WHY THE HELL OEMs HAVE TO ADD THEIR FREAKING CUSTOM UGLY SKINS AND USELESS FEATURES.
I think google should do something to stop this madness, i see tons of bulls*** on internet just to compare the iphone and android. Most of the comments is people saying that they have older version of android on their device and 'not the one shown in the video' but on iphone they have latest software that is even in 'iphone4s' so they still think iphones are better. It ALL ABOUT UPDATES, GOOGLE WORK REALLY HARD ON ANDROID AND THE RESULT IS THAT MAJORITY OF ANDROID DEVICES ARE STILL ON '2.3.3.
Its pretty dissapointing to see how idiotic OEMs behave about updates, skins and fancy features. I hope the google PDK help OEMs to give faster update.
Some comapnies are still struggling to push ICS to their old devices and JB is out, they are busy in working on their new devices and some few people from their team work on OS updates to old devices, and the process is so slow because they are busy in adding ****ty skins and features.
P.S. Other OEMs should learn from HUAWEI, they also wanted to add some features that they feel are useful to their ICS phones, but they didnt ****ed the UI, they have their file manager, their cloud services, some additional camera app features in their ICS phones but they dont **** the UI."
This is what i think, i was pretty angry about OEMs and updates so i shared all my thoughts on a g+ post and this quote is the same g+ post.
Here is my g+ profile- https://plus.google.com/117638526643371847672/posts
I think/hope Google is having this very revelation, since they are supposedly releasing some more Nexus devices in November. I know I'm waiting to see if one of those devices is a slider, as the rumor goes. I'm definitely with you on this!
You are absolutely right. Maybe not every OEM's ROM is bad, but they shouldn't try to make things better because it takes a lot of time and usually makes the system look ugly. That makes Android different on almost every manufacturer's device...
Sent from my E15i using XDA Premium App
One thing that I have decided that I am just going to buy devices that come under Google's NEXUS program. That way even if I may get not the latest and greatest hardware, I am still assured that I will get updates for at least 2-3 years and instant updates is what we are talking about.
Feel You
Hahahahahha
Anger is good
you were right about every single word
OEMs ruin the Android
trying to make it better
while the only thing happening is Android getting S*** taste instead of vanilla taste
well
on my side
i would prefer if the Stock android was available to all phones beside the OEMs one
in that way we have a choice
also
the Android pure Rom is much better than any other
i came to that after a lot of flashing
---------- Post added at 11:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 PM ----------
yogi2010 said:
I think/hope Google is having this very revelation, since they are supposedly releasing some more Nexus devices in November. I know I'm waiting to see if one of those devices is a slider, as the rumor goes. I'm definitely with you on this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slider +1:victory:
Haha, I also was getting myself worked up the other day thinking about carriers: I'm sure they also have a lot to do with how long updates take to come out. And, they get you on a 2-year contract, and then you're lucky if they support the device with updates for even 1 year!
I'm hoping PDK begins to lock down a bit of what they can do. Also, Carriers are a huge problem too. They don't want you to get updates.
Sent from my LG-E739 using Tapatalk 2
You know I see a lot of people thinking that all OEM do is make it look ugly ( to be honest all the OEM and ICS default themes look like crap)
But they do alot more. Take the SGS3 for example. All the nice software that made people excited about it would not be there if OEM didn't add their spin. All the nice features people enjoy wouldn't be there either. I mean if all that stuff didn't matter then people would be running a nexus as it is pure android.
Sent for a corner cell in Arkham
zelendel said:
You know I see a lot of people thinking that all OEM do is make it look ugly ( to be honest all the OEM and ICS default themes look like crap)
But they do alot more. Take the SGS3 for example. All the nice software that made people excited about it would not be there if OEM didn't add their spin. All the nice features people enjoy wouldn't be there either. I mean if all that stuff didn't matter then people would be running a nexus as it is pure android.
Sent for a corner cell in Arkham
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand what u mean, i have also mentioned in op that many OEMs feel the need of some features that stock android doesnt have and they can add and they should obviously add them but amount of these features are really low, most of the features we see are just fancy features that show that they can also 'code'.
I know a bit about android ICS (stock) as i make themes for theme engine and i made roms earlier. Its divided into two parts or two UIs, one is the dark part or the dominating part that we see across ICS, the grey backgrounds with blue text, other is the light UI, that is the white backgrounds with blue and black text. I am also not a big fan of they grey part of the UI but the white part is just wonderful. Also no OEMs' ui i have seen is better than stock ICS UI so they are clearly making it worse.
I hope google go full on with their white/light UI in next version of android.
Also i agree to the fact that many required features that a consumer wants these days with software these days are lacking in stock android like some settings, options and features in camera app, that actually all consumers these day want. I have seen many nokia users who still buy nokia phones cause they have these small features to mess with in camera app. There are many things that android team have not thought of added in stock android, and i think the main reason for that is the fear of people declaring their OS as 'complicated' and non-user friendly.
What worse it can get. Now Gnexus may get banned.
From now on Google is going to allow OEMs to gain access to upcoming versions of Android sooner than the general public so that they can get updates out sooner.
OEM skins annoy me as well. Most people care more about the apps than the OEM skin and all these differences between carriers default skins creates some fragmentation. OEM bloatware that can't be uninstalled also annoys me but at least with ICS apps can now be hidden without rooting.
Good point.
spunker88 said:
From now on Google is going to allow OEMs to gain access to upcoming versions of Android sooner than the general public so that they can get updates out sooner.
OEM skins annoy me as well. Most people care more about the apps than the OEM skin and all these differences between carriers default skins creates some fragmentation. OEM bloatware that can't be uninstalled also annoys me but at least with ICS apps can now be hidden without rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But still, Google is doing so that OEMs are ready to push updates along with Google. If Google is gonna give them new versions earlier we can assume they will give 1-2 months earlier and they will still be working on it so they will also give new source code later maybe 10-20 days earlier. So OEMs like Samsung or HTC who take 5-7 months for an update will still not be able to catch up with Google's announcements and updates.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium
I agree and disagree.. I never used stock roms until i purchased the droid razr. I know blur makes it look better and also realize that motorola has a **** ton of bloatware that i have to freeze but i've been happy with gingerbread and now the ics stock roms. I do however think that needs to include an option to root the device on the configuration when you first setup the device. I think it shouldn't have locked bootloaders or things like that because it is linux underneath the nice ui and you should be able to mod it the way you like without having to hack everything. Long story short, most stock roms do look like crap and are bloated but some do a good job.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
Another thing I forgot about is carriers, they need to get their hands out of the software. My broadband ISP doesn't care what updates or OS I am running, they just provide me internet.
Ideally we would get all software upgrades from Google sort of like Windows, but I'm not sure if this is possible with Android. At least just let us update direct from the OEM, carriers shouldn't have to approve updates.
Guys support me and others who are with me and retweet #OmlyNexus and #****AndroidOEMs .
The OEMs don't care what you think, because they want you to run THEIR software - which they will be putting on their phones instead of Android eventually.
That's why Google is pushing their Nexus line to the next level, they know this to be true.
Look up Tizen and read about what Samsung is planning on doing.
With the open source nature of Linux, mfg's don't care about Android. That's why they are getting their customer's used to their "flavor" of Android, whether it be Sense UI or TouchWiz. They aren't spending all this time and money so that their developers can learn to make Android better.. they're getting ready to launch their own projects.
Google knows their time is limited as far as Android being the only major Linux player in the mobile phone business, and it's coming faster than people realize. Firefox, Tizen, Ubuntu.. just watch.
Half of these Android users won't even be on Android in two years, because they are loyal to HTC or Samsung, not Google.
Hence, the Nexus line.
ingenious247 said:
The OEMs don't care what you think, because they want you to run THEIR software - which they will be putting on their phones instead of Android eventually.
That's why Google is pushing their Nexus line to the next level, they know this to be true.
Look up Tizen and read about what Samsung is planning on doing.
With the open source nature of Linux, mfg's don't care about Android. That's why they are getting their customer's used to their "flavor" of Android, whether it be Sense UI or TouchWiz. They aren't spending all this time and money so that their developers can learn to make Android better.. they're getting ready to launch their own projects.
Google knows their time is limited as far as Android being the only major Linux player in the mobile phone business, and it's coming faster than people realize. Firefox, Tizen, Ubuntu.. just watch.
Half of these Android users won't even be on Android in two years, because they are loyal to HTC or Samsung, not Google.
Hence, the Nexus line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually u r a bit wrong here. As people are getting more informed and educated about android they are getting to know it, once they know and love android. They won't buy a new Samsung device with tizen or bada in it. I live in India, people here are slowly starting to know about android. And as u all know India is not one of the developed countries, still if people can like and know android and be loyal to it then why can't other countries' people do the same. We are going into a new era, its not about hardware anymore, firmware comes first. Most of the companies are able to produce good hardware and mostly on a similar level, what matters is the software and OS.
bhu1 said:
Actually u r a bit wrong here. As people are getting more informed and educated about android they are getting to know it, once they know and love android. They won't buy a new Samsung device with tizen or bada in it. I live in India, people here are slowly starting to know about android. And as u all know India is not one of the developed countries, still if people can like and know android and be loyal to it then why can't other countries' people do the same. We are going into a new era, its not about hardware anymore, firmware comes first. Most of the companies are able to produce good hardware and mostly on a similar level, what matters is the software and OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to respectfully disagree here.
When the Samsung GS4 or the next HTC flagship device comes out, no one is going to care if it's running Android or not, except die-hard Android fans. All they will care about is the new features that the phone offers. And the mfgs are smart, they will make their platform compatible with Android apps, allow Google Market (and others). Look at Amazon, guarantee they will have their own Linux dist. as well eventually
and in regard to "We are going into a new era, its not about hardware anymore, firmware comes first"
Uh, I don't think so. Minus the Nexus crowd, nobody buys their next phone because it is going to have JB, they buy it because it's going to have the newest/fastest dual/quad core, XXMp Camera, the newest 'smart' feature, the bigger screen, etc. Nobody ran out to buy the GS3 because it has ICS...
XDA is about 1-2% (if that) of Android users. And even on XDA, half of the users don't know enough about Android to even matter. Maybe it's somewhat different in India, but my guess is the people you are referring to are just starting to understand what Android/Linux really means, so that isn't really relevant to this discussion.
ingenious247 said:
I'll have to respectfully disagree here.
When the Samsung GS4 or the next HTC flagship device comes out, no one is going to care if it's running Android or not, except die-hard Android fans. All they will care about is the new features that the phone offers. And the mfgs are smart, they will make their platform compatible with Android apps, allow Google Market (and others). Look at Amazon, guarantee they will have their own Linux dist. as well eventually
and in regard to "We are going into a new era, its not about hardware anymore, firmware comes first"
Uh, I don't think so. Minus the Nexus crowd, nobody buys their next phone because it is going to have JB, they buy it because it's going to have the newest/fastest dual/quad core, XXMp Camera, the newest 'smart' feature, the bigger screen, etc. Nobody ran out to buy the GS3 because it has ICS...
XDA is about 1-2% (if that) of Android users. And even on XDA, half of the users don't know enough about Android to even matter. Maybe it's somewhat different in India, but my guess is the people you are referring to are just starting to understand what Android/Linux really means, so that isn't really relevant to this discussion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think a die hard fan of a flagship phone from Samsung or HTC is gonna buy the new flagship phone if the company changes the OS. I know people care about hardware but that doesn't mean they go totally mad about it, not looking the software at all. Btw, play store access is only for Google/android phones.
Also, nobody bought Gs3 cause it just had a quad core or it had a 8mp camera. If Samsung had bada or maybe android 2.1 on it then believe me it would have been samsung's worst selling phone.
Edit: Will u buy a new i7 3rd Gen laptop if it had windows 2000 and a restriction that u can't change it??? For same price that u buy a normal i7 laptop or even higher.

[DISSCUSION] Are unexploitable bootloaders bringing US development to an end?

Opinions from different perspectives are most welcome but please mind your Ps and Qs.
Thank you...
Where did you get this news? please share more details about this.
engineerd2 said:
Where did you get this news? please share more details about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not news per se. And not meaning to be flip it is a simply a question brought on by the observation of facts as they present themselfs.
My 2 cents
numbR7 said:
Opinions from different perspectives are most welcome but please mind your Ps and Qs.
Thank you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think carriers are locking boot loaders to hinder development, in a strict sense. I believe they're doing it to force people to upgrade their devices more often, in order to gain any new innovations from OS upgrades. Take a look at the Samsung Infuse, a phone which was orphaned almost from the time of it's release. Thanks to a developer named Scott Hart, you can run kitkat 4.4 on it. If people hold on to their phones longer, profits go down.
rgrbckr said:
I don't think carriers are locking boot loaders to. hinder development, in a strict sense. I believe they're doing it to force people to upgrade their devices more often, in order to gain any new innovations from OS upgrades. Take a look at the Samsung Infuse, a phone which was orphaned almost from the time of it's release. Thanks to a developer named Scott Hart, you can run kitkat 4.4 on it. If people hold on to their phones longer, profits go down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take your point and it's a good one. I do not know-for sure-the reasoning behind it just the result. Ironically, I do know that the majoritu of innovation-in my view-have come from xda members saving these carriers a lot of money in R&D. I remember loading CM on a tiny little phone a few years ago to get innvations that are now incorporated standard on most phones.
I would say it's interesting that I am continuously reminded what a small insignificant percentage xda members make up -- interestingly to argue diametrically opposed views.
numbR7 said:
I take your point and it's a good one. I do not know-for sure-the reasoning behind it just the result. Ironically, I do know that the majoritu of innovation-in my view-have come from xda members saving these carriers a lot of money in R&D. I remember loading CM on a tiny little phone a few years ago to get innvations that are now incorporated standard on most phones.
I would say it's interesting that I am continuously reminded what a small insignificant percentage xda members make up -- interestingly to argue diametrically opposed views.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@NumbrR7: I second your point. I think that really grates (angers) me that most of the "new" phones are mostly incremental updates (i.e. better camera, updated OS). On another note, Oppo (based in mainland China) is gaining a niche for themselves because, from what I understand and read, the OS is developer-friendly and comes factory unlocked out of the box. USA carriers won't let that happen -- oh the horror. <rolling eyes>
Again, I affirm your position on this, numbR7.
XDA rules!
sameog said:
@NumbrR7: USA carriers won't let that happen -- oh the horror. <rolling eyes>
XDA rules!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Corporate greed and capitalism. Having said that, I disagree, to some extent, with their line of thinking. I have the galaxy s, s2, s3, s4, s5 , and note3. I have had a custom Rom on every single device up until the s5 and the note. Rooting and updating to the latest OS only made me want the new hardware even more. But alas, I too think it might be fading. When it does, I think the opposite will happen, and I will hang on to my device longer. I am already thinking of going back to the s4 with Shostock on it, for my daily phone.
Poke01 said:
Corporate greed and capitalism. Having said that, I disagree, to some extent, with their line of thinking. I have the galaxy s, s2, s3, s4, s5 , and note3. I have had a custom Rom on every single device up until the s5 and the note. Rooting and updating to the latest OS only made me want the new hardware even more. But alas, I too think it might be fading. When it does, I think the opposite will happen, and I will hang on to my device longer. I am already thinking of going back to the s4 with Shostock on it, for my daily phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't exactly agree with your first sentence (but it's worth discussion on a different type forum). That said. Your point is otherwise very well taken. You may get a new feature (maybe a new fade) but lose everthing else (that the freedom of controlling your own device gives you) suddenly that extra megapixel or two doesn't seem worth $650. Yep I'm sure of it! I think you have a really good point. I know it's a tad different but I choose to stick with Hyperdrive 15 (4.3) to avoid the hassles with SS and 4.4. That is NOT to say that I am bad mouthing SS. To the contrary, it's saved my behind. Hows that for nice language? Lol
Scott's still going with the Infuse?! Good on him! I loved that little phone. If it weren't for the problems with the video camera, I'd still be using it.
Well, this might rub some the wrong way but if all carriers started locking their bootloaders and forced buyers to choose based on hardware alone, I'd buy an iPhone. I love the little innovations that have come with an open Android - like Paranoid Android - but the hardware is usually underwhelming. The S4 has the screen going for it, but that's it. Apparently Apple will finally use larger screens on their iPhones so not much win for Samsung.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
Wyzpopper said:
Scott's still going with the Infuse?! Good on him! I loved that little phone. If it weren't for the problems with the video camera, I'd still be using it.
Well, this might rub some the wrong way but if all carriers started locking their bootloaders and forced buyers to choose based on hardware alone, I'd buy an iPhone. I love the little innovations that have come with an open Android - like Paranoid Android - but the hardware is usually underwhelming. The S4 has the screen going for it, but that's it. Apparently Apple will finally use larger screens on their iPhones so not much win for Samsung.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're right especially if the screen is bumped up. With the bootloader situation you already have an "i-droid" anyway. "Open source" no longer has meaning.
Hopefully this will accelerate the people looking at buying much cheaper phones that aren't locked to any specific carrier and also aren't boot locked. The effectiveness of upgrades is dimishing which should help push this shift and hopefully will ultimately keep these big phone manufacturers honest.
bnolsen said:
Hopefully this will accelerate the people looking at buying much cheaper phones that aren't locked to any specific carrier and also aren't boot locked. The effectiveness of upgrades is dimishing which should help push this shift and hopefully will ultimately keep these big phone manufacturers honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already looked into those "cheaper" phones. Most of them, right now, anyway, don't have LTE chipsets yet. In addition, 4G just rolled out in China (we get the new stuff first -- obviously). However, the cheaper phones are made and shipped factory unlocked. Some phones have a dual sim slots (i.e. one sim for personal, one sim for business).
I'm partnered up with a wholesaler and have access to everything he carries. The best part is that he doesn't "compete" with whom he partners up with -- bad for business, he says.
My .02 =)
as others have said it's just the way of big business in the 21st century. up until a week ago i had a 2 year old S2 which was running a 4.4.2 ROM (ressurection remix). if i hadnt been able to root and flash a ROM i'd have probably got myself a new phone long ago so locking down phones may get customers to upgrade more often (i know it would with me) as it is i bought my new phone outright and have gone payg to save myself some money and also to be able to upgrade as and when i like. i did look at some of the chinese phones (goophone being one) but wasnt sure of the root capabilities so decided to give it a miss.
i think even locked bootloaders will eventually be hacked. nothing is impossible. it's just down to when and how long we wait.
I took a brief reprieve from this forum, since there wasn't any groundbreaking progress made (and by "groundbreaking", I mean exploited bootloader).
It looks as if that has remained unchanged? I've only had the S4 for a year now, but I am officially "over" Samsung devices. Very aesthetically pleasing, but hardly functional overall. Battery is crap on every Samsung device, and the only thing that ever helped me was either buying a 3rd party with larger capacity, and/or running a custom ROM/kernel combo that allows for both less consumption as well as rapid-charge.
I'm interested to see this new thing Google is going to unveil to replace the GPE phones. I have no issue paying full price for a device that I can do whatever I want with, and know that there will be a strong following for. Even if that following is only a certain, small niche of the overall market.
It's a shame that my fun with AOSP had to come to a screeching halt, I loved the simplicity and functionality of it.
I don't think carriers make much or any money from selling new hardware. They make their money from plans.
That said, I'm happy to be on 4.4.2 SlimRom. ☺
disturbd1 said:
I took a brief reprieve from this forum, since there wasn't any groundbreaking progress made (and by "groundbreaking", I mean exploited bootloader).
It looks as if that has remained unchanged? I've only had the S4 for a year now, but I am officially "over" Samsung devices. Very aesthetically pleasing, but hardly functional overall. Battery is crap on every Samsung device, and the only thing that ever helped me was either buying a 3rd party with larger capacity, and/or running a custom ROM/kernel combo that allows for both less consumption as well as rapid-charge.
I'm interested to see this new thing Google is going to unveil to replace the GPE phones. I have no issue paying full price for a device that I can do whatever I want with, and know that there will be a strong following for. Even if that following is only a certain, small niche of the overall market.
It's a shame that my fun with AOSP had to come to a screeching halt, I loved the simplicity and functionality of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, even if I sold my i337, the battery life was honestly very good for me. There's the facts that maybe I don't use it heavily every day, but I turn GPS on only when I have to find a specific place I haven't been to before. GPS down - battery life up. 3G down, unless I need it - battery life up. Power saving mode - battery life up.
As for the Android Silver program, we all are curious to see how will this turn out.

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