Thought i would post this for other world wider users to give opinions,sky is our version of HBO or ESPN,they android support has been shocking,they don't even support jellybean 4.1 yet and no tablet support etc while all IOS devices are supported .We thought we were getting some where with them and they promised to be more open after stringing us along for months with false claims why they could not bring sky go out on android etc so here it what we got
http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Go/Sky-Go-on-Android-Forum-response/ta-p/763976
and here is the thread with all the input and waffle we are getting
http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Go/Sky-is-in-breach-of-its-customer-code/td-p/749576/page/20
whats the views of other countries users of the likes of HBO which runs on 4.2,netflix which does the same
Sent from my Transformer using XDA Premium HD app
it gets better after a barrage of question after the last staement this is what they come back with, to give you an idea how far behind they are, they dont support a single android tablet yet, no jellybean support yet, not support for HTC one seris yet not even on ICS
"Android Q & A
Why is it taking so long to test for JellyBean?
We have been testing the Jellybean operating system across the range of handsets we currently support (and new unsupported devices) and have run into a few challenges around media playback. These are all being worked through by our Android development team and we hope to release before Christmas along with support for the HTC One series. We’re unable to go into further details around these challenges as this is sensitive information. As soon as we have a confirmed date for the next release we will announce it here.
Why are devices blocked?
The main reason why some Android devices are blocked is due to rooting; we are not able to support rooted devices because of the risk to our security measures. All unsupported devices are unable to download the official Sky Go app.
How come Sky is the only company which seems to have such a problem with TV rights issues?
Unlike some other content providers we have a lot of 3rd party content available on Sky Go, we have multiple contracts with varying obligations in order to protect this content. For example, Sky has rights to content in the first pay TV window (following DVD release) whereas some other Movie services do not, therefore our security requirements are different. We have a very sophisticated Digital Rights Management system which we which we work hard to protect. It means we are unable to release one generic app that will work across all Android handsets, and to ensure each handset adheres to our content protection requirements, they do need to be Q/A and tested individually.
How long does it take to test a device?
Generally speaking testing takes a minimum of two weeks, if we run into compatibility issues on any variant of the Android operating system for that device we need to investigate, implement fixes and test them. In addition our suite of services spans many platforms (Mobile, Web, Xbox) and a variety of apps which all tie in to the same backend system and therefore utilise the same working environments, bringing in inter-team dependencies. Releases are scheduled so that multiple updates can be delivered simultaneously.
No other legitimate TV app has these problems, why?
We’re not able to comment on the rights deals other comparable services have with third party content providers
Why can other companies who have the same issues with content/licensing/contractual obligations provide apps that work across the android ecosystem almost immediately?
We cannot confirm if they do have the same challenges we have. Some companies in the UK have third party content and some don’t which may affect the level of protection required.
Why is HDMI out supported on PC / Laptop but not mobile or tablet?
HDMI out on a laptop is not something we are able to control; where HDMI blocking is within our control we must make every effort to block it as this is a contractual studio requirement
Why isn't your Sky Go director leading the push to get Sky Go on all platforms?
Our Director and the team here are all pushing to get Sky Go on as many platforms as we can. We have two equally resourced teams that work on app development for Sky Go, one for Apple development and one for Android. We are platform agnostic and do not have exclusive relationships with any manufacturers. We are well aware of the level of Android penetration in the UK and as such have been working as quickly as we can to develop support for the ever growing number of handsets and operating systems. We are hoping to release support for the HTC One Series before Christmas along with JellyBean. We have every intention of continuing to develop versions of Sky Go for new handsets and new operating systems; the fact of the matter is that we face significant challenges in Android development so unfortunately this will not happen overnight.
Related
Hey all,
We went to the Yetizen "Android-i-fied" event and learned a ton about building games on Android, but if you happened to miss it, then we did a quick write up of what we learned. We put it below because we hoped that it would help you guys
Now, on to the event!
Charles Hudson kicked off the talk with some choice words:
ANDROID IS HARD!
Charles Hudson was not shy about his experiences building on the Android platform with his game studio, Bionic Panda Games. There was little sugar-coating of the six major challenges that Android developers face, especially when compared to iOS. He did have great suggestions for tackling each one, which we wanted to pass on to you. His six tips are below:
1. Fragmentation
Problem: Unlike the iPhone, there are many types of Android devices, which leads to OS fragmentation, varying screen size and resolutions, and types of hardware. This means that the user experience can vastly differ from user to user. Also, developers can drown themselves in work trying to make their game compatible with everything.
Solution: Charles suggests that you test your game on multiple devices to make sure the user experience can consistent across a sea of devices. He said that he bought old, “well loved” Android phones from resellers to cheaply test his game on each type of hardware. As for OS, if you need to draw a line in the sand and not supporting older OS versions to provide a consistent experience, then do so. According to Ngmoco, which spoke later in the evening, 94% of Android gamers are on 2.1 or above, so you won’t miss many customers by cutting out the troublesome 1.6 and 1.7 versions.
2. Development & Testing
Problem: Because it is so easy to launch new applications and versions on Android - you are essentially just one button away from pushing new versions - developers can sometimes get trigger happy. This can overwhelm users and stop them from updating your game.
Solution: Android users typically don’t update their apps as often as iOS users, so Charles recommended a minimum period of one week between app updates, excepting urgent bug fixes of course. And as we mentioned before, you should test your game on each major type of phone and supported OS version before an update goes live. This can prevent unforseen hiccups and help you avoid those urgent bug fixes.
3. Metrics
Problem: Developers are typically flying totally blind when it comes to the way that users are interacting with their app, especially on Android.
Solution: Look into integrating with an analytics platform that fits your budget. Google Analytics is free, but can be a trickier integration as it isn’t built for mobile. If you are looking for an easier and more mobile-friendly solution, there are mobile game analytics platforms that may be worth the cost such as Flurry and Localytics.
4. Platform Wars
Problem: 23% of all smartphone customers are on iOS devices, and conventional wisdom states that iOS users are more likely to pay for apps and complete in-app purchases than their Android counterparts.
Solution: To paraphrase Charles Hudson, “it is better to build a great game on one platform instead of a mediocre game on two platforms.” Each platform has different capabilities, so focus your resources in building an awesome game on one platform before you worry about iOS. Bionic Panda is an Android only game studio, so Charles clearly practices what he preaches.
5. Distribution & Discovery
Problem: Discoverability on Android depends less on category ranking compared to iOS, and getting Featured on the Android Market is just as difficult as it is on the Apple App Store. Also, Android does not have a united social graph like Facebook or Apple’s Game Center, so it is hard to lean on viral mechanics to acquire users.
Solution: There tends to be higher search activity on Android (as Charles pointed out, “it is Google product”), so make sure your app description is accurate and hits all of the important keywords that users would use to search for a game like yours. Also, he could not stress enough the importance of having a well-designed app icon that draws users in. This icon and your app title are often all the user sees before making his decision to download, so use that space wisely! Also, fortunately for Android developers, Android still allows incentivized installs, so jump on the ad networks such as Tapjoy and Admob to help capture your seed group of users. Assuming you’ve made a compelling app, once you get the seed group of users you should be off and running.
6. Monetization
Problem: It is conventional wisdom that iOS games typically generate more revenue when compared to Android games. Part of the story behind this is that in-app purchases on iOS is much easier than the severely fragmented Android payments.
Solution: Count on an eventual consolidation of payment methods on Android, and Google Payments is a good default because they will always be around. The key with monetization is to provide compelling reasons for users to buy in, and then they will find ways to do so, regardless of the difficulty.
While use of mobile technologies has potential to transform business, making it possible for an organization to be more agile in serving its customers, it can also disrupt IT. The new generation of employees expects complete freedom to use mobile devices, regardless of whether they are company-owned or employee-owned. most IT departments are struggling to define and implement a bring-your-own-device (BYoD) strategy. To a large extent, they still use the old command-and-control model of Windows-based device management, trying to dictate what devices employees can use and how they can use them. But the old model doesn’t work anymore. not only are new devices flooding the workplace, but today’s mobile devices bring a variety of new operating systems, such as ios and Android, and many applications to contend with.
I must say it's an interesting whitepaper that discusses much more than this so I would like to share it with you !
Downloaded it from : bit.ly/yhmWAW
Microsoft is trying to pitch the Windows 8 to business phone users and ability to control and deploy them via their SCCM (SMS), however the popularity of Win 8 and windows phones are horrible to say the least, if Microsoft really wants to turn the tables around, they will need to start giving away Free Windows 8 phones to corporate enterprises, along with their "free" license of SCCM which businesses already gets included when they buy Microsoft license packs.
Blackberry have been the leader on this field all these years due their easy to use Admin Centre and mail server piggy back, hands down there's no real competition yet to kick them out of the king's throne in this area
Android offer the most extensive control, but require geek like us to do it for them (and some business will find this as a hindrance as they need to hire specialized people to do the job), there's no central control system in place, but it's relatively easy to build, reason why Lenovo is jumping into the Android bandwagon with all their new tablets and phones devices running on Android, as IBM + Lenovo they always take care of the Corporate enterprises for other companies, basically they are in the right spot at the right time, if all goes well Blackberry is going to lose its crown
End users choice will always be the iDrones, however it's the device with the least control by third party, and the one that is the most popular among end users.
HP tried hard with their WebOS, but failed miserably at trying to reproduce the success of its predecessor PalmOS in the business world.
... All that being said....
If work places are to allow people to BYOD then it means the IT team will need to have a GPO set to roll out to any new Windows phones that joins the SCCM system, also will require BlackBerry users to join to the new Domain (which is relatively easy as most updated BB phones are already ready for both personal + business mails and settings lockups), will need a new Android specialist, to either load customized ROMs or some alternative with a custom App that must be installed in their phones and let IT department control the phone, and Ban the iDrones from the workplace; clearly it's meant as an entertainment device instead of an enterprise ready phone
AllGamer said:
and Ban the iDrones from the workplace; clearly it's meant as an entertainment device instead of an enterprise ready phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true. Also not sure if you're being sarcastic. I rep Android to death (ANDRIZZLE). But seriously I work at an Apple Specialist store and with all the courses I had to take to become proficient here I've realized that Apple is trying very hard to push iPhones and iPads into businesses. They actually fit quite nicely with simple to use MDM controls and separate custom profiles for IT to set up for the end user.
Honestly, I think Android is the worst OS to bring into the business world, unless someone can come up with a RedHat for Android. And by that I mean a stable uniformed release for mass consumption. There's too much control to be had over the device by the end user no matter what IT sets up for it to be uniformed across a company like they would need it to be.
Blackberry are the Kings of business mobile right now. They will be until somehow steps up and makes a serious effort to point their whole company in the direction of business. But seeing as how that's only a small percentage of what they actually could have nobody will probably do that. It works well for blackberry because they've already realized that they aren't getting any more popular with the kids and have been able to focus on the strategies of effective business management capabilities being built into a phone.
That's my 2 cents there.
Hello guys!
I am new to this world completely! So please forgive my naive questions if they sound as such.
I was having a debate with an instructor of mine about iOS vs Android, and as I started criticizing Android for its fragmentation problem, my instructor started defending Android in that Android's latest move towards pushing an updated API to most of its user-base could very well negate the shortcomings of its firmware (OS) varieties. The main reason for this debate was me stating that if Apple decides to compete against google in advertising, it may reach almost all of its users through an 'unchallengeable' advantage as almost all of them run on the same OS, whereas if Android were to similarly display it ads on built-in apps as well as external apps provided by developers in Android's Appstore (ads provided by these two companies not developers, and pushed via developer-app by purchasing ad-space within their apps), Android wont be able to reach its users as iOS due to fragmentation. He ended up challenging me: if I find him a way in which iOS' firmware would create a barrier against Android's API, he'd give me 10 bonus points at the end of the semester, and if I fail, he'll cut 10 points from my final result!! Question, therefore, is: if these two giants decide to dog-fight in advertising, how could Apple exploit Android's fragmentation issue despite Android's API which could reach its old and new firmwares?
Kindly know that none of us are developers as we both specialize in business. We just happen to have huge interest in tech, especially in Apple vs Google, iOS vs Android!
Despite my lack of technical knowledge, I accepted the challenge because its sounds rather counter-intuitive, to me, that Android's API wouldn't be tackled if Apple decides to play dirty through its OS-unified (almost) user base. Why go through the hassle of overhauling the firmware if a simple fix as API could bridge the gap?!
A solution with very thorough explanation would be very much welcome and appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
Hi everyone,
Here is a little history first. In 2014 I helped develop a traffic counting app for an engineering buddy. I designed the UI's, the flow charts and wrote the 275-page illustrated, developers manual. The developer had it working in less than 6 weeks, thanks to, as he said, "to the awesome documentation provided". The app has been in use since then and has worked flawlessly on the original 24 tablets I originally purchased for him.
Recently, we have been asked to bring the app to a wider audience so, my question is, "Is there a way to prepare an image of the Android OS containing only the setup we need, and then clone it to the new tablets?" The app is designed as engineering tool and is not listed through Google Play and as such, it does not require most of the bloatware found on the new tablets. The app does require the use of photos, some file management along with network connectivity to send and receive the various data files required and produced by the app.
I have limited experience in rooting, but I have been successful when I done it on my Samsung phones.
As a certified Graphics Designer/Windows and Mac tech/COVID-19 survivor (nearly killed me, literally...LOL), I am aware of the amount of work that goes into aiding people with their "little" projects. Any help or direction in this matter would be deeply appreciated.
Hi, as some will obviously know, google is forcing a change in android development to be more like ios. Some developers and users wont even notice or care. Others may find the changes fundamental and devastating.
Some of the changes have come about in version 11 but will be fully implemented by 12-13. These changes are going to limit access to android file system. The way apps work and limit what you can install, copy, write to external usb etc. Others will mean total lockdown of security from installing apps and google spyware controlling what you can change.
Over the years we have all seen many versions of android in countless devices with as many custom iterations and mods. In a way. Us users and the developers have shown what's possible with imagination skill & ingenuity and happily let google lead us down the garden path making billions in revenue from our devoted support. Not everyone could see the control manipulation, development and exploitation. Not everyone even cared.
But it seems now that free reign google has given us in ability for hacks & mods and and the devices android can can be used on is coming to an end. Google is yanking its chain and reeling us in.
If you think scoped storage, or more play store control will just be an inconvenience think again.
Developers and genuine android experts will know this and will probably already be aware of some solutions. I hope so. As the thread count and discussions on this balloon maybe some will consider a fork of huawei's stripped down versions of android might be an option, however we feel about china. Let's hope some options will come to light soon.