Related
Huge time for us droid users on Verizon Wireless, some heavy hitting phones come out and i wanted to get some feedback from the developer community on the NEXUS side of things because initially this was the one device i really wanted.
Are you all still sold on the NEXUS even though its hardware specs are considerably less than what is offered by the:
HTC Rezound
(Dual 1.5 Ghz / True HD display, Pure Beats Audio SDcard/HDMI)
Motorolla RAZR
(Dual 1.2 Super AMOLED Advanced display and high quality materials in build/HDMI/SDCard -granted no removable battery )?
Do you think it would be better to go with the hardware and root/flash to Ice cream Sandwich later on?
I can confirm that Verizon is going to load this phone up with all sorts of preinstalled junk but obviously this is removable by anyone who roots their device, but how easy will it be to root something on 4.0 given that there isnt much out there for it?
I personally was dying for a Droid with Icecream Sandwich on it but im afraid to jump on board with Samsung again because of the known issues with the antennae in the phone (dropping service, poor 4G to 3G transition, all of which are confirmed issues with have haunted Verizon's 4G Samsung offerings)
-sigh- Yet another thread about comparing specs...
The GNexus has already been rooted. And it'll run pure Android over an unlock(ed/able) bootloader, so there would be little standing in the way of rooting it otherwise.
I've been waiting on the GN for about a year, ever since I started getting tired of my OG's sluggish performance.
_hyperdude said:
-sigh- Yet another thread about comparing specs...
The GNexus has already been rooted. And it'll run pure Android over an unlock(ed/able) bootloader, so there would be little standing in the way of rooting it otherwise.
I've been waiting on the GN for about a year, ever since I started getting tired of my OG's sluggish performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it kind of surprises me there isnt a clear winner among these devices on this site. Why one over the other when your going to root and rom it anyways so why look at anything but hardware? If this isnt the case then maybe i need to be educated.
Also didnt mean it as really a "specs" comparison. I know the other ones are better, I just wanted to hear if you all think 4.0 is that much better that its worth going for this device or if there was some magic bullet in the samsung that just made it a clear victor
Droid RAZR: MotoBlur
HTC Rezound: HTC Sense 3.5
Galaxy Nexus: Stock Android 4.0
Galaxy Nexus wins. Game over. Thread closed.
PsychoSimatic said:
Well it kind of surprises me there isnt a clear winner among these devices on this site. Why one over the other when your going to root and rom it anyways so why look at anything but hardware? If this isnt the case then maybe i need to be educated.
Also didnt mean it as really a "specs" comparison. I know the other ones are better, I just wanted to hear if you all think 4.0 is that much better that its worth going for this device or if there was some magic bullet in the samsung that just made it a clear victor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Listen. This phone was the phone Google used to DEVELOP ICS. Which means by nature its going to have the best time running ICS. That's why I'm getting it, and I'm sure why some others are attracted to the Nexus Line
I am my mom's "little elitest"
Deal with it!
PsychoSimatic said:
Well it kind of surprises me there isnt a clear winner among these devices on this site. Why one over the other when your going to root and rom it anyways so why look at anything but hardware? If this isnt the case then maybe i need to be educated.
Also didnt mean it as really a "specs" comparison. I know the other ones are better, I just wanted to hear if you all think 4.0 is that much better that its worth going for this device or if there was some magic bullet in the samsung that just made it a clear victor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also have to consider bootloaders and xda development.... since you are posting here, you must be interested in enhancement of your phone.
When you add those to the overall specs, and that the nexus is a world phone... (added development on xda) its hard not to chose the GN, IMHO.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
PsychoSimatic said:
HTC Rezound
(Dual 1.5 Ghz / True HD display, Pure Beats Audio SDcard/HDMI)
Motorolla RAZR
(Dual 1.2 Super AMOLED Advanced display and high quality materials in build/HDMI/SDCard -granted no removable battery )?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just some thoughts.
The Rezound's 1.5GHz qualcomm chip is probably slower than the 1.2GHz OMAP4460. The Nexus is also a 'true' 720p display (sub-pixel arrangement doesn't change that,) the Beats label was laughed out of the audiophile world and into smartphones - where it became an equalizer that accentuates bass. In addition, the Rezound uses MHL for video-out (HDMI,) just like the Nexus
The RAZR is much more comparable to the Nexus. The Nexus has a far superior screen, but you lose out on the microSD slot and the build materials (and ultra-thinness.) The dedicated HDMI port is a boon though, since MHL displays are nonexistant at this point. Funnily enough, my main con with the RAZR is the supercolossal side bezel.
For me it's between the Nexus and the RAZR. If there turns out to be no 32GB GSM Nexus, or if I can't get it here, I'll take a hard look at the RAZR. And probably end up waiting for a Tegra 3 phone instead.
You make it sound like there's a phone that doesn't have bad 3G to 4G transitions on Verizon. They all have issues as far as I know. Whether the nexus has decent reception or not we won't know until later...but no reason to assume any worse.
S
PsychoSimatic said:
Huge time for us droid users on Verizon Wireless, some heavy hitting phones come out and i wanted to get some feedback from the developer community on the NEXUS side of things because initially this was the one device i really wanted.
Are you all still sold on the NEXUS even though its hardware specs are considerably less than what is offered by the:
HTC Rezound
(Dual 1.5 Ghz / True HD display, Pure Beats Audio SDcard/HDMI)
Motorolla RAZR
(Dual 1.2 Super AMOLED Advanced display and high quality materials in build/HDMI/SDCard -granted no removable battery )?
Do you think it would be better to go with the hardware and root/flash to Ice cream Sandwich later on?
I can confirm that Verizon is going to load this phone up with all sorts of preinstalled junk but obviously this is removable by anyone who roots their device, but how easy will it be to root something on 4.0 given that there isnt much out there for it?
I personally was dying for a Droid with Icecream Sandwich on it but im afraid to jump on board with Samsung again because of the known issues with the antennae in the phone (dropping service, poor 4G to 3G transition, all of which are confirmed issues with have haunted Verizon's 4G Samsung offerings)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus is far superior in EVERY aspect. Even in specs. Nexus has OMAP 4460 Razr has OMAP 4430 and Rezound has the same ol MSM8660. The Nexus is UNDERCLOCKED at 1.2 ghz and the 4460 usually runs at 1.5 ghz stock. Not to mention the software on the Nexus which is obviously 4.0 has been built around that specific hardware. So if Google optimized ICS for that specific hardware setup that shows you something. It will run better on that setup then any other around. Not to mention you can OEM unlock the Nexus and you'll have to wait for exploits on the Rezound and the Razr you'll get some awful bootstrap application that won't even save you in a soft brick situation. To me the superior device is so obvious. The Razr is clearly marketed towards the average everyday user who just wants to make calls/text browse the web and do dumb things like Facebook. The Rezound will most likely be able to do the same things that the Nexus will be able to do though as long as it gets s-off (which I'm pretty sure it will, but when will it is the question). The development community is going to be absolutely HUGE on the Nexus, I am willing to bet it's going to be the biggest development community on a VZW phone since the original Moto DROID. Once again the choice is a no brainer to me and the majority of the people I know in the community. Nobody wants that crappy Razr and HTC does have nice hardware but they really need to switch up their style of devices. They are sexy as hell but the same old style is getting old IMO. Time for a little change HTC!
---------- Post added at 09:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 AM ----------
itsjusttim said:
Also have to consider bootloaders and xda development.... since you are posting here, you must be interested in enhancement of your phone.
When you add those to the overall specs, and that the nexus is a world phone... (added development on xda) its hard not to chose the GN, IMHO.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhhh, when did the Nexus become a world phone? The LTE version is NOT a world phone at all, and it's pretty clear that's the version he's talking about since he's comparing it to others on VZW.
Nice...
Honestly this was exactly the response i was hoping for, thank you
now im literally foaming at the mouth to get my nexus
martonikaj said:
Droid RAZR: MotoBlur
HTC Rezound: HTC Sense 3.5
Galaxy Nexus: Stock Android 4.0
Galaxy Nexus wins. Game over. Thread closed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS and everything about it.
The following is not my writing but it more or less sums up my feelings on the Android Universe.
http://www.technobuffalo.com/compan...-looking-at-android-all-wrong-user-submitted/
RVDigital said:
THIS and everything about it.
The following is not my writing but it more or less sums up my feelings on the Android Universe.
http://www.technobuffalo.com/compan...-looking-at-android-all-wrong-user-submitted/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to disagree with this post, and what that user said in his.
They are not different operating systems. As much as you think Sense, Blur, and TouchWiz are different OSes or whatever, its just a SKIN. A theme. That's it. Nexus devices are just pure Android with no Skinning.
So you can take an HTC, Motorola or Samsung device, root it, and install an AOSP Rom of your choice. CM7 for example, and look... you have a pure Android Device too. You can't however, take an iPhone and install a fully functional Android OS on it.
So I look at devices for their hardware, not themeing or skins that can be easily removed and replaced. I can't however take out the CPU and drop something newer or better in it... or change out a monitor/display like you can on a desktop.
Sent from my SCH-I400 using Tapatalk
Tornlogic said:
I have to disagree with this post, and what that user said in his.
They are not different operating systems. As much as you think Sense, Blur, and TouchWiz are different OSes or whatever, its just a SKIN. A theme. That's it. Nexus devices are just pure Android with no Skinning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never said that they are completely different OSes, but they're pretty darn close (looking at you, Sense). My point is that although it is just a skin, you can't remove it. You can't get rid of it, and you can't disable it out of the box.
So you can take an HTC, Motorola or Samsung device, root it, and install an AOSP Rom of your choice. CM7 for example, and look... you have a pure Android Device too. You can't however, take an iPhone and install a fully functional Android OS on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, who said anything about an iPhone? Going to disregard that part.
Yes, obviously you can root and custom ROM your phone. But why should I have to root my phone just to get the experience that I want? Is it too much to ask to just get the OS and setup I want right out of the box? Or at least have the option to turn off the OEM and carrier **** they put on it?
So I look at devices for their hardware, not themeing or skins that can be easily removed and replaced. I can't however take out the CPU and drop something newer or better in it... or change out a monitor/display like you can on a desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to respectfully disagree. The hardware specs are good to keep in mind, but they aren't everything. The difference of a couple hundred mhz processor, or slightly different memory config, or dimensions don't have to be the only thing you factor your buying decision on.
With a device like a Nexus, you can really consider the phone for its entire experience, and what it comes out of the box as. You've got to realize that sometimes that's important to people. I shouldn't have to buy a phone and root it the moment I get home just to have a usable experience. And I know its stupid, but I just can't keep supporting companies that completely destroy Android like that.
You can have fun buying your phone and waiting for a root method, then flashing a new ROM and watching as dev support drops off and you're left with an old ROM on your phone. I'm going Nexus this time around, and don't plan on doing anything else.
Tornlogic said:
I have to disagree with this post, and what that user said in his.
They are not different operating systems. As much as you think Sense, Blur, and TouchWiz are different OSes or whatever, its just a SKIN. A theme. That's it. Nexus devices are just pure Android with no Skinning.
So you can take an HTC, Motorola or Samsung device, root it, and install an AOSP Rom of your choice. CM7 for example, and look... you have a pure Android Device too. You can't however, take an iPhone and install a fully functional Android OS on it.
So I look at devices for their hardware, not themeing or skins that can be easily removed and replaced. I can't however take out the CPU and drop something newer or better in it... or change out a monitor/display like you can on a desktop.
Sent from my SCH-I400 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Consider the following...
Saying Sense, TouchWiz, and MotoBlur are simply "Skins" on top of stock AOSP is like saying Ubuntu, Mint Linux, and the various other Debian Bases are "Skins" of Debian. Yes, they all share the same BASE, but this is the only thing they have in common. HTC, Samsung, and Moto have deeply integrated their UIs into the Android platform and have basically made it their own.
As the poster above me stated, the skins cannot be simply removed. If that was the case, I would have AOSP on my EVO 3D by now. Since HTC has decided to deeply integrate their drivers into their Sense Android Operating system framework, "Vanilla Android" is not possible at this time.
RVDigital said:
Consider the following...
Saying Sense, TouchWiz, and MotoBlur are simply "Skins" on top of stock AOSP is like saying Ubuntu, Mint Linux, and the various other Debian Bases are "Skins" of Debian. Yes, they all share the same BASE, but this is the only thing they have in common. HTC, Samsung, and Moto have deeply integrated their UIs into the Android platform and have basically made it their own.
As the poster above me stated, the skins cannot be simply removed. If that was the case, I would have AOSP on my EVO 3D by now. Since HTC has decided to deeply integrate their drivers into their Sense Android Operating system framework, "Vanilla Android" is not possible at this time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Yes, Sense/Touchwiz/Blur are "skins" or themes over Android, but it goes deeper than that. It's not just a theme like you see themes for different ROMs coming out (where different colors and background images are used) - it goes down to the firmware level, with drivers to run the redesigned apps and add extra functionality (or take some away).
RVDigital said:
Consider the following...
Saying Sense, TouchWiz, and MotoBlur are simply "Skins" on top of stock AOSP is like saying Ubuntu, Mint Linux, and the various other Debian Bases are "Skins" of Debian. Yes, they all share the same BASE, but this is the only thing they have in common. HTC, Samsung, and Moto have deeply integrated their UIs into the Android platform and have basically made it their own.
As the poster above me stated, the skins cannot be simply removed. If that was the case, I would have AOSP on my EVO 3D by now. Since HTC has decided to deeply integrate their drivers into their Sense Android Operating system framework, "Vanilla Android" is not possible at this time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ubuntu, Mint, Debian are all just distros; Sense, TouchWiz, and MotoBlur are just skins. They are not operating systems. The operating systems are, in the first case, GNU/Linux; and in the second case, Android. The operating system provides a set of libraries and defines a set of standards for programs to run on the OS. Just like any program made for GNU/Linux on x86 will run on any x86 system running GNU/Linux, regardless of whether it's running Debian or Ubuntu or Mint, any program made for Android on ARMv7 will run on any ARMv7 system running Android, regardless of whether it's running TouchWiz or Sense or MotoBLUR. In the case of Ubuntu, Debian, Mint etc. we call them distros because they include a set of choices of components in addition to the GNu/Linux base system (package managers, window managers, desktop environments, etc.). In the case of TouchWiz, Sense, etc. we call them skins because they include a customized look & feel and a set of additional applications and widgets that run on top of the OS. You might argue that these might be called distros, but that's a bit of a stretch because the customizations provided by these don't extend far beyond the look & feel and some additional utilities that run on top of the Android base system, and possibly some native drivers for each manufacturer's hardware. It is not quite as extensive a customization as a distro, they are more like standard Android bundled with a custom skin and some additional apps and drivers. They are certainly not different OSes.
Chirality said:
Ubuntu, Mint, Debian are all just distros; Sense, TouchWiz, and MotoBlur are just skins. They are not operating systems. The operating systems are, in the first case, GNU/Linux; and in the second case, Android. The operating system provides a set of libraries and defines a set of standards for programs to run on the OS. Just like any program made for GNU/Linux on x86 will run on any x86 system running GNU/Linux, regardless of whether it's running Debian or Ubuntu or Mint, any program made for Android on ARMv7 will run on any ARMv7 system running Android, regardless of whether it's running TouchWiz or Sense or MotoBLUR. In the case of Ubuntu, Debian, Mint etc. we call them distros because they include a set of choices of components in addition to the GNu/Linux base system (package managers, window managers, desktop environments, etc.). In the case of TouchWiz, Sense, etc. we call them skins because they include a customized look & feel and a set of additional applications and widgets that run on top of the OS. You might argue that these might be called distros, but that's a bit of a stretch because the customizations provided by these don't extend far beyond the look & feel and some additional utilities that run on top of the Android base system, and possibly some native drivers for each manufacturer's hardware. It is not quite as extensive a customization as a distro, they are more like standard Android bundled with a custom skin and some additional apps and drivers. They are certainly not different OSes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realize that the analogy I provided is not a 1:1 example. I will substitute "Branch" for my use of the word "Distro" in the previous example to better explain the point of view.
In reply to your post I ask, how do you explain the deep framework integration manufactures such as HTC utilize to a point where the removal of such framework from the base AOSP causes hardware to stop functioning? I cant simply accept that this is a "Skin" of the base, I see HTC Sense as a BRANCH of the Android base.
The point is, its not even close to Google's idea or implementation of Android. When you add things to the base experience, you're going to run into unique (positive/negative) consequences that one otherwise wouldn't with AOSP. Take for example, HTCs recent controversy over their "Spyware" that was integrated into the Sense branch.
RVDigital said:
I realize that the analogy I provided is not a 1:1 example. I will substitute "Branch" for my use of the word "Distro" in the previous example to better explain the point of view.
In reply to your post I ask, how do you explain the deep framework integration manufactures such as HTC utilize to a point where the removal of such framework from the base AOSP causes hardware to stop functioning? I cant simply accept that this is a "Skin" of the base, I see HTC Sense as a BRANCH of the Android base.
The point is, its not even close to Google's idea or implementation of Android. When you add things to the base experience, you're going to run into unique (positive/negative) consequences that one otherwise wouldn't with AOSP. Take for example, HTCs recent controversy over their "Spyware" that was integrated into the Sense branch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not framework integration that's preventing you from using AOSP on your HTC device, it's the availability of device drivers. If HTC made all their device drivers available in source form, then you can just build these for AOSP and use AOSP on HTC devices with full functionality. The skin and the drivers can be decoupled - the skin may contain certain utilities that depend on some drivers to function, but the drivers shouldn't depend on the skin or its included apps to function. Imagine if Asus designed some special hardware that runs on their x86-based computers and sold a version of Windows that includes these special drivers that are not available anywhere else, then you have to buy Asus' version of Windows to run on these Asus computers, but it's still just Windows, with some extra drivers, not a fork of Windows. Of course you can't do this with Windows since it's a proprietary system, but it's done with Linux and Android, for better or worse.
Quick question: Do you guys think that the distribution of developer support for these phones? After all, the reason that most of us are here are because of the community, and its the dev community is what makes phones today great, and I just want to pick a phone that will have a large developer following.
Chirality said:
It's not framework integration that's preventing you from using AOSP on your HTC device, it's the availability of device drivers. If HTC made all their device drivers available in source form, then you can just build these for AOSP and use AOSP on HTC devices with full functionality. The skin and the drivers can be decoupled - the skin may contain certain utilities that depend on some drivers to function, but the drivers shouldn't depend on the skin or its included apps to function. Imagine if Asus designed some special hardware that runs on their x86-based computers and sold a version of Windows that includes these special drivers that are not available anywhere else, then you have to buy Asus' version of Windows to run on these Asus computers, but it's still just Windows, with some extra drivers, not a fork of Windows. Of course you can't do this with Windows since it's a proprietary system, but it's done with Linux and Android, for better or worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is HTC does NOT provide the necessary driver source and thus it remains closed. They have taken an originally open source platform and effectively locked it down, short of closing it. I have a hard time understanding how this can simply be called a "Skin". Nothing about Sense is necessary for the Android experience, it's simply paint, wallpaper, and furniture.
It's like comparing Oranges and Grapefruit. Similar, even in the same family, but NOT the same.
Is it just me, or does it seem that the fragmentation of android has finally cost the android rom development community. Many phones have very little development while many developers are jumping ship the first chance they get to move to something like the Samsung nexus. This leaves many android users with limited options and the ability to see what this proud community can do.
There are phones out here that have unlocked bootloaders but yet they still receive very little development. I dont understand that as I've seen a lot of developers complain about locked bootloaders but yet when they move on to a new phone, they don't support some of the phones with an unlocked bootloader.
I understand as more androids hit the market that it will dilute rom development some, but it's grown into something similar to certain phones have developers gathering to them the way apple fanboys gather to iPhone. I'm disappointed in that as I always thought of android as being the anti apple.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
Care to give some examples? We're still seeing ROM releases for the G1, even.
The LG revolution is one example. Unlocked bootloader and not too much development.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
Guys please understand that this site was built in the believe that if you wanted something for your device then dig in and make it. Only developer you can relay on is the one on the other end of your keyboard.
The knowledge is out there. Don't relay on someone else do make something for your device. That will only lead to disappointment.
How do you think most of us got started?
People are only going to develop for devices they own, which means devices that they like and more often than not they are the same devices which are most popular over-all.
If dev support is what you want then choosing the device with the most support should be part of your decision making process when buying a new phone. If you buy one with little support it's on you!
lol idiots and android fragmentation. Stop speaking of it. Some ****er said something about android fragmentation and the noobs are talking about that without reading any articles, without searching themselves etc etc. There's no such thing. And just because the app drawer icon and the notification bar are placed in different placed on Tablets, doesn't mean the platform is fragmented.
Personally I would love to learn how to do something like porting my own roms onto devices, but of course I would have to be a skilled programmer. Just as a general question, how hard is it to create your own rom for a new device? Do have to do a lot of coding from scratch, or do you just sorta copy and paste a lot of stuff already out there?
Middle East Guy said:
Personally I would love to learn how to do something like porting my own roms onto devices, but of course I would have to be a skilled programmer. Just as a general question, how hard is it to create your own rom for a new device? Do have to do a lot of coding from scratch, or do you just sorta copy and paste a lot of stuff already out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd also like to know this. What would it take to port something like CM9 (something where the majority of the actually ROM is made by proper devs), and port it to something like the Razr dev edition (a device I know won't get any love from the community but should actually be relatively easy to develop on)? What would someone with zero coding experience actually be able to do if they had the phone, the sdk and access to CM's GitHub?
You would most likely start with CM7 and use your stock roms kernel, replacing the userland. By far the hardest part about doing a port is getting a kernel, once you have a kernel that boots the rest is mostly tweaking build props.
Simple solution. If development is that important to you, check out the forum for the device before purchase. And actually support the devs for your device.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using xda premium
Konstantinos said:
lol idiots and android fragmentation. Stop speaking of it. Some ****er said something about android fragmentation and the noobs are talking about that without reading any articles, without searching themselves etc etc. There's no such thing. And just because the app drawer icon and the notification bar are placed in different placed on Tablets, doesn't mean the platform is fragmented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe CNET coined this in regards to Android. I saw an interview with one of the CNET "yackers" and Androids big cheese.
Konstantinos said:
lol idiots and android fragmentation. Stop speaking of it. Some ****er said something about android fragmentation and the noobs are talking about that without reading any articles, without searching themselves etc etc. There's no such thing. And just because the app drawer icon and the notification bar are placed in different placed on Tablets, doesn't mean the platform is fragmented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly agree that "fragmentation" is used too often as a buzz-word to show the instability of Android OS. This use is really misleading. IMO fragmentation does exist in the Android OS, though, in that there are still iterations of Donut and Eclair in usable devices alongside Froyo, GB and the newer, each having it's own device/manufacturer -specific user interface as well.
Seems to me that they all do pretty much the same thing, tho. The Android core (Linux-based, right?) is the software foundation that allows the hardware drivers to work together to do the same thing device to device: make phone calls, access the internet, and play games. (Ok ... run apps)
Since the aOS core is fairly similar across devices, the bigger "fragmentation" comes from the hardware. As hardware changes, the driver support changes as well, and may become obsolete, therefore negating any upgrade options. So, if your device used a video chip from some Asian company that was destroyed in a typhoon, for example, you might never see another driver made, and also never see an upgrade to the next letter of Android.
Fits with what others have said: If you want to upgrade the OS later, either choose a very popular device, or at least one with very common parts.
Even then, there's no guarantee.
I was an iOS user for 3 years. I hacked the hell out of it. Now its been over a month I am a Galaxy Nexus user and I hack the hell out of it too, (still learning tho...) and I love it. Having said that, and having deep knowledge of both platforms, I DO believe that there is fragmentation in the Android platform.
The next step, is each one of us to think for himself what does he mean exactly by saying fragmentation. After we establish a common base, so that we all speak the same language we can continue.
My opinion is that not only there is fragmentation, but it comes in different fields. There is fragmentation in the Android versions still used, there is fragmentation in the UI,there is fragmentation in hardware, software and pretty much everywhere. Why today there are so many versions of Android apps that are still not compatible with ICS. Lazy developers? I dont know. What I do know is that if I was in iOS most of the Apps would got updated before the next version got released...
Anyway I really do not want to start a flame war. I absolutely love my Galaxy Nexus and I will continue to hack it. I also love Android 4.0. But saying whats wrong with what we like is the only way it will get better. By denying it it will only get worse. Is there a possibility I am wrong? Of course. But nevertheless, this is my opinion and I am expressing it.
My biggest gripe with Android is the inconsistency with the UI,which really degrades the experience compared to iOS. Since Google has no review process for apps I find that most Android apps are ugly compared to iOS and since the developers aren't forced to adhere to any UI guidelines there's zero consistency across the board. IMO Google really needs to be a little more evil when it comes to Android otherwise they will be in big trouble once WP7/8 gain traction,which is just a matter of time. I've used every mobile OS out there and to me Android has by far the worst user experience due to inconsistent performance,abysmal battery life and the aforementioned UI inconsistencies.
Fragmentation is exsistent. My little brother bought the LG Marquee as I told him, since the specs are similar to my galaxy S Epic 4G. Despite that, the release hasn't brought much attention since it wasn't well advertised and it paled in comparison to the Epic 4G touch being released. Even apps are fragmented, not over android version I.e. froYo, gingerbread. But over the phones themselves, since the LG marquee has a different GPU than my phone, many 3d games are similar incompatible, despite it being run by a 1ghz processor. And yes the resolution on both phones is the same. It's the only thing I don't like about android, apps take forever to update to support all platforms of hardware and software, while iOS is all the same across the board making updates faster and easier.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
i thought this was common sense
when i wanted to buy a new android i wanted a phone that had a big following in the community
first was the nexus line
then HTC
then samsung
i went with Samsung since it was the smoothest one out there
and then it became the the most popular phone on XDA
Konstantinos said:
lol idiots and android fragmentation. Stop speaking of it. Some ****er said something about android fragmentation and the noobs are talking about that without reading any articles, without searching themselves etc etc. There's no such thing. And just because the app drawer icon and the notification bar are placed in different placed on Tablets, doesn't mean the platform is fragmented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word. Fragmentation isn't the problem... the problem is that every device needs a rom tailored specifically to it, and installing the wrong rom can brick your phone.
Sent from my Hercules using XDA App
fucxms said:
Care to give some examples? We're still seeing ROM releases for the G1, even.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skyrocket.
Sure, there are a few ROMs/devs there (seanzscreams is a phenomenal guy). Cyanogenmod? Nothing. MIUI? Nothing. ICS? Nothing. Any word on any of these being available on the Skyrocket? No, with the exception that Samsung will provide and ICS kernel for the Skyrocket eventually. Will there be any ICS ROMs developed for the Skyrocket then? Who knows.
Isn't that basically supporting the notion that Android is "fragmented" on some level, in some area? That you need to custom tailor roms individually to meet the needs of each device (due to drivers, hardware, whatever) under the encompassing umbrella that is Android. Is that not a form of fragmentation? Maybe one that doesn't bother you at all, which is understandable, but has certainly ruffled the feathers of other users?
Aside from that I agree with other elements of fragmentation that members have posted about here sso far. Frag in UI is one that particularly irks me the most.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
How can people say fragmentation is not a problem? Or worse, that it doesn't exist?
I suppose this is why Google is allowed to continue this charade of an open OS.
Sent from my SGH-I897
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.
Let me start off by saying that I am not trying to troll at all I am just generally curious. I for one have had a galaxy nexus, and I loved it (minus the battery life) and also been through a galaxy s 3 and 4. Off the bat the 3 and 4 both have a butt load of features that I always missed when I would flash stock android roms and it always seemed like the camera software was far better than anything a stock android device can get. I do get that stock android devices get updates directly from google and I also get that the skins take up a lot more space but besides those reasons is that alone what makes stock android far better than anything else? I hear people complain about the tw skins or sense skins about how it looks so ugly but isnt a simple fix for this is to just add another launcher like apex? Anyways this is just my personal opinion on the matter and I just wanted to see other peoples inputs. Like I said im not trolling but I just want to see what everyone else thinks.
blackguy101 said:
Let me start off by saying that I am not trying to troll at all I am just generally curious. I for one have had a galaxy nexus, and I loved it (minus the battery life) and also been through a galaxy s 3 and 4. Off the bat the 3 and 4 both have a butt load of features that I always missed when I would flash stock android roms and it always seemed like the camera software was far better than anything a stock android device can get. I do get that stock android devices get updates directly from google and I also get that the skins take up a lot more space but besides those reasons is that alone what makes stock android far better than anything else? I hear people complain about the tw skins or sense skins about how it looks so ugly but isnt a simple fix for this is to just add another launcher like apex? Anyways this is just my personal opinion on the matter and I just wanted to see other peoples inputs. Like I said im not trolling but I just want to see what everyone else thinks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a combination of factors, IMO. There are some folks who are Android "purists" who like the hardware, but want just the stock version of Android better than anything an OEM adds onto it. Kind of like stripping down a car to keep the engine and the body shape, but tuning it to run the way you like it. Most of the people here at least want to have the ability to remove any apps or parts of the "skin" (like Touchwiz) that they don't want or use and want them gone so that they're not taking up system resources. On the SGS4, for instance, there's been allot of blow back at Samsung because they've crammed so much software for their bells and whistles that the 16GB model has almost half it's system memory (the area where applications, games, Google Play Music or movies, etc.... have to reside) that there's hardly any room to include a new launcher and most of the Apps you might want to run. The expandable storage is nice for pictures, videos, or MP3s you already own and want to store, but it's not usable by applications.
In short, if it's my phone I want total control over what is and what isn't on it no matter what Samsung and AT&T want to cram down my throat. Samsung's Camera software is something I'd probably like to keep, but the silly air gestures and "touchless scrolling" I could care less about. Not to mention the load of programs AT&T also drops on there which I never use and am perfectly happy to see gone also.
If you're happy with your phone the way you currently have it, then no one else's opinion should matter as to how you should have it set up. But there's a wide variety of what people do and don't want on their phones and if they want Vanilla AOSP or CM or modified Touchwiz and they're willing to trade off some Stock features to get what they want, this is one of the places people come to do that. As long as someone accepts the responsibility that they may brick their phone and void the warranty by playing with the software, then they should have the freedom to do whatever they want with it.
As of today, is it possible to install stock Android on the current Samsun Galaxy S4 (mine is from Canada Fido).
Funny thing is, I wish google didn't install their bloat onto the gs4. If there's already a stock music app why preinstall google music. Same with all their other bloat. Not needed like chrome. They should of made google software optional. Keep samsungs in since it is their product.
I honestly think that stock Android is pretty overrated. I've had the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 and they were both pretty terrible. What makes Android so awesome are the different tweaks and software that the makers use. Sure, the simplicity of stock is fine, but that's about it. For example, the TW SG4 will have IR support, a better camera app, etc. You loose a lot of functionality with going stock.
What I really want to see is some fusion rom with the stock Android mixed with all the TW goodies, like the gestures, camera app, etc.
j510 said:
Funny thing is, I wish google didn't install their bloat onto the gs4. If there's already a stock music app why preinstall google music. Same with all their other bloat. Not needed like chrome. They should of made google software optional. Keep samsungs in since it is their product.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because, manufaturers have to keep a crlertain amount of stock android included in their phones...as in a certain percentage of software with no touchwiz...so that is likely why they left some of the stock google apps in
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
j510 said:
Funny thing is, I wish google didn't install their bloat onto the gs4. If there's already a stock music app why preinstall google music. Same with all their other bloat. Not needed like chrome. They should of made google software optional. Keep samsungs in since it is their product.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The hardware might be Samsung's product, but Android is Google's product.
Manufacturers don't have to keep anything. They use stock android as the basis. The pieces you mention like ir blaster use drivers outside of stock android. If devs had these drivers then we would have stock android with goodies. Stock is good because source code is available for all of it. That means it can be heavily customized. Touch wiz is Samsung's and they will not release the source.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
First off, it is all preference--no phone, OS is perfect for everyone.
I have been flashing roms heavily for over 3 years. Mostly HTC like the Nexus One and One S.
I found things I liked in both Sense and AOSP. I did like theming status bar items, color, look etc. Most of the flashing was to get newer versions of Sense and Android. I was running 4.2.2 on One S long before it was on hardly any phones.
It did seem no matter what custom rom you ran, you lost something you liked from another one. There were always minor issues with wifi, audio, reboots etc for many people. Some roms just didn't play well with some phones. So, lots of soft bricks and frustration. I was lucky there.
This is the first phone I have owned that I have no interest in flashing custom roms. I can't believe i even like and don't want to change the wallpaper. I usually always made my own semi-gloss black. But, the colors are so vibrant and icons stand out extremely well on S4. Would like to get rid of balloon on lockscreen. But, no one stares at their lockscreen.
With all the trolls and nay-sayers on the forum, both mine and my son's S4's run perfect. No lags and all the "gimicks" work as advertised. I find myself using them more and more. Wouldn't want to give them up now. S-Voice is perfect and Air View I really like. Don't use the scroll though. S-Memo is an essential for me now. A carry over from Note 2. I even like the stock calendar which I hated when just testing the Note 1 and 2 awhile back. Love being able to create and move calendar events by voice. Don't use GMail calendar anymore other than my work one is tied to it. Camera is great too.
I could see rooting for Nandroids and Titanium though.
This is a great phone regardless of what others say. But, each to there own--
Oh yeah--love Blocking Mode--an imitation of Quiet Hours on Android--couldn't live without it
And I don't know about Touch Whiz. But, whatever it is suppose to be it works great on S4
The "quirky" Air Gestures work fine too. Palm for Screenshots is a little tough to work out though
There is so much on this phone it will take me 6 months to learn and remember to use all of it--
Every time there's a new nexus coming out I have to get it. I enjoy it for about a month then it bores me to death and I go back to a Samsung, HTC or LG phone. I much prefer the UI overlays over stock. Not that stock is bad or anything, it runs super smooth but it is just boring. Hopefully KLP will bring some visual changes as well.
It's like driving a Chevelle Super Sport (SS) 454, which I did. Compared to a 2013 fully technical (GPS/Audio etc) loaded Mercedes or equivalent. The Chevelle had all the power you could ever want. But, in the end that is all it had. Now you have all the bells and whistles on these cars like the S4 has fun features.
I came from the Galaxy Nexus to the GS4 1337.
What I hate the most is the duplication of functions! That drives me insane. Google already has a contacts app, so why do I need a fugly AT&T contacts app? Why do I need a AT&T navigation app AND GMaps? Why do I need a Google calendar, AT&T calendar, Samsung calendar all on the same phone?? Just setting up the phone from scratch infuriates me... skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip
and my favorite... TWO APP STORES! That was jaw dropping. It's a constant assault to your intelligence trying to automate everything in the worst way possible. It's like Samsung apps are at war with Google Apps and everyone is at war with AT&T apps.
The very first possible second I could load CM10.1 on this phone, I did.
While I was waiting on the unlocked bootloader, I did play around with the S Health, WatchON, and the camera/video, and I did enjoy them and miss them from my CM 10.1 experience, but even that couldn't make up for the garbage installed on this phone from the factory.
it's funny on everyone's experience. i found no problem setting my homescreens up and just ignored apps i didn't want. at this point don't even know they are in app drawer.
I bought Nexus 4 after already had Galaxy s3 for a while. Even though Nexus 4 is fantastic device, I thought its too vanilla for me. Even though compared to S3, there was not much feature differences. I don't think I will ever get Pure Nexus phone again..may be tablet will be fine. The other thing is I sometimes get into a phase where I want to use AOSP rom so I flash CM10.1 or AOKP. But as soon i get bored back to TW rom. Can't do that with Nexus devices...
The only thing i want from Stock is the AOSP messaging app. The quick reply from the notification drop down and pop up is awesome.
mr_blanket said:
I came from the Galaxy Nexus to the GS4 1337.
What I hate the most is the duplication of functions! That drives me insane. Google already has a contacts app, so why do I need a fugly AT&T contacts app? Why do I need a AT&T navigation app AND GMaps? Why do I need a Google calendar, AT&T calendar, Samsung calendar all on the same phone?? Just setting up the phone from scratch infuriates me... skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip
and my favorite... TWO APP STORES! That was jaw dropping. It's a constant assault to your intelligence trying to automate everything in the worst way possible. It's like Samsung apps are at war with Google Apps and everyone is at war with AT&T apps.
The very first possible second I could load CM10.1 on this phone, I did.
While I was waiting on the unlocked bootloader, I did play around with the S Health, WatchON, and the camera/video, and I did enjoy them and miss them from my CM 10.1 experience, but even that couldn't make up for the garbage installed on this phone from the factory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
God forbid they give you a choice of which app to use. Having a choice is one of the main factors that make people choose android over ios.
PuffinNugz said:
God forbid they give you a choice of which app to use. Having a choice is one of the main factors that make people choose android over ios.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, but not allowing the complete uninstall of a duplicated app goes against the fundamental philosophies of android.
This goes for both Google, Apple, Windows or any other OS. What I want is the most basic OS possible and add apps as I see fit from the app store. I do not want anything forced on my device. The closest you can get to that nirvana is an AOSP ROM or Nexus.
.
Pure Android will mainly attract the developers as it is a great base to work from. Most average people will chose Sense or TW or any of the other Android distros (as that is more correct them calling them skins) due to the features. Most of those features can't be utilized by Devs unless they pay for the SDK like Samsung is doing now with them for the sensors in the S4. Only big companies are gonna be able to afford to pay what Samsung wants for the SDK to develop with.
Wayne Tech Nexus
WA_Bob said:
On the SGS4, for instance, there's been allot of blow back at Samsung because they've crammed so much software for their bells and whistles that the 16GB model has almost half it's system memory (the area where applications, games, Google Play Music or movies, etc.... have to reside) that there's hardly any room to include a new launcher and most of the Apps you might want to run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a gross overexaggeration of the storage situation on the SGS4.
The only way I can think of that you can fill the ~9.7gb of internal storage with app data is if you're downloading every high resolution, high graphic intensive game available for the platform. If that's your case, then you're absolutely right. While admittedly not a high number, I have over 68 apps(most of which I use on a near daily basis) installed on my phone with the highest occupying 64.93mb. Most apps range from 10-30mb. At 64.93mb, I can have ~152.97 of those sized apps on my phone before running into storage capacity issues.
I like the rest of your post though.
One of the reasons I got the S4 and gave my iPhone 5 to the wife was mostly the software features Samsung added. I really do like the voice control for the camera and music apps, and I find some of the air gestures pretty good too. Going with a "Nexus" experience S4, I'd lose the very features I got the phone for.
zelendel said:
Pure Android will mainly attract the developers as it is a great base to work from. Most average people will chose Sense or TW or any of the other Android distros (as that is more correct them calling them skins) due to the features. Most of those features can't be utilized by Devs unless they pay for the SDK like Samsung is doing now with them for the sensors in the S4. Only big companies are gonna be able to afford to pay what Samsung wants for the SDK to develop with.
Wayne Tech Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow.... there is a name I haven't seen for a long time... Did you get get an S4?
Just bought an S6 and if my past phones were any indication I will want to remove as much vendor android customization as possible.
I don't care about warranty and am happy to root/unlock/s-off/etc my phones.
How's development looking for the S6, has anyone produced a rom with the samsung stuff stripped out?
I don't need a ROM with gizmos, just the samsung stuff and preinstalled apps taken off.
They is a great topic , i was just talking to my coworkers from tmobile that im litterally gonna switch to the g3 or htc m8 because the development on here is so sad its driving crazy (yeah yeah, i know if i want a rom i should build it myself) well if i had the BRAINS that these developers have i would exploit my knowledge but because I dont have the knowledge then we can only depend on the developers...just imagine cm 12 running on a 64bit processor...jesus.... instant nerd boner... seriously... we need to use our phones full potential...if not then why the strong processsors for? Why all the specs... htc m8/moto X 2nd gen/Lg G3/nexus 5 (for that android M)
Any feedback? I feel like ppl are afriad to speak on this topic that they dont just so they dont get flamed... but someone has to stand up and bring it to attention...
Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk
I agree. I would love to see some cm/aosp. I think about switching to another device that can run it every day
Yeah, I agree to. I'm waiting for CM or AOSP rom. I want imagine a pure stock on my phone...But I thing maybe it's difficult with Knox or Samsung bloadware to make different rom who can run on our phone. All we have actually are based on Samsung rom... So wait and see...
The s6 has the least amount of preinstaled apps ... and a lot of them you can remove ... why do you people even buy phones from Samsung if you need to change every little detail about it ... maybe the best advice is that you make your own phone at home ....
Sent from my SM-G920F using XDA Free mobile app
I don't see how stripping out most of the features and adding on a buggy CM software is "getting the full potential" of the phone.
A 64 bit processor vs 32 is negligible anyway, and Cm, really? That's like equipping Iron Man's suit with a ZX spectrum computer.
zdravkodubravec said:
The s6 has the least amount of preinstaled apps ... and a lot of them you can remove ... why do you people even buy phones from Samsung if you need to change every little detail about it ... maybe the best advice is that you make your own phone at home ....
Sent from my SM-G920F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do i buy phones from samsung? Umm lets see it has the latest hardware, camera, processor, screen display.... that was a really dumb question...smh... vs one plus one or a moto x 2014... i wanna run cm on a 64 bit processor.
Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk
OP, what you are looking for is called Android Open Source Project or AOSP for Short. AOSP is the Google's Android Source Code Repository. It has a code base for your phone's Processor (SoC). There are several Developers who utilize this Google Source to create Custom Roms with Features that are not available in Samsung's Touchwiz rom. You can review this list
for currently available Roms on your Device. Essentially what is called "Play Store Edition" of a device, is basically the same thing as regular Device but has AOSP Rom.
Unfortunately this thread is a duplicate of Does Exynos = no custom ROMs? So please carry on the Discussion over there,
Thread closed.