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XDA/Samsung

Hello Guys,
My name is John, I recently became the social media analyst at Samsung mobile. I wanted to start opening the lines of communication between XDA and Samsung. First I wanted to say I have noticed your work on our devices on the XDA forums. I think you guys do an outstanding job, I myself am a developer for mobile devices. So let’s get down to business, we’re going to be in Austin from March 10-15 for the SXSW(south by southwest http://sxsw.com/convention). I was wondering if any of you guys are going so that we could meet up and share a couple of ideas I have. I am looking forward to meeting some of you GREAT developers!
Thanks in advance,
John
Social Media Analyst
Samsung Mobile USA
Twitter: @SamsungJohn

Is this for real? Please provide some proof you work for samsung.

Sooooo...what's the hold up with Froyo, John?

wonner said:
Sooooo...what's the hold up with Froyo, John?
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+1
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I honestly hope you are authentic. It is about time that the people who make the phones embrace the superior developmental process.

Pikabob said:
I honestly hope you are authentic. It is about time that the people who make the phones embrace the superior developmental process.
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Or at least attempt to embrace some kind of something. That'd be a start for Samsung.

Sounds like BS advertising to get people in seats at this event.

Interesting...go through his previous posts once, not exactly his first time posting on the forums...

So let’s get down to business, we’re going to be in Austin from March 10-15 for the SXSW(south by southwest http://sxsw.com/convention).
The link doesn't work....

Troll.....

Yeah, sounds troll to me, but it will be nice for them to show here...and learn a bit of how things are done
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

Real
Yes I am the real deal, I am a developer/social media analyst. I don't mind taking a picture of my badge or something to prove my credibility.

SamsungJohn said:
Yes I am the real deal, I am a developer/social media analyst. I don't mind taking a picture of my badge or something to prove my credibility.
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I think he's legit, folks.
If you are indeed an analyst for Samsung, welcome to XDA. I'm sure you've already noticed by now that there is a lot of cynicism both for Samsung and your claim of being an employee. Simple reason for this is that most everyone here feels that Samsung has ignored their pleas for help, didn’t deliver promised upgrades, and left millions of Galaxy S owners with buggy software/hardware, etc.
If your goal is to reach out to Samsung users at the grassroots level, you're in the right place. However, you also have a tough job ahead of you. The disenfranchisement runs deep and it will take a lot of effort to fix.
Here are some suggestions for you to escalate internally within Samsung:
1. Support the development efforts of the XDA developers. There are many talented people working quite hard to customize, fix and generally improve Samsung firmware. Samsung should make some effort to provide these developers with source code, tools, and help.
2. Take an honest and upfront approach to product defects that find their way onto store shelves (e.g. GPS, battery, etc). I guarantee the cost of addressing the problem will be fully offset by the shift in customer loyalty. An unreliable product is perceived many times worse if the OEM denies or ignores the issues.
3. Set a release schedule with carrier partners and stick to it. Apple has set the benchmark for frequent over the wire software updates. Android applications are updated with fixes and improvements on a regular basis. In stark contrast, our firmware lags far behind Google’s releases and FOTA is failing more than it’s working. This has to change. Samsung needs to push out regular firmware updates that are applied seamlessly without loss of data. Forget FOTA and do it like Apple does OTW (over the wire).
4. Allow users the option of switching to AOSP. Some people like TouchWiz and some don’t. Give them the choice.
BTW, in addition to being an informed consumer, I work in the mobile industry. I know a fair amount about how it should work. The Samsung Galaxy product suite is performing very well but the real question is how long will it last. Loyalty takes effort to maintain and is easy to lose.
P.S. I may very well be at SXSW but I won’t know for sure until a week or so beforehand.

I understand I have a lot of work ahead of me. As I said before, Im here to establish a partnership with XDA developers. Inbox me to let me know if your going to be there so i can arrange somewhere to meet.

If he was legit, one of the Admins would be announcing that SamsungJohn is a rep from Samsung; he wouldn't be doing it himself as a post in the forum.

paulbh said:
If he was legit, one of the Admins would be announcing that SamsungJohn is a rep from Samsung; he wouldn't be doing it himself as a post in the forum.
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^^^^^^ that's a good point!

SamsungJohn said:
I understand I have a lot of work ahead of me. As I said before, Im here to establish a partnership with XDA developers. Inbox me to let me know if your going to be there so i can arrange somewhere to meet.
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If you are in fact telling the truth, I warmly welcome you to the true birthplace of the galaxy s.

paulbh said:
If he was legit, one of the Admins would be announcing that SamsungJohn is a rep from Samsung; he wouldn't be doing it himself as a post in the forum.
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Why? There's quite a bit of speculation in your claim--why would he have to go through admins to post here?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Kubernetes said:
Why? There's quite a bit of speculation in your claim--why would he have to go through admins to post here?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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You would think that someone who is in the position he claims to be in, would come in a little more professional than just a random post.
He said he has been lurking the forums and likes what he sees. So he has also seen all the dissapointment that is running through these forums as well.
If you were in his position would you not want to come in here, with support and proof of who you are? (there is multiple threads of the same post in other categories, all have been asking for proof for hours)
I'm not saying hes not who he says he is, just think he could have introduced himself a little better.

Guys, do a little research. Pretty easy to figure out that he is either very thorough or he's actually legit.
Maybe we should tell him that it is a welcome first step to see him here.
He is an analyst so he's going to have to escalate pretty far up the food chain to be effective. Hope you're a good communicator John.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Why ICS is important to me.

Watch the video (In case you havent seen it yet!). In it Matias Duarte explains how the Android team is beginning to try and create a cohesive and unified atmosphere with the os at the most basic levels. I for one, am absolutely thrilled to see that they are finally going to be paying attention to design and aesthetics. Usability of the platform can also benefit from this immensely.
I am also tired of people saying "ICS isnt all that special". It really doesnt matter how "special" you think it should be. What matters is that its the next iteration of the os. We all want to have our devices updated and current. So wanting this on our devices has less to do with design in this sense, and a lot more to do with jumping on the wagon of unification. I would greatly prefer beautiful apps and ease of use over anything Gingerbread has offered us so far. Now I already know that a lot of the visual benefits of ICS come mainly from theming and such, but its profoundly more exciting when the theming itself is coming from the creators of Android and not some hard-to-find source in the app market.
Lastly, I would appreciate it if you guys could give your thoughts on this. Are you excited to see the new direction the Android team along with Matias, are going in? Do you feel that they are focusing on some rather important points in the software (usability, framework, aesthetics) or not? And of course please keep the flaming and crude/rude comments to yourselves. Thanks all for listening to my rant.
~~Vince
Heres the new design guidelines site they have up.

tazbo28 said:
Watch the video (In case you havent seen it yet!). In it Matias Duarte explains how the Android team is beginning to try and create a cohesive and unified atmosphere with the os at the most basic levels. I for one, am absolutely thrilled to see that they are finally going to be paying attention to design and aesthetics. Usability of the platform can also benefit from this immensely.
I am also tired of people saying "ICS isnt all that special". It really doesnt matter how "special" you think it should be. What matters is that its the next iteration of the os. We all want to have our devices updated and current. So wanting this on our devices has less to do with design in this sense, and a lot more to do with jumping on the wagon of unification. I would greatly prefer beautiful apps and ease of use over anything Gingerbread has offered us so far. Now I already know that a lot of the visual benefits of ICS come mainly from theming and such, but its profoundly more exciting when the theming itself is coming from the creators of Android and not some hard-to-find source in the app market.
Lastly, I would appreciate it if you guys could give your thoughts on this. Are you excited to see the new direction the Android team along with Matias, are going in? Do you feel that they are focusing on some rather important points in the software (usability, framework, aesthetics) or not? And of course please keep the flaming and crude/rude comments to yourselves. Thanks all for listening to my rant.
~~Vince
Heres the new design guidelines site they have up.
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I can't deny that I would be overly excited if ICS came to this device, haha.
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Kevinr678 said:
I can't deny that I would be overly excited if ICS came to this device, haha.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
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+1 internets I totally agree!

As nice as ICS's upgrade would be...it's not in Sammy's or AT&T interest
Sammy want's device sales and AT&T wants new/renewed contracts. By limiting ICS to 2012 devices, it provides incentive for 2010/2011 device owners to pony up for the new hotness with the new software.
Now before anyone wants to say, "WAIT WAIT, Apple..." save it. We're not talking about Apple here. Sammy is the OEM and they control what happens for the product line.
Sure you can wait for a dev to 'hopefully' get around to releasing an ICS port and yeah, it may be decent. That's your choice.
My upgrade plans begin in 2013 when ICS should have a few months in the wild and become more mature. By then all my smartphones will be eligible for upgrade discounts. I have no issue with AT&T's service as they allow me to keep my grandfathered unlimited data plan.
I'd rather have ICS when it's grown up and not so much a baby. Also, fully functional on my device too would be nice.

Interviewer is huge fan of Apple I can see

The main reason i want ics is so i can impress my friends lol. It also just has features that i just like better. Im not going to die without it, but it would be nice with it. Im sorry guys who have to wait for their contract, both my parents have their upgrades up and both are fine if they get my infuse, and i get the note.

durvall said:
Interviewer is huge fan of Apple I can see
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Joshua Topolsky! My man! He was the senior editor at Engadget.com before leaving to start theverge.com. He actually left his Apple iPhone after the 3gs I think. He soon thereafter bought a Nexus One. Which I think he still uses to this day. And touts it every chance he gets. He does however praise apple for incitefull design and craftsmanship. I mean he is in a business (tech blogging) that is notorious for praising the behemoth company(not that this is a good thing) But trust you me when I say he isn't afraid to drop the hammer on Apple when he voices his gripes over their products. I would venture to say that most blogging sites require their employees to work on Macbooks now though. It seems to me that they would rather choose a totalitarian system like the Macs because they are less prone to buginess and viruses. And when your in an industry that thrives off of having secure data on close deadlines and less vulnerabilities, Macs (imo) just do it better. I dont use a mac, never have, I have had an Iphone 3g one time for a while. But will probably never go back. Unless I become rich or something. You do have to admire their design principles though both physically and software wise. When you compare Apple's aesthetics to Androids up till now, its just no-contest which is more cohesive and well thought out.

durvall said:
Interviewer is huge fan of Apple I can see
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So is Samsung.
Sent from my SGH-I897

funny thing is I used to frequent a guitar forum and a well known member was a Samsung senior cdma systems engineer and his phone was an iPhone. that was before cdma iPhones existed so he was obviously on att which is big in texas. he didn't boast about apple too much nor Samsung, basically the only things I remember that stood out was he refuted the idea that the apple products have Good audio. said the newer apple products are not as good as the older ones and suffered from clipping (overdrive basically) and boasted the galaxy s in that area. but when it came down to it he was a fan of ios for the accessories and high quality audio software (garage band for the ipad) and got an ipad 2.

i always have an upgrade....(4 lines=leverage) .. but i will not purchase another phone until ICS is available, especially because of updates. i want the note..but if no ics pre-installed..i aint buying.. i almost went to verizon for the nexus but they dont have good coverage where i travel

ICS should be important to everyone. Even if only for the principle of it.
Sent from my SGH-I897

Anyone currently working on ics?
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA App

dustinhayes93 said:
Anyone currently working on ics?
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA App
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yeah but they haven't posted progress so its anyone's guess as to what issues they are having. remember the people working on it have real lives and are doing it as a hobby. so i don't think anyone is working on it full time.

Yea of course. Its great to know it is being worked on. Anything is better than nothing!
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA App

LinuxBozo still around? I had some questions for him..
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theROMinator said:
LinuxBozo still around? I had some questions for him..
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he drops in to a thread every once in a while especially the "all the devs jumped" threads. he was never that big on posting. I dunno if he answers pm's.

Dani897 said:
he drops in to a thread every once in a while especially the "all the devs jumped" threads. he was never that big on posting. I dunno if he answers pm's.
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Yes, he does. I've spoke with him before. I was just hoping he hadn't jumped ship.
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theROMinator said:
Yes, he does. I've spoke with him before. I was just hoping he hadn't jumped ship.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk
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I don't think so. I know at one time he said he didn't like change.... whether he'll post work after his ics thread got trolled on I don't know.

theROMinator said:
Yes, he does. I've spoke with him before. I was just hoping he hadn't jumped ship.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk
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He will probably answer in this thread lol but he is. One of the leads with the infuse cm7 team. He has been busy with other stuff though (carpantry). He is around. Ics will come someday hopefully...

even though some people will drop their Infuse's this Spring, Im really hoping some devs will still try to bring over ICS for the people who want to feel out the year on devices. I wish I wasnt so disorganized, otherwise i might actually have the capacity to learn how to develop. =/

[Q] Interview with an XDA-Expert

Hello, xda community! My name is Jerome, and I have a pretty important favor to ask. Working in an english class in my college, I was asked to do a paper on a community and also have an interview for information. Going to this site for years, I decided to cover phone and tablet communities like this one, since it would be a paper I enjoy reading. However, I still need an interview for the paper, so I kindly ask if someone in this amazing forum who has done work in the field of phone hacking to answer some pretty simple questions (Don't worry, they're not extremely intrusive, and I don't need your real name).
1. How long have you been a part of this forum?
2. What devices have you tinkered with in the past (keep it within phones and tablets please)?
3. What device do you prefer (blackberry, apple, android, windows phone, etc)
4. Is making things like roms and kernels difficult? What are some challenges that you face?
5. Do you recommend everyone hack their devices?
6. What are the benefits of modding a device?
7. What got you into modding devices?
8. Because most of the modding content you do would sort of have to be free, what do you do as your profession (if you have one)?
I apologize ahead of time if I am breaking some sort of rule, but I would really like to hear an expert's response, not just for my paper, but simply because I am interested in this type of thing. If you could answer all those questions (and don't be afraid to give more detail, this is a 5 page paper), I would be extremely thankful. Thank you so much for your time!!!

Bump

Sir, be advised...Thank You
http://forum.xda-developers.com/announcement.php?a=81
16. Bumping Threads (posting simply to force a thread to the top of the thread queue)
Do not "bump" a thread more than once per 24 hours.

I don't consider myself an expert, far from that...
But I do realize how difficult an interview could be to a student, so I'll help you out on this one
megavoltaic said:
1. How long have you been a part of this forum?
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My join date as per my profile is 18th Nov 2011, but I had been lurking around from two months back...
I had no need to join before that...
2. What devices have you tinkered with in the past (keep it within phones and tablets please)?
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I personally own only a Samsung Galaxy Fit s5670, and a cheap chinese Android MID m799ca...
I have quite some knowledge for my phone, but I'll just be starting off for the tablet after my exams get over (around 2weeks from now)
I had played around with my father's Acer Liquid Metal...
I also have helped out a few friends get their Androids rooted, which include a HTC Desire Z, Samsung Galaxy Mini s5570, Ace s5830 & Young s5360...
I've also done a few phone firmware upgrades, though restricted myself to official methods...
I also occasionally help out my real life friends with low-level unrooted tinkering around...
Also jailbroken an iPhone 4...
3. What device do you prefer (blackberry, apple, android, windows phone, etc)
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I'm pretty open in this regard...
While my loyalties rest with Android, I'm quite attracted towards a little unconventional OS's like Meego and WebOS...
I absolutrly loved Meego, everything feels natural in it...too bad Nokia abandoned ship...
Depending on my need and situation, I'm not averse to using even iOS and Blackberry...
But I like the freedom of Android over all others...
4. Is making things like roms and kernels difficult? What are some challenges that you face?
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Click to collapse
Personally for me, rom and kernel development is difficult because most of the time I'm away from home and only have my mobile with me...
And with rom development, I mean true development, like building from source and contributing back...
I have had a few attempts at kang-ROM's and cooked ROM's, and a theme or two, but I wasn't satisfied with the result so I haven't shared it...
If I can't use it personally, its pointless sharing it...
On the point of view of an Android newbie, Rom and kernel development certainly has a learning curve...
Some may find it pretty steep, some may find it easy...it all depends on the resources at hand, and the persons willpower to learn...
But this shouldn't come as a surprise, as every technical field has a learning curve...
5. Do you recommend everyone hack their devices?
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Difficult question...
While I would recommend everyone to hack their devices, I certainly don't want everyone to do it...
Because "hacking" a device requires technical skills, but those technical skills are not present in everyone...
Infact, I would go on and even say that 15% of the public on XDA shouldn't have modded any part of their device...they certainly aren't worth the trouble they create...
6. What are the benefits of modding a device?
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Very device specific question, but the general answer that I could give is that modding a device allows you do things that your manufacturer or carrier didn't want you to do or thought your device is not capable of doing...
Basically freeing restrictions which are not required...
7. What got you into modding devices?
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I always was interested in electronics...
When I got my first Android, it had plenty of problems in it that I wasn't aware of before buying the phone...
So I searched around for possible solutions, landed up here and got interested in how things work...
8. Because most of the modding content you do would sort of have to be free, what do you do as your profession (if you have one)?
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I'm a student
Pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in Commerce, along with a professional degree in Chartered Accountancy...
Stark contrast to the motive and resources of this forum
Any more questions, shoot! :beer:
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Thank you so much for your input! The assignment is due literally 5 hours from now, and I was about to fake an interview. You have no idea how handy you came in. Again, Thanks!!!! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Q] Reward?

I am willing to give a reward of a bonafide Windows 8 Pro x86/x64 retail license to the person who successfully solves the problem of getting the G2X Qualcomm mdm6600 radio/modem fully working with the CM10.1 or stock LG ICS kernel or the kernel that is being worked on by AdamPK, Mazout360, etc. If I determine that more than one person has made a significant contribution to achieving that, I will give the same reward to them too. But, before I make that official, I want opinions about doing that.
Edit:
The code required to achieve success must be fully documented and publicly available to enable others to use it successfully too.
UPDATE
The poll ended overwhelmingly in favour of me rewarding development which gets the Qualcomm mdm6600 modem/radio working fully with an ICS/CM9/JB/CM10.1 ROM and Kernel.
There's no expectation or obligation of anyone to accept the reward of a bonafide Windows 8 Pro x86/x64 license for accomplishing the development goal.
The reward will be awarded after the goal is accomplished which is proven by the full/complete operation of the G2X and its Qualcomm mdm6600 radio/modem with an ICS/CM9/JB/CM10.1 ROM and Kernel and the submission, to me, of documentation of the method used, in the form of fully commented source code which can be understood by a person competent in the programming language used so that it can be used for verification and for further development.
If there is a dispute as to who ultimately accomplished the goal of getting the Qualcomm mdm6600 modem/radio working fully with an ICS/CM9/JB/CM10.1 ROM and Kernel, it will be resolved by examination of relevant documentation which I will use to determine the reward recipient(s). If more than one person, determined by me exclusively, contributed substantially to achieving the goal, each of those persons will be eligible to receive the same reward. If anyone who is eligible to receive the reward doesn't want it they may forego receiving it.
The content of this post is subject to change due to errors and/or ommissions and/or illegality.

37 views so far and only 2 votes? WTH! Apathy?

Core Memory said:
37 views so far and only 2 votes? WTH! Apathy?
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Well, you're essentially spamming people. What did you expect?

This won't incentivize cooperation which looks necessary to me.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

im about ready to just buy another g2x and send tonyp my old one lol

In another phone section [Galaxy S Blaze] everyone chipped in to buy a developer a phone. I would totally do it for a seasoned developer who can likely fix the radio issue. A G2x isn't really that expensive.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app

I voted no just because i think it will take more than one person on the other hand if a random badass dev wants to just make it happen really quick then ill change my vote. P. S Ali ba your signature is pretty freaking funny
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Bulletblitz27 said:
In another phone section [Galaxy S Blaze] everyone chipped in to buy a developer a phone. I would totally do it for a seasoned developer who can likely fix the radio issue. A G2x isn't really that expensive.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app
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i agree. they go for around 150 on craigslist, so if we had 6 people donate $25 just one time out of their friday paycheck, we might be able to really get somewhere with our phone developmentally, AND we could say we did it as a community which i think would be pretty freakin cool.:good:

monte666 said:
I voted no just because i think it will take more than one person on the other hand if a random badass dev wants to just make it happen really quick then ill change my vote. P. S Ali ba your signature is pretty freaking funny
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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No changing votes.

BuddhaTeh1337 said:
i agree. they go for around 150 on craigslist, so if we had 6 people donate $25 just one time out of their friday paycheck, we might be able to really get somewhere with our phone developmentally, AND we could say we did it as a community which i think would be pretty freakin cool.:good:
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That would be helpful but how would that be accomplished? Regardless, I have decided what my contribution will be and how it will be awarded.

ali ba said:
Well, you're essentially spamming people. What did you expect?
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A thread that people can post to is not spam but off-topic posts to a thread are.

Does anyone know
if buying a dev a phone would even work? Are there devs willing to work for phones like that?

gpmartinson said:
if buying a dev a phone would even work? Are there devs willing to work for phones like that?
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I suppose that, if the developer is already doing it, but they don't have a G2X such as tonyp, they would welcome getting one to enable them to do their development much more easily. I think tonyp well deserves getting a G2X for his effort. I don't know about anyone else who doesn't have a G2X who is contributing as much as he has and still is. Wouldn't it be helpful to ask him and, if he wants one, easiest to donate to him directly so that he can buy the phone? I am certain that, if that happened, he would be very pleased.

Unfortunately you can't count me in. I'm lacking the time and probably kernel knowledge to do that.
You need someone who got deep Linux kernel experience and skills.
Btw, offering someone like that a windows license is a little strange
(and just to brag about it: I got plenty of free win 8 licenses thanks to Microsoft MSDN aa ).
A potential dev has to have the phone. It won't work without one, that would take way more time.
The problem with donating a phone upfront is that it introduces expectations. If the dev fails it's always a bad feeling for both sides, that's why there are many devs who don't really like receiving phones.
Sent from my LG-P990 using xda app-developers app

I'll throw in the $5 that was donated to me lately.

tonyp said:
Unfortunately you can't count me in. I'm lacking the time and probably kernel knowledge to do that.
You need someone who got deep Linux kernel experience and skills.
Btw, offering someone like that a windows license is a little strange
(and just to brag about it: I got plenty of free win 8 licenses thanks to Microsoft MSDN aa ).
A potential dev has to have the phone. It won't work without one, that would take way more time.
The problem with donating a phone upfront is that it introduces expectations. If the dev fails it's always a bad feeling for both sides, that's why there are many devs who don't really like receiving phones.
Sent from my LG-P990 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Offering a Windows 8 license isn't that strange even in the Android/Linux community as many use Windows for some purposes that Android/Linux don't fulfil. The reward wouldn't be given until it was "earned". (And, also, but not to brag about it, I was also a member of MSDNAA but I've retired from that now.)
Kernel development/hacking is very difficult so anyone who would do it would have to have the phone anyway so getting the phone one already owns isn't an incentive. You're correct about giving a phone upfront implies that there is the expectation of a beneficial payback to whomever donates the phone which is a good reason not to give one and not to want one.
I am still committed to the reward I am considering offering. So far, the majority are in favour of it. When the poll is over, I will do what the majority wants.

We'd probably need some dev who already works for LG or some other company to get the radio working.. or as stated before, some who understands android coding extremely well such.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't RC work with LG? If so can't he try to contact them about the kernel not supporting the G2x. I refuse to give up even though it seems hopeless at this point lol
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app

I sent an email asking for assistance to someone at NVIDIA who does supervisory work with Tegra and Linux programming. I hope he replies.

Bulletblitz27 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't RC work with LG? If so can't he try to contact them about the kernel not supporting the G2x. I refuse to give up even though it seems hopeless at this point lol
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app
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He doesn't work for LG but he is in good terms with the developers at LG.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app

Has anyone tried this?

I know its so painfully obvious, but has anyone actually tried to contact samsung to get the development resources we need? Drivers and the such.
Beyond a doubt they left this phone to sink a long time ago, but the sidekick community is die-hard and all we want is the phone we thought we were getting. And we can have that phone, with no added work by Sasung - we have the devs and the will! We only need the way.
It would not be too difficult to draft a polite but demanding business letter/ petition and have all of us send it in. Shoot, if we got the story to the XDA mods we could probably get support site-wide for "dedicated sidekick/android enthusiasts want freedom for their phone - device never allowed upgrade from froyo". You guys might see this as stretching it, but a majority of people on XDA have samsung devices and would hate to see their own development halted by the company.
Strength in numbers. Not to mention, this kind of outcry would show samsung that the sidekick (keyboard devices) are still sought after and will be fought for. Somewhere in our petition should say the resources are just to hold us over until they release the next model which will NOT get treated like the red-headed stepchild the 4G did.
You'd be surprised what a small, vocal group can get done. If anyone has any background on this type of thing, say so. if nobody else steps up I will write it tuesday-Thursday and post it for any revisions, then we can each take a copy and send it. Even a simple facebook page or cheap website would add so much to this cause.
Sent from my SGH-T839 using xda app-developers app

Tsloble said:
I know its so painfully obvious, but has anyone actually tried to contact samsung to get the development resources we need? Drivers and the such.
Beyond a doubt they left this phone to sink a long time ago, but the sidekick community is die-hard and all we want is the phone we thought we were getting. And we can have that phone, with no added work by Sasung - we have the devs and the will! We only need the way.
It would not be too difficult to draft a polite but demanding business letter/ petition and have all of us send it in. Shoot, if we got the story to the XDA mods we could probably get support site-wide for "dedicated sidekick/android enthusiasts want freedom for their phone - device never allowed upgrade from froyo". You guys might see this as stretching it, but a majority of people on XDA have samsung devices and would hate to see their own development halted by the company.
Strength in numbers. Not to mention, this kind of outcry would show samsung that the sidekick (keyboard devices) are still sought after and will be fought for. Somewhere in our petition should say the resources are just to hold us over until they release the next model which will NOT get treated like the red-headed stepchild the 4G did.
You'd be surprised what a small, vocal group can get done. If anyone has any background on this type of thing, say so. if nobody else steps up I will write it tuesday-Thursday and post it for any revisions, then we can each take a copy and send it. Even a simple facebook page or cheap website would add so much to this cause.
Sent from my SGH-T839 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
I'm for it. I think it's a great idea to sign a petition requesting to Samsung at least a test build of Gingerbread. :good:

Agreed broda's we have to do this.:thumbup:
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I like the idea! I'm not a dev so I wouldn't be able to write the letter, but I can help edit.

I will write up a draft tomorrow after my studies, leaving the appropriate "technical" spots easily editable so that we can get exactly what we need from Samsung per the Devs instruction.
Thank you guys for your support on this, I truly believe good can come of this!
Maybe we can direct them to our sidekick wishlist thread while we're at it ;D
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I would definitely help to, but English is not my main language. So i would try to help with the petition!

If samsung releases the driver source code I can make a stable CM6 and a BETA CM7 for this community. Butttttttt.....I don't see it happening.

Im up for it, count me in. Sure never doubt the power and determination of an online community especially an open source one like xda

I doubt anything would happen for sk4g. We did similar things in the sgs4g community. Samsung is more like honey badger...

Of course we should try, but i'm not sure that Samsung will help us after 2 years of doing nothing....

I'll post it up within the half hour - this week was busier than expected. And unless Samsung completely destroyed everything relating to our device, it should be as simple as a developers release right?
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Tsloble said:
I'll post it up within the half hour - this week was busier than expected. And unless Samsung completely destroyed everything relating to our device, it should be as simple as a developers release right?
Sent from my SGH-T839 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Yup

Here is draft one. Feel free to download the doc and make adjustments. Let's just be sure that the majority of our community agree on the final product and then we can take action. I will be sending out the story to Gizmodo/Engadget and stuff too... If this isn't an underdog tech story I don't know what is. You guys might think that's over the top, but it's just not right for a company to abandon their customer and it is never too late to make amends.
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a formal petition regarding the Samsung SGH-T839 device (T-Mobile Sidekick 4G).
We, the loyal consumers (and other), request through this petition that you kindly release development information & resources regarding the SGH-T839. This request is being made due to the absolute lack of support and development for this device since its launch April 20th, 2011. Please note that this device shipped with Android Operating System (Android from this point) Version 2.2 “Froyo” which was released May 20th, 2010. This is despite the fact that the SGH-T839 launch date was over four months after the release of Android Version 2.3 “Gingerbread” (released December 6th, 2010).
Not only was the device shipped with an outdated operating system, but a Kies / Over the Air Update to Gingerbread was never released. This came as a shock to all loyal consumers of the SGH-T839 as Samsung continued to update other devices to the new Android version and release new devices with Gingerbread already installed. In addition to the lack of support, the SGH-T839 had many bugs such as a keystroke logger within the system, the keyboard software missed keystrokes, and frequent Force-Close of applications.
These problems, amongst others, have been thoroughly logged by the XDA Developers Community (www.xda-developers.com). Amazingly, there is a large community of SGH-T839 users that are dedicated to the device and have managed to correct many of the software-related defects that were shipped with the device. This petition requests that Samsung release the following development items to the XDA Development Community, that the loyal consumer of their product may be able to enjoy everything that the SGH-T839 is capable of:
We urge you not to overlook this petition, as it is being circulated amongst several online communities that are dedicated to the Android Open Source Project for support. The influence of these communities over Samsung’s broader handheld-device customer base runs very deep; the XDA Developers Community alone has over 4.7 million registered users. We, the loyal consumer (and other), anticipate a prompt response to this matter. We also look forward to increased involvement from Samsung pertaining to the Android Open Source Project and hopefully a future device with similar form-factor of the SGH-T839.
Sincerely,
Edit 2: Was just thinking maybe "Release source to XDA community should be create developers release pack or something?

Tsloble said:
Here is draft one. Feel free to download the doc and make adjustments. Let's just be sure that the majority of our community agree on the final product and then we can take action. I will be sending out the story to Gizmodo/Engadget and stuff too... If this isn't an underdog tech story I don't know what is. You guys might think that's over the top, but it's just not right for a company to abandon their customer and it is never too late to make amends.
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a formal petition regarding the Samsung SGH-T839 device (T-Mobile Sidekick 4G).
We, the loyal consumers (and other), request through this petition that you kindly release development information & resources regarding the SGH-T839. This request is being made due to the absolute lack of support and development for this device since its launch April 20th, 2011. Please note that this device shipped with Android Operating System (Android from this point) Version 2.2 “Froyo” which was released May 20th, 2010. This is despite the fact that the SGH-T839 launch date was over four months after the release of Android Version 2.3 “Gingerbread” (released December 6th, 2010).
Not only was the device shipped with an outdated operating system, but a Kies / Over the Air Update to Gingerbread was never released. This came as a shock to all loyal consumers of the SGH-T839 as Samsung continued to update other devices to the new Android version and release new devices with Gingerbread already installed. In addition to the lack of support, the SGH-T839 had many bugs such as a keystroke logger within the system, the keyboard software missed keystrokes, and frequent Force-Close of applications.
These problems, amongst others, have been thoroughly logged by the XDA Developers Community (www.xda-developers.com). Amazingly, there is a large community of SGH-T839 users that are dedicated to the device and have managed to correct many of the software-related defects that were shipped with the device. This petition requests that Samsung release the following development items to the XDA Development Community, that the loyal consumer of their product may be able to enjoy everything that the SGH-T839 is capable of:
We urge you not to overlook this petition, as it is being circulated amongst several online communities that are dedicated to the Android Open Source Project for support. The influence of these communities over Samsung’s broader handheld-device customer base runs very deep; the XDA Developers Community alone has over 4.7 million registered users. We, the loyal consumer (and other), anticipate a prompt response to this matter. We also look forward to increased involvement from Samsung pertaining to the Android Open Source Project and hopefully a future device with similar form-factor of the SGH-T839.
Sincerely,
Edit 2: Was just thinking maybe "Release source to XDA community should be create developers release pack or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we should ask for the release source for devoleping

I do not believe any of the official ROMs had the keystroke print statements enabled... someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm not sure if I understand what you are asking Samsung for. Any partially complete work toward GB they might have laying around? Not to curse our chances, but I think they are not likely to release source for proprietary drivers.
Be very clear about what you're asking for. They might seriously consider one such request, if it is well reasoned, and within their power to grant.

One other thing to consider is sending this petition to T-Mobile as well. They can exert considerably more pressure on Samsung.

I left the "specific request" blank. It goes at the end of the 2nd to last paragraph after the colon. That's why it looks like I didn't ask for anything. If someone with the knowledge wants to give that list, it can be added and the other revisions can be made.
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Good first draft. Keep in mind your audience, though. We're unlikely to get Samsung to help us by insulting them. For example, "due to the absolute lack of support and development for this device" should be replaced with a different reason. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Maybe something about how the device has great potential, especially with the physical keyboard, but has been limited by its operating system. Speaking of keyboards, didn't pretty much all or most ROMs at the time come with the so-called key-logger? Also, keep in mind that Samsung and T-Mobile have no interest in supporting the Sidekick because they don't make any more money off it. They make money by getting people to upgrade to new phones. So whatever we ask them has to be easy for them, like just releasing to developers whatever they have lying around that isn't proprietary. Lastly, it's a bit misleading to say there are X million XDA members. The vast majority of them couldn't care less about the SK; I'm sure the SK community is rather small. Maybe highlight this fact: there are a few of us developers who love the SK as a development machine but our hands are tied because we don't have the code, etc. etc.

marathonjon said:
Good first draft. Keep in mind your audience, though. We're unlikely to get Samsung to help us by insulting them. For example, "due to the absolute lack of support and development for this device" should be replaced with a different reason. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Maybe something about how the device has great potential, especially with the physical keyboard, but has been limited by its operating system. Speaking of keyboards, didn't pretty much all or most ROMs at the time come with the so-called key-logger? Also, keep in mind that Samsung and T-Mobile have no interest in supporting the Sidekick because they don't make any more money off it. They make money by getting people to upgrade to new phones. So whatever we ask them has to be easy for them, like just releasing to developers whatever they have lying around that isn't proprietary. Lastly, it's a bit misleading to say there are X million XDA members. The vast majority of them couldn't care less about the SK; I'm sure the SK community is rather small. Maybe highlight this fact: there are a few of us developers who love the SK as a development machine but our hands are tied because we don't have the code, etc. etc.
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Click to collapse
Totally agree with this.
T-Mobile knows that they have everything because of loyal customers, not to mention how many of the hundreds of thousands of people who owned Sidekicks. Samsung understands this which is obviously why they decided to pick up the device two years ago.
Play this to our advantage. Tug on their heartstrings, so to speak.

Yeah, I agree. Haha I guess this letter wasn't the place to let my frustrations out ;P
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