Database Info

Froyo + GPS fix to come at end of September

According to an Samsung insider( of whom shall be annonymous), it seems like Samsung is scheduled to release their Froyo + GPS update to At&t at the end of September.
The question is, will At&T release this update on their OTA on the same month?
Manufacturer may have the solution fixed, but if the carrier doesnt release it to the public, what is the point no?
Here is the direct quote from this insider:
"Froyo plus GPS update will be available at the end of September. Now let's just pray that A&T releases it at the same time."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

We all hope this will be the case.

Another question I have along those lines:
After FroYo, will my rooted phone still be rooted? If not, will the same rooting process still work?
While I definitely want the new OS, and especially to have GPS that doesn't take 5 minutes to find me, I'd be hesitant at the expense of all the work I put into the phone since I got it.

Archpope said:
Another question I have along those lines:
After FroYo, will my rooted phone still be rooted? If not, will the same rooting process still work?
While I definitely want the new OS, and especially to have GPS that doesn't take 5 minutes to find me, I'd be hesitant at the expense of all the work I put into the phone since I got it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to say, I'd expect to have to re-root though and also to have to use a modified update.zip to root, if not a new method all together.

Archpope said:
Another question I have along those lines:
After FroYo, will my rooted phone still be rooted? If not, will the same rooting process still work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is likely you will have to root the device again.

Well Samsung said on their @samsungtweets account that the GPS fix was indeed coming at end of September. It didnt say anything about Froyo though.
"We're testing software to optimize GPS on US Galaxy S. Expected updates avail. in Sept. Details & download to follow."

I have little doubt that ATT is interested in taking care of Captivate. Given the spectacular growth in Android phone sales which overtook iPhone sales in Q2, AT&T must be very concerned and they should develop a new Android strategy.

Archpope said:
Another question I have along those lines:
After FroYo, will my rooted phone still be rooted? If not, will the same rooting process still work?
While I definitely want the new OS, and especially to have GPS that doesn't take 5 minutes to find me, I'd be hesitant at the expense of all the work I put into the phone since I got it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you can wait for a custom ROM to be put out based on the release source. Only problem is that it may take a while.

lilo777 said:
I have little doubt that ATT is interested in taking care of Captivate. Given the spectacular growth in Android phone sales which overtook iPhone sales in Q2, AT&T must be very concerned and they should develop a new Android strategy.
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Click to collapse
If they were smart they would hop on android bandwagon. If all the reports are true and they are losing iphone exclusivity soon, and they are slow to support android they are going to be in a heap of trouble. Crackberries alone cant and wont save them

Sorry but I have not even seen an ad from AT&T for Captivate (Galaxy S). T-Mobile and Version yes but AT&T no.
And you would think with Verizon getting the iPhone soon they would realize it's about to be a battle again...

ljcook said:
Sorry but I have not even seen an ad from AT&T for Captivate (Galaxy S). T-Mobile and Version yes but AT&T no.
And you would think with Verizon getting the iPhone soon they would realize it's about to be a battle again...
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I think around time of release date of captivate there were an commercial was more of an samsung commercial then att.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U7SjPL59BU

ljcook said:
Sorry but I have not even seen an ad from AT&T for Captivate (Galaxy S). T-Mobile and Version yes but AT&T no.
And you would think with Verizon getting the iPhone soon they would realize it's about to be a battle again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have seen a Captivate commercial numerous times. Its similar to the Vibrant commercial.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

emuneee said:
I have seen a Captivate commercial numerous times. Its similar to the Vibrant commercial.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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the thing i remember most is the hairy hand that guy had in the commercial lol

When the update from ATT arrives, can I decide to install it or not? Will it be forced to my phone?
Sure I want froyo, but if it is going to bring other limitations impossed by ATT, I'd pass and continue waiting.

lol when i saw the vibrant commercial i thought it was a captivate commercial untill the end when i started paying attention and noticed the differences

Is this a Captivate only thing? Because I would imagine T-mobile would want it first more than AT&T, since they don't have an iPhone and the Vibrant is basically their topmost phone right now.

ljcook said:
Sorry but I have not even seen an ad from AT&T for Captivate (Galaxy S). T-Mobile and Version yes but AT&T no.
And you would think with Verizon getting the iPhone soon they would realize it's about to be a battle again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went and saw inception today, as I pulled my phone out to turn it off, the captivate commercial came on. It was great, got my iPhone using friends attention, and he couldn't wait to play with it.

at&t won't make a big push for ANYTHING while they retain iPhone exclusivity. Losing it will be the best thing that could happen to at&t customers. Finally get some support and love for other, equaly capable, (superior?) devices.

Ricparr said:
at&t won't make a big push for ANYTHING while they retain iPhone exclusivity. Losing it will be the best thing that could happen to at&t customers. Finally get some support and love for other, equaly capable, (superior?) devices.
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Click to collapse
AT&T knows that the iPhone users are loyal to the phone and not the company. Their new Android strategy might as well be labeled their "exit strategy" from the iPhone to retain customers when they lose exclusivity.
If the rumors are true, Verizon will have it's single largest porting day in January and AT&T better prepare for it. Having devices like the Captivate sure help but they need to be on the phone with HTC daily demanding an EVOish device from them as well.
The Captivate won't get the number of customers the iPhone did but if they launched an ad campaign for a large and diverse Android portfolio headlined by the Captivate, a high end Moto, and HTC with the X10, Aria, and other devices below it they could surprisingly become the company for Android.
The iUsers will still get the iPhone, a small percentage will defect like I did, but they will have a steady stream of devices that vastly surpass the iPhone and will not be as affected as they could be.
For some reason the Streak slipped my mind. Add that to the high-end devices.

well thats samsungs release date but we all know att plus yeah i think i might just switch over to verizon i was doing some comparison and their plans are way cheaper for me

Future Samsung Purchases

This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.

I was aware of it. The seller I bought it from does care about these matters. I bought as it as a learning experience. I sure aren't trying to start any arguments or fights. I was just hoping it could be discussed normally.

scott14719 said:
How do you interpret that as smugness? Did you not see the emoticons in my post?
Actually this is the kind of thread people start that are only looking for arguments. It adds nothing to the community. However, I understand your frustration with Samsung and I am sure others feel the same way. But don't think it's OK to post your opinion about a subject and it isn't OK for others to do the same. Not everyone's opinion is going to be the same as yours and creating a thread like this invites ALL opinions on the matter. That is why it's better to not make them in the first place.
Personally (again, my opinion), I knew the phone had a locked boot loader when I bought it. So I am sorry you were lied to about it.
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No, I didn't see the emoticons. I guess I wasn't expecting your response. Sorry!

Your best bet is to stop buying AT&T contracts, as it's they who request for the lock and it's not like Samsung is gonna turn down millions of dollars because a couple thousand modders disagree :/

sholsten said:
This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.
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Click to collapse
wait for the lg optimus g2 or the moto x. those phones look amazing. they might come with an unlocked bootloader. i was just pondering this the other day. ive only purchased two new phones that were not samsung in my smartphone history. that was the iphone 4s (which i traded for a skyrocket) and the htc surround (wanted to give wp7 a shot). ive had other htcs and one sony. but they were craigslist deals. my next phone is most likely going to be the g2 or moto x. i think its about time for me to give someone else a fair shot.

Thermalwolf said:
Your best bet is to stop buying AT&T contracts, as it's they who request for the lock and it's not like Samsung is gonna turn down millions of dollars because a couple thousand modders disagree :/
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I don't have an AT&T contract. ST is cheaper per month.

sholsten said:
This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the S4 has made me a heretic in XDA's eyes. The stock experience, especially after this update, has been marvelous. I've had a bunch of Android devices since 2010 and this is the first time that I think futzing around with custom ROMs is mostly useless. Sure, it's locked down, but it works great. I just shake my head seeing bug reports on the dev threads and wonder why an end user would want to cripple functionality on one of the best phones yet.
Anyway, maybe I got most of the flashing out of my system with my Nexus One and then later with the hooptie Viewsonic gTab 10.1. I think now that the platform is maturing and devices become even more complex, flashing homebrew ROMs will start to fall out of style.
Just my BTC .02, though. I'd like to see amateur/recreactional custom Android development to continue to thrive, though--perhaps on the next to wave of wearable computing and the like. I just want my bling phone to work as advertised.
Er, sorry for droning on.

burhanistan said:
I think that the S4 has made me a heretic in XDA's eyes. The stock experience, especially after this update, has been marvelous. I've had a bunch of Android devices since 2010 and this is the first time that I think futzing around with custom ROMs is mostly useless. Sure, it's locked down, but it works great. I just shake my head seeing bug reports on the dev threads and wonder why an end user would want to cripple functionality on one of the best phones yet.
Anyway, maybe I got most of the flashing out of my system with my Nexus One and then later with the hooptie Viewsonic gTab 10.1. I think now that the platform is maturing and devices become even more complex, flashing homebrew ROMs will start to fall out of style.
Just my BTC .02, though. I'd like to see amateur/recreactional custom Android development to continue to thrive, though--perhaps on the next to wave of wearable computing and the like. I just want my bling phone to work as advertised.
Er, sorry for droning on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Thanks for your input. I have a whole another perspective now.

burhanistan said:
I think that the S4 has made me a heretic in XDA's eyes. The stock experience, especially after this update, has been marvelous. I've had a bunch of Android devices since 2010 and this is the first time that I think futzing around with custom ROMs is mostly useless. Sure, it's locked down, but it works great. I just shake my head seeing bug reports on the dev threads and wonder why an end user would want to cripple functionality on one of the best phones yet.
Anyway, maybe I got most of the flashing out of my system with my Nexus One and then later with the hooptie Viewsonic gTab 10.1. I think now that the platform is maturing and devices become even more complex, flashing homebrew ROMs will start to fall out of style.
Just my BTC .02, though. I'd like to see amateur/recreactional custom Android development to continue to thrive, though--perhaps on the next to wave of wearable computing and the like. I just want my bling phone to work as advertised.
Er, sorry for droning on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know to be honest I hope your right. Custom roms and XDA were never really ment for the normal person. Only for those that wished to learn to do development and programing. With Android flashing a device became the cool thing to do. Now we see less real development then ever. So I really hope your right.
Wayne Tech Nexus

zelendel said:
You know to be honest I hope your right. Custom roms and XDA were never really ment for the normal person. Only for those that wished to learn to do development and programing. With Android flashing a device became the cool thing to do. Now we see less real development then ever. So I really hope your right.
Wayne Tech Nexus
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Click to collapse
I couldn't have said it any better. It won't be long til we see roms named "swag" or "#yolo" or even named "freelilwayne". Everyone just expects everything to work 100% with no development. All I see are now spammers for apps and themes or someone asking why something doesn't work even though there are 48 other threads about it. I miss the old XDA.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

toxicpaulution said:
I couldn't have said it any better. It won't be long til we see roms named "swag" or "#yolo" or even named "freelilwayne". Everyone just expects everything to work 100% with no development. All I see are now spammers for apps and themes or someone asking why something doesn't work even though there are 48 other threads about it. I miss the old XDA.
Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
The Q & A section in this forum is nearly unusable. There are a few legitimate threads, but almost exclusively it is filled with the same (sometimes noob) crap over and over again all because they are too lazy to do a little searching and reading. And like you said, several of the same questions (that have already been answered) all on the first page or two. Sometimes it's not even the noobs doing it. And that's not taking into consideration the multitudes of the same types of posts (needless questions) being posted in the General section. So I agree, there should be some type of test(s) that people need to pass before they can even enter XDA at this point.

sholsten said:
I don't have an AT&T contract. ST is cheaper per month.
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Click to collapse
I mean don't buy anything branded from AT&T or Verizon or any carrier whose device is locked. If you went with the T-Mobile model you wouldn't have been locked down.

Honestly I felt the same way initially. Then I asked myself what Android company am I going to buy then?
HTC - they typically have locked boot loaders (though the One does not)
Moto - Nope always locked and they don't make any cool phones right now.
LG - locked typically
Sony - wouldn't know since they have like No US phones.
So would I rather pay $600 for a phone with boot loader unlocked or $200 for a locked one, I pick the $200. I am assuming must people would also.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

My take; I have had AT&T locked phones in the past and usually someone finds a way to either hack the bootloader or make a bypass, it just takes a lot more time. Still fun to have the phone and customize. Then I've also paid the big dollars and bought the international version unlocked phone. It was great because of lots of customizing, and support however if you run into a warranty issue you are screwed. Unless you know someone in the country your phone came from. I have an international SGS3 but a couple small glitches in the graphics and the worry of the bad system board that causes the instant black screen of death (or whatever it was) I started looking at the S4. I was ready to buy another international phone but it came down to features and actual function. I wanted 4G LTE. Well back when I bought the S3 there were 2 international SGS3 phones. I bought the one with LTE first (9305) turns out the frequencies the phone runs for 3G+ did not work with AT&T in the US. I had to sell it on eBay, forget having LTE, lose a gig of Ram and get the 9300. Then I decided about going back to AT&T and get S4 because I would be covered under warranty and I get all the features that are going to work where I live. Cool thing is its the same hardware as the 9505 so there's still quite a bit of customizing with the SGH-I337. For me it will come down to the features and what works for me in my area. I learned the hard way with the SGS3. Frequencies and no warranty.
Sent from my GT-I9505 converted SGH-I337

sholsten said:
This S4 boot loader debacle has turned me against U.S. carrier based phones. I can't giving $600+ for something as they please without our permission. I'll have to investigate/research which International version I want to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just buy a canadian version, they have identical hardware and you will know will have full compatibility with american wireless networks

I feel cheated. I paid $650 out of contract to AT&T for this phone coming from a iPhone, a locked platform I was getting tired of, especially with Jailbreaking becoming harder on it, for the reason to "play" with my phone. With a locked bootloader, and a carrier locked, I cannot do that.
In the world of DRM losing ground you would think they would learn? Moto dropping their locked boot loaders... DRM being removed from Google Play Music and iTunes... people are sick of it adding complication to their lives. I had a P3113 Galaxy Tab 2 7" WiFi only and loved it because of how open it was. Currently running CM10.1.2 on it. Yet their phones are so locked down.
It's not entirely Samsung's fault. AT&T requests a locked bootloader. Samsung provides. A bug around it is found, Samsung has to patch it from a security standpoint. Not their fault. However with the popularity of this phone they could have easily said "No locked bootloaders" and shoved it down AT&T and other carriers throats if they had the balls to do it.

WoodburyMan said:
I feel cheated. I paid $650 out of contract to AT&T for this phone coming from a iPhone, a locked platform I was getting tired of, especially with Jailbreaking becoming harder on it, for the reason to "play" with my phone. With a locked bootloader, and a carrier locked, I cannot do that.
In the world of DRM losing ground you would think they would learn? Moto dropping their locked boot loaders... DRM being removed from Google Play Music and iTunes... people are sick of it adding complication to their lives. I had a P3113 Galaxy Tab 2 7" WiFi only and loved it because of how open it was. Currently running CM10.1.2 on it. Yet their phones are so locked down.
It's not entirely Samsung's fault. AT&T requests a locked bootloader. Samsung provides. A bug around it is found, Samsung has to patch it from a security standpoint. Not their fault. However with the popularity of this phone they could have easily said "No locked bootloaders" and shoved it down AT&T and other carriers throats if they had the balls to do it.
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Click to collapse
They were not gonna miss out on the millions of devices sold just for the .1% of people that mode the device. That is why they came out with the GE versions.
Wayne Tech Nexus

zelendel said:
They were not gonna miss out on the millions of devices sold just for the .1% of people that mode the device. That is why they came out with the GE versions.
Wayne Tech Nexus
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Click to collapse
True enough. Had I known about the Google Edition I would have waited a bit. If I really wanted I could buy it and sell my current SGH-I337 for a little less than I bought it for. However I kinda wanted to retain the ability to run full Touchwiz / Stock based roms easily.
I'm still happy as I am now running CM10.1 on my phone, and running Goldeneye ROM if I want a stock full Touchwiz ROM. Flash AMF3 model.. and keeping my AMDL Odin package safe. Just had I bought the phone with AMF3 on it I would be totally turned off and be unusable for me because of patched Loki.

personally, i mod or mess with everything. camera rigs i do myself, computers i build myself. cars i mod (and have rebuilt one with help) myself. my house i work on or change.
it is a fundamental hallmark of humanity that we change our environment and create or modify tools around us to suit our needs. so flashing ROMs or trying to customize or even just tinker with these devices is, in my opinion, simply an extension of what it means to be human, to create, express, and change. anything that limits that creativity is a bad thing IMO.
this is where locked bootloaders, fragmentation, and endless carrier variants become bad things, and where i do like apples' approach; one nearly universal product (hardware wise other than LTE/GSM/CDMA or storage size). However, apple is horrible for locked down software.
i will always root/unlock my phones as long as that is possible, because i can. i will always build my own computers, because i can. and i will always drive stick and for sure it wont be stock either; because i can.

Thermalwolf said:
I mean don't buy anything branded from AT&T or Verizon or any carrier whose device is locked. If you went with the T-Mobile model you wouldn't have been locked down.
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I didn't realize T-mobile wasn't locked. I wish I'd known when I bought mine.
I wonder if things will stay the same on near new models like the Note 3.

SUMMARY of Android, root-friendly handsets and bootloaders

Galaxy Note II user here, rooted, running CM, happy. This fall, I will be due a free or cheap handset upgrade. I've been loosely following the GN3, even though I will probably wait for the GN4, and reading about KNOX. Then I got to thinking, maybe if Samsung is so interested in putting up barriers to rooters, maybe I don't need to give them my money next time I upgrade handsets. I recall a few years back, HTC decided to stop locking it's bootloaders... Good news. but then I didn't follow through to see how that turned out.
So is there a way to list the companies and/or specific handsets that are "friendly" to rooting?
-peter

pcrussell50 said:
Galaxy Note II user here, rooted, running CM, happy. This fall, I will be due a free or cheap handset upgrade. I've been loosely following the GN3, even though I will probably wait for the GN4, and reading about KNOX. Then I got to thinking, maybe if Samsung is so interested in putting up barriers to rooters, maybe I don't need to give them my money next time I upgrade handsets. I recall a few years back, HTC decided to stop locking it's bootloaders... Good news. but then I didn't follow through to see how that turned out.
So is there a way to list the companies and/or specific handsets that are "friendly" to rooting?
-peter
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Click to collapse
its not all specifically Samsung's fault for the locked boot loaders, their devices have some of the best specs in android so why get rid of the option to opensource? its the carriers fault, like for AT&T for instance, all of the carrier variants of the Galaxy s3 had unlocked boot loader (i could be wrong) when the Galaxy s4 came out they like a few others decided to lock the boot loaders, why? i wanna say they Want people to tether lots and if we were to have a unlocked boot loader we could root it faster and get free tethering, they think they are losing money with all the flashaholics and root users. as for knox yeah its Samsung's fault and i think we all think its a big no no, there is a bounty (over $3000!) going on for it. its really disappointing that Samsung would act this way, Samsung's my hero and i hopped to work with them one day but since they are moving away from open source i think im gonna stick with someone else. as for a new company for phones you should probably go with HTC, LG is terrible, they only care for you if you buy their flagships and their UI is pretty much copying Samsung's.

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

Opinions from different perspectives are most welcome but please mind your Ps and Qs.
Thank you...

Where did you get this news? please share more details about this.

engineerd2 said:
Where did you get this news? please share more details about this.
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It is not news per se. And not meaning to be flip it is a simply a question brought on by the observation of facts as they present themselfs.

My 2 cents
numbR7 said:
Opinions from different perspectives are most welcome but please mind your Ps and Qs.
Thank you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think carriers are locking boot loaders to hinder development, in a strict sense. I believe they're doing it to force people to upgrade their devices more often, in order to gain any new innovations from OS upgrades. Take a look at the Samsung Infuse, a phone which was orphaned almost from the time of it's release. Thanks to a developer named Scott Hart, you can run kitkat 4.4 on it. If people hold on to their phones longer, profits go down.

rgrbckr said:
I don't think carriers are locking boot loaders to. hinder development, in a strict sense. I believe they're doing it to force people to upgrade their devices more often, in order to gain any new innovations from OS upgrades. Take a look at the Samsung Infuse, a phone which was orphaned almost from the time of it's release. Thanks to a developer named Scott Hart, you can run kitkat 4.4 on it. If people hold on to their phones longer, profits go down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take your point and it's a good one. I do not know-for sure-the reasoning behind it just the result. Ironically, I do know that the majoritu of innovation-in my view-have come from xda members saving these carriers a lot of money in R&D. I remember loading CM on a tiny little phone a few years ago to get innvations that are now incorporated standard on most phones.
I would say it's interesting that I am continuously reminded what a small insignificant percentage xda members make up -- interestingly to argue diametrically opposed views.

numbR7 said:
I take your point and it's a good one. I do not know-for sure-the reasoning behind it just the result. Ironically, I do know that the majoritu of innovation-in my view-have come from xda members saving these carriers a lot of money in R&D. I remember loading CM on a tiny little phone a few years ago to get innvations that are now incorporated standard on most phones.
I would say it's interesting that I am continuously reminded what a small insignificant percentage xda members make up -- interestingly to argue diametrically opposed views.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@NumbrR7: I second your point. I think that really grates (angers) me that most of the "new" phones are mostly incremental updates (i.e. better camera, updated OS). On another note, Oppo (based in mainland China) is gaining a niche for themselves because, from what I understand and read, the OS is developer-friendly and comes factory unlocked out of the box. USA carriers won't let that happen -- oh the horror. <rolling eyes>
Again, I affirm your position on this, numbR7.
XDA rules!

sameog said:
@NumbrR7: USA carriers won't let that happen -- oh the horror. <rolling eyes>
XDA rules!
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Click to collapse
Corporate greed and capitalism. Having said that, I disagree, to some extent, with their line of thinking. I have the galaxy s, s2, s3, s4, s5 , and note3. I have had a custom Rom on every single device up until the s5 and the note. Rooting and updating to the latest OS only made me want the new hardware even more. But alas, I too think it might be fading. When it does, I think the opposite will happen, and I will hang on to my device longer. I am already thinking of going back to the s4 with Shostock on it, for my daily phone.

Poke01 said:
Corporate greed and capitalism. Having said that, I disagree, to some extent, with their line of thinking. I have the galaxy s, s2, s3, s4, s5 , and note3. I have had a custom Rom on every single device up until the s5 and the note. Rooting and updating to the latest OS only made me want the new hardware even more. But alas, I too think it might be fading. When it does, I think the opposite will happen, and I will hang on to my device longer. I am already thinking of going back to the s4 with Shostock on it, for my daily phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't exactly agree with your first sentence (but it's worth discussion on a different type forum). That said. Your point is otherwise very well taken. You may get a new feature (maybe a new fade) but lose everthing else (that the freedom of controlling your own device gives you) suddenly that extra megapixel or two doesn't seem worth $650. Yep I'm sure of it! I think you have a really good point. I know it's a tad different but I choose to stick with Hyperdrive 15 (4.3) to avoid the hassles with SS and 4.4. That is NOT to say that I am bad mouthing SS. To the contrary, it's saved my behind. Hows that for nice language? Lol

Scott's still going with the Infuse?! Good on him! I loved that little phone. If it weren't for the problems with the video camera, I'd still be using it.
Well, this might rub some the wrong way but if all carriers started locking their bootloaders and forced buyers to choose based on hardware alone, I'd buy an iPhone. I love the little innovations that have come with an open Android - like Paranoid Android - but the hardware is usually underwhelming. The S4 has the screen going for it, but that's it. Apparently Apple will finally use larger screens on their iPhones so not much win for Samsung.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Wyzpopper said:
Scott's still going with the Infuse?! Good on him! I loved that little phone. If it weren't for the problems with the video camera, I'd still be using it.
Well, this might rub some the wrong way but if all carriers started locking their bootloaders and forced buyers to choose based on hardware alone, I'd buy an iPhone. I love the little innovations that have come with an open Android - like Paranoid Android - but the hardware is usually underwhelming. The S4 has the screen going for it, but that's it. Apparently Apple will finally use larger screens on their iPhones so not much win for Samsung.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I think you're right especially if the screen is bumped up. With the bootloader situation you already have an "i-droid" anyway. "Open source" no longer has meaning.

Hopefully this will accelerate the people looking at buying much cheaper phones that aren't locked to any specific carrier and also aren't boot locked. The effectiveness of upgrades is dimishing which should help push this shift and hopefully will ultimately keep these big phone manufacturers honest.

bnolsen said:
Hopefully this will accelerate the people looking at buying much cheaper phones that aren't locked to any specific carrier and also aren't boot locked. The effectiveness of upgrades is dimishing which should help push this shift and hopefully will ultimately keep these big phone manufacturers honest.
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Click to collapse
I've already looked into those "cheaper" phones. Most of them, right now, anyway, don't have LTE chipsets yet. In addition, 4G just rolled out in China (we get the new stuff first -- obviously). However, the cheaper phones are made and shipped factory unlocked. Some phones have a dual sim slots (i.e. one sim for personal, one sim for business).
I'm partnered up with a wholesaler and have access to everything he carries. The best part is that he doesn't "compete" with whom he partners up with -- bad for business, he says.
My .02 =)

as others have said it's just the way of big business in the 21st century. up until a week ago i had a 2 year old S2 which was running a 4.4.2 ROM (ressurection remix). if i hadnt been able to root and flash a ROM i'd have probably got myself a new phone long ago so locking down phones may get customers to upgrade more often (i know it would with me) as it is i bought my new phone outright and have gone payg to save myself some money and also to be able to upgrade as and when i like. i did look at some of the chinese phones (goophone being one) but wasnt sure of the root capabilities so decided to give it a miss.
i think even locked bootloaders will eventually be hacked. nothing is impossible. it's just down to when and how long we wait.

I took a brief reprieve from this forum, since there wasn't any groundbreaking progress made (and by "groundbreaking", I mean exploited bootloader).
It looks as if that has remained unchanged? I've only had the S4 for a year now, but I am officially "over" Samsung devices. Very aesthetically pleasing, but hardly functional overall. Battery is crap on every Samsung device, and the only thing that ever helped me was either buying a 3rd party with larger capacity, and/or running a custom ROM/kernel combo that allows for both less consumption as well as rapid-charge.
I'm interested to see this new thing Google is going to unveil to replace the GPE phones. I have no issue paying full price for a device that I can do whatever I want with, and know that there will be a strong following for. Even if that following is only a certain, small niche of the overall market.
It's a shame that my fun with AOSP had to come to a screeching halt, I loved the simplicity and functionality of it.

I don't think carriers make much or any money from selling new hardware. They make their money from plans.
That said, I'm happy to be on 4.4.2 SlimRom. ☺

disturbd1 said:
I took a brief reprieve from this forum, since there wasn't any groundbreaking progress made (and by "groundbreaking", I mean exploited bootloader).
It looks as if that has remained unchanged? I've only had the S4 for a year now, but I am officially "over" Samsung devices. Very aesthetically pleasing, but hardly functional overall. Battery is crap on every Samsung device, and the only thing that ever helped me was either buying a 3rd party with larger capacity, and/or running a custom ROM/kernel combo that allows for both less consumption as well as rapid-charge.
I'm interested to see this new thing Google is going to unveil to replace the GPE phones. I have no issue paying full price for a device that I can do whatever I want with, and know that there will be a strong following for. Even if that following is only a certain, small niche of the overall market.
It's a shame that my fun with AOSP had to come to a screeching halt, I loved the simplicity and functionality of it.
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Click to collapse
Well, even if I sold my i337, the battery life was honestly very good for me. There's the facts that maybe I don't use it heavily every day, but I turn GPS on only when I have to find a specific place I haven't been to before. GPS down - battery life up. 3G down, unless I need it - battery life up. Power saving mode - battery life up.
As for the Android Silver program, we all are curious to see how will this turn out.

Nokia smartphones have been SECRETLY sending users' personal data to China

Go Nokia,
now i understand why you do not allow unlocking the bootlocker.
Screwed us all along!
https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/nokia-smartphones-been-secretly-sending-14167303

reist said:
Go Nokia,
now i understand why you do not allow unlocking the bootlocker.
Screwed us all along!
https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/nokia-smartphones-been-secretly-sending-14167303
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Same thing is sent to Google servers even if we have location enabled. Could this be connected with China GPS system Baidou? I think we should be more open minded and take more attention to Google and cookies handling

miljenko said:
Same thing is sent to Google servers even if we have location enabled. Could this be connected with China GPS system Baidou? I think we should be more open minded and take more attention to Google and cookies handling
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The problem is that, when the data are sent to Google, you agreed to that. Not in the case with China servers.

aPosix said:
The problem is that, when the data are sent to Google, you agreed to that. Not in the case with China servers.
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That text in Mirror sounded as continuations of the paranoia regarding Russia and China. It could be true, it could be false, but for sure somebody is gathering info on us by cellphone,mostly US companies. If you need to be anonimus avoid all modern ways of communication. I don't give a crap if they gather info on my location and phone numbers, they can be only jealous where I am :laugh:

miljenko said:
That text in Mirror sounded as continuations of the paranoia regarding Russia and China. It could be true, it could be false, but for sure somebody is gathering info on us by cellphone,mostly US companies. If you need to be anonimus avoid all modern ways of communication. I don't give a crap if they gather info on my location and phone numbers, they can be only jealous where I am :laugh:
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You misinterpreted my thought. I don't care all the data they gather about me.
But on the outside you "should be able to agree or decline" the data collection.

Never buying another Nokia phone again. The situation with the bootloader being unlockable officially was the last straw. By the time they allowed it with Nokia 8 the xda community had already moved on now almost 2 years after its release nobody has bothered to create a custom rom for it, all because of HMD. Nokia 7plus is gonna suffer the same way even though it has huge potential.

MDV106 said:
Never buying another Nokia phone again. The situation with the bootloader being unlockable officially was the last straw. By the time they allowed it with Nokia 8 the xda community had already moved on now almost 2 years after its release nobody has bothered to create a custom rom for it, all because of HMD. Nokia 7plus is gonna suffer the same way even though it has huge potential.
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Yeah, maybe you should buy a pixel then (3x the price though)?
Or maybe a OnePlus (Chinese also!). Mi A2?
What about a good ol' Samsung? My friend's s8 just got it's first update to Pie (still 'fresh' after half an year), not to mention Knox on top of locked bootloader!
I am not saying it was ok what happend, but was just a mistake with a batch of phones (also maybe that is why all this mess with 2 versions of updates for international model).
Except the pixels and essential phones, I do not think any other phone is with security patch up to Feb.

trveller72 said:
Yeah, maybe you should buy a pixel then (3x the price though)?
Or maybe a OnePlus (Chinese also!). Mi A2?
What about a good ol' Samsung? My friend's s8 just got it's first update to Pie (still 'fresh' after half an year), not to mention Knox on top of locked bootloader!
I am not saying it was ok what happend, but was just a mistake with a batch of phones (also maybe that is why all this mess with 2 versions of updates for international model).
Except the pixels and essential phones, I do not think any other phone is with security patch up to Feb.
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Click to collapse
So not allowing the bootloaders to be unlocked is just another mistake huh? Stop making excuses for Nokia