Tagged: android

Engadget isn’t so fond of the current state of Android openness either

Google needs to be more assertive toward the carriers and manufacturers to maintain the quality of the Android experience. Just like TechCrunch, the latest editorial from Engadget outlines the horrible experience of firmware updates for Motorola made Android devices. While HTC has been quite good with timely updates to their Android phones, the other popular manufacturers such as Motorola and Samsung are not doing so good.

And then, there is the carriers. I’m not sure which way it goes but the manufacturers and the carriers have some sort of agreement to conspire against the consumers. Almost purposely delaying firmware releases so consumers are forced to upgrade hardware in order to get the latest greatness from Google.

This shouldn’t be happening… Nobody wants to pay full price for a handset and nobody wants to signup for a contract only to get a neutered Android experience. The Nexus One was a step in the right direction, Nexus Two needs to be a worldwide carrier supported release with full Google support. I hope Google doesn’t abandon the Nexus releases. Because without hardware support and poor software support Android will end up like Windows Mobile before it and die a horrendous death.

Control the hardware, or control the software. Or better yet, do what Apple does and control both. It’s a fail otherwise because the carriers are just plain greedy.

engadget.com

Is Android truly an open platform? TechCrunch doesn’t think so and they’re right!

This TechCrunch article by MG Siegler is very critical about the carrier limitations for Android devices. While most higher end Android phones can be rooted, ultimately a fresh device is just as closed, if not more, than an iOS powered iPhone.

In theory, I’m right there with you. The thought of a truly open mobile operating system is very appealing. The problem is that in practice, that’s just simply not the reality of the situation. Maybe if Google had their way, the system would be truly open. But they don’t. Sadly, they have to deal with a very big roadblock: the carriers.

This has been a major advantage of Apple actually. They were able to leverage their dominance as a hardware maker and stopped carriers to brand their firmware as they saw fit. This is a practice exercised on every carrier branded mobile phone before the iPhone came along. I remember it being so notorious that any phone I purchased would result in a research on the web about how to debrand it. Carrier loaded firmware is usually out of date and bloated with crapware.

FFS who in your circle of friends with an Android device actually run 2.2 Froyo? Yeah that’s right, somewhere down the line after Google finalized the code the roll out stopped. Having an Android means that unfortunately you may end up being at the mercy of the community developers that aren’t really responsible for bricking your phone. Tata, too bad so sad. Why do you think older Android devices lack resale value?

Before you blast me in comments, here’s an excerpt Siegler wrote that I thought addresses jailbreaking and rooting very well.

And before all of you pros storm the comments with how great it is to root your Android phones, consider the average consumers here. They are the ones being screwed by this exploitation of “open.” Anyone with the desire to do so can fairly easily hack an iPhone too. Open is not a reason to choose Android + carrier vs. iPhone + AT&T.

techcrunch.com

Droid X is not so open

Apparently the current Droid flagship Motorola Droid X had such a problem with root methods that the official Droid X 2.2 update will not be available to those who already updated to the leaked Android 2.2 Froyo builds. Even though the leaked versions works perfectly fine! Why is there no official upgrade path Motorola?

In my opinion this has got to be the biggest downside of Android. The OEMs all cook their own custom skins and ROMs and nobody has a standard. And then when the community starts to support the device, the manufacturer just cut them off.

droid-life.com

Motorola Cliq (Codename DEXT)

Or is it Motorola DEXT, but codename Cliq? We may never know. I just saw a Gizmodo handson for this Android handset and I am pumped. Not because it’s the phone that signifies the Motorola revival. No not at all. But am pumped with its integration with the social networks. Motorola’s Blur is supposedly very different than HTC’s Sense UI. Instead of skinning Android and giving it a different look. Motorola is concentrating more on widget development. It’ll look very much like the standard Android interface, no complaints about that though, Cupcake is gorgeous. It’ll also use all the modern web APIs and integrate between all the different networks that Web 2.0 is so familiar with. That will be a killer feature.

In terms of specifications it is almost exactly like a HTC Hero, but with triband HSPA. Very much a Motorola thing to do. Otherwise it’s exactly the same. I still don’t like separate onboard storage and ROM storage. This limitation may become Android’s downfall as Apple and Palm has made efforts to avoid that and their OS is installed into the internal storage. A manufacture should figure out how to get rid of the ROM/internal storage separation. That 528 MHz processor all the Androids is becoming dated fast. Not to say that Apple and Palm utilize much faster solutions. Albeit Apple is slightly advantageous performance wise with their implemention of OpenGL.

Am I the only one who’s noticed that Motorola killed iTap? I’m not saying it’s a better system than T9 but this handset bears no resemblance whatsoever with the Motorola we once knew.

I need an upgrade to a phone with 256 MB of RAM. You just can’t compare the iPhone 3G to these newer releases anymore.

Specifications

Open Handset Alliance

Well looks like Open Handset Alliance scored a big win today and 14 more members joined the Google-led initiative. Some notable names include ARM, Sony Ericsson (as well as the Ericsson itself), ASUSTek (well, ASUS, ASUSTek is the lame registered name), Huawei, Atheros, Garmin (abandoning the OS on Nuvifone?), and Toshiba.

Some providers signed up too, such as Softbank and Teleca, but I think the manufacturers bears more weight when determining a platform’s success.

So I wonder if Sony Ericsson is officially embracing the Android platform. That would be great news considering Windows Mobile in its current state is horrid. I wonder if Nokia would ever dump its S60 developments.

So already two of the largest handset manufacturers will be adopting Android, Motorola and Sony Ericsson.

openhandsetalliance.com