Comments on: Hey, Google, take control of Android already, will ya?

By: lovesapart

lovesapart — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 02:34:38 +0000

Google should have a staged release. It should give the carriers/manufacturers 2 months private head start, with non-disclosure agreements. No new devices can come out before the Nexus device has had 2 months to shine. By then, the companies will have enough time to ready android for their new phones, and begin the updating cycle early.

Google should also require all apps and pre-installed content to be removable. And they should work harder to look and make sure the newest OS will be somewhat easily backwards-compatible (easier & faster ways to design around hardware variation).

This next one is just me, but i think the manufacturers should start charging $5-10 for major device upgrades (gingerbread to ice cream sandwich, etc). This would give a revenue stream, aka motivation, to quickly upgrade the software before they lose the customers. Then if the consumer wants to skip the update, they can at their own loss. There would probably also be more marketing for how good the newest OS is as well to convince people to upgrade. just sayin.

By: Mcbeese

Mcbeese — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:21:30 +0000

I agree completely. in fact, I would suggest that the manufacturers need to focus on hardware and leave all software alone because they aren’t good at it. They make just as much money if they only sell the hardware.

By: Richard Frost

Richard Frost — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:48:04 +0000

BBB I dont know where you have been lately but in my view none of the Android ‘skins’ are worth it. They are all failures. Sorry but I would prefer a crafted and controlled Android experience steered by Google with input from manufacturers. The current model has clearly failed and needs major adjustment.

The stock ICS experience is the best at the moment and unfortunately only Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S owners get the joy of this superior version of Android.

We need the manufacturers to focus on hardware and apps not wasting time on skins.

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:35:01 +0000

When did open-source become a dirty word? The recent anti-open sentiment blows my mind…

Open source == freedom, lowers the cost of entry and innovation, and promotes collective sharing. We also rely on it every day, from the browser that you’re looking at, to the HTML that composed this article, the router that sent your request to the server, and the server software hosting it to the world.

Closed holds us back. I’m glad that Google is run by visionaries that appreciate the idea of openness. Closed is the wrong way forward.

By: BBB

BBB — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:53:50 +0000

Do consumers really want a ‘consistent appearance across all phones’? If they did then they could join the ranks of the iclones. Android is all about choice and differentiation. Tech bloggers are the only ones crying about fragmentation because they all carry around 3 phones at a time. The average consumer doesn’t care because they only get a new device once every 2 years and they welcome the enhancements each time. Fragmentation is just a word that Apple fanboys use to describe an ecosystem with more options.

By: John Swayne

John Swayne — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:19:18 +0000

I think the problem is that everyone wants to compare Android to what Apple is doing with the iPhone. Apple has 3 phones on the market that they support, and they sell directly to the carriers around the world. It’s easy for them to go in and say, “here’s our update test it out give us feeback.”

Google, on the other hand, cannot. It doesn’t sell to anyone except customers and the carriers are not dealing with Google directly, they’re dealing with handset makers. Is it an issue? Absolutely, but I don’t know how Google can fix it. Even Microsoft is unable to force AT&T to release updates when it makes them for Windows Phone 7.

By: DesignIsANoun&AVerb

DesignIsANoun&AVerb — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:19:34 +0000

When I had my iPhone (3 & 4) I wasn’t happy how constrained it was. As a long time PC user, I’m accostumed to custimizing my interface for maximum efficiency to suit my needs. Thus, my decision to jailbreak. But when I got the Android Infuse, I saw no reason to Root the device because all of the FREE apps on android have done the job. Problem is, the Infuse is such a piece of junk I feel compromised by it. It locks constantly and can take up to 5 minutes to shut down and reboot back into action. I would never recommend anyone to but a Samsung and I’m iffy on all Android because it’s pot luck if it will work well or not.
I would hope that a software upgrade would correct this problem plagued Samsung Infuse Android phone, but I sincerely doubt that it will live to see that day. The carriers don’t care to much about anyone that has had a unit for more than the time allowed to return it for a full refund.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:34:15 +0000

Karen, thanks for catching that. For some reason the Nexus S disappears from my memory banks every now and again. Probably because I still had a Nexus One at the time the S arrived and I didn’t find it enough of step up to move to the S! ;) I’ll make that correction now; thanks again!

By: gorkon

gorkon — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:27:05 +0000

It may be blazing fast when it works but dropping connections makes it pointless. I forgot to say it’s with the authentication scheme that Verizon has on LTE. Something isn’t quite right with their network setup and that causes issues.

By: Karen Kazaryan

Karen Kazaryan — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:13:27 +0000

Small correction: there is Nexus S for AT&T.
It seems that worldwide versions are getting updates much earlier than US.