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[Q] Does Google not continuing the Nexus One line threaten the future of Android?

So I have been giving a lot of thought to this subject ever since reading a few articles a couple of weeks back about the CEO of Google Eric Schmidt saying that they have no plans on making a "Nexus Two." Not only this, but Google stating that they will no longer sell the Nexus One direct and unlocked from the www.google.com/phone store. My question is, does this threaten the Android platform in the future. I personally think it won't because Android will continue to live on, but the open Android that we have come to know and love today will be jeopardized. This is why I decided to start this thread to see how others feel about this subject and ask some important questions about the fate of Android.
To start off we really have to see what Google's Nexus One brought to the world of Android to be able to see what we will be missing if there is no "Google phone" in the future. On January 5, 2010 Google threw a press conference where it called it's new baby the Nexus One a "superphone" and ever since then the i has been in the news having every flaw dissected and blown out of proportion by tech blogs all around the web. Yes, the Nexus One had some big flaws like the multitouch screen, early T-Mobile 3G problems, No multitouch pinch to zoom (now changed), and even the pentile arrangement of pixels on the AMOLED screen, but it also was the first in the smartphone world (unless you count the HD2, but we are talking about Android not WM in this discussion) to have a lot of huge features that now started this Android revolution. It had a powerful Snapdragon 1 Ghz processor (up to this point the biggest we had was the Droid with an Arm Cortex A8 550 mhz processor), 3.7 inch AMOLED screen (WVGA 800x480 pixels) , 512 mb of RAM (most had 256mb RAM), 5mp camera (with LED flash and 720x480 video capture), and one of the lightest (130 grams with battery), sleekest 119mm heidth by 59.8mm depth), and thinnest (11.5mm) phones on the market. The Droid paved the road and the Nexus One showed OEM's what the top of the line Android phone must have to compete in specs. The Nexus One launched with Eclair 2.1 and was the first to bring it to the world. A couple months after launch Google gave pinch to zoom multitouch to the Nexus One and this allowed other phones like the Droid and now most of the Android phones available to get this much desired feature. Perhaps one of the best features of the phone was that it launched with an unlocked bootloader and introduced the world to the adb command "fastboot oem unlock." I know that are beloved developers have been unlocking the full potential of phones since the Windows Mobile days, but Android has brought that even further. Since then the Nexus One has quickly become the dev phone of the Android world. If you don't like a feature simply change it or flash a different ROM. This wonderful world that the great developers in the Android community work so hard to bring to us is really the "killer feature" of the Android OS and this is being threatened by not having anymore "Google phones." Lately we are seeing companies like Motorola and Verizon using eFuse to lock down their phones and keeping people that spend their hard earned money from flashing ROM's. I am sure the whole eFuse thing has been blown out of proportion and I am sure the next Android superstar (or one of the many we already have here on XDA) will unlock the Droid X to it's full potential, but the mere fact that these companies are locking down phones using the FREE Android OS is very disheartening. We don't want the same cat and mouse game that Apple and their iPhone customers have to play to unlock and use their phones and this is one of the many reasons people flock to the open Android OS.
Not only do we risk "locking down" the platform, but by not having any further Nexus phones we will more than likely never see another Vanilla Android phone. Instead we are seeing what the OEMs and wireless providers want us to see and this is evident in the losing of WiFi tethering in the latest build of Android 2.2, or known as Froyo. If a wireless provider doesn't want a feature (like tethering) the OEM's are then pressured into leaving it out to make them happy. This is not a good thing in my opinion as it again puts the power and fate of Android in the wireless providers like Verizon and AT&T where we are quickly losing the openness of Android and the ability to even side load applications. This is exactly why we need a phone like the Nexus One. A phone that will push the boundaries of innovation and keep the wireless companies honest by simple competition. They won't leave an important feature out if the Google phone already has a version of it out and available unlocked. Without Google making a phone we are left with whatever skin the OEMs have minus the features the wireless companies don't want included. If the Nexus One would not of been released we would be stuck with minimal upgrades and even worse what would make the OEMs and providers hurry with the newest release (Froyo in this case and soon to be Gingerbread)? If Google wouldn't of pushed Android 2.2 to the Nexus One then would all the companies like HTC, Samsung, and Motorola even be racing to get Froyo out? In my opinion the Nexus One is the only reason that these companies are trying to get 2.2 out in a timely basis. I mean I may be wrong as I am not a developer, but what would really make the OEMs and providers want to hurry with their releases if they didn't have the competition? I think it would be the opposite and these companies would make us buy their newest and top of the line Android phone just to get the newest and best Android release. This has been proven in the past and if it wasn't for the iPhone and Google's Android the smartphone world would be a very different place filled with Bada OSs, Windows Mobile phones, no app stores, and worse of all mediocre upgrades. This is the real reason we need Google to release a phone so they can take the fate of Android (and the power, in my opinion) away from greedy wireless companies and OEM's that only look to sell us a phone multiple times a year.
I have really given a lot of thought to this because ever since I purchased my Nexus One back in March (without AT&Ts permission, I should add) I had planned on buying a "Google phone" every year. I was aware that Google would work closely with different OEMs and we would get a great dev phone every year with the latest and greatest Vanilla Android, free from the clutches of wireless contracts, and most of all "OPEN." This was a great idea and I can see why Google's idea of selling a phone didn't catch on here in the states, but they accomplished a lot more than selling millions of devices like Apple does. They accomplished (along with the Droid, which I might add Google had a big hand in creating and bringing to life, and also was free of a locked bootloader) bringing Android to the masses and making the statement to companies that a top of the line Android phone needs to have these specs to compete in the Android world.
I just went out and bought me a Samsung Captivate and to be honest the first thing I thought I would get rid of was TouchWiz, but it has kind of grown on me. I think HTC Sense is nice as well, but I will always be a Vanilla Android fan and there is something about the Nexus One that always brings me back. This will be a phone that I will not ever get rid of and is still the best phone I have ever owned. I am sure many others feel the same way and the Nexus One will continue to be a niche kind of product, but I think I have made the argument that Google needs a phone to further Android and keep the fate of it's Android in it's hands. This could get out of control quick and it could turn bad. We are just nearing the top and Android is here to stay and will be the OS that everyone else attempts to mimic. Come on Google I know I am not the only one that feels this way and this is why I started this thread to get the feel of others in the Android community as I am sure there are others that are worried as well. The open Android that we know and love today is in jeopardy if Google doesn't maintain a little control over their Android OS. The OEM's and wireless companies are going to ruin the openness of Android if they don't have a constant pressure keeping them honest. One of the main reasons that Android has grown so rapidly is that a company like Google has created it to be free, open, and common to many phones so we don't have to worry about dozens of companies with mediocre platforms. Weigh in and let me know how you feel and maybe just maybe we can get someones attention. Feel free to copy this on other forums as I feel we need to save the idea of an open Android. One without the boundaries of no side loading of apps, eFuses, locked bootloaders, and most of all innovation and the advancement of the Android platform.

Google's own line of phones phone has zero influence on the android os.

JCopernicus said:
Google's own line of phones phone has zero influence on the android os.
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Yes, you are right, but without a Google phone what will Android be like? We won't see another Vanilla Android phone that is for sure.

Not being able to see into the future makes this a hard statement to take as fact.

There were vanilla phones before nexus one and there will continue to be more
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

If you want a true vanilla android phone grabe one of HTC's china phones, not even google apps are on it. =D

I agree with the basic premise that the Nexus One did provide leverage to potentially (and I think that is a key qualifier) keep the competition honest, but it isn't clear that it would do so without significantly more marketing. And, to market the Nexus One more could have annoyed some of the vendors that Google wants to keep happy - lots of happy vendors means lots of seats for Android means lots of seats off of which Google makes a lot of money. In particular, if every Android phone is locked, then Google still makes a mint, though they stand to make more of a mint if the platform is more widely adopted. And, an open phone does have an impact on platform adoption, but I don't think it is that critical since the public is used to buying fixed feature-set phones and upgrading for new features so this isn't an issue of taking away something that they demand as it is failing to give them something that they would come to know and love (as we already do).
But, I also want to counter some of the supporting arguments you present.
First, the current wave of smartphones was headed here one way or another. Google didn't create the wave, they simply reacted and targeted Android at the capabilities that were coming down the pike. To do that most effectively they needed a new developer phone and the Nexus One was going to be released in January one way or another as the ADP3 until they had this idea to sell direct. It was simply them needing to get out a testbed for the new Android capabilities that were targeted at the new baseline smartphone hardware and they chose to do it in an experimental new way this time. If they hadn't released the Nexus One direct to consumers then you would have seen the same phones come out and you would have seen the same OS releases, you just wouldn't have had a large installed base of end users previewing it on a non-developer handset.
Second, I think the main factor spurring the vendors to get 2.2 out quickly is that it offers so much, not that they have to keep up with the Nexus One. It is, in my opinion, the biggest release so far (and I've been with Android since 1.0) primarily because of the JIT. Also, all the manufacturers came out with what would become the new standard amount of RAM (512MB) and the existing release available for them to ship on did not support it, so they need to get on 2.2 in order to simply unlock the hardware they originally designed. In some sense, these phones were really designed for 2.2 - 2.1 was simply a stepping stone to get them shipped on their hardware schedule until 2.2 was ready on its software schedule. So, there are really 2 factors that would encourage them to get 2.2 out on their 2010-class phones that have nothing to do with the Nexus One being here.
As far as vanilla phones... The G1 was vanilla. The original Droid was vanilla (is it still vanilla with the latest releases?). The Nexus One was vanilla. But, where there any others? I love my vanilla phones (first G1 then N1), but I don't mind value added by the vendors, I just wish they would make it easier to customize things away and that they would learn to design their add-ons so that they can be easily dropped on to a new Android release with little fuss...

Short answer: No. It does not.
Simply put, there will always be a phone that will have Vanilla Android. If for nothing more than using that as a sale point. Especially with Andy 3.0 in the horizon which focus is on the UI. No worries.

Of course it doesn't.

Simple answer, no. There have always been vanilla Android phones, the developer phones at least, and there will always be developer phones. In fact, the Nexus is still for sale now as the latest developer phone.

Eventually there will be another vanilla Android phone that Google is behind, unless they get their own hardware built by someone and don't sell it publicly... but that wouldn't make much sense, just like it wouldn't make any sense for them to not ever have another phone.
Soon enough, the 2ghz and dual-core phones will be out, and eventually mobile devices will catch up to computers in terms of power. They're gonna have to.

I'm sure they will come out with a different dev phone in the future.

I agree with the op, up to a point. While it may be true that there'll always be a phone Google gets behind -a 'dev' phone, if you will- I think it still limits choice for people who want the vanilla experience. Is it really ok to just have one phone that's vanilla?
To the op: "If the Nexus One would not of been released...."
I think you mean "had not been released..."
and: "If Google wouldn't of pushed Android 2.2 to the Nexus One then...."
It's "If Google hadn't pushed Android..."
Sorry for the pedantry. Bad grammar just spoilt a good, well-thought out post.

Consumer are what they are a android is one of the greatest os I have experience.all those problems was soft ware issue and minor only something a child would complain about.i have a nexus almost went with a nokia n900 glad I didn't .proud of google.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Still no updates

Hi
The SGT is the first and last Samsung (and perhaps Android) device I will ever buy due to the complete lack of official updates available for it. I am not interesting in flashing hacked roms, I just expect Samsung to provide a timely release of new android versions very soon after google makes them available.
In respect of updates, compared to iOS devices, Android devices are so far behind its untrue --> While 2 year old Apple devices such as the iPhone 3GS are updatable to the latest version of iOS, 3 month old Android devices do not get access to the latest version of android. Its frankly disgusting.
Anyone know when I can expect an update for my SGT to Android 2.3/3.0 (sim free wifi+3g version)?
I've had a pre-order on the go with Amazon for a 7" iconia tab A101, but that has been delayed until 30th June now!! Looks like I am stuck with the SGT and its outdated/buggy/slow OS for some time. I should have just bought an iPad...
Nigel

veletron said:
Hi
The SGT is the first and last Samsung (and perhaps Android) device I will ever buy due to the complete lack of official updates available for it. I am not interesting in flashing hacked roms, I just expect Samsung to provide a timely release of new android versions very soon after google makes them available.
In respect of updates, compared to iOS devices, Android devices are so far behind its untrue --> While 2 year old Apple devices such as the iPhone 3GS are updatable to the latest version of iOS, 3 month old Android devices do not get access to the latest version of android. Its frankly disgusting.
Anyone know when I can expect an update for my SGT to Android 2.3/3.0 (sim free wifi+3g version)?
I've had a pre-order on the go with Amazon for a 7" iconia tab A101, but that has been delayed until 30th June now!! Looks like I am stuck with the SGT and its outdated/buggy/slow OS for some time. I should have just bought an iPad...
Nigel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't blame android blame Samsung they got ya cash now kindly duck off.
I went with sony on my latest upgrade away from Samsung im in the same camp as you Samsung wont get a penny more from me.
No support at all for our device... pathetic!
oo and get ready for the backlash from the Samsung fan brigade who oddly think this is ok?!? but inside I know they are as pi$$ed as us. Ive renamed them $am$sung myself

veletron said:
Hi
The SGT is the first and last Samsung (and perhaps Android) device I will ever buy due to the complete lack of official updates available for it. I am not interesting in flashing hacked roms, I just expect Samsung to provide a timely release of new android versions very soon after google makes them available.
In respect of updates, compared to iOS devices, Android devices are so far behind its untrue --> While 2 year old Apple devices such as the iPhone 3GS are updatable to the latest version of iOS, 3 month old Android devices do not get access to the latest version of android. Its frankly disgusting.
Anyone know when I can expect an update for my SGT to Android 2.3/3.0 (sim free wifi+3g version)?
I've had a pre-order on the go with Amazon for a 7" iconia tab A101, but that has been delayed until 30th June now!! Looks like I am stuck with the SGT and its outdated/buggy/slow OS for some time. I should have just bought an iPad...
Nigel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont even know where to begin with this so im not eve going to bother.

TheATHEiST said:
I dont even know where to begin with this so im not eve going to bother.
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Click to collapse
+1 I know how you feel.
If only people knew how to use google before typing nonsense.Just to put the first two comments into perspective...........
Android April version numbers stay relatively unchanged from the previous month
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http://www.androidcentral.com/android-april-version-numbers-stay-relatively-unchanged-previous-month
So only around 4% of handsets have gingerbread. Hmm......I would probably consider the Tab to be up to date then? Since that 4% will be mostly consisting of Brand New handsets. Like the galaxy S2,etc. I do actually have an S2, my second samsung device of all time. Is gingerbread much different to froyo? nope. can barely tell tbh. Not like the leap from 2.1 to 2.2. Though if you asked if the dual core made a difference, I would have to say yes.
Come on people.
Though I'm also cross my 1981 ford cortina hasnt been updated to a ford mondeo

stoney73 said:
+1
Though I'm also cross my 1981 ford cortina hasnt been updated to a ford mondeo
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Click to collapse
Exactly.
trying to compare a iphone/ios to a Android OS and licensed devices is completley retarded and shows how ignorant the OP is.
iOS is designed to run on 4 devices from a specific manufacturer, whereas Android is licensed to be developed for MANY different manufacturers and MANY MANY MANY devices.
If the OP cant handle a real OS ad real device he should get a lobotomy and get a iphone.

TheATHEiST said:
Exactly.
trying to compare a iphone/ios to a Android OS and licensed devices is completley retarded and shows how ignorant the OP is.
iOS is designed to run on 4 devices from a specific manufacturer, whereas Android is licensed to be developed for MANY different manufacturers and MANY MANY MANY devices.
If the OP cant handle a real OS ad real device he should get a lobotomy and get a iphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sad thing is, they have over 600 posts between them

sigh...
meh! apple, go get an apple then.
as far as the sony comment i am not going to touch it. again if you like sony then go get it
samsung have a history read up befor you go buy thier product and complain.
android is all about openness, development and moving forwards. if you dont like it now then wait a few months and try again.

Android Updates
Lol
I knew this would result in a load of negativity from the Androiders out there. The simple fact is that your average end-user simply does not care that its harder for a manufacturer using a licensed OS to provide updates than it is for Apple to update iOS for its own devices. Its frankly not the end-users problem.
Anyone who has been using iOS devices for any time, will be very surprised if they switch to android (due to all the hype surrounding it), when they find out that updates beyond what the phone is delivered with rarely happen. I would predict that those jumping ship from iOS and heading to Android will be right back to iOS once their contracts expire with a very sour taste lingering!
The fact that Apple devices are upgradable to the latest OS version for around 2 years after first manufacture makes them a compelling purchase (despite the higher initial cost) You are not going to be lumbered with a useless, outdated brick half way through your 2-year contract.
Apple has set the bar very high, its up to google, samsung, HTC to match Apple's performance in this regard *however hard it might be*.
As someone who owns both Android and iOS devices, I am able to compare and contrast. Both have their good points, but the lack of updates for Android devices is a massive negative for them. The other negative being the quality of the apps on Android which is way,way behind those on iOS. Unless you *own* and *use* both iOS and Android devices on a daily basis, you are simply not qualified to have an opinion on this!
I'm no 'Ignorant OP' as someone commented. I've probably been on XDA way before many other folks, and have had 6 WinMo devices prior to heading in the direction of apple. I'm a programmer by trade working with mobile devices (hardware close assy/C/C++, none of this C#/Java nonsense). I simply don't have the time to 'tinker' and flash 'custom' roms anymore. In short, if the geeks on XDA can produce a semi-working 2.3rom for the SGT with none of the information that Samsung themselves have - SO CAN SAMSUNG (if they can be arsed that is).
I like the form factor of the SGT (iPad is frankly too big), I like the fact that its got a microSD slot (makes it hugely useful while away together with my digicam). I got an Android device due to the flexibility the OS offers, I just don't like that I appear to be stuck with all its bugs without any chance of any official updates from Samsung. I wish google would have taken the device manufacturer out of the loop (as Microsoft has done with windows), and push updates directly to the device.
As for this comment:
'iOS is designed to run on 4 devices from a specific manufacturer, whereas Android is licensed to be developed for MANY different manufacturers and MANY MANY MANY devices.'
Sounds like windows on the desktop eh? I've had countless updates from MS for my Windows PC's and laptops despite the fact that this is a single OS present on MANY MANY MANY devices.
It will be interesting to see how MS deals with the issue of updates for WP7 devices. Thus far, they have mucked it right up...
Nigel

veletron said:
As for this comment:
'iOS is designed to run on 4 devices from a specific manufacturer, whereas Android is licensed to be developed for MANY different manufacturers and MANY MANY MANY devices.'
Sounds like windows on the desktop eh? I've had countless updates from MS for my Windows PC's and laptops despite the fact that this is a single OS present on MANY MANY MANY devices.
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Click to collapse
No, it doesn't sound like windows. I've never seen any other distributions of Windows...guessing cause its not open source. And Windows operating systems only worked on x86 and amd machines. Only reason Windows runs on my macbook is because its got an intel processor in it.
Google made a distribution of the linux operating system, made it open source, and designed a complex phone API behind it. Microsoft doesn't do that nor does Apple. Like Microsoft, Apple restricts what an end user, carrier, or developer can do with its operating system. Android OS is open source.
I work with multiple devices almost on a daily basis. My colleague has the exact tablet you have and he loves it. His only real complaint other than the few "if it had this..." is he wishes it was maybe a tad bit smaller. He's just your average user: checks emails, facebook, twitter, corporate emails, google voice, web browsing... and he has not one regret from switching from the iOS environment. Downloads tons of apps, homescreen's covered with widgets, etc etc.
AT&T was the reason why I got rid of my iphone, not Apple. Verizon gave me a Droid and I fell in love with it. I ran the stock rom on that phone for ages. I didn't even bother doing a custom rom until i got a second android phone through my personal business. Verizon kept us up to date as possible as to when it'd push the update to our phones and so did Motorola. The only update I couldn't wait to get was 2.2 so I could tether to my phone much easier. Even now that iphone is on the Verizon network, I wouldn't switch back to the iphone.
I returned my ipad because I just still couldn't justify the price for all its prettiness. I spent $280 bucks on my android tablet with the ability of reading sd cards, usb drives, and giving me the freedom to browse the device's file system, vs the $500 I spent on the ipad that didn't have a file manager and the only way to get access to the usb and sd cards was to by an extra device and hoped it worked. Also not having to have itunes installed on my computer and go through loops to connect my devices to different computers is a plus. I can buy a microsoft user license for about $300 bucks and install it on one machine. I can buy (if I don't feel like downloading for free) a linux distribution for $5-10 bucks(shipping on dvd) and install it on as many machines as I want and I can even tailor and recompile the operating system specifically for my machine. (What Samsung does for your tablet and Viewsonic does for mine.)
I don't deny that you're having a problem with your device and it should be resolved in some kind of timely matter. Samsung owes that to you as a consumer of their products...Blaming Google and the entire Android operating system stack is kind of naive when its obvious that the operating system is working as intended. Samsung's distribution apparently doesn't for you and whoever else has issues I guess.

Well, if I'm not allowed to compare to Windows, am I allowed to compare to Linux?! This is open source, runs on many many different hardware platforms (hell, most (all?) android phones are ARM based just as Linux (mostly) runs on x86/x64 hardware).
All the packages on my linux installations are updatable directly from the distro source on the fly whenever I choose to update them - this includes *core* OS packages as well as stuff that I have installed.
Quite frankly, a huge to-do is made about the fact that something is a fixed or mobile platform, trying to paint a false picture that mobile platforms are somehow so much more difficult to manage/maintain than fixed platforms THEY ARE NOT. Its just yet another excuse from the manufacturers for not spending the time/money updating a device.
The PRINCIPLE reason why Android & WinMo devices are not readily updatable to the latest and greatest version of the OS is NOT technical, but rather that the manufacturer and the operator would rather flog you a new phone than keep your existing one up-to-date. Its a testament to Apple that they manage to flog new phones to existing apple users despite the fact that there's very little in the OS that they could not get on their existing phone (which would run the same OS version anyway). Apple manages to sell new hardware because the new hardware is brilliant.
Anyway, my original post here was to ascertain whether or not 2.3 or 3.0 would be available for the SGT at some stage. I'm thinking that nobody knows which is fine. I only paid £300 for a wifi+3G SGT and they're fetching that on ebay, so I have not exactly lost out. I'll check out 3.0 on the Iconia A101 I have on pre-order. Maybe that will live up to my expectations.
Nigel

I have never understood the *****ing about updates thing.
You buy a device. When you pick it up off the shelf and take it home you are completely happy with what it is and what you can do with it. You tell all your friends how awesome your device is and recommend that everyone buy one. Then you read that there is a new update to Android. All of a sudden your device is a POS. You wonder why any sane person would even buy such a sack of sh*t. You question your own sanity for buying it in the first place. You call all your friends back and tell them you were dead wrong and no one should ever buy a device like yours ever again. Nothing about your device has changed. WTF??
Also, I'll point out that while older versions of IOS can run newer versions of IOS, they don't do it well at all. That's the main reason why devices don't get updated. Just saying.

Some of the responses here are mind boggling.
Consider this: These Android 3rd party partners essentially get these Android updates for free from Google. Contrast that with Apple who have to do most of the work (except for the open source parts they leverage, which isn't the *entire OS* in Android's case). These manufacturers then need to do, well, what volunteer hackers seem to have little trouble putting together from their bedrooms in relatively little man-hour time. So it's frankly in-excusable for the likes of Samsung, Sony, etc to not have provided Gingerbread updates by now for their devices. The fact that only 4% of handsets on Gingerbread proves the point!

My device is working just fine. Some better apps would make it alot more useful, but I doubt any sw updates will make this much better. Just like switching from windows XP to 7, what have I really gained?

Google encouraging 18 month update pledge
Well, its a start, what happens in practice remains to be seen:
http://androinica.com/2011/05/android-updates-for-18-months/

zetsurin said:
Some of the responses here are mind boggling.
Consider this: These Android 3rd party partners essentially get these Android updates for free from Google. Contrast that with Apple who have to do most of the work (except for the open source parts they leverage, which isn't the *entire OS* in Android's case). These manufacturers then need to do, well, what volunteer hackers seem to have little trouble putting together from their bedrooms in relatively little man-hour time. So it's frankly in-excusable for the likes of Samsung, Sony, etc to not have provided Gingerbread updates by now for their devices. The fact that only 4% of handsets on Gingerbread proves the point!
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Click to collapse
Three questions:
1. What entitles you to any updates at all? They provide the product. You take it out of the box and determine that you like it. Why do they have any obligation to update your device at all? You certainly don't see this happening with any other type of product.
2. What happened to break your device? When you got it you liked it or you would've taken it back. Now it's a POS. Why? What happened to it to break it?
3. What features of Gingerbread do you want/need on your Tab?

A. Nonymous said:
Three questions:
1. What entitles you to any updates at all? They provide the product. You take it out of the box and determine that you like it. Why do they have any obligation to update your device at all? You certainly don't see this happening with any other type of product.
2. What happened to break your device? When you got it you liked it or you would've taken it back. Now it's a POS. Why? What happened to it to break it?
3. What features of Gingerbread do you want/need on your Tab?
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Click to collapse
1.My windows laptop is constantly telling me that I have updates ready to install.
1&2. It can take awhile to notice some annoying little quirks and bugs on a device.
3. I would like to be able to use google talk with my front camera.
Sent from my GT-P1000T using XDA App

baxy said:
1.My windows laptop is constantly telling me that I have updates ready to install.
1&2. It can take awhile to notice some annoying little quirks and bugs on a device.
3. I would like to be able to use google talk with my front camera.
Sent from my GT-P1000T using XDA App
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Click to collapse
1. Really? Microsoft lets you update for free from XP to Windows 7? or even from Windows 7 Home to Windows 7 Professional? Please let me know how to do that. They're never giving me any updates other than security fixes. I've received no updates from Microsoft that included a brand new OS. Obviously I'm in the minority I guess.
2. What is it about your device that makes it a POS now when you liked it originally? What has changed or what have you noticed?
3. You didn't have this when you got the Tab. Why does this just now make you unhappy?

Gingerbread now out.!
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA Premium App

stoney73 said:
The sad thing is, they have over 600 posts between them
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and you have over 200 and still haven't learned people have a different opinion to yourself that's the really sad thing.
As i said at the bottom of my post get ready for the backlash

ssserpentine said:
Gingerbread now out.!
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm hearing that's just for some of the overseas Tabs and hasn't been rooted yet anyway. Or am I incorrect about all of those things? Wouldn't be the first time.

Maybe not HC - How About ICS?

I saw an interesting article on the recent Google event. Since there has been some question about the S7 getting HC, because it does not meet the screen resolution requirements, maybe it will get Ice Cream:
"After Honeycomb comes Ice Cream Sandwich in the fourth quarter, which incorporates Honeycomb features but works on phones and Google TV devices as well. Job No. 1 for Ice Cream Sandwich is reducing the fragmentation problem that makes it hard to write one Android app that works on multiple devices, but Google was cagey on new features coming to make that possible. Also coming with Ice Cream Sandwich is a facial tracking technology. "
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20061541-251.html?tag=nl.e404

I can assure you the s7 will have hc. Not sure when but it will happen. I booted a test today other then having touch driver issues and a few other problems its there. And its pretty lol.
sent from a tower

would people PLEASE stop going on about the stupid (and never confirmed) myth of honeycomb needing high res screens. It does not and will run happily one lower spec screens
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk

It's Android. Any OS version can be put on any device, with enough will and skill.
I got the S7 because of the screen size; personally, I feel a 10.1" loses the portability factor and I might as well be using a netbook. Having used HC on the XOOM, I'm thinking that the S7 will be the perfect platform for it. 7" is definitely not too small, and is probably just the right size (I know; that's what she said).

DJ_Steve said:
would people PLEASE stop going on about the stupid (and never confirmed) myth of honeycomb needing high res screens. It does not and will run happily one lower spec screens
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't speaking of if it was possible to put it on the S7 (yes, I'm sure it is); I have seen some posts that indicate that Google has set the standard for HC support above 800X480, which may mean that Dell won't upgrade. I'm not sure I've seen it confirmed anywhere. I was just pointing out that ICS may provide the same functionality, and would definitely work with the S7 resolution.
My OP was speaking of Dell releases, not outside developer rooting and hacking.

Z4nd4r said:
It's Android. Any OS version can be put on any device, with enough will and skill.
I got the S7 because of the screen size; personally, I feel a 10.1" loses the portability factor and I might as well be using a netbook. Having used HC on the XOOM, I'm thinking that the S7 will be the perfect platform for it. 7" is definitely not too small, and is probably just the right size (I know; that's what she said).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree on the size.

Reason why iPhone 4s kills Android

Lets write down why iPhone sold 4-5million in 3days and why android will never beat iPhone:
Why Android cant kill iPhone ever.
1. Delayed updates, while iOS release update everybody can update, no racial descrimination in updates lol
2. You need to beg and wait for developer to make a rom, sometime you need to buy them that smartphone to support the device. Most roms has forceclose error and some notification breaks!
3. Android markets, FRAGMENTED APPS, you need to beg or bash developer to update their up, but they just give up on you!
4. 4g sucks battery life (which android device is know for poor battery life and takes forever to charge) and spoty 4g, while iPhone 3g can do the job without problems and fact that is more stable!
5. Yeah yeah yeah 3D that feels like some alien is in your head playing with an amoeba! And iPhone 4s 1080p almost near Canon 5d MK II which cost $3000+.
6. Better resale value and you are guranteed 1yr of having the latest model iPhone before they release another iPhone. On android you bought it for almost $600, after 2 months you can buy it for $350 tops. And if you are lucky there is anew model android device after 1.5months and the one you bought is already an old model smartphone.
7. Seek apps and you will find.
8. Classy looks not plastic that you can see on trash cans.
9. you can video call every body, iPhone, iPad, iPad Touch, Mac. Android no videocall unity.
10. You have a bunch of dev that support jailbreaks and they every apps they made works on every iOs device.
11. Unmatch warranty, you want a new iPhone? All you need to do is mess up the OS and then gp to Apple store and you walk out with a spanking, twinkling new iPhone in your hand no question ask.
12. Retina display, you need magnifying glass to see the pixel dot.
13. They copy some android apps but they made it work right you can say it is perfect. On android it is just good enough.
14-350+. plus tons more.
Come join the fun list them.

And Android wins, Steve Jobs is dead, get over it. (Sarcasm intended)
But in all seriousness my Thrill beats the iPhone 4S to death, so does the GSII, and about any other new top of the line Android. iPhones are too hard to work with, everything is locked up unlike the Android. Let me try to dismiss as many of your reasons as I can.
1. Android OTA updates have problems because lots of people have Androids=Slower server updates and connection problems.
2. At least we can flash roms.
3. At least we have an open marketplace.
4. I have CM7 on my Inspire and have gone 26 hours and still have 30% of my battery life left.
5. My Thrill has 3D and 1080P, and can play Blu Ray videos/movies in 3D. Also, it has a built in HDMI slot.
6. We have so many updates which can cost more money, but we also get newer technology and support faster.
7. That didn't even make logical sense.
8. Android phones are sleek and sexy, iPhones had dropped calls because of the so called "Death Grip". Plus, glass breaks easily. Google SGII vs iPhone 4S drop test. Laugh.
9. I have a face calling utility, called Skype, along with about three other easy to download apps.
10. We have way more dev support, WAY MORE.
11. How do you mess up an iPhone OS? Jailbreaking voids your warranty. And, you have to pay the same insurance price, go AT&T? Physical damage covered.
12. We have Super Amoled + (Close enough)
13. Most Android apps work. Any examples to prove this point?
14. What?
There, happy?

RootTheNoob said:
And Android wins, Steve Jobs is dead, get over it. (Sarcasm intended)
But in all seriousness my Thrill beats the iPhone 4S to death, so does the GSII, and about any other new top of the line Android. iPhones are too hard to work with, everything is locked up unlike the Android. Let me try to dismiss as many of your reasons as I can.
1. Android OTA updates have problems because lots of people have Androids=Slower server updates and connection problems.
2. At least we can flash roms.
3. At least we have an open marketplace.
4. I have CM7 on my Inspire and have gone 26 hours and still have 30% of my battery life left.
5. My Thrill has 3D and 1080P, and can play Blu Ray videos/movies in 3D. Also, it has a built in HDMI slot.
6. We have so many updates which can cost more money, but we also get newer technology and support faster.
7. That didn't even make logical sense.
8. Android phones are sleek and sexy, iPhones had dropped calls because of the so called "Death Grip". Plus, glass breaks easily. Google SGII vs iPhone 4S drop test. Laugh.
9. I have a face calling utility, called Skype, along with about three other easy to download apps.
10. We have way more dev support, WAY MORE.
11. How do you mess up an iPhone OS? Jailbreaking voids your warranty. And, you have to pay the same insurance price, go AT&T? Physical damage covered.
12. We have Super Amoled + (Close enough)
13. Most Android apps work. Any examples to prove this point?
14. What?
There, happy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Win. 10char

The ONLY reason the iPhone will win over Android is simple: EASE OF USE
Almost every reason you gave in the OP is mostly stuff the average consumer doesn't and will never care about. The AC doesn't care about rooting and such. Heck, if the average consumer REALLY cared about battery life, then the Galaxy series of phones wouldn't sell as well as it does.
The ONLY reason iOS and it's the ONLY thing iOS has over everyone is ease of use. Winmo7 has equal ease of use, but it suffers from coming to the party too late.
ICS looks like it will have better ease of use, but for now iOS is king when it comes to the average consumer and JUST working.

spirikitik said:
Lets write down why iPhone sold 4-5million in 3days and why android will never beat iPhone:
Why Android cant kill iPhone ever.
1. Delayed updates, while iOS release update everybody can update, no racial descrimination in updates lol - Agreed. Android OEMs need to get their act together. Either that or Google needs to end Android UI skins and standardize ICS.
2. You need to beg and wait for developer to make a rom, sometime you need to buy them that smartphone to support the device. Most roms has forceclose error and some notification breaks! - Lolno.
3. Android markets, FRAGMENTED APPS, you need to beg or bash developer to update their up, but they just give up on you! True for games. And some apps have ugly UIs that don't conform with the rest of the Android system...but other than that...no.
4. 4g sucks battery life (which android device is know for poor battery life and takes forever to charge) and spoty 4g, while iPhone 3g can do the job without problems and fact that is more stable! - LTE does, but HSPA+ doesn't.
5. Yeah yeah yeah 3D that feels like some alien is in your head playing with an amoeba! And iPhone 4s 1080p almost near Canon 5d MK II which cost $3000+. - The 4S camera is amazing, yes.
6. Better resale value and you are guranteed 1yr of having the latest model iPhone before they release another iPhone. On android you bought it for almost $600, after 2 months you can buy it for $350 tops. And if you are lucky there is anew model android device after 1.5months and the one you bought is already an old model smartphone. - Somewhat true. Not necessarily.
7. Seek apps and you will find. - Huh?
8. Classy looks not plastic that you can see on trash cans. - This is kind of true. App Store apps do tend to have better UIs and quality in general than their Market counterparts, but it depends on the dev.
9. you can video call every body, iPhone, iPad, iPad Touch, Mac. Android no videocall unity. - Google Talk Video...comes with every Android phone. Call any Android device or PC.
10. You have a bunch of dev that support jailbreaks and they every apps they made works on every iOs device. - the Android mod community is better, period. Jailbreaking hit its high point around iOS 2.2.x. After that...the actual Cydia developers have turned into 8 year olds making fart themes.
11. Unmatch warranty, you want a new iPhone? All you need to do is mess up the OS and then gp to Apple store and you walk out with a spanking, twinkling new iPhone in your hand no question ask. - Yes Apple customer service is nice.
12. Retina display, you need magnifying glass to see the pixel dot. - Same with the Galaxy Nexus.
13. They copy some android apps but they made it work right you can say it is perfect. On android it is just good enough. ?
14-350+. plus tons more. ?
Come join the fun list them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There.....

iphone = basic
Basic people use basic phones. Android however is for the more intuitive person hints why there is so much development

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Problem?
I'm guessing you bought the new iPhone 4S and are pretty damn mad about the Galaxy Nexus.
I would be mad too.

reasons for wanting to return your new iPhone ----->>>>>>> galaxy nexus / facial unlock

azr3alazd3ycum said:
reasons for wanting to return your new iPhone ----->>>>>>> galaxy nexus / facial unlock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget, if something happens to his iPhone he has to pay $30 to get it fixed.

Hyphnx said:
Problem?
I'm guessing you bought the new iPhone 4S and are pretty damn mad about the Galaxy Nexus.
I would be mad too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well let's see, iPhone is on how many carriers and offers how many price ranges? The fact that android is more readily available is the only reason that the above is true. I don't like iOS but I also don't have to lie to myself about my OS's dominance.

IPhones have genius bars. .........android has a development community
Oh yea and half the time those "geniuses" don't know what's going on

iPhones have genius bars. .........android has a development community
Oh yea and half the time those "geniuses" don't know what's going on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do we do now, boss?

spirikitik said:
Lets write down why iPhone sold 4-5million in 3days and why android will never beat iPhone:
Why Android cant kill iPhone ever.
1. Delayed updates, while iOS release update everybody can update, no racial descrimination in updates lol
2. You need to beg and wait for developer to make a rom, sometime you need to buy them that smartphone to support the device. Most roms has forceclose error and some notification breaks!
3. Android markets, FRAGMENTED APPS, you need to beg or bash developer to update their up, but they just give up on you!
4. 4g sucks battery life (which android device is know for poor battery life and takes forever to charge) and spoty 4g, while iPhone 3g can do the job without problems and fact that is more stable!
5. Yeah yeah yeah 3D that feels like some alien is in your head playing with an amoeba! And iPhone 4s 1080p almost near Canon 5d MK II which cost $3000+.
6. Better resale value and you are guranteed 1yr of having the latest model iPhone before they release another iPhone. On android you bought it for almost $600, after 2 months you can buy it for $350 tops. And if you are lucky there is anew model android device after 1.5months and the one you bought is already an old model smartphone.
7. Seek apps and you will find.
8. Classy looks not plastic that you can see on trash cans.
9. you can video call every body, iPhone, iPad, iPad Touch, Mac. Android no videocall unity.
10. You have a bunch of dev that support jailbreaks and they every apps they made works on every iOs device.
11. Unmatch warranty, you want a new iPhone? All you need to do is mess up the OS and then gp to Apple store and you walk out with a spanking, twinkling new iPhone in your hand no question ask.
12. Retina display, you need magnifying glass to see the pixel dot.
13. They copy some android apps but they made it work right you can say it is perfect. On android it is just good enough.
14-350+. plus tons more.
Come join the fun list them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You forgot:
-Closed ecosystem, you will only have whatever they allow you to have.
-A phone that's made of glass, if it fall off your hands it will explode its "Nasa technology made" screen to a million pieces.
-The ackward feeling of being just one more from the herd with not much of a freedom, unlike Android.
"I'll rather be head of mice than a lion's tail"
And still, there is not a single thing that you can do on an iphone that u cannot do it on android also, and if there is, its not for long.
One more thing: iphone fits more for just the regular USER, let's say. Android fits more for the power users like us AND regular users.
Caddle
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

Barzobius said:
You forgot:
-Closed ecosystem, you will only have whatever they allow you to have.
-A phone that's made of glass, if it fall off your hands it will explode its "Nasa technology made" screen to a million pieces.
-The ackward feeling of being just one more from the herd with not much of a freedom, unlike Android.
"I'll rather be head of mice than a lion's tail"
And still, there is not a single thing that you can do on an iphone that u cannot do it on android also, and if there is, its not for long.
One more thing: iphone fits more for just the regular USER, let's say. Android fits more for the power users like us AND regular users.
Caddle
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the parts of this that are English are just comical.

Sent from my X10i using XDA App

Dont worry |OP| we (android users) understand that you are a little dissapoint with the new iphone 4S and its silly thing, "sorry" i mean siri thing... just wait one year more to have 1.5 dual core while we (android users) will be using Quad cores or something... and you fanboys will say... "its not necessary... dual core is better in battery life and bla bla bla"
Glad to you fanboys that the Man invented the pretexts

renehd2 said:
Dont worry |OP| we (android users) understand that you are a little dissapoint with the new iphone 4S and its silly thing, "sorry" i mean siri thing... just wait one year more to have 1.5 dual core while we (android users) will be using Quad cores or something... and you fanboys will say... "its not necessary... dual core is better in battery life and bla bla bla"
Glad to you fanboys that the Man invented the pretexts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hardware has nothing to do with OS, iOS runs infinitely better on lesser hardware.

azr3alazd3ycum said:
IPhones have genius bars. .........android has a development community
Oh yea and half the time those "geniuses" don't know what's going on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hate to say it, but as much as you want to think Android has a better Dev community it doesn't. Most of the Android devs stick to a specific device each completely different from the next. The iPhone Dev community can be smaller but a lot more support because no fragmentation.
The main reason for Android ROMs are for a few reasons. Removing manufactor/carrier crapware, ASOP, and themes. With the iPhone you don't need a ROM at all because there is no crapware, it's stock firmware, and with jailbreaking you can theme.
You don't brick iPhones unless it's intentional and even then you can get a new one for free most likely.

To the op, you can't talk about the pros of an iPhone and attempt to distinguish it against a platform (Android). The 4S is a phone. iOS5 is the platform. If you want to make a fair assessment, you need to compare it with a NEXUS since it's the flagship phone for Android.
I'll give apple their props. They make good products and streamline as much as possible (the ecosystem). If you're the kind of person that just wants a good phone without a NEED of fully customizing/tweaking, then the iPhone is perfect.
On the other hand, I chose an EVO 15 months ago because it suited my needs. Barring any hardware requirement (NFC chip), I know that it'll only be a matter of time until the wonderful devs here at xda will find a way to get it to work on my phone. For example, sense 3.0 isn't officially coming to my phone, but guess what? It's possible to do so, even Sense 3.5. You have the right to point out that certain things don't work, but guess what? Eventually they will and I can wait until the devs complete the project. Let me put it like this:
When people state that the custom ROMs are buggy. It's like a little kid making GINGERBREAD and eating the dough, then complaining that it's not their flavor. You'd simply point out that you gotta finish adding all the ingredients and wait for the finished product. I'm running CM7 GB 2.3.7 and this cookie is sweet.
Lastly, let's say you drive a Ferrari. THE iOS platform is like driving an automatic (no paddle shifter, just a regular gas and break). The Android platform is like a 6 gate manual. You have complete control over the vehicle. You feel more connected because you have a say. You can down shift and speed past the car on your right. Whereas the automatic will force you to remain in high gear because that's what it wants you to think is best for you.
At the end of the day, it's all about whether you're happy with your purchase. Bashing something for the sake of bashing is immature.
P.S. look to your left...that's me passing you up
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

z33dev33l said:
hardware has nothing to do with OS, iOS runs infinitely better on lesser hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If by infinitely better you mean closed & outdated. Sure Windows 95 runs great on lesser hardware also............but who wants that dinosaur **** ?
Sorry but I'll pass on a unix/BSOD system that is closed. I prefer access, insight
& freedom over "easy of use" any day.

Game over tab 8.9?

Samsung will likely release a next gen tab in Barcelona. Will this mean minimal support for our tab?
I was a big defender of android for 2 years. But i have had it. Will switch over to iphone 5 and ipad 3. Our tab rom from Samsung is suboptimal to say the least. Still no ICS. App quality still sucks for business, science, musicians etc. Improvement too slow. I thought differently 6 months ago but now it seems we can not catch up to Apple ecosystem.
I am just trying to make a rational decision, no ideological arguments.
I know I know...go ahead, hit me...
cheers
chris

There's a couple of nice ICS roms over in the development forum, I'm using the latest Galaxian Soup alpha and it's awesome.

I agree.. I'm feeling frustrated from lag and the low support from my device. Yes Apple taking the full control for IOS.. But I realise that its for good.....
Sent from my GT-P7300 using XDA App

I am still not sold on the iOS

here at the WEF
I also need to admit that I am in a bad mood right now...which prompted me to start this thread.
I am here in Davos at the wef. looking around I see only ipads. the special wef app on my tab 8.9 fcs all the time, looks terribly designed and can not be used in landscape on the tablet!
on the ipad the same app looks great andworks in landscape. that just fuelled my anger....

MelFranks said:
There's a couple of nice ICS roms over in the development forum, I'm using the latest Galaxian Soup alpha and it's awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the roms for the 8.9 seem to display hdmi out correctly or have other significant issues.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk

SGSChris said:
I also need to admit that I am in a bad mood right now...which prompted me to start this thread.
I am here in Davos at the wef. looking around I see only ipads. the special wef app on my tab 8.9 fcs all the time, looks terribly designed and can not be used in landscape on the tablet!
on the ipad the same app looks great andworks in landscape. that just fuelled my anger....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well but that ain't really androids or samsungs fault. if someone designs a crappy app for android and a well working app for ios then of course it will look better on ios....
as for support. the older iphones aren't getting any updates and ipad1 is missing out on a lot of features that the ipad2 got via software. so it aint like android is all bad and ios is all good.
that being said, yeah samsung is being slow releasing stuff and touchwizz is bloated crap. they should try and please people releasing updates as fast as possible instead of bloating them and making them slower.

I've only owned my sgt 8.9 for a month and I think th nhardware is fantastic and going from iphone 3-4s and my wifes ipad 2 to this android and samsung show they can pull it off better than apple in most ways.... But.....
Time between releases isn't practical, the features of true clean android os (no samsung excess besides ebook) are fantastic but samsung kill it with touchwiz and excess compulsary samsung apps, and the market is great but also it's own worst enemy. (but we cant do anything about that because its un-regulated so to speak). Been muking around with custom roms and my hats off to the develooers as they're are really trying to polish up and bring us the best experience possible but they're relying on samsung to continue support but sadly they just are developing enough for our developers to improve on.
It's sad when a combination of 2 great products with both ability, style and funding can't bring it together and focus on fewer models or realeases to perfect something thats already almost there and really flex there muscles in the face of the competition.
Sent from my GT-P7300 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk

jpbutler said:
None of the roms for the 8.9 seem to display hdmi out correctly or have other significant issues.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true, I suppose it really depends upon what you are using the tablet for.

pseudoheld said:
well but that ain't really androids or samsungs fault. if someone designs a crappy app for android and a well working app for ios then of course it will look better on ios....
as for support. the older iphones aren't getting any updates and ipad1 is missing out on a lot of features that the ipad2 got via software. so it aint like android is all bad and ios is all good.
that being said, yeah samsung is being slow releasing stuff and touchwizz is bloated crap. they should try and please people releasing updates as fast as possible instead of bloating them and making them slower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree, but that is why we need to consider the whole ecosystem that generates design standards, a sense of esthetics and professionalism and coolness...
samsung seems to push new bricks with better technology at a frantic speed but this does not improve usability. they are bad at engaging users and are terrible on the softwareside. It also seems that the ios ecosystem has the more demanding users that care less about tech and custom roms but overall usability.
I have my tab now for 5 months, there has not been a release of any appropriate rom by samsung for a 600$ Tablet! not acceptable...and my sgs i9000 is also not supported anymore by samsung...

I have an 8.9 and I feel your pain as well. I want Android to work out but it seems the manufacturers are only interested in the initial sale of the item, after that support dwindles quickly. Compare this to Apple who understands that your building a relationship with your customer. I think it sucks that the Kindle Fire has better support then the Galaxy Tab and most honeycomb devices.
App support with Android is poor at best. When compatibility has to be reviewed for each device by the developer (Hello hulu, netflix, & Gameloft!), you have a poor ecosystem. A number of really good games avail on the iPad do not even have Android the radar.
Still, I hang in there, because I don't like Apples restrictive system. Hoping manufacturers & developers will get on board and fix things. If it doesn't change in the next year though, I'm out and going back to iPad, because at the end of the day I want to use my device not hack it.

I can understand the frustration fully. I have an LG Optimus S, and my wife just upgraded off her Samsung Moment. Sometimes, vendor support for the latest version of android is minimal at best. In contrast, Apple EOLs their hardware, and there is no coming back from that. Every hardware update/major version release sees the previous oldest supported platform unsupported. Additionally, even the previous version sees missing features on the software side (ref iphone 4 + siri) that hafe been proven to run on the older platform.
Atleast with android, you can rely on strong dev communities to build new versions of the software in a timely manner. All weekend I ran the ICS alpha/beta and it is very nice!

I like my tab mainly for the size and form, and for 360 dollars it was a deal. It doesn't work any better them my Acer A500, which is more use full in the long run. Anyways my first android was the Samsung Moment which was terrible, htc hero, evo, nexus s, Acer A100, Acer A500, nook color, I pad 2, and now this 8.9. So I have had a lot of experience and I can surely say this is my last android mobile device. I'm tired of being a lab rat for these half baked devices all has had major problems. I don't want to have to rely on developers to fix things. I have only kept the I pad for a month and couldn't live without Google's services, but now I'm over it. Until they get more control over these manufactures to provide updates in a timely manor and manufactures fix their hardware I don't see a reason to stay. I guess the flexibility of android comes at a price and we all get burned.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk

This is a really interesting thread, because it portrays what I think would be a very different opinion versus if you asked the same question other in the dev board. And the different demographics involves paralleled a conversation I had the other day at work.
I am a complete Android head - half the appeal for me is tinkering with the thing. I see that as normal - no, actually I see that as a big part of the experience. I hate the iPad because it is so rigidly locked down in every respect. I had an iPad, but found it stifling and could get on with it even jailbroken.
I was shocked, however, when a girl at work gave a ten minute scathing diatribe on Android based on her experience with a low end Samsung phone. "But that was a low end Android phone!" I said. "It was bound to be slow and clunky. That's not a fair assessment of Android to base it on that experience. Plus, even if it was underpowered hardware, you probably could still have found a ROM for it out there that'd solve most of the problems you were having".
She didn't care. She just wanted the thing to work out of the box and her eyes glazed over when I started talking about ROMs.
It was a new perspective for me and I find myself recommending devices differently now. Time was I would have recommended the GT 8.9 unequivocally. The form factor plus hardware (in my opinion) beats anything else currently on the market. And I'd put my ICS equipped 8.9 up against any iPad in terms of user experience and I'd say it comes out on top. However, if you want a tablet that you get out of the box and use, it's not this one. The stock Samsung Android install is an abortion and unless you are happy to tweak (or have a family member who'll do it for you) it's not the device for you.
And therein lies the problem with 99% of Android devices on the market. Until vendors get over this need to differentiate their devices by adding layer after layer of bloat on top of Android, Android will continue to play second fiddle to iOS in terms of the user experience - even if that iOS user experience is rigidly controlled and prevents you from doing basic things like moving an icon a couple of spaces away from another.

I never had a problem with android until I lost my nexus one. Then I entered the world of other manufacturers devices. So far they all suck. HTC has the ****ty looking sense the I dare to define a great punch in the face to good design, Samsung is notoriously known for making good hardware but not giving a crap about the software, I'm not sure why this is, why they think that the software is not as important to the device. My next try will be with Asus, they seem to update their software on top of having decent hardware. This in regard of tablets for phones, i'll switch to a nexus device as soon as my HTC dies or the galaxy nexus comes to t-mobile.
I went through apple and i dont like the company. First of all i'm forced most of the time at work to use imacs to work on visual effects, i dont know where studio owners get their facts, but those machine sucks for production! They are designed for customers not professionals, they have the guts of a laptop and none of the benefits. Then i have a macbook that gave me nothing but hardware problems for 3 years, an iphone 4 that i can't use because its super locked to at&t and i used to have an ipod touch which died unexpectedly during a vacation. The only apple stuff i'm kinda happy about are my two ipods that still survive (and yet do not allow, me to officially get my music out of them).
So as you can see I'm fed up with apple and their shady hardware, they killed all the great professional stuff they had (shake, final cut pro, quicktime pro, apple servers and raids) and i don't think osx has any advantage over windows anymore either.
There are two faces to every coin, but I'm sure one day I will find a good tablet/phone/computer maker for my needs, it's just a trial and error job.
Good luck with Apple I hope you'll be more lucky than me!

Loccy said:
It was a new perspective for me and I find myself recommending devices differently now.
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nice post mate. i totally agree with you and half the fun for me with android is the messing about and tweaking stuff. the only android phones i would recomend without thinking twice are the nexus series (because they are bloat free) and the s2 because its just and awesome device. but yeah if you have something more "consumerish" and don't feel like messing around with it you aren't gonna have the nices experience.
for the technologically unprepaired person an iProduct is probably better because it just works as they think it should (even though its awefully restrained and restricted)
DBBGBA said:
I never had a problem with android until I lost my nexus one.
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i'm still running my n1 and loving it
as for apple machines for production...i have a lot to do in the video sector and we use macpros with final cut (7 not x )
i must say they are awesome machines but also have a few downsides.
they are friggin expensive (as everything apple)
they are not the error free devices everyone thinks they are. only last month we had 2 graphics cards dying 1 hdd giving up and 2 OS corruptions. so the myth about apple products not breaking down is...a myth!
so yeah if you are prepared to tinker i would go with android all the way. if you are my mum or someone else that just wants to USE something and not get involved with it...then i guess the i is the way to go.

I showed my stock skyrocket when I first bought it, she didn't even wanted to look.
Then I installed my preferred launcher (Launcher 7) and custom roms, lots of small tricks and clean ups (hid all the extra apps like Ti Backup, Root Explorer, etc.) and let the Windows Phone 7 interface dominate with big Twitter and Facebook buttons, Big camera and email button, weather. She was sold. She played with it while I was watching tv for a good while.
If the iPhone 5 will feature yet another 3.5" display, I'll take your phone no problem, she said.
I think the Android Interface, esp. the launcher, the widget handling, etc. leaves a lot to be desired. WP7 less is more approach works for some.

RipplingHurst said:
WP7 less is more approach works for some.
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I agree in fact I'm very curious to try one WP7 device for a while and maybe start suggesting that instead of iphones.

SGSChris said:
Samsung will likely release a next gen tab in Barcelona. Will this mean minimal support for our tab?
I was a big defender of android for 2 years. But i have had it. Will switch over to iphone 5 and ipad 3. Our tab rom from Samsung is suboptimal to say the least. Still no ICS. App quality still sucks for business, science, musicians etc. Improvement too slow. I thought differently 6 months ago but now it seems we can not catch up to Apple ecosystem.
I am just trying to make a rational decision, no ideological arguments.
I know I know...go ahead, hit me...
cheers
chris
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If you need an application that you cannot live without then go with ipad. You might be prepared that new ipad3 will blow ipad2 away but this is a bout making more and more money.
I was with Apple before Android. Now I am proud not following the iCrowd.
After stripping all bloatware and services my Sammy serves me well.
In regards to ICS I tried it on Xoom and didn't see anything vitally important.
It seems that in one year every piece of hardware becomes largely irrelevant and in two obsolete.

its still fck alpha so whats the point here??
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qhinton said:
I like my tab mainly for the size and form, and for 360 dollars it was a deal. It doesn't work any better them my Acer A500, which is more use full in the long run. Anyways my first android was the Samsung Moment which was terrible, htc hero, evo, nexus s, Acer A100, Acer A500, nook color, I pad 2, and now this 8.9. So I have had a lot of experience and I can surely say this is my last android mobile device. I'm tired of being a lab rat for these half baked devices all has had major problems. I don't want to have to rely on developers to fix things. I have only kept the I pad for a month and couldn't live without Google's services, but now I'm over it. Until they get more control over these manufactures to provide updates in a timely manor and manufactures fix their hardware I don't see a reason to stay. I guess the flexibility of android comes at a price and we all get burned.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk
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this is soooo true... despite to the fact how much i hate apple as company...
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Adapt0r said:
If you need an application that you cannot live without then go with ipad. You might be prepared that new ipad3 will blow ipad2 away but this is a bout making more and more money.
I was with Apple before Android. Now I am proud not following the iCrowd.
After stripping all bloatware and services my Sammy serves me well.
In regards to ICS I tried it on Xoom and didn't see anything vitally important.
It seems that in one year every piece of hardware becomes largely irrelevant and in two obsolete.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you like to use half finished products just not to follow the iCrowd than i am sorry for u... just that.