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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
Okay, so im looking for the best deal online for a cellphone preferably through t-mobile and it'd need to be windows phone 7. I am willing to sign a new contract, at&Ts network is just too overloaded in my area and t-mobile is just a bit more friendly. I dont care if it's the venue pro or the hd7 and I've checked wirefly and lets talk. I just want to find the best deal for my money.
Or you could go android....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Amazon? xD
Nerz said:
Or you could go android....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Not desperate enough to downgrade like that.
try amazon!
Thanks for the Amazon suggestions. I'd never actually used Amazon before but it's 50 dollars less. If I can't find anything better by tomorrow I'm switching over.
If you cannot handle Android's Suzuki Hayabusa, it's a good idea to stick with WP7's pink Huffy with training wheels. Amazon is great either way.
Sent from my LG G2x
TJBunch1228 said:
If you cannot handle Android's Suzuki Hayabusa, it's a good idea to stick with WP7's pink Huffy with training wheels. Amazon is great either way.
Sent from my LG G2x
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nice, compare the OS who's main complaints are lag and fragmentation to the fast bike, outstanding. This thread was not intended to turn into a **** measuring contest between OSes, I've reduced enough fandroids to petty 2nd grade insults in every other one of those I've entered. This thread was simply to get some advice, stop trying to compensate for your perpetually dated OS.
Remove panties, untwist, reapply.
If you are happy using a child-friendly phone, surely you can take a joke.
Sent from my LG G2x
Thank you for proving my point, if child friendly means Im not forced to spend hours modifying it before it can pass as functional then I'm more than happy. Look mommy, no lag.
Yep, Android is the most successful mobile OS, with the largest marketshare and the fastest growth in the history of cellular technology precisely because it requires hours of technical modification before it even becomes usable...
WP7 is barely a blip on the mobile OS radar because the only thing it offers is a smooth UI. It accomplishes this by having no customization. You can play with the phone for a day and have done everything the phone is capable of. This appeals to (a tiny minority) of people who want something to hold their hands while they go about their facebooking and emailing. There is nothing that WP7 offers that Android is incapable of doing, but the list of things WP7 is incapable of would turn any forum post into a Novella.
You like the simplicity of WP7, cool. Those pretty colors on the blocks that tell you if you have an email or text message are rad. I can run a fully functional WP7 launcher on my phone and stare at that before I go into a boredom coma. How many Android launchers with widgets, live wallpapers and customizable icons can you run on your super sweet OS?
Sent from my LG G2x
I believe the term here, and I apologize for my butchering of the English language, is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Yes, android is the largest and fastest growing mobile OS, lets go to t-mobile's website, oh, 2 free android phones and some free flip phones, wonder which I'm going to pick. Hmm, let's try ATT, wow, same thing. Android can be used by anybody, any oem, and because of that it's optimized for nobody. This is why it will always feel like going back to windows 95 to me.
As far as your other statement goes, the UI is a massive selling point, absolutely lag free. However, it does have other points. The social networking integration can not come close with any number of apps on android, Zune pass annihilates any service on android, wp7 makes gaming on android look like a joke for the most part and has full Xbox live integration, the most amusing game I've found thus far on either OS came out near each of their releases. For windows phone 7 its the beautifully crafted IloMilo and for android it's a basic tower defense game, robo-defense. Still robo-defense doesn't work on a number of devices because of *gasp* fragmentation. With the release of your new android device the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head, fat chance that it's ever going to see an update. I own an S2 as well and that things been in my kitchen drawer since 2 days after I got it because it has no wow factor at all. Sure opposed to most android phones the lag is greatly reduced but that's about as relevant as coming in first in the special olympics.
For us devs, the dev environment of wp7 is 1000 times easier than androids and much more user friendly, last I heard androids dev support doesn't even offer anything more than a dead email address anymore. Most importantly, wp7 is people-centric as they like to call it. The main point of a phone is to keep up with people and for that it's perfect. I can pull up a contact, read up on what's going on, message them on Facebook or via SMS, hell I could shoot em an email if I wanted to I suppose. I can do all of this with the full facebook/twitter/live integration out of the box (and yes, my most recent hd7 shipped with mango so I guess they are shipping them out that way now)
Finally, sure, you could launch a piss poor emulation of wp7 on your device, you could even get a cheap rip-off of our keyboard and while imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, regardless of how poorly done, windows doesn't need to do that because hey look, our OS actually works. If it ran on every piece of hardware, if OEMs didn't have to pay for it, and if we'd let Chinese companies that make tablets and sell em for 80 dollars use our OS then we'd have all that hype too. Of course then we'd likely be laggy, fragmented, and always feel like windows 95.
Well it wasn't my intention to derail the thread from it's original topic, I was just being a smart ass.
That being said, I am honestly glad Microsoft is doing atleast a decent enough job to pull a couple users away from Android. WP7 is useless to me as well as the majority of other heavy users, but competition breeds innovation. The better WP7 gets, the better the competition gets in response. Win-win.
I'll consider going back to WP7 when it offers the ability to modify and update the OS and UI independent of Microsoft and the carriers whim. They have free wifi tether yet, either?
Sent from my LG G2x
z33dev33l said:
I believe the term here, and I apologize for my butchering of the English language, is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Yes, android is the largest and fastest growing mobile OS, lets go to t-mobile's website, oh, 2 free android phones and some free flip phones, wonder which I'm going to pick. Hmm, let's try ATT, wow, same thing. Android can be used by anybody, any oem, and because of that it's optimized for nobody. This is why it will always feel like going back to windows 95 to me.
As far as your other statement goes, the UI is a massive selling point, absolutely lag free. However, it does have other points. The social networking integration can not come close with any number of apps on android, Zune pass annihilates any service on android, wp7 makes gaming on android look like a joke for the most part and has full Xbox live integration, the most amusing game I've found thus far on either OS came out near each of their releases. For windows phone 7 its the beautifully crafted IloMilo and for android it's a basic tower defense game, robo-defense. Still robo-defense doesn't work on a number of devices because of *gasp* fragmentation. With the release of your new android device the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head, fat chance that it's ever going to see an update. I own an S2 as well and that things been in my kitchen drawer since 2 days after I got it because it has no wow factor at all. Sure opposed to most android phones the lag is greatly reduced but that's about as relevant as coming in first in the special olympics.
For us devs, the dev environment of wp7 is 1000 times easier than androids and much more user friendly, last I heard androids dev support doesn't even offer anything more than a dead email address anymore. Most importantly, wp7 is people-centric as they like to call it. The main point of a phone is to keep up with people and for that it's perfect. I can pull up a contact, read up on what's going on, message them on Facebook or via SMS, hell I could shoot em an email if I wanted to I suppose. I can do all of this with the full facebook/twitter/live integration out of the box (and yes, my most recent hd7 shipped with mango so I guess they are shipping them out that way now)
Finally, sure, you could launch a piss poor emulation of wp7 on your device, you could even get a cheap rip-off of our keyboard and while imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, regardless of how poorly done, windows doesn't need to do that because hey look, our OS actually works. If it ran on every piece of hardware, if OEMs didn't have to pay for it, and if we'd let Chinese companies that make tablets and sell em for 80 dollars use our OS then we'd have all that hype too. Of course then we'd likely be laggy, fragmented, and always feel like windows 95.
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can't go wrong with tmobile lowest mainstream contract to offer its unlimited web plan. with being that said wp7 is a real battery hogger as i've heard i think that's what makes up for it's high end graphic UI's pushing it.
Mcds said:
can't go wrong with tmobile lowest mainstream contract to offer its unlimited web plan. with being that said wp7 is a real battery hogger as i've heard i think that's what makes up for it's high end graphic UI's pushing it.
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Yeah my pre-Mango HD7 got 4-6 hours of moderate to heavy use. But my OC'd and heavily animated G2x only gets a few more hours than that of the same use, so you pick your poison.
Sent from my LG G2x
Pre-mango I'll admit, my battery life on all four of my wp7 devices was a joke, my dvp is literally twice as strong battery-wise, my hd7 gets around 13 hours moderate-heavy usage, and my focus can go two days. That part blew me away. As for what you want from windows phone, the ability to update outside of Microsoft is there for htc's devices though I personally dont see the point in intentionally introducing fragmentation to an OS that is free of it. I doubt there will ever be much more customization than what's intact for the UI, honestly I love not having to move stuff around frequently always looking for that clean but efficient look but that was always just my personal aesthetic preference.
LETS WRITE DOWN SOME REASONS WHY ANDROID'S ARE BETTER THAN IPHONES
1. OTA (Over the air) updates. No need to plug in to itunes
2. Freedom to change roms, root, customize, etc
3. Similar markets but Android Market has tons of more stuff
4. Now is when the iPhone has 4G ? You're a year late Apple :\
5. Tsk tsk tsk, still no 3D? Bragging about 1080p and 8mp and dual core? The Epic had this several months ago
6. Why pay $800 bucks for it (On ebay), when I can get an Evo 3D on ebay for $350?
Join the fun, get at em boys!
Wow, talk about a generally blind post riddled with fanboyism.
Ibl
*ins>rt sig here*
The opportunity to be different from society.
I don't really see it as fanboyism considering that it's pretty much bang on the mark. I think iOS is an appalling piece of firmware. There is nothing interesting about an app draw, and let's face it, that's all it is. And that's just the apparent.
The hardware on the 4S is fantastic but by no means anything to brag about.
Sent from my GT-S5830 using xda premium
It is a matter of perspective and experience which define our "likes". For example to the novice/beginner computer user, the iOS is the best piece of software they could come across. Why? Because you do not need to go through menus to do something. Or click on the app drawer icon to display your apps. (Note to a novice or beginner, they will not fathom any of these ideas as they ar unfamilar with the whole technoligcal world, hence having a difficult or less simple experience, this all from my experience with my friends, some didn't even know how to call)
You simply swipe, and pick. Simple eh? So there it is, a bragging right, even the most unexperienced will be able to handle the iOS. That is what you call a good software based on the software principles. Usability.
You realize that iOS 5 brings OTA updates right? Might want to actually research the competition before you ridicule it like an idiot. Personally I love both. I use a Nexus S and iPhone interchangeably. I see no need to bash the other OS, it's all a matter of opinion. I say the exact same thing to all the screaming apple fanatics on MacRumors.
And for the record I like iOS better than Android but with ICS on the verge of release that may even the play field.
Reasons why Android kills iPhones, three letters ICS.
Android is what separates the men from the iPussies.
you forgot Android is a cooler name o_0
1. OTA (Over the air) updates. No need to plug in to itunes
iOS5 has OTA capability
2. Freedom to change roms, root, customize, etc
Jailbreak
3. Similar markets but Android Market has tons of more stuff
Ummm Appstore probably has more apps than android market
4. Now is when the iPhone has 4G ? You're a year late Apple :\
Technically outside of LTE phones which were released this year, they're really not that late
5. Tsk tsk tsk, still no 3D? Bragging about 1080p and 8mp and dual core? The Epic had this several months ago
3D to most folks = gimmick
6. Why pay $800 bucks for it (On ebay), when I can get an Evo 3D on ebay for $350?
Who really wants to get an Evo 3D on ebay for $350? Also price gets better away from the initial release date where the demand is much greater than the supply
My guess is that you're..... 13?
C'mon, even with me being a fan of Android, I don't post ridiculous threads on why Android is better than iOS. Then to top it off add a poll to a predominately Android favored website.
Any respectable smartphone user won't join in your iBashing.
I have to say, iOS5 is a beauty.. and I have been an android man through and through.. ICS didnt impress me at all.. No new real "Bang" features.. just re-polishing stuff that should have already been polished. I'm disappointed Android, I wanted a reason to sell my iP4s for a wad of cash and get a Nexus.. Guess ill stick with it.
Given the obscenely unintelligent posts put forth by numerous members here you guys have no reason to mock iAnything.
What the hells the point in thie flame bait thread?
Both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages. It is as simple as that.
I choose Android.
Why? Because your phone is You.
It's a reflective image of you.
And with the Android, you're gonna make it happen.
because android easy to use
Android VS iOS: FIGHT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnw6ROzremw
The screen on Iphones is far too small and only fit for making phone calls. Apple are deliberately doing this to make people buy an Ipad.
It's simply opinion. I prefer Android and I generally don't like Apple products, period.
I guess both have their pros and cons though...
Sent from my GT-S5830 using xda premium
I'm just curious to what you guys think the future of Android will be like, especially after Apple won their lawsuit with Samsung. With that lawsuit, and Adobe eliminating Mobile Flash, I am less optimistic about the future of Android than I have ever been. The lawsuit could dramatically impact the design of Android (of course we will still have launchers to make our phone look how we want). A future change in the basic design could dramatically hurt Android. The current Icon setup is the most popular for users (Windows, Macs, iPhone, Android) but if that were to change, people may not want to keep buying Androids. Personally, I hope Samsung is able to sue Apple when the mini iPad comes out for design patents. Since Apple was able to win a rectangle with rounded corners, why can't Samsung win the 7inch design. The mobile war lawsuits are silly and will cause all of us to pay more for future Smartphones.
Then add that along with the elimination of Mobile Flash, which was a major advantage that Android had over iPhone. This is a bigger issue than just online video. Some businesses use flash for their employees to access their work material. Some colleges use flash on their websites so their students can access the course material. Personally, I go to online college and my classes are flash websites. With the elimination of Mobile flash, that will cause many of us to not be able to access our classes from our phones. The whole thing with HTML5 taking over is years from taking place, with many of the bigger video sites not planning on going to HTML5. While Mobile Flash wasn't perfect, it was usable for many of us. Without Mobile Flash moving forward, for some of us, updating our phones or upgrading our phones for new ones will cut down on our productivity. I'm personally sad that I couldn't keep ICS on my Bionic due to Flash not working for me. My need for flash is too great. I'm always accessing my course work from my phone and eliminating flash makes that not possible. Unfortunately, I need my phone to be as useful as possible and eliminating things that I can use it for just doesn't work for me. While not everyone needs flash, many do. For those of us who do, future devices won't be an option, nor will future updates to our phone. My college has an iPhone app, but not an Android app so if push came to shove, I may have to switch to an iPhone (yuck) just to be able to stay productive.
Android may have seen its best days come and go. Sad times. I would like to get other Bionic Owners' feedback on this.
No doubt all of that is tragic. But what we really need to worry about is the sky falling on us No worries man. Google is Apple's biggest threat, but Apple can't sue Google because Google doesn't technically sell anything. Google will continue to drive competitive innovations.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda app-developers app
I read a article yesterday that said NASA has already or is fixing to launch an Android powered satellite! The beauty of Android is it's open source so anyone with the skills can develop software to make it do almost anything. Cell phones, TV'S, game consoles, even satellites can run on it and best of all it's low cost. I think it will be around for a while.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda app-developers app
I don't think Android will die off but I do worry about it becoming the Linux of smartphones. At the moment, its more like the Microsoft Windows for smartphones. My comparisons aren't based on technical aspects, but in terms of popularity with the general public. With computers you have windows and the Mac, and with smartphones you have the iPhone and Android. My outlook for blackberry is that RIM would be better off selling security systems to Android than to continue trying to sell smartphones. That ship is sinking for them.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
I've been developing for Android for years now since the early "eclipse" day and my beloved HTC G1.
Originally Android was truely opened with AOSP and the Play Store (which didn't even have this name yet) was almost as open as the naive old Android API.
With the years Google also tightened their restrictions and "reviewing" like Apple.
My last app is a plain metronome. It's open-source, it's free, it uses no complex APIs or obtrusive permissions.
The major thing for me was for it to be cross-platform as possible so you can "walk" with your sounds anywhere.
I do it in my spare time and finally got enough fixes to push a build.
Usually I first push to app stores before providing the other binaries as I really like the commits of a build to be on par as much as possible.
So... I've pushed a build to Apple's AppStore and the Play Store.
Within less than 24hrs it was approved by Apple.
On Google Play... this is the 4th day I'm waiting.
While from a plain developer point of view, all those restrictions aren't my cup of tea.
I must say that those days I don't find Google's approach any better than Apple's. I'd might say overall, while dashboards are nicer, the process itself became much less appealing for releasing a legitimate Android app on the "major" Google Play Store. (I do know there are alternatives and I do offer plain .apk)
Is anyone else feel the experience is worse (even if you've had a longstanding developer account)?
I have my Play developer account since over 10 years, published some small apps and one bigger thing.
A small app I submitted about 2 months ago was approved after 1 to 2 days without a problem. Updates were also approved fast.
However, an app I submitted this week was rejected after 3 days because of a ludicrous policy issue. After resubmitting, in the Play console "Release overview" page it is shown "In review" again, but the dashboard says "Ready to send for review".
Tried to contact Google because of that this weekend, but the "Call" option is not available on weekends, and for "Chat" it always says "Try again later, all agents are busy" even though the hours of operation are shown as 24/7.
Here people are complaining review times of over 14 days recently:
https://www.reddit.com/r/androiddev/comments/sb7hxb
We can only hope Google will learn and it gets better again soon.
my release eventually took 14days to be reviewed and published.
Basic policy updates took 10-12 days to be approved.
Just wanted to report that my recent experience with Google Play is very good. Updates are consistently approved in about 1/2 - 1 hours.