Related
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
With symbian on the verge of extinction after the alliance announcement, most of the themers who are pro at graphic software's like photoshop, illustrator are looking towards android for customization and skinning.
I being a Sony Ericsson and Nokia themer from the past 6 years, to be honest, find it to complicated to make themes for Android.
Firstly, i would like to understand if someone can explain why no theme creator application has been developed yet to make and apply themes to an un rooted versions of the phone, with a simple apk installation.
Currently from what i have seen on the forum, I cannot apply a theme unless i have a custom rom on a rooted device.
Believe me most of the users, don't go ahead an root their device, plus follow complicated procedures to install a theme.
Can anyone please shed some light on this, as i am really confused regarding Android and making themes for Android.
No root means no rw access to /system, only ro
/system is where the apk's lie which need to be modified (themed)
The closest thing i can think of is the following two :
a) a launcher that supports theming....for eg adw,go launcher.....etc (Root is not needed)
b) a rom that supports theming. For eg cyanogemod...etc (Root is needed ofcourse)
I agree that the typical Android user, just like the user of any phone, is not going to be happy with the idea of having to "crack" their phone in order to "theme" it (not only does this require a moderately steep learning curve, but it voids your warranty, including most aftermarket extended warranty contacts). What normal consumer would willingly paint their car a different color if the Owner's Manual warned that this would void their 50,000 mile warranty? But, keep in mind that the focus of "control" rests primarily with the carrier (Sprint, T-Mobile, Rogers, etc), so most development of customizable "things" on a phone are mostly meant to be customized by the carrier -- not the end customer.
The fact that the "Android ROM development" community has been able to find chinks in the security armor of various carriers' phones, in order to open the door to "rooting" that particular device, is an advantage to those of is that ARE willing to invest the time and effort to figure out how to "root" our device (to be fair, the vast majority of us are actually just following the instructions that some earlier pioneering soul discovered for us), then we derive the benefit of being able to, to a greater or lesser degree, customize our phones.
The carriers, understandably from their point of view, want the smallest possible matrix of product variation for their Tech Support to have to cope with. By their reckoning, the less the user can alter, the less can get screwed up. Additionally, some carriers generate additional revenue streams from their customers' ignorance. The classic example being to impose a monthly surcharge for "GPS usage", considering that the Google Navigation app is free, as is the usage of Google's servers that cough up the map image tiles, and perform the routing algorithm on-demand 24/7/365 (not to mention the estimated $1 billion/year/satellite (with 26+ birds up there) in operational costs, paid out of your taxes). None of the money assessed by the carrier for "GPS service" winds up in Google's pocket, even though the only burden the carrier experiences from the end customer's usage is flow through the data pipe.
It is precisely this kind of consumer-unfriendly carrier attitude that has made the Android platform so popular among those that wish to retain control over their own device, because we disagree with the carrier's fundamental vision of what we "ought to" be able to do with our devices. Nobody would tolerate their ISP decreeing what software they could (or not) install on their computer, so why should their smartphone be any different -- it's just a physically smaller computer with a radio modem squashed into the tiny case.
It's precisely why I waited for Android, while refusing to have anything to do with Windows Mobile, Windows CE, or iPhone.
It's why I prefer Linux over any closed system.
(Sorry, I guess I wandered a bit off-topic and into rant-land. My apologies.)
Sorry to open up this slightly old topic but i feel this thread needs some attention.
if launcher can modify the and provide a theme without having to root then there will be solutions. Nokia has a wonderful theming option of carbide which allows theming. its wonderful software and it resulted in millions of theme which could be used without hacking the phone.
those themes didn't void the warranty and gave users a way to customize their phones and developers a way to gain recognition for their work and also a way to use their designing skills to monetize through themes.
I am a new android user and a Ex-Nokia Themer. I feel theming still can be done but its very difficult to popularize it as users wont use a theme that can't be removed quickly and never use a theme which can be installed only after voiding their warranty
If someone could work on it, it would be gr8....
Thanks
With launchers and other softwares that allows theming, they allow theming only that particular application. If we want to theme the entire system then rooting is the only option as of now. Cyanogenmod comes with a themer application that can be used to theme the entire system.
I know this thread is really old....
But I've been using the "go launcher theme factory" It's okay, for now. I'm planning on getting into this theme-ing thing pretty hardcore, my phone is just so boring to look at with out my own personal touches and I haven't found any free downloadable theme that really fit my taste as far as something I can look at for more than a day.
The theme factory is okay if you're cool with a confusing download (maybe it was just me being an idiot though). You take a real hit on serious customization you're limited to the preset sizes for the icons. Say you have some sweet icons in your library, you can't have them stay at their original sizes they've got to be made smaller if you don't want to chop of a good majority of it, I'm trying to work my way around that, or at least keeping them at a bigger size without it looking super horrible.
Also I wasn't sure if it was just me or my device. There's an option to export it to your phone, well that didn't work, (maybe I'm just to new to this, its my first smartphone and I've had it for less than a month. And it isn't even a real popular smartphone) I had to take the file upload it too a .apk file convertor so i could scan the qr code...it was pretty ridiculous.
Its still pretty decent for some unimaginative customizing.
With CyanogenMod and many other ROMs supporting theming, and most of them having built apps to apply themes, theming is quite easy these days.
I have found a theme editor tool supporting CyanogenMod and Avatar rom here
All,
I am new here and to SmartPhones. I like Captivate because it has low radiation.
I am impressed with the activities I see here and on CyanogenMod. However, these give me cause for concern regarding the energy level required to accomplish them. Linux is good but I am returning to graduate school in the fall so I am concerned regarding the requirement of these phones and OS's. I would appreciate it if some of you could explain why so much work occurs with Android. Is much of this activity born out of the decision of carriers to control OS releases to specific phones? I see this as a major factor presently.
With that said, it does appear Samsung blew it with regard to v2.2 and the Galaxy S phones. I am nearly embarrassed to inform you that I own two Samsung LCD monitors after learning of this negative experience.
Clearly, I void the warranty if I embrace the activities here but this just rationalizes the choice of a refurbished phone!
Please attempt to characterize the time requirement for becoming involved with these Samsung Galaxy phones and Android. I know I am not the type of person to be interested in continually working with my phone to make it better. However, I also know my limited perspective can be biasing reality with this OS and these SmartPhones unnecessarily negative.
Oddly, my wife is considering the Focus because it would give her the MS support she needs with work. Regardless, it does appear we have found a few excellent Internet resources for these choices...I just want to ensure I am not getting in over my head.
Thanks,
Rick
by radiation I assume you mean the head tumors
RAVC1 said:
All,
I am new here and to SmartPhones. I like Captivate because it has low radiation.
I am impressed with the activities I see here and on CyanogenMod. However, these give me cause for concern regarding the energy level required to accomplish them. Linux is good but I am returning to graduate school in the fall so I am concerned regarding the requirement of these phones and OS's. I would appreciate it if some of you could explain why so much work occurs with Android. Is much of this activity born out of the decision of carriers to control OS releases to specific phones? I see this as a major factor presently.
With that said, it does appear Samsung blew it with regard to v2.2 and the Galaxy S phones. I am nearly embarrassed to inform you that I own two Samsung LCD monitors after learning of this negative experience.
Clearly, I void the warranty if I embrace the activities here but this just rationalizes the choice of a refurbished phone!
Please attempt to characterize the time requirement for becoming involved with these Samsung Galaxy phones and Android. I know I am not the type of person to be interested in continually working with my phone to make it better. However, I also know my limited perspective can be biasing reality with this OS and these SmartPhones unnecessarily negative.
Oddly, my wife is considering the Focus because it would give her the MS support she needs with work. Regardless, it does appear we have found a few excellent Internet resources for these choices...I just want to ensure I am not getting in over my head.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rick,
To answer your question - why so much work occurs with Android, I would like to take the liberty of rephrasing the question - why so much work occurs with Android phones? There isnt one correct answer for this.
You are correct in saying that carriers and service providers like to cripple the phone before they hand it over to the consumer. So when you buy the phone you really are not using these wonderful pieces of technology to their fullest extent. Thanks to our developers here at XDA because of whom we can in reality free the phones that we paid much moolah for, so that we maybe able to use all of the fones features that have been designed to work in conjunction with the wonderful Android OS.
Secondly, the reason why so much work goes into the phones and development to improve the functionality of the phone is because that is what Android has been designed for. Consumer can customize the phone to their liking and does not have to get stuck with the proprietary, grid like systems like the ones iphone has. Phone manufacturers, and not just Samsung, obviously design the phones software in such a way so that there is always room for improvement. They bet their dollar on the fact that an average consumer will eventually buy a newer product when its released and marketed in the future. There is always something lacking in the product that is in the market right now and that is where all this work comes into play.
Now, whether you shud buy a samsung captivate or not and what the time requirement is, is totally dependent on what you want to use the phone for and what kind of functionality you would like to get out of it.
From what you said that ur not a person who wud like to spend a lot of time modifying or playing around with your phone, you wud still like the captivate. Samsung Captivate is a very nice phone overall. Its got almost everything that you cud want in a phone. In regards to apps included with the phone, you've got a decent selection along with loads of bloatware.... If there is anything missing you can easily find it on the android market.
If you're expecting that your GPS would work right out of the box, then the answer is, maybe - maybe not. and its not android's fault, its a samsung issue. There are multiple fixes for the GPS that you can find on the forum, that being said, if you plan on utilizing those fixes, like you said not only will you void your warranty but you alone will be venturing into that experiment on your phone and dev will not be responsible for any damage that may or may not happen to your phone. But then again no guts, no glory.
So all in all, if you do end up getting the captivate, i dont think you'll be utterly disappointed, but at the same time i dont think you'll be able to sit back either when you see all these new developments posted here.
Hopefully i helped you a little and if i said too much then i apologize.
I welcome any senior member of the forum to correct me if im wrong and/or make any additions to what ive said above..
happy forumming....
My brother has a Samsung focus. It's buggy as hell, completely counter intuitive, and incomplete. Theres also no apps at all. He has like 3 different crappy youtube apps and sound boards.
And there's no CM7 to one day fix it.
Sent from my Captivate.
anandsamuel,
An excellent response; truly what I was looking for to understand the issues involved regarding Android and SmartPhones. You did not say too much.
I guess I need to start reading so I understand how to root a Captivate!
Rick
Also, that font is irritating to read.
RAVC1 said:
All,
I am new here and to SmartPhones. I like Captivate because it has low radiation.
I am impressed with the activities I see here and on CyanogenMod. However, these give me cause for concern regarding the energy level required to accomplish them. Linux is good but I am returning to graduate school in the fall so I am concerned regarding the requirement of these phones and OS's. I would appreciate it if some of you could explain why so much work occurs with Android. Is much of this activity born out of the decision of carriers to control OS releases to specific phones? I see this as a major factor presently.
With that said, it does appear Samsung blew it with regard to v2.2 and the Galaxy S phones. I am nearly embarrassed to inform you that I own two Samsung LCD monitors after learning of this negative experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok lets slow you down there. first android is linux BASED not linux. there is no need to worry about OS/ device compatibility. the most interaction between the phone and PC are just file copying like through a usb thumb drive.
the next part regarding carriers/updates/samsung. you answered yourself, kinda, and backwards. Samsung didnt blow it.
Google android updates as much as any software does - to make things better.
they release to manufacturers so they can make it work with their hardware.
Samsung released on time, BUT TO THE CARRIERS.
the carriers then take what samsung gave them and add their carrier specific settings (APN ect) and applications (bloatware).
ATT blew the update timeline.
Sometimes manufacturers release their finished product as "source code" untouched by carriers.
the long process is necessary in each step to (attempt) to make a perfect software package that will work with each phone/carrier out of the box for the end user. so it is unfair to say "born out of the decision of carriers to control OS releases to specific phones"
XDA works off of source codes and carrier releases to make our custom updates.
Clearly, I void the warranty if I embrace the activities here but this just rationalizes the choice of a refurbished phone!
Please attempt to characterize the time requirement for becoming involved with these Samsung Galaxy phones and Android. I know I am not the type of person to be interested in continually working with my phone to make it better. However, I also know my limited perspective can be biasing reality with this OS and these SmartPhones unnecessarily negative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are ways to return your phone without them knowing what you did. dont worry too much about your "voided" warranty.
before i felt comfortable flashing I took about 3 days reading my A$$ off! and currently im off on workers comp. so that was 3 FULL days. even then i had issues and mistakes and my phone was out of service a few nights! but that is part of the fun.
you do not need to be the type of person to constantly update your phone to buy it. tens of thousands of people have this phone on stock firmware and it fully works. the extra effort and time that we here at XDA and cyanogenMOD do is more out of fun, and customization. Many would argue function as well, as we do sometimes fix things *better* than google/samsung/carriers. but things willl *usually* still function on stock even if on a basic level.
you only need to put in as much as you want to get out of it
so timeline,
flashing custom roms/themes PROPERLY - under a week
cutting and pasting roms frankenROMS - under a month or 2
creating - vast back knowlege of programming, ect YEAR(S)
regarding wanting to update often, not every update on XDA to your rom is necessary unles it fixes something you didnt have.
Each Android/Carrier update, would be recomended (or the XDA counterpart) as each new android version (not rom) contains the most updates/fixes. so if you were running a 2.2 (custom or stock) rom it WOULD be worth upgrading to 2.3 when available (custom or stock). but you dont NEED to update your custom rom every couple weeks when they put out their minor update on the same base rom (2.2 for eg.)
Oddly, my wife is considering the Focus because it would give her the MS support she needs with work. Regardless, it does appear we have found a few excellent Internet resources for these choices...I just want to ensure I am not getting in over my head.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no comment. best regards
Trusselo,
Excellent, thoughtful response; it helped characterize this activity further for me. My concern is now recognized (and conveyed to others...) as not wanting to be required to become a developer to make my involvement with a SmartPhone constructive. Samsung, Android, XDA looks very good to me. As you mentioned, my reading has begun.
Yes, something is not right with my traditional Comic Sans Serif font here; it seems to compress it horizontally, but my aging eyes typically need this font.
This is just a topic open for debate and discussion based on my limited knowledge and consumeristic, impatient, and biased views.
Perhaps like many of you when I heard about Google TV I dropped a load. Holy $&!# I thought. My android phone is rooted and running custom ROMS and doing things the manufacturer and carrier never allowed or implemented. So I went out and bought a NSX46GT1 and havent looked back since. I have never been able to compare my Sony say LG's version or Apple TV but I feel its safe to say that Google TV is the future. Its kind of "gimmicky" right now but Im confident it will only grow because of Androids almost limitless potential. There has been some back and forth at least from big manufacturers about producing a set top box or all in one TV. However at least a handful of kickstarters and smaller companies are putting Google TV and Android on USB sticks or other peripherals. Amazing in my opinion and I cant wait for it to blow up for the simple reason of when I can finally modify and play with as I have been accustomed to with my phone and tablet. As of right now I am disappointed with the growth of development, at no fault to the community itself. Firstly Sony (maybe others) have updated their TV's to remove root exploits. Secondly saturation in the market is very low. The less people and devs are exposed to it the less of community will build around it. Thirdly, and this may be a sticky point, fragmentation. The variety of set top boxes and TV's, ect. can effect development. Now I have side loaded a number of Apps, Launchers, File Browsers, Live Wallpapers, ect. and at least in my case much of it has been removed because it mostly doesn't play well. Again I only have experience with my TV so milage may vary. And also updates; I'm still running 3.2! Thats 2 versions behind. If I had to rethink my purchase then perhaps I would either wait or buy a set top box. When it gomes time to upgrade either your Google TV or TV set, you can do so seperatly with a set top box. Also Sony isn't the best company when it comes to unlocking their devices as has been seen with the PS3. Most of my complaints stem from impatients but that is because I know how great the potential can be. To end, again Im biased, not a developer, an Android Fan Boy, and clinically diagnosed with ADD! So what are your thoughts?
Hi Guys
I am a big Fan of Intel and love the fact that I can now get an Intel phone.
Till now i have held off buying one because the one before Motorola X890 was the Orange San something phone, which was un-unlockable, un-rootable etc.
Currently the community for Moto X890 is small, not many developers to bring custom roms or to give a lot of support.
So I am still a little concirned, if i get the x890 is it easy to root?
is the "ARM app translator" good enough to give good performance?
Is it easily un lockable?
Do you think its a phone for just early adopters, until newer models come out which maybe more popular and have a bigger community?
Thanks
You exactly pointed out the arguments for my decision not to buy this phone.
What I like:
- the size (best fit of screen size compared to overall size)
- very good looking
- not a plastic toy
- battery capacity
- speed
What I dislike:
- no gyroscope
- no glonass support
- screen appears sometimes blurry
What I'm afraid of:
- according to experience long time to get next 4.1 update (4.2 ?) from manufacturer
- small community for custom develepment
I would say for people who simply use their phone, the razr i is a very good choice. For people like me, who want to play around with customs roms and functionality, it's probably not the best choice. Therefore I decided for me, not to go with Motorola.
RAZRI
xiaokai said:
Hi Guys
I am a big Fan of Intel and love the fact that I can now get an Intel phone.
Till now i have held off buying one because the one before Motorola X890 was the Orange San something phone, which was un-unlockable, un-rootable etc.
Currently the community for Moto X890 is small, not many developers to bring custom roms or to give a lot of support.
So I am still a little concirned, if i get the x890 is it easy to root?
is the "ARM app translator" good enough to give good performance?
Is it easily un lockable?
Do you think its a phone for just early adopters, until newer models come out which maybe more popular and have a bigger community?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've bought RAZRI recently. As every device it has pros and cons. In my opinion main pros are:
- fast processor which delivers smooth experience especially regarding everyday use,
- S-AMOLED screen useful enough even in bright environment with reasonable energy consuption,
- 2Ah battery which serve well the purpose and enable 2 days of average use,
- rough construction with last Gorilla Glass technology,
- Motorola's HW reflected its long experience period and great position in the industry,
- superb picture and voice in all applications,
- limited bloatware preinstalled,
- price considering that RAZRI is in fact hi level phone with some limitations as:
- Motorola offers possibility to unlock RAZRI's bootloader but you must apply for the key and after receiving the key your warranty is void,
- and that's not all:
following its user hostile policy indicated in previous development Motorola implemented track regarding rooting the phone (regardless of locked or unlocked bootloader) into stock recovery menu which is not removable yet,
besides Motorola removed voip from the ICS system and implement defective tethering and VPN,
- those limitations are implemented regardless of contracted or contract free relationship. I believe that at least Motorola clearly indicated that it intends to implement those restrictions in all future devices. We have yet to see what the others producers are up to regarding this issue.
Otherwise Intel processor performs well and I haven't found any limitations or malfunctions which could be blamed on the processor. Navigation, sensors, internet, video, audio, etc work well, fast and smooth.
The community of RAZRI is small but it is growing. Some of members, especially mattlgroff expresses excellent skills in development therefore we can expect custom ROMs soon.
As it is claims in forums unlocking the bootloader and rooting should not be the problem. I decided that I'd wait with rooting and firstly upgrade the phone with stock Jelly Bean.
I had Defy+ before too and I'm aware that such perfect community and development as could be experienced with this phone could not be expected for RAZRI soon.
Hope that I help to make your decision easier.