If you bought an Android device a couple years ago, like the G1, the system specs and the time frame in which it was released puts the phone behind the curve. However, it is quite possible to have purchased an Android phone in the past year and still find yourself lagging behind. The Motorola Backflip comes to mind, as does Sony’s X10. Neither phone was built to really thrive, both were released with legacy versions of Android and even their updates were to legacy releases. Consumers who bought these phones and were introduced to Android found themselves getting a school of hard knocks education on Android, open source, and the Android ecosystem.
Throw in carrier contract commitments, its a tough pill to swallow.
Worse, even newer phones, like the original Droid, found themselves quickly out of date as Google continued pushing new versions. This is not slightly behind, as in terms of version numbers, but behind in the time it has taken the carriers to implement updates to the new version. Six months or longer, even not at all, this scenario is what sums up the drawbacks of an Android device.
Sure, some new phones updated to Froyo a bit quicker than six months, but manufacturers and the carriers are certainly nowhere close to keeping up with Google’s furious pace. The delay has always been explained in two parts. Most of the phones have custom UI’s, which means any update to Android has to be processed through the unique customization of HTC’s Sense or Motorola’s Blur. Second each update has to be tested independently on the individual pieces of hardware.
Okay.
I really do not buy this explanation.
Turn to the rooted Android Community and you can find roms which update a variety of Android devices, across multiple manufacturers, and with customizations which make the manufacturer’s skins look tame.
MIUI, for instance, is about a complete overhaul as one can get on an Android device. Sure its inspired by Apple’s iPhone to blend the best of both worlds, but it is available on a growing number of devices and will push Gingerbread long before anyone gets around to it officially in the Open Handset Alliance.
Maybe the most popular custom rom, Cyanogenmod, is already pushing Gingerbread nightlies to a wide range of devices. I have it on my Nexus One, and the release candidate is just around the corner. Even Google might succumb to the pace Cyanogen and his team have set, meaning they could finalize a version even before Google pushes Gingerbread officially to the Nexus One.
Oh, and a legacy device like the G1 (HTC Dream), why that can run Gingerbread too with the right rom. Cyanogenmod for instance.
Nope, the only thing that really holds the carriers and manufacturers back is their own bureaucracy and the wish to make proprietor versions. I do not blame them for wanting to make money, but it is just silly to hear reasons which simply do not add up to anything like the truth.
Android Gingerbread Updates
If you bought an Android device a couple years ago, like the G1, the system specs and the time frame in which it was released puts the phone behind the curve. However, it is quite possible to have purchased an Android phone in the past year and still find yourself lagging behind. The Motorola Backflip comes to mind, as does Sony’s X10. Neither phone was built to really thrive, both were released with legacy versions of Android and even their updates were to legacy releases. Consumers who bought these phones and were introduced to Android found themselves getting a school of hard knocks education on Android, open source, and the Android ecosystem.
Throw in carrier contract commitments, its a tough pill to swallow.
Worse, even newer phones, like the original Droid, found themselves quickly out of date as Google continued pushing new versions. This is not slightly behind, as in terms of version numbers, but behind in the time it has taken the carriers to implement updates to the new version. Six months or longer, even not at all, this scenario is what sums up the drawbacks of an Android device.
Sure, some new phones updated to Froyo a bit quicker than six months, but manufacturers and the carriers are certainly nowhere close to keeping up with Google’s furious pace. The delay has always been explained in two parts. Most of the phones have custom UI’s, which means any update to Android has to be processed through the unique customization of HTC’s Sense or Motorola’s Blur. Second each update has to be tested independently on the individual pieces of hardware.
Okay.
I really do not buy this explanation.
Turn to the rooted Android Community and you can find roms which update a variety of Android devices, across multiple manufacturers, and with customizations which make the manufacturer’s skins look tame.
MIUI, for instance, is about a complete overhaul as one can get on an Android device. Sure its inspired by Apple’s iPhone to blend the best of both worlds, but it is available on a growing number of devices and will push Gingerbread long before anyone gets around to it officially in the Open Handset Alliance.
Maybe the most popular custom rom, Cyanogenmod, is already pushing Gingerbread nightlies to a wide range of devices. I have it on my Nexus One, and the release candidate is just around the corner. Even Google might succumb to the pace Cyanogen and his team have set, meaning they could finalize a version even before Google pushes Gingerbread officially to the Nexus One.
Oh, and a legacy device like the G1 (HTC Dream), why that can run Gingerbread too with the right rom. Cyanogenmod for instance.
Nope, the only thing that really holds the carriers and manufacturers back is their own bureaucracy and the wish to make proprietor versions. I do not blame them for wanting to make money, but it is just silly to hear reasons which simply do not add up to anything like the truth.