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Android Cellphones Handhelds Software Upgrades

Samsung Reconsidering Android 4.0 On the Galaxy S 192

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the seeing-is-believing dept.
ghostoftiber writes "The original Galaxy S was the redheaded step child of the Samsung device line. ... Samsung announced over Christmas that the original Galaxy S was done, leaving its faithful fans in a position of having another year on their contracts with no upgrade path. Users were predictably incensed, and it looks like Samsung changed their minds. There's also the Samsung Vibrant development forum if you want Ice Cream Sandwich running on your Vibrant right now." The original source is bit iffy and implies that the release will not be fully featured (probably due to hardware constraints). Business Insider contacted Samsung directly and an official response is expected today.
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Samsung Reconsidering Android 4.0 On the Galaxy S More

Samsung Reconsidering Android 4.0 On the Galaxy S

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  • It's the business model (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Overly Critical Guy ( 663429 ) on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @12:51PM (#38516242)

    It's possible but unlikely. The Android phone business model guarantees that updates will be a mess [zdnet.com]. Putting Android updates on older phones decreases the likelihood that people will buy new phones, and it costs them support and engineering to put out an update.

    Carriers don't want you to buy a new phone; they want you to pay a monthly bill. Android gives the carriers control over your phone. This is part of the problem with the argument that Android is about freedom and choice. For contrast, note that the 2 1/2 year old iPhone 3GS can run the latest version of iOS because Apple maintains strict control over the hardware platform to the benefit of the customer, and Microsoft has similar control over Windows Phones to align third-party devices with an OS roadmap.

    Android has greater total marketshare due to an abundance of budget phones, but marketshare isn't what drives business; it's profits and customer satisfaction, and the iPhone is the top-selling handset because of the control Apple enforces on its platform as well as the one making the most profit. The narrative is not Android versus Apple, as if Android is some big company--it's Apple versus Samsung versus HTC versus Motorola versus Acer versus Asus verus Coby versus Coby vs. Sony-Ericsson versus Fusion Garage versus RIM versus HP versus Archos.

    Seamless experiences always win out over time. We saw it when gaming shifted from PCs to consoles, and now the industry is shifting from desktops to mobile devices. Fragmentation is a huge for users.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Fragmentation is a huge for users.

      Actually, it's a huge tired talking point for the anti-Android contingent. Ask Stacy Valley-girl how much Android "fragmentation" effects her life and she will look at you like you've grown another neck. Why? Because she as well as 95 percent of Android users either don't freaking care or they don't want upgrades. Many Android users are first time smartphone buyers. Why should they go to sleep with one version and then wake up with something completely different? They are getting to understand their p

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Overly Critical Guy ( 663429 )

        Actually, it's a huge tired talking point for the anti-Android contingent. Ask Stacy Valley-girl how much Android "fragmentation" effects her life and she will look at you like you've grown another neck. Why? Because she as well as 95 percent of Android users either don't freaking care or they don't want upgrades.

        She'll care when she sees that her friends have iPhones that can do things that the version of Android on her phone can't do, or when she can't run an app that needs so-and-so version (and possibly

        • Re:It's the business model (Score:5, Interesting)

          by dbcad7 ( 771464 ) on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @02:25PM (#38517392)
          Had two brothers and a niece and nephew in town for Christmas.. They all have Android phones (as do I), as part of breakfast conversation I asked them if they were on Gingerbread.. none of them knew what that was, or what Froyo was, or what Eclair was., or that Ice Cream Sandwich was released and should be coming soon., We had four different models on 3 different carriers (2 different EVOS, Fascinate, Sensation).. there was nothing someone else had app wise that any of us could not get if we wanted.. In truth, although we all used our phones at times, other than directly asking to see their phone none of would have known what the other had.. no one said they liked anothers phone better than theirs.. there was more talk of the carrier differences than there was about phone models.. The reality of fragmentation is that it's not a big deal that some people would make it.. I also have a phone on Froyo that I assume will never go beyond it, but I got my 2 years out of it, and it is in a drawer as a backup phone.. Now the iPhone crowd car harp on the 3GS getting updates beyond the 2 and a half years, but the same type of enthusuuast, that would care, would also upgrade within that time. My 2 year old phone in the drawer had the same number of updates as the 3GS.. The Galaxy S that this article is about, has also had the same number of updates as the 3GS, and in over a year less time.
          • I have had similar experiences with those I work with. It's only bleeding-edge specialized apps that require a specific phone to run - the vast majority of apps are written so that anyone with any Android phone can run them. It's not in the app developer's best interest to write an app that only works on one or two phones - it's in their best interest to write apps so that they run on the widest variety of phones possible.

            No non-geeks have any idea about what version of Android is running on their phon

          • I asked them if they were on Gingerbread.. none of them knew what that was

            This right here says it all. I can't watch TV for 5 minutes without some advert for the iPhone 4S coming up showing off the new features of Siri. I can't open a magazine without reading about all the things that have changed in iOS5. But I haven't a clue what changed in ICS. I installed ICS on my Galaxy S and I still didn't have a clue. I actually went out to google what the changes were, and you know what, it was incredibly anti-climatic.

            Apple's changes to iOS typically amount to some huge new killer featu

    • It's possible but unlikely. The Android phone business model guarantees that updates will be a mess [zdnet.com]. Putting Android updates on older phones decreases the likelihood that people will buy new phones, and it costs them support and engineering to put out an update.

      Yes - the only reason to invest development time is to create revenue, and it's pretty hard to draw a straight line between a phone update and revenue - beyond generating loyalty from 1%ers like Slashdotters.

      If all the glaring bugs and defects are fixed, the kinds of things that make the average subscriber say "this stupid phone" "my phone sucks" and switch carriers, then why would SprATTVerizonMobile invest expensive development hours in a handset, particularly after that handset is no longer being sold?

      Th

      • beyond generating loyalty from 1%ers like Slashdotters

        Spoken like a true PHB.

        Many people, including IBM, have learned the hard way: you have to please the nerds, cos they are the people the others go to for advice.

        Obviously not the only people they go to for advice - some people ask Kim Kardasian, some ask famous rappers, and others ask "My Little Pony". Some don't understand the answer they get from a nerd anyway.

        However, the people that ask the nerds are usually the ones responsible for bulk purchas

        • Any conmpany which makes its purchasing recommendations on the basis of "My Little Pony" will probably go out of business before it pays for the product.

          I see your overall point, but I couldn't help pointing out that you appear to misunderestimate the overlap between My Little Pony fans and geeks. See this story in Wired [wired.com] about geeky fans of the animated series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

    • Carriers don't want you to buy a new phone

      Are you serious? Of course they do, they want you to buy a new phone every two years so you'll sign a new contract to get the subsidized price, thereby guaranteeing their profitability for a further two years each iteration. The manufacturers also want to be able to keep turning over more merchandise - that's the sole source of profit in the chain for them. Apple can be somewhat immune to these influences because the device is merely a gateway to iTunes and the App Store, which provide the consistent revenu

      • Of course they do, they want you to buy a new phone every two years so you'll sign a new contract to get the subsidized price, thereby guaranteeing their profitability for a further two years each iteration.

        They want to keep you from churning to the competitor, but their ideal scenario would have you using the same handset for as many months as physically possible. They handsets are expensive, because, as you say, they subsidize them at no cost to the subscriber. OS upgrades are approximately as bad for carriers, because they require as much development and support effort as a whole new handset SKU, but unlike a new phone, an upgrade doesn't cause subscribers to sign a new contract.

    • Re:It's the business model (Score:5, Insightful)

      by chrb ( 1083577 ) on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @01:50PM (#38516976)

      Seamless experiences always win out over time.

      Actually I think you'll find that "cheap and good enough" wins over time. See, for example, fast food, supermarkets, shoes, clothing, housing etc.

      • That's short term gain vs long term sustainable gain.

        • So are you suggesting that McDonalds, Walmart, etc. are a flash in the pan, and that by pursuing "cheap and good enough" they have no long term sustainable gain?

          • I'm suggesting that McDonnalds has its own niche, whereas droids and iPhones are fighting for the same niche.

            Different models.

            And - honestly - I suspect that for at least some time it will be possible to come out with a sequence of shiney new things that have long term problems, but will work in the short term. But eventually, I think that the stable, sustainable model will work best in this niche.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by chrb ( 1083577 )
          How is the Walmart etc. pile 'em high sell 'em cheap" business model short-term and unsustainable? It would appear that the model can be sustained as long as we have natural resources and cheap mass manufacturing. The mass market will only gravitate to a premium product if cost is no consideration. Otherwise we'd all be driving BMWs...

          • The difference between Walmart and say a high end smart phone is expectations.

            When you buy a smart phone with a two year contract, you expect the functionality to work throughout the lifespan of the product, and you rather expect that it will be supported by both the telecom and by the hardware manufacturer, including updates, during the period of the standard two year contract. This includes software upgrades.

            With Walmart, you know you aren't buying high end. You don't expect the tools to be Snapon quali

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by chrb ( 1083577 )
              The average person upgrades their phone every 14 months, so your comparison to a Walmart buyer who only expects 3 years service isn't that far from the truth. Most people don't make buying decisions based on software updates. It may be annoying to us geeks, but that doesn't make it less true. Look at the iPhone 3g, software updates were killed while some users were still on 2 year contracts, but it didn't seem to affect future sales figures.

    • Seamless experiences always win out over time. We saw it when gaming shifted from PCs to consoles, and now the industry is shifting from desktops to mobile devices. Fragmentation is a huge for users.

      I think you're right... but for consumers cheap > good. Mass market is always the cheaper product. In the case of consoles, they were - historically - cheaper than buying a PC for just for gaming, particularly decent gaming rigs, albeit I don't doubt ease of use would be a big factor.

      • In the case of consoles, they were - historically - cheaper than buying a PC for just for gaming

        And dramatically cheaper than buying a LAN full of gaming PCs. Games in fast-paced multiplayer-centric genres, such as fighting games (e.g. Mortal Kombat or Tekken), platform fighting games (such as Smash Bros.), and cooperative platformers (such as New Super Mario Bros.), tend to get released on consoles far more often than on PCs. Internet multiplayer doesn't work so well in these genres for two reasons: the interaction with other players is very sensitive to lag and not easily predicted, and part of the

    • I bought a HTC Magic. The Magic was released roughly the time when the 3GS was introduced, and has comparable hardware.

      I am on contract with NTT Docomo. Officially the Magic is stuck here at 1.6. By flashing Cyanogenmod, I could get up to 2.2.1. Some at XDA have made 2.3.3. available, but it is slow and unstable. Updating has the risk of bricking the device. Very like, it will never see 4.0.

      Considering the price, I did not even save any money.

      The update experience on Android is simply a joke. My ne

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by drb226 ( 1938360 )

      Seamless experiences always win out over time. We saw it when gaming shifted from PCs to consoles.

      Wait, what? When did that "shift" occur? Sure, consoles have been going online, which naturally means that some online gamers might have switched to consoles to play online, and some console players might have started to play online, but I'm calling [citation needed] on this supposedly significant "shift". "From desktop to mobile" is hugely misleading, as most people/companies aren't throwing out their desktops in favor of their mobile device.

    • It's possible but unlikely. The Android phone business model guarantees that updates will be a mess [zdnet.com]

      No, no it doesn't. If you want an apples to apples (no pun intended) comparison, you need to compare the iPhone (sold by the makers of iOS) to the Nexus S (sold by the makers of Android). The Nexus S is the first phone to betting the ICS upgrade. Nexus S is an Android phone. That demonstrates that the problem of messy upgrades isn't a problem with Android per se. It's a problem with hardware providers adding their own stuff on top of Android. Which is why I bought the Nexus S instead of the Galaxy - I didn'

      • The flipside is, you have to live with your choices, and not bitch because you didn't do enough research/thinking before making them.

        Other than that Google's vanilla Android devices aren't available on a carrier with good coverage where one lives and works. Is that not a valid bitch?

    • Seamless experiences always win out over time. We saw it when gaming shifted from PCs to consoles, and now the industry is shifting from desktops to mobile devices. Fragmentation is a huge for users.

      Seamless experiences always win out over time...really? That must be why general purpose WinTel PCs have failed so miserably in the market over the last 20 years. (Gaming on PCs is a very small segment of the overall PC market.)

  • I bought an unlocked Galaxy S not too long after they came out. I love it, but the GPS is broken*. I don't believe any software update will ever fix it. So now I'm just waiting for a phone that I consider to be a suitable replacement at a decent price point. I like the Galaxy S II - and the new Nexus. I figure at some point next year I will think about pulling the trigger.

    *It takes forever to settle on a location and when it finally does get it one it is with an accuracy of +/- half a kilometer or more. Thi

  • Does anyone know if the Galaxy Player will get an ICS update? thanks, Christopher.

  • Where is consumer protection? (Score:3)

    by sgt scrub ( 869860 ) <saintium@NOSpAM.yahoo.com> on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @01:05PM (#38516406)

    This is a big reason why OEM's should not be able to lock devices from user upgrades. If a company decides to no longer support a device, is the customer's right to continue to use the device in a secure way revoked? Having to go through a process of rooting a device that has a limited life span so it can be kept up to date weakens the user's ability to protect themselves. They should release something which allow users to maintain the device themselves.

    • is the customer's right to continue to use the device in a secure way revoked?

      Right to use the device in a secure way? Who granted you that right? There are probably some states that give you a little implied warranty protection for a limited duration of time, but that's it as far as rights go unless you signed a contract.

      • When you buy hardware, you get the right to use that hardware in any way that doesn't violate the law. That includes loading a new operating system on it, if it's capable. They should be required to provide you with a procedure to unlock any protections you want to unlock so that you have full access to the hardware. When you buy a smart phone it should also include an implied right that the service provider's system won't be changed in such a way that your phone will become incompatible with the system

        • They should be required to provide you with a procedure to unlock any protections you want to unlock so that you have full access to the hardware.

          I disagree. A company is under no obligation other than to sell you the device as is, so long as the condition of the device is not falsely represented. If it was locked-down when you bought it, you have absolutely no reason to expect them to open it up in the future - nor should they be required to. If you want an open device, then buy an open device.

      • There are probably some states that give you a little implied warranty protection for a limited duration of time, but that's it as far as rights go unless you signed a contract.

        And guess what most Americans (.us) do when they buy a smartphone. Why shouldn't a phone tied to a 2-year service contract get security updates to fix known vulnerabilities in the operating system for the entire contract period?

        • Why shouldn't a phone tied to a 2-year service contract get security updates to fix known vulnerabilities in the operating system for the entire contract period?

          I don't know why it "shouldn't", but I'm pretty sure mine "doesn't".

          I think people have unrealistic expectations and a sense of entitlement. Ford isn't under any obligation to bring your older car up to current safety standards, and any device with a non-flashable ROM is not updated ever. Just because a device has some capability does not mean a manufacturer is on the hook to use that capability unless they made some commitment. If Samsung wants to sell phones and then never upgrade them, that is their righ

          • Ford isn't under any obligation to bring your older car up to current safety standards

            Automakers and makers of infant care products routinely issue recalls when a safety problem is discovered with their products.

  • Please remember (Score:3)

    by Chemisor ( 97276 ) on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @01:10PM (#38516470)

    Let's all remember how companies view customers [gocomics.com]. And the screw gets bigger every year no matter what.

    • This is just troll. (A funny troll though). There are economic disincentives to "continually screwing the customer:" companies that do that lose all their customers (I know because I've worked for companies that tried). The only way "continually screwing the customer" works is when your business model relies on ripping people off (like this site [cenegenics.com], expect to get ripped off there), or when you have a monopoly.

  • Already dumped my Galaxy S (Score:2, Insightful)

    by geek ( 5680 )

    I had an Epic 4G. The upgrades were slim to none, taking almost 8 months to get Froyo. I eventually found ACSyndicate who make great roms for the device, including a 4.0 rom that was very well done minus the ability to use 4G.

    I had to dump the device last week in favor of an iPhone though. I just can't deal with the fragmentation in Android devices, the lack of software upgrades, the sketchy nature of custom roms and the horrible device support from companies like Samsung.

    Samsung blew it so bad on this devi

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Brian Feldman ( 350 )

      I had an Epic 4G. The upgrades were slim to none, taking almost 8 months to get Froyo. I eventually found ACSyndicate who make great roms for the device, including a 4.0 rom that was very well done minus the ability to use 4G.

      I had to dump the device last week in favor of an iPhone though. I just can't deal with the fragmentation in Android devices, the lack of software upgrades, the sketchy nature of custom roms and the horrible device support from companies like Samsung.

      Samsung blew it so bad on this device I've personally skipped out on buying their other products, including TV and Blue-ray players. I've also convinced my friends and family to go with other manufacturers because of it. If Samsung thinks their actions have no effect on their other products lines, they are sadly mistaken.

      Yet for every one of you, there are plenty of people who do not have issues with their Samsung equipment and recommend Samsung to others. So I think that if you think you truly have an impact on any of their product lines, you are sadly mistaken.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dave562 ( 969951 )

        Exactly. Samsung LCD TVs are great devices. I have two of them. My parents have one. My sister has one.

        My g/f has a Vibrant. It is a piece of junk. I'm sorry that I ever suggested that she buy it. However her phone has nothing to do with the television.

      • Here's the thing, though.

        Negatives stick better than positives in people's minds. Throw in the fact that folks rather just expect that which they pay for to work, and you've got something of a zero sum game scenario. If it works, and works well - it's nominal. If not, it's negative. Really hard to exceed the expectation.

        So - how many folks saying, "I love my Samsung hardware" does it take to cancel out someone saying, "I paid $500 bucks for this phone, $200 for the warranty, and they won't replace it ev

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Nadaka ( 224565 )

      I have an Epic 4g right now and love it. The only bad thing about it is that the battery is utter crap and won't last more than 3 or 4 hours of continuous use.

      • Get a gingerbread version on it (see: androidcentral.com, xda-developers.net, or any similar site) and be careful when you enable 4g data (it kills the battery on any phone). You will not regret it; the Galaxy S is a solid performer. Samsung definitely has a screwed up software release process (not unlike most other companies) but the hardware is fantastic.

  • Here's what I think Google should do (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Mascot ( 120795 ) on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @01:17PM (#38516558)

    Enforce a policy where handset manufacturers are required to offer a convenient way to optionally install vanilla Android. Problem solved, as far as I'm concerned. When "primary" support is ended, I get the option of buying a newer device to get the manufacturer added bells and whistles, or going with vanilla Android until the hardware just can't handle it.

    • And they will do this how without driving away the manufacturers or causing the manufacturers to fork the code and leave Google hanging?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Mascot ( 120795 )

        I said "here's what I think". I didn't say I had researched the agreements and could offer a contractual way to accomplish it. I believe a clause to enforce updates for a certain period (12 or 18 months, was it?) has already been added. I don't feel it's inconceivable that the manufacturers might also open their phones up at end-of-life. Come to think of it, doesn't HTC already offer a way to unlock their _new_ phones? Last I heard it was supposed to launch in the Aug/Sep time frame.

        • There is no such contractual agreement. There was talk about manufacturers giving updates for 18 months "as long as hardware would allow" but nothing legally enforceable. If Google tried to enforce such a contract the manufacturers would laugh and fork Android like Amazon has done effectively killing Android as it now exists. These manufacturers aren't in this to make vanilla Android handsets. Without being able to differentiate through customization they won't stick around.

      • Without agreeing to Google's terms, manufactures can't ship devices with the Android Market, Google's apps, or use the Android trademark. That gives Google the power to do as the OP suggests.

        • Or it will drive them to fork Android like Amazon did.

          • Amazon is in a different type of business than HTC, Samsung, etc. Amazon's reasons for forking Android exist regardless of whether or not Google chooses to implement the OP's proposed policy, whereas HTC, Samsung, etc are more willing to accept Google's terms in order to get a low cost, high quality OS on their phones.

    • This is basically how it works anyway! If your device is at all interesting it will be hacked, and once it is hacked you can do precisely what you say via the auspices of the community. Google won't do it because it would drive handset makers away (as the sibling comments say) and the handset makers won't do it even if they want to because in some countries they'll be in the position of having to support your phone even after you've hacked it all up, which is a situation they don't want to deal with. The cu

  • The power of Android Devices lies here. While these Samsung Nexus S users may not get the official upgrade, users who are tech savvy enough to care will simply install a 4.0 ROM for thier phones. I personally have an OG droid running android 2.3.5.

  • Not really surprised. (Score:3)

    by forkfail ( 228161 ) on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @01:30PM (#38516746)

    That was the phone line that had the broken GPS that never really got fixed; it was a hardware issue [xda-developers.com] that they tried to kludge [samsung.com] together a patch for [pocketnow.com] that didn't work well [xda-developers.com] never went out over the air, and for which you had to take down all your firewall and virus protection to apply via Kies [samsung.com].

    Oh, and t-mobile won't honor warranties on those $500 phones. Even when you pay $8 a month, bringing the effective total to $700 over the course of a two year contract. Unless you define the word honor as the offer of a $150 clique as a replacement.

    But - I'm not bitter. Really.

  • You can run it RIGHT NOW on i9000 as well. (Score:4, Informative)

    by brunes69 ( 86786 ) <`gro.daetsriek' `ta' `todhsals'> on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @01:32PM (#38516762)

    Cyanogen Mod 9 Alpha 11 is out now and is rock solid. Anyone who is comfortable installing their own custom ROMs should not hesitate to upgrade to ICS. I have been running ICS on my i9000 GalaxyS now for almost a month, and have had very few issues , and have had no issues at all since Build 10. All functions and features on the device (camera,audio,video,hardware acceleration,etc.) work flawlessly now. And the ICS features such as Face Unlock and panoramic / time lapse camera also work. There is no reason to wait for Samsung to get off their butt.

  • You know, the only reason I didn't buy a Galaxy S II this boxing day is because it doesn't have ICS... Just refreshed my CrackBerry instead. Samsung should get moving if they don't want to lose customers (though the sales person swore that ICS will be out for S II by January 2012).
    • January is a little optimistic. Samsung said Q1, which could mean anytime between January and March, but there are often delays with releases, so it could be later than March.

      Still, Samsung is one of the fastest with their expected releases for ICS on existing phones. The other big problem is that no matter when Samsung has their own version of ICS available for any given phone, the carriers (in the US, at least) will take their own sweet time to add their crapware and test it before they will give it

  • I guess I have to ask the question, why do people always feel the need to upgrade the OS on their phones. What exactly does the new version of Android provide in the area of functionality that the current 2.3 build? I ask because my current Android 2.3 provides all business and personal needs that I currently require.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by X3J11 ( 791922 )

      I guess I have to ask the question, why do people always feel the need to upgrade the OS on their phones. What exactly does the new version of Android provide in the area of functionality that the current 2.3 build? I ask because my current Android 2.3 provides all business and personal needs that I currently require.

      Speaking anecdotally, my SGS has issues turning wifi on, has hard locked on occasion, and doesn't have the best battery life. I've also replace TouchWiz with another launcher (but need to keep TW in order to use Kies) which duplicates the functionality of the stock ICS launcher.

      I do not use the Samsung apps, nor do I use any of the crap my carrier (Bell Canada) puts on the phone. I rooted it specifically so I could remove all that garbage. A plain ICS on my SGS would eliminate the need for several apps t

    • What exactly does the new version of Android provide in the area of functionality that the current 2.3 build?

      I can see at least three reasons:

      • New versions of Android fix security vulnerabilities.
      • Android 3 and later include hardware-accelerated graphics. This makes everything more responsive.
      • Once Android 4 phones become commonplace, application developers will start relying on the new APIs introduced in Android 3 and 4.

    • Security patches. You should attend Defcon in Vegas. Plenty of interesting android security talks. One of which was a "cannot be fixed in 2.x as it is an architectural/design issue".

  • business as usual (Score:5, Interesting)

    by roc97007 ( 608802 ) on Wednesday December 28, 2011 @03:04PM (#38517882) Journal

    As early adopters of the Galaxy S, my family lived the pain for a year and finally dumped them, paid the penalty, and changed carriers. Not only was the build quality terrible (some were dead in their box, others were delivered with bad gyros and nonfunctional gps -- I mean completely nonfunctional, not the haphazard functionality they had when they were working) but Samsung seemed grimly determined to avoid upgrades at all cost, apparently expecting users to do the iPhone thing and buy a new device yearly in order to get a new software capability contained within the incrementally newer OS.

    And... ok fine. If that's the way they want to do business, there's no stopping them. But we don't have to buy their stuff.

    Indications are, they're managing their tablet products the same way. Stylishly designed, but don't buy one expecting the next version of Android to ever be available. If it is, bonus. It's better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.

    But better yet, buy from a vendor with a better reputation for updates.

    Mind you, there will be a time when timely updates will be less important, but Android is still on the steep end of the curve, and issues are still being worked out. (I got an answer to my bug report a couple weeks ago -- proxy settings on a network-by-network basis is available as of version 3, which will probably never make it to my phone. Sigh.) In another year or two when Android becomes less of a new technology and more of a commodity item, updates may decrease in importance. But for now, it's update or lose a customer. The Android crowd isn't the same as the iOS crowd. If we don't get what we want, we don't camp outside the store to be the first to get the next device from the same vendor. We change vendors.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by wjcofkc ( 964165 )
      You say all you have to do is change vendor. You also site a penalty fee. If you hop all around looking for perfection, what is the cost of canceling contracts or buying a new phone before renewal time verses getting a new iPhone every year? I am not trying to be flamebait, I'm really curious.

      • I did not say "all you have to do" is change vendor. It's not something one does lightly, but under extreme circumstances may be one's only option. After our sixth (!) Galaxy S failure in less than a year, we had had enough. The 2.2 update debacle simply added motivation to switch vendors.

        My family does not switch out devices on a whim. We tend to research our purchases thoroughly beforehand, buy a little better than what we need, tend to favor devices and appliances that can be upgraded if necessary, a

  • ask them what they think of Samsung and their motivations dealing with customers and their products. IIRC, Samsung said the product would get the 2.x OS upgrade and then months later, after many purchased the phones, told them that they were not going do the upgrade. Take their word with a salt pill.

    LoB

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