Any new on Android 2.0

[ciden]

Anyone have any news? Seeing that we Hero owners are being skipped (Android 1.6), sure would like an update soon...

 

[andy d]

No new news.
The way HTC is going about it may well be Christmas.

 

[zacspeed]

I can't wait, hope it arrives soon.....

 

[daveybaby]

The way HTC is going about it may well be Christmas.

Yeah, what are they playing at? It's not as if it takes more than a couple of days to update a tightly integrated gui to work with a new version of an operating system and test it thoroughly to be sure that there arent any bugs. Theyre probably just making us wait for the hell of it.

Oh, wait...

 

[andy d]

Sadly HTC don't seem want keep their customers up to date.
When you think that the Hero has won phone and gadget of the year one would have thought they would want to keep the sales momentum up.
Indeed HTC Themselves have said they had not done very well in Europe due to lack of brand awarenes.
Little wonder some of their customers are returning their phones back to their dealers.

Come on HTC talk to us and not through Twitter.

 

[JayCee]

The vast majority of mobile phone buyers just use them as phones, don't join forums like this and aren't in the slightest bit worried about ROM updates.
The Hero does what it's designed to do very well.

 

[daveybaby]

Little wonder some of their customers are returning their phones back to their dealers.

If someone is dissatisfied with the hero enough to return it, i doubt the 2.0 firmware is going to make them change their minds. From a (non-geek) user perspective its not really that much different from 1.5...

Come on HTC talk to us and not through Twitter.

What do you want them to say? Tell you how many lines of code theyre debugging each day? Theyre working on it - its going to be a long and complex process, and i'm sure once they have some news theyre going to give us news - who cares whether it's via twitter or some other method.

Personally i think that HTC have been pretty communicative for a tech company. Compare them to apple with their obsessive control freak secrecy fetish, or Samsung, who've upgraded the Jet firmware several times, vastly improving it, yet not giving their customers *any* information about it or any direct access to it (you either have to track it down via dodgy russian websites & risk bricking your phone using half-arsed unofficial tools, or take it to a service rep and complain that there's a problem with the phone and if youre lucky they'll flash it with a newer version).

 

[ticho]

If someone is dissatisfied with the hero enough to return it, i doubt the 2.0 firmware is going to make them change their minds. From a (non-geek) user perspective its not really that much different from 1.5...

Isn't Eclair supposed to have bluetooth file transfer? I'd say that would be a single *HUGE* improvement for any user...

 

[troutfish]

What do you want them to say? Tell you how many lines of code theyre debugging each day?

They should be able to give an update on their release plans. They should start the project by estimating how long each stage will take, putting a plan together to ensure they have the right people available at the right stage and this should be able to include an estimated release date.

Then they can keep their customers up to date with their progress and give revised release dates.

Software development shouldn't just be about a coder sitting down and changing code until it works then releasing it. There should be a project surrounding it.

 

[ticho]

They should be able to give an update on their release plans. They should start the project by estimating how long each stage will take, putting a plan together to ensure they have the right people available at the right stage and this should be able to include an estimated release date.

Then they can keep their customers up to date with their progress and give revised release dates.

Software development shouldn't just be about a coder sitting down and changing code until it works then releasing it. There should be a project surrounding it.

Pardon my french, but this is bullshit. They're not obliged to do any updates outside of the company. In fact, why would a company reveal any more information than they have to? Any additional info is a potential advantage for competitors.

And regarding your project management pep talk, rest assured that the development team is providing regular updates. Just not to you, me or anyone else outside HTC, but to their managers who report to their managers etc. World is not black ("one coder sitting down and changing code until it works") and white (everybody informing everyone).

That said, I don't really understand why all you people are rambling about wanting to be informed. You will be informed when the new firmware is out and that's good enough. Having or not having information about progress is not going to bring the release date any closer or farther. In the meantime, I'm sure you all have your lives to live.

 

[troutfish]

They're not obliged to do any updates outside of the company.

No, they are not. But neither are customers obliged to give them any more money...

In fact, why would a company reveal any more information than they have to? Any additional info is a potential advantage for competitors.

You will be informed when the new firmware is out and that's good enough. Having or not having information about progress is not going to bring the release date any closer or farther.

It's about encouraging customer loyalty. I'd rather buy from a company that is committed to updating their devices and engaging with their customers than one who provides updates only sporadically and unexpectedly.

In the meantime, I'm sure you all have your lives to live.

Yep, and if an expected release date was announced I could forget about it until then.

 

[WildWayz]

No, they are not. But neither are customers obliged to give them any more money...





It's about encouraging customer loyalty. I'd rather buy from a company that is committed to updating their devices and engaging with their customers than one who provides updates only sporadically and unexpectedly.



Yep, and if an expected release date was announced I could forget about it until then.

I don't know what world you live on, but companies hardly ever publically release details of timescales for projects etc with the exception of Open Source stuff.

I work in an industry where we do a lot of testing of new software/firmware and we NEVER tell customer's when something will be released. If we did that and it slipped, then whammo - we're letting customer's down.

Testing takes time... Just be patient

 

[daveybaby]

I work in an industry where we do a lot of testing of new software/firmware and we NEVER tell customer's when something will be released. If we did that and it slipped, then whammo - we're letting customer's down.

Yup. This++.

What tends to happen when companies 'play nice' and give people estimated release dates is that the release date gets missed (as they always do). And then the whining and bitching that ensues from that makes the moaning about the lack of information seem negligible in comparison. And, LOL of LOLs, whadaya know? - the people complaining most about the delay are the same people that were complaining about being kept in the dark. And of course, if it's rush-released to keep the moaning people happy, and there's a bug left in there... guess who moans about it the loudest?

As a result of all of this companies tend to be very careful about what they say about release dates.

 

[daveybaby]

Yep, and if an expected release date was announced I could forget about it until then.

Jesus dude, it's only a firmware update. And it's just a phone. JUST A FIRMWARE UPDATE FOR A PHONE.

 

[Diamond-Geezer]

It'll be here when its here.

Chill.

 

[rice]

Well we'll get the google navigation on 2.0, that's a pretty big deal for me

 

[vido.ardes]

Well we'll get the google navigation on 2.0, that's a pretty big deal for me

This is a common misconsception and is most likley not true.

Google Navigation is currently in Beta only, and is only availible in the USA. The EU version of the Motorola Droid (as seen in Germany) comes with Android 2.0, but doesn't come with the Navigation App, so I will be pretty amazed if the Hero update comes with it (unless the launch it simultaniously with the full release of Google Navigation).

 

[davey_b]

Any thoughts on when we might get google maps navigation in the UK?

D

 

[JimR123]

I've only just got a Hero, so haven't been keeping up with goings on in Android world...

What's the best information we have about when Android 2 is available for Hero? Are there any dates at all, or just "we've started and we'll let you know when it'll be ready?"

Can anybody make an educated guess as to when it'll be ready?

I'd just like to know when I need to start checking the HTC site every day!

On the topic of HTC not saying anything, being in the software industry myself, I completely understand why they wouldn't say anything to the public. They probably aren't sure themselves when it'll be ready, and even if they'd planned to release it, other projects might get an increased priority between now and when they plan to release. And like a previous poster said, if they tell the public it'll be ready on December 31st 2009, and it isn't, people will think badly of HTC, which just ain't fair.

 

[vido.ardes]

I'm gonna closes this thread as it is not providing anythign constructive.

At the moment, the only thing concrete we know is that it is comming eventually. HTC have confirmed that the HEro will get updated to Android 2.0 with the Sense UI

No one has realeased any informaqtion as to when that may be, an educated guess suggests by christmas, but this is just a guess.

As for Google Navigation, as of the tiem of posting it is in a US Beta, and therefore is not availible outside fo the US. Getting Android 2.0 doesn't mean we will get the Navigation App. There is no information about when Google Navigation wil make it out of the US

Please refrain from posting about Android 2.0 unless some new information surfaces.