Google, Stop! Just PERFECT It!

[AppsRUs]

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is beautiful, brilliant, and what the Android community has been looking for to compete with Apple/iPhone. With that said, please do not create another version of Android. We have a serious problem with fragmentation on this OS. With 4.0 being as solid as it is, why move onto another when you could perfect this? We need consistency and stability along with brilliance and beauty. All of these elements have to work together to create a unified, holistic Android experience.

And PLEASE address your product control issue. We're tired of bloatware, locked bootloaders, and company logos, taglines, and other branding all over these phones. Android promises customization and 'freedom', but by the time we get them they've got Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and the notorious Verizon thrown all over the phones.

Its time to get serious and get the brand of Android back on track.

 

[breadnatty08]

I agree and disagree. I've owned a couple devices that were vanilla Android from 2.1-4.0, one with Sense, one with Motoblur and countless with themes and ROMs. While I think Google could do a bit to help reign in OEMs with control, I always want there to be the freedom and openess that Android set out to be.
I don't want anything like WP7 or iOS where it's a walled garden and locked down. Carriers have a huge say in bootloaders just as much as manufacturers, so it's not all Google's fault there.
Certain skins contain some great enhancements, and downfalls, just like vanilla Android.
All and all, I'm very happy with my Galaxy Nexus. The couple apps of bloat they put on were easily removable. But if you think bloat from any carrier is going to disappear, think again.

 

[jayjay1122]

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is beautiful, brilliant, and what the Android community has been looking for to compete with Apple/iPhone. With that said, please do not create another version of Android. We have a serious problem with fragmentation on this OS. With 4.0 being as solid as it is, why move onto another when you could perfect this? We need consistency and stability along with brilliance and beauty. All of these elements have to work together to create a unified, holistic Android experience.

And PLEASE address your product control issue. We're tired of bloatware, locked bootloaders, and company logos, taglines, and other branding all over these phones. Android promises customization and 'freedom', but by the time we get them they've got Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and the notorious Verizon thrown all over the phones.

Its time to get serious and get the brand of Android back on track.

Absolutely some very valid points! Some are going to argue that there is either no fragmentation or that it is not a problem, but I agree with you.

 

[jayjay1122]

But if you think bloat from any carrier is going to disappear, think again.

And that is a shame!

 

[Bnice]

I agree, just keep refining,polish and make continuos improvements here and there. I like sense but I think the mulititask between applications is done better on ICS. I wish each OEM would provide a vanilla Android phone.

 

[Unforgiven]

But if you think bloat from any carrier is going to disappear, think again.

And that is a shame!

Anyone remember in the 90s when Packard-Bell got into trouble for baking bloatware (I think that was when the term was coined) onto their PC's and making it non removable? I wonder if Android and the carriers are heading that direction.

 

[Yeahha]

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is beautiful, brilliant, and what the Android community has been looking for to compete with Apple/iPhone. With that said, please do not create another version of Android. We have a serious problem with fragmentation on this OS. With 4.0 being as solid as it is, why move onto another when you could perfect this? We need consistency and stability along with brilliance and beauty. All of these elements have to work together to create a unified, holistic Android experience.

You are asking them to perfect it but don't want a new version...that confuses me since they are trying to perfect it and that is why new versions come out...just like any other OS. If they stop at ICS they will be limited to what is already available, the hardware will progress and Android will become obsolete...I personally don't want to see that happen. Fragmentation doesn't bother me as much as you apparently. If you have a device that isn't getting updated you could choose to root it and rom if there are updated roms available or you can upgrade your device. These phones are just like computers and I am sure very few if any people here are using the same computer they had back when Windows 95 was the new thing Shoot I am sure some aren't using the computer they bought when Windows 7 was the new thing

And PLEASE address your product control issue. We're tired of bloatware, locked bootloaders, and company logos, taglines, and other branding all over these phones. Android promises customization and 'freedom', but by the time we get them they've got Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and the notorious Verizon thrown all over the phones.

IMO that is completely against the spirit of Android. The OEM UI is how the OEM tries to set it's phone out against the others and the carrier branding shouldn't be a problem either...if you don't like it buy a phone that doesn't have it...unlocked unbranded phones are out there.

Its time to get serious and get the brand of Android back on track.

I was completely unaware it was off track to begin with

 

[SUroot]

So its fragmented. So what? Old devices exist and cannot be upgraded. It's evolution of a platform.

Ics is a million miles from perfect. Let's keep development going.

 

[9to5cynic]

It's really not all that different from what happens with old iphones. I mean, you can't expect a gen 1 iphone to be able to run the latest ios version...

i don't know, that's how I look at it. There are a lot more android manufacturers, so there are more and more devices....

:shrug:

 

[breadnatty08]

Anyone remember in the 90s when Packard-Bell got into trouble for baking bloatware (I think that was when the term was coined) onto their PC's and making it non removable? I wonder if Android and the carriers are heading that direction.

Wasn't Windows in a bunch of trouble when it forced you to use IE? (I could be wrong). It's sad that BB will offer to "debloat" your PC for a fee (think it was around $50 on the last computer I bought).
But after the mess that was the Bionic I owned, I'll never buy another Android that is locked down and preferably on that is vanilla.

 

[Unforgiven]

Wasn't Windows in a bunch of trouble when it forced you to use IE? (I could be wrong). It's sad that BB will offer to "debloat" your PC for a fee (think it was around $50 on the last computer I bought).
But after the mess that was the Bionic I owned, I'll never buy another Android that is locked down and preferably on that is vanilla.

It cost them a billion or so and damn near got them split up like the bells. I think the EU fine alone was over $500 million. But what I was talking about was Packard Bell bloating their PC's and not letting the purchasers remove the bloat. I wonder how long before someone files a case against a carrier analogous to that.

 

[Rxpert83]

Theres no need to stop development.

New versions of android is google attempting to perfect it. When you stop innovating you die.

Plain as that.

 

[IOWA]

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is beautiful, brilliant, and what the Android community has been looking for to compete with Apple/iPhone. With that said, please do not create another version of Android. We have a serious problem with fragmentation on this OS. With 4.0 being as solid as it is, why move onto another when you could perfect this? We need consistency and stability along with brilliance and beauty. All of these elements have to work together to create a unified, holistic Android experience.

And PLEASE address your product control issue. We're tired of bloatware, locked bootloaders, and company logos, taglines, and other branding all over these phones. Android promises customization and 'freedom', but by the time we get them they've got Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and the notorious Verizon thrown all over the phones.

Its time to get serious and get the brand of Android back on track.

I'm sorry, but if Google implemented your suggestions it would no longer be open source, which pretty much defines Android in it's current state, which I like.

So in that regard, I must disagree with you. Android has never been about a controlled environment.

 

[zuben el genub]

You aren't going to get away from it. I will really be pissed if Google doesn't contain the crap.

Samsung pursues ad market on its mobile devices - MarketWatch

 

[mikedt]

Why do people keep on blaming Google for fragmentation in Android? Rather like blaming Linus Torvalds for incompatibilities between different Linux distros.

Android is a free open source OS, it's the nature of the beast. Google has absolutely nothing to do with Android here in China, and there's a lot of Android devices here in all shapes and sizes, phones, PMPs, tablets, student education laptops, TV sets, cable and satellite STBs, car electronics, etc.

 

[mikedt]

I'm sorry, but if Google implemented your suggestions it would no longer be open source, which pretty much defines Android in it's current state, which I like.

It would also mean an end to things like CyanogenMod and other ROM development. Android would become no different to Windows in this regard.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

I am running 4.0 on my Touchpad and my SGS2 and I can honestly say it's an awesome experience. ICS does well on both devices and having the same experience on each device is pretty nice also (Gingerbread never looked good on a tablet). Plus when you add in Google Chrome beta on both devices the experience gets even better. Having your history and book marks go with you from PC to tablet to phone is really useful. I have been a bit doubtful that Google was going to be able to pull off one operating system for all devices but I have been proven wrong. I like where Google is going and I hope they keep at it.

 

[Martimus]

It's highly unlikely that third part UI's like Sense and Blur will ever go away. Andy Rubin of Google has publicly stated that Google supports third party UI's

"Android, on the other hand, lets manufacturers “take over the screen,” which Rubin sees as an advantage."

http://mashable.com/2011/10/19/6-million-android-tablets/

With respect to bloat, I'm guessing that the only way we're going to see carriers back off on bloat is if the market is willing to pay more for smartphones. Revenue from that bloat is used by the carriers to help subsidize the cost of these phones (in addition to contracts).

Personally I'd like to see Google push back the release of Jelly Bean for about a year and use that time to really solidify ICS... and the apps that run on it.

 

[funpig]

So its fragmented. So what? Old devices exist and cannot be upgraded. It's evolution of a platform.

But this is my personal growing frustration with the Android ecosystem (including manufacturers and cell service providers). I bought an Android about a year ago. I am still stuck in 2.1 and still have no google voice search or app to sd. There has been some rooting development for the phone, but judging by the discussions I have no confidence that my phone won't end up crippled if i go that route. ICS has been out now for about 4 months. Even now, you can buy some new Android phones and may not get an ICS update for another 3 months, if ever. It seems that if you want to get the latest updated software, you need to buy the latest and most expensive phone every six to twelve months. This is still a bit hard for me to accept. I got about 5 years from my Palm Treo 700p. Recently, I was pretty impressed with my wife's iphone 3gs which she picked up in a Telus promotion last week. It is a 3 year old model, but it was updated to newest iOS 5.1 and it just works. Period.

 

[xmr405o]

Here's a crazy idea...After ICS, I think google should stop with the naming convention and just call their OS Android. Do away with the build numbers and naming their OS versions after sweets. If someone is asked what OS they are running, all they can say is Android. Fragmentation solved! jk.

Serious question- Do you guys think that JB will be a revamped version of Android? I thought it would be an updated version of ICS. So technically, google is perfecting ICS, right? Google is just naming it different which to me adds to the "preception" that fragmentation is as bad as it was when Eclair, Froyo and GB came out. I understand that it's a marketing ploy that Google uses to hype up an upcoming OS update but I'm starting to feel that this marketing ploy is starting to backfire.

 

[jerofld]

But this is my personal growing frustration with the Android ecosystem (including manufacturers and cell service providers). I bought an Android about a year ago. I am still stuck in 2.1 and still have no google voice search or app to sd. There has been some rooting development for the phone, but judging by the discussions I have no confidence that my phone won't end up crippled if i go that route. ICS has been out now for about 4 months. Even now, you can buy some new Android phones and may not get an ICS update for another 3 months, if ever. It seems that if you want to get the latest updated software, you need to buy the latest and most expensive phone every six to twelve months. This is still a bit hard for me to accept. I got about 5 years from my Palm Treo 700p. Recently, I was pretty impressed with my wife's iphone 3gs which she picked up in a Telus promotion last week. It is a 3 year old model, but it was updated to newest iOS 5.1 and it just works. Period.

I would suggest that you get a nexus device, then. Google updates those devices directly. If you bought a non-nexus device, the it's up to your manufacturer to update the device. Google can't strong arm every manufacturer who uses the Android platform into updating to the most recent OS build. It would be like buying a low-to-mid range computer and then complaining to Microsoft because it has windows vista on it. You should complain to your manufacturer because you still have Eclair on your phone.

As for iPhone, and specifically the 3GS, I bet iOS 5.0 is the last major revision it sees. If it gets 6.0, I'd be surprised, or it'll get a 'watered down' version like the iPhone 3G got of 5.0. So your wife will have a 3 year contract on a phone that won't get updated anymore, outside of minor bug fixes.

 

[Unforgiven]

My understanding is JB is going to be geared mostly to tablet enhancements however any bug fixes, kernel tweaks, etc. we will still be able to take advantage of on the phone side. It will probably be more like a 4.1 rather than a 5.0.

 

[Roze]

But this is my personal growing frustration with the Android ecosystem (including manufacturers and cell service providers). I bought an Android about a year ago. I am still stuck in 2.1 and still have no google voice search or app to sd. There has been some rooting development for the phone, but judging by the discussions I have no confidence that my phone won't end up crippled if i go that route. ICS has been out now for about 4 months. Even now, you can buy some new Android phones and may not get an ICS update for another 3 months, if ever. It seems that if you want to get the latest updated software, you need to buy the latest and most expensive phone every six to twelve months. This is still a bit hard for me to accept. I got about 5 years from my Palm Treo 700p. Recently, I was pretty impressed with my wife's iphone 3gs which she picked up in a Telus promotion last week. It is a 3 year old model, but it was updated to newest iOS 5.1 and it just works. Period.

What phone do you have, mate? All I have to say is that the Canadian carriers are some of the worst carriers when it comes to updating the OS for Android.

If you want the latest OS for Android, the best route is to go with a Google Nexus phone, which is released annually. If you want the latest HARDWARE for Android...then you need to update your phone every 3 months. You don't NEED to update your phone every 3 months for the latest OS if you have a Nexus phone. For most Android enthusiasts, that's really the choice we have: latest OS (with quick updates from Google) or latest hardware (with OEM UI on it and locked bootloader).

 

[xmr405o]

Personally I'd like to see Google push back the release of Jelly Bean for about a year and use that time to really solidify ICS... and the apps that run on it.

Totally agree, or at least wait until more than half of the phones that are slated to be updated to ICS is actually updated to ICS.......plus an additional 6 months.

 

[funpig]

What phone do you have, mate? All I have to say is that the Canadian carriers are some of the worst carriers when it comes to updating the OS for Android.

If you want the latest OS for Android, the best route is to go with a Google Nexus phone, which is released annually. If you want the latest HARDWARE for Android...then you need to update your phone every 3 months. You don't NEED to update your phone every 3 months for the latest OS if you have a Nexus phone. For most Android enthusiasts, that's really the choice we have: latest OS (with quick updates from Google) or latest hardware (with OEM UI on it and locked bootloader).

I have the Telus LG Shine Plus. You can go to the Android Forums sub-forum and see the grief we have gone through the last 5 months. When I was first introduced to Android about a year ago, I was lead to believe that the OS would get updated. I now understand that not to be true. If I am going to pay Nexus money, I would have bought the iPhone instead.