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Can someone explain to me...

hsoj1006

Newbie
Apr 2, 2010
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Why does Verizon make such a huge deal about updating firmware to the Android phones? I mean, when the iPhone has a new OS, it doesnt turn into who does what first. I want Froyo as much as the next Android owner, but it seem slike I keep hearing "well why would they put 2.2 on the Incredible when the Droid 2 is coming out? they want people to buyt the Droid 2!" That just makes absolutely NO SENSE whatsoever. It's not like I can just drop my Incredible and go buy the next phone they release. I just can't figure it out. if 2.2 Froyo is there, why not push it out to users that already h ave the phones you were so intent on releasing months ago (i.e. Droid 1, Eris, Incredible, etc).

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME AN HONEST STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER?
 
lmao, wow someone got their panties in a bunch.

like stated its all companies and all phones (BB, Nokias etc) all have to go thru testing on their networks to make sure all is kosher


Believe me, I am all about testing. I have no problem with it. It just seems like they (verizon) releases a phone (Incredible) and chalk it up as the greatest. then they release another phone as the greatest and a new OS but dont push it out to people who already have devices. Kind of annoying if you ask me.
 
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Why does Verizon make such a huge deal about updating firmware to the Android phones? I mean, when the iPhone has a new OS, it doesnt turn into who does what first. I want Froyo as much as the next Android owner, but it seem slike I keep hearing "well why would they put 2.2 on the Incredible when the Droid 2 is coming out? they want people to buyt the Droid 2!" That just makes absolutely NO SENSE whatsoever. It's not like I can just drop my Incredible and go buy the next phone they release. I just can't figure it out. if 2.2 Froyo is there, why not push it out to users that already h ave the phones you were so intent on releasing months ago (i.e. Droid 1, Eris, Incredible, etc).

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME AN HONEST STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER?

Sure, I will give you one...

Apple has ONE phone!!! It's that plain and simple. 1 OS, 1 phone. Therefore they have nothing else to "compete" with.

Apple is also the company that makes the phone. Why are you trying to compare a manufacturer to a distributer? HTC is the manufacturer of the DINC, not Verizon. Verizon doesn't make crap. They sell other people's phones. You can compare Apple to HTC, or compare Verizon to AT&T, but that's about it.

As far as Verizon's "claims" about how they are holding out releases of updates, they don't do that. Ever. Show me one, JUST ONE, press release FROM VERIZON, saying such a thing? Nope, won't find it. What you will find is random people on forums and "news" sites making speculation as to why an update is available for one phone and not the other.



So the reason you are not getting answers is simple... you didn't ask a valid question! How do we give a valid answer to an invalid question? :thinking:

Add to the fact that your "question" is whiny and bitter and little more than a bash at Verizon (and I guess HTC), and you are not going to find many people willing to respond in a helpful manner.
 
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Why does Verizon make such a huge deal about updating firmware to the Android phones? I mean, when the iPhone has a new OS, it doesnt turn into who does what first. I want Froyo as much as the next Android owner, but it seem slike I keep hearing "well why would they put 2.2 on the Incredible when the Droid 2 is coming out? they want people to buyt the Droid 2!" That just makes absolutely NO SENSE whatsoever. It's not like I can just drop my Incredible and go buy the next phone they release. I just can't figure it out. if 2.2 Froyo is there, why not push it out to users that already h ave the phones you were so intent on releasing months ago (i.e. Droid 1, Eris, Incredible, etc).

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME AN HONEST STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER?

Apple owns the hardware and the OS so it makes things easier as far as firmware, updates, etc. and they've only got to deal with one network provider.

With Android, there are alot more hands in the pot. With Android, Google develops the OS and updates, the hardware vendors (HTC, Motorola) all run their own UI's that tie into the OS (HTC=Sense, Motorola=Blur). So it goes from Google, to those vendors, who have to update it, test it and release. Then it goes to Verizon, who does additional testing and then finally releases it. So all that takes time.

One of the big advantages that the Nexus One was supposed to offer was one piece of hardware running on different networks, running Android with no third party overlay (Sense or Blur), resulting in faster testing and release times.

With the Motorola Droid 2 and FroYo, I think it's just a matter of timing. Motorola will have had adequate time to test it with Blur, Verizon would have time to test before the release of the phone, etc.

So all those factors play into it. I don't think anyone is purposefully trying to hold anything back as far as updates. It's all just time and timing.
 
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So all those factors play into it. I don't think anyone is purposefully trying to hold anything back as far as updates. It's all just time and timing.

Officially/outwardly at least!! ;)

Remember, the collective "we" have no idea what agreements were made with which vendors regarding which hardware on which schedule.

Do I think anyone at VZW would maliciously hold an update back? No, of course not.

Do I think it is out of the realm of possibility that VZW has a launch schedule or contractual agreement that includes the Droid 2 being the "first" to run 2.2? No

Again, just me speculating! :cool:
I think for any of us to think we know what contracts have been signed or what schedules are to be followed is as speculative as anything else.

.02 cents and all.
 
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Sure, I will give you one...

Apple has ONE phone!!! It's that plain and simple. 1 OS, 1 phone. Therefore they have nothing else to "compete" with.

Apple is also the company that makes the phone. Why are you trying to compare a manufacturer to a distributer? HTC is the manufacturer of the DINC, not Verizon. Verizon doesn't make crap. They sell other people's phones. You can compare Apple to HTC, or compare Verizon to AT&T, but that's about it.


Terabethia is right. HTC has a boat load of phones and constantly needs to be making new ones to be competitive with the other Android phones, thus leaving their resources thinned out for rolling out updates to Sense UI phones which is difficult.

Like she said, Apple has 1 phone. Quick updates.

Likewise, Google has 1 phone (Nexus). Quick updates.

So unfortunately, even Motorola and other manufacturers are in the same boat as HTC.

It's a downside of Android - we don't know whether or not our manufacturers are going to update our device or discontinue our updates.

When I get my next phone (year and a half or so) I would like to get a Google phone if they made it CDMA and usable on Verizon.

I've been lurking older HTC and Motorola forums and both companies are completely abandoning older phones in terms of updates - and the users, who may have a year until their next update or not enough money to update at all, are really pissed about it.

Soon this will be us - I'd be surprised if the Incredible or the X gets gingerbread.

EDIT:
The Motorola DROID is on the end of life list (according to what I've read) and it's only 9 months old. Perhaps no official updates will come to this phone anymore as a result.
 
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Why does Verizon make such a huge deal about updating firmware to the Android phones? I mean, when the iPhone has a new OS, it doesnt turn into who does what first. I want Froyo as much as the next Android owner, but it seem slike I keep hearing "well why would they put 2.2 on the Incredible when the Droid 2 is coming out? they want people to buyt the Droid 2!" That just makes absolutely NO SENSE whatsoever. It's not like I can just drop my Incredible and go buy the next phone they release. I just can't figure it out. if 2.2 Froyo is there, why not push it out to users that already h ave the phones you were so intent on releasing months ago (i.e. Droid 1, Eris, Incredible, etc).

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME AN HONEST STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER?

what does your question even mean? its not like apple releases ios to any other devices.
 
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When I get my next phone (year and a half or so) I would like to get a Google phone if they made it CDMA and usable on Verizon.

In a year and a half or so, there won't be any more CDMA smart phones. Everything should be going LTE by then.

To the OP, no one is withholding anything. It takes time to test and release Android updates through all the various levels.
 
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Here, I'll just quote a post of mine from ages ago:

"Google can do that with phones that don't have a custom UI. Examples include the G1, Droid, and Nexus One. There are others. These are considered "tier-one" phones because Android is just dropped onto the phone made by the manufacturer (Motorola, HTC, etc.) and nothing is added by them.

These "tier-one" phones are usually the ones that get better and faster support if something goes wrong because it does not have to go through so many middlemen. Google sees a problem, fixes it and sends it to the carrier after some testing to make sure it works.

In the case of the Devour, CLIQ, and Backflip, they are running MOTOBLUR. It is a custom UI. HTC devices like the Incredible and Eris run Sense. Same thing. Home is like a cake with no icing. It's dry but some people like it that way. These custom UIs like Sense are the icing, they make the cake look pretty and, arguably, taste better. It comes down to preference. Icing has some nasty calories. Custom UIs take a toll on your RAM and may slow down the phone a bit.

In addition to this, phones running custom UIs have a middle-man when it comes to updates. Google makes 2.1 for the Eris, HTC adds Sense, tests Sense, VZW takes this, tests it themselves and we're still stuck without it. This is why no phone, other than tier-one phones, have 2.1. It took the Droid a surprisingly long time as well to get 2.1, considering the N1 got it in January when it was released with it. But that was supposedly VZW's server issues that hindered it. But the custom UI adds an extra step to the process, making updates longer and more complicated. Sometimes it isn't Android screwing with the hardware, it's Sense. And since the two are intertwined, it's possible that a butterfly effect occurs where correcting one thing breaks another.

So I dunno if Google really wants to deal with it like this. iPhone users can do it because Apple makes the hardware and software. Not sure how RIM does it, but.."


What I respect about Apple is their philosophy in making their products. Everything is done in-house which means if something goes wrong, they can trace it back to their error and not someone else's. Case being the antenna issue. While the company takes a direct hit for something like that, they can easily fix it and not have to run around for months trying to find which company caused the problem to begin with.

The problem with open-source is when something goes wrong, no one wants to be the father of the child of the whore that is Google. Which explains why the DInc and the Eris have the silent call issue, but others don't. The 50% without a signal issue, but others don't. This is why I left HTC, and it isn't just Android they messed up with, they screwed with WinMo years ago as well.

So this Android philosophy is a gift and a curse. We sacrifice reliability/stability in the name of "freedom." If you want consistency and stability but something that some people (not me) consider "mundane," go get an iPhone.


As for for the next iteration of Android OS after FroYo, I'm not allowed to say much, but I can tell you that the DInc will get it. :)

That is all.
 
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In a year and a half or so, there won't be any more CDMA smart phones. Everything should be going LTE by then.

To the OP, no one is withholding anything. It takes time to test and release Android updates through all the various levels.


I thought that they were going to be keeping 3g for another 5+ years and LTE would be a tiered option for those who want faster speeds?
 
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I thought that they were going to be keeping 3g for another 5+ years and LTE would be a tiered option for those who want faster speeds?

The first devices will be dual mode LTE/EvDO. LTE for data and EvDO for voice.

Once LTE is rolled nationwide and they've completed testing of VoLTE, you will start to see LTE only devices. But that is several years down the road.
 
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So that's how they get you. I think the CFO said that 3G was fine, as far as tiered pricing goes but LTE was a possibility. If they make smartphones LTE quickly, then it's what we were expecting now maybe only a year or two from now, assuming we still have smartphones.

But yeah, this should spell the death of CDMA. Have you seen the LTE SIM cards? What will Sprint do? I heard they were doing another iteration of LTE, was it WiMax? Will that be SIM carded too?
 
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Believe me, I am all about testing. I have no problem with it. It just seems like they (verizon) releases a phone (Incredible) and chalk it up as the greatest. then they release another phone as the greatest and a new OS but dont push it out to people who already have devices. Kind of annoying if you ask me.

We have HTC sense on our phone and to my understanding its not playing well with 2.2 and tell they fix it we wont get It.
 
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We have HTC sense on our phone and to my understanding its not playing well with 2.2 and tell they fix it we wont get It.

Any time you have three people dealing with one thing, there will be issues.

Google puts Android 2.1 on the Eris. Ships it to HTC.
HTC integrates Sense into it. Naturally, there are bugs. Do they fix every one of them? Apparently not, because the Eris Hellen Kellers on the user in the middle of a call. Then there's the 50% bug that only HTC devices have, and I think that too is VZW only. Which brings me to the third party, VZW

VZW adds their crap into it. Visual VM, Amazon MP3, etc. and the phone is pretty different from what Google had intended it to be. This goes for all phones with custom UIs. Motorola, HTC, and I think Samsung does it too. Maybe LG as well. Specific models too, not all.

I think most of us here are experienced users. We don't need to be pampered by a custom UI to navigate through Android. Tie to kick off the training wheels and use the OS like it was meant to be.
 
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Any time you have three people dealing with one thing, there will be issues.

Google puts Android 2.1 on the Eris. Ships it to HTC.
HTC integrates Sense into it. Naturally, there are bugs. Do they fix every one of them? Apparently not, because the Eris Hellen Kellers on the user in the middle of a call. Then there's the 50% bug that only HTC devices have, and I think that too is VZW only. Which brings me to the third party, VZW

VZW adds their crap into it. Visual VM, Amazon MP3, etc. and the phone is pretty different from what Google had intended it to be. This goes for all phones with custom UIs. Motorola, HTC, and I think Samsung does it too. Maybe LG as well. Specific models too, not all.

I think most of us here are experienced users. We don't need to be pampered by a custom UI to navigate through Android. Tie to kick off the training wheels and use the OS like it was meant to be.

agreed! i know with BB they make the OS and send it to VZW who cripples it, like bluetooth xfering and if VZW does not like it they kick it back to rim and so on and so on. it will happen we just need to wait. VZW is still sold out of the incredible so you know its a great phone. and with the rummors of the droid x screen not working people might not wait for that and go with the DINC (like i did)
 
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agreed! i know with BB they make the OS and send it to VZW who cripples it, like bluetooth xfering and if VZW does not like it they kick it back to rim and so on and so on. it will happen we just need to wait. VZW is still sold out of the incredible so you know its a great phone. and with the rummors of the droid x screen not working people might not wait for that and go with the DINC (like i did)

I've never used RIM devices so I shouldn't speak on them. The college kids I know that have BBs are happy with them. So I don't question anything they do because they seem to be genuinely happy with them. They have nothing analogous to jailbreaking or root access so I do wonder if what they're experiencing is something along the lines of "ignorance is bliss." But they're blissful and laid my Eris to rest by strapping it to a set of bottle rockets on the Fourth in a golf course. So they're better off than I am.


As for the Droid X, and any big-name phone (in this case, any Android phone) people scrutinize a lot more than they would a low-end device. The Eris sucked, the Devour isn't all that great and most people don't know the Ally exists. It's hard to imagine, though, that the latter two don't have issues. We know the first one, most definitely, does.

Remember when the N1 came out and there were reports of 3G sucking? Google put out tons of updates, but to no avail? Then it caught flak for its screen being "lesser" than the Droids. The issues still roll in today like overheating, etc. The Droid Incredible...same thing. People complained about this and that. Shortages. The EVO 4G? Again... it had its issues and many updates were out in the first few weeks. Same with the Droid X. A few bad apples and the problem was amplified a ton to the point where people second-guessed buying a X.

My point is, all phones have their issues, some more than others. It's just the big name phones that get most of the heat because people paid a lot more for them, the press and blogs gives them more coverage, and finally, people just expect too much from smartphones. Believe it or not, we're still in the primitive stages of smartphones, let alone Android OS smartphones. They aren't like computers where they are just slopped together and work for five years before dying a horrible death on the Geek Squad counter. So there are always going to be hiccups.

In my short experience, it's best to wait a month after a phone is released so all the issues are out in the open, and then make a decision. The first few weeks will be OTAs galore and a lot of negativity. But when the dust settles, you'll have a pretty good idea of what the phone is like at that point. Not the future, not the past, but what you will be paying for at that moment. We learned 2.1 was not necessarily better than 1.5 with the Eris. So it's always a gamble.
 
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One last thing. Do you still have issues with your pictures still looking a bit fuzzy? That was found on the Droid, Eris, and I think the Incredible too. Just anyone with 2.1, basically, I believe. 2.2 didn't fix that. I took pics with my Eris way back when, with a Droid, and saw a N1's photos and they all suffer from that fuzzy look.
 
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