Google, Carriers, Manufacturer Relationships/Support

[belushi]

I'm about to dump ATT/IPhone for Sprint/Android (EVO), but one thing has been nagging me and I want to make sure I know my options before jumping (e.g. given these 2 yr contracts).

My concern is with ongoing support for my phone after purchase, support in terms of receiving the latest/greatest updates to the Android platform (e.g. within hardware constraints). Who ultimately controls whether a phone gets a release (e.g. Carrier or Manufacturer)?

It seems to me the best bet is to go with the Nexus One platform given that is under the control of Google and should be well supported in that respect. However, it seems like it is going to be a hassle and/or costly to go with Nexus One using Sprint. Is there anyway around paying full price for Nexus One and using Sprint as a carrier? Any chance Google has a deal with the carriers to subsidize phones?

Plus, I would prefer not to have the blot (e.g. UI modifications, app replacements, etc

 

[IOWA]

No nexus one on sprint. Sorry.

Tapatalk. Samsung Moment. Yep.

 

[belushi]

Thanks IOWA, not what I wanted to here, but good to know I'm not missing something.

Surfing the internet found this article about Gingerbread with a target of a unified interface.

Android Team

 

[takeshi]

Who ultimately controls whether a phone gets a release (e.g. Carrier or Manufacturer)?

Depends on the phone. The carrier isn't relevant with the N1 but with most other devices, the carrier tests and approves updates. That said, the manufacturer also plays a role in deciding whether or not a particular model gets an update.

Is there anyway around paying full price for Nexus One and using Sprint as a carrier? Any chance Google has a deal with the carriers to subsidize phones?

You can get an answer directly from the source :
https://www.google.com/phone/choose?hl=en&gl=US&s7e=

Without support from Carrier/Manufacturer of course, but is it against the Carriers rules to root a phone?

Check with your carrier to confirm but, from what I've seen, most will void your warranty if your phone is rooted. Of course, since it's just a change to software you can unroot before asking for warranty support in the first place.

Also, when rooting a phone, I'm assuming you can not take a release straight from Google and install it. Rather, someone has to implement the release for the target hardware (e.g. build, add any necessary drivers, etc). Are there any gotchas in doing this? Who is the most reliable supplier of these builds? I know that is a pretty broad question and I'll plan on doing additional research in that areas, but if anybody can give me a nudge or share their experience, that would be great.

It is a broad question. You need to look into the specifics for rooting and ROM's for your specific model which is really just part of the due diligence you need to perform before rooting anyway. Try an Evo-specific site or subforum. Most of the Android forum sites I hit have rooting forums for specfic builds and/or models.

(EDIT) Like this one:
http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-evo-4g/