Not a problem. It will be long but very informative so please don't TL|DR.
Summary:
If you have used
Ubuntop and found you don't need/use the expanded capability, then that new QuadCore monster phone is a good choice. If you have only used
Webtop and found it lacking, ICS/Webtop3.0 and the new phones will be a disappointment.
Let's start with Webtop, technology convergence and other factors. At the end I'll give my reasoning for not moving to a different device or ICS on the Photon (for now).
Webtop in it's different forms.
Original WebTop:
Webtop in it's original form is a locked down version of Ubuntu with Firefox preinstalled. It lacks the ability to install addition applications and is completely dependent on Motorola and OTA's for updates. It is also cloud dependent, which means that to edit documents you are required to have a data connection and use cloud services like Google Docs. Want to edit photos/images, same thing. If any of you have had to use 3G to browse the web you know how slow this connection can be.
Now imagine trying to use use Google Docs or other cloud services with nothing more than a slow 3G connection. You're not, unless you're desperate. Now lets say you don't have a data connection. No data connection=No Webtop (well it's still there but you can't really do anything with it). This is a very limited solution or feature that only benefits those that live in a 4G area with good speeds. Lets move on to the supposed new Webtop.
Webtop 3.0: (very bitter about this one and you'll see why)
There have been a number of leak videos showing the
NEW and IMPROVED Webtop 3.0. Awesome, the stock browser is more like Chrome than ever! My phone has a tablet UI built in, take that
insert any none Motorola phone here! So your first thought is "This is so cool!" until you start to examine it in detail.
The phone to tablet UI switching in the stock Android browser is truly wonderful. Granted I screamed for this over a year ago and was told it was a stupid idea by all the major development houses including Google. So now after a year we have a browser in our phone that has a "Desktop UI" mode. Mission accomplished lets move on.
The new Webtop removes Ubuntu and replaces it with the table mode switch built into ICS. This gives a more uniform appearance and with how limited the original Webtop was you are not missing much. Where it falls apart is the user UI. Unless an app has the tablet switch all you get is a blown up version of the app like Evo PC had. If you have your phone hooked up to a TV, you don't want that. You want to be able to see more which you will not get in most cases. This is one of main reasons why the
Evo PC was abandoned. Now lets look at an alternative solution next.
Ubuntop:
Ubuntop is essentially Webtop realizing it's true potential. It doesn't require a data connection to edit and create documents as it has OpenOffice preinstalled. The same goes for image editing, it gives you GIMP. To give you an idea of how crippled Webtop really is take a look at the
attached image. This is Ubuntop running GIMP, OpenOffice and Google Music while writing this post. You may ask "Well if Webtop can do all that then why doesn't it?" According to Motorola, our phone can't handle it. Both
Ubuntu and I disagree.
Some may have a concern about rooting and unlocking and here's some things to consider. Sprint services rooted/unlocked phones, period. Rooting is very easy and with the number of good guides available, it as easy as shutting off your brain and following the guides to the letter. Failure rates for rooting outside of user error are very low. Having Ubuntop AND 4G is possible but takes a little bit of work which I will gladly assist folks with.
Technology Convergence:
What this means is that tech from different fields eventually reaching a meeting point at which, in this case, your PC, game console and cellphone become one. This has been attempted to some degree for almost ten years now. A early example is the Toshiba E740. This was a PDA that with an accessory dock had VGA out and USB KB/Mouse support. Considering the logical progression of tech the Atrix and Photon should have been old news but they were not. (I forgot my point here so I'll move along.)
The Failure of Webtop:
Lets look at where Webtop enabled devices are versus where they are going and where they went wrong. Webtop initially had a big wow factor that was short lived. After the purchase of very expensive accessories, Webtop users quickly realized that other than Firefox, Webtop really had nothing to offer. Back to the store go the accessories and Webtop goes unused and wasting 1.2GB of space. It was not long after that Motorola realized that except for a very few people, Webtop was a flop.
The solution was not to make Webtop more functional but to make it less functional a la Webtop 3.0. With the Webtop3.0 leak, the tech news is again all over Webtop and singing it's praises. Having developed Evo PC I know that Webtop3.0 is a major step backwards. It order for it to be even remotely acceptable in everyday use, almost every app developer will have to add a tablet/desktop UI switch to their apps. Major development houses may do so but I would expect to see most developers pass on this. What the end product will be is another limited and unused feature. The other main issues is that apps like Docs2Go are nowhere close OpenOffice and the same is the case with many other apps that try to give you desktop features. So again, Webtop3.0 is a step backwards.
My position on all this:
I use a customized version of Ubuntop on a daily basis. I maintain and edit my website, create ROMs, edit images, play games (emulators are a big part of this), watch movies and Netflix...you get the idea. If the Webtop3.0 leak is legit, I will loose almost every one of those things or will be very limited in what I can do. Again, this goes back to the Evo Desktop, I abandon it for a reason and at it's core that's what Webtop3.0 is. For me to move to ICS or any other phone, I would have to purchase a netbook as well to have the same functionality as I do now. There's no logic in that. Faster, newer stuff is always cool but when its at the cost of functionality it's not.
If you have used Ubuntop and found you don't need/use the expanded capability, then that new QuadCore monster phone is a good choice. If you have only used Webtop and found it lacking, ICS/Webtop3.0 and the new phones will be a disappointment.