OSNews: http://www.osnews.com/story/26736/iOS_6_1_released Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2013, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Wed, 22 May 2013 23:53:10 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif OSNews.com http://www.osnews.com Reality call for Thom http://www.osnews.com/thread?550637 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550637 "since we're 14 months down the line, and Ice Cream Sandwich is only on about 40% of Android devices"

There's something you don't seem to get about Android. There's plenty of Android value phones that sell like hotcakes, lke the Galaxy Ace or the Xperia Mini, specially in emergent economies, where also older phones that run 2.x are still being sold (like Galaxy S or Motorola Defy). They are super cheap but there is no way on earth the hardware can run ICS or JB. Because of that, those numbers on global Android OS versions are not very meaningful.

Most people that has phones that can be upgraded to ICS or JB already have upgrades available. The problem is that, even though that, the upgrade cycle for those phones can be really really long like a year at worst. So, yeah in any case, upgrade cycles can be better.. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:49:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (reduz) Comments RE: Reality call for Thom http://www.osnews.com/thread?550643 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550643 I'm running 4.0 on a Galaxy S, which, by the way, run smoother and faster since the upgrade. For the first time in the phone life, the GPS work nearly as expected. If it wasn't for cyanogen, I would be locked with 2.3.

The thing you don't seem to get about Android is that it's fast enough and the OS update policy is totally broken. Plus google don't have the balls admit it and then make it right. Probably, the majority of phone could be upgraded, but with all the people who shouldn't be working on customizing an OS, are at work right now holding back customer.

All reasons invoke to justify this terrible life cycle of the android OS is a building block to poor user experience.

My phone carrier now offer me a free upgrade, I'm impatiently waiting for the firefox or ubuntu phone. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:22:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (sanctus) Comments RE: Reality call for Thom http://www.osnews.com/thread?550645 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550645
There's plenty of Android value phones that sell like hotcakes, lke the Galaxy Ace or the Xperia Mini


You're right there but there is one problem that arises from this.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/01/mobile-operating-sys...

The worrying consequence is that a vast number of phones do not receive software fixes, known as patches. Worse, many cannot be patched even if the owner wants to


Even phones with the chips and memory to handle upgrades often do not receive them because of the support costs: handset-makers and carriers prefer to have consumers buy new phones than to provide technical support for old or outdated models.
Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:35:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (bowkota) Comments RE[2]: Reality call for Thom http://www.osnews.com/thread?550647 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550647 Nope. Galaxy S is still a high end phone compared to the value phones like the Ace, Y, SL-19003 (lower specs Galaxy S for emergent markets), Xperia Mini, etc. Those can't run ICS or JB because they are not even NEON or ARMV7 phones.
Also, Galaxy S didn't get an official ICS update because it doesn't fit in the rom, you have to place part of the OS on the memory card for it to work. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:39:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (reduz) Comments RE[3]: Reality call for Thom http://www.osnews.com/thread?550651 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550651
Also, Galaxy S didn't get an official ICS update because it doesn't fit in the rom, you have to place part of the OS on the memory card for it to work.


It didn't fit in the ROM when the extra Samsung stuff was included. I have CyanogenMod 10.1 (JB 4.2) running in my Galaxy S, and it fits in the ROM just fine, with no Samsung or carrier extras needed. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:58:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (BrianH) Comments RE[2]: Reality call for Thom http://www.osnews.com/thread?550655 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550655 Yes, I know this, but it's a difficult situation given manufacturers believe they need this planned obsolescence to make sure people keeps upgrading their phones every 2 years. The carriers are also a problem, but often secondary, as they usually just push the upgraded from the manufacturers nowadays.

I'm almost 100% certain that the way Google will address this is via Motorola, by ensuring people that their phones will get upgrades for a much longer timespan, despite the carriers like it or not. This is definitely a much more interesting selling point. Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:30:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (reduz) Comments btw, the 6.1 jailbreak is "ready" http://www.osnews.com/thread?550669 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550669 For those iOS users who want to free themselves.

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/13/01/27/1814239/pod2g-confirms-ios...

Hopefully root means they will soon be able to SIM unlock. It's absurd to think that Apple + carriers can dictate what you can/can't do with a piece of hardware that you paid for. Tue, 29 Jan 2013 06:10:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (aorth) Comments RE: Reality call for Thom http://www.osnews.com/thread?550691 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550691 I recently installed JB (CyanogenMod) on my girlfriend's LG P500 that is ARM v6 (not the usual v7), 600 MHz, 320x480. It runs very smoothly. There is a way in hell Samsung Galaxy S can run that as well. Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (cheemosabe) Comments RE: btw, the 6.1 jailbreak is "ready" http://www.osnews.com/thread?550703 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550703 Err... There's no real point in a soft Sim Unlock. The real unlcock requires a check box to be ticked off in some esoteric Apple based back office system. Else next upgrade the OS, it will be re-locked. The fact that European mobile provides are obliged to unlock their handsets after a period of ownership (UK, O2, usually 6 months after the phone release, after that you can unlock almost as soon as you receive the phone on contract for free or pay a small fee on PAYG) means that buying a Sim unlocked iPhone here is trivial. All of mine have been unlocked. Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:38:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (henderson101) Comments RE: btw, the 6.1 jailbreak is "ready" http://www.osnews.com/thread?550706 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550706 I think it's also absurd to willingly put yourself in a situation and then complain about it.

When you buy a locked iPhone you know it's locked. Mine isn't, because I bought it like that, because I wanted it that way. If I didn't like Apple I would have bought something else. Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:06:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (MOS6510) Comments Mhm http://www.osnews.com/thread?550719 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550719 Who's Apple and what is iOS? Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:31:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (twitterfire) Comments RE: btw, the 6.1 jailbreak is "ready" http://www.osnews.com/thread?550767 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550767
For those iOS users who want to free themselves.

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/13/01/27/1814239/pod2g-confirms-ios...

Hopefully root means they will soon be able to SIM unlock. It's absurd to think that Apple + carriers can dictate what you can/can't do with a piece of hardware that you paid for.


Apple will willingly sell you an unlocked iPhone. If you buy a phone on a contract, you can get it unlocked once you have finished paying for it. And Apple (and your carrier) cannot refuse to unlock it then. Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:14:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (mkone) Comments iPad 1 is stuck with iOS 5 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550919 http://www.osnews.com/thread?550919 Don't forget that users of the iPad 1 will never be able to run iOS 6.x and higher... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:30:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (grypper) Comments