Linked by gsyoungblood on Tue 20th Jul 2010 18:01 UTC
On July 15th the latest Android super-phone was released by Motorola and Verizon Wireless. All hail the Droid X. The release was not without controversy though. The Droid X, while greatly raising the bar for Android phones in general, does so at the expense of the very power users and community that made the original Droid the gotta-have phone it became. Alienating this group may have far reaching consequences for Motorola.
Thread beginning with comment 434173
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2008-02-05
The vast majority of end users don't load custom ROM's on their phones, they stick with the status quo and receive updates from their carrier.
or don't receive them (like me and my trusty 'old' Samsung i7500 Galaxy).
If I couldn't install custom, unapproved roms on there I'd still be stuck with Android 1.5. A lot of the viability of Motorola's model (and the happiness of their users) hinges on their ability to keep supporting their devices through a couple of Android version updates. If I'd have a Droid X and they'd keep updating it with high quality recent firmwares, I'd not be too worried about the inability to apply custom roms; however, if they'd leave me in the cold as Samsung has, while also unable to apply my own choice of firmwares, that would surely have been my very last Motorola phone ever.
Still, I can't see why it'd be so hard for them to allow users to opt out of warranty and killswitch with a big red 'void warranty' button (preferably irreversible). I'd like to know that I have a choice in the matter.
Member since:2005-07-06
or don't receive them (like me and my trusty 'old' Samsung i7500 Galaxy).
If I couldn't install custom, unapproved roms on there I'd still be stuck with Android 1.5. A lot of the viability of Motorola's model (and the happiness of their users) hinges on their ability to keep supporting their devices through a couple of Android version updates. If I'd have a Droid X and they'd keep updating it with high quality recent firmwares, I'd not be too worried about the inability to apply custom roms; however, if they'd leave me in the cold as Samsung has, while also unable to apply my own choice of firmwares, that would surely have been my very last Motorola phone ever.
Still, I can't see why it'd be so hard for them to allow users to opt out of warranty and killswitch with a big red 'void warranty' button (preferably irreversible). I'd like to know that I have a choice in the matter.
If I couldn't install custom, unapproved roms on there I'd still be stuck with Android 1.5. A lot of the viability of Motorola's model (and the happiness of their users) hinges on their ability to keep supporting their devices through a couple of Android version updates. If I'd have a Droid X and they'd keep updating it with high quality recent firmwares, I'd not be too worried about the inability to apply custom roms; however, if they'd leave me in the cold as Samsung has, while also unable to apply my own choice of firmwares, that would surely have been my very last Motorola phone ever.
Still, I can't see why it'd be so hard for them to allow users to opt out of warranty and killswitch with a big red 'void warranty' button (preferably irreversible). I'd like to know that I have a choice in the matter.
Because some Jack Ass from New York will sue the said company for 'not adequately explaining the implication of opting out'. You can thank the US and its screwed up legal system for why obvious options aren't provided. Sue this, sue that - its a nation of f-cking idiots who sue over anything at the drop of a hat. If it isn't some idiot suing because the idiot spilt coffee over herself, its some w-nker demanding that salt and partially hydrogenated fats are banned because obviously people are too stupid to realise fast food is bad for you (shock! horror!).
I for one laugh though; all the Android fans thinking that their Jesus Phone(tm) will provide them with tonnes of freedom unlike the iPhone they so readily despise. Well, you've got a phone less than a year old - had that been an iPhone you would have received iPhoneOS 4.0 free of charge and without needing to hack your device to get it. Maybe that should be a take home message to all those who bad mouthed Apple only to get royally shafted by Motorola/HTC/etc. with no Android OS update.
Edited 2010-07-21 09:04 UTC
Member since:2009-08-26
Sweet cheeks, there is nothing stopping you from clearly stating that you will not support users who run custom ROM's on their phones.
Oh right, a warning screen solves all problems.
Just put an 21+ warning on your website and that will keep out kids and teenagers. Morality will ensure that no one will lie about their age.
Member since:2005-07-06
Oh right, a warning screen solves all problems.
Just put an 21+ warning on your website and that will keep out kids and teenagers. Morality will ensure that no one will lie about their age.
Just put an 21+ warning on your website and that will keep out kids and teenagers. Morality will ensure that no one will lie about their age.
The two aren't comparable; sell your software and when they report or complain, ask them whether they're running a custom ROM (because you're unable to duplicate the error with the official ROM) and then explain that you do not support custom ROM's. You've warned them on your website, you've warned them in the marketplace and to top it off you told them via direct communication - if they didn't get the subtle hint then you simply should cut your losses and let them wallow in their own stupidity.
Edited 2010-07-21 19:24 UTC
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/25/13 0:45 UTC
"So in summary... Google has pulled the plug on support on a protocol they've helped popularize, after years of promising interoperability, for reasons that are dubious at best, and in a way that leaves people who don't jump to the new Hangouts app unable to talk to their contacts without any feedback that their IMs aren't getting through... And they've done that with no warning to anyone. I imagine there's a bunch of people out there wondering where some of their buddies have gone, or why their messages aren't getting responses, because this isn't documented anywhere." Google really messed this up. Such a dick move.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 23:59 UTC
The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 22:33 UTC
Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Linked by Howard Fosdick on 05/24/13 21:41 UTC
Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking website, for $1.1 billion USD. Tumblr offers little revenue but lots of eyeballs if Yahoo can monetarize them. Now Yahoo is bidding for Hulu, the streaming video service. After years of ineffective responses while Google, Facebook, and others took large chunks of the online advertising market, Yahoo is fighting back. Can Yahoo reignite the momentum it had at the turn of the century? What do you think?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 14:44 UTC
"Sources have described iOS 7 as 'black, white, and flat all over'. This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements." I couldn't be happier.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 23:22 UTC
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:04 UTC
"Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:01 UTC
"In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 17:52 UTC
"The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 22:23 UTC
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.More News »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2005-07-06
i'm sick of crappy incompatible roms which crash my applications and result in bad ratings.
those who want to root and load custom roms should get a symbian/meego device already and leave android alone.
Sweet cheeks, there is nothing stopping you from clearly stating that you will not support users who run custom ROM's on their phones. The vast majority of end users don't load custom ROM's on their phones, they stick with the status quo and receive updates from their carrier. Quite honestly you're making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Edited 2010-07-21 05:41 UTC