How to Jailbreak And Upgrade Old Android Phones
Linked by snydeq on Mon 18th Jul 2011 17:38 UTC
PDAs, Cellphones, Wireless InfoWorld's Serdar Yegulalp provides an in-depth tutorial on how he rooted and upgraded his Motorola Cliq XT, one of many Android phones made infamous for not receiving further Android updates beyond 1.5. 'It turned out to be quite an odyssey, with twists and turns I describe here in order to help those who wish to embark on a similar journey,' Yegulalp writes. 'Was it worth the trouble? Yes, in the sense that learning how to jailbreak your own phone is a valuable skill, and I got much more functionality out of the Cliq, when I was expecting to simply junk it. '
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If time is a problem, get a supported phone
by porcel on Tue 19th Jul 2011 12:22 UTC
porcel
Member since:
2006-01-28

I got a Google Nexus One that has always run great and continues to receive updates. What is so difficult about getting a Phone which is on the top of the list as far as devices supported directly by google?

I live in Spain and was able to get the phone through Vodafone, so you don´t have to buy it from the US.

Getting a supported phone also sends a clear messages to the carriers as to what phones people prefer.

Reply Score: 3

Gusar Member since:
2010-07-16

Well, there is one obstacle that can get in the way - money. I had a limited budget when it came to buying a phone. The Nexus S was beyond that budget. But it's not that big of a deal for me, I like to tinker. And you're right, the Nexus S can be bought everywhere in Europe. It also has a really sleek design, it's a great choice for a phone.

Reply Parent Score: 1

pandronic Member since:
2006-05-18

I got a Google Nexus One that has always run great and continues to receive updates. What is so difficult about getting a Phone which is on the top of the list as far as devices supported directly by google?


Well, first of all I'm not going to pay full price for a phone, so I'll get a subsidized one when I have to renew my contract every two years. I've waited for the Nexus S for 6 months or more. My old phone was literally falling to pieces. Vodafone kept postponing the introduction of Nexus S into their offer, so I had to settle for a Galaxy S (which has OK updates for now, but probably no more in the future as the S2 made its way onto the market).

So really, sometimes it's not a matter of choice because it's plain ridiculous to wait for a phone for 6-12 month until the operators get off their fat asses.

Reply Parent Score: 2

MattPie Member since:
2006-04-18

I got a Google Nexus One that has always run great and continues to receive updates. What is so difficult about getting a Phone which is on the top of the list as far as devices supported directly by google?


Besides money, the carrier. Europe doesn't have this problem, but in the US the Nexus would have to be on AT&T (or T-mobile, now bought by AT&T), whereas Verizon, who runs an entirely different network built on different tech, has much better coverage (at least on the east coast where I live). Since I tend to travel out in the middle of nowhere, getting a signal > timely updates. ;)

Reply Parent Score: 1

zima Member since:
2005-07-06

"Getting a supported phone, one ~3x more expensive than fairly solid & inexpensive mass Android devices (which already offer most of the benefits, not a mere 1/3), also sends a clear messages to the carriers as to what phones people prefer." (emphasis mine)

Hm, no, I think people don't prefer that (maybe even refusing on principle to pay 200% more for 20% more). Particularly when something so inexpensive as LG P500 also got Gingerbread (granted, it most likely won't go further; but 2.x line will probably remain a standard for quite a while, and when the time for the next one will really come, not only there will likely be a worthy successor to P500 / ZTE Blade / etc. ...I suspect most Nexus One owners will be also upgrading by then)

Overall, it seems smartphones might hit "good enough" much faster than PCs did (hopefully it will also mean top devices - or devices from only one manufacturer... - won't be so overrepresented in the official supported lists of things (distros?) like Cyanogenmod)

Reply Parent Score: 1