Nexus One Won't Get Ice Cream Sandwich
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 26th Oct 2011 22:27 UTC
Google "Google's Hugo Barra confirmed that the latest version of Android will be delivered as a free upgrade to the existing Nexus S handset 'within weeks'. He said the search giant was aiming to get the software to owners of the previous flagship phone shortly after the release of the new Galaxy Nexus handset next month, well in time for Christmas. Owners of the first official Google phone, the Nexus One, will not be getting the upgrade, however. Barra said the hardware was simply too old to run the new operating system." Can someone enlighten me - the Nexus One has 512MB of RAM, a 1Ghz processor, and a 480x800 AMOLED or SuperLCD. Why on earth isn't this thing upgraded to ICS? Lameballs.
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Fergy
Member since:
2006-04-10

I have a nexus one and given that its performances aren't stellar with gingerbread I wouldn't want to run ICS on it, even though it is probably technically feasible.

Don't you think that using the gpu like ics does will improve its performance?

It would just run like shit. It's like running iOS4 with multitasking enabled on an iphone 3gs: it can be done but it runs like shit so it's better not to.

I think the main reason for that is the amount of memory it has. 3g 64MB 3gs 128MB 4 512MB 4s 1GB. Nexus has at least 512MB.

Reply Parent Score: 2

MORB Member since:
2005-07-06

Don't you think that using the gpu like ics does will improve its performance?


Perhaps. On the other hand supporting an older gpu might be a pain in the ass because it may be lacking features that they use in ICS. Also it might need more memory.
For instance, the application switcher in ICS that displays thumbnails of applications: it have to store those thumbnails, which is bound to be memory consuming.

There's also the screen size factor: I can easily imagine the nexus one's screen being too cramped for the ICS UI.

Reply Parent Score: 2

Fergy Member since:
2006-04-10

For instance, the application switcher in ICS that displays thumbnails of applications: it have to store those thumbnails, which is bound to be memory consuming.

There's also the screen size factor: I can easily imagine the nexus one's screen being too cramped for the ICS UI.

Those thumbnails can be easily cached on flash and would take less memory than loading a webpage. Ics will run on the 800x480 1Ghz Nexus S so no it will not be too cramped.

Reply Parent Score: 2

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by zima on Wed 2nd Nov 2011 18:40 in reply to "RE[2]: Just because you can doesn't mean you should"
zima Member since:
2005-07-06

On the other hand supporting an older gpu might be a pain in the ass because it may be lacking features that they use in ICS. Also it might need more memory.
[...]
There's also the screen size factor: I can easily imagine the nexus one's screen being too cramped for the ICS UI.

I doubt it. These SOCs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSM7000#MSM7227 have the same GPU as the Snapdragon of Nexus One (which is, overall, still a relatively powerful chip)
They still ship in tons of phones (the likes of LG Optimus One, a device class which will also switch to ICS), and ought to continue doing so for quite some time.

ICS, Android overall, is also (quite possibly primarily, by numbers of users) about such devices - it wouldn't make sense to exclude them from the benefits, especially when they could use them the most, and "desktop" acceleration doesn't require the fanciest GPU features, anyway.

Oh, they also virtually always have smaller screens than Nexus One. Generally, Google probably doesn't want to put off that vast group of people from Android, when the time will come for next phone upgrade; also, new version tended to somewhat improve performance (as long as "basics" - decent RAM amount for example - were in place)

Reply Parent Score: 2