Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 13th Dec 2012 00:23 UTC
"What are the chances that we'll see something with the finesse of the One X with stock software down the road? 'The Nexus devices are Google’s lineup,' explains Kodera, 'but in general, we're very proud of HTC Sense, and we'd like to continue shipping it on every device.' Not exactly encouraging." Big letdown. Not unexpected, but a letdown still. I will never again buy a non-Nexus device.
Thread beginning with comment 544980
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:2011-04-11
The whole point is to not buy the phone from a carrier but from the producer.
Unfortunately, the bad habit that is carrier subsidizes is not going away. If a contract offers you a certain amount of data per month, in a price that is cheaper compared to not having the contract and paying list price (which is the norm), and you know are going to consume those data anyway, it makes sense to sign the contract and get the subsidized phone. With smartphones being real data hogs and needing data to do the most interesting stuff, subsidizing is not going away.
A good solution would be to have a law that says carriers are required to subsidize devices from all interested manufacturers. This is already happening in certain countries like the one I live in (even without such law), where there is a government-owned mobile carrier subsidizing everything. You name the phone, they subsidize it. Of course the downside is that the subsidizes are not as high as in the USA.
Edited 2012-12-13 10:00 UTC
RE[3]: Non-Nexus Devices
by B. Janssen on Thu 13th Dec 2012 11:09
in reply to "RE[2]: Non-Nexus Devices"
Member since:2006-10-11
Unfortunately, the bad habit that is carrier subsidizes is not going away. If a contract offers you a certain amount of data per month, in a price that is cheaper compared to not having the contract and paying list price (which is the norm), and you know are going to consume those data anyway, it makes sense to sign the contract and get the subsidized phone. With smartphones being real data hogs and needing data to do the most interesting stuff, subsidizing is not going away.
Then you have nobody to blame but yourself. You choose a lower price and you pay with inconvenience. I'm not saying that this is a bad trade-off per se, but it is important to realize that YOU, the customer, made a choice here.
A good solution would be to have a law that says carriers are required to subsidize devices from all interested manufacturers. This is already happening in certain countries like the one I live in (even without such law), where there is a government-owned mobile carrier subsidizing everything. You name the phone, they subsidize it. Of course the downside is that the subsidizes are not as high as in the USA.
I have a better idea. Disallow carriers to sell/rent phones. Without crosssubsidies covering costs becomes harder and phone manufacturers and carriers would actually have to compete on the individual merits and prices of their products. Perish the thought!
Oh wait, I have an even easier idea. Leave things like they are and start to price in YOUR preferences.
Edited 2012-12-13 11:10 UTC
RE[3]: Non-Nexus Devices
by phoenix on Thu 13th Dec 2012 22:50
in reply to "RE[2]: Non-Nexus Devices"
Member since:2005-07-11
"The whole point is to not buy the phone from a carrier but from the producer.
Unfortunately, the bad habit that is carrier subsidizes is not going away. "
T-Mobile USA is doing just that ... getting rid of carrier subsidies for new phones:
http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/12/in-risky-move-t-mobile-to-e...
RE[3]: Non-Nexus Devices
by JAlexoid on Fri 14th Dec 2012 12:17
in reply to "RE[2]: Non-Nexus Devices"
Member since:2009-05-19
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2011-02-09
The whole point is to not buy the phone from a carrier but from the producer.