Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 3rd Jan 2013 23:42 UTC
So, Gingerbread has finally dropped below 50% of devices accessing Google Play. Ice Cream Sandwich has almost hit the 30%, and after six months, Jelly Bean (4.1 and 4.2) almost hit the 10%. Google's page listing these numbers is like a trainwreck in slowmotion.
Thread beginning with comment 547207
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE: Google should set a cut-off point for new devices
by SeeM on Fri 4th Jan 2013 08:23
in reply to "Google should set a cut-off point for new devices"
Member since:2011-09-10
What surprises me is that Google hasn't set a simple cut-off point for releases if you're part of the handset alliance (which should obviously cover carriers too). Something like you can't release a new handset/tablet/whatever with a version of Android that's more than 6 months old.
I have better idea. Lets slow down with new releases. Give me one good reason to upgrade from 2.3 to 4.0. When 2.3 is working fine with mail, browser, games, etc...
RE[2]: Google should set a cut-off point for new devices
by gilboa on Fri 4th Jan 2013 12:39
in reply to "RE: Google should set a cut-off point for new devices"
Member since:2005-07-06
At last a comment that makes sense.
My SGS II is running JB 4.1.2 but my wife's Xperia X8 is running GB 2.3.7, both rooted and running non-standard ROMS.
The 2.3.7 on my wife's phone works just fine I simply cannot find a single reason for upgrade it to ICS or above.
Unlike iPhone android is running on just-about-any-type of device, from the low-end (Such as the X8) to the high end (Note II). As such it is very likely that no all will run the same OS version.
- Gilboa
RE[2]: Google should set a cut-off point for new devices
by VistaUser on Fri 4th Jan 2013 20:43
in reply to "RE: Google should set a cut-off point for new devices"
Member since:2008-03-08
There is a big different between Android >=2.3 and Android 4.0+ IMO.
You can tell that the latter is far more polished and I think (I am not a programmer but I have read) the programming model for the fragments on 4.0+ is different from Gingerbread and lower - this enable supporting multiple screen sizes.
While old phones running Gingerbread is ok (as long as its secure), launching new phones means that new apps have to consider the old limitations for longer.
RE: Google should set a cut-off point for new devices
by gtada on Sat 5th Jan 2013 17:44
in reply to "Google should set a cut-off point for new devices"
Member since:2005-10-12
Features
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/16/13 9:29 UTC
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/15/13 22:44 UTC
Almost exactly three years ago, I wrote about why OSNews was no longer OSNews: the alternative operating system scene had died, and OSNews, too, had to go with the times and move towards reporting on a new wave of operating systems - mobile, and all the repercussions that the explosion of smartphones and tablets have caused. Still, I was wondering something today: why aren't we seeing alternative operating systems on mobile?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/14/13 18:22 UTC, submitted by MOS6510
You can say what you will about Windows Phone and Windows 8's Metro interface (I refuse to drop that name) - it's inefficient, unpopular, cumbersome, beautiful, ugly, organised, clean, limiting - but there's one thing we can all agree on: it's unique and distinctive. CNet has published a profile of Microsoft's Albert Shum, the man behind Metro, and he highlights what I think is at the very core of Microsoft's problems in mobile right now.More Features »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2005-07-06
What surprises me is that Google hasn't set a simple cut-off point for releases if you're part of the handset alliance (which should obviously cover carriers too). Something like you can't release a new handset/tablet/whatever with a version of Android that's more than 6 months old.
Obviously, there needs to be an upgrade timetable too - something so that there's time points up to the 2 year mark (e.g. an upgrade at the 6/12/18/24 month mark or something like that).
Carriers will resist this hugely for 2 reasons, even if the phone is easily capable of running every Android release for the next 2 years. Firstly, it means they'll have a lot more models to update (maybe that would encourage them to release *less* models over time? HTC were terrible for this: almost every week would see a new model!).
Secondly - and this is a biggie - carriers love "disposable, non-upgradeable phones" (i.e. sealed in battery, no SD card slot expansion) because they can sell a new model to replace it and make a tidy profit. Allowing upgrades on older models of any sort (software or hardware) is against their selfish interests.