Database Users

GPS Fix and Froyo ETAs

Since a new thread seams to pop up every day asking for ETA's I suppose we can have a thread specifically discussing what we ACTUALLY know. Here is what "I" know at the moment.
GPS Fix
Currently there is a leaked firmware (see development forum) that looks like it improves the GPS functionality nicely. This has a build date of Sept 7th so it is fairly new. Due to certain issues, this appears to be a beta still. However, it does have the TMO apps on it so it is further along than a pre-carrier build. Given a beta cycle of a couple of weeks, if this goes out as an OTA, it would look to be at the end of the month at best.
It has been reported in another thread that TMO will start rolling out a GPS/Lag fix on Sept 20th. This is most likely based on, or is, the leaked ROM that you can find in the dev section. So far, reports on the GPS fix are "mostly" positive.
Froyo (Android 2.2.)
There have been no leaked ROMs for the Vibrant yet although there is for international versions. Samsung_mobile on twitter said Froyo at the end of September. Given the information in the previous section, it seems an interim build may be coming to TMO first, before a Froyo is pushed out. This one though is a complete unknown besides from that twitter post.
It is currently expected that Samsung will release a Froyo build TO CARRIERS on Sept 23rd. We are not likely to see a Froyo update for at least 45 days after that if not longer depending on how long it takes TMO to "wiz it up"

GPS is working very nicely for me on that new rom with no issues.

I was locking onto 6 birds yesterday. All stock. WHATUP NOW
Still take some froyo though haaa
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

While I appreciate that the leaked ROM may be working for you, a lot of people dont want to mess with ROMs and are more interested in an official update. Although you can install that ROM today, we have no actual date of an official release.

KerryG said:
While I appreciate that the leaked ROM may be working for you, a lot of people dont want to mess with ROMs and are more interested in an official update. Although you can install that ROM today, we have no actual date of an official release.
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Yeah, if we are lucky, we may get it by the time Google releases Android 3.0 in October....
I am sooo disappointed that every Android manufacturer locks down their product so tight, that without their cooperation, the phones are simply not upgradable to the new OS versions. In a way it's worse than dealing with the iPhone

Wake up dude. It has nothing to do with that and EVERYTHING to do with testing and finishing drivers, UI, etc. People complain about a buggy release then demand updates right away. Its not going to happen.

couped said:
Wake up dude. It has nothing to do with that and EVERYTHING to do with testing and finishing drivers, UI, etc. People complain about a buggy release then demand updates right away. Its not going to happen.
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Nope.
Samsung can test the OS in advance, so they can get their drivers ready for launch. Both HTC and Moto did it, and Moto is hardly the most responsive company out there.
And the UI, it's crap, IMO. But if Samsung thinks TouchWiz is so great and important, then spin it off and make it available in Market, when ready.
There is really no good excuse for the delay. Samsung is just not dedicating the resources they need to.

MacGuy2006 said:
Nope.
Samsung can test the OS in advance, so they can get their drivers ready for launch. Both HTC and Moto did it, and Moto is hardly the most responsive company out there.
And the UI, it's crap, IMO. But if Samsung thinks TouchWiz is so great and important, then spin it off and make it available in Market, when ready.
There is really no good excuse for the delay. Samsung is just not dedicating the resources they need to.
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are you serious?
I think you need a new hobby...

There is really no good excuse for the delay.
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Obviously someone that hasn't been in the software development field.

Amen.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

In T-mobile/Samsung's defense...
When the first update for the G1 came out, it released in the UK before it hit the U.S.
Turns out that there was some kind of security bug in it, and they actually had to stop offering the update.
The testing aspect is why these updates take so long. It takes longer to test (and fix minor issues) than to correct the main problem.
What it boils down to is that no one really knows these devices in and out. You have cameras from one company, radios from another company, GPS chipsets from a third company, processors from a 4th, etc... and on top of it all your OS is written by a company that is very new to the electronics business.
The problem is the pace of technology.... sure you could pay 2 or 3 geniuses $100,000 a year for 2 years to learn every idiosyncrasy of ONE of your devices... but does that make sense when you have 2 or 3 new models going to market in 6 months?
Apple is probably the best suited company to have a team of experts who know their ONE device in and out... and even they screw it up (proximity sensor, antenna debacle).

KerryG said:
Obviously someone that hasn't been in the software development field.
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Actually, part of what I do is pay people to do software development.
Again, if this was a priority for Samsung, we would have 2.2 now. They have control over more hardware in the Galaxy than most other phone manufacturers.

Maybe old news by now, but Androidspin is reporting Froyo for the international version with a Sept 23 release date.
noob user, can't post links. visit android spin for the story.

MacGuy2006 said:
Actually, part of what I do is pay people to do software development.
Again, if this was a priority for Samsung, we would have 2.2 now. They have control over more hardware in the Galaxy than most other phone manufacturers.
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Ill agree with this, if Samsungs priority was 2.2 it would have been done by now, easily. I mean 2.2 has been out since may. Its 4 months later, they could roll it out now if it had been properly and timely worked on.

It's not like all Samsung makes are phones.
....
I'm still waiting for the HTC TV, HTC Washer and Dryer, maybe a Nokia Refrigerator....
When the other Companies start making all of this stuff, then u can compare

MacGuy2006 said:
Actually, part of what I do is pay people to do software development.
Again, if this was a priority for Samsung, we would have 2.2 now. They have control over more hardware in the Galaxy than most other phone manufacturers.
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So... your the accountant? Or someone who contracts with vendors to do development for the company you work for? Supply the funding?
Sorry, not a ringing endorsement for understanding the development cycle without more details.
I'm guessing you meant to say, "if this was a TOP priority for Samsung, we would have 2.2 for now".
I'm guessing it's not, for a variety of business reasons. I'm sure it is in the mix with a lot of other efforts.

mjpacheco said:
So... your the accountant? Or someone who contracts with vendors to do development for the company you work for? Supply the funding?
Sorry, not a ringing endorsement for understanding the development cycle without more details.
I'm guessing you meant to say, "if this was a TOP priority for Samsung, we would have 2.2 for now".
I'm guessing it's not, for a variety of business reasons. I'm sure it is in the mix with a lot of other efforts.
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Well, I do a bit of most of the above.
So, you are a fanboy?
If HTC and Moto could do it, so could have Samsung. Especially since the Galaxy S is supposed to be their weapon with which to take over the smart phone market.... And since they have more control over key components than their rivals.
Anyway, what's your point? That writing drivers is so tough it takes years?
Or that we should not expect much from Samsung products, because they are a diversified company and can't focus on any particular product?

MacGuy2006 said:
Actually, part of what I do is pay people to do software development.
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I pay 400 people to do software development, and I agree with the other guy.

MacGuy2006 said:
No, I run a company.
So, you are a fanboy?
If HTC and Moto could do it, so could have Samsung. Especially since the Galaxy S is supposed to be their weapon with which to take over the smart phone market.... And since they have more control over key components than their rivals.
Anyway, what's your point? That writing drivers takes years?
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Ha, no. I'm OS and hardware agnostic across all platforms.
My point is realistic expectations. If the GPS update was top priority for Samsung and/or easy to fix (it very well may not have been), it would be done.
As the owner of a company, you know more than anybody the tradeoff's that need to be made when making business decisions. It easy to complain when you are individually impacted about the priority of some specific piece of work, but for Samsung you know they made concious decisions about release scheduling.
Given recent news, it looks like the GPS/hardware fix is being release seperately from 2.2. I'm a little dissapointed in this, it's seems likely that means we will not get the 2.2 fix before the end of September. Ideally they would be rolled together if 2.2 was close... unless the fix just took so long the release timeframes have been squeezed together. And all assuming the GPS fix is merged with 2.2.
Anyway, I'm rambling, no way to know unless we sit in on Samsung development meetings and what challenges they have had with the 2.2 release.
My 'guess' is Samsung had marketing dates to meet with the original OS and released the product before everything was baked in. There are lots of oddities and bugs in the phone I have not seen in other platforms (like HTC), and these are hopefully fixed and may explain the extra time.
I agree with you re: the UI. For those that care, and it likely the more technically savy are the ones that care, it's easy to change... one of the compelling things about any android device.

The Tab is nearly ready to launch. I'm sure it has been tested with 2.2 for a number of weeks, if not months. The have the drivers ready. They are likely devoting tine and energy to hardware releases at this time. It would be nice if they would release vanilla android then the other stuff in the market. They already do that for the samsung home and car apps.
It is really frustrating that these companies cripple good devices with bloatware and make you root to uninstall it. Gingerbread will be nice because all of these extras will be apps. Which is how it should have been from day one.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Show some love for Samsung?

It's should have to be said that almost everyone bashes Samsung for one reason or the other but to be honest, I think Samsung has been listening to the consumer. Although, the lack of communication with consumers is its greatest downfall.
For example,
-Compress and GPS are been fixed actively (although not perfect, there's effort being put into the issue).
-Unlike Motorola and HTC, Samsung didn't include mechanism that makes tweaking harder (eg. efuse, and the whole G2 fiasco).
-Fixes for some of the smallest bugs, JI6 fixes alot of random quirks, such as Allshare now display the correct aspect ratio, to Calendar Alarm fix, Message Client crash, etc. Stuff that only a handful of people have express concerns over.
-Kies for updates (Kies Mini for Vibrant was extremely generous)
-Source Codes for Froyo released in a timely manner.
As stated above, the biggest downside to Samsung is the company's lack of communication with the buyers. If they can just be a bit more proactive I am sure people would trust it as much as they trust HTC or Motorola (Droid Series), etc.

When they make something that works properly (like their crappy software which won't update my phone with bugs in it)... then maybe I'll think about it.

Tarzanman said:
When they make something that works properly (like their crappy software which won't update my phone with bugs in it)... then maybe I'll think about it.
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When is the last time a piece of software doesn't have bugs in it.
Other softwares with bugs:
Windows .... Check.
Mac.... Check.
iOS......Check.
Android is no exception, or just look at G2 and it's state of chaos.
Oh, and the all mighty Bionix Rom develop here by XDA dev? Bugs, even more than stock, every revision gets a huge bugs fix, and more pops up. Software will never get completely perfect.

I don't understand what you're saying..... that we should say good things about Samsung because they suck as bad as Microsoft?
For the record, even Apple software ports run better on a PC than any of Samsung's apps...which is pretty sad because iTunes sucks something fierce on Windows.

Tarzanman said:
I don't understand what you're saying..... that we should say good things about Samsung because they suck as bad as Microsoft?
For the record, even Apple software ports run better on a PC than any of Samsung's apps...which is pretty sad because iTunes sucks something fierce on Windows.
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You sure its not you? Because my Samsung apps run perfectly fine. Annnnnd if it wasn't for Samsung you wouldn't have that beautiful 4" SAMOLED screen now would you?
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Alex530 said:
You sure its not you? Because my Samsung apps run perfectly fine. Annnnnd if it wasn't for Samsung you wouldn't have that beautiful 4" SAMOLED screen now would you?
Just my 2 cents.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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I think it's just her.
I'm loving Samsung for providing Kies Mini for us and all the work they're doing trying to updates out the door. They've got what....9 or 12 phones running Android and just announced more within the past week.

I'm loving the screen in general. I was considering the G2 but just the 1.3 gigs and its LCD screen are too much of a downgrade for me. Plus I can't live without root!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Yes. Its just me.
There aren't a dozen threads all over the Galaxy S boards (here and elsewhere) about Kies/Kies Mini sucking or not recognizing phones

Tarzanman said:
Yes. Its just me.
There aren't a dozen threads all over the Galaxy S boards (here and elsewhere) about Kies/Kies Mini sucking or not recognizing phones
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I personally did not have problem with kies and I was even using a 64 bit OS. Now, people have problem folowing directions. I see so many times Kies diesnt recognize the phone because 1) phone not in kies mode 2) not usibg default launcher 3) didnt bother to install driver. All of which were addressed in the instructions.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Tarzanman said:
When they make something that works properly (like their crappy software which won't update my phone with bugs in it)... then maybe I'll think about it.
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There is no such thing in the world as a bug free software. All of the world's most praised software has patches and updates that fix issues that have been reported.
Tarzanman said:
Yes. Its just me.
There aren't a dozen threads all over the Galaxy S boards (here and elsewhere) about Kies/Kies Mini sucking or not recognizing phones
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1% of its userbase experiencing such problems equates to hardware/software incompatibilities and/or the biggest reason for software problems, ID10T errors.

I say if people don't like it get rid of it. Done
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

This is my 2nd Samsung phone and the 2nd time I have had these problems. A motorola driver has never crapped out on me, and Motorola phone tools never took over my USB bus, disabling all other devices on it.
Kies did and I had to uninstall it if I wanted any network connectivity on my desktop. Conversely, HTC and Motorola drivers and software work like they are supposed the first time I run them.
There's definitely a reason that Samsung is in 3rd place behind them. Given the issues that the Galaxy S, their flagship device has.... I don't see them overtaking either of those two companies anytime soon.

Tarzanman said:
There's definitely a reason that Samsung is in 3rd place behind them. Given the issues that the Galaxy S, their flagship device has.... I don't see them overtaking either of those two companies anytime soon.
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Hate to break it to you, but Samsung is already the #2 mobile phone manufacturer in the world, after Nokia.

iTunes and the iPhone updating system has had it's fair share of USB related and just bug related problems when updating software or restoring. Nice error messages they give you. Googling them brings you a plethora of people complaining right on the official Apple forums (a rarity because the forum is nazi-moderated).
I have no serious issues with my Vibrant. I know what I like and what I don't. I don't like stock Android.. I know that for certain. Same with a large QWERTY device. Not my thing anymore. I know that people like to ***** and moan on forums, a LOT. The G2 forum has already been graced with a "where is mai andriod 3.0s???" thread and a TON of complains/bugs. From poor signal, to random reboots, from loose hinges, to complaints about where they have the USB port.

Samsung is O K
I have worked with sooo many systems over the last 15 years........ All have their problems. Samsung Galaxy phones are one of the better ones I have dealt with. I tweaked my very first cell phone in the 1980's (set it up with a fake ring tone).
The important thing is notice how many very very good custom ROM and tweaks have come out for this phone That speaks to how much people like the phone. Like I have said before... the phone makers can and must do better.......alot of the lame bugs are because of laziness or just being in a rush. My Vibrant is a great phone. I just want a perfect phone just like all the techies in this forum.

This is why Android sucks - Update hell

Samsung has a great tablet but it is rapidly falling behind others in the updates.
And the BS about only rolling in certain markets to alienate customers.
Who does that?
Who in their right mind thinks that is a great idea?
So everywhere else your paying customers don't get the update they deserve.
Also we still don't have touchwiz, but Samsung is rolling out updates to certain people wtf? Some got Touchwiz, some got Google Movies, mine shows jack / nada / zilch.
Honestly, I don't know what Samsung's logic is for all this but it just sucks.

Stop whining.

mmoran27 said:
Samsung has a great tablet but it is rapidly falling behind others in the updates.
And the BS about only rolling in certain markets to alienate customers.
Who does that?
Who in their right mind thinks that is a great idea?
So everywhere else your paying customers don't get the update they deserve.
Also we still don't have touchwiz, but Samsung is rolling out updates to certain people wtf? Some got Touchwiz, some got Google Movies, mine shows jack / nada / zilch.
Honestly, I don't know what Samsung's logic is for all this but it just sucks.
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I only see Xoom and TF having HC 3.2 so far. Everybody else is still on 3.1.

It just came out...geez cry me a river...return and get a bulky tab with crappy screen....u sound like those guys on vibrant forum...go pout somewhere else! And most of us are running touchwiz...spend less time complaining about the best tab out and learn to flash.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

take it back and go get yourself an Ipad then

You sir need an I pad..

And you still got a GT 10.1 because...?

i do totally agree with you about Samsung really, really sucking it in the update department. The problem with Samsung is they build really awesome and powerful devices but they just don't build the software to match up with them. That is why we have XDA. Dude you can run touchwhiz and you can update. Just give it some time and you will see some better things on here that Samsung can't even come close to touching. This is a brand new tab and only a few weeks old. Give everyone a chance to pick one up and then this forum is going to blow up.

OP Samsung is a hardware company, google is the one who developed android. Because android does not belongs to Samsung thats why samsung cant do anything about updates and stuff. You can see Apple's updates moves fast because they are both hardware and software manufacturer so they can do fast updates they have one device to fix it. Google has so many devices to take care of and so many regions to consider. So it will take more time than usual. As you can see on samsung website that they uploaded the new drivers for pc and mac which was fast update because that update was in their hand. Samsung has nothing to blame about update if you want to blame then blame google.

Once ics comes out and the source is released there won't be a problem.

you are right about google
But the hardware vendors are responsible for the updates.
So it is Samsung.
Google has no idea how they are going to enforce update policy and there is no guarantee Samsung will even upgrade the 10.1.

i don't understand way people complain about updates. If it is that important root and flash.
A little game I play with fellow android users is ask them what version are they running most don't know or even know how to look.

stillblood said:
A little game I play with fellow android users is ask them what version are they running most don't know or even know how to look.
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I bet most of them would be able to tell you what features are buggy on their device though

stillblood said:
i don't understand way people complain about updates. If it is that important root and flash.
A little game I play with fellow android users is ask them what version are they running most don't know or even know how to look.
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What don't you understand? That I am a tech savy individual but want to have the most up-to-date software on my device in a timely time-frame? Or that I DO NOT want to Root or Flash my Tablet? Be serious. Your telling him to basically get a iPad because they offer updates across the board. That's not a good thing for Android.

DO NOT WANT TO ROOT OR FLASH !!?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON XDA THEN ?!! LOLZ
you guys are funny to post these complains here, if you want something official ?
go on Samsung's website/facebook or just send them a bunch of hate mail.
jeeez

tabing said:
OP Samsung is a hardware company, google is the one who developed android. Because android does not belongs to Samsung thats why samsung cant do anything about updates and stuff. You can see Apple's updates moves fast because they are both hardware and software manufacturer so they can do fast updates they have one device to fix it. Google has so many devices to take care of and so many regions to consider. So it will take more time than usual. As you can see on samsung website that they uploaded the new drivers for pc and mac which was fast update because that update was in their hand. Samsung has nothing to blame about update if you want to blame then blame google.
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Actually 8. 2 iPhone's, 2 iPod Touches, 4 iPad's. #justsayin

Android is to college as the iPad is to high school. It's more work but the rewards are greater.
There are plenty of people happy with the iPad. Personally, I'm not going to settle for a device that my grandmother can use.

I'll never understand why people are so hell bent on having the latest upgrade of the OS on the devices they use. It's an over the top emotional quest for some.
The Galaxy Tab is a tool, a means to the end. It's not the end itself.
These are the same people that get a new car every two years because their car looks dated. It's a status thing that makes no sense.
If you can run the apps you need on the Galaxy Tab then it matters not what version Android is installed.

TabGuy said:
I'll never understand why people are so hell bent on having the latest upgrade of the OS on the devices they use. It's an over the top emotional quest for some.
The Galaxy Tab is a tool, a means to the end. It's not the end itself.
These are the same people that get a new car every two years because their car looks dated. It's a status thing that makes no sense.
If you can run the apps you need on the Galaxy Tab then it matters not what version Android is installed.
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I'm sure that's the case for some and I agree with some of what you say, but I can say for me, however, that it is the allure of the promise of improved functionality. Anything that makes my device harder, better, faster, stronger is all right by me. Of course, roms can do that too, but some prefer "official" whether the reason is snobbery, stock OCD, timidness, what have you.

Phil_Glisson said:
I'm sure that's the case for some and I agree with some of what you say, but I can say for me, however, that it is the allure of the promise of improved functionality. Anything that makes my device harder, better, faster, stronger is all right by me. Of course, roms can do that too, but some prefer "official" whether the reason is snobbery, stock OCD, timidness, what have you.
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I look outside my office and see 10 cubicles, all with PCs running Windows XP. It's stable and runs like a work horse. And, you know what? They get their job done every day and go home at the end of the week with a paycheck. Never once have they asked for Windows 7.
I simply can't imagine what the next version of Android, or Touchwiz, will do for the average user to make it worth venting about on a public forum simply because they didn't get it NOW.

Nice C-Net article about Android updates. Reminds me of something...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20...-claims/?part=rss&subj=androidatlas&tag=title

doug2060 said:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20...-claims/?part=rss&subj=androidatlas&tag=title
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Why did he pick some of the crappiest android phones out there. As much as I hate not getting upgraded it seems as though this list is biased. None of those devices compare to Apple's products and the products that do he conveniently left out.

sahil04 said:
Why did he pick some of the crappiest android phones out there. As much as I hate not getting upgraded it seems as though this list is biased. None of those devices compare to Apple's products and the products that do he conveniently left out.
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True, but our phones got left out too...

doug2060 said:
True, but our phones got left out too...
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What I meant to say was he would have had more support if he had acknowledged the top tier Android phones such as ours that aren't getting updates instead of the crappy low end ones that probably can't run the updates that google wanted.

sahil04 said:
Yes, I'm no apple fanboy but even I think this article is trying to make apple look bad.
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Huh? The entire article was downing Android for lack of updates and this makes Apple look bad how?
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium

It's so funny, the same people who ***** and complain about no OS updates are the same ones who get angry when someone at a tech site writes an article about it.
There was a similar article on Androidandme and everyone of the comments was full of people defending the Android world, yet many of these same screenames are people who allows ***** and complain about never having a recent update.
It's true, Google/Android is running the update thing horribly. Ultimately if they don't clean up the fragmentation then that will be their downfall.
Google needs to stand up and say "enough, you want my OS on your phone, then you provide timely updates, PERIOD!"
I think the power of Android is now large enough to make a stand like that.
I am so sick of being at the mercy of my carrier and phone manufacturer for updates. Especially when the phone is fully capable. Could you imagine purchasing a pc and being at the mercy of the PC manufacturer for OS updates or drivers?
Manufacturers need to just make the phone, provide the proper drivers, then screw off. Let Google release the OS on their site, and people just update that way, and use the drivers from the manufacturer or component makers. Too bad this will never happen because the phone manufacturers and carriers are in bed together, giving us no updates is 100 percent planned.

ramiss said:
Huh? The entire article was downing Android for lack of updates and this makes Apple look bad how?
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
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Sorry, I meant make apple look good lol, I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that part.

SamsungVibrant said:
It's so funny, the same people who ***** and complain about no OS updates are the same ones who get angry when someone at a tech site writes an article about it.
There was a similar article on Androidandme and everyone of the comments was full of people defending the Android world, yet many of these same screenames are people who allows ***** and complain about never having a recent update.
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What individuals are you talking about? I ***** about no OS updates and I back the article 100%. Just because lots of people complain about opposite points, does not mean that the same people are complaining about opposite points.

mike_ekim said:
What individuals are you talking about? I ***** about no OS updates and I back the article 100%. Just because lots of people complain about opposite points, does not mean that the same people are complaining about opposite points.
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Agreed. I ignored that comment because I wasn't sure as to how it was intended. I didn't post this link to ***** or complain. I posted it because it's a common theme with Android phones and many may not be aware of it.

Its a valid complaint that hopefully will be put in the spotlight. This is the number one thing that is leading to fragmentation and eroding support for android. Now that ios has some of the features of android there is heavier competition between the two. What if the next iPhone has a bigger screen and live wallpapers or if it become more open? How will android compete with that if it can't even keep its line or phones updated. Nobody can deny the superior support for iPhones over androids and that is something that Google really needs to try and remedy cause clearly it can't be left to the manufacturers or carriers. The os has matured enough that Google should start flexing some muscle so the system can have some standards.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

It is not a fair comparison. Apple uses one (1) OS. Android is a base, and each carrier determines skins. Waste of an article is a waste of an article.

The original research is at http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
I think the points he has to make is valid and of course frustrating, but it is *NOT* an Android problem. It's a general phone manufacturer and carrier problem. Feature phones have the same level of poor support. I know my last feature phone's email would never display the right timestamp, and the firmware was never upgraded (even though it was a top-of-the-line phone at the time)
Robert

Feature phones are completely different. You have android devices with basically useless lock screen security that take forever to get patched. You think that would fly with apple. Look at our phones stock performance. Apple would have fixed that fast. Just like they fixes one of the older iPhones following the iOS 4 update.
It's not just about os updates. It's about security patches and bug fixes. Malware is a bigger issue on android because so many phones are left in an unpatched state. It really does give android a very bad rep with a ton of users.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Do you think feature phones never had any security problems?
I still feel the problem is the same. The issue is not fixing an individual problem (or even applying a fix someone else has made), but the total lack of support after the "next" model comes out.
Personally, I think I'm going to use this research as leverage to avoid signing a commitment in the future. The prepaid/non-contract vendors are starting to offer Android devices. We can complain, but I don't think it will change the carrier's business models.
Luckily I near a big city and don't travel that much so a smaller carrier may be fine.

Note5 Marshmallow update

So I've been thinking. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I think the wait for the update won't be nearly as long as years past.... The reasoning behind my theory is the fact that Samsung didn't fragment the devices this time around. We always seen the Exynos (international versions) get the update within a month of release. And then snap dragons always took 4-5 months probably because of the out of house support and the carriers slowing down the process.. I'm thinking a month or two tops. Thoughts?

on verizon so I will be lucky to even get an update before I move on to a new phone

AT&T. I'm hoping around next decade. I'm being a little too optimistic, but one can hope.
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Considering what Lollipop did to my Note 4 I won't be updating reguardless. Everything works just fine as it is.
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xtrandrix said:
Considering what Lollipop did to my Note 4 I won't be updating reguardless. Everything works just fine as it is.
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Lollipop was one of the largest updates in Android history with a crap ton of new code and ui. Marshmallow while adding some new api's and features is primarily a bug fix and performance update.
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Whatever it is, this is one of the major drawbacks of Android as a platform.
I'm not sure we can just point the finger at one company in particular.
It's just the way Android is, with Google, OEM's, carriers.
They need to simplify this update process. It's a huge advantage iOS has over Android.
Somehow, someway Google, Samsung and others need to expedite the update process so customers can update just as quickly as their iPhone counterparts.

HNIC215 said:
Whatever it is, this is one of the major drawbacks of Android as a platform.
I'm not sure we can just point the finger at one company in particular.
It's just the way Android is, with Google, OEM's, carriers.
They need to simplify this update process. It's a huge advantage iOS has over Android.
Somehow, someway Google, Samsung and others need to expedite the update process so customers can update just as quickly as their iPhone counterparts.
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As much as I'd like to see it, Google would be killing the USP of their Nexus line.

kinghu said:
As much as I'd like to see it, Google would be killing the USP of their Nexus line.
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I disagree with this as their Nexus line would still have unlock able bootloaders, stock pure android not skinned and highly mod-able. So there would still very the same market for the Nexus line.
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Google should start giving the OEMs the beta builds a few months before they announce them. So that they can do their testing and have it sorta coincide with the nexus release even if they follow a few weeks later. But the months are ridiculous

I feel like they need to cut the carriers out of this process. Apple doesn't include them, so why should Google/Samsung/Any other OEM?
One of the things people will say is without the carriers android phones won't sell but I disagree.
These carriers don't want Apple to have all the power, Apple already made a major play against carriers by releasing their own Apple Upgrade Program. Which will definitely be very popular and reduce people using carrier financing plans.
So while I think at first the carriers might play hardball to get their wishes, in the end, Google and Android OEM's will come out victorious.
Even if this happened, there is still an extra step in the process with Android because Google would first have to update their OS and then pass it on to each OEM so that they can update their own respective interface and UI elements (TouchWiz, HTC Sense, etc...)
That's still better than the current system: Google -> OEM -> Carrier -> Consumers
With these changes, it would make it: Google -> OEM -> Consumers
Which is still one more step than Apple's process: Apple -> Consumers
Google could help that by pushing it to the OEM's more quickly or including them early on in the update process.
Something!
I switch phones often between iOS, Android, (even Windows Phone - Although this has stopped due to lack of hardware to play with).
Each platform has their pros and cons but getting updates quickly is one of the best things I love about iOS.
If this was fixed, I think it would level the playing field by a huge margin. Most other gripes would be software related and could be fixed easily through updates or hardware related which wouldn't be that big of an issue due to all the variety among Android OEM's.
Why does Apple get all that power? No one else? Not Windows Phone or Android? It's not fair and both Microsoft and Google need to step it up!
---------- Post added at 06:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 PM ----------
nique0201 said:
Google should start giving the OEMs the beta builds a few months before they announce them. So that they can do their testing and have it sorta coincide with the nexus release even if they follow a few weeks later. But the months are ridiculous
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Exactly! You typed this as I was typing my long rant, lol.

Carriers are what ruin timely Android device updates. What excuse does AT&T have still having 5.0.1 for their S6? Seriously, I want to actually have a conversation with an AT&T software engineer and ask why their heads are up their asses?
The fact that the Galaxy S6, one of AT&T's flagship devices is still on 5.0.1 makes me wonder if we will see 6.0 on the Note 5 any time in the next couple of years.

fchowd0696 said:
Carriers are what ruin timely Android device updates. What excuse does AT&T have still having 5.0.1 for their S6? Seriously, I want to actually have a conversation with an AT&T software engineer and ask why their heads are up their asses?
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Our happiness/satisfaction is not a priority for them.
They just want our money... Smh

HNIC215 said:
Our happiness/satisfaction is not a priority for them.
They just want our money... Smh
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If by "our happiness," you mean geeks like us who read tech sites, then you'd be absolutely correct. No company is ever going to care what we think because we're an abysmally small segment of the market. Of all the people who buy Android phones in the world, very few actually care about that version number that shows up in Settings | About Phone.
Further, we also tend to be among the cheapest people around. Whenever people start complaining about a phone being overpriced, those comments come from tech geeks more often than not.
Money talks and BS walks. If you want OEMs and carriers to take software updates more seriously, get non-techies to care. Good luck with that.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 5 using Tapatalk

fchowd0696 said:
AT&T. I'm hoping around next decade. I'm being a little too optimistic, but one can hope.
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Lol this killed me, this is my case and it's so true.

Earlier they said that Sammy are bout to give a major update to S6/edge/edge+ and Note 5! Maybe(I say now) it's marshmallow!
Tapatalked with my iPhone 6 plus

oldblue910 said:
If by "our happiness," you mean geeks like us who read tech sites, then you'd be absolutely correct. No company is ever going to care what we think because we're an abysmally small segment of the market. Of all the people who buy Android phones in the world, very few actually care about that version number that shows up in Settings | About Phone.
Further, we also tend to be among the cheapest people around. Whenever people start complaining about a phone being overpriced, those comments come from tech geeks more often than not.
Money talks and BS walks. If you want OEMs and carriers to take software updates more seriously, get non-techies to care. Good luck with that.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 5 using Tapatalk
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I agree and disagree with some of the points you made...
I agree that our passion for technology and gadgets puts us in a niche category in comparison to the rest of Samsung/Apple/Any OEM's customer base as a whole.
When I said "our happiness" I meant consumers in general. I think everyone, whether they know or not, if shown facts and asked would say they want continued support for a product they spent money for. Whether it was $200 or $950.
There's really no indicator to say how many people understand software versions etc... Most I would assume and generally agree, like you said, don't know and don't care. I have been fortunate enough to travel, live and work abroad for many years in different parts of the world. One thing I noticed, is people all over the world are similar in some ways and different in others. Especially in regards to technology. However, it's a hard statistic to prove or show.
Not knowing something doesn't factor in my comment though.
Ignoring ignorance in it's simplest form, my point was if you know all the facts. Then you see how Apple is able to update their phones directly to their consumers without any carrier influence ,interference or delay. Then Google/Microsoft and other should be able to do the same.
I think when you hear compliments about Apple, it's not only physical about the hardware/software (which Android and OEM's compete pretty evenly now).
It's mainly about their customer service. That goes a long way with brand perception. That's why they have it and others don't. Their continued support for older models and current models is stellar!
You also say we (as in techies) "... tend to be the cheapest people around". I don't think so, I know, myself personally, I go through several premium phones a year. Money has never factored into it. I just want the best of the best. I know many techies who feel like me. I think T-Mobile created Jump-On-Demand for people like us. I would think the opposite would be true and a non-techie would care more about price rather than quality or specs.
Lastly, you say "If you want OEMs and carriers to take software updates more seriously, get non-techies to care. Good luck with that."
I think if OEM's want to compete with Apple they have to get non-techies to care about them. Not the opposite. I have no brand loyalty, I will use anything from any OEM, so long as their product and service is superior.
Just my two cents...

I hope android M is so good
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I have a feeling marshmallow might come sooner than previously (notice I didn't say soon) the fact that Google officially support finger print might mean that marshmallow note 5 maybe better and more accurate

md1008 said:
I have a feeling marshmallow might come sooner than previously (notice I didn't say soon) the fact that Google officially support finger print might mean that marshmallow note 5 maybe better and more accurate
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I hope so! That and a few adjustments here and there.
Really would make a great phone even better!

dsmpampis said:
Earlier they said that Sammy are bout to give a major update to S6/edge/edge+ and Note 5! Maybe(I say now) it's marshmallow!
Tapatalked with my iPhone 6 plus
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Source?