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

Possible reason for the update delays

Dunno if you guys have seen this. I didn't notice because I usually only hang around here but it just got posted to reddit so I saw it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045
If true, it would definitely explain a lot of things. It does make me dislike Samsung, but hopefully the carriers can strong-arm Samsung into doing what everyone else is doing.
Personally, I bought this phone because it was either this or the Droid X, and the difference was that while the DX might have Froyo now, the odds of Motorola putting Gingerbread on it are less than 100%, and the odds of it getting anything after that are even lower, and with the locked bootloader you can't do anything about it. With the Fascinate, at least we can look forward to community built ROMs for some time into the future, definitely past what Samsung is willing to do (I figure they're never going to even consider putting Gingerbread on the Fascinate what with the LTE phones coming out soon, and SAMOLED+ and all that). People should probably avoid Samsung unless they specifically want the nice hardware and easy hacking, in which case it seems like Samsung is the most lax with security so they're the best choice for hacking.

Hmm, very enlightening, of it's true of course. Sounds entirely plausible though. Oh well, I really don't care anymore, not with kaos and friends on the job.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

This is what we all expected.
But the question is... Why was it released with Eclair when Froyo was released before this phone was released.

wasn't the reason it was released with eclair because of the 1.6 ril or whatever? from what i read, the ril would barely work with eclair and no way for it to work with froyo.
my understanding is that a large part of the magic that kaos is doing was to build a functional ril.

They arent building a new ril. They are hacking android around the current crap ril Samsung gave us.

Don't buy it.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

upsidedownaaron said:
wasn't the reason it was released with eclair because of the 1.6 ril or whatever? from what i read, the ril would barely work with eclair and no way for it to work with froyo.
my understanding is that a large part of the magic that kaos is doing was to build a functional ril.
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That's what jt's been doing, and he ended up just hacking the current Samsung RIL to work. And if you follow his twitter, he said that the RIL from Eclair, Froyo, and Gingerbread on the Android side didn't change much which is why they're jumping straight to Gingerbread instead of wasting time with Eclair.

upsidedownaaron said:
wasn't the reason it was released with eclair because of the 1.6 ril or whatever? from what i read, the ril would barely work with eclair and no way for it to work with froyo.
my understanding is that a large part of the magic that kaos is doing was to build a functional ril.
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Click to collapse
Um, wow, what have you been reading? First off, our phone came with 2.1, not 1.6, so I'm not sure where you got that number from.
Secondly, the reason that we (not Samsung) could not build a ROM not based on the stock OEM ROM was because the source code for the RIL that Samsung provided for the Fascinate was bad code, which made it extremely difficult to create a working RIL what will work with a custom OS. However, jt1134 and punk.kaos were able to reverse engineer the bad code into working code, in order to proceed with ROM building.
This has nothing to do with Samsung themselves though. Samsung built the RIL to begin with, so they most certainly can (and have) created RIL code that works with Froyo, quite a long time ago in fact. They released the Galaxy S line with Eclair because that was likely the newest version available when they began developing the OS for those phones. In order to convert the OS to Froyo to launch it on the phone, they would have had to significantly delay the launch, which was not an option. This is likely why so many phones are released with outdated versions of Android. And I would like to point out that if they just put Google's code on there and didn't insist in polluting it with their own proprietary junk, it wouldn't take so long to release in the first place, and wouldn't be so difficult to upgrade later.
Getting back on topic, I figured that the problem with getting these updates really all comes down to money. People have always had to pay for OS upgrades for PCs, but due to Android and iOS, have now come to expect to receive these updates for free. The problem is, somebody has to develop an upgrade process, and test the heck out of it, and those developers have to get paid. So the OEM pays them, and then naturally tries to pass the cost along to the carrier, because they don't want to work for free. The carrier also doesn't want to pay for the upgrade, but also knows they can't get away with charging their customers for it without significant backlash, so they basically just sit there and hope the problem eventually goes away, or that the OEM will finally back down and release the update for free, which is what's been described as our current situation.
If this is really such a big problem, they could be taking steps to not end up in this situation, such as figuring the cost of these upgrades into the price of the phones and/or rate plans. However, the carriers also have added incentive to not push for the upgrades, because that effectively extends the life of the handset, and they want you to keep buying new hardware all the time, since they make money from selling hardware, and lose money on the free upgrades.
In the end, it's all about money. Thankfully we have such a great community of developers here on XDA that are willing to go the extra mile to not only get us our upgrades, but also add cool features and boost the performance way beyond what the manufacturer gave us. Thanks to that, our hardware's lifetime is determined not by when a carrier or OEM pulls support, but rather by when the devices physically die or break, or the hardware becomes too outdated for the tasks we wish to perform. And this way, through donations, we can pay our developers for good upgrades, not our carrier for crappy, bloated ones.

Im not saying its true but the most legitimate explanation for all this bull**** I have actually heard in a while. So for what its worth Im not going to shoot that down. Possibly true at this point.
Sent from my fascination station using XDA App

ivorycruncher said:
Um, wow, what have you been reading? First off, our phone came with 2.1, not 1.6, so I'm not sure where you got that number from.
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Mrbirdman said it himself, actually. (1.5, but close enough).
http://twitter.com/#!/_mrbirdman_/status/3002051533479936
Anyway, I don't know whether to believe this but it explains why no US carriers have Froyo yet. It's kind of frustrating that Verizon is the only carrier that hasn't even had a leaked Froyo build it seems. Damn ingrates spoiling leaks for the rest of us.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the link. I admit that tweet came before I followed him on twitter, so I hadn't seen that. I can see how that would complicate matters though.

This is the last farkin' time I ever buy a Samsung phone. Shame on me for believing their lies when they said they'd support it.

If that user is really violating an NDA, he's already fired, and the XDA admins would be hearing from lawyers demanding they remove the thread.
Sounds like it's just more trumped up bull**** designed to stir up the masses. Who knows really, but all I know is I wasn't stupid enough to purchase a phone based on future "promises."

Jake_Mongoose said:
This is the last farkin' time I ever buy a Samsung phone. Shame on me for believing their lies when they said they'd support it.
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You might wanna rethink that. Why, you ask? Because Samsung puts out some of the best hardware available, especially the screens, and we always have devs that can hack up the code to make it better than it ever would have been with a stock ROM. HTC isn't too bad, though the issue with rooting the G2 is certainly raising some eyebrows, but if you were thinking about Motorola, have fun with your locked bootloader and other fun tricks that attempt to squash community development. Aside from lousy source code, Samsung phones are the easiest to root and customize due to the unlocked bootloader. You can basically just flash anything you want with ODIN, no problem.

It is not necessarily the case in the future because Tab reportedly has locked boot loader. This said people already found workaround, but who knows?..

That is true. Nobody knows what the future holds. In any case, if you have no problem loading custom software from XDA devs on your phone, then OEM software support should not even be on the list of requirements when buying a phone. I now make my phone purchasing decisions purely based on hardware specs and quality. If it's a quality piece of hardware with the features I want, on my carrier of choice (Verizon), I will buy it, regardless of manufacturer or UI. Warranties and insurance work the same no matter who makes it, and software updates come from XDA, so nothing else really matters. But then again, that's just my opinion.

ivorycruncher said:
That is true. Nobody knows what the future holds. In any case, if you have no problem loading custom software from XDA devs on your phone, then OEM software support should not even be on the list of requirements when buying a phone. I now make my phone purchasing decisions purely based on hardware specs and quality. If it's a quality piece of hardware with the features I want, on my carrier of choice (Verizon), I will buy it, regardless of manufacturer or UI. Warranties and insurance work the same no matter who makes it, and software updates come from XDA, so nothing else really matters. But then again, that's just my opinion.
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Yup, this is how I've decided to make phone decisions from now on as well. As long as the phone's software can be replaced by XDA, I don't care too much about the manufacturer's updates.

J Shed said:
If that user is really violating an NDA, he's already fired, and the XDA admins would be hearing from lawyers demanding they remove the thread.
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It is easier to hide posting on a forum than it is sending a tip into an online news outlet, at least in general. Also, by posting it in a forum, it is entirely likely that it will be up for longer than it would be if posted at say, Engadget, because it takes longer for news to show up in major outlets if posted in a forum first as opposed to a news site. If it were posted at Engadget or another tech blog, they are likely watched over very closely for potential NDA breaches, etc. I doubt Samsung looks are random forums/subforums/threads nearly as close.

IF it were $$ couldn't we as users pay like $20 for Froyo...
x 3 million phones = more than enough to pay for DEV

I don't buy it.
Why?
Because these companies work off of contracts. Verizon would know exactly what they were getting into before signing. If Samsung decides to breach said contract, fine, let Verizon sue the hell out of them. Lastly, Verizon would not have sold or marketed docks that rely on 2.2, if they had no intention of releasing it.
Actually one more thing. If US Carriers were refusing, Samsung would halt development. We are seeing new leaks for the other US models all the time, and Verizon is still being worked on (but not leaked).
This is a case of where 2+2=5=false.

How long do we have?

Seems every new tab I get has a timer. Some have already gone off months before I even bought it and others will go off very soon.
I am not sure where I am at with this a7 but from all the reviews it seems the timer is about to off with the new elocity a7x. Seems elocity fixed all the complaints about the a7 in the a7x.
What I want to know is why is it important to upgrade and update to newer releases beyond the fact that new features are cool. Why do manufacturers not just give them to us?? I mean when I run Linux on my pc I have about 6-12 months before a release needs to be updated. Then I just re-install the new version and I am going. Why is it with Android that we the users can't just download gingerbread or what ever new release and update our selves? Why do the tab makers not just charge us for a new release. It costs them time and effort to make a new kernel and drivers but beyond that it should not be so tricky. So say they want $20 for Gingerbread to cover the cost of their development. I am on board with that. Why do Tablet makers instead of no updates just charge us like it is a new OS even though we know it is free we also know there is cost to wrote it for our device.
I think from a consumer stand point I would be a much happier customer if I new I would be able to upgrade at least one or two releases on the hardware I have before it is obsolete. I do not mind paying a reasonable fee for the updates just don't leave us out in the cold and do not say their are hardware limitations. Find a solution and make it work. It can be done specially with the hardware on this device!!
I think though the bottom line is, does this device do what I want it to do now?? For me as it is now the a7 does all I want it to do. I can read books, surf the net, listen to music, watch movies and play games. Will the new releases do something this can't do? I can watch flash-youtube, etc. Seems like a complete device.
Of course we all like the newest and latest stuff and that is why I think Elocity should spend the money to support the A7 for future releases. I think they should release a Gingerbread update soon. I would pay $10-15 for it. I think Honeycomb could be a $30 release and so forth. If there is a problem with something not working you could always revert back.
Rob

I agree with the statement...

I second that. I was a little bit disappointed that the new elocity tablets were announced soon after I bought the A7 and was left unsettled whether this was a kind of beta device released to test out the market response and whether it would fade away as soon as the new Android OS's are on the horizon.
I am not sure but is it too unrealistic to expect a life of 1 or 2 years out of this device?

I sent those very sentiments to Elocity directly some time ago. I was on the Amazon waiting list from October 2010 and received the tablet in December after many ups and downs and waiting to get the A7. And now a new tablet, they should give me my money back quite honestly.

It could have been a great device if
1. It had multi touch support
2. The company truly supported the device - it seems to be very limited.
This is the main reason why you see so many developers in the GTablet forum and no this one...I know of many who were itching to get a 7inch device (like myself) but ended up no solely because of the lack of multi touch...
I agree you should return it as Amazon misstated it was multi touch in the advertisement.
rapcon said:
I sent those very sentiments to Elocity directly some time ago. I was on the Amazon waiting list from October 2010 and received the tablet in December after many ups and downs and waiting to get the A7. And now a new tablet, they should give me my money back quite honestly.
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Yeah the multi-touch aspect is a huge selling point for a lot of people

I never said it was not a good device. Maybe the software needs work-That can be fixed if supported. Remains to be seen at this point. I have not dealt with the company personaly so I hope they are reading these forums but I am not encouraged about what I have heard. I think these companies need to understand is it is not just about units sold but happy customers who by word of mouth spread the news of their new tab to friends and family. If I have a bad experience it should be important to the company. Once you have a customer you should do all you can to.keep them within reason.
I think most of the flaws of this device could.be rectified by software. It is a shame that they are not going out of thier way to rectify the situation and work even with forum members help to create the fixes to the software aa needed.
I am hopeful that they will in time address our concerns but we may just have to upgrade soon!
I do want to state that I do like this tab and will only return it iff there is something better ajd about the same price $300-Max!
I Really hope Ginger bread will.be updated on these tabs. I Do not expect 3.0, although it would be nice and should be possible.
Lets make sure that happens and that the hardware is fully utilized like multi-core etc. This is an awesome device so lets get the most of it. The manufacturer should.support our efforts of extending the useful life of the device.
Rob

I guess the simulated multi-touch works for me in web browsing.
Other than pinch to zoom is there something that I can do with multi-touch? I have a Galaxy S and to me the devices behave pretty much the same.
I am disappointed in the poor support. I sent an e-mail and didn't hear anything. That's pretty bad. I'm wondering if ViewSonic is better.

That is the odd thing because from all the reports I can read on the touch screen in this device they all say it supports 1/1 multi touch.
I hope they change their responsiveness to customers but if they have limited resources and are trying to rectify our problems by writing new code and focusing on that then I can understand as long as it is temporary while they address our concerns.
I will be a very happy customer if the new update fixes a lot of our concerns!
Come on Gingerbread and multi touch and wireless n!!
Rob

Be better than the rest
Why waste the time and effort to hit the retail market with a tablet that has great hardware specs only to go sub-standard on software and support? Stream TV guys should be very well aware of how slowly and poorly many of the Android updates and support issues have been handled so, after garnering much attention releasing a Tegra 2 device try to do much much better, you have our attention(and got some of our money too, yeah people bought the tablet go figure).
Dexter is working his butt off but, he didn't create this tablet, we thank him, now OEM shift to a higher gear please. Cut Dexter a nice check, send him a tablet or 3 or 4 to work with and let's see these A7 get some fully functioning update love. Don't backburner this device for new releases and take us into atleast 3.0 as best as this hardware can offer. Maybe a major ROM download and install could fix the A7 and keep Stream looking like a viable competitor...if it works.

[Q] Will the GTab get/run Honeycomb?

I have seen posts all over XDA and other forums regarding this.
Does anyone have the REAL word on this????

There has no been official word from Samsung either way. From the dev work here it is certainly capable of running Honeycomb.

w4rmk said:
There has no been official word from Samsung either way. From the dev work here it is certainly capable of running Honeycomb.
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I really hope so. Have been looking forward to running Honeycomb ever since it was launched. And even more so when I actually got my Tab!
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App

Since Honeycomb is a tablet only OS my guess is the Tab will get Gingerbread instead since all the Tabs except the ones in North America officially have the phone feature. But, judging from the trend of Samsung it seems 2.2 may just be it and business wise they feel that will inspire you to spend more money on buying the new Tab or S2 to get the latest OS. But, that's just my opinion.
Sent from my AT&T Tab w/voice using XDA App

Well, I got the galaxy tab thinking it would at least get gingerbread.
As for Honeycomb, I think it should run OK. Even if the whole OS doesn't run, I'm sure we will at least get apks for the tablet optimised apps like gmail.
But hey, there's a new HTC 7" tablet announced with slightly better specs and it's said to get honeycomb. HTC is popular, I'm sure we can get a port from them.

xshocksin said:
.... But, judging from the trend of Samsung it seems 2.2 may just be it and business wise they feel that will inspire you to spend more money on buying the new Tab or S2....
Sent from my AT&T Tab w/voice using XDA App
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their strategy might just work after a fashion...i might spend more money on a new tablet-it will just be a tablet from a manufacturer who is more committed to providing updates to existing customers. ie not samsung.
Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App

I reckon not...
Chances are I would say no, if they give us honeycomb, why would we go out and buy their new tab?

arnie580 said:
Chances are I would say no, if they give us honeycomb, why would we go out and buy their new tab?
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The new Tab is a 10.1" device, which makes it a completely different animal in my opinion.
Regards,
Dave

IMHO Samsung dont seem to really care about it's exsisting customers only the new ones.
ive got an S and Tab and although i like both devices the lack of support winds me up, they constantly release new hardware with the latest software and seem reluctant to support what is in fact still "new" devices.
I dont buy into "you bought they device with froyo, so that's what youve got"
I expect high end hardware to be fully supported it's an insult they release a new device after 6 months without supporting the current one.
Any legit reason for not having honeycomb? No none.
I really cant see myself buying another Samsung product.

If the OEM doesn't wanna play nice and give us Gingerbread let alone Honeycomb, I'm sure the ORSUM devs here will be able to "cook" something up.
Afterall, isn't that what this forum is all about?

Some little 'savings' for Samsung
Samsung care about costumers already have. There is official 2.2.1 there are lot of other devices from other manufacturers what simply won't get 2.2... and we will get 2.3 also... Who said they don't care about costumers... New tablets are not the same category, except HTC Flyer almost all are 10 inch monster and for lot of money... Not the same race as Galaxy Tab in. We bought our device on the last quarter of year, will we rush for a new one just for Honeycomb and dual core CPU, don't think so... This is problem for Samsung? Don't think so. Will be no people in the future who change his/her device in every next quarter... If Samsung leave me alone, would we buy any new Samsung device in the future? Don't think so... Could it be a big business? Don't think so... We will see...

"As for original Tab owners, all is not lost. Wong said they’re “discussing internally on the next update, but we haven’t made a decision yet. In the future, when we have made a decision, we will let you know.”
http://www.samsunghub.com/2011/02/1...d&utm_campaign=Feed:+samsunghub+(Samsung+Hub)
Tapatalk

I would say that executive is dead wrong. This year the market will be flooded with 10" tablets running Honeycomb. As such manufacturer's need to find a way to differentiate themselves from the pack. Samsung's current Tab does that by having a smaller size and being able to make phone calls. I hope Samsung decides to make a next-gen Tab 7 to go along with their new Tab 10. I am very happy with the current Tab but I also think it could definitely benefit from a dual core processor and fast graphics engine.

Tab and Honeycomb
w4rmk said:
I would say that executive is dead wrong. This year the market will be flooded with 10" tablets running Honeycomb. As such manufacturer's need to find a way to differentiate themselves from the pack. Samsung's current Tab does that by having a smaller size and being able to make phone calls. I hope Samsung decides to make a next-gen Tab 7 to go along with their new Tab 10. I am very happy with the current Tab but I also think it could definitely benefit from a dual core processor and fast graphics engine.
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I very much agree with what was said.
added note that we all know that the nook color has honeycomb running already. even though its a port of the sdk, doesn't the nook color have lesser specs than the TAB? I'm positive that we will get something made for us.Surly not by OEM, but by yours truly, the amazing devs.... after we clean up the mess in the Development Section. It looks like a 9 year old went to clean his room because his mom said so and just took all of his toys and shoved them in the closet.

If the Tab doesn't get an update to Honeycomb from Samsung, I will be a former customer, I'll donate this to my mom, and I'll switch to the HTC Flyer. They've been brilliant with their updates, and their UI updates for Android.

Same for me, if the Tab doesn't get an update to Honeycomb from Samsung, I will not buy any other Samsun device ever. The minimum I expect from them is to give support to an only 5 months old Tablet. When I said support I am meaning updates.

Rocheau said:
Same for me, if the Tab doesn't get an update to Honeycomb from Samsung, I will not buy any other Samsun device ever. The minimum I expect from them is to give support to an only 5 months old Tablet. When I said support I am meaning updates.
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Unless Samsung intends to phase out production of the 7 inch galaxy tab I don't see how they can not support a Honeycomb release. By all reports that I have seen the Galaxy Tab is selling very well indeed and that would mean that Samsung would continue with production for quite some time. If they choose to produce the 7 inch tab with gingerbread only and the tab 2 with honeycomb it would indicate that the 7 inch tab is doomed as far as Samsung is concerned. They would gradually phase out production of the 7 inch tablet altogether.
One other possibility that Samsung might try is to produce a dual core 7 inch version of the tab with Honeycomb installed. That would give them an excuse not to support the current galaxy tab by encouraging current owners to move up to the dual core technology.
As far as Samsung committing to 10 inch tablets is concerned...only the market will determine what size(s) will be produced. If consumers prefer a smaller tablet the manufacturer's will continue to produce tablets in the size that the market wants. To do otherwise would mean giving up market share and I don't think any of them are willing to lose market share in a market that is growing very quickly.
Either way Honeycomb will wind up on our Galaxy Tabs. The developers here at XDA are brilliant and I'm sure they will combine their skills to port Honeycomb to the current Galaxy Tab.

The short answer.…yes it will, but not from Samsung and not anytime soon.
From the Tab.
www.twitter.com/ayman07

I think the state of smartphones is tough for the manufacturer and consumer right now because the evolution of technology for smartphones are out of control right now. Someone needs to step up and say "hey, we need to tone it down a notch. We need to allow the consumer to catch up and actually enjoy the investment they just made". Yes, it is an investment for the consumer because they are actually committing to 2 year contracts or paying a lot of money for full price phones. So, manufacturers need to roll things out slowly as far as new hardware goes and enjoy the profits till they start to see it dropping then roll out the next great thing. On the OS side of it? I think Google needs to step up and say "hey, we need to get all the devices that can handle the most latest and greatest version of android updated and caught up." Then, from there roll out new versions at a solid steady pace. Take some control if they really want the android OS to rule the smartphone/tablet market. Of course this is just my opinion.
Sent from my AT&T Tab w/voice using XDA App

for what it's worth, i like my tab coz it has a phone function period.
even if we dont get honeycomb, we would definitely get ice cream when it landed on nexus which is honeycombish and gingerbreadish
its fine for me
patient is the key ^^

help us [SM-P900] get a firmware update

I've already gave Samsung a piece of my mind on the topic, but one or a few persons isn't going to do it.
here's some facts to know beforehand:
SM-P600: Note 10.1 2014 Edition WIFI-ONLY (much older than Note Pro) received 5.1.1 update for various regions between early December 9th and January 16th
SM-T900: Tab Pro 12.2 WIFI-ONLY (same release date, cheaper product / lower paying customers) also received 5.1.1 updates Dec. 9 - Jan 16th
first, download the Samsung+ app if you don't have it already. go to the Support or Help Section, and start a Video Chat call (yes it works on Wi-Fi only). by default, the camera on your tab is off, if you wish for them to see you, you'll have to manually toggle it on during the call so don't worry about that. the video chat is U.S. based and almost always gets you a fluent English speaking agent capable of an intelligent conversation. the regular phone line is more likely to land you in India or Mexico and no speak ingles thank you for choose Samsung business appreciate come again byebye! or tangle you up in departments that either have no involvement in software support or have no way to pass along your thoughts.
next, proceed to complain either politely or passionately, whichever fits your fancy, about the lack of updates for (give the exact model number SM-P900) our tab.
be prepared, they will try in many ways to tell you there's nothing they can do or redirect the conversation to have you go check for newer software / how to check for newer software so they can get you off the call. we already know what the newest is and how to check. we're not stupid! ROUND TWO, FIGHT!
tell them how (use the model numbers and names) the older/cheaper devices already got 5.1.1 almost half a year ago. they will try to tell you that the carriers or some other entity are responsible for handling updates. WIFI ONLY devices get their updates from Samsung, not a 3rd party. don't let them end the call so easily! they may also try telling you that a 3rd party updated the other tabs. reassure them you're comparing apples-to-apples, Wi-Fi tabs to Wi-Fi tabs.
ROUND THREE! expect to hear something about their update support being designed to end at a time that encourages customers to purchase a new device. every new Wi-Fi tab Samsung has released after the Note Pro (and is planning to release through the end of the year 2016 http://tabletmonkeys.com/new-tablets/) are either 1. budget devices with lesser hardware in one category or another (which are for a different kind of customer), or 2. run different operating systems (windows, also for different kinds of customers), or 3. both
make it known how despicable it is to try and force us to new devices "even if the specs were better, which isn't the case" and that you insist your feedback gets noted and passed on to Relations and all other involved departments.
feel free to share if you have done this, you will have my thanks and that of many others

This won't work. The device is probably going to hit eol soon. But I tried anyway. I did a video call with Samsung support the through the Samsung+ app. The support agent was polite and gave me the same answers and I gave my response.
He also suggested to leave a bad review on the Samsung product page but that won't do anything. I'm pretty sure we are stuck with 5.0.1 or hopefully the developers can port other versions of Android to this device.

working or not, it's one of few avenues we got

DarkManX4lf said:
I'm pretty sure we are stuck with 5.0.1 or hopefully the developers can port other versions of Android to this device.
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We have unofficial Marshmallow builds. This one is works well if you don't care about the camera (which I've always found pointless on a giant tablet): http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...t/rom-cyanogenmod-13-0-android-6-0-1-t3366834

flamadiddle said:
We have unofficial Marshmallow builds. This one is works well if you don't care about the camera (which I've always found pointless on a giant tablet): http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...t/rom-cyanogenmod-13-0-android-6-0-1-t3366834
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Yes I saw that. However most of the time when I use CM I've always noticed that there are some issues. I might give this a try at some point.

DarkManX4lf said:
Yes I saw that. However most of the time when I use CM I've always noticed that there are some issues. I might give this a try at some point.
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What are the issues that you see? They can't be fixed unless the dev knows it is an issue.

Not particularly with this device but on other devices I've seen random reboots.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

100% agree with this kind of initiatives !
Envoyé de mon SM-P900 en utilisant Tapatalk

You know, I was looking for official updates for our SM-P900. And I came across this. My opinion is that we always have the best option: learn from our mistakes, never do it again and move on. With that said, we all paid good money for that "premium" tablet. And since day one I felt I was going to pay dearly for having to buy another Samsung product. And sure s**t, I did. Which happens to be my last Samsung device. I forced myself to look for other products and was actually pleasantly surprised to find others. Maybe I didn't look hard enough, maybe the market is more mature, maybe I spent my money more wisely.
Note 5 for my wife and this SM-P900 were last Samsung devices we bought so it was a while back. Without realizing it, we went with 2 Sony android TVs when we could have bought Samsung TVs. We bought Rokus for older TVs. I bought a Nexus 6P to replace my Note 3 last year. We bought LG washer and dryer. Also LG fridge. And it feels good to not give them any more money.
And every dog has its day: Note 7.
Don't get me wrong Sterist, I truly admire your enthusiasm. I have been there. I am an IT Director with 20 years of experience so I came across very expensive pieces of hardware for a very long time. But it's good that we start growing a spine and start to really stick to them and mean it. I'm not a fan of anything. I don't discriminate. And today I recommend people to buy what's reliable. Usually Apple. When you have employees who constantly ask you personal questions about what to buy and you don't want to hear they complain weeks later after they bought what you recommended, well, you get smart and recommend whatever is going to help so they don't come back to haunt you.
(deep inside I am pissed like you and others about the SM-P900 and lack of support or for Samsung to just sit around like they always do for the EOL of this device)

Except for maybe security updates, this device doesn't need updating. Updates usually screw something up like the last update that borked the external keyboard until they released another update to fix. It's is still a great product and does everything I want it to do. If you think apple stuff may be better then go ahead and buy their stuff but expect to pay more. Recommending apple products on a samsung tablet forum is not cool.

treetopsranch said:
Except for maybe security updates, this device doesn't need updating. Updates usually screw something up like the last update that borked the external keyboard until they released another update to fix. It's is still a great product and does everything I want it to do. If you think apple stuff may be better then go ahead and buy their stuff but expect to pay more. Recommending apple products on a samsung tablet forum is not cool.
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Not necessarily. There are some more tweaks and updates that this tablet could use. Or at least thats what I think.

I have to say that buying this tablet when I did I though it would at least get upgraded to v6. The device is capable of so much more. I am using the unofficial CM 14.1 and mostly its very good. But as previous people have mentioned there are a few things that don't seem to work. The Microphone is one of them. The screen resolution is awesome using CM14.1!!
The hardware was ahead of the capability of the OS so updates should of been worked on.
It was good value but without the updates the timescale of that value is too short, If I had shelled out a bit more for something else I would have an updated OS which could make better use of the hardware underneath and the value would have applied over a longer period in reality making it cheaper. This experience has change my view on Samsung products. When I can finally put down money for a new tablet, I will be definitively be looking elsewhere for a brand that supports their products for longer.

I recently bought this tablet second hand because I wanted a premium tablet with the S Pen but I wasn't willing to wait/spend on the Tab S3. At the time, I didn't realize how old the Note Pro actually was so I was disappointed to find out that it's stuck on Lollipop (granted, my fault for not researching this first). Like dstote above, I figured Samsung would at least support it until Marshmallow considering the hardware specs. What a shame.
Of course, this then brought me to xda. I immediately flashed Lineage 14 but realized I really wanted TouchWiz back (never thought I'd say that). Next I tried Carbon which is a modified stock ROM. It worked well and was much faster than stock but I lost 5GHz wifi access--presumably because it was intended for the P901. I then settled on the Bussybox build which has been working great. The only issue is the occasional random reboot which I'm hoping gets ironed out in future builds. Here's hoping someone puts together a TouchWiz Nougat build because I'm not holding my breath for Samsung to do it.

In my case I bought the SM-P900 because I travel a lot and wanted something to work on (including sketching/ drawing), watch movies on, keep in touch with family and friends on and something that, being a premium product, Samsung would support.
The hardware is far more capable than the OS and the unfortunate thing is the lack of S Pen support in most of the custom builds. Until this device I'd had a Galaxy S2,3,4 & 5 and a couple of Samsung TV's. I now have an LG phone, 2 LG TV's and LG fridge - Not because they are any better (you've only got to look at their track record with updates) but because they offer better value for money - We also have 2 Motorola and an Oppo phone in the house - All of the samsungs are stuck in a drawer with various flavours of lineage or CM on them as back ups. Apple - not for me - it's too locked down - but at least it's well supported.
Vote with your wallets, it's clearly the only thing Samsung understand.