The Samsung Galaxy S24
ebinrock's profile

Teacher

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14 Messages

Sunday, September 9th, 2012 6:51 PM

ANDROID UPDATES NEED ***SERIOUS*** REFORM!!!

Bottom line, this whole business of carriers controlling the updates has GOT TO GO.  A few nights ago, I had to drive 15 miles out to the only official AT&T service center in my metro area, because ever since I updated my Samsung Captivate to the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS, I have had a plethora of problems ranging from very poor battery life to bad GPS to lockups so bad I couldn't even turn the phone off without removing and then putting the battery back in (try doing that with some of these newer phones with built-in batteries - DUMB IDEA!).  When I got to the AT&T service center the woman (who had kind of a snotty attitude like I was a number) said there have been some known issues with updates people have done with Kies, and mentioned something vaguely about Ice Cream Sandwich that just got pushed out, so my ears perked up ("ICS is available for the Captivate now?")  That got me excited, even though it's still not the latest Android as we all know, Jelly Bean is.  She said no, she was talking about other phone models that got ICS pushed to it.  Stupid woman, why the he-- would you mention other phones to me when they're not relevant to me??  So no, I found out that AT&T EXCLUSIVELY got a better Gingerbread update (which is still eons behind the latest Android update) with the bug fixes.  But *I*, the customer and the user, couldn't simply have downloaded that bug fix from either Samsung, AT&T, or Google.  And what I say to that is, WHY THE HE-- NOT!!!???  Do the carriers love to just make customers waste gas and time and wait in long lines for something that should be so simple!!??  This is a really FOULED UP way the cell phone industry works in the U.S.

 

WE THE CUSTOMERS of Android products EMPHATICALLY DEMAND that you carriers RELINQUISH CONTROL over all Android software, and let all of us, no matter what phone or tablet, DOWNLOAD THE LATEST ANDROID OPERATING SYSTEM DIRECTLY FROM GOOGLE.  YOU GOT THAT!!??  Google, are you reading this??  Make downloading and installing Android as easy and simple as upgrading to the latest version of Windows on a PC, and leave the carriers out of this whole thing.  And AT&T, if you're reading this, you can stick your uninstallable AT&T Radio and U-Verse Live TV apps up your...

Professor

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2.7K Messages

12 years ago


@ebinrock wrote:

I know, Google should have had the guts to do things the Apple way from the start, and just make one killer Android smartphone and get so much excitement around it that it could have dictated terms to carriers.  Too late now, I guess.  This fragmentation and other garbage would almost sway me to buy an iPhone, were it not for the fact that Google has such a good web/cloud-based ecosystem.  You got your email, your contacts, your calendar, your task list, maps, and on and on all from Google, and syncing all of that stuff to an Android phone is so seamless and automatic, you don't even have to fuss with it.  I also get free turn-by-turn navigation.  I can also stream my entire music collection, all stored free on Google Play Music, right to my phone.  If Apple had all of this cloud-based ecosystem (correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think iCloud is as comprehensive as Google is with all the cloud-based apps), I might reconsider iPhone.  Anyway, the Apple App Store does have Google Sync software, but for how long?  Apple for whatever reason could pull the plug on Google sync support tomorrow, which would leave me in a lurch if I owned an iPhone.  But I do hate Google's fragmentation issue.  I should be able, as a customer, to get whatever latest OS Google has to offer, with advanced features and bug fixes, without having to make an unnecessary trip down to the AT&T service center and wait in line (and even then it's not the latest OS anyway).  That's just plain horrible service.


If these things are important to you, why don't you have a Nexus device?  Every Nexus phone released so far works on AT&T.

 

By the way, it would be helpful if you quote the post that you are responding to.  It makes it easier for the reader to understand what you are saying.

 

Professor

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3K Messages

12 years ago


21stNow wrote:


 

If these things are important to you, why don't you have a Nexus device?  Every Nexus phone released so far works on AT&T.

 


That is an excellent idea.
Or just root and flash custom ROMs.  Jelly Bean has had stable ROMs on my phone for weeks now, while other people are still complaining about getting "official" ICS on their devices.  No need to wait for carriers or even manufacterers to get off their duff, when independent developers crank out stuff that is even better.

 

 

Professor

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1.5K Messages

12 years ago


@21stNow wrote:

If these things are important to you, why don't you have a Nexus device?  Every Nexus phone released so far works on AT&T.

 

By the way, it would be helpful if you quote the post that you are responding to.  It makes it easier for the reader to understand what you are saying.

 


Yeah thats a good idea! Nexus devices are updated directly from Google (not the carriers) and are pretty good phones as well, and yes they do work on AT&T

Teacher

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14 Messages

12 years ago

Sorry about the non-quotes, I just learned that "Quick Reply" should thread the responses properly. About the Nexus, yes, I've weighed everything out and came to the conclusion that I cannot get a true unlocked Nexus. The cost, while very reasonable for an unlocked smartphone, is still too high for me (I live almost paycheck to paycheck). Plus, I'm actually thinking of switching to Verizon because, after testing in all the carriers' stores, I found Verizon phones to be the clearest (even better than Sprint, and both of them use CDMA for voice). So that's the direction I'm going to go in, a Verizon Galaxy Nexus (also has LTE and 32 GB storage, which the unlocked version does not). I can get that phone, which is virtually bloat-free, for dirt cheap. Sucks that that phone isn't a TRUE Nexus, though -- the carrier still controls the updates. BTW, you people who say it's the mfrs. fault for the delayed updates, well, this bizarre thing with the Galaxy Nexus proves that wrong. With the unlocked G'Nex, users still get immediate updates for the phone from Google. Samsung makes the Nexus. Yet, with a CDMA version of that same Nexus, also made by Samsung, the carriers control the update. You get the update from the carrier. There's a disconnect (no pun intended) here.

Professor

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2.7K Messages

12 years ago

Please check the VZW forums for all the complaints against the VZW Galaxy Nexus.  I'm a Nexus fan and there's no way that I would get that device. I have had Jellybean (officially) on the GSM Galaxy Nexus for around two months now.  The VZW Galaxy Nexus is still on Ice Cream Sandwich.  There were also extensive reception issues reported with that phone.  Some say that an update cleared that up, while some say that it didn't.  I also got access to Google Wallet a lot faster than VZW customers did (without hacking).

 

However, I understand that price can be a factor in determining the phone that you want.  Still, if you go to VZW, I would recommend looking at a device other than the VZW Galaxy Nexus.  Edited to add:  I almost would suggest getting a used Nexus S if the issues that you mentioned earlier are that important to you, but I really don't like Android 4.0 and higher on a single-core processor phone.  For me, Jellybean actually fixed some of the problems that I had with ICS on the Nexus S, but I still wouldn't recommend it.

 

I don't think that Quick Reply threads the responses in a different way, but it could be the way that I view the forum.

Professor

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3K Messages

12 years ago

I'd caution the OP about switching carriers just to get a certain device.  Devices come and go, but you're stuck with the service for 2 years (or cancellation fees) or longer.  Although if you look at the big picture (reception in your area, plan features and prices, etc.) and still think its the right move, than by all means, go for it. 

 

If you haven't already, at least ask friends, coworkers, etc. in your area how Verizon reception is (and in areas that you spend lots of time, if your travel on the weekends, etc.).  Although I will say that Verizon tends to get better reception than AT&T in my general area (New England), and the times I've travelled to other parts of the country with friends that are on Verizon.

Professor

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1.2K Messages

12 years ago

I am seriously considering Windows Phone.  Microsoft is supposed to be responsible for athe OS updates, instead of the carriers.  Also, Microsoft is dictating what specs the phones can have, so the Microsoft just uses the appropriate driver, rather than customising the OS for each of the various devices.  Limiting the device specs is one of the things that keeps Apple from having many OS problems.  I am also getting very sick and tired of the ads in everything associated with Google, and the way Google tracks everything to sell to third party marketers.  Too bad, really, Android has a lot of potential.  

Professor

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2.7K Messages

12 years ago


@FredW wrote:

I am seriously considering Windows Phone.  Microsoft is supposed to be responsible for athe OS updates, instead of the carriers.  Also, Microsoft is dictating what specs the phones can have, so the Microsoft just uses the appropriate driver, rather than customising the OS for each of the various devices.  Limiting the device specs is one of the things that keeps Apple from having many OS problems.  I am also getting very sick and tired of the ads in everything associated with Google, and the way Google tracks everything to sell to third party marketers.  Too bad, really, Android has a lot of potential.  


Tread carefully with this one.  Just ask Windows Phone users about the Tango update.  While that update may have come quicker than Android updates do, it did not come when released to international and unlocked versions of the phones (using Nokia as an example) similar to the situation that we find ourselves in with Android.

 

Professor

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3K Messages

12 years ago


@FredW wrote:

I am seriously considering Windows Phone.  Microsoft is supposed to be responsible for athe OS updates, instead of the carriers.  Also, Microsoft is dictating what specs the phones can have, so the Microsoft just uses the appropriate driver, rather than customising the OS for each of the various devices.  Limiting the device specs is one of the things that keeps Apple from having many OS problems.  I am also getting very sick and tired of the ads in everything associated with Google, and the way Google tracks everything to sell to third party marketers.  Too bad, really, Android has a lot of potential.  


I personally wouldn't recommend that somebody switch to a smartphone OS that has a 3% market share and dropping.  And that 3% includes people that own old Windows Mobile phones and still haven't upgraded, an OS that isn't even really supported by MS anymore.  Unless Windows 8 brings about a completely revolutionary change in the WP market share, I simply don't see the OS being long for this world.

 

Guru

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725 Messages

12 years ago

In the case of the Cappy - Samsung is responsible for that device not receiving ICS.  No Galaxy S1-family device received it because Touchwizz is too bloated to fit.

 

HOWEVER, AT&T is 100% responsible for the fact that the Captivate took on the order of 6-9 months to receive Gingerbread after the I9000 released it, AND AT&T is 100% responsible for any issues present in the Captivate Gingerbread release that are not present in I9000 Gingerbread.

 

Similarly, AT&T is 100% responsible for the 3 month delay or so of SGH-I777 ICS compared to GT-I9100 ICS, and they also maintain 100% responsibility for the fact that the three firmware releases for the SGH-I777, when ranked against Samsung's GT-I9100 firmware releases, rank as the three worst firmwares available.  UCKH7 had a widget that would eat massive amounts of data even if you didn't use it, UCKK6 had a massive pile of power management problems (Which did exist in ONE I9100 firmware release, but users that received that I9100 update received a fix within two weeks - AT&T users had to live with broken firmware for 5-7 months), and UCLE5 has jacked-up touchscreen drivers and still continues to have broken power management.

 

If you want good devices, DO NOT switch to Verizon or Sprint - being CDMA providers, you are FORCED to obtain devices from the carrier.  AT&T and T-Mobile (and their MVNO resellers, such as Straight Talk) are the only carriers that you can BYOD on.  T-Mobile's use of the 1700 MHz band for 3G severely restricts device compatibility - the Galaxy Nexus is the only device I am aware of compatible with their network that isn't sold by T-Mobile themselves.  AT&T's bands are better supported by international devices.  My personal recommendation, which is likely to be my course of action when my contract is up, is to switch to Straight Talk - They are an AT&T reseller, but unlike AT&T, do not force you to pay a contract subsidy penalty even if you do not have a subsidized device.  If AT&T ever allows a discount for users that do not have a subsidized device, I may change this recommendation, but right now, you have the choice of mangled devices, or paying for a subsidy discount you aren't using.

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