Not really. Just make them issue the devices with vanilla Android, then the manufacturers can add their UI's to the market if they so choose. Then leave the bootloaders unlocked. There's devices right now where the bootloader is locked; that's not very open. But of course you then risk having a platform completely devoid of any good media services. Much like Linux in its current "open" state. I think more and more open equates to very little choice. I think I'd rather have Netflix over the ability to customize my text font. (And yes, I know we have it currently. But given the RIAA's paranoid nature, that could easily change in the next 5 minutes)
OEMs add their skins to differentiate themselves from the others. While I think more vanilla devices would be great, I'm not holding my breath for it (though the new 5 Nexus stable from Google rumor sounds amazing). Locked bootloaders have nothing to do with open source, OEMs don't even have to provide the source for their skins, as they are considered proprietary code. Android being open (in it's most basic sense) only means that they provide the source free of charge to anybody who wants it. In return, the OEMs provide their kernel source, to be incorporated into Android if Google wishes. It's also not Android's open nature that causes some media services to lean away from it. It's the hackers who have no qualms about stealing their content (not all devs are like that, in fact I don't think most are, but some are). But, as Android grows in popularity, they may not have much choice if they want to reach as many users as possible.
Truth be told, I didn't buy the Rezound for Sense. I bought it for the impending delivery of Ice Cream Sandwich (Something that Verizon and HTC have absolutely bungled)
I think the design of the device (how it looks and feels in the hand) as well as the hardware are enough to make one handset different from another. The Rezound looks different than the Razr. The Rezound has a Snapdragon Processor where as the Razr has the TI OMAP processor.
Suspending disbelief for a moment, let's assume the Custom UI is the cause of the Rezound delay (although I still have my money on Verizon sitting on it until after the next big phone release). If thats the case, then I am with Ranzound in saying to HTC that they need to save face, suck it up and just release ota "without" Sense. If in a month or so, they get Sense working with ICS, then they could either put out an additional OTA or just make it available via GooglePlay.
Making us wait is absolutely the wrong thing to do. It alienates the customer and gives a bad name to Android platform. Its for this reason I will probably get an iPhone 5 once my contract cycles.
I love Android, but there is just too much disorganization. Google needs to take a leadership role over their platform and start dictating like Apple does. Smartphone developers are too interwoven into the Android Eco-System to walk away now.
Expect its baked in the room. You can't just download it. This is something
many kids here are uneducated about
On Jun 16, 2012 8:52 AM, "michaeljtimko" <community@verizonwireless.com>
The mistake users make is that they buy a device for what it will have later, I dont get this concept because users change devices regularly to get the next best thing..
If you made your mind that you wasn't going to happy with the device before hand, why get it? There is nothing to prove that you wont have issues with device after recieving the update and where will you be then? Mad all over again eventho you received what you wanted.
Sound like you are setting yourself up to be upset no matter what.
Doesn't matter I'm switching to sprint as we speak
cmhyson wrote:
Doesn't matter I'm switching to sprint as we speak
Sprint isn't going to update any faster. Android OS updates in the US are slow in general.
This is your decision but I really dont see how that would resolve your concerns on this subject... PJNC284 is correct that this wont make updates come any sooner.
The average consumer has not a clue about internal specs and, when going from one device to another, will usually look for something familiar. The Rezound may or may not look different from the next HTC device, and the RAZR may or may not look different from the next Moto device, but what's on the screen will be familiar. HTC can put their big flip clock on any screen, and you immediately know it's a Sense device. That being said, most customers (the majority of whom don't even know a single thing about ICS) don't want their device to all of a sudden look different. The overall look and feel of Sense has not changed a ton since I first bought my Eris. There have been tweaks here and there, the lockscreen has improved, and adjustments have been made to keep up with how Android has been changing, but it is still obviously Sense. Think about how most customers would react. When you go to change your wallpaper and you choose HTC wallpaper, that's Sense-based. A lot of the pre-installed widgets (FriendStream, flip clock, music widgets, footprints, the little toggle widgets, basically anything that looks like it fits perfectly) are Sense-based. The email, messaging, music (especially Beats integration), calendar, camera, gallery, people, dialer, clock, and some other apps are all Sense-based. You take all that away, and you are forced to factory reset as part of the update. They would be crazy to do that, every single Rezound owner would be forced to start from scratch, and chaos would ensue. Can you imagine unsuspecting users all of a sudden having a "clean" phone? Talk about alienating customers and giving a bad name to Android. You have to remember that the vast majority of users don't know there is an update in the works, not to mention that if they were to decide to release without Sense, they would have to start the dev process over, and you would be waiting probably another 6 months for the update.
demmo86rt
You know how thing is and always be....
Change would be considerd to be good but its never accepted.
Start a new topic or ask questions in the open forum.
