Someone bought a new android phone and it comes with gingerbread still

[Hugo Drax]

I dont get it why would they still sell new phones with 2.x android? I thought android was version 4.0?

 

[Cares]

Which phone did you get? Chances are you could root and get ICS on your phone.

 

[Ns1]

Updates aren't important, you're buying the phone for what it can do now not what it can do later.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

ICS shouldn't be considered an "update" at this point.

Are you telling me its acceptable for PCs to come with Windows XP? Shrug.

 

[kaerflog]

WTH, probably 95%++ of all Androids bought new in store right now would have 2.xx.
Verizon Nexus, TMobile One S and ATT One X I think are the only ones that comes with 4.xx out of the box.

 

[annomander]

ICS shouldn't be considered an "update" at this point.

Ha, still waiting for ICS on my Galaxy Tab :whiste:

 

[blackangst1]

WTH, probably 95%++ of all Androids bought new in store right now would have 2.xx.
Verizon Nexus, TMobile One S and ATT One X I think are the only ones that comes with 4.xx out of the box.

This.

 

[Skel]

Updates aren't important, you're buying the phone for what it can do now not what it can do later.

Not according to the WP7 threads....:whiste:

 

[Hugo Drax]

Which phone did you get? Chances are you could root and get ICS on your phone.

Not mines I have a b2710 Samsung. I will ask. But it is odd that it ships with such an old version.

For developing on android I guess 2.x is what they would have to target for max compatibility across android.

 

[Ns1]

Not according to the WP7 threads....:whiste:

Sorry, I was just reciting from the Android playbook. Don't be mad at me if it don't make sense.

 

[gorcorps]

WTH, probably 95%++ of all Androids bought new in store right now would have 2.xx.
Verizon Nexus, TMobile One S and ATT One X I think are the only ones that comes with 4.xx out of the box.

Yup

I think some people either aren't aware or forget that the 3.0 line of Android (Honeycomb) was tablet only. Gingerbread has been the latest version of Android on phones for a while, and ICS is very new.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Yup

I think some people either aren't aware or forget that the 3.0 line of Android (Honeycomb) was tablet only. Gingerbread has been the latest version of Android on phones for a while, and ICS is very new.

Curious do android phones ship with one release and no upgrade path?

 

[dagamer34]

Curious do android phones ship with one release and no upgrade path?

The time it takes to do a major update means that the next major phone is just about ready for release.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Curious do android phones ship with one release and no upgrade path?

They do get upgrades however the U.S. carriers delay them for multiple months.

WP7 on the other hand dosn't appear to have any upgrade path at this point so if that is a concern for you it's even worse than Android in that regard.

 

[ilkhan]

Not according to the WP7 threads....:whiste:

Yeah, but WP7 doesn't include any features, they've had to rely on updates to get a decent phone.
Also updates are easy when there is only one hardware version, as we've seen from iOS and WP7 both.

 

[cheezy321]

Curious do android phones ship with one release and no upgrade path?

For the most part, yes.

 

[Dominato3r]

Curious do android phones ship with one release and no upgrade path?

Pretty much. The Nexus line is the only one with consistent updates, even then some Nexus S devices haven't got ICS.

 

[Bateluer]

Pretty much. The Nexus line is the only one with consistent updates, even then some Nexus S devices haven't got ICS.

Thought all the Nexus S versions were upgraded? AT&T & TMO's were, as was the Sprint S 4G model. Whats left?

To the OP, generally, if you buy a middle to high end Android phone, you can expect at least one upgrade. IE, from 2.2 to 2.3 or 2.1 to 2.2. And many devices also get incremental updates, even if they aren't upgraded from 2.3 to 4.x. Since carriers hold back the updates, it often makes the process much longer than it should be. I'd really like to see updates done directly through the manufacturer in some form of update.zip. User gets an notice on their phone that an update is available, but nothing more than a Notification. To actually get the update, they'd need to download the update over a WiFi connection of connect their phone to the PC. Bypass the carriers entirely.

2.1 to 2.2 to 2.3 were also small upgrades, with relatively few changes. Hardware requirements didn't see an extreme jump from Eclair to Froyo to Gingerbread, and quite a few phones that launched with 2.1 are actually fully capable of running 2.3. The jump from 2.3 to 4.x was huge though, far bigger than previous updates. Think Windows 98 to Windows 7 jump. This takes a lot longer to get the updates to bake. And if you've had the phone for a year, and it takes the manufacturer a year to complete the upgrade, and 8 months for the carrier to push it, you're in your upgrade window and likely want to buy a new phone anyway. Huge jumps in processing power and specs in even a single year.

Some phones are delayed for obscene reasons, however. See the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. 4.0.4 has been available since ~5 Feb. Verizon's been picking their nose ever since. See the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1/8.9. According to Samsung Canada, the ICS updates done and they're just waiting for carrier approval. Situations like this are aggravating.

 

[QueBert]

I bought a new Android 4.0 phone and it still has actual buttons along the bottom, I'm not complaining but I thought ICS = virtual buttons?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I bought a new Android 4.0 phone and it still has actual buttons along the bottom, I'm not complaining but I thought ICS = virtual buttons?

Only galaxy nexus

 

[Dulanic]

I bought a new Android 4.0 phone and it still has actual buttons along the bottom, I'm not complaining but I thought ICS = virtual buttons?

ICS can have either, it is up to the manufacturer. Gnex is only one out there right now I believe with virtual.

 

[smartpatrol]

I bought a new Android 4.0 phone and it still has actual buttons along the bottom, I'm not complaining but I thought ICS = virtual buttons?

Google wanted to push virtual buttons, but it seems none of their handset partners want to go that way for some reason.

 

[Red Storm]

I bought a new Android 4.0 phone and it still has actual buttons along the bottom, I'm not complaining but I thought ICS = virtual buttons?

Open source means companies can choose to do things how they want.

 

[kaerflog]

I hate the virtual buttons.
Wasted space below.
Its like why use up screen space for the virtual buttons and have all that bezels on the bottom also.

 

[vshah]

I hate the virtual buttons.
Wasted space below.
Its like why use up screen space for the virtual buttons and have all that bezels on the bottom also.

bezel is for sexy rgb notification LED :awe: