Android Ice Cream Sandwich Announced

[rockymtnhigh]

Here is a run-down of Android Ice Cream specifications:

A Quick Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Rundown | TechCrunch


Funny that this time Android is drawing on a few iOS features, like screen shots from stock, and nestled folders. Brings us back to the old argument that competition is good, since it pushes each competitor.

 

[Rey]

Here is a run-down of Android Ice Cream specifications:

A Quick Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Feature Rundown | TechCrunch


Funny that this time Android is drawing on a few iOS features, like screen shots from stock, and nestled folders. Brings us back to the old argument that competition is good, since it pushes each competitor.

yes,they all do it. the latest ios has added some things that have been around already in other platforms. i don't really care, as long as they all give us the features we're looking for. like you said, we need them competing against each other. only good can come out of it....... and what's up with these names???? gingerbread,ice cream sandwich,mango and others

 

[rockymtnhigh]

yes,they all do it. the latest ios has added some things that have been around already in other platforms. i don't really care, as long as they all give us the features we're looking for. like you said, we need them competing against each other. only good can come out of it....... and what's up with these names???? gingerbread,ice cream sandwich,mango and others

Well, somebody at Google has a dessert fetish.

Mango? Well, apparently somebody at Microsoft is into non-Apple fruits. I guess.


Of course the bigger question, when dealing with Android, is when a new OS comes out, how long before end-users actually have it on their stock phone, if ever? Since GINGERBREAD only recently was pushed to my wife's DX. (Yeah, it was available by manual push, but the point is Verizon pushed a now two-gen-old OS to the phone after the OS was out what? A year?

 

[Ramy]

Well, somebody at Google has a dessert fetish.

Mango? Well, apparently somebody at Microsoft is into non-Apple fruits. I guess.


Of course the bigger question, when dealing with Android, is when a new OS comes out, how long before end-users actually have it on their stock phone, if ever? Since GINGERBREAD only recently was pushed to my wife's DX. (Yeah, it was available by manual push, but the point is Verizon pushed a now two-gen-old OS to the phone after the OS was out what? A year?

Yeah, my phone just got it too and it was supposed to be on it when it came out.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Yeah, my phone just got it too and it was supposed to be on it when it came out.

And there we have the fundamental problem of fragmentation. Google does itself NO favors with the freedom it provides its carriers.

 

[Rey]

And there we have the fundamental problem of fragmentation. Google does itself NO favors with the freedom it provides its carriers.

Yep. very true. for me its not an issue because hackers and developers always get their hands on these things early but for the common consumer which would be the majority its a real problem.

 

[John Kotches]

And there we have the fundamental problem of fragmentation. Google does itself NO favors with the freedom it provides its carriers.

Yet if you look at market share android wins. they lead due to broad adoption from multiple vendors.

sound familiar? it should. that's (in part) how windows got control of the desktop.

i also think fragmentation is exaggerated. latest numbers indicate more than 2/3 of android devices are running gingerbread which is the latest publically available version of android.

honeycomb is not for mobile devices and ICS is announced but not GA.





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[John Kotches]

dupe


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[Hall]

latest numbers indicate more than 2/3 of android devices are running gingerbread which is the latest publically available version of android.

Of ALL Android devices ? No way... Maybe they're referring to currently offered devices (?).

 

[Ronnie-]

Y
i also think fragmentation is exaggerated. latest numbers indicate more than 2/3 of android devices are running gingerbread which is the latest publically available version of android.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

Anything to substantiate this? I would wager it is like Hall said, if those numbers are true, it is on currently offered devices. There is no way it is on all active android devices.

 

[meStevo]

The data is culled from Android Market activity, not sure why people are so skeptical.

Android Gingerbread has growth spurt, grabs 38.2 percent device share - Engadget

I wonder what Apple's fragmentation looks like, especially now that they opted not to kill the 3GS and have carriers offer it for free.

 

[Ronnie-]

The data is culled from Android Market activity, not sure why people are so skeptical.

Android Gingerbread has growth spurt, grabs 38.2 percent device share - Engadget

Because 38% is not 2/3 of the devices.

 

[John Kotches]

The data is culled from Android Market activity, not sure why people are so skeptical.

A cynic would say because it doesn't support the argument, so... But realistically it's probably lack of knowledge of what's going on.

I wonder what Apple's fragmentation looks like, especially now that they opted not to kill the 3GS and have carriers offer it for free.

[sarcasm]Fragmentation is only a problem for android[/sarcasm]

 

[John Kotches]

Because 38% is not 2/3 of the devices.

Correct. I rolled up the math in my head for current and current - 1. It's a bad habit from work with versions.

Just FYI froyo is (current - 1 generation) until ICS is in broad release.

 

[Ronnie-]

Fragmentation is not as big of a problem as it once was, but it is still there. Being "open source", It is even there with android among the same models with different carriers, as they can lock down features that they dont want. The Galaxy was a prime example, and even rooting doesnt level the playing field in all cases, as roms and patches for one version may not work on another, and if the developers are ignoring your model, you are more or less left with a phone with root access and nothing to do with it.

In another year, fragmentation wont be a big deal, as I have read that they are going more to a yearly update schedule in the near future, but right now, it is still obviously there.

 

[Ronnie-]

Correct. I rolled up the math in my head for current and current - 1. It's a bad habit from work with versions.

Just FYI froyo is (current - 1 generation) until ICS is in broad release.

Fair enough. Figured it was something like that.

 

[meStevo]

Fragmentation is not as big of a problem as it once was, but it is still there. Being "open source", It is even there with android among the same models with different carriers, as they can lock down features that they dont want. The Galaxy was a prime example, and even rooting doesnt level the playing field in all cases, as roms and patches for one version may not work on another, and if the developers are ignoring your model, you are more or less left with a phone with root access and nothing to do with it.

In another year, fragmentation wont be a big deal, as I have read that they are going more to a yearly update schedule in the near future, but right now, it is still obviously there.

What features are locked down that increase fragmentation?

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[rockymtnhigh]

And exactly how is there a fragmentation problem with Apple? They are shipping 3GS for free WITH iOS5.

And look at any iOS device and they pretty much look the same and run pretty much the same.

Go grab four or five leading Android handsets from different carriers/manufacturers and they all have huge differences in the skins on them -- and I am NOT talking about the small minority of rooted/custom rom users. Yeah, the basics of Android are the same, but the Launcher apps and notification bars demonstrate huge differences. Add Ice cream sandwich to the mix and we will now have three operating systems (froyo, gingerbread, AND ice cream sandwich) running on different devices.

AND its not a "this is why Android wins" argument, as I am sure Apple feels like it is losing the war, after having sold what, 4+million devices last weekend? -- its a problem that Android has as a result of the open source nature of the OS. Not saying that is bad, but for the average end user it can be VERY confusing.

 

[Ronnie-]

What features are locked down that increase fragmentation?

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I know several regional carriers that locked out tethering options with the upgrade to 2.2. There were other options locked out as well, but I am not sure of an exact list, I just remember it from my own experience.

 

[Ronnie-]

Add Ice cream sandwich to the mix and we will now have three operating systems (froyo, gingerbread, AND ice cream sandwich) running on different devices.

2.1 is on devices being sold today. Come on down to your local C Spire store, and you can find some of the lower end phones that have it.