Google Edition HTC One and Galaxy S4

[mattopotamus]

I found this and thought you guys might be interested....
It looks like Google will leave the updating to the OEMs instead of coming directly from Google. so why get the Google Edition at all?

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06/26/google-no-factory-image-or-driver-binary-hosting-for-google-play-edition-one-or-s4-oems-will-handle-otas/

After seeing that Google will not be responsible for the updates of this phones I have lost all interest (specially combined with the high price).

They are not in the nexus program. They just are phones with stock android.

Will wait for Nexus 5. Don't trust Samsung or HTC giving too much support to both phones.

I agree. That is really alarming and has made me cancel my order. I actually have more faith in samsung to push out an update vs HTC. HTC is still lagging on getting 4.2.2 out. It really defeats the purpose of buying a "google edition" phone if I will still be playing the waiting game.

It is too much money to be the guinea pig. Once 4.3 comes out it will give a better idea of how fast the updates will follow. The same month is ok with me, but it is anymore than it is a waste.

 

[Sdahe]

What?... Wait... So we have to pay $650 for a Galaxy S4 Google Edition and we still have to wait for Samsung for the Android updates... I dont think so!!! That's not good at all.

Will wait for the Nexus 5...

 

[mattopotamus]

What?... Wait... So we have to pay $650 for a Galaxy S4 Google Edition and we still have to wait for Samsung for the Android updates... I dont think so!!! That's not good at all.

Will wait for the Nexus 5...

That is how I feel. When 4.3 is released I think we will have a better idea of how long the delay will actually be.

 

[sentinelsx]

What's the point of google edition you guys say? It's to give us a stable bug free stock android rom so we don't have to run aokp or cm with crazy bugs like phone not waking up after calls, wifi not connecting after 2 days, some system app force closing every 2 weeks, yadda yadda.

It's so hard to please people nowadays I guess.

I could care less if updates were slow. First, they are not dependent on carriers so things should move faster considering there are no skins either. Second, they allow a dev to port that rom to a non GE phone so I can get rid of that hideous skin ASAP. I don't care what unicorn it has, i want that hardware with a big free stock android firmware. The nexus 5 will come with another compromise for sure. For $350, you will get another inferior camera, just a paltry 8 or 16 GB, and a poor radio that will suck your batteries dry in 2 hours of browsing on cellular connection. I don't get my kicks from that.


I have no desires to update my iPhone 5 past my safe 6.1.2 even late this year to ios 7 because currently combined with jailbreaks it gives me most of the utility than stock updated firmware. I don't get the whole brouhaha about "zomg no updates". This is not gingerbread era, and google has smartened up to make their OS more robust through modular updates than a while version number overhaul.

In other words, the sky isn't falling, but instead I see tons of sunshine for us stock lovers.

 

[jamezr]

What's the point of google edition you guys say? It's to give us a stable bug free stock android rom so we don't have to run aokp or cm with crazy bugs like phone not waking up after calls, wifi not connecting after 2 days, some system app force closing every 2 weeks, yadda yadda.

It's so hard to please people nowadays I guess.

I could care less if updates were slow. First, they are not dependent on carriers so things should move faster considering there are no skins either. Second, they allow a dev to port that rom to a non GE phone so I can get rid of that hideous skin ASAP. I don't care what unicorn it has, i want that hardware with a big free stock android firmware. The nexus 5 will come with another compromise for sure. For $350, you will get another inferior camera, just a paltry 8 or 16 GB, and a poor radio that will suck your batteries dry in 2 hours of browsing on cellular connection. I don't get my kicks from that.


I have no desires to update my iPhone 5 past my safe 6.1.2 even late this year to ios 7 because currently combined with jailbreaks it gives me most of the utility than stock updated firmware. I don't get the whole brouhaha about "zomg no updates". This is not gingerbread era, and google has smartened up to make their OS more robust through modular updates than a while version number overhaul.

In other words, the sky isn't falling, but instead I see tons of sunshine for us stock lovers.

Those are great reasons....but the updates are dependent on the carrier and Samsung and HTC....
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06...l-handle-otas/
For the record........i don't think anyone thinks the sky is falling....but the reasons for getting the GE edition of these phones and paying MORE for them went out the door when Google will not be updating them directly.....

 

[TacticalDesire]

Those are great reasons....but the updates are dependent on the carrier and Samsung and HTC....
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06...l-handle-otas/
For the record........i don't think anyone thinks the sky is falling....but the reasons for getting the GE edition of these phones and paying MORE for them went out the door when Google will not be updating them directly.....

How is an unlocked GSM phone dependent on the carrier?

 

[sentinelsx]

Those are great reasons....but the updates are dependent on the carrier and Samsung and HTC....
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06...l-handle-otas/
For the record........i don't think anyone thinks the sky is falling....but the reasons for getting the GE edition of these phones and paying MORE for them went out the door when Google will not be updating them directly.....

Why would they be dependent on carrier? No carrier is selling them.

On the other hand I am not buying one from google play. Once the Rom is stripped and the magic starts all I need is to buy a regular one from my carrier much cheaper and load that rom. Tadda, google edition for $99.

 

[jamezr]

Why would they be dependent on carrier? No carrier is selling them.

On the other hand I am not buying one from google play. Once the Rom is stripped and the magic starts all I need is to buy a regular one from my carrier much cheaper and load that rom. Tadda, google edition for $99.

If it is activated on a carrier...I guess I assumed (could be wrong) that the carrier would be involved in any updates to make sure they don't break anything and interrupt service for the end users......
Correct me if I am wrong.....

 

[sentinelsx]

If it is activated on a carrier...I guess I assumed (could be wrong) that the carrier would be involved in any updates to make sure they don't break anything and interrupt service for the end users......
Correct me if I am wrong.....

Nope. By that logic a nexus phone should also have carriers involved because they are used on carriers (in fact many carriers even sell them on contract now).

 

[Dontazemebro]

Those are great reasons....but the updates are dependent on the carrier and Samsung and HTC....
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/06...l-handle-otas/
For the record........i don't think anyone thinks the sky is falling....but the reasons for getting the GE edition of these phones and paying MORE for them went out the door when Google will not be updating them directly.....

I think you missed his point again. He wasn't planning on getting the GE anyway. He's just stressing the importance of what the GE S4/One does for the rest of the development community which I agree.

I already have an S4 so I have/had no plans on getting the GE S4 but I'm ecstatic this phone is finally coming to fruition because it means so much to having a clean, stable aosp build for my touchwiz S4

 

[jamezr]

I think you missed his point again. He wasn't planning on getting the GE anyway. He's just stressing the importance of what the GE S4/One does for the rest of the development community which I agree.

I already have an S4 so I have/had no plans on getting the GE S4 but I'm ecstatic this phone is finally coming to fruition because it means so much to having a clean, stable aosp build for my touchwiz S4

I do see your point...I too am excited to see the roms that this will generate.....
I am glad it was released....I just don't see the value in buying one.
I was checking XDA to see if Google was going to release the source/image files. Some of the Devs over there have great inside info sometimes.

 

[IFRIT]

The Google experience S4 ROM is now been put up on XDA.

Engadget video hands on of the Official Google experience S4
http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/samsung-galaxy-s-4-google-play-edition-hands-on-video/

Running stock Android liberates 5GB of internal storage

 

[walie]

It's too much $$$

I don't get it... they take must of the Samsung goodies and sell it for more money..

This happens all the time in the automotive industry.

 

[sentinelsx]

Apparently the google edition ROMs are actually touchwiz and sense based with all that touchwiz and sense stuff removed. However the frameworks and kernels are from skinned versions.

Does that mean something like an aokp rom can be produced that will be bug free or is that still not possible?

 

[WhackyNinja]

Those are sexy phones ;D

 

[Sdahe]

This happens all the time in the automotive industry.

Yeah well, this is not the automotive industry

 

[jamezr]

Apparently the google edition ROMs are actually touchwiz and sense based with all that touchwiz and sense stuff removed. However the frameworks and kernels are from skinned versions.

Does that mean something like an aokp rom can be produced that will be bug free or is that still not possible?

From what I read over at XDA they left some of the TW framework in...this will let you run some of the TW APKs like the camera app....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2341376

 

[mattopotamus]

From what I read over at XDA they left some of the TW framework in...this will let you run some of the TW APKs like the camera app....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2341376

Which is way better

 

[jamezr]

Which is way better

Yes...most of the Samsung apps are in the Playstore to DL. So some things people like about TW and stock apps can be installed.
I flashed the GE rom for the S4 last night and played around with it for a few hours. The rom itself is featureless...no add ons and very very plain vanilla. I ened up restoring back to my CM10 back up. I think by the time the weekend is over there will be a few AOSP roms on XDA that might have some features added back and it will be awesome. But for now I will wait for some devs to make it great.....

 

[skratch77]

Samsung has released android 4.3 firmware for the gs4 Google edition!


http://www.sammobile.com/2013/06/28/install-android-4-3-on-your-galaxy-s4-gt-i9505-ported-from-google-play-edition-gt-i9505g/

 

[jamezr]

Samsung has released android 4.3 firmware for the gs4 Google edition!


http://www.sammobile.com/2013/06/28...05-ported-from-google-play-edition-gt-i9505g/

downloading this now......going to flash and let you guys know how it goes......

 

[MRU]

Samsung has released android 4.3 firmware for the gs4 Google edition!


http://www.sammobile.com/2013/06/28...05-ported-from-google-play-edition-gt-i9505g/

but not officially ;-)

Genuinely I often wonder who does actually leak test builds though, I mean surely there is only a small group of people (presumably all meant to have signed NDA's) from which it could have leaked from, and how hard is it for companies to find the culprit and halt the leaks ?


you also have to admire how quickly dev's are able to then make these ports so quickly I'm terrified to flash, the 'this will void your warranty' part stops me from experimenting myself, but by crikey the devs are majorly fast these days.


Question ....

Does anyone know what out of interest other than the 4.3 camera which I believe is already in the 4.2.2 google edition build anyway - is different in the actual 4.3 build over 4.2.2 ? What defines 4.3 over 4.2.2 other than .3 in the numbering ?

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downloading this now......going to flash and let you guys know how it goes......

Let us know what the differences are

 

[mattopotamus]

so is the theory that these google edition phones will come with 4.3? Maybe that is why they are waiting until july 9 to ship?

also, it doesn't look like "this version of 4.3" has anything different than just the camera update.

 

[skratch77]

but not officially ;-)

Genuinely I often wonder who does actually leak test builds though, I mean surely there is only a small group of people (presumably all meant to have signed NDA's) from which it could have leaked from, and how hard is it for companies to find the culprit and halt the leaks ?


you also have to admire how quickly dev's are able to then make these ports so quickly I'm terrified to flash, the 'this will void your warranty' part stops me from experimenting myself, but by crikey the devs are majorly fast these days.


Question ....

Does anyone know what out of interest other than the 4.3 camera which I believe is already in the 4.2.2 google edition build anyway - is different in the actual 4.3 build over 4.2.2 ? What defines 4.3 over 4.2.2 other than .3 in the numbering ?

----------




Let us know what the differences are

This is direct from Samsung and will be on there servers soon,the void your warranty part is because a regular locked gs4 has a carrier bootloader on it with a flash counter so if you flash this google edition firmware over a non google edition phone you will void that phones warranty

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so is the theory that these google edition phones will come with 4.3? Maybe that is why they are waiting until july 9 to ship?

also, it doesn't look like "this version of 4.3" has anything different than just the camera update.

the gs4 at least,htc sucks for pushing updates and even the htc one is not on 4.2.2 yet while Samsung has pushed the latest jelly bean 4.2.2 to there 2 year old gs2

 

[Dr McKay]

Aww yiss got the Google Edition ROM for my S4.

Apologies for the odd Homescreen. I'm running a launcher.