Motorola: If ICS won't make our device better, we won't update to it

[maflynn]

This type of issue is exactly what I hated about android. You are at the mercy of the manufacturer for any android updates. Personally if I were to get a new android phone, I'd opt for a Nexus based phone in which you get the updates directly from google.

 

[ZebraineZ]

I don't think just getting a Nexus device guarantees features that are already present and have been present in devices like the Galaxy S (all of them) and recently the One X. Sure the updates are infrequent especially in the US, but the feature set can't be beat by any means. On the latest iteration of Android, still lacks basics that 'old' phones like the S2 (more specifically the software running it) have offered for a while now, and even iOS.

Speed between a year old S2 with a slightly more recent GNex, is like night and day as is practically every other Android phone. Things like the camera, browser, settings, media management etc. It's a lot of little things leading up to a lot of big things that make the whole thing 'just work'.

So in my honest opinion it just seems to me that raw Android is the one playing catch up to the likes of Samsung, Apple and an extent, HTC. And then there is Motorola who keeps manufacturing poison, the sooner they die off the better.

 

[nizmoz]

Pretty funny since the Razr Maxx comes with ICS

http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/U...PPC_RAZR-MAXX_21Feb-31Mar_2012&WT.mc_ev=click

But you know, i took that article to mean that if a older device that maybe it will make the battery not last long because ICS is a bigger and better system, i can see them not updating that device. Apple didnt update my 2G to 4.0 and the battery isnt that good on 3.0. And reading that list from Motorola, looks like most newer or recent ones are going to get it.

I dont see the big deal.

Razr maxx is due for the update but it does NOT come with ICS. Android 2.3.

 

[mrbutters]

This type of issue is exactly what I hated about android. You are at the mercy of the manufacturer for any android updates. Personally if I were to get a new android phone, I'd opt for a Nexus based phone in which you get the updates directly from google.

No, you are not. As many have pointed out in here, there is plenty of dev support for most devices. Plenty of custom ROMs and themes to choose from and many devs have builds from the newest version of the OS within a few days of the kernel being released. Plenty of Android users root and ROM from day 1 and never even have to think about what their carrier is doing or not doing, a choice you don't have with iOS as you are tied to Apple for everything. Far better than waiting an entire YEAR for any upgrades or updates at all for iOS and being stuck with the same version as everyone else. No custom ROMs or themes to enjoy and jailbreaking takes far too long these days. Expect Apple to end that with iOS 6 too.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

This type of issue is exactly what I hated about android. You are at the mercy of the manufacturer for any android updates. Personally if I were to get a new android phone, I'd opt for a Nexus based phone in which you get the updates directly from google.

But at the same token you are at the mercy of Apple for iOS on what things they will do some BS block on.

Siri being block from non 4S, Multitasking, MMS being block from the first iPhone, blocking wallpapers ect.

I would not put it past Apple for GPS navigation to be block from all iPhones but the newest.

 

[Vegastouch]

Razr maxx is due for the update but it does NOT come with ICS. Android 2.3.

Did you click on the link that says it comes with it? Its from Motorola's website. Perhaps it didnt before but looks like it does now.

 

[terraphantm]

The second Google result for "Droid 4 ICS" is a forum thread with instructions on how to install it. If someone isn't even tech savvy enough to do that, they aren't going to care about manufacturer updates.

The general public won't update unless their devices tells them to or if their computer tells them to when they plug in. Very few technically illiterate people will bother making custom roms or whatever. And the few who are adventurous enough to try will manage to completely mangle steps that should be common sense. Just look at the jailbreak community - the devs made the tools so user friendly that my 5 year old cousin managed to jailbreak his iPod touch. And yet, there are so many people who don't seem to understand the process

 

[Vegastouch]

The general public won't update unless their devices tells them to or if their computer tells them to when they plug in. Very few technically illiterate people will bother making custom roms or whatever. And the few who are adventurous enough to try will manage to completely mangle steps that should be common sense. Just look at the jailbreak community - the devs made the tools so user friendly that my 5 year old cousin managed to jailbreak his iPod touch. And yet, there are so many people who don't seem to understand the process

The problem with the people who mess up their device with their phone or ipod are the ones that dont bother to read anything. They see an update (from a jailbreak) and dont bother to see if it is ok to update their particular device with that update and thats how they mess it up. Then they start frantic threads wanting help because they are too lazy or too much in a hurry to read anything.

If somebody wants to do that sort of thing with their Android, they have to seek out the devs at XDA, go to that particular device section where there are threads for the particular device you have, and it is laid out for you there.

Your right many wont update without a notice to do so but many will as well. The choice is yours. There are only a small handful that are doing the jialbreaking stuff for Apple(Saurik, musclenerd, etc) but there are a BUNCH of different devs doing stuff for Android and for every device.

 

[maflynn]

No, you are not. As many have pointed out in here, there is plenty of dev support for most devices.

Provided you can install a custom rom. I don't know if all droid phones from moto are root-abl now but back when I owned the droidx moto encrypted the bootloader and enforced the need for a signed rom. In this case, there is no custom rom.

But at the same token you are at the mercy of Apple for iOS on what things they will do some BS block on.

I'm at the mercy of the maker of the phone and OS. Nothing is different then saying the same thing with google. My point is that Google updates the OS, then provides the OS to the manufacturers who then decide to update the phones or not. I waited 4 months for moto to release an update to android and when they did it was so buggy but I had to wait another 2 months for an update. When I owned the Nexus phone, I got the OS straight from google, no middle man.

With apple, its the same way, I get the update straight from them.

 

[onthecouchagain]

There's a rumor that Google will have more than one manufacturer make "nexus" devices in the future. So if true the theory would be that Motorola would make one Samsung would make one HTC, Sony, or whoever else they get each would make a dedicated nexus and unskinned device. they'd all run vanilla Google (jelly bean or 5.0).

If this is true this would be great for Android. Not just more options but better options.

 

[nizmoz]

Did you click on the link that says it comes with it? Its from Motorola's website. Perhaps it didnt before but looks like it does now.

It still does NOT come with it. I was at the Verizon store yesterday and I own two RAZR MAXX's.

It probably will come with it once they release it.

 

[VulchR]

It's here for the same reasons the Samsung Galaxy S III thread, and the One X threads are here. Competition is relevant to the iPhone, and there's nothing wrong with healthy discussion. Plus this story caught my eye, and I figure it would be an interesting topic of discussion.

It is an interesting discussion, it just doesn't belong here. It seems more appropriate for:

MacRumors Forums>Mac Community>Community Discussion>Apple, Industry and Internet Discussion

 

[ChrisTX]

It is an interesting discussion, it just doesn't belong here. It seems more appropriate for:

MacRumors Forums>Mac Community>Community Discussion>Apple, Industry and Internet Discussion

Just saw it has been moved. Fine with me just didn't know where such a topic belonged.

 

[Vegastouch]

It is an interesting discussion, it just doesn't belong here. It seems more appropriate for:

MacRumors Forums>Mac Community>Community Discussion>Apple, Industry and Internet Discussion

No one is making you open it and read it. Seems you keep doing it on your own.


I see it got moved though. You must have complained to the mods. Next time, just dont open a thread you dont think you want to read because there will be more like this in that section .....as always. The thing is, there are so many posters in here, a thread like this if you dont reply to it, will go away real fast.

 

[VulchR]

No one is making you open it and read it. Seems you keep doing it on your own.


I see it got moved though. You must have complained to the mods. Next time, just dont open a thread you dont think you want to read because there will be more like this in that section .....as always. The thing is, there are so many posters in here, a thread like this if you dont reply to it, will go away real fast.

I did what the mods asked us to do with respect to posts not involving the iPhone in the iPhone forum. Apparently the people who run MR see moving threads like this as preferable to creating a sub-forum dedicated to comparing iPhone/iOS to other systems (which is the solution I favour). Your idea that such threads will just go away is interesting, but not really true - the Samsung SIII thread is still going strong but is misplaced IMO.

In any case I meant no disrespect to the OP, and I hope I caused no offense.

 

[maflynn]

There's a rumor that Google will have more than one manufacturer make "nexus" devices in the future.

Don't know if the rumor is true or not, but I fully expect Motorola to have a Nexus phone in short order, if for no other reason then Google now owns Moto.

 

[DakotaGuy]

I actually think Moto is smart only upgrading handsets that will run it properly. I know several people who upgraded their iPhone 3GS to iOS5 and wish they could go back because of all the freezing and stuttering. It is always said that the biggest advantage that Apple has is that they don't have any issues with fragmentation. I agree with that, but at a certain point it is better to not update a device then update it causing a poor user experience.

The criteria that Motorola is using should be used by everyone. If the upgrade doesn't improve the product or actually makes it less usable in the case of the 3GS then it should be left alone.

With that said, I am eagerly awaiting 4.0 ICS for my RAZR MAXX. From everything I have read and videos I have watched the Moto version will be the closest to stock yet still have a few exclusive Moto features like Smart Actions and MotoCast. I am looking forward to it.

 

[Arelunde]

This is an interesting link that addresses this very subject...

http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/1/3056660/mobile-hardware-software-editorial

 

[AppleScruff1]

Sorry I changed the original thread a bit, but to add to what you said. It has been rumored that Google only purchased Motorola for it's patents and not for its hardware. Google has stated Motorola will remain business as usual. If that's the case, you can expect more revenue loss as usual. Google doesn't want to exclude everyone else from the Android party by showing favoritism to Motorola especially when they arguably make the worst Android devices out there out of the major companies like HTC, Samsung, etc...

Take the HTC, Samsung, iPhone and Motorola to a fringe signal area and see which one will make the call.

 

[ChrisTX]

Take the HTC, Samsung, iPhone and Motorola to a fringe signal area and see which one will make the call.

I think it all depends on the carrier really.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I think it all depends on the carrier really.

I should have been a bit clearer. Take each of the phones all on the same carrier to a fringe area and see which ones will make or hold a call. My money is on the Motorola.

 

[ChrisTX]

I should have been a bit clearer. Take each of the phones all on the same carrier to a fringe area and see which ones will make or hold a call. My money is on the Motorola.

Perhaps, but it's getting increasingly clearer that it's becoming more, and more about the data, and less about the voice. Sure voice still rules, but I know I use less, and less of my minutes, and more of my data since the introduction of the original iPhone.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Perhaps, but it's getting increasingly clearer that it's becoming more, and more about the data, and less about the voice. Sure voice still rules, but I know I use less, and less of my minutes, and more of my data since the introduction of the original iPhone.

Data still requires a signal though. Motorola brings a strong radio to the table.