[UPDATED] Next Android OS for Smartphones Will be 2.4 'Ice Cream Sandwich'

[NCREDIBLE DROID]

What was the name for 2.0?

Donut i think

2.0 was eclair 1.5 was donut

Sent from somewhere...

So...what was 2.1?

 

[mjforte]

2.1 was still eclair since it didn't have too many changes from 2.0 and 2.01.

 

[ArrTooDeeToo]

Did a quick google search and it looks like the 'A' and 'B' of Android were unnamed at the time of their release, but were later 'backnamed'.

• 1.0 (branch name unknown, backnaming it Apple Pie)
• 1.1 (branch name unknown, backnaming Banana bread)
• 1.5 (Cupcake branch)
• 1.6 (Donut branch)
• 2.0 (Eclair branch)
• 2.1 (Eclair branch)
• 2.2 (Froyo branch)
• 2.3 (Gingerbread branch)
• 3.0 (Honeycomb branch)
• ?.? (Ice Cream Sandwich branch)

 

[kingsway8605]

LOL I guess they didn't see the Eric Schmidt Ice Cream ad from last year.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[dfuser312553]

^^tacos! Ice cream tacos!

 

[Bear in NM]

How can developers focus on fine tuning their applications if they have to prepare them for so many different versions of the android OS. I'm sure manufacturers are loving this because it forces users to periodically buy a new phones just to keep up with the technology.

Where has this happened? Im still on my D1 and im getting everything so far. The beauty with the operating system is that it can be updated. How do updates force you to buy new hardware?

That's cuz we have unlocked bootloaders as D1 users, so we can get ROMs for every OS version until our phones hardware can't handle them anymore. For people with locked bootloaders they have to depend on VZW/manufacturer to get their OS upgraded. When VZW stops supporting your locked phone, your phone cant upgrade...D1 FTW! dancedroid

So was it just me, but when I watched the HoneyComb demo on the tablet at CES, my first thought was "that ain't gonna fit no matter how hard the developers want it to". End of life is lookin' to me to be closer than we think or wish.........

Craig

Craig

 

[ilikemoneygreen]

How can developers focus on fine tuning their applications if they have to prepare them for so many different versions of the android OS. I'm sure manufacturers are loving this because it forces users to periodically buy a new phones just to keep up with the technology.

Where has this happened? Im still on my D1 and im getting everything so far. The beauty with the operating system is that it can be updated. How do updates force you to buy new hardware?

That's cuz we have unlocked bootloaders as D1 users, so we can get ROMs for every OS version until our phones hardware can't handle them anymore. For people with locked bootloaders they have to depend on VZW/manufacturer to get their OS upgraded. When VZW stops supporting your locked phone, your phone cant upgrade...D1 FTW! dancedroid

What does Vz supporting the phone have to do with its upgrade? Motorola is the one who makes all of the software upgrades with its phones, just like Htc supports their phones. I am fairly confident that Motorola will support the device for at least two years. Gingerbread will be on our D1 officially... I still dont see how any of this is forcing us to buy new hardware. I guess if you want to keep the best technology then yes youd have to buy a new phone but that your decision. The D1 most likely wont be able to play the most advanced mobile games (Tegra 2 designed ones) out their but this has nothing to do with the OS. This really is just dependent on the Manufacturer and its willingness to support their device. Hint, Dont pick sony.

 

[czerdrill]

Where has this happened? Im still on my D1 and im getting everything so far. The beauty with the operating system is that it can be updated. How do updates force you to buy new hardware?

That's cuz we have unlocked bootloaders as D1 users, so we can get ROMs for every OS version until our phones hardware can't handle them anymore. For people with locked bootloaders they have to depend on VZW/manufacturer to get their OS upgraded. When VZW stops supporting your locked phone, your phone cant upgrade...D1 FTW! dancedroid

What does Vz supporting the phone have to do with its upgrade? Motorola is the one who makes all of the software upgrades with its phones, just like Htc supports their phones. I am fairly confident that Motorola will support the device for at least two years. Gingerbread will be on our D1 officially... I still dont see how any of this is forcing us to buy new hardware. I guess if you want to keep the best technology then yes youd have to buy a new phone but that your decision. The D1 most likely wont be able to play the most advanced mobile games (Tegra 2 designed ones) out their but this has nothing to do with the OS. This really is just dependent on the Manufacturer and its willingness to support their device. Hint, Dont pick sony.

I mean, clearly Motorola doesn't just bypass VZW and send OTAs without VZWs permission...of course VZW has to support the phone, test the OTA on their end, and decide if its worth releasing, just as much as Moto does. Secondly, from a business perspective it doesnt make sense for Motorola to create, test and deal with complaints for devices that are way past their shelf life (the D1 being one of them). There is more chance of Apple giving a free iPod touch with every purchase of the iPhone, then there is of the Droid being supported two years....simply not going to happen. Verizon has never supported a phone for two years, and usually not even a full year. With the news that Google has announced up to Ice Cream, do you really think Motorola is going to continue to create OTAs for the D1? We're still "officially" on Froyo...I would be highly surprised if we get Gingerbread officially, and if we do, there is 0 chance we'd get anything beyond that. It would make zero business sense for moto to devote time to upgrading the D1...

And yes...when I say forced to buy new hardware, I meant if you want the latest tech/OS...i didn't mean moto shows up at your front door with guns and says "buy our new phone or die!!"...for people who want Ice Cream or Honeycomb or whatever else comes out, they'd have to buy a new phone if their phone has a locked bootloader, because they would not be able to upgrade to the latest OS by themselves.

We're not going to get updates to our OS everytime Google comes out with a new version just because we own an android phone. Moto will end up having way too many devices to support, and they'd end up losing money by doing something that foolish

Now since our d1 has an unlocked bootloader I'm sure devs will cook ROMs for as long as they can...how well they will work is unknown, but development for the D1 will far outlast that of the DX (in fact, I think the DX is going to be pretty much obsolete by the summer once all the 4g phones have rolled out)

 

[jaycemiskel]

I don't think the manufacturers can distribute an ota update without the ok of Verizon. So if Verizon wants to eol your phone the manufacturer pretty much has to go along with it. It probably doesn't bother them because you'll have to upgrade in order to get the newest updates.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[czerdrill]

I don't think the manufacturers can distribute an ota update without the ok of Verizon. So if Verizon wants to eol your phone the manufacturer pretty much has to go along with it. It probably doesn't bother them because you'll have to upgrade in order to get the newest updates.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Exactly...that's the concise way of saying what I just did above hahaa

 

[jaycemiskel]

Lol, I guess we posted at like the same time. Great minds think alike.

 

[kodiak799]

We're not going to get updates to our OS everytime Google comes out with a new version just because we own an android phone. Moto will end up having way too many devices to support, and they'd end up losing money by doing something that foolish

I tend to agree. The only thing that might change the dynamic is the new contracts/pricing policy. If VZW is going to lock customers in to 2-yr contracts to get subsidized upgrade prices then they almost have to support the phones for 2yrs.

VZW may have the best nationwide coverage, but for most consumers AT&T or Sprint or one of the other providers usually offer good coverage locally and with everyone upgrading to 4G the speed won't be much of a differentiator for long. EOL/support for smartphones will probably become an important factor in where consumers take their service.

VZW didn't get where they are by providing bad service. Sooner or later (sure, probably later) they'll realize it's not good business to only support a device for 6 months. It's a great point about support, but as devices are plateuing wrt useful/value-added specs and being commoditized the support is going to become a factor with smartphones costing $300 contract and $600+ retail. HTC and Moto can make great phones but when people start saying "yeah, but they'll only support it for 6 months" that becomes a problem.

Right now it's an arms race but phones are getting very close to technical specs that should easily last most users 2-3 years.

 

[joeybarclay]

Where has this happened? Im still on my D1 and im getting everything so far. The beauty with the operating system is that it can be updated. How do updates force you to buy new hardware?

I am fairly confident that Motorola will support the device for at least two years. Gingerbread will be on our D1 officially....

What about the milestone it still has 2.1 and I really doubt it will get 2.2.

 

[czerdrill]

We're not going to get updates to our OS everytime Google comes out with a new version just because we own an android phone. Moto will end up having way too many devices to support, and they'd end up losing money by doing something that foolish

I tend to agree. The only thing that might change the dynamic is the new contracts/pricing policy. If VZW is going to lock customers in to 2-yr contracts to get subsidized upgrade prices then they almost have to support the phones for 2yrs.

VZW may have the best nationwide coverage, but for most consumers AT&T or Sprint or one of the other providers usually offer good coverage locally and with everyone upgrading to 4G the speed won't be much of a differentiator for long. EOL/support for smartphones will probably become an important factor in where consumers take their service.

VZW didn't get where they are by providing bad service. Sooner or later (sure, probably later) they'll realize it's not good business to only support a device for 6 months. It's a great point about support, but as devices are plateuing wrt useful/value-added specs and being commoditized the support is going to become a factor with smartphones costing $300 contract and $600+ retail. HTC and Moto can make great phones but when people start saying "yeah, but they'll only support it for 6 months" that becomes a problem.

Right now it's an arms race but phones are getting very close to technical specs that should easily last most users 2-3 years.

oh yes without a doubt, the phones will last 2-3 years, most probably more. They're well built, have awesome specs and serve every purpose that they're billed for. but i look at smartphones as akin to computers (which they pretty much are), they become obsolete as soon as they're opened. since the d1, we've seen the d2, the pro, the x, and now the announcement for the bionic and the atrix (all in about 1 years time). I have to assume by the time the d1s two year anniversary rolls around, motorola will have a couple more droid phones in their lineup...

i think it'll get a little hard for them to support every phone they release for two years and I don't see it happening. even with their delayed ota releases currently, hundreds of threads pop up about bricked phones etc. imagine how many calls vzw gets about the same thing. it becomes a full time job just to deal with bug reports at that point, across 9 phones and how ever many networks their phones are available for...

maybe they'll extend support a little longer then their customary 6 months, but 2 years? no chance. 2 years is a LOOONG time in the smartphone world, and to develop for the amount of phones that will be out in two years and provide customer support for any issues arising from os updates is just not feasible for any company.

people will complain about bad service no matter what. i wouldn't consider it bad service (of course i'm probably in the minority), i just like being realistic about things. i don't expect my D1 to get a gingerbread OTA at all, and if it does, I can say with 100% certainty it won't get anything further than that. But that's just what it is....i don't expect Motorola to dedicate teams to developing OS updates for a clearly "old" phone when they have so many more that are out and that are going to come out in 2 years...

 

[Kineo]

its probably android 3.X with the ability to be on phones and tablets. So like an upgraded honeycomb that works on phones as well as tablets.