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from the avoided-Betteridge's-Law-of-Headlines dept.
I've been an Android user since Froyo, over several devices. I'm beginning to think that there must be a better way.
First, although I liked Android, especially the part that was Open Source, I'll suggest that the whole Android ecosystem represents a dead end.
At a minimum, it seems like madness to rely on two or more layers of outside partners to deliver software patches and updates. It's just not reasonable or safe for end users to wait for months or years until device makers and wireless carriers deliver patches from Google - if they ever do.
That there's no way a user can update their system without their cooperation is just not acceptable today.
Second, even if an update or patch does arrive, it brings with it the likelihood that some feature or application that you have been using will be hobbled, eliminated, or just plain be made unusable by Google. Services provided by Google are subject to changes that, depending on your circumstances, make them significantly less usable. (Gmail being a prime example) Standalone apps like Reader or MyTracks may just stop working one day if Google loses interest.
Finally, there's the Play store, and the millions of apps available to users. I think that most people would agree that trying to find a usable app for a specific purpose is an exercise in frustration.
[Continues...]
The current system pretty much requires you to guess on a search term to find an app, then wade through dozens or hundreds of possible results.
App ratings are filled with obvious astroturf, or one word disses - neither of these help you tell if an app actually works. Without someone actually moderating the ratings system it is pretty much of no value.
There's no practical way to tell if an app is a finished product, or an abandoned half-baked pastime. Our only option, even with paid apps, is to install it and find out if it works.
There is speculation that Google may be preparing to abandon Android, but will a new Google OS really be any better for end users?
The problem is that Android has more or less become the only game in town, so what alternative will we see emerge?
Obvious notes:
a) Cyanogenmod - been there, done that. Not a realistic option for the vast majority of end users. And honestly, I just don't have the time and inclination to root and install it these days.
b) iPhone - actually owned a Powerbook for three years as my primary machine. Gave it my best go, but just don't like the way Apple machines do things. YMMV.
c) BlackBerry - actually really loved the BlackBerry, except that it REALLY didn't play well with Google contacts, and they refuse to support either Linux, or individual end users.
c) Linux - yup. Guess I'm spoiled. Stuff generally doesn't break, and if I need a specific tool or function — someone, somewhere has almost always created it.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by khakipuce on Monday September 12 2016, @12:12PM
Both my kids use Apple becuase it is cool but they both have problems with it, the last iOS update rendered my daughter's phone pretty much unusable for many weeks. They have both had Android phones in the past and actually prefer them but ... Apple.
One the subject of updates my Lenovo tablet has never received an Android update in many years, can't say I'm bothered though. Given that these things only have a life of a few years I suspect most people jsut get a new device when they want an upgrade.
(Score: 4, Touché) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 12 2016, @12:40PM
I had a custom piece of hardware, I wrote a nice app for it, I shared it with the "world" of 100 other people who had similar systems, and about 50 of them paid me $65 each for the app (I'm pretty sure the other 50 pirated it). Anyway, that was a total dead-end. The hardware is now out of production and new systems are totally incompatible. C'est la vie. We're all gonna die, this is an incredibly temporary existence as are all endeavors within it. If you're not satisfied with a platform that has millions of users with a foreseeable lifetime of at least 5 years, go carve granite or cast bronze or something.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Monday September 12 2016, @04:03PM
Algorithms, baby, algorithms. They're timeless, and they are independent of media, no need to carve stone. Euclid's algorithm for Greatest Common divisor is over 2000 years old, and still relevant today.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Nerdfest on Monday September 12 2016, @02:12PM
Given that the only real alternatively is Apple, where you have the hardware and the software controlled through a single company and no choice at all, I would argue that it is the more likely dead end. Android is open-source and there are many hardware providers. Google, Samsung, HTC, etc, could all disappear tomorrow and life would go on with Android still available as an OS and other manufacturers still available as well.
Personally, I'd love to see a pure Linux or other open mobile OS mobile OS out, but I think Android is by far the best alternative until we have that happens. If and when that does happen, I'd also like to be able to *choose* my OS, not have it forced on me an locked in place.
People tying themselves to a single company with a poor history of playing nicely others has always amazed me.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 12 2016, @04:43PM
Not to mention the forks of Android that do give the user back power to control their phone (mostly).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 12 2016, @11:21PM
FTFS: c) Linux
Props to opinionated_science, below, for mentioning N900 and A780.
We have mentioned here multiple times Ubuntu Touch. [soylentnews.org]
.
I also like the comment by requerdanos:
Android is the worst phone ecosystem and environment, except for all the others.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday September 13 2016, @03:14AM
I backed the Jolla tablet - I've got 50% of my money back now, and they're promising to send the other 50% "when they are able."
Jolla did make a phone that launched in Europe, but I believe they moved away from a pure Qt on Linux implementation to focus on Android app compatibility. That's the reality of making a new phone OS, whether Windows, Linux, or something completely new, the phone owners will all be sad if their friends have a new "don't spill the beer" or whatever app that isn't available on their phone - so every new phone OS pretty much has to run Android apps, or the phone will never reach any kind of mass market.
Android may be a dead end today, like the Roman Empire was a dead end in 300 BC.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by mcgrew on Monday September 12 2016, @05:34PM
Actually, Apple is worse, in that you don't have to jailbreak an Android to sideload an app. If you have the APK file (similar to a Linux tarball) just copy it to the device and click on it with a file manager.
Funny, Appalbarry (note the user name, either an Apple shill or fanboi) has all these problems with Android, and they look no different than problems with any other computing platform.
My only problem with Android is the damned thing crashes. It's worse than a 20th century copy of Windows. I thought it was my cheap kyocera phone's hardware, but since have bought two Samsung tablets, both of which crash as often as the phone.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Monday September 12 2016, @07:23PM
My only problem with Android is the damned thing crashes. It's worse than a 20th century copy of Windows. I thought it was my cheap kyocera phone's hardware, but since have bought two Samsung tablets, both of which crash as often as the phone.
I have a Galaxy S4 that I've had for about a year now. It was updated to 5.0.1 by the carrier as soon as I got it, and I've *never* seen it crash. It's not perfect: it gets slow sometimes thanks to all the bloatware and Samsung's TouchWiz, and it probably doesn't help that I have a bunch of network-using apps (two VoIP apps, two dating apps, etc.) that basically constantly run in the background (at least I don't use Facebook). But crashes? I've never seen one on this device. Now my old HTC phone? That thing was horrible, and crashed all the time.
I'm upgrading to a Galaxy S5 this week, so hopefully that'll go at least as well as this S4. We'll see.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday September 12 2016, @09:50PM
My Galaxy S4 is three years old next month, and continues to work as well as the day I bought it. I've heard lots of complaints about Touch Wiz over the years, but I've never had a problem with it.
The battery started to go bad last year, so I bought a new one for $20 (local dollars, worth less than your US dollars), it took a few seconds to change it out.
I have a 32 GB micro SD card in it for extra storage. When the old one went bad I bought a new one for not much and restored the pics and whatnot from my Owncloud backup.
Those features are worth having in my opinion.
Sometimes I have a look at the shiny new S7's on display in the Mall and think how great owning one would be. It would obviously make me more attractive to the opposite sex and would wash my car for me on Saturdays, but I can't justify spending the money when the phone I own does everything I need it to.
Both of my sons own a Galaxy S5 and they are very happy with them.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Grishnakh on Tuesday September 13 2016, @04:08PM
I have a housemate with another S4 (this one's the L720T, mine is the older L720), and that one sucks because it doesn't recognize the SIM card so it won't make calls any more. Replacing the SIM socket assembly doesn't work, doing a factory reset on the software doesn't work, so it appears to be a motherboard problem. Trying other hacks like putting paper over the SIM assembly connector didn't work either. Online searching shows that tons of people have this problem with this model, and there's no real resolution. So for anyone reading this, don't get the L720T (the tri-band Sprint model). You're not in the US so you probably don't have this problem.
Anyway, I'm upgrading to the S5 and giving my housemate my S4 (L720), which still works great. Other acquaintances I know with the S5 love it. It should be a little faster than the S4, plus it's waterproof which is a nice plus, but still retains the removable battery, SDcard slot, the wonderful SuperAMOLED screen, and overall repairability. (I was impressed with how easy it was to open up the S4 to replace PCBs and such; if the USB socket went bad, for instance, it'd be pretty easy to swap out that board for a replacement. Try that on an iPhone...)
(Score: 1) by Demena on Tuesday September 13 2016, @12:52AM
My iPhone is not jail broken. Nor will it be. I prefer the limited security provided by apple to none at all. Apple places zero restrictions on the apps you can install - provided you have the source code. In that sense apple is open source but closed binary. No one sees the advantage in this?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 13 2016, @09:30AM
Well, this is a recent'ish development. It used to be that it's $99 to load your own software to your own device.
(Score: 1) by Demena on Tuesday September 13 2016, @10:36AM
No, I have had the development kit since the S3 and they have never asked a cent for it. So why you are claiming it had a 99$ cost attached to it I hate no idea. Same situation for my friends. All it requires is that you register (which means give them your name).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 13 2016, @10:49AM
What is this Apple S3 you are talking about?
Context, context, context, man.
(Score: 1) by Demena on Tuesday September 13 2016, @10:57AM
An Apple iPhone S3 which I bought partially to write an app on. I was beaten to a (free market). I never finished the App and the phone is now on a shelf.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Monday September 12 2016, @07:26PM
Wait, your kids prefer Android, but continue to use Apple, why? Are they worried other kids are going to make fun of them or something?
There's a simple solution to this: get them the phone you want them to have and think is the best choice for them, since that's your job as a parent. If they want something different because of peer pressure, too bad. They can buy it with their own money if they want.