Not a "real Nexus?" WTF?

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

We like to assume that Google caters to users who compile their own builds from the code. I think that's absolutely false.

Some folks working for Google really care about open source for open source's sake. I respect and admire those folks. But I'm pretty sure Google, on the corporate level, only cares about Android being open source so OEM's can afford to build devices that use Google search and GMail. Google's primary goal is to make huge piles of money.

I *think* the Nexus phones were designed solely to have a reference for application developers. A series of devices that all use the same, and most current, API level. The point release numbers just don't matter. What matters (to Google) is that software developers can buy a phone to use to build apps, so more people buy Android phones, and more people use Google search and GMail.

We're the ones who decided the "developer" tag on developer phones meant the OS and custom ROMs, not Google.

 

[2defmouze]

Nice post up there, Jerry. I even learned me a thing or 2

 

[davey11]

Ah the stuff we gotta give up to be on a blazing fast lte network. Since no gsm nexus can get speeds like us, it's a fair trade.

This post courtesy of Tapatalk2

 

[voghan]

If you have to root your phone to get access to an app that is available in the market.... it's not a real Nexus. If the phone never moves past Android 4.0.2... its not a real Nexus. I bought this phone because I was tired of running a phoned one or two versions behind. Deep down I wonder if Verizon will release Jelly Bean on this phone.

I shouldn't have to root to get these things yet I feel I must root to get these things. Its not a real nexus.

 

[Droid800]

If you have to root your phone to get access to an app that is available in the market.... it's not a real Nexus. If the phone never moves past Android 4.0.2... its not a real Nexus. I bought this phone because I was tired of running a phoned one or two versions behind. Deep down I wonder if Verizon will release Jelly Bean on this phone.

I shouldn't have to root to get these things yet I feel I must root to get these things. Its not a real nexus.

If you're talking about Wallet, you don't have to root to get it. And we don't even know why it isn't officially available. For all we know, sprint has an exclusivity deal for carrier subsidized phones with wallet. (Only sprint phones in the us have wallet, the others are unlocked)

And for the last time: Verizon does not control which updates this phone gets. It will get updated to jelly beand and whatever comes after it, and Verizon has no say in the matter. You've had ICS for six months longer than any other phone on Verizon, and will STILL get updates sooner. The complaining that this 'isnt a real nexus' is not only false, but its patently absurd.

If you don't feel its a real nexus, there's the door. Enjoy attempting to root that Razr maxx or rezound.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mooem]

Think you'd be hard pressed to get an on the record statement from someone at Google telling you what they define it as, if only to not start an amazing flame war (even worse than what's going on now!) from every single Galaxy Nexus owner.

I'd assume that the "purists" would say that a Nexus is a device which can get its fully functioning software compiled directly from AOSP/Google with no strings attached.

It of course hits a grey area because I'm sure Google would love to be able to freely distribute the CDMA/LTE radios if they could, but they simply aren't allowed to. Which then brings another, deeper grey area as to why they decided to try and make a "Nexus" on Verizon in the first place if they knew ahead of time that they wouldn't be able to distribute the radios.

Actually, I believe there was a post by Jean-Baptiste Queru (actually a reply to a comment on one of this posts) on Google+ that there was an expectation that they would be able to freely distribute those proprietary radios but for whatever reason that deal was reneged on. Trying to find the comment but I'm fairly certain he said something to that effect. But it explains why they were able to release factory images and supported AOSP on CDMA devices before pulling it altogether.


EDIT: Actually it was a Google Group posting...
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/android-platform/EMjbexyJPh4/Ja2fbUZi17gJ

I'd been told that there wouldn't be any license issues, and I did all the ICS AOSP preparation work and testing based on that. Once there turned out to be license issues after all, after all the technical work had been done, I turned to investigating technical workarounds for the lack of licenses. That's when I started to bump into those CDMA-specific issues. Those issues mean that without the appropriate licenses the CDMA devices in AOSP are stuck in their current state, which is clearly not good enough to be realistically considered "supported".

JBQ

 

[jroc]

I'm definitely not bashing Android and singing the praises of Apple. I just don't understand why Samsung has to run it through Verizon when Apple doesn't.

I have been thinking about this lately, Anyone have an idea why this is? Is it LTE causing the delay? The iPhone on Verizon has CDMA radios too... I know that supporting one version of the iPhone is alot easier than what has to be done with Android....just curious if anyone knows...or did I answer my own question..lol.

My short list definition of a nexus as follows.
Easily unlocked and rooted
Vanilla android
No manufacturer skins
No carrier bloatware(city I.D, Let's Golf, etc. I don't consider My Verizon bloatware. VZW backup assistant, toss up on that one.)
People get all up in arms because the updates don't come right from Google. There is something about the keys to connect to the CDMA network that the carriers won't release. So Sprint and Verizon have to test and approve each update which will slow down the process compared to GSM phones.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I would still add faster updates to the Android OS than other phones still tho to your list. And usually a Nexus has the latest, newest version of Android on it at launch.

 

[Mobius360]

An update can consist of 4 parts:
system image
boot image
recovery image
radio image

Google builds the system image, boot image, recovery image from their source code.

Samsung and Verizon build the radio image.

In the system image, there are a handful of files that need changed because the Nexus is on a CDMA network. Google does not have the required licenses to re-distribute these files, they must come from Samsung and Verizon.

Google has a penta-band unlocked reference device. They build a version of Android for it, and test on it. When it passes their testing, the update is ready as far as Google is concerned. Verizon and Samsung then take that update (probably in the form of source code, not zip files) and make the required changes to allow the Nexus to work on a CDMA network. When finished, they give the green light for the update to be distributed from Google's servers.

Take everything above, and apply it to LTE as well, since it's a very closed and proprietary standard.

Because these versions are different when built, they need a different version number. This is why the GSM Nexus and CDMA Nexus will never be on the same version.

4.0.4 is the current version of Android. Any fixes special or specific to the CDMA Nexus are not included -- because Google does not have license to include them.

4.0.5 (maybe) will be the version for CDMA. It will never be in AOSP, because it uses code that is not open source.

Now is the time to ask any other questions. I'll try to answer if I know the answer.

Thanks Jerry great explanation. I have to ask what that means for the Sprint Nexus as it's on 4.04?

 

[moosc]

Well its hard to avoid when folks feel like posting same Ol crud over and over with out doing a search.

How many members do we have? Nobody is forcing you to read these threads I hope.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

 

[nyc_rock]

The truest form of the nexus experience can only be done through a non carrier branded GSM unit.

 

[MrStylz]

Wait a minute - someone brought this up earlier and I didn't see an answer... How does Apple work around this? Or doesn't it? I never recalled hearing about VZW/Sprint having any hands in the update process for iOS.

 

[jeck77]

The truest form of the nexus experience can only be done through a non carrier branded GSM unit.

Agreed. I work in the business, and I sell enough GSM handsets vs CDMA handsets to operators and carriers to understand how much easier it is dealing with GSM. I own a Verizon Galaxy Nexus, but sell GSM Galaxy Nexus' all day. I don't really consider my Nexus to be a true Nexus since I still have to wait for Verizon's extremely long approval periods in order to get my updates (which is why I rooted and run Gummy), yet the GSM version gets their updates directly from Google, which was one of the main points of an unlocked true Nexus handset in the first place.

 

[anon251163]

It sure doesn't "feel" like a Nexus. The fact that the Verizon version is plagued with a number of bugs and that they just refuse to release an update is enough for me to not believe it is a true Nexus device.

According to Jerry (great info there thanks!), all Verizon and Samsung have to take care of is the radio image. Which they haven't.

 

[tailsthecat3]

I've read many threads, most of them flaming one phone or another, but I've read many people writing that the Galaxy Nexus isn't a "real Nexus." Why the hell would people say that? This phone, which I recently upgraded to from a Rezound, is the best performing phone I've ever owned. Thoughts?

Downgrade from the rezound and not a nexus. No aosp, not a nexus. It's quite simple, really.

 

[bulvine420]

I love this phone it has problems yes (bad reception,bad speakers,bad camera,)but the community support on this device is amazing.I'm running 4.0.4 on it now if you root you can easely get this update so why all the fuss on the update?

 

[romieorock]

Please tell me why the nexus from Google Store only has 16gb of storage while the verizon version had 32gb of storage? Also what else is different about the two phone that I should know about?

 

[rlb]

Still wondering why Apple doesn't have this problem with the iphone. Jerry, anyone?

 

[turdbogls]

So Jerry,
if 4.0.5 gets pushed to our Nexus' that doesn't necessarily mean 4.0.5 WONT get pushed to AOSP correct?
google could have a build with a couple extra features and bug fixes and label it 4.0.5 and get it into AOSP, but this 4.0.5 would obviously be different than verizons 4.0.5 update.

that is some good info though Jerry, hopefully people will start to understand why verizon it taking so long.

also, to the guy talking about getting iOS updates straight from apple. i am guessing it is because apple is closed source so the CDMA crap is not available to the public, where as with android, everything is available to the public...and verizon doesn't want that to get into the hands of the public. i am guessing this is the case, someone correct me if i am wrong.

 

[turdbogls]

Still wondering why Apple doesn't have this problem with the iphone. Jerry, anyone?

see the last paragraph of the post above. it may be completely wrong, but that is my take and makes sense i my twisted mind

 

[lightyear420]

What I don't understand is why, if the radio image is what makes the rom proprietary, they don't just open source the rest of it??? I understand they can't just hand out the source to their CDMA img....if they did, people would hack their way into the network and get free voice, data, text, and god knows what else. But Honestly, if it's that big of a deal, then they should have aosp set up to download two things: android source code and a PRE-COMPILED radio img....you choose either gsm or cdma. If they don't want us building it, fine.....but I'm just getting sick & tired of all this fragmentation!!!! It's killing android, and it's killing the ideology of open source projects. It needs to be standardized, and the first thing carriers should be doing is not working on a total, complete rom....they should be working on the baseband first, and when it's done, upload the img to googe's aosp servers. This way we would all be able to work on aosp asap.....not wait 5 months for sprint to get off their lazy arses to update us "when they get around to it".....sorry...went on a tangent there. But I think I've made my point plenty clear. The easiest way to stop fragmebntation in this case would be to just give us that pre-built radio img as soon as it can be done so we can build the rest ourselves around it Honestly, we don't even need the rest of their rom....90% of the people who download it any way other than OTA directly on their phone will only be ripping the radio.img from the rom anyway to include with whatever other rom they are using at the time.