since AndroidCentral seem to hate SD card slot, will Samsung release phone WITHOUT SD card slot?

[CarrierPigeon]

since AndroidCentral(just like Google, Inc) seem to hate SD card slot, will Samsung release phone WITHOUT SD card slot?

Am I the only one who stick with Samsung phones because of their staunch support for SD card slot in smartphones?

 

[zedorda]

Samsung has a huge investment in making SD cards so I don't think they are about to not support them.

Everything you use an SD card for I have wireless solutions for and it makes life easier and cheaper. I still use SD cards just not for mobile devices.

 

[slackerjack]

This whole thread seems somewhat deragatory, and I don't see how it's necessary or valuable for calling out the AC folks for "hating" SD cards. It's not like AC makes or sells phones, so weather they do or don't like SD card support is irrelevant. What I do see as relevant - is that AC and staff (particularly Jerry) has done a good job isolating the facts and putting them out into logical, practical guides and articles that explain how and why decsions were made with regard to SD card support - can't fault the man for having a (somewhat) objective opinion on the matter.

That said, why on earth would Samsung ever consider making a device without an SD Card slot - they won. They won when Google tried to elliminate them, and they (Samsung) kept selling them (and with a factor of 10-15:1 to other IHV's), and got to thumb their nose at the other IHV's who didn't follow suit - thank god some of them (HTC) are seeing the light and that almighty Google's word isn't the cure all be all.

Never forget, Google's a search company - it's in their "greater" best interest to push you to the cloud. But it's also an entity that views the world in the 5-10 year plan mode. 10 years from now, connectivity may not matter, data speeds may be of such quality that streaming huge chunks of data would be possible and practical, data caps and plan allowance may be a thing of the past, and IHV's may figure out a way not to lube you up and run you backwards through a cornfield for 16gb of onboard memory (as I'm currently paying a variance of $50-$100 between 16/32gb opions) - and Google views the world through the lens of "perfect tech" sense. In the case that all those things are true - SD cards are no longer necessary, but that's just not the world we live in - and under current conditions - there's no clear path for us there. So god help us, Samsung came to the rescue and provided a practical solution (while lacking certain security safety nets in it's original implementation) - that they are working hand in hand to make sure that the SD card is both usable and safe is very encouraging.

And that's another thing - the SD card, from my perspective, is far more useful than it's been in the past for Google Services. I can store and cache media from the Google applications on my SD card now - I didnt' have access to do this before. When you look at my big data offenders on my unlimited plan - it's Google Play movies, and Google Play Music - both now have really good local storage options that didn't exist before. It's taken a pretty decent amount of work to get there (for both Google and Samsung) so I just don't see it "tossed out with the bath water." so to speak!

Jack

 

[dpham00]

I personally like sd cards. But I understand that they can be problematic. I filled my 128gb microSDXC card to the brim.

While everyone has their own opinions, I think that the sd card is addressed as objectively as possible in the official reviews and news as is everything else.

Personally I love sd card but it isn't my place to force my opinions on others. Everyone has different needs and opinions, and what is great about the mobile landscape today is that you have so many choices. Pick and choose what best works for you.

All this is my opinion, and is not the official word from Android Central.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[briodis]

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry! Has my support.

I dont know how long phones will have sd card slots for - but I have had sd card corruption twice. Its not funny.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[Scott7217]

Am I the only one who stick with Samsung phones because of their staunch support for SD card slot in smartphones?

A lot of people like Samsung because they offer phones with SD card support, so you are not the only one. I have a pet theory that Samsung keeps using SD cards as part of its defense against lawsuits from Apple. It's easy to show a jury that iPhones don't have SD cards while Samsung phones often do have them.

 

[Tim Norris]

The real reason why Google is getting rid of SD cards is they not only slow down the phone, but due to the file allocation table format being FAT32 which is owned by MS. Why would Google want to pay a license for a decaying format that is only forced to be used because MS won't add support for open FAT systems like ext3/4 that have improvements in stability, speed, wear leveling, and file size.

I used to use SD cards, but after switching to a phone with large enough storage built in, I personally don't think I could go back due to speed (and I only bought fast cards).

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

[recDNA]

If you root and store nandroids sd card is the way to go imo.

Sent from my Hyperdriven Note 3

 

[Scott7217]

The real reason why Google is getting rid of SD cards is they not only slow down the phone, but due to the file allocation table format being FAT32 which is owned by MS. Why would Google want to pay a license for a decaying format that is only forced to be used because MS won't add support for open FAT systems like ext3/4 that have improvements in stability, speed, wear leveling, and file size.

I think if Google really opposes microSD cards, it wouldn't be selling devices that are compatible with them in the Play store. The fact that it does sends a mixed message to companies and consumers.

 

[Tim Norris]

I think if Google really opposes microSD cards, it wouldn't be selling devices that are compatible with them in the Play store. The fact that it does sends a mixed message to companies and consumers.

Not really, GPE devices are made for the Developers, not really the general public like your mom and dad. Devs need a common platform to build on and test on, so they can see how an application runs when built for native Android on a certain device, and then tweak the code so it runs correctly.

They can't use their pull on these devices to have a manufacturer totally redesign them, just install the basic applications and no bloatware (I mean manufacturer optimized software). To redesign hardware they would have to pay thousands (at least if not more) and order devices upfront, and get carrier testing done.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

[Tarun1998]

Hey I'd love to use SD cards on my s4, but every time I reboot, the card gets freaking corrupted and I have to format it over and over again.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Scott7217]

They can't use their pull on these devices to have a manufacturer totally redesign them, just install the basic applications and no bloatware (I mean manufacturer optimized software).

What if Google only sold phones that didn't have microSD card slots in the Play store? Could Google avoid paying licensing fees to Microsoft for the FAT32 format in that situation? Google could then remain faithful to its own design philosophy without asking manufacturers to redesign anything.

 

[Tim Norris]

What if Google only sold phones that didn't have microSD card slots in the Play store? Could Google avoid paying licensing fees to Microsoft for the FAT32 format in that situation? Google could then remain faithful to its own design philosophy without asking manufacturers to redesign anything.

They avoid paying for it by not including the code in android.

4.1.x has fully removed it. That is one (of the many) thing keeping the phones with it from fast updates. Google only pays the license if they use it, manufacturers pay if they add the code in.

Google could choose to only add the devices that don't have a microSD as PSE versions, but the point is to give developers a device to start from so all devices have a common point from which to troubleshoot. That way an error can be pinpointed to android or to manufacture. Also as an added benefit it shows the manufacturer that following android design guidelines makes updates easier and cheaper to implement while having the customer realize that some of what the manufacture says is bull (I.e. A device is capable of being upgraded to the most up-to-date, feature rich, and secure version of the OS, but they are being denied the option due to external pressures like carriers or cost since the manufacturer didn't follow OS design.) Most people believe the latter, but GPE is proof of that fact.

Also the most complaints from developers that are recent is the most recent codebase has changed enough that the manufacturer has to kludge the code in, whereas the previous codebase still had references to the old code, do they would just have to add the old library and/or drivers.

The current codebase also restricts data access to the program only, and external code or programs can't access that data without root, as a form of sandboxing and to allow better device cleanup when a program is uninstalled.

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

[ickymini]

i would be angry if there were no sd card... just saying. i would love to havve it.

 

[Scott7217]

Google only pays the license if they use it, manufacturers pay if they add the code in.

In reality, doesn't Google or the manufacturers pass the cost of the license to the customers? Depending on how much the actual cost is, some customers will not accept it, and they'll move to other devices. However, what if the customers are willing to pay the cost? (To be honest, they were probably paying the cost in the first place.) Could customers pay for the FAT32 license and retain full functionality of the microSD card slot in their phones?

 

[Shilohcane]

The reason SD cards are bad is explained below in Jerry's article. The short answer is SD cards are a very old format which is a complete and total security nightmare. This is due to how the FAT32 file system format on the SD card is designed without security permissions built into the FAT32 file and folder format. SD Memory Cards intellectual property rights are owned by the SD group ( Panasonic Corporation, SanDisk Corporation, and Toshiba Corporation (collectively "SD Group").;

Jerry's article;

KitKat and SD cards — what's fixed, what's broken and what's misunderstood

This is the important part that Jerry wrote;

FAT-based file systems — that's what your SD card is formatted to — are universal on Windows, Apple OSX and (most) Linux machines. Makes sense. What good is a portable drive that can't be read, right? But there's a catch. FAT-based systems don't support file and folder permissions. If I'm an app, I can't say “This is my folder. I will allow you to look inside, but you are not to put anything new in there or change any of my stuff!” on this sort of file system. It’s an all-or-nothing mess, and one that even Microsoft has moved away from in its newer versions of Windows.

If I am using a Banking, Stock Account or any App that has my credit card info I sure don't want any of that information in files created on the SD card that gives any App access to that data. That is why in Kit Kat you can no longer put Apps on SD cards since their is no security from other Apps that could steal your data off the SD card if you give those Apps permission to any files on the SD card.

 

[Ikeman90]

since AndroidCentral(just like Google, Inc) seem to hate SD card slot, will Samsung release phone WITHOUT SD card slot?

AC hates SD slots? This is news to me whether you talking about the readers or the writers Im pretty sure thats inaccurate.

When ever an article mentions them the comments are either supports of the no SD or against no SD but never an overwhelming (or even a whelming) bunch that hates SD cards. And like I'm sure several people have already said they make cards. they wouldnt stop the use of them in one of the biggest products those SD cards are sold for.

Posted via Android Central App via the not so new Nexus 5 and a half

 

[Ikeman90]

My goodness man what the hell you have on there?! My 4 year old comp has 500 and I'm barely touching half. And that's where I dump everything. Idk what you have on there but I hope it's backed up sir

Posted via Android Central App via the not so new Nexus 5 and a half

 

[Scott7217]

The short answer is SD cards are a very old format which is a complete and total security nightmare.

So, are there any phones that will ship in 2014 with KitKat that will not have a micro SD card slot? I believe the OnePlus One will not have a micro SD card slot. Are there any other phones, in case people want to avoid having security issues?

 

[Shilohcane]

So, are there any phones that will ship in 2014 with KitKat that will not have a micro SD card slot? I believe the OnePlus One will not have a micro SD card slot. Are there any other phones, in case people want to avoid having security issues?

The OnePlus One will ship with Kit Kat and no SD card. I am sure Samsung is going to Kit Kat and will have SD cards in 2014. With a 32GB Nexus 5 I have zero need for a SD card but I would still like one for a few things. Kit Kat has eliminated putting Apps on the SD card which Google never should have allowed in the 1st place with that security issue on FAT32 format that was missing folder App Security. People would be wiser to spend the extra money they spend on SD cards on a phone with a larger memory.