Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won't Fix M9's Camera

[Slick1020]

Mr. Nickinson from here at android central said he doesn't even know what "final software" means when HTC or others try to use it as an excuse for the M9. He spoke to HTC about their camera problem at MWC after having the phone for 36 hours. He said you can't magically fix the camera problem with software. He was surprised that he was given the phone not ready for prime time. Go to the 38:00 minute mark to hear his comments. Sounds like he isn't expecting the software to do anything for the camera and will write the phone a bad final review if nothing changes. He didn't care for the video recording on the M9 either. Ouch

 

[petvas72]

if the camera is bad then it will be disappointing.

Let's wait and see.
Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Almeuit]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

Who is this guy and why is he important to you?

Having said that, if the camera is bad then it will be disappointing.

Posted via the Android Central App

Phil? He is the Editor in Chief here at Android Central .

 

[petvas72]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

Phil? He is the Editor in Chief here at Android Central .

Yes

I saw that later and updated my post

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

Hi. I'm just glad to be here.

 

[Slick1020]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

Hi. I'm just glad to be here.

Phil, "I'm just here so I won't get fined."

On a serious note:
Great initial review about the M9. You spoke highly about the phone until you talked about the camera. Can you explain to us why you are leery of people talking about final software? And is it normal for companies to give you phones at MWC that are not finished? Why would a company bring an unfinished phone to a major event and have it receive bad first impressions?

 

[mountainman]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

Phil, "I'm just here so I won't get fined."

On a serious note:
Great initial review about the M9. You spoke highly about the phone until you talked about the camera. Can you explain to us why you are leery of people talking about final software? And is it normal for companies to give you phones at MWC that are not finished? Why would a company bring an unfinished phone to a major event and have it receive bad first impressions?

I would like to know this as well. Seems silly...silly I tell ya....

 

[SpookDroid]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

Phil Nickinson and Jerry Hildenbrand's beard are Android Centrals greatest assets.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

On a serious note:
Great initial review about the M9. You spoke highly about the phone until you talked about the camera. Can you explain to us why you are leery of people talking about final software? And is it normal for companies to give you phones at MWC that are not finished? Why would a company bring an unfinished phone to a major event and have it receive bad first impressions?

The software itself was pretty damned solid, actually. I didn't see anything, performance-wise, that would have kept it from being my daily driver. But, yeah, I have some serious issues with being handed a phone to evaluate while being told "software updates are coming." That's not helpful to us as reviewers. And worse is that I think it sets unreasonable expectations for readers. That's what I was trying to get at during the podcast. That I was already hearing "Did you have the software update that fixes the camera yet?" proves that point.

I have no idea if there will be some sort of magical software update that cures any initial problems we saw with the camera. Ask me in a few weeks. (Or sooner. )

 

[aallison1882]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

The software itself was pretty damned solid, actually. I didn't see anything, performance-wise, that would have kept it from being my daily driver. But, yeah, I have some serious issues with being handed a phone to evaluate while being told "software updates are coming." That's not helpful to us as reviewers. And worse is that I think it sets unreasonable expectations for readers. That's what I was trying to get at during the podcast. That I was already hearing "Did you have the software update that fixes the camera yet?" proves that point.

I have no idea if there will be some sort of magical software update that cures any initial problems we saw with the camera. Ask me in a few weeks. (Or sooner. )

Phil,

Is the software update everyone is talking about for the camera app or is everyone referring to a firmware update for the actual camera hardware? The latter would be what could potentially resolve issues.

Just want to make sure I'm not miss understanding the definition of "software" in the context of the M9 camera discussion.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

Phil,

Is the software update everyone is talking about for the camera app or is everyone referring to a firmware update for the actual camera hardware? The latter would be what could potentially resolve issues.

Just want to make sure I'm not miss understanding the definition of "software" in the context of the M9 camera discussion.

I really don't know what "everyone is talking about." What we've been told is that the camera software isn't final. I take that to mean how the images are ultimately processed and presented — not how the camera app itself looks. But again, I strongly caution everyone against thinking that there will be some magical update that either makes this the best damn camera phone ever seen, or it crashes and burns. That's just not how these things usually work.

I'll share more when I can, but that's really all anyone knows at this point.

 

[aallison1882]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

I really don't know what "everyone is talking about." What we've been told is that the camera software isn't final. I take that to mean how the images are ultimately processed and presented — not how the camera app itself looks. But again, I strongly caution everyone against thinking that there will be some magical update that either makes this the best damn camera phone ever seen, or it crashes and burns. That's just not how these things usually work.

I'll share more when I can, but that's really all anyone knows at this point.

Thanks Phil -

I'm on the same page as you. I don't expect miracles from an update, just that a few of the wrinkles may be ironed out.

 

[zizu101]

Re: Android Central: Mr. Nickinson - Software won' Fix M9' Camera

I really don't know what "everyone is talking about." What we've been told is that the camera software isn't final. I take that to mean how the images are ultimately processed and presented — not how the camera app itself looks. But again, I strongly caution everyone against thinking that there will be some magical update that either makes this the best damn camera phone ever seen, or it crashes and burns. That's just not how these things usually work.

I'll share more when I can, but that's really all anyone knows at this point.

Fair enough. If possible, can you tell us if the camera shoots 1080p video in 30 or 60 FPS?

 

[Slick1020]

The software itself was pretty damned solid, actually. I didn't see anything, performance-wise, that would have kept it from being my daily driver. But, yeah, I have some serious issues with being handed a phone to evaluate while being told "software updates are coming." That's not helpful to us as reviewers. And worse is that I think it sets unreasonable expectations for readers. That's what I was trying to get at during the podcast. That I was already hearing "Did you have the software update that fixes the camera yet?" proves that point.

I have no idea if there will be some sort of magical software update that cures any initial problems we saw with the camera. Ask me in a few weeks. (Or sooner. )

Phil,

Thank you for taking the time to stop in and educate us on the terminology of "final software." I think a lot of potential buyers had their expectations set far too high after hearing that terminology being utilized. The software definitely caused some nice debates regarding the camera to where software can't fix a hardware issue.

I noticed you have an M8 as your daily driver. I utilize the M7 and M8 as my daily drivers. I did not start caring about the cameras on my phones until I started to actually take pictures this year. This is why I can't upgrade to the M9 if the camera isn't acceptable. Since the M8 will receive Sense 7 and the M8's camera is on par if not better than the M9, I won't be missing anything. Not to mention it really bothers me that HTC of all companies handed you a phone for you to review that was not "finished" yet.

Some reviewers had a bad first impression of the M9. When they review the phone again close to launch time for the carriers I expect their views not to dramatically change.

As a huge fan of HTC, I really wish they would have consulted or collaborated with a company like Nokia or some other well known camera manufacturer. Just so they got it right the first time with the M9. I know in an ideal world, collaborating or consulting with a different company isn't always feasible and may cost lots of money. Needless to say, HTC hasn't been extremely profitable over the past few years. Maybe, the whole Beats Audio issue made the company a bit more leery.

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