DROID MAXX will be upgraded to KitKat (Android 4.4)

[alee]

I'm sorry but in the wake of things like the NSA BS is now a really good time to force everyone to put everything on the web?

This pre-dates KitKat. Android has been doing this for a while now in carefully measured pieces. Overall, the trend of moving everything into the cloud has been going on for years and will only get further intertwined with your online presence. There are no competitive smartphone operating systems that don't rely heavily on putting it all up in the cloud -- iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry.

 

[vzwuser76]

I realize that, but with them moving all SMS messages, pictures taken & downloaded, and even the dialer to web based this is the final push. Right now any of those three things do not have to be stored in the cloud, and you can use the dialer to make calls without having mobile data or WiFi enabled. While other OSs are transitioning to the cloud, none have taken it to this extent. This may be where I get off. I don't care if I don't have anything to hide or not, after having CC fraud happen to me twice in the last 2 years, I don't need to make ID theft any easier for criminals.

 

[alee]

While other OSs are transitioning to the cloud, none have taken it to this extent.

iOS is not too far off with the iCloud and iMessage concept. Yes, there's an opt-out (today), but the point is we're talking about an inevitability here, not a situation where 1 vendor has decided they won't do it. They're all headed there at different paces, but I would guess you won't be able to buy a phone at the end of 2014 that won't have converged on a data centric cloud model in a large meaningful way.

You will hit a hard wall soon -- the market has changed and is demanding something you don't want. At some point, your only way out will be to opt-out of a phone.

 

[doogald]

I realize that, but with them moving all SMS messages, pictures taken & downloaded, and even the dialer to web based this is the final push. Right now any of those three things do not have to be stored in the cloud, and you can use the dialer to make calls without having mobile data or WiFi enabled. While other OSs are transitioning to the cloud, none have taken it to this extent. This may be where I get off. I don't care if I don't have anything to hide or not, after having CC fraud happen to me twice in the last 2 years, I don't need to make ID theft any easier for criminals.

The dialer isn't web based - it just searches the web for numbers. And, as I said, you can install a replacement dialer that brings up a dial pad by default if that's what you really want. One strength of android.

SMS is also not going to be web based. Google is just trying to push using one app for all messaging services, just as iOS is. I wonder if they'll finally do the same thing for the email/ gmail dual mail apps in the next release?

 

[vzwuser76]

The dialer isn't web based - it just searches the web for numbers. And, as I said, you can install a replacement dialer that brings up a dial pad by default if that's what you really want. One strength of android.

SMS is also not going to be web based. Google is just trying to push using one app for all messaging services, just as iOS is. I wonder if they'll finally do the same thing for the email/ gmail dual mail apps in the next release?

I was under the assumption that Google Hangouts was web based, if I'm wrong that's a bit better, and assuming that I can replace the gallery app along with the dialer might work, but wouldn't using all of these replacement apps in place of the stock ones degrade performance? I would think it would be similar to having a skin when you replace all of the stock apps. Maybe I'm wrong there.

 

[vzwuser76]

iOS is not too far off with the iCloud and iMessage concept. Yes, there's an opt-out (today), but the point is we're talking about an inevitability here, not a situation where 1 vendor has decided they won't do it. They're all headed there at different paces, but I would guess you won't be able to buy a phone at the end of 2014 that won't have converged on a data centric cloud model in a large meaningful way.

You will hit a hard wall soon -- the market has changed and is demanding something you don't want. At some point, your only way out will be to opt-out of a phone.

There will always be a way to have a phone. As someone stated earlier, something like a Jitterbug will always have an audience. What amazes me is how easily everyone is willing to make themselves targets for criminals. As I said I was the victim of CC fraud, and as you can tell, I don't make my personal info easily available. So for all these people putting everything out there, it just seems to me that they're playing Russian roulette with their info and finances.

Apologies to the OP. I didn't mean to drag everyone off topic.

 

[phathands]

Also chiming in that I'm not terribly worried about Kit Kat getting here. Just keep pushing out patches to fine tune the Bluetooth and other optimizations and I'll be ok with that. Android is a mature operating system and I don't see many user end upgrades to 4.4.

 

[doogald]

I was under the assumption that Google Hangouts was web based, if I'm wrong that's a bit better, and assuming that I can replace the gallery app along with the dialer might work, but wouldn't using all of these replacement apps in place of the stock ones degrade performance? I would think it would be similar to having a skin when you replace all of the stock apps. Maybe I'm wrong there.

You can try out DialerOne right now and see if it degrades performance. It's easy to uninstall any app and go back to stock.

You talk about identity theft. Have you set up two factor authentication on your Google account? Perhaps you should - it may ease your mind a bit.

 

[vzwuser76]

You can try out DialerOne right now and see if it degrades performance. It's easy to uninstall any app and go back to stock.

You talk about identity theft. Have you set up two factor authentication on your Google account? Perhaps you should - it may ease your mind a bit.

Other than apps I don't use Google for commerce. This was solely with my CC at stores with (supposedly) 128-bit encryption. I'm also not a big fan of having my financial accounts tied to a third party, other than Paypal, only because I need that for eBay.

I will try DialerOne out and see if it will be a solid replacement, thx for the tip.

 

[BlueLions81]

There's always the Jitterbug, the big-button phone for the "I've fallen and I can't get up" set. I think it even has a dial tone (which doesn't really do anything, of course, but is comforting to those who don't like change).

You can just dial 0 for live customer service.

"Hello, operator? Please connect me to my granddaughter Suzy. Her number is Klondike 5, 2345."

Jitterbug - Simple Cell Phones with No Contracts

No I still want a smart phone, but I'll get one that has an automatic dial pad. If I have to I'll get an iphone the next time around. Not what I want to do, but android is forcing me to make the change.

 

[BlueLions81]

I for once, don't want the KitKat update - it brings no features important to me and makes some things worse:
1. I hate the white theme - holo is just fine
2. A dialer that looks up information in my vicinity is ok but the possibility of it to show ads is not
3. I could care less for lower system requirements - my Maxx handles JB just fine, buttery smooth
4. While possibility of Google Wallet tap to pay with secure element emulation is fine - I'm starting to like ISIS - I carry all the cards they support and the recent app update makes a really nice app.
5. I've tried the new Google Experience launcher and it sux - big icons spaced too close to each other with no configuration options

So, what else is there in the KitKat that I don't already have? I'm fine right now and the KitKat brings no meaningful user features. Instead, KitKat begins to shove "Google Experience" in as many corners of Android as possible - I don't like that.

So, I like my phone and the current feature set and don't want to replace that with something new just for the sake of it being new.

Posted via Android Central App

I'm not going to upgrade either. My phone works just fine with Jelly Bean. Don't need that carppy Kit Kat.