Where's Froyo for the Fascinate?

[joebob2000]

It's not just the Fascinate stuck on 2.1. Check out the article on the AndroidCentral home page about Motorola's update roadmap. No mention of Gingerbread anywhere. In some cases it's the hardware not being able to support it, but even the Droid X makes no mention of 2.3. That tells me that some project manager for Motorola doesn't even have it on their chart.

I've said from the start that Android is still known as a "hackers" or "geeks" phone, and will eventually keep the OS from being taken seriously by business users as well as consumers. And to think that your everyday user has no idea of Froyo or Gingerbread is not giving them credit. They see their friends or co-workers viewing websites that show Flash on the Droid, and wonder why their brand new Samsung can't do the same.

Android will start losing developers too. If I can only reach a small percentage of users running the latest OS, it's not worth it for me to create apps. I don't want to be stuck not using the latest features of the SDK because I have to worry about someone running 1.6 still.

There was just recently a good discussion on slashdot about this subject, sparked from this article. Android is falling victim to what I would call competing best interests. Google cant force handset makers or carriers to do what's best for android. The handset makers and carriers are naturally doing what big companies do, wringing profit out of android as fast as they can. It's just not in their best interest to release lots of updates for old platforms (where old is anywhere from 3 months to 2 years.) Updates are expensive, and if you have a limited amount of money to spend why would you pour it into already released and successful handsets when you could pour it into the "next big thing" handset? Face it, having flash 10 or a 270 degree desktop on the Fascinate isn't going to move that many more units. What you are left with are a lot of customers running older OS versions because they don't want to buy a new phone ever 6 months to keep up.

If motorola had a handset in the form factor of the fascinate (the x, come on, it's just too big) I would probably have voted with my feet and gone that route given their somewhat better stance on releasing android updates. Only time will tell if the market forces at work are strong enough to make it profitable for a company to release OS updates for old hardware.

 

[NickA]

...Updates are expensive, and if you have a limited amount of money to spend why would you pour it into already released and successful handsets when you could pour it into the "next big thing" handset?

Good point. I didn't even think about it from a business/profit standpoint. There really is no profit in spending money to upgrade a phone a customer has already purchased.

 

[experiment 626]

Has there been an Android phone line which has just skipped a major OS update?

 

[joebob2000]

something is definitely up though, DJ05 has been leaked for how long now and it still hasn't been released?

anyway, 2.2 is already coming out for the other galaxy S devices in the US (Dec 26 for epic 4g, vibrant already has 2.2 leaks), what would make the fascinate so special (or cursed) that it gets to skip to 2.3? I obviously don't know anything concrete, but it wouldn't seem to make sense that we would not get 2.2 when the other galaxy s devices are getting 2.2.

The dj05 leak is an enigma... Why would the leaker go public with that one if the 2.2 update was in development , why not leak 2.2? Not that its apples to apples but with the bb leaks from rim, a leak from verizon *always* made it into production, i would be really surprised if dj05 got skipped and we saw 2.2 any time soon. Unless... The dj05 update was actually from three or four months ago.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Has there been an Android phone line which has just skipped a major OS update?

Technically the Xperia line of phones went from 1.6 directly to 2.1, so they skipped 2.0

 

[voghan]

Very few phones got 2.0 so I don't think that counts. Verizon has said we will get froyo, I don't think they have said anything about gingerbread.

 

[jackmei2]

The dj05 leak is an enigma... Why would the leaker go public with that one if the 2.2 update was in development , why not leak 2.2? Not that its apples to apples but with the bb leaks from rim, a leak from verizon *always* made it into production, i would be really surprised if dj05 got skipped and we saw 2.2 any time soon. Unless... The dj05 update was actually from three or four months ago.

that's exactly my thought on it too... if 2.2 was going to come out soon, why isn't there a leak out yet?

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Very few phones got 2.0 so I don't think that counts. Verizon has said we will get froyo, I don't think they have said anything about gingerbread.

Correct. Froyo has constantly been promised, but Gingerbread hasn't. I do think that at SOME point we will get 2.3, but I won't hold it against them if we don't.

 

[curley]

VZW just leaked a Photo of a 4G LTE phone that looks surprisingly like a Galaxy S phone running Froyo 2.2.1. So they have it for us, just not released.
judge for yourselves.

Oh Look, Here's Samsung 4G LTE Android Phone for Verizon

 

[experiment 626]

VZW just leaked a Photo of a 4G LTE phone that looks surprisingly like a Galaxy S phone running Froyo 2.2.1. So they have it for us, just not released.
judge for yourselves.

Oh Look, Here's Samsung 4G LTE Android Phone for Verizon

WOW! First the HTC Droid Incredible HD,then this? Verizon does seem to have the new-release thing down with their Android line.If only their support & update efforts were done so well.

 

[lehrerdod]

The thing that is frustrating is that everyone is talking about Gingerbread. I can't even get Froyo. So, we might get Froyo in 2011, then will Gingerbread be available in 2013? Why the hell are we so behind? I don't get it!!

 

[JJRocker]

I was in a VZW store the other day to pick up a car dock and the manager told me that he heard Froyo was being released Q1 2011. I don't know if he knows what he's talking about, but I hope he's wrong.

 

[gunnermike53]

ok first off appoligies to every one. i got my co-workers droid x and looked closer. he did NOT get 2.3. i saw the phone update, when he restarted and looked in about phone and showed my system version or something like that and that said 2.3. after everyone here was so adament that the x did not get 2.3 i looked more closely. the system version is not the android OS. so sorry bout that, i was just to pissed to think at that point.

on another note, feb 2011 is what i have heard a press release, if i could find it again i would post it but i cant. the guys in the store have know idea when the phones get updated. they dont even know when new phones come out. no more so than any one else. the guy at the store here told me they look on this forum called android central for all the latest info. hows that for irony, or is that just trajic?

 

[voghan]

VZW just leaked a Photo of a 4G LTE phone that looks surprisingly like a Galaxy S phone running Froyo 2.2.1. So they have it for us, just not released.
judge for yourselves.

Oh Look, Here's Samsung 4G LTE Android Phone for Verizon

Ok, now I think we are screwed. Here is a Samsung phone, probably Galaxy class, that will launch with 2.2.1 and have LTE. Watch Verizon to cut the Fascinate price and dump inventory in favor for this new phone. Hell, if it's got a 4" screen I'd probably dump my fascinate and buy this phone.

 

[curley]

Ok, now I think we are screwed. Here is a Samsung phone, probably Galaxy class, that will launch with 2.2.1 and have LTE. Watch Verizon to cut the Fascinate price and dump inventory in favor for this new phone. Hell, if it's got a 4" screen I'd probably dump my fascinate and buy this phone.

I do agree on the updates though. Unless the phone has the "Droid" name attached, VZW does not care. Majority of their commercials are still pushing Moto Droid and Incredible.

I already give VZW 140 per month for 2 smart phones and 3G is fast enough. I don't think the extra 20 per month is worth a 3.5G phone.

The Dirty Secret Of Today’s 4G: It’s Not 4G | Gizmodo Australia

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

I do agree on the updates though. Unless the phone has the "Droid" name attached, VZW does not care. Majority of their commercials are still pushing Moto Droid and Incredible.

I already give VZW 140 per month for 2 smart phones and 3G is fast enough. I don't think the extra 20 per month is worth a 3.5G phone.

The Dirty Secret Of Today?s 4G: It?s Not 4G | Gizmodo Australia

So basically this article is bashing LTE because it hasn't reach it's potential in it's first 2 months of launch? Gizmodo does it again...

 

[dflaw]

So basically this article is bashing LTE because it hasn't reach it's potential in it's first 2 months of launch? Gizmodo does it again...

That's not the point of the article. It's saying that all the US carriers are marketing 4g speeds that aren't 4g according to industry standards.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

That's not the point of the article. It's saying that all the US carriers are marketing 4g speeds that aren't 4g according to industry standards.

You also have to keep in mind though that here in the United States, there is no official definition of 4G. There is a broad definition of a range of speeds that are in the 4G spectrum, but nothing that mandates any sort of official standard. I'll hold off any "it's not really 4G" comments until LTE and WiMax have had time to mature.

 

[dflaw]

You also have to keep in mind though that here in the United States, there is no official definition of 4G. There is a broad definition of a range of speeds that are in the 4G spectrum, but nothing that mandates any sort of official standard. I'll hold off any "it's not really 4G" comments until LTE and WiMax have had time to mature.

I don't think you read that article or it's sources very thoroughly. There is an international organization that defines what things like 3g and 4g are. Every nation that is a member of the UN is a member of this organization.

LTE and WiMax are faster than 3g - which is good enough for 4g according to marketing departments. Does that matter in the grand scheme of things? Not really.

Anywho - I agree with the guy who originally brought this up - I'm actually quite happy with the 3g speeds I'm getting on my fascinate and see no reason to pay an extra charge for the extra speed. When I need something faster there is usually WiFi close enough.

 

[dflaw]

Also - Give me my damn Froyo!