Will the GN suffer from app fragmentation??

[mpetruzz]

I have a jailbroken iphone and the GN is seriously making me look at switching. One thing I've read a lot about Android is that because there are so many different platforms, phones often suffer from fragmentation. Meaning if an app is designed for a 4 inch screen and you have a 4.5 it can cause random reboots and crashing

My sister and brother both have had two Droid phones each and both always have problems with apps freezing, the phone reboots, they need to do a battery pull etc.

I was just wondering what you all thought about the GN and if this will have similar problems being a "pure google" phone.

 

[ManBearPig618]

I think maybe a little initially, but then not much. Remember - ICS is supposed to be the great unifier between GB and Honeycomb, phones and tablets. As ICS becomes more and more popular, it's not unreasonable to think we'll see less and less fragmentation and more uniformity.

 

[PowerThroughLove]

The size of a screen has absolutely nothing to do with anything, and apps do not freeze / cause reboot etc due to fragmentation. That is all foly. If your brother or sister need to pull their batteries its because the apps are bad, not the android system underneath.

Now having said that, fragementation itself is very much real. You will get a lot of people that tell you it isnt, but it is. Hulu Plus for example. The app only works on ~11 phones. All other phones it doesnt work on. Thats pretty much the definition of fragmentation. The good news however is that you shouldnt have to worry about that. Google Nexus phones are pretty much always supported, so I expect you will have very minimal inconvenience due to such issues if you go with the Nexus Prime.

 

[mpetruzz]

Thanks for the quick responses. I have an upgrade on 1/7/12 and hope that this phone will be out by then. I'd like to give it a shot.

I figured I'd ask about the apps causing issues cause I've read quite a bit about how the app is designed that can cause issues. That's one of the main reasons Jobs refused to change the iphone screen size.

I guess I always have the 30 day trial period to compare it to iOS. I upgraded to the new iOS5 and it's really not that different. One of the things that is attracting me to Android is the level of customization. I'll def be rooting it anyways.

 

[botero]

The way android works, if an app is written properly, especially with ICS, apps should scale properly for the resolution of the phone, kind of like games in windows. Therefore, people don't need to target a specific resolution/screen size when they write apps. The freezing and whatnot is generally not caused by screen resolution. It is probably because an app misuses memory or any other error that proper testing should catch. If you read reviews in the market before installing an app, you will likely see people calling the app out for being unstable. Just avoid apps with low ratings no matter how tempting they are and be sure to read the permissions. If one seems fishy, again, read the reviews and you will generally see whether or not it is malicious.

If you stick to apps written by good developers you will likely have very few problems. On the other hand, if you do something to your phone after you root it that makes it less stable like overclocking it to GHz or something crazy, that's on you. Have fun with it though. Android is a blast, and Nexus phones are the best in terms of customization.

 

[CynicX]

The size of a screen has absolutely nothing to do with anything, and apps do not freeze / cause reboot etc due to fragmentation. That is all foly. If your brother or sister need to pull their batteries its because the apps are bad, not the android system underneath.

Now having said that, fragementation itself is very much real. You will get a lot of people that tell you it isnt, but it is. Hulu Plus for example. The app only works on ~11 phones. All other phones it doesnt work on. Thats pretty much the definition of fragmentation. The good news however is that you shouldnt have to worry about that. Google Nexus phones are pretty much always supported, so I expect you will have very minimal inconvenience due to such issues if you go with the Nexus Prime.

The size of the screen has A LOT to do with fragmentation.

If I pull up an app designed for a phone three things are going to happen.

One, there are no problems. Things like browsers are usually fine in this respect.

Two, the screen you see on your phone will be stretched to fit a 10.1 inch screen pictures and all. This is so ridiculous looking and difficult to use the app is nearly worthless.

Three and argubly the worse. You will get a phone size box in the middle of the screen. So you have MASSIVE borders the entire way around.

Most apps are fine and a lot of time I can deal with the ones that look stupid cause its more of a utility then a app (like a security program or grooveip). I think a lot of the fragmentation you mentioned is from the version of android on the device and/or the manufacture UI screwing with it. Just like a program that is designed for winxp or up an app maybe written for gingerbread 2.3.whatever and up. And in this aspect ICS won't solve much because manufactures will still hold up updates and their skins will still interfere with certain apps.

This is usually why everything tends to play nice with GED's, latest versions and no skins.

 

[PowerThroughLove]

The size of the screen has A LOT to do with fragmentation.

If I pull up an app designed for a phone three things are going to happen.

One, there are no problems. Things like browsers are usually fine in this respect.

Two, the screen you see on your phone will be stretched to fit a 10.1 inch screen pictures and all. This is so ridiculous looking and difficult to use the app is nearly worthless.

Three and argubly the worse. You will get a phone size box in the middle of the screen. So you have MASSIVE borders the entire way around.

Most apps are fine and a lot of time I can deal with the ones that look stupid cause its more of a utility then a app (like a security program or grooveip). I think a lot of the fragmentation you mentioned is from the version of android on the device and/or the manufacture UI screwing with it. Just like a program that is designed for winxp or up an app maybe written for gingerbread 2.3.whatever and up. And in this aspect ICS won't solve much because manufactures will still hold up updates and their skins will still interfere with certain apps.

This is usually why everything tends to play nice with GED's, latest versions and no skins.

The things you said about resolution are true, but I dont consider that fragmentation. Fragmentation to me is functionality differing between devices. The UI issues mentioned above dont affect functionality, they just make things look ugly.

 

[PowerThroughLove]

Thanks for the quick responses. I have an upgrade on 1/7/12 and hope that this phone will be out by then. I'd like to give it a shot.

I figured I'd ask about the apps causing issues cause I've read quite a bit about how the app is designed that can cause issues. That's one of the main reasons Jobs refused to change the iphone screen size.

I guess I always have the 30 day trial period to compare it to iOS. I upgraded to the new iOS5 and it's really not that different. One of the things that is attracting me to Android is the level of customization. I'll def be rooting it anyways.

Apple wants to keep the iPhone screen resolution the same so its easy on developers - they only have to code icons and make art for 2 different resolutions. The actual screen size is not important, its the number of pixels.

 

[CynicX]

The things you said about resolution are true, but I dont consider that fragmentation. Fragmentation to me is functionality differing between devices. The UI issues mentioned above dont affect functionality, they just make things look ugly.

While I'm sure you are right for the most part I still think version has a lot to do with it....check this depressing chart out....

What Android Fragmentation Looks Like | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

 

[mpetruzz]

I'm with Cynix on this one. I've read quite a few articles that clearly show how if an app is written for a 4 inch screen it may cause problems on a device with something other than a 4 inch screen.

I guess the root of my question was will ICS and the GN have that issue since it's a "pure google" phone. Since this is the first phone with a 4.65 screen, there won't really be any apps that are designed specifically for it for a while I'm assuming.

 

[PowerThroughLove]

I'm with Cynix on this one. I've read quite a few articles that clearly show how if an app is written for a 4 inch screen it may cause problems on a device with something other than a 4 inch screen.

I guess the root of my question was will ICS and the GN have that issue since it's a "pure google" phone. Since this is the first phone with a 4.65 screen, there won't really be any apps that are designed specifically for it for a while I'm assuming.

Display problems sure, but I dont see how instability could result.

 

[CynicX]

I'm with Cynix on this one. I've read quite a few articles that clearly show how if an app is written for a 4 inch screen it may cause problems on a device with something other than a 4 inch screen.

I guess the root of my question was will ICS and the GN have that issue since it's a "pure google" phone. Since this is the first phone with a 4.65 screen, there won't really be any apps that are designed specifically for it for a while I'm assuming.

It shouldn't be an issue. What fragmentation is or isn't aside this is something Google has said to address with ICS. So apps written for ICS should be perfect and older apps shouldn't make much of a difference. Keep in mind while the screen is 4.65 the viewable portion (screen minus buttons) will still be 4.3 or around that.

Like powerthroughlove has mentioned stability issues aren't cause of the screen. And to be honest I have a xoom which is pure android honeycomb and I don't have stability issues with anything even apps designed only for phones. Some just look very bad.

Stability issues can usually be traced back to a rogue app that is screwing with stuff. While I've only run into it once its not out of the question for one app to cause stabiluty issues with another. Its usually in an androids owners best interest to download an app test it out a bit then download another. Although don't let that deter you because like I mentioned its rare.

 

[bworley50]

It will be an issue. One that will be resolved relatively quickly. Those who have patience will be rewarded. Those who do not will be blowing up the boards in disgust. The Xoom is a good example.

 

[Scout_313]

I guess I always have the 30 day trial period to compare it to iOS. I upgraded to the new iOS5 and it's really not that different. One of the things that is attracting me to Android is the level of customization. I'll def be rooting it anyways.

Keep in mind that the return period is only 14 days now, unless you count the temporary extension due to the holiday season.

 

[jerrod6]

Google released the Android 4 SDK in mid November and encouraged developers to rebuild their existing apps and new apps using this SDK. I believe that the use of this SDK will relsolve issues between screen sizes, and it will also enable the use of hardware acceleration. It is up to the developers to do the correct thing and make use of the SDK in order to make their applications work across multiple platforms.

That said there will be some developers that may not rebuild their apps with the new SDK and there is a possibility that these apps will NOT work well. In time this issue will resolve itself as more and more developers use the newer SDK.

If you go to the market many apps state that they require Android 2.1 and up. The AND UP is the question because android 4 introduces capabilities(GUI acceleration) and functionality(no hardware buttons and no search button) that previous versions did not.

This situation happens with all major software operating system upgrades.....Mainframe. Client Server, Pc or Phone.

I am prepared for some of my existing apps to NOT WORK TOO WELL, until the developers release updated versions of their apps.

 

[demiles]

Yes there will be issues. I experienced it just going from froyo to GB. You are at the mercy of the the developers that make the apps. ICS it's self won't fix anything.

 

[obi5683]

Two methods of programming, code fast or code well.

Coding fast will get an app that works on your test device quickly, which you can then publish. After release, you can fix bugs that are reported.

Coding well, following Google's guidelines for programming, will get an app that works well with all devices within your target API. Just set your target API for the lowest common denominator (Froyo), taking into account larger screened devices, and you will have an app that works.

If you program for a higher API, you will have people who complain that your app is not available on their outdated device. To fix this, make two versions. The market allows for multiple apks with the same file name and signature. One apk for froyo, one for GB, one for HC and above.

App fragmentation only occurs when your programmers are too busy, or lazy.