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Sensamic

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Mar 26, 2010
2,993
627
Do you guys think we'll see a new Android update later this year? Doesn't matter if it's 4.2 or 5.0.

What are the chances? I say almost none, but just read on an Android blog that it could happen, and since I'm new to the Android world maybe Google has released two Android updates in a year before.

Opinions?

I would like it. Keep bringing improvements.
 

Mac.World

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2011
1,819
1
In front of uranus
Do you guys think we'll see a new Android update later this year? Doesn't matter if it's 4.2 or 5.0.

What are the chances? I say almost none, but just read on an Android blog that it could happen, and since I'm new to the Android world maybe Google has released two Android updates in a year before.

Opinions?

I would like it. Keep bringing improvements.

Jelly Bean is the last major update we are going to see for a while. Updates like this are usually a yearly (10 months or so) cycle. Latest OS penetration is limited by newer hardware and carrier bloatware though, so you can usually add 6 months or longer to each major update, save for the Nexus series of devices.

Android 1.0 - Sept 2008
Android 1.5 (Cupcake) - April 2009
Android 1.6 (Donut) - Sept 2009
Android 2.0 (Eclair) - Oct 2009
Android 2.2 (Froyo) - May 2010
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) - Dec 2010 (To me, this is where Android got out of the Beta stage and became a reliable OS)

--------------
Android 3.x (Honeycomb) - Feb 2011 (Worst POS I have ever seen. Tablet only OS thank the gods! Main reason Android tablets fail. OS is literally unusable)
-------------

Android 4.0 (ICS) - Oct 2011 (Google finally merges code and begins optimization)
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) - July 2012 (Project Butter which uses touch anticipation, triple buffering, extended vsync timing and a fixed frame rate of 60fps to create a fluid and "buttery"-smooth UI.)
 

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
They need to fix Jelly Bean.

It's riddled with oddities and glitches, especially the keyboard. In my honest opinion, it's a bit of a step back from ICS.

Yeah, I know I'm off topic.
 

Vegastouch

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,132
945
Las Vegas, NV
Do you guys think we'll see a new Android update later this year? Doesn't matter if it's 4.2 or 5.0.

What are the chances? I say almost none, but just read on an Android blog that it could happen, and since I'm new to the Android world maybe Google has released two Android updates in a year before.

Opinions?

I would like it. Keep bringing improvements.

Yes they have and its possible but i dont know if KeyLime pie will be out this year or not. I wouldnt hold your breath :D
 

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
Your entitled to your opinion but you're in a small minority.

Yeah, I hear ya.

But for what it's worth, I'm not alone. XDA members have agreed the keyboard is a big step backwards (missed autocorrections, random repeating letters/words, and weird backspacing issues when it arrives at punctuations -- these things never existed in ICS), and have also expressed that micro-lag still exists.

I know JB is being heralded as the update to Android that finally matches some of the finer aspects of iOS, and to some degree it does, but JB could still use much tweaking.

And FYI, I'm a huge Android convert.
 

blackhand1001

macrumors 68030
Jan 6, 2009
2,599
33
Jelly Bean is the last major update we are going to see for a while. Updates like this are usually a yearly (10 months or so) cycle. Latest OS penetration is limited by newer hardware and carrier bloatware though, so you can usually add 6 months or longer to each major update, save for the Nexus series of devices.

Android 1.0 - Sept 2008
Android 1.5 (Cupcake) - April 2009
Android 1.6 (Donut) - Sept 2009
Android 2.0 (Eclair) - Oct 2009
Android 2.2 (Froyo) - May 2010
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) - Dec 2010 (To me, this is where Android got out of the Beta stage and became a reliable OS)

--------------
Android 3.x (Honeycomb) - Feb 2011 (Worst POS I have ever seen. Tablet only OS thank the gods! Main reason Android tablets fail. OS is literally unusable)
-------------

Android 4.0 (ICS) - Oct 2011 (Google finally merges code and begins optimization)
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) - July 2012 (Project Butter which uses touch anticipation, triple buffering, extended vsync timing and a fixed frame rate of 60fps to create a fluid and "buttery"-smooth UI.)

No offense but calling honeycomb unusable is really not true. Ice cream sandwich on table was pretty similar. I actually prefer honeycomb over iOS on tablets. The interface is pretty well thought out.
 

Mac.World

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2011
1,819
1
In front of uranus
No offense but calling honeycomb unusable is really not true. Ice cream sandwich on table was pretty similar. I actually prefer honeycomb over iOS on tablets. The interface is pretty well thought out.

It is aweful. Nothing is fluid. You get lots of hangs and stutters. The button layouts for things like google play don't match with any other version, apps are limited... I have a Tab 8.9 and I am just biding my time waiting for the ICS update to come. Once it does, i know it will transform the tablet, and i will love it.

But right now, out of any os ever made, Honeycomb is the worst. Right behind Vista.
 

iEvolution

macrumors 65816
Jul 11, 2008
1,432
2
They need to fix Jelly Bean.

It's riddled with oddities and glitches, especially the keyboard. In my honest opinion, it's a bit of a step back from ICS.

Yeah, I know I'm off topic.

Jellybean has been a dream for the Xoom, everything finally runs smooth.

As far as new android version by the end of the year? Im sure there will be some updates to address bugs but I don't think there will be another feature release.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Of course the new Google Nexus will have a new OS. It's a dev phone, that's the point of it. It's generally not the most technically advanced phone just a pure Android device.

Nexus 1 - first to use éclair the upgraded to froyo then to gingerbread.

Nexus S - first to use gingerbread the updated to ICS then jelly bean

Galaxy Nexus - first to use ICS then updated to jelly bean then to ?

It's more likely there won't be a nexus then a new nexus without a new version of Android. What is the point of a developers phone if there is no new OS to develop for?
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
They really shouldent considering only 10% of phones are on 4.0

Mobile OS's are weird about their versions IMO. The new nexus could be 4.2 or something. Google makes it strange by calling each .X update a new name. But not all the time ex. 3.0, 3.1, 3.2....

I really doubt we will see an Android 5.0 for quite sometime. I think 4.0 versions based off ICS will be around for quite sometime. That's all I think Android needs, some tweaking and the occasional new feature ex Google Now in jelly bean.

Also keep in mind if you are a version behind everything runs fine. Being on the latest version before app devs update their apps is when you run into issues. Even then that is a lot of time caused by the manufacture UI which won't apply here.
 

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
Fragmentation is a good thing. It allows for the most current version of the OS to improve without worrying whether it'll run well on old hardware (something that keeps Apple from introducing major changes and improvements to iOS upgrades).

If the latest OS and up to date apps are important to you, Google's created an option for you in the Nexus line. Nexus launches haven't always been perfect, but they're getting the hang of it.

Anyway, I hope there's a patch for JB soon. At the latest, for the next Nexus release. Some things are awesome in JB, but other things have downgraded (like the keyboard).
 

tech4all

macrumors 68040
Jun 13, 2004
3,399
489
NorCal
They need to fix Jelly Bean.

It's riddled with oddities and glitches, especially the keyboard. In my honest opinion, it's a bit of a step back from ICS.

Yeah, I know I'm off topic.

Such as?

Genuinely curious. I'm a new Android user who uses JB. The keyboard works fine for me.
 

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
Happy to answer.

The stock JB keyboard seems to miss auto corrections sometimes. For example, I should never see "tge" or "ti" (just some examples) in any of my messages or emails unless I've actively selected them from the suggestion bar, but they appear. The keyboard should automatically correct them to "the" and "to" and 8 times out of 10 they do but sometimes they don't; it's as if the keyboard missed these autocorrections. For someone who types of emails/messages on my phone, 2/10 missed autocorrections is way too many. I never ever saw this with ICS.

Also, backspacing has taken a giant leap backwards. There's an odd glitch where if you write more than one sentence, then hold down backspace, it'll stop at the punctuation (period, question mark, whichever) of the first sentence. Then you'll have to tap backspace again to finish deleting the rest. In general, backspacing has slowed down tremendously, whereas on ICS, backspacing was incredibly fast and smooth.

And lastly, this happens more rarely, but sometimes random repeated letters or even words will appear. For example, I might type and it'll come out like this: "Hey where do you want to meet up p" or in the case of the randomly repeated word "Hey where do you want to meet up up". It's incredibly bizarre but it happens only at the end of sentences.

As for shortcuts, I think Google REALLY missed the point of shortcuts. It should automatically switch your shortcut to the desired phrase, as oppose to merely offering it up in the suggestion bar. It creates an extra step that is wholly unnecessary. Plus, there are times when the suggestion bar isn't available, like when entering fields or logins/paswords on certain websites. So if you take my screen name for example, on my iPad, I have the shortcut "otca" automatically change to "onthecouchagain". But on my Galaxy Nexus, if I attempt to login on a website or field that doesn't use the suggestion bar (there are A LOT of times when the suggestion bar doesn't come up, even within the OS), it renders the shortcut in JB absolutely useless. Google should just trust people mean what they want when setting shortcuts. It doesn't and shouldn't be a suggestion bar option. I should be able to type "brb" and get "be right back" automatically without breaking the flow of my typing to pick it off the suggestion bar.

And just in general, I feel the responsiveness of the keyboard has taken a tiny step back. It felt slightly more reliable and faster on ICS.

My settings are: Very Aggressive Auto Correction and Predictive Text Off.

Such as?

Genuinely curious. I'm a new Android user who uses JB. The keyboard works fine for me.

I'm curious also, I'm running an alpha build. My stock & thumb keyboard is fine.

Please let me know if either of you have experienced any of this. I already tried a factory reset, and the problem still persists. I'm on Google Play Galaxy Nexus.
 
Last edited:

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
No, they just launched jelly bean.

That doesn't matter.

Gingerbread was a big update and was only like 5 months after Froyo in the same year.

Also, Google launched the GNEX, Nexus S and Nexus 7 with new, previously unreleased iterations of the OS.
 

Rennir

macrumors 6502
Jan 13, 2012
457
0
Fragmentation is a good thing. It allows for the most current version of the OS to improve without worrying whether it'll run well on old hardware (something that keeps Apple from introducing major changes and improvements to iOS upgrades).

If the latest OS and up to date apps are important to you, Google's created an option for you in the Nexus line. Nexus launches haven't always been perfect, but they're getting the hang of it.

Anyway, I hope there's a patch for JB soon. At the latest, for the next Nexus release. Some things are awesome in JB, but other things have downgraded (like the keyboard).

That may be true if you're talking about 2 year old phones or dumb phones. But if I buy a flagship phone, I think it's reasonable to expect that it be supported at least 1 year down the line.
 

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
That may be true if you're talking about 2 year old phones or dumb phones. But if I buy a flagship phone, I think it's reasonable to expect that it be supported at least 1 year down the line.

I'm not sure what the issue is, most flagships phones, especially lately, are.

If however you're complaining about the time these flagships are updated, then there are two things to say. 1) Look to the carriers for most of the blame. Android is a different beast, and it is different by design. It's meant to be on as many platforms as possible, and that'll inevitably cause fragmentation. It should have little to do with your flagship phone, and it's worth the price if it means the latest iteration of the OS can make monumental leaps (think GB to ICS). And again, if timely updates are truly super duper important, go Nexus. ANd 2) I think overall, manufacturers and to some extent even carriers are beginning to realize the importance of software updates. Updates come fairly quickly now (sometimes within months from the major players on major devices) and I think overtime, will only get better.

But really, the Nexus line nullifies most, if not all issues with fragmentation.
 
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