Fragmentation is not really about what the X device can do that the Y device cannot. It's about devices sharing the same operating system but still look different, behaving different, offering an overall different experience to the user. Even if you are able to make device X - with some effort - look exactly as device Y when out-of-the-box, that's still fragmentation.
Google licenses android to any phone manufacturer pays for it, no questions asked, no real standards enforced. /QUOTE]
Are you sure about that? Source?
Therefor you'll find a big variety of h/w, varying from awful to high quality. But still, they are sharing the same applications, meaning these applications look different and behaving slightly different to each device. Now, that's the definition of fragmentation.
Yes, big and small, expensive and cheap. Your personal preference/size of wallet direct you to different phones. But you can still have most of the apps and functions, whichever Android phone you buy.
Are you sure the same app looks different on different Android phones and behaves differently? I can't remember noticing this the 3-4 years I used different Android phones. The UI are customized by most brands and/or the user which means that colors and things might look and work differently. But the apps still look the same, independent of the phone you use.
There's a large number of "hyper-social" people that check facebook 6 times every 15 minutes! (Quote from Nokia)
This sort of stuff will be good for them.
These first few responses certainly tell the tale of Apple disciples. No room for discussion, no intelligent dialog about preferences and ideas. Nothing but negative responses.
Me?
I cannot comment as I have never used Facebook, nor do I have the slightest interest in what appears to be a massive time sink.
However I don't need to "hate it" or slam Zuck for making an attempt at improving his product.
I happen to enjoy the free enterprise environment.
No handset maker pays to use Android.
You know Facebook is free?
Actually I really don't care if I have a home screen hence the question but this answer is pricelessSo am I running iOS 6? Well
If you've never used Facebook then cut people slack here for hating on it. Many, including myself, have good reason for not posting positives about it. Zuck also screwed a lot of people during the FB IPO. If you don't know anything about FB it's unfair of you to slam people for posting their responses.
You can't get access to Google Play (Play Store, Gmail, etc) unless you you license it from Google. The Android OS itself is free but not the Google Services that come along with it.
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No mate they dont to pay any google services and also the end user, handset makers probably pay small fee (not sure how much) for each phone they ship due to patents to microsoft and oracle (others too).
Huh? So you are saying anyone is free to put Google services on your phone? I guess Google disagrees. http://support.google.com/googleplay/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1397129
that awkward circled picture at the bottom is already bothering me just lookin at the picture