Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
"We have no idea if it will even work on phones."

Um, so rather than find out, let's just not release it so we never know. That's an awesome decision. Way to take a chance there Google.

On the same note, I'm not sure if I can run the trail by my house in under 10 minutes, so I'm not even going to try.
 
This is a smart move. It had to happen sooner or later.

John Gruber would eat Steve Job's ***** if he could. His opinion is extremely biased.

Tightening controls? How about Google having final right of refusal toward any mass production Bill of Materials for any Android phone going into production? That will keep the manufacturing accountants from screwing over the developers taking a $0.76 of parts out to save on a run but generate a million man hours of bug fixing in the third party developer community.
 
"We have no idea if it will even work on phones."

Um, so rather than find out, let's just not release it so we never know. That's an awesome decision. Way to take a chance there Google.

On the same note, I'm not sure if I can run the trail by my house in under 10 minutes, so I'm not even going to try.

I bet they tried, but it didn't work well. They're just feigning ignorance. As they themselves said, they cut corners. I read this as they didn't optimize the software-- it's probably very processor and RAM intensive. Just speculation though.
 
I've really loved my experience with Android so far. I've had an iPhone and a iPhone 3G and I am an iPhone developer.... yet I use Android.

Android will always be "open source" and this is not inconsistent with Google applying more control to stem inoperable fragmentation. These two ideas are not at odds.

I cannot wait for Google to do what I think Amazon is currently trying to do with their new App. Store.

That said I really like the new iPad 2, but sadly my next purchase would prolly be a i7 MacBook Pro.

Fragmentation, more control, more fragmentation, more control, more......

Microsoft, Vista, more Microsoft, more Vista, more.....

Too late. What comes after Honey Comb will be the test. Honey Comb = Mobile Vista. :apple:
 
Tightening controls? How about Google having final right of refusal toward any mass production Bill of Materials for any Android phone going into production? That will keep the manufacturing accountants from screwing over the developers taking a $0.76 of parts out to save on a run but generate a million man hours of bug fixing in the third party developer community.

True - but what happend to the 'open is good', 'everyone can customize as they want', 'open is the freedom to do with it what you want'. The one big argument that was always made for Android is gone - it is no longer as open as people think. Anyway, 'open' was in this context anyway a hyped up buzzword ... I understood the 'open' argument since (with exception of the Nexus) everyone got dependent on what the provider chooses to adopt and what not. It is not good if the provider decides what to remove or add on top of the OS.
 
The biggest advantage always given for Android over iOS is that it's "open source." Well, clearly that's not the case anymore. So, I can't think of any other reason to use Android over iOS, or even Windows 7. It looks like junk, and it's just a cheap ripoff of iOS.

That, right there, is one of the reasons why the Apple community is widely mocked. You should be ashamed of yourself. A complete lack of understanding on the most basic principles of technology.
 
I would add I never understand the comparison of Smartphones running Android to smartphones running IOS.

Neither Google or Apple sell their phone operating systems, and the Android spectrum is made up of 50 handsets from 10 different manufacturers who are in direct competition with each other. They are not one big group working together to take on Apple. It makes absolutely zero sense to make that kind of comparison.

It is just as weird as loping off iPod and iPad IOS users...

If people want to compare smartphones, then compare actual sales of individual smartphones, each which only use one OS. People should not draw meaningless lines in the sand lumping all android based handsets together, because they are not together other than they run android. They might as well compare black phones to white phones.

I imagine if you made a chart of the top selling smartphones in the last 5 years, it would consist of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 3G and the iPhone.

Why not group smartphones by what kind of graphics chip they have or what type of memory chip they use? The OS is irrelevant. Nobody in the smartphone business is directly making money off any of these oses, it is a stupid way to categorize smart phones.

Of course it happens because if they didn't lump them together it would look absurd with Apple totally dominating the smart phone market with their latest phone every year while 100 android commodity phones all have tiny market shares just to get replaced by the next one.

How does HTC running android OS benefit or relate to a Motorola phone running android? It does not, at all.

Hey, you! No rationality allowed in this here thread. Vitriol, stereotypes, and blanket generalizations only!

Shame on you. ;)
 
Open doesn't necessarily mean "supported". All it means is that the source code is available and you can do whatever you want with it (as long as you keep that same source open as well). If some other group or company wants to take on and support an Android variant, they can do so and support it with updates. As far as I understand open source licences, Google can't prevent this.

On the other hand, Google has no obligation to support every single variant out there, or put the Google stamp on something they don't approve because of quality, compatibility, consistency or any number of other concerns. That said, withholding the Honeycomb source may be stretching it.

If you're going to licence your project as open source, then you do actually have to release the source. I know there's often a delay with commercial products. I suppose the tolerance of the open source community depends on the reason and the amount of time the code is held back.
 
"But as Android's popularity has taken off and the number of manufacturers and devices utilizing it has exploded, Google has begun tightening its control over the operating system, perhaps recognizing that a purely open system might in fact not be best for consumers..."

Four legs good, two legs better.
 
I bet they tried, but it didn't work well. They're just feigning ignorance. As they themselves said, they cut corners. I read this as they didn't optimize the software-- it's probably very processor and RAM intensive. Just speculation though.

That's just MORE reason to open source it. Cutting corners is the one thing Apple generally doesn't do (or they spin it perfectly). If Google cut corners on Honeycomb to meet some "deadline", that's one thing that could benefit from a community of free coders willing to code for Android.

To me it sounds like there is a flaw with Honeycomb that is pretty serious, but they need to make it available for phones as soon as they can to keep up with Apple. Once fix it becomes open.
 
Google should have included a clause that allows anyone to re-install raw/clean Android on their phone/tablet once they have it. Basically wipe off any crud the carriers decide to install on it.

In fact, that should be the option when you first launch your device when you get it. Boot to Google Android, or Carrier/Manufacturer Android. Should be included on every device.
 
Last edited:
Not a problem for me. HTC does a great job keeping phones updated.
Precisely. I've been using HTC Android phones concurrently with my iPhones since I have multiple lines. I happen to like both platforms.

What the Android haters here fail to realize, is that they cannot act like adults and say I like this about my iPhone far better than Android.

Nooooo. They've got to preface it with something derogatory like "crappy Android" or worse. It shows their immaturity and inability to act intelligent. They reduce themselves to childish dolts. Idiots at best.
 
Precisely. I've been using HTC Android phones concurrently with my iPhones since I have multiple lines. I happen to like both platforms.

What the Android haters here fail to realize, is that they cannot act like adults and say I like this about my iPhone far better than Android.

Nooooo. They've got to preface it with something derogatory like "crappy Android" or worse. It shows their immaturity and inability to act intelligent. They reduce themselves to childish dolts. Idiots at best.

Maybe we can start a trend here!

As a former iPhone user who switched to Android and has been happy ever since, I will say that I was very happy with my iPhone, but my Android phone offers features that I couldn't imagine living without now.

Both iOS and Android are very nice operating systems, with their own strengths and weaknesses.

For me, Android works.
 
That, right there, is one of the reasons why the Apple community is widely mocked. You should be ashamed of yourself. A complete lack of understanding on the most basic principles of technology.
Precisely, well said :)
 
Can't see but 5 mins ahead...

Google's "openness" reminds me of the days when people got all excited about being able to use different fonts and font sizes... sure it is exciting to see the possibilities and to be able to "customize" your documents, etc., but in the end, you only end up using a hand full of them (despite thousands of them being available), and most of what is being used is STILL what was the default choices back then.
Just like a kid that thinks they're going to be greater and better than those older than them because they know better; well, surprise, surprise... Google has turned out to be worse than IBM or Microsoft or Apple ever was. The deal with them will just keep getting worse and worse until people come up with genuine alternatives to their constant lying and deceptiveness (oh, yes, picking up 10M wi-fi SSIDs was purely accidental...).
I don't blame them for having to switch gears on this... I blame them for not being able to see 5 mins in front of their face on this issue (like so many other things) and insisting that "they're" correct every time it is obvious to everyone outside their company that they're not...
 
That, right there, is one of the reasons why the Apple community is widely mocked. You should be ashamed of yourself. A complete lack of understanding on the most basic principles of technology.

And Google fanboys still can't tell the difference between "Open", "Standard", "Free", "Open source" and "Proprietary". So I'd say those who do the mocking are not exactly all the bright either.
 
If you're going to licence your project as open source, then you do actually have to release the source. I know there's often a delay with commercial products. I suppose the tolerance of the open source community depends on the reason and the amount of time the code is held back.
Well, the rules for GPL say you need to release the source code along with the software and you actually have to offer them through the same channel, so that you cannot make it practically impossible for people to get to the source even if it is theoretically available. Of course, GPL is not the only "open source" license. This is Google's playground, so they get to define it any way they wish.
 
I would add I never understand the comparison of Smartphones running Android to smartphones running IOS.

Neither Google or Apple sell their phone operating systems, and the Android spectrum is made up of 50 handsets from 10 different manufacturers who are in direct competition with each other. They are not one big group working together to take on Apple. It makes absolutely zero sense to make that kind of comparison.

It is just as weird as loping off iPod and iPad IOS users...

If people want to compare smartphones, then compare actual sales of individual smartphones, each which only use one OS. People should not draw meaningless lines in the sand lumping all android based handsets together, because they are not together other than they run android. They might as well compare black phones to white phones.

I imagine if you made a chart of the top selling smartphones in the last 5 years, it would consist of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 3G and the iPhone.

Why not group smartphones by what kind of graphics chip they have or what type of memory chip they use? The OS is irrelevant. Nobody in the smartphone business is directly making money off any of these oses, it is a stupid way to categorize smart phones.

Of course it happens because if they didn't lump them together it would look absurd with Apple totally dominating the smart phone market with their latest phone every year while 100 android commodity phones all have tiny market shares just to get replaced by the next one.

How does HTC running android OS benefit or relate to a Motorola phone running android? It does not, at all.

From an engineering perspective and from a manufacturer's perspective, you're correct. But from an investment's perspective your argument doesn't work. Investors are concerned about Google's ability to profit from this and they compare "Platforms" to get an idea about where people are trending to. That is why despite BB growing, their stock is actually going to be in the trash in a couple of years if not sooner. Their "OS" is basically worthless... people don't value it as much as Android or iOS and as the phones that run those platforms continue to drop in price and become more capable, BB has no choice but to practically give their phones away to make their numbers (albeit at carrier-subsidized prices, but their prices and margins get severely eroded over time).
Just wanted to point that out... your logic is correct, just not applicable to all scenarios...
 
Will wait to see what exactly results from this, as right now it seems like everyone is just jumping to their own (wild) conclusions.

If some manufacturers (cough Samsung) are failing to keep their devices up to date, then I think it's good if Google steps in. It seems like they're protecting the consumer from getting screwed.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.