Android platform too fragmented?

ToxicWazte said:
Nokia are goners for sure in the smartphone market.
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Rouxenator said:
LOL! People have been saying that for years but they are still ahead of the rest when it comes to market share. Maemo/Meego will now move from specialty tablet devices to their mainstream smartphone portfolio so they should gain some market share. No matter what you make yourself believe, Nokia will always be on top.
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I don't doubt Nokia's market power in the low to middle end cellphone market. But in the upper end smartphone market, their days are numbered. The N97 was a flop, and Nokia just aren't responding. Maemo/Meego is already showing signs of little to no direction, what with the merging of platforms. Meanwhile, Android contintues to steam ahead, with no uncertainty, and broad adoption from most of the handset manufacturers. Remember that smartphone users are a different bowl of fish altogether, and they/we're tired of waiting for Nokia. Smartphone users are more tech-savvy, with the majority of geeks being smart-phone users, and lets face it, the 21st century is going to be the century of the geeks.

Android has several revisions already, with more to come, and it is already very clean and polished. Same for iPhone, and Blackberry. Microsoft are in the same boat as Nokia, and it is sinking very fast.
 
uchoose said:
The best way to control these updates is to buy a HTC phone supported by Leaf, they can't produce one update!
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While I feel your frustration, this isn't entirely true. Leaf released some updates along with the Android Market update.
 
Jan said:
While I feel your frustration, this isn't entirely true. Leaf released some updates along with the Android Market update.
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the android market update was a way for them to make money out of the system, and NO one uses it! the one update they did release for my phone, wasnt an update, as it was 1.5 before, and 1.5 afterwards!!!
 
I think Google has lost the plot for mainstream phone users. While a smartphone is a computer these days most consumers want it to be a phome. It should just work. I don't want to upgrade firmware, or fight with version conflicts.

My phone is primarily a communications tool that should just work.

I'll upgrade it when my contract expires.
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Well, then it is not a smart phone you need but rather a run of the mill Nokia?
 
I think I speak for everyone who chats on my forum, especially the rooters, when I say No :P
 
MyWorld said:
Well, then it is not a smart phone you need but rather a run of the mill Nokia?
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+1 get a nokia if you want to press the green button to call...

if you want to push your phone, and get new things running, and test different ways of doing things, get an android...

I used to have a Nokia E51, and i couldnt even install a theme on the phone, as nokia lock the phone down so hard, that you can do sweet nothing on it!
 
Kilgore_Trout_Redux said:
I think Google has lost the plot for mainstream phone users. While a smartphone is a computer these days most consumers want it to be a phome. It should just work. I don't want to upgrade firmware, or fight with version conflicts.

My phone is primarily a communications tool that should just work.

I'll upgrade it when my contract expires.
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Nobody HAS to upgrade though. If you don't want to upgrade firmware, then don't, and almost all apps will work, and the phone will continue to work...
Its like complaining that you have too much choice, or complaining because your phone can do too much stuff. If you want a phone that can just make calls and sms (and doesn't confuse you with newer features), then you could pick up a cheap nokia for R300 (and then you'd never have to worry about them trying to upgrade you).
 
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Well Android 2.2 is such a fantastic update, it's a real shame that it's still only officially available on the Nexus One.
 
I use Linux on my desktop and I upgrade that every day. When I next upgrade my cellphone it will have Android as the OS, and I will upgrade that every day if I can.
 
I said this to a friend the other day: you get an iPhone if you want things to work, but you get an Android phone if you want things to work the way you want it to work. An Android phone will be great for anyone, but it will be powerful in the hands of someone who can use it. There are different markets, and people who want different things from phones...So different strokes...

I got my Desire with 2.1, am on LeeRom's 2.1 now, and it's incredible! I have HD video recording, which did not come with the phone....I have speech to text which did not come with the phone. The list is quite endless really...I prefer having the flexibility and the power the Android platform provides...granted, all fast growth will have growing pains, but at some point it will sort itself out. Updates on a less regular basis will provide more significant updates...Seeing what has happened between 2.1 and 2.2 is already incredible....But the rooters and modders will always be active, so I think the geeks will still have their playpen:-)
 
Fragmentation really refers to the inability to run a full stack of your API on different hardware configurations. All Android phones have cameras. they all have video/audio decoders. they all have a touchscreen. Thus the fragmentation is software implementation dependent, and with an open platform like Droid, easily fixable.
 
Exactly, but there's hardware fragmentation too. Not all Android phones have the same hardware either, some have 480x320 rez, some have 800x480, some 854 x 480. This is all an issue because it makes developing and obtaining apps more complex.
 
midkemia said:
To all you desire users, here is the 2.2 rom that you can flash... WORKING!!!! or you could wait until next year for leaf to make it work !
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So what I can take away fro this discussion is "get an Android phone if you wanna spend all of your free time learning to make it work"?
 
Synaesthesia said:
Exactly, but there's hardware fragmentation too. Not all Android phones have the same hardware either, some have 480x320 rez, some have 800x480, some 854 x 480. This is all an issue because it makes developing and obtaining apps more complex.
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That is also true.

cmyplay said:
More likely, they feel pressure to catch up to iOS.
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IMHO iOs is playing catch up with Android. After seeing what Froyo can do, Apple is going to have to start upping their game.
 
Since the HTC Hero came out there has been no upgrades, so "What fragmentation?" It does not really filter down to the users. Try get an answer from HTC and they pass you on to Leaf. No support there... It looks like the business model is, stick to the version that came out with your phone. Want a new version, get a new phone.
 
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