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Google's Grand Android Plan
CWmike writes with news of a significant change in Google's strategy for Android. According to a Wall Street Journal report, "Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers early access to new releases of Android and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter. That is a shift from Google's previous practice, when it joined with only one hardware maker at a time to produce 'lead devices,' before releasing the software to other device makers. Those lead devices were then sold to consumers through wireless carriers or retailers." JR Raphael adds, "Signs of something big have been brewing in AndroidLand for some time now: First, we've had the increasingly loud buzz about Google's top-secret mission to build an inexpensive Nexus-like tablet. Then, last month, Google opened the door to selling unlocked Nexus devices directly to consumers, eliminating the need for carrier meddling and contract commitments. Now, at long last, we're getting a glimpse at what's likely the final piece of the puzzle."
You can port your number between any major US carrier... Not sure what you are going on about...
Two things stop any meaningful "freedom" for cell phone users in the US.
1. Network technology and frequency, every carrier as the their own freq. bands and versions of tech. So switching isn't possible in a lot of cases.
2. Carrier, 2 year contracts to lock you in. Part of the issue is the "discounted" phones but the MAIN issue is the Carrier's WON'T give a discount on service if you buy your phone outright so you gain nothing by doing it.
This. How about mandating that the customer get to keep his/her number when switching networks? *Boggle*
Actually, you can. Since ~2004 or so.
You can. It's called number porting, and we've had it for a while. I don't know what the GP was talking about--maybe he was going to sarcasm, but it didn't come across.
Nonsense. Ubuntu doesn't have to know the hardware of every single computer sold to work on all types of software.
I can guarantee that Ubuntu will NOT work 100% on every hardware configuration. Good luck getting certain graphics cards to work, fully accelerated. That is the issue with phones. Yes, Android will run on the phones. The trick is that there are proprietary HW drivers that are needed to make the phone work properly. Guess who has the drivers? The manufacturers. Guess who doesn't want to release the drivers? The manufacturers.
but I think that Google should be pushing them the device makers to make it easier for people to keep the software is up-to-date, and they should be working with consumers to make them look for devices that carry the "seal of approval" so that they can be assured proper updates.
Umm....you just outlined the Nexus program in a nutshell. By providing stock systems, it allows for phones to be more easily updated by El Goog themselves....but you still need the manufacturers to provide the drivers for the phones.