Google I/O 2012: Jelly Bean is here..Jelly Bean is here!

[Brian Stirling]

Good to see the Apple fanboys aren't wasting any time.

I'm an Android user and I'm in complete agreement with him. Ultimately, the lack of support beyond about 6 months will see Androids growth in market share slow, then stop, then reverse. When all the other players are dead Apple will begin to eat Android and this will be one of the main reasons. As an Android user it pisses me off big time!


Brian

 

[ponyo]

So... didn't get around to that backup or you didn't include pictures? Anyway, I'd like to hear any updates with any notable battery life changes after a few days. I'm not expecting much of a difference, just like to know that battery life isn't going backwards at the expense of smoothing out the OS.

False alarm. It didn't wipe. I still have all my files including pictures. I made Nandroid backup and most of my pictures are backed up by dropbox.

 

[zsdersw]

I'm an Android user and I'm in complete agreement with him. Ultimately, the lack of support beyond about 6 months will see Androids growth in market share slow, then stop, then reverse. When all the other players are dead Apple will begin to eat Android and this will be one of the main reasons. As an Android user it pisses me off big time!


Brian

You can be an Android user and completely agree with him, and still be as wrong as he is. The problem of support/upgrades is one with phone manufacturers, not Google/Android.

Updates to Android are freely available. It is up to the device manufacturers to use them and release them for their hardware.

 

[Eug]

You can be an Android user and completely agree with him, and still be as wrong as he is. The problem of support/upgrades is one with phone manufacturers, not Google/Android.

Updates to Android are freely available. It is up to the device manufacturers to use them and release them for their hardware.

The end result is the same. Android users, which is who the original post referenced, haven't been getting consistent updates. Right now something like 2/3rds of the Android population is still on Gingerbread IIRC.

If I walk into a store right now, I see more than half of the tablets aren't even running ICS. They're usually Gingerbread or Honeycomb... in 2012 Q2, with Jelly Bean already announced. It pretty much makes it useless for me to even shop in the stores sometimes, because as far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't have at least ICS out of the box, I'm not interested. And now I'm hoping for Jelly Bean out of the box. I don't know if ICS/Jelly Bean is coming on these other tablets. And if it is coming, I don't know if it's July or if it's going to be November.

 

[zsdersw]

The end result is the same. Android users, which is who the original post referenced, haven't been getting consistent updates. Right now something like 2/3rds of the Android population is still on Gingerbread IIRC.

If I walk into a store right now, I see more than half of the tablets aren't even running ICS. They're usually Gingerbread or Honeycomb... in 2012 Q2, with Jelly Bean already announced. It pretty much makes it useless for me to even shop in the stores sometimes, because as far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't have at least ICS out of the box, I'm not interested. And now I'm hoping for Jelly Bean out of the box.

That's right.. they haven't. That is a problem with how phone manufacturers handle updates. Android is an open platform and device manufacturers are separate companies. In other words, Google can't do sh!t to force them to improve how they handle updates.

Google's phones, the Nexus series, get updates.. near as makes no difference.. as soon as they're available.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I'm an Android user and I'm in complete agreement with him. Ultimately, the lack of support beyond about 6 months will see Androids growth in market share slow, then stop, then reverse. When all the other players are dead Apple will begin to eat Android and this will be one of the main reasons. As an Android user it pisses me off big time!


Brian

I don't disagree with the sentiment but I couldn't disagree more with your prediction. A lack of updates is not going to cause Android to lose market share. Most people aren't even aware that they're missing out on anything. If Android starts to slow down, it won't be because of carriers being slow with system updates.

 

[Eug]

That's right.. they haven't. That is a problem with how phone manufacturers handle updates. Android is an open platform and device manufacturers are separate companies. In other words, Google can't do sh!t to force them to improve how they handle updates.

Therein lies the problem. The end result is that end users don't get the updates in a timely fashion, if at all.

You've provided a good summary of why they don't get the updates, but that's not what consumers are most worried about. They're about if and when.

However, I will say one of the reasons I was interested in the Nexus 7 before the launch was because Google for obvious reasons has a better record for OS updates. I was hoping Google would do the unexpected, which would be to either give us external media support or else give us the option of high capacity tablets at higher price. They did neither, and gave us exactly what we were expecting unfortunately.

So, the wait continues.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

The end result is the same. Android users, which is who the original post referenced, haven't been getting consistent updates. Right now something like 2/3rds of the Android population is still on Gingerbread IIRC.

If I walk into a store right now, I see more than half of the tablets aren't even running ICS. They're usually Gingerbread or Honeycomb... in 2012 Q2, with Jelly Bean already announced. It pretty much makes it useless for me to even shop in the stores sometimes, because as far as I'm concerned, if it doesn't have at least ICS out of the box, I'm not interested. And now I'm hoping for Jelly Bean out of the box. I don't know if ICS/Jelly Bean is coming on these other tablets. And if it is coming, I don't know if it's July or if it's going to be November.

There were only three Gingerbread tablets (Galaxy tab, Vizio, HTC Flyer) an all of them have been discontinued so I doubt you are seeing those in stores.

Most users simply don't care if there phone is up to date. Even on iOS you would be amazed at the number of people who ignore software updates, I've seen so many of them that I question if Apple's adoption rates are even legit.

 

[Nintendesert]

I'm not sure this is the right thread, but I wasn't impressed at all with the Nexus Q, very overpriced for what it offers. And then the glasses.. people now make fun of bluetooth users and are widely considered douchebags, I can't imagine people wearing these will be treated any better. I'm sure it will take some time to make them smaller and look more like glasses instead of nerd apparel.

 

[vshah]

simple solution, google should market it's nexus phones more heavily. stress the fact that they get the latest updates. those don't know but may care will then be in the know.

 

[Eug]

There were only three Gingerbread tablets (Galaxy tab, Vizio, HTC Flyer) an all of them have been discontinued so I doubt you are seeing those in stores.

Then you'd be surprised.

To be fair, I went last week, not today. Over half were Gingerbread or Honeycomb. There are a heluvalot more than three Gingerbread tablets out there BTW.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Then you'd be surprised.

To be fair, I went last week, not today. Over half were Gingerbread or Honeycomb. There are a heluvalot more than three Gingerbread tablets out there BTW.

The are gingerbread tablets from no name chinese manufacturers out there but they aren't official Android devices and don't even have market access.

 

[zsdersw]

Therein lies the problem. The end result is that end users don't get the updates in a timely fashion, if at all.

You've provided a good summary of why they don't get the updates, but that's not what consumers are most worried about. They're about if and when.

Most end users don't care about getting updates... which is probably part of why the device manufacturers have been able to get away with having a crappy or nonexistent update schedule.

 

[lokiju]

You'd think people with enough money to justify dropping $300 on a media center device (plus however much it costs to buy speakers for it!) probably have a decent home theater setup already. And those who don't, won't be interested because they'll see it as a $300 device that works the same as competing $100 devices from Apple, WD, and Roku.

They should have made separate versions, one with an amp and one without. Most people don't need an amp or won't realize the benefits of having one. Me? I have a set of powered computer speakers plugged into my TV. It's probably not ideal but it works.

I find it amazing that Google, an advertising company whose very reason for existing is to identify and target potential customers, could release a product that is so obviously going to fail.

The more I've read up on the Q and now that places have had hands on time with it, I'm really having a hard time seeing the value.

Seems like an excessively expensive and not overly useful gadget so far.

 

[amdhunter]

Running Liquid Vicious (Jellybean) on my Galaxy Nexus now. Holy crap the phone is smooth, and it's still downloading a crap ton in the background.

When it settles in a few minutes it will probably get even quicker.

 

[ponyo]

simple solution, google should market it's nexus phones more heavily. stress the fact that they get the latest updates. those don't know but may care will then be in the know.

I think the Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus is the start. $200 for the tablet and $350 for the phone is very aggressive price meant to get into hands of the public.

I'm loving the Jelly Bean update so far. Phone feels so fast and everything feels so polished.

 

[ponyo]

The more I've read up on the Q and now that places have had hands on time with it, I'm really having a hard time seeing the value.

Seems like an excessively expensive and not overly useful gadget so far.

Q will be bigger failure than the first GoogleTV.

 

[MotionMan]

It's geared towards Android devices (ATV is not very useful without an iPhone or iPad).

Huh? Apple TV functions perfectly without an iPhone and iPad.

The biggest use of ATV (for me) was getting content from my mobile device onto the TV very very easily.

I literally never do that, and I find my ATV2 very useful. I use my ATV2 to watch Netflix (and other streaming content) and watch movies and shows that are stored in iTunes on my desktop.

To say that an ATV is not very useful without an iPhone or iPad would be incorrect.

MotionMan

 

[AstroManLuca]

Running Liquid Vicious (Jellybean) on my Galaxy Nexus now. Holy crap the phone is smooth, and it's still downloading a crap ton in the background.

When it settles in a few minutes it will probably get even quicker.

Just downloaded the flashable zip, so excited for some JB!

And by JB of course i mean Jellybean!

 

[AstroManLuca]

I literally never do that, and I find my ATV2 very useful. I use my ATV2 to watch Netflix (and other streaming content) and watch movies and shows that are stored in iTunes on my desktop.

To say that an ATV is not very useful without an iPhone or iPad would be incorrect.

MotionMan

That's true, I've heard a lot of non-Apple users sing the praises of the ATV, especially when jailbroken. Right now I have a WDTV that works pretty well; it plays every format known to man but the software is sluggish and crappy. Not sure what my next streaming device will be; could be a cheap Android smart TV thing like that Kickstarter project, or maybe a discount Nexus Q (lol $299), but the ATV will definitely be in the running.

 

[trmiv]

Damn these rom devs are fast! Just installed JB on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Holy crap this is smooth!

 

[Eug]

That's true, I've heard a lot of non-Apple users sing the praises of the ATV, especially when jailbroken. Right now I have a WDTV that works pretty well; it plays every format known to man but the software is sluggish and crappy. Not sure what my next streaming device will be; could be a cheap Android smart TV thing like that Kickstarter project, or maybe a discount Nexus Q (lol $299), but the ATV will definitely be in the running.

You can't jailbreak the last Apple TV. Only up to version 2.

Truthfully I don't use my version 2 Apple TV much. However, the reason for that is I don't like to jailbreak, and I didn't actually buy it anyway. It was a gift.

Damn these rom devs are fast! Just installed JB on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Holy crap this is smooth!

Great to know. ICS seemed a little jittery to me at times, so it looks like Google has finally largely addressed the issues.

 

[trmiv]

Yea I'm actually pretty blown away with the speed of Jelly Bean. I may roll back to AOKP 38 just because this really has no extra features yet. But damn it's so smooth it may be hard to do.

 

[Spoooon]

Yea I'm actually pretty blown away with the speed of Jelly Bean. I may roll back to AOKP 38 just because this really has no extra features yet. But damn it's so smooth it may be hard to do.

Yes, I am pretty amazed. Managed to get everything going in between work crap. I don't think I can go back. I'll be fine without some of the extra features in the mean time.

As an aside, you all need to check out Smart Screen ON LITE. No need for the power button for switching your Nexus on and off.

 

[Red Storm]

I literally never do that, and I find my ATV2 very useful. I use my ATV2 to watch Netflix (and other streaming content) and watch movies and shows that are stored in iTunes on my desktop.

To say that an ATV is not very useful without an iPhone or iPad would be incorrect.

For me it is. I don't like to use iTunes, so for me airplay was the most useful and important feature of the ATV.