Thats because OEM's and carriers both like to put custom crap on there that makes them money. They have no concern fro performance, just "get my crappy app on there and hope we can get some revenue from it".
Reading the forums at XDA and various other sites related to both original as well as custom firmware I'd say no, not really.
There are /vastly/ more issues with even basic functionality using custom firmware.
Personally, using an Xperia arc since April this year, I'd say there's no way I'd trade what SE has created for a custom firmware. Though it's nice to know it's an option.
I just read an article talking about why it takes a long time to get firmware updates oh phones (or even no updates at all)
A lot of brands and OEMs (most brands are contracted to OEMs anyways) sure wants to release new android firmwares asap, this do improve user good wills. However, it's "Q"uality Assurance that's slowing it down. According to insiders, around 70% of time is used to fix 30% of the bug on functions that is rarely used.
Why? For certificate and QA. Most manufacturer's QA has to be responsible for returned products, if they are not strict, and a product gets returned due to poor QA it's their head on the chopping block. Also requirement/certificate from each wireless carriers have their own requirement and certification process, you have to satisfy their requirement if you wnat to sell your phone.
Also, those various gimmics (those tiny HDMI/WiFi/Bluetooth etc icons printed on the box) all require test and re-certification.
Custom rom (like Cyanogen) can release their firmwares fast because they don't need to go through all these. Power users like us that flash their phone are their QA. They are not responsible for lost user data when a firmware gone bad (and wont get sued off their pants).
Why do carriers have to do their own testing beyond what the manufacturer does? It's perfectly possible to buy an unlocked phone with the standard OEM software and use it directly on a network without it having undergone any extra testing. And what about Apple - I don't recall them ever having to delay an iPhone update because some carrier needed to perform testing.
In fact, why do the US carriers have their own variants of a standard phone? Take the Galaxy S for example - I have an i9000 which was sold in every other part of the world. But in the US, each carrier had their own modified design with names like Captivate, Vibrant and Fascinate. Why not slap a pentaband radio in the standard model (to account for T-Mo USA) and call it a day?
I'd wager it's mostly to do with how the device interacts with their network, at least as I understand it after having attended a few lectures and presentations on the subject.
Surely that's more of a hardware thing, ensuring the baseband works correctly on the network? Then they'd only need to perform additional testing for an update if it updates the baseband firmware? Besides, if a device complies with the GSM spec, and has already undergone the manufacturer's own testing to check this, it should work correctly on any GSM network without the network having to do its own tests. Is there something I'm missing, or are they actually spouting BS to cover their slowness?
Who are we kidding? This is the US we are talking about. Competition and hunger for profits is rarely in the best interest of consumer, but in the interests of executives and high-stake stock holders.
The answer to why no pentaband, and why each carrier must customize, is the same reason they get you on a 2-year contract. The hook. They know most people are not smart enough to made mods to the OS/firmware, and very few take advantages of choices out of irrational fear or simply ignorance, or lack of time and perhaps, laziness.
I mean why do people go to big banks when the can go to credit union... off topic, I know, but yours a rhetorical question.
When the Atrix 2 was released there was "Great Talk" about ICS and everyone stating how it fell in the Upgrade Path of Android 4.0 or ICS. Thats a bunch of Bull-
There are Many people who are having all sorts of problems with the Atrix 2, Dissapearing Apps, Battery Times going wild, Device Health Application going Rancid, The Device misbehaving, Unexplained Force Closing of Apps, Unexplained "All of a sudden Lagging", all of a sudden the Touch Display doesnt respond to Flick up/down commands on pages.
Many of us had hoped to hear something by now, Motorola's Lips are sealed, their not talking...There is no definative time line for any fix, That Asshole Sanjay Jha, "Loose Lips Sink Ships" Motorola Mobilities CEO, would give a statement, and everyone is left hold a bag (Empty).
I personally had hpped that from all of the the least thing we could expect is a clear concise statement that Atrix 2 will get ICS soon. All of the Other Manufacturers for the most part have made clear concise statements about their newest smartphones released and the ICS upgrade.
Im tired of waiting for an answer, Im not a convienence, im a customer who has supported Motorola Products and spent alot of money. Do you know anyone who like to through money out the window for nothing? I dont-
I've always said carriers represent a far bigger roadblock to timely OS updates than manufacturers do, despite everyone's bellyaching about manufacturer mods like Sense, Touchwiz, et al.
I mean, how else do you explain certain flagship phones (like the EVO) getting relatively timely updates (2-5 months for Froyo and GB) while other phones from the same manufacturer but on a different carrier languish...
Hell sometimes phones from the same manufacturer and on the same carrier have wildly different update schedules despite very similar software bases, it all depends on the device's profile and how the carrier prioritizes it.
Based on my experience with firmware updates for the samsung epic, I cannot possible believe that *anyone* tested them.
There were bugs in the initial release (which was 2.1 eclair) than persisted through multiple official froyo updates and finally into the most recent officail gigerbread (2.3.5) release.
I do think its great that this phone has now had official releases on two major updates (froyo then Gingerbread) but the very well known and common bugs which affect all users persist.
Things like the skipping keys problem on the physical keyboard have been well documented, and resolved by the custom rom community for well over a year, and yet those fixes do not make it into the official kernel for any of the several updates we've seen.
This leads me to believe that either the testers for both the manufacturer and wireless carrier are all incapable and should be replaced, or that no testing actually happens.
Here is how it works in my imagination: All testers are allowed to work remotely (duh, so they can test signals). They get the phones by mail and are given thorough testing instructions. Then they sit around, drink beer, and play xbox 360 for the next 2-3 months. A day or two before the testing deadline they fill out all the papers with "oh yeah....it has helluva good SNR" and other such bs. Note, this also perfectly explains the "death grip" issues on the original iPhone4.
Yeah. I'm so tired of the software update process on Android. I wait half a year to get an update and it's outdated by the time I get it. Then when I do finally get the upgrade the process is horrendous and usually results in me having to wipe all my data.
I bought a Droid X last November and I would be absolutely shocked if I EVER got ICS. A year old phone and my expectation for software upgrades has already been set at "not coming." I hated my iPhone 3G when I had it but at least I knew what to expect when it came to updates.
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piroroadkill - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
That custom ROMs often give better functionality than the ones that ship with devices, desptie all that testing. Huh.piroroadkill - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
*despite.. son of a bitch..retrospooty - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
Thats because OEM's and carriers both like to put custom crap on there that makes them money. They have no concern fro performance, just "get my crappy app on there and hope we can get some revenue from it".Cant wait for Cyanogen 9 ICS.
Exodite - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
Reading the forums at XDA and various other sites related to both original as well as custom firmware I'd say no, not really.There are /vastly/ more issues with even basic functionality using custom firmware.
Personally, using an Xperia arc since April this year, I'd say there's no way I'd trade what SE has created for a custom firmware. Though it's nice to know it's an option.
piroroadkill - Saturday, December 10, 2011 - link
No, that's just not true. You might be reading about cutting-edge hacks. But there are plenty of stable ROMs that are based on official bases.I use Android Revolution HD on my Desire HD, for example, which by default, changes nothing visual over stock.
pSupaNova - Thursday, December 8, 2011 - link
I Like Custom ROM's too, however most do not preserve customer data which would be a big NO NO for normal users.Camikazi - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
That is why backup apps exist and most anyone who roots and uses custom ROMs would know how to backup their data so they can get it all back.wolfhero - Thursday, December 8, 2011 - link
I just read an article talking about why it takes a long time to get firmware updates oh phones (or even no updates at all)A lot of brands and OEMs (most brands are contracted to OEMs anyways) sure wants to release new android firmwares asap, this do improve user good wills. However, it's "Q"uality Assurance that's slowing it down. According to insiders, around 70% of time is used to fix 30% of the bug on functions that is rarely used.
Why? For certificate and QA. Most manufacturer's QA has to be responsible for returned products, if they are not strict, and a product gets returned due to poor QA it's their head on the chopping block. Also requirement/certificate from each wireless carriers have their own requirement and certification process, you have to satisfy their requirement if you wnat to sell your phone.
Also, those various gimmics (those tiny HDMI/WiFi/Bluetooth etc icons printed on the box) all require test and re-certification.
Custom rom (like Cyanogen) can release their firmwares fast because they don't need to go through all these. Power users like us that flash their phone are their QA. They are not responsible for lost user data when a firmware gone bad (and wont get sued off their pants).
r3loaded - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
Why do carriers have to do their own testing beyond what the manufacturer does? It's perfectly possible to buy an unlocked phone with the standard OEM software and use it directly on a network without it having undergone any extra testing. And what about Apple - I don't recall them ever having to delay an iPhone update because some carrier needed to perform testing.In fact, why do the US carriers have their own variants of a standard phone? Take the Galaxy S for example - I have an i9000 which was sold in every other part of the world. But in the US, each carrier had their own modified design with names like Captivate, Vibrant and Fascinate. Why not slap a pentaband radio in the standard model (to account for T-Mo USA) and call it a day?
jalexoid - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
But you don't know how Apple deals with carriers. Their major upgrades most definitely go though MNO testing.Exodite - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
I'd wager it's mostly to do with how the device interacts with their network, at least as I understand it after having attended a few lectures and presentations on the subject.r3loaded - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
Surely that's more of a hardware thing, ensuring the baseband works correctly on the network? Then they'd only need to perform additional testing for an update if it updates the baseband firmware? Besides, if a device complies with the GSM spec, and has already undergone the manufacturer's own testing to check this, it should work correctly on any GSM network without the network having to do its own tests. Is there something I'm missing, or are they actually spouting BS to cover their slowness?Exodite - Thursday, December 8, 2011 - link
One would think so but from my understanding that's not how things are actually handled.I agree it makes little sense but there we are, hopefully things will change for the better with time.
zorxd - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
"Why do carriers have to do their own testing beyond what the manufacturer does? "Good question. They shouldn't. And Sony should know it.
Crapware should be optional downloads from the Android market.
NTheZone - Saturday, December 10, 2011 - link
Who are we kidding? This is the US we are talking about. Competition and hunger for profits is rarely in the best interest of consumer, but in the interests of executives and high-stake stock holders.The answer to why no pentaband, and why each carrier must customize, is the same reason they get you on a 2-year contract. The hook. They know most people are not smart enough to made mods to the OS/firmware, and very few take advantages of choices out of irrational fear or simply ignorance, or lack of time and perhaps, laziness.
I mean why do people go to big banks when the can go to credit union... off topic, I know, but yours a rhetorical question.
ItsaRaid - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
When the Atrix 2 was released there was "Great Talk" about ICS and everyone stating how it fell in the Upgrade Path of Android 4.0 or ICS. Thats a bunch of Bull-There are Many people who are having all sorts of problems with the Atrix 2, Dissapearing Apps, Battery Times going wild, Device Health Application going Rancid, The Device misbehaving, Unexplained Force Closing of Apps, Unexplained "All of a sudden Lagging", all of a sudden the Touch Display doesnt respond to Flick up/down commands on pages.
Many of us had hoped to hear something by now, Motorola's Lips are sealed, their not talking...There is no definative time line for any fix, That Asshole Sanjay Jha, "Loose Lips Sink Ships" Motorola Mobilities CEO, would give a statement, and everyone is left hold a bag (Empty).
I personally had hpped that from all of the the least thing we could expect is a clear concise statement that Atrix 2 will get ICS soon. All of the Other Manufacturers for the most part have made clear concise statements about their newest smartphones released and the ICS upgrade.
Im tired of waiting for an answer, Im not a convienence, im a customer who has supported Motorola Products and spent alot of money. Do you know anyone who like to through money out the window for nothing? I dont-
Shame on you Motorola Mobility and AT&T
Impulses - Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - link
I've always said carriers represent a far bigger roadblock to timely OS updates than manufacturers do, despite everyone's bellyaching about manufacturer mods like Sense, Touchwiz, et al.I mean, how else do you explain certain flagship phones (like the EVO) getting relatively timely updates (2-5 months for Froyo and GB) while other phones from the same manufacturer but on a different carrier languish...
Hell sometimes phones from the same manufacturer and on the same carrier have wildly different update schedules despite very similar software bases, it all depends on the device's profile and how the carrier prioritizes it.
Rocket321 - Thursday, December 8, 2011 - link
Based on my experience with firmware updates for the samsung epic, I cannot possible believe that *anyone* tested them.There were bugs in the initial release (which was 2.1 eclair) than persisted through multiple official froyo updates and finally into the most recent officail gigerbread (2.3.5) release.
I do think its great that this phone has now had official releases on two major updates (froyo then Gingerbread) but the very well known and common bugs which affect all users persist.
Things like the skipping keys problem on the physical keyboard have been well documented, and resolved by the custom rom community for well over a year, and yet those fixes do not make it into the official kernel for any of the several updates we've seen.
This leads me to believe that either the testers for both the manufacturer and wireless carrier are all incapable and should be replaced, or that no testing actually happens.
Here is how it works in my imagination: All testers are allowed to work remotely (duh, so they can test signals). They get the phones by mail and are given thorough testing instructions. Then they sit around, drink beer, and play xbox 360 for the next 2-3 months. A day or two before the testing deadline they fill out all the papers with "oh yeah....it has helluva good SNR" and other such bs. Note, this also perfectly explains the "death grip" issues on the original iPhone4.
tayb - Thursday, December 8, 2011 - link
Yeah. I'm so tired of the software update process on Android. I wait half a year to get an update and it's outdated by the time I get it. Then when I do finally get the upgrade the process is horrendous and usually results in me having to wipe all my data.I bought a Droid X last November and I would be absolutely shocked if I EVER got ICS. A year old phone and my expectation for software upgrades has already been set at "not coming." I hated my iPhone 3G when I had it but at least I knew what to expect when it came to updates.
WP7, here I come.
Quake - Friday, December 9, 2011 - link
Which is why I like the Nexus. With this phone, you're guaranteed to get the updates and it's not filled by all the carriers' crap.My Nexus S might not be a superphone, but at least, I will get the latest android updates.
vision33r - Friday, December 9, 2011 - link
If your phone does not meet Google's hardware req then I doubt Motorola would waste time. Planned obsolesce.