Android updates embarrassing, but do users notice?

[Corrine]

Quote:

It was big news this week that most Android phones haven't yet been upgraded to the latest Android operating system. Developers also seem to still prefer writing apps for Apple devices, despite Google's predictions. That's sure embarrassing for Google. But does it make that much of a difference to the Android user? I'll offer myself up as a reality check.

The author has quite an array of Android phones to compare with particularly interesting information on one of the oldest units in the group, the Nexus One.

Story at  Android updates embarrassing, but do users notice? | Common Sense Tech - CNET News 
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[Boz]

The thing is, the phones remain perfectly usable, even running old versions. Almost all apps continue to support all version since 2.2, and many still support 2.1.
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[peterlong]

More people would update if it wasn't such a pain. Google needs to learn a lesson from wordpress when it comes to updates!

[Boz]

Android phones update themselves automatically. It is not a pain to update them. When they become "old" and therefore "unsupported" by the manufacturer, then it does take some work to put newer versions on them, since the newer versions were never intended to be put on the older devices.
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[techie]

My daughter has a Toshiba android tablet and has been updated by the manufacture 3.1 to 3.2 and now just offered 4.04 in less than 8 months.


It is a tablet not a cellphone though. One of the problems is when the providers lock the phone and limit what operating system you have, not offering updates because they want you to buy a new phone.

[Boz]

And that is when a user has to make a CHOICE: 1) pay the "contract cost" to get an upgraded phone AND extend their cell phone plan contract for an additional two years, 2) continue using their current phone with a perfectly usable, but less up-to-date OS, or 3) learn to root and use a custom ROM with a more up-to-date OS version WITHOUT all of the bloatware that Vzw or other providers force onto an unmodified phone.

I chose #2 for several years, but I finally decided to try #3, and I got another old Android phone to play with rooting and changing ROMs. Since I only pay $6.67/mo for my cell phone service, I figured I could afford another $60 to get another phone to learn with. I'm a slow learner. Lots of people just do this with their current phone and have it done in a matter of an hour or so, but I wanted to have a "backup”. I’m almost ready to switch to the rooted phone, and then I'll root my current phone and try a different software version. Both phones are the HTC Incredible. The one I'm currently using is a slightly newer version with a SLCD screen, and the other one, which I plan to start using soon, is an older version with the original AMOLED screen.
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