Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve known the Android platform was fractured for some time. Stop a handful of Android owners on the street, and odds are at least one of them will be running an out-of-date version of the OS.

But we didn’t know it was this bad.

Santa Barbara-area entrepreneur Michael DeGusta created a chart on Thursday detailing the frequency of OS updates across the myriad devices running the Android software. The results are ugly.

Out of the 18 released Android phones DeGusta surveyed, seven of them haven’t ever run a current version of the Android operating system. It’s as if you were stuck perpetually running an old copy of Windows 98 on your desktop. And nobody wants that.

Further, over half of the devices surveyed stopped receiving support updates from manufacturers less than one year after initial release. Eighty three percent of the devices don’t even run Gingerbread, the most up-to-date version of the Android OS for phones. Gingerbread was released almost one year ago.

To create the chart, DeGusta tracked down every U.S. Android device shipped since 2007 to mid-2010, as well as the frequency of the software updates for each device. He took that information and paired it against the current release of Android at the time, showing which phones were up to date, and which ones weren’t. Green squares represent phones running the current version of Android at that point in time. Yellow, orange and red squares represent phones running versions that are one, two or even three or more versions behind the current one.

The chart details the serious issues device manufacturers face in keeping Android software current on their phones. Chart courtesy of Michael DeGusta

Juxtaposed against that of the iPhone’s version update history, Android’s track record is appalling. All four of the iPhones released in the measured period have been kept up to date on software releases.

Part of the disparity between the two platforms is a sheer numbers game. Apple had only four phones to worry about updating (now five, after the debut of the 4S), while Google — who licenses its Android software out to multiple manufacturers — must now deal with hundreds. Optimizing software integration with the many different specification sets across available Android hardware is an impossible task.

Not to mention the breakneck pace of Android’s software development cycle. In the four years since Android launched, the software underwent nine different software version launches. iOS has undergone half of that.

Take heart, Android users — there’s hope for change yet. At its I/O conference in March, Google and a host of partner manufacturers introduced an initiative which guarantees manufacturers will provide Android software updates to purchased smartphones for a minimum of 18 months.

“Expectations around phones have changed,” said VP of Android engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer when we spoke last week. “It used to be that phones didn’t get upgrades, and industry players are coming from that ‘non-upgrade’ philosophy. We’re trying to build awareness in the industry that things have changed.”

The Motorola Titanium has certainly made itself no stranger to us, as it was officially announced by Sprint all the way back in May. At the time, no pricing or availability dates were known, so we were left to speculation and leaked screenshots — you know, the usual routine for new devices. We needn’t wait any longer for the prized 411, though, as the Now Network has announced the 810G military-spec Eclair smartphone will land on store shelves on July 24th and ding our wallets a Benjamin and a half — after a $100 rebate, that is. Of course, this particular device may not be for everyone, but we know it could be appealing for those of you who just enjoy tossing the ol’ Android around a few times too many.

Continue reading It’s official: Motorola Titanium coming to Sprint July 24th, mil-spec Eclair can be yours for $150

It’s official: Motorola Titanium coming to Sprint July 24th, mil-spec Eclair can be yours for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch out, parents — if you live in one of a handful of states, your prodigious student-of-the-month may be bringing home something a bit heftier than a tacky bumper sticker. We’re looking at the Brainchild Kineo, a 7-inch, 800MHz Android tablet, locked down for education-only use. No unauthorized web browsing, no personal email, and no Angry Birds. Running a specialized version of Eclair, the Kineo allows educators to limit student access to curriculum related apps, websites, or features exclusively — negating the tablet’s potential of becoming more distraction than learning tool. Paired with Brainchild’s standards-based Achiever software, the Kineo may actually have a chance of academic success (sorry Kindle). The first 5000 units are making their way to select districts in Texas, California, Tennessee, and a smattering of other states; hit the break for full PR and a video of the tablet in action.

Continue reading Brainchild Kineo joins Kindle, iPad in digital reformation; ships to schools in ten states

Brainchild Kineo joins Kindle, iPad in digital reformation; ships to schools in ten states originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like many universal remote controls, the Andi-One boasts compatibility with thousands of devices; unlike most, however, it runs on Android 2.1. This 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen clicker can check email, browse the web, control your HTPC’s mouse and keyboard, run over 100,000 Android apps, act as a VoIP phone, and even kick movies directly to your TV through an HDMI enabled charging cradle. It doesn’t just control your entertainment devices — it is one. For the first time ever, your remote control is giving you the choice between changing the channel, and playing Angry Birds — if that’s not innovation, we don’t know what is. She’s available now for $350 — a bargain to some, but not exactly compelling for those who already own a smartphone.

Continue reading Andi-One universal remote runs Android 2.1, does more than change channels

Andi-One universal remote runs Android 2.1, does more than change channels originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And then, there were two. Just days after Qualcomm pushed out its DLNA Certified Skifta Android app for streaming content from your smartphone / tablet to just about anything else, along comes Rovi with an awfully similar alternative. The company — which swallowed up Sonic Solutions just months ago — obviously has a thing for slinging contained media all over the place, and its new Connected Platform will soon be available pre-ported to Android 2.1 or higher. In short, that’ll enable Android devices to beam multimedia stored on their microSD cards to an array of PCs, set-top boxes or NAS devices, which in turn would be connected to a monitor or HDTV of some sort. The dirty details on what kinds of devices it’ll support remain murky, but we’re hoping to hear more once the app makes its debut in the Android Marketplace sometime this quarter. Something tells us you’ll need a phone with a bit more oomph than the Acclaim to actually have decent streaming performance, though.

Continue reading Rovi Connected Platform brings another flavor of Android-to-anything streaming

Rovi Connected Platform brings another flavor of Android-to-anything streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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