Never again...
AlexDeGruven
Wut?Meechigan Icrontian
As most of you are aware, I had a lot of issues with my previous phone, so much so that I ended up jumping carriers.
Turns out, that (their crappy customer service response notwithstanding), I had too much of the blame focused upon the carrier, when it should have been aimed squarely at the manufacturer instead.
When I purchased my Samsung Fascinate in September (don't get me wrong, it's still a fantastic phone, even on 2.1), the promises from both Samsung and Verizon were that 2.2 would be out by November for all US Galaxy S devices (which the Fascinate is).
We're now closing in on March, and we still have yet to see this mythical update. The GSM Vibrant (T-Mobile) has received its official update already, but still nothing but rumors and unofficial development leaks for the CDMA Fascinate (Verizon) and Epic (Sprint), or the Captivate (AT&T).
The real kicker is this: I've been running 2.2 on my Fascinate for well over a week now, and it runs fantastically. BUT... I'm not using any of the currently leaked builds, as they're completely bugged. That's right: 2.2 is over 8 months old, and Samsung still can't put together a release that works properly on hardware that is mostly identical.
In mid-January, build number DL30 leaked, and everyone was amazed that it actually existed more than anything else. A few days later, reports of sluggish performance, horrible battery life, and general overall bugginess were flooding in to developer forums.
On February 10, build number EB01 leaked. As in the early days after the DL30 leak, everyone rejoiced. Until a few days later when more reports of sluggish performance and poor battery life came flooding in again (albeit not quite so strongly as with DL30).
So after messing about with DL30 and EB01 for a few days and cringing at the 10%+/hour battery usage, I decided to be daring and try out the AOSP build that had been put together. The first day, I got more than 22 hours off the charger. SOLD.
Flash to today, and it would seem that the developers have struck yet again and released an alpha port of CyanogenMod 7, which is based on the 2.3 AOSP sources. That's right. Before Samsung has managed to successfully release a working 2.2 version for 75% of its US Galaxy S market, a single person was able to get 2.3 out the door.
So yes, Samsung, I have finally had it. You made a fantastically capable device (1GHz Hummingbird, gorgeous screens, excellent form-factor), and then hobbled it with your complete and utter inability to release a software build from sources that have been available for almost a full year.
I should have learned from my experience with the Moment, but the siren's song of S-AMOLED was too much for me to ignore. I have now been beaten twice, and will look elsewhere when I make my next phone-buying decision.
Turns out, that (their crappy customer service response notwithstanding), I had too much of the blame focused upon the carrier, when it should have been aimed squarely at the manufacturer instead.
When I purchased my Samsung Fascinate in September (don't get me wrong, it's still a fantastic phone, even on 2.1), the promises from both Samsung and Verizon were that 2.2 would be out by November for all US Galaxy S devices (which the Fascinate is).
We're now closing in on March, and we still have yet to see this mythical update. The GSM Vibrant (T-Mobile) has received its official update already, but still nothing but rumors and unofficial development leaks for the CDMA Fascinate (Verizon) and Epic (Sprint), or the Captivate (AT&T).
The real kicker is this: I've been running 2.2 on my Fascinate for well over a week now, and it runs fantastically. BUT... I'm not using any of the currently leaked builds, as they're completely bugged. That's right: 2.2 is over 8 months old, and Samsung still can't put together a release that works properly on hardware that is mostly identical.
In mid-January, build number DL30 leaked, and everyone was amazed that it actually existed more than anything else. A few days later, reports of sluggish performance, horrible battery life, and general overall bugginess were flooding in to developer forums.
On February 10, build number EB01 leaked. As in the early days after the DL30 leak, everyone rejoiced. Until a few days later when more reports of sluggish performance and poor battery life came flooding in again (albeit not quite so strongly as with DL30).
So after messing about with DL30 and EB01 for a few days and cringing at the 10%+/hour battery usage, I decided to be daring and try out the AOSP build that had been put together. The first day, I got more than 22 hours off the charger. SOLD.
Flash to today, and it would seem that the developers have struck yet again and released an alpha port of CyanogenMod 7, which is based on the 2.3 AOSP sources. That's right. Before Samsung has managed to successfully release a working 2.2 version for 75% of its US Galaxy S market, a single person was able to get 2.3 out the door.
So yes, Samsung, I have finally had it. You made a fantastically capable device (1GHz Hummingbird, gorgeous screens, excellent form-factor), and then hobbled it with your complete and utter inability to release a software build from sources that have been available for almost a full year.
I should have learned from my experience with the Moment, but the siren's song of S-AMOLED was too much for me to ignore. I have now been beaten twice, and will look elsewhere when I make my next phone-buying decision.
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Comments
I do not love that I was told when I got it in October that the upgrade to 2.2 was within 90 days. Hell, my buddy who worked for ATT at the time was given a developer upgrade to 2.2 on his Galaxy S Captivate, but then they never rolled it out to the consumer. I feel like my phone is crippled running 2.1 and have called AT&T and Samsung numerous times and always gotten the same answer: the upgrade is coming "soon"
Sucks when an amazing phone is crippled by poor developer support; I am with Alex, next time I will not be getting a Samsung phone, as much as I love my current one.
Now my HTC G2... at least 12 hours of battery and I have all sorts of stuff going on. It's fast, and its plain Android 2.2. Nothing extra...
Based on what I've seen for actually soon-to-ship devices, I'm thinking the Droid Bionic would be my near-term purchase choice (I'm on Verizon). But since I'm not due for a subsidized upgrade until November it's entirely possible that phones based on a quad Tegra 3 would be available. Or maybe I'll just get an iPhone 5.
I have a hard time relating because I'm just thrilled my smart phone gets email and text, and I can send a picture on it from time to time. I have really low expectations compared to many in this market.
Android seems particularly strange to me because it is such a vast wilderness of different hardware and incremental updates. I can see how it would drive customers nuts.
It comes down to the fact that Samsung makes stellar hardware, but can't support it from the software side if their lives depended on it.
I'm getting an EVO next month. Can't wait to get CM7 running on it. I'm sure a CM8/Honeycomb variant will be hitting the toobs soon too.
I've been advised by two Verizon employees that PDAnet works for that using USB tethering, as well as several other free apps in the Marketplace. Whether or not that will remain a workable solution, no idea though. I know it doesn't require you to buy the mobile hotspot garbage, but I don't know if it depends on a tethering plan - the indication seemed to be that it didn't, but I have tethering on my plan.
It never ends with these guys.