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Motorola exec's comments on Android updates don't jibe with reality

Motorola exec's comments on Android updates don't jibe with reality

Posted: 09 Feb 2012, 11:44, by Michael H.

Categories: Motorola Motorola Android Android Software updates Software updates Bookmark

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Motorola exec's comments on Android updates don't jibe with reality

This seems like a strange claim, and we're not even sure that we believe what Motorola is saying, but it seems that Motorola executive Christy Wyatt believes that the Nexus hardware which is to blame for the slow updates from manufacturers.

Wyatt is the senior VP and general manager of Motorola's Business Enterprise Unit. According to Wyatt, "When Google does a release of the software ... they do a version of the software for whatever phone they just shipped. The rest of the ecosystem doesn't see it until you see it. Hardware is by far the long pole in the tent, with multiple chipsets and multiple radio bands for multiple countries. It's a big machine to churn." Wyatt says that once manufacturers get the Android code, the process is a long one to make sure the hardware is compatible, then layer on manufacturer specific customizations, and finally have the device re-certified by carriers before the update can be pushed out.

The comments don't really work with what we've seen and been told. First of all, Wyatt seems to be saying that Google creates the new version of the Android software to be optimized specifically with the hardware found in the Nexus device, which flatly goes against every design comment any Google employee has ever made about Android. Google has always asserted that the software has to be optimized to run on a huge variety of hardware. The comments also go against what we've seen with the first three devices to get the ICS update, which have not been TI OMAP devices (like the Galaxy Nexus), but rather the Nexus S (Samsung Hummingbird), Asus Transformer Prime (NVIDIA Tegra 3), and Motorola XOOM (NVIDIA Tegra 2). If it were really that difficult for manufacturers to re-optimize the code for other hardware, it would follow that TI OMAP devices would see the update first.

Second, Wyatt claims that manufacturers don't see the software until it is released as open source. However, we were told by Notion Ink CEO Rohan Shravan that Google seeds developers with early builds of updates in order to speed up the process. In fact, Notion Ink, which is a far smaller manufacturer than Motorola, had been working with the ICS code for "a long time" as of last September, a full two months before the ICS code was made open source. Sure, this wasn't final code, but it certainly must have been enough to begin work on an update.

We agree that the entire process could be streamlined and made faster, and Google definitely has a part to play in making that happen, but we can't really get behind Wyatt's comments. It's hard to believe that manufacturers have to do such a huge amount of work to make Android compatible with non-Nexus hardware, given how quickly ICS has made its way to Samsung and NVIDIA hardware. The major difference between the devices that have already seen the ICS update is not that they have the same hardware as the Galaxy Nexus, but in the fact that they are all running stock Android. So, it seems to us that the real slowdown is still in the manufacturer customizations and in the certification process by carriers, but we would love to hear from Google on this topic.

source: PC Mag via Droid Life

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1. kshell1 posted on 09 Feb 2012, 12:50 2 0

the nexus s did not use a qualcomm. it used a samsung hummingbird.

5. MichaelHeller posted on 09 Feb 2012, 12:53 5 1

woops. sorry about that. fixed it

9. kshell1 posted on 09 Feb 2012, 13:25 0 0

always glad to help

2. AndresJ posted on 09 Feb 2012, 12:52 2 0

Even if other companies don't get the code right away it's understandable. Like Wyatt said companies need to test it before, so does google. Google doesn't want to give out OS, what is full of flaws. So please stop whining like a little bi*ch.

26. cheetah2k posted on 09 Feb 2012, 17:44 4 1

What a cupcake.. Wyatt should be sacked.

If its really so hard to produce firmware updates for various Motorola devices, then why the fcuk are the members of XDA Developers able to whip them up in no time?? Infact My motorola Xoom has been furnished with the latest 4.0.3 which, thanks to the Tiamat Team, works even more stable than any of the firmware released by Motorola....

So, Wyatt, just tell the truth! - Motorola have never given a fcuk about their customer base. Its as simple as that...

3. paulyyd (limited) 4 days ago posted on 09 Feb 2012, 12:53 0 0

Lol I like how throughout the article you keep saying "we". "we have a bone to pick" or "we were told something else" I just think you have the problem here. Why would an executive for motorola say that then?

4. ph00ny posted on 09 Feb 2012, 12:53 4 1

This is a huge load of crap. Just for the fact that few community devs can beat them to the OS releases, that's a disgrace on its own but to make further excuses that nexus is to be blamed is hilarious

23. ngo2dd posted on 09 Feb 2012, 15:51 0 0

the community Rom are few of bugs and then they fix it as user report the bugs. The OEM can't do that kind of things.

28. ph00ny posted on 09 Feb 2012, 21:20 1 0

OEM roms go through manufacturer QA and carrier QA. This is before we get into having access to hardware drivers, source codes, etc

I'm not saying bugs do not happen but i'm saying they can't simply blame "Nexus" device for not releasing ICS update

6. ibap posted on 09 Feb 2012, 13:08 1 5

Comments will never "jive" with reality.

They might, however, "jibe" with reality.

IS THERE AN EDITOR OUT THERE?

15. MichaelHeller posted on 09 Feb 2012, 14:13 3 1

fixed.

7. theBankRobber posted on 09 Feb 2012, 13:15 3 0

OK lets rethink this for a min, the other 2 devices besides the nexus S are tablets which don't have cell phone radio bands in them. So wouldn't it make sense what they are saying? If they have to make sure it works with not only hardware but also the radios inside the cell phones, Isn't both of those tablets wifi only and only the Xoom wifi got ICS? Ether way I would love to beta test ICS if they sent out invites. :)

11. remixfa posted on 09 Feb 2012, 13:32 3 2

nexus uses a humming bird processor and is the only android phone to do so other than the sgs1. it got the update rather quickly. I had a working port on my sgs1 months ago which is now 100% stable before any official release. the issue is Manufacturer will to do so, overlays, and carrier testing.

17. theBankRobber posted on 09 Feb 2012, 14:39 3 0

Another sad part about what she is saying is how the dev team can make ports of ICS with minimum flaws . She is just beating around the bush, the problem is way to many phones to make the update all at once, then test each one, make tweaks it they need to, then send it to the carriers.

8. Bigbluetundra posted on 09 Feb 2012, 13:20 1 1

Too bad there was no photo available for her that didn't use the same facial expression that Sling Blade reserved for speaking of 'french fried pertaters...nnn-huhh'. It makes her look much less credible.

22. tedkord posted on 09 Feb 2012, 15:45 3 0

Aaaahhh, you'd still hit it.

10. protozeloz posted on 09 Feb 2012, 13:31 0 0

But moto even uses a similar processor to the one in the nexus.....

12. Sniggly posted on 09 Feb 2012, 13:55 2 0

Honestly, Motorola's delays are even starting to annoy me. I still love their phones, but bulls**t like the Developer's Edition and the refusal to even announce what phones are getting ICS besides Verizon's most recent Moto offerings is getting insulting.

18. remixfa posted on 09 Feb 2012, 15:09 1 1

didn't u just praise moto's updates in the other article?

19. Sniggly posted on 09 Feb 2012, 15:12 1 0

Thus far they've been great at actually getting updates OUT. However, they've been extremely vague about what devices are getting ICS so far, and the bootloader fiasco (and their response to it) still annoys me.

I love Motorola. However, they have issues I want to see worked out.