24
Jul
a-galaxy-s-phone

[Weekend Poll] Does A Manufacturer's Android Update History Affect Your Purchasing Decision?

Posted by in Android OS, Polls
Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Do You Actually Read App Permissions Before Accepting?

Android updates are a bit of a tricky subject for all involved parties. Obviously consumers and Google are on the same page in that they want Android updates to roll out to individual devices as soon as possible. But for manufacturers and carriers, updates are costly to customize, quality test, and roll-out. Further complicating the issue, it's unclear exactly who's to blame when updates take longer than expected.

A good illustration of all these complications: the Android 2.2 update for the original Samsung Galaxy S series.

12
Jun

[Weekend Poll] Manufacturer UIs: Love 'Em Or Hate 'Em?

Posted by in Android OS, Devices By Manufacturer, Polls
Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Google Doesn't Allow Rooted Devices To Use Android Movies - What Are Your Thoughts?

Manufacturer user interfaces (UIs) can be a bit of a hot-button topic in the Android world. Some prefer vanilla Android, à la CyanogenMod. Others have no issue with them whatsoever, and even actively seek to restore some of the functionality. (Others still prefer to roll their own, or like the ability to switch at will... but I digress.) Further, your feelings on manufacturer UIs may depend on which manufacturer and which UI we're talking about.

28
May
andy

[Weekend Poll] What Manufacturer Will Your Next Device Be From?

Posted by in Devices By Manufacturer, Polls
Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week’s, see I/O 2011 Aftermath & Recap: What Has You Most Excited?

In light of this week's bootloader lockdown bonanza, it makes sense to ask something related. We know that as an Android-centric blog, our readers are likely to be a bit more hack-'n-mod oriented, so we're interested to see: who will manufacture your next device?

The "why" isn't crucial, though you're certainly encouraged to share your reasoning via the comments. Really, we're just interested in seeing how much HTC's new open policy has helped it, and how much Motorola's locked-down style is hurting it.

31
Mar
Droid-x-Broken-Screen

PSA: Verizon's Warranty Exchange Policy Is About To Get A Lot More Strict Starting Tomorrow

Posted by in News, Tips & Tutorials, Verizon Wireless

It appears Verizon has altered the terms of its "Certified Like New Program" ("CLNP") (pray they don't alter them further) to be a lot more demanding regarding the condition of exchanged devices.

Namely, if you send in your destroyed DROID, don't expect to get a shiny new replacement without a serious penalty - all phones sent in on warranty exchange must now meet the following requirements:

CLNR Cosmetics Standards

CLNR Cosmetic Standard Summary:

  • No blemishes are permitted on front surfaces such as the touch screen, keyboard
  • No more than two flaws, which must be less than 5mm in length, are permitted on other surfaces
  • No flaws or defects on lens
  • No dust, dirt, or fibers under lens
  • Ports must be free of foreign material and corrosion, be in operating condition, and have the plugs in place if applicable

This means even if your Android device suffers from a warrantied defect and fails, you may be out of luck trying to get it exchanged if you haven't kept it in tip-top condition.

26
Jul
300px-US-LibraryOfCongress-Seal.svg

United States Library Of Congress: Jailbreaking/Unlocking/Rooting Your Phone Is A-OK With The Government - Here Are The Implications

Posted by in News

If you’ve cruised the blogosphere today, you’ve probably noticed a number of articles talking about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and the Library of Congress having decided to add a few exemptions to the sweeping piece of legislation’s authority. Why is this a big deal? And is it a big deal at all?

On the latter, in some ways yes, and I’ll explain why only some later. For the former, it signifies a change in attitude over what constitutes infringement of digital copyright for two major pieces of technology, one of which we’re interested in here at Android Police (take a guess at what sort of technology that is).

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