Hardware CRIMP?

Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Jun 2, 2011 at 05:44 AM

Alexander wrote:
>Android 2.x was aimed at phones, period. Android 3.x has been developed for tablets.

Ken wrote:
>True, but in some ways, this is not all bad (except for being left behind as new versions of the OS are released).

Just to clarify: my point was that, since Android 2.x was _not_ aimed at tablets, it is quite likely that software that takes advantage of the tablet format (size, readability, touch resolution) will only appear for Android 3.

At the same, the devices themselves, apparently built against Google’s advice, may eventually be unsupported.

JohnK wrote:
>As always, the rule is: buy the product for what it is now, not what it might become.

Ken wrote:
>I do not disagree, but the way that they update Android devices, it may be a bit more frustrating experience, as developers are often releasing new versions of their programs quite frequently. I would be concerned about a release that both corrected bugs, but required a newer OS.

Consider this: we have often discussed here about older powerful software that cannot be run in newer operating systems. Yet Windows is only in version 7 and most software runs in several versions. With Android (and iOS I imagine) the OS release cycle is much shorter, and already there is software that needs Android 2.1 or 2.2 in particular.

Anyway, my aim was not to discourage anyone from using these wonderful devices, just to caution about the potential shortness of their useful life. Easy come, easy go, as the song goes.