My friends, I have seen the beauty of Honeycomb (Android 3.0) and now there is nothing on the market today or in the next couple of months that can convince me to buy anything before the release of 3.0. It is a smart and sexy design – this Honeycomb.
I have been lusting for Gingerbread for a long time. I could not wait, I had to have it. I installed it on my Evo 4G as soon as there was a half-baked ROM available. Well, that love has been destroyed. Every version of Android that has been released to this point has left me wanting just a little bit more. I’ve wanted a more attractive UI, a refresh that sets Android so far apart from the competition that all the competition could do was scratch their heads and say, “What now?”
Honeycomb does it for me. And as we have learned, Honeycomb is not just for tablets. If you haven’t watched the interview Engadget did with Matias Duarte, Android’s Director of User Experience, go watch it here (just a warning, this is a 25 minute interview). If you want to skip ahead to verify my claim of not being just for tablets, skip ahead to roughly 10:15 in the video.
While at CES there were two phones that just blew me away….I even contemplated switching from Sprint to AT&T just to get my hands on the Atrix 4G. The LG Optimus 2X is also incredibly desirable to me. Neither phone came with 2.3 installed (although LG may very well end up getting 2.3 installed quickly). The Atrix 4G on the other hand will most likely be stuck at Android 2.2 for a while. I am not going to go off on Motorola for this. Seeing as they have added the Webtop environment to the Atrix (enabling the laptop feature to work well) it would be foolish of us to believe that Motorola will be updating quickly. *I would love to be wrong about this, and maybe with their early access to Honeycomb they will surprise us all.* It’s just a fact of life, any addition to the Android OS – Blur, Sense, TouchWiz, etc leads to extended wait times for updates to the newest version. The Webtop environment will most likely cause delays as well.
This is the reason that I have chosen to not purchase another phone and certainly not allow myself to fall victim to the $299.00 Galaxy Tabs temptation. T-Mobile shared this video with the world on YouTube. This is what I have been waiting for. I have lost my love for Froyo and Gingerbread, my next phone/tablet must be Honeycomb. Below is a video that T-Mobile posted showing off the LG G-Slate which we covered yesterday.
Pics courtesy of Engadget
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[...] AndroidSPIN » I won’t buy another phone (or tablet) until Honeycomb, neither should you. Categories: android, apple, gingerbread, honeycomb, smartphone, [...]
Agree 100% it’s actually common sense as far as I’m concerned. I remember thinking the tablet market was pointless. Then the ipad came out and I thought it MIGHT be cool to have one, but I certainly had no urge to actually go buy one. After seeing honeycomb in use, I’m convinced I’m getting a tablet, likely the G Slate. Everything runs amazingly smooth, and the experience just looks so will designed. The youtube app alone makes it worth it.
Go grab the atrix. I guarantee you’ll be on here whinging when an update will come.
It’s surprising how many people and how many bloggers are getting clouded judgement over the first tegra phones. They represent great hardware crippled by old software.
And the switching to AT&T talk is pure drivel. It is easily the worst android network, as the past has proven. You’re here saying you want honeycomb – AT&T is you worst chance of getting it outside of a device launched with it.
I believe what I said was I thought about it. I then said I would not do it, because it will take forever to get an update.
So I don’t really know what your point is.
I feel u, I’ve always been a second generation adoptor since I don’t like burning money, like my devices strudy and bug free, so I’ll be waiting for the Second round of dual core goodness to pop up on one of thosE Sexy hybrid tablets
And, as far as I am concerned the tablets that are going to be coming out are 2nd generation.
As for it being the first generation Tegra, well, I AM still extremely happy with my first generation Snapdragon, yet I’ve actually had the opportunity to have hands-on time with Tegra 2 products, and they are far superior to any processor that is currently offered in mobile devices. I have absolutely no qualms about buying a new Tegra device.
I’m actually hoping that Honeycomb is not that far out so that I can actually purchase something new. Until it comes out I will continue using my Evo and the Nook Color as my daily drivers.
You tell me with a reasonable degree of certainty/accuracy when all the goodies WILL materialise and then I will wait. This is both the good and bad about android further exacerbated by the Samsungs,Motos and the carriers – you never know what the hell you are really buying and what and when it will change. Oh for some consistency – Apple
Ken Mckean
I don’t have dates, if I told you some, I’d be lying.
What I am saying is that with the track record of many of the manufacturers – it makes more sense to wait for 3.0 then it does to get stuck in a continual loop or empty promises from the carriers and/or manufacturers. Looking at the changes that are happening, it makes sense to wait. (At least I believe it does).
I don’t have dates, if I told you some, I’d be lying.
What I am saying is that with the track record of many of the manufacturers – it makes more sense to wait for 3.0 then it does to get stuck in a continual loop or empty promises from the carriers and/or manufacturers. Looking at the changes that are happening, it makes sense to wait. (At least I believe it does).
waiting indeed is the best option…if you upgrade too soon then you are stuck in a contract for TWO years on a phone that may have support dropped for newer versions and you may never get honeycomb….you wait for a few extra months you upgrade directly to honeycomb…patience is KEY….Cameron is wRight
Just got a G-Tab as a tide-me-over until Xoom is released.
our little android is finally maturing…
And I won’t buy another Android phone which is not a Google phone.
I got the Nexus S, and I’ve seen the light. No more locked, adulterated Android OS for me.
And as a Google phone, it should get updated to Honeycomb when it’s released. So, no reason to wait….
Non-Google Android phones are for suckers
Part of the diffculty to update existing phones to honeycomb is the minimum hardware requirements on it. Adding honeycomb to lower hardware would make honeycomb perform badly and thus look bad.
Cameron suggestions are the best. Wait and decide. Even before getting a new phone it is always best to see what the community has to say. Is it locked down, does the hardware perform as expected and is the community there to support you to get the most out of what you bought? Android would be nothing without the support from its open source community.
Due to the two year contracts, over pricing of devices and the lack of support from both manufacturers and providers it is always best to wait and see to make the best researched and educated purchases. Unless like Cameron said…if you have money to waste..go for it…I would
Actually, the minimum hardware requirements were once again a figment of someone’s imagination. Dan Morrill from Google/Android Open Source & Compatibility Tech Lead. Dispelled this rumor last week. Here is his tweet regarding minimum hardware requirements (or lack thereof) http://twitter.com/#!/morrildl/status/22845294886518785
There may be no official minimum requirements from google as the rumors were stating…but the performance that can be seen in that video cannot run on the existing hardware….every phone and tablet I’ve tried at1ghz with dedicated gpu barely run froyo at response times that are tolerable…there is no way that you would get that smooth of a transition and immediate response on menus with existing hardware…if honeycomb was released for the hardware we own..it wouldn’t look that impressive…that’s what they want to avoid…and should…you can’t let people think honeycomb is not a good o.s. Due to hardware that isn’t up to par…
Lets put it this way…ubuntu netbook edition has minimum requirements of 1.6 cpu, 512 ram….on a 1.8 cpu with 2gb ram and performance is tolerable…you need hardware that will show off the full potential..
That’s what I think at least…we’ll see what they release…
Hm, while my Vibrant was less than smooth scrolling in OS 2.1, my Nexus S is perfectly smooth with Gingerbread. Same hardware….
Apple’s iPhone is the smoothest of them all and it does it with slower hardware.
Don’t fall for the hardware specs race — within a certain bandwidth, software is often more important.
I want you all to know that making a suggestion (as well as actually following through with this myself) to not buy new phones/tablets is a very difficult proposition for me. I like any other Android fan absolutely love having the latest and greatest devices and Operating Systems. I don’t come to this decision lightly.
The issue is my inability to trust that they manufacturers will be updating any of the upcoming devices to Honeycomb with any sense of urgency. It has been proven time and time again that the update process is always much longer than expected. That is why I am advocating that people do not purchase new hardware in the immediate future.
Why open yourself up to regret for jumping the gun if you must only wait (at most – until mid-summer) a few short months for Honeycomb to be released? After seeing the long drawn out battle for updates to the hardware that people currently own – I am just hoping that people don’t get lured in by the next best thing.
I do know that there will always be the next new piece of hardware and that the Android Operating System will continue to evolve. I’ve had an Android phone since day one, and there has never been such a dramatic update. This suggestion would not be made if it were simply a matter of the update from 2.0.1 to 2.1 or 2.2 to 2.3. If Google continues on the path that they’ve laid out in regards to Honeycomb, then I believe it is a prudent and wise decision to hold off on any purchases until the launch.
If you have money to burn or don’t mind getting stuck with an outdated version of Android like millions of other users have feel free to ignore the post. If I had money to burn and was able to avoid being stuck in a two-year contract for service I would ignore this article and go about my day. Unfortunately I don’t have that luxury.
Cameron Wright
unless the zeus 1 comes out then IDK about honeycomb