Motorola updates Android OS roadmap; some of you won't like it

Fuck you Motorola, the Droid X will be the last Moto Phone I will ever buy, you guys suck. Can't wait for the HTC Mecha so I can put this crap DX on eBay or give it to my wife!

Yeah, the X is a great phone, but the way Moto is handling some things with it is making me seriously consider the HTC and LG devices we'll see at CES. Then again, I'm sure the VZW Moto LTE device will be sweet, as well.

Ha, hilarious. This guy is miserable. "I can't wait to get rid of this crap phone or give it to my wife." Awesome.

Ebay. Unless you are going through a divorce.

So your wife doesn't deserve a good phone? :)

This is why after the Motorola Milestone, I will never own another Moto product. Even the Google Tablet, unless it is guaranteed to get its support DIRECTLY from Google, will be a no go. The XT720, according to this, will never have received an update to its OS. It will forever be a 2.1 device. The Devour, darling of the Superbowl ad featuring Megan Fox, will remain on 1.6? It's not even a year old. Essentially, if it's not a Verizon device, it will never get support from Motorola. Even if it is, the support is extremely slow. Practices like this and the tight bootloader security really hurt Android and the basic tenets of the OHA.

Motorola has gone way downhill. I've been waiting 2.5 months for a battery door cover for my Milestone. Still nothing.

Everyone -- Stop freaking out about this. If you want GB on your phone that bad, there will be ways to do this with custom ROMS. Any way, I only do 1 year contracts now. With two lines, I can get a new phone about every 6 months if I choose too. Craigs list has been good to me with selling my older smart phones.

The big problem is that Motorola is doing everything in their power to stop Custom ROMS as well. AFAIK aside from some overclocking there still is no way to flash a custom ROM on the Motorola Milestone. There is Root access that allows some stuff, but that phone has some serious bugs (5-6 random reboots per day, music playin at full volume randomly and more) that have never been fixed. The last update to my knowledge was the update to 2.1 in .... wait for it .... MARCH!!!!

I guess for the Milestone, you may be stuck. Do you have the option for shorter contracts? With the proliferation of smart phones going crazy, any device you get now will be outdated within 10 months. I'm protecting myself by entering shorter contracts, and making up the difference by selling my used devices. This way I can get the best device out without being stung by the lack of updates. I still think my OG Droid and Droid X have been the best devices I have ever used. I can't wait until the next big things comes out.

In Canada, where I am, the Milestone was the first serious Android offering. Also, the norm in Canada is 3 year contracts. For instance were I to go to Telus right now and purchase an Android phone my top 3 Android hardware options would be: HTC Desire:
3 year - $0.00
2 year - $349.99
1 year - $399.99
no term - $449.99 Motorola Milestone:
3 year - $0.00
2 year - $499.99
1 year - $549.99
no term - $599.99 Samsung Fascinate (GSM version):
3 year - $99.99
2 year - $429.99
1 year - $479.99
no term - $529.99 I have decided to buy all future hardware at full price and save myself the contract headaches, but most people cannot afford to do this and are stuck with a mediocre, somewhat obsolete handset for the last 2 years of their contracts with very little other options.

We Canadians really get the shaft with our carriers. We have 3 year contracts, 2 year upgrades (contrast with Sprint - new phone each year), and our carriers really suck at updates. I just wish that more people would start buying unlocked, unbranded phones and realize the disadvantage of contracts - carrier BS, plus a contract is basically a high interest loan. I have an imported Epic that I am using right now as a wi-fi phone - the more I look at it, the more I wonder, is it worth paying the full price for these devices.

What's tragically sad about this whole ordeal? The U.S. Milestone A854 is AN EXACT CLONE of the Verizon OGDroid A855 -- it's just the OGDroid used for regional CDMA carriers. There is literally zero difference in the phones other than the A854 doesn't say "Verizon". Motorola has absolutely positively no reason whatsoever to say the A854 can't handle 2.2. All the work has been done to port 2.2 over. All they have to do is release it to the carriers. It's a damn shame. I like this phone (actually, the best phone I've ever had), but it will be the last Motorola one I buy if this is the kind of support they're going to give it. Android is a moving target, and if the phone manufacturers won't support the phones they're selling, someone else will.

Well that tears it. So long Moto, hello Nexus S. ETF be damned.

Google has got to do something about this. Samsung and now Motorola do not update their phones? Windows Phone 7 is starting to catch on and Android had better provide a better way of upgrading to the latest OS version. We can either root our phones or buy a new one every 6 months. Yea right. They keep doing this and people will look for other products. I hope HTC still updates their phones. HTC EVO 4G owner here.

Motorola not updating their phones?? I seem to remember 3 updates for the OG Droid and 2 for the Droid X.

Double post.

Did you read the article?

Yes. That guy said Moto NEVER updates their phones. I stated that I seem to remember getting several updates on my previous phones from Motorola. I'm not that shocked that GB may not be officially released for most Moto phones. I'll just move on to the next best thing out.

It seems more and more the only company you can trust is HTC. That's why I got the G2 :) Minimal editing and it being an HTC device, it's almost guaranteed updates for a while.

LOVE my G2... came from a cliq.. gave it to the wife.. was VERY disappointed in moto's upgrade schedule... i bought it with the promise that it would be upgraded to 2.0 "immanently" only to wait almost a year for that immanent upgrade... The G2 is sexy and fast.. and stock android is a huge plus... and when you use launcherPro and vlingo, i'll put it up against any x or evo any day! love it!

Well the issue is these companies are pumping out phones at a rapid click. If they aligned themselves to one mid tier model and one high end model, i'm sure they would be more inclined to support it and then each year have an upgraded version. Basically, if they were doing it the apple way you want to coax people to stay brand faithful by not pissing them off. Yeah they may not upgrade EVERY year...but they'll always turn back to you to upgrade when they finally decide to.

These are billion dollar companies. Why cant they hire a few developers to keep their phones updated? The folks at XDA can, why not Samsung / Motorola? I am a tech guy and I will never recommend either of these manufacturers to the many people that ask me about smart phones. HTC only.

one word.... ROOT!! after putting 2.1 on my wife's cliq and seeing it choke on mere screen swipes, its time to root this biatch... and i say the same to those of you stuck on 1.5 or 1.6... my friend and i rooted his much older G1 and put CM6.1 on it and he about pooped his pants at how great it was after... he's running 2.2 for all intents and purposes on an old G1 with hardly any lag or disappointment.. so my friends i say root!!

Rooting won't do it. Many (most!) Motorola phones have their bootloader locked which essentially makes installing a custom rom with different kernel impossible. You are stuck with the last Android version that Motorola delivered.

How to root a cliq (mb200) http://theunlockr.com/2009/12/24/how-to-root-the-motorola-cliq/ http://modmymobile.com/forums/403-motorola-cliq-development/554158-rom-7... theunlockr.com was indispensable in the process to root the G1 so i trust them very much...

The problem with Moto is that if they don't update the phone, it'll be hard to get custom ROMs updated. I understand that some Moto phones can load custom ROMs, it's just easier for devs to go with HTC since they are (more) open to change than Moto is. The way I see it, if you lock down the phone so much to prevent custom ROMs, you should be upgrading the OS in that device at least for 1 year from release.

Yeah, looks like I will probably be going HTC next time. I am done with Motorola. Which is too bad. I still think the Droid is the best Android device made so far. It is kind of ironic that this was also the one device that Motorola was pressured to make open by Google. Oh well. This is why I chose an open OS like Android. If this was Apple I'd be SoL...but now at least I can use custom ROMs for the moment, and jump to a different manufacturer when I upgrade. I feel sorry for Devour and Eris and Milestone owners though. Thats gotta suck.

I agree. I think I'm pretty positive that I WON'T buy a phone that CyanogenMod doesn't support!

Ugh
Its annoying that people sweat these android updates in the first plave. 2,3 sounds totally lame.. honeycomb might be cool, but by the time that comes out next sping or early summer, most of these phones mentioned are dinosours What's next? Someone going ti demand gingerbread on their old 90s era flip phone? Upgrade your hardware!

Gingerbread is really good actually. Tested it out on the EVO and it flies. The look and feel that Apple guys love to tout about the iPhone is definitely there in Gingerbread. Everything is faster and more smooth.

If I buy a phone for $200-300 with a 3 year contract, I shouldn't have to upgrade my hardware less than a year later. The Milestone is a GSM version of the OG Droid and it still hasn't gotten Froyo, and some models won't according to this. Explain to me how that is right.

you shouldn't have to? You don't. You can still use the phone just fine for 3 years. But really, phones are evolving so fast now, a 3 year contract is ridiculous. Not your fault I know. I wish Google's Nexus One model would've worked.

Basically the smart phone becomes just a phone. Software developers wont update / create new apps for old OS versions. Note the many updated Google apps that require 2.2. So yes, it will be a perfectly good 'phone'.

The Droid X is an amazing device but they just don't know how to update the thing. Is anyone else worried that the original Droid might not get Gingerbread?

The OG droid already HAS Gingerbread. Eventually, it will have a fully working version of it. Unlike later Motorola products, the OG Droid is locked up and guarded against modding. The OG Droid has little to worry about. We are not dependent on Motorola for support. Its the other Moto products that need to worry.

Android hashe been out for a few years now and ppl still complain about up dates when. U buy a phone u r not garantted the next up date unless the oems and carrier say so I don't recall any of the cliq line promised to get 2.1 or 2.2 just like I wasn't promised 2.3 for my og droid will I get it Idk do I want it sure if.I don't get owell my phone still works good so be happy u have a phone that actually works or u can be like some ppl and download CM or get a leaked version that bricks ur phone just remember u r not promised ur phone will get updateded thats how.business goes they want u to.buy a new phone

Android hashe been out for a few years now and ppl still complain about up dates when. U buy a phone u r not garantted the next up date unless the oems and carrier say so I don't recall any of the cliq line promised to get 2.1 or 2.2 just like I wasn't promised 2.3 for my og droid will I get it Idk do I want it sure if.I don't get owell my phone still works good so be happy u have a phone that actually works or u can be like some ppl and download CM or get a leaked version that bricks ur phone just remember u r not promised ur phone will get updateded thats how.business goes they want u to.buy a new phone

What about Samsung's road map????? Please say the Fascinate will get at least 2.2 if not 2.3 or higher...

By looking at that table, it seems it just depends on who's willing to foot the bill to do the work to upgrade.. I mean the fact that T-Mo's CLIQ is in testing for 2.1 and wal-mart's is staying put. It seems T-Mo is willing to spend the dough. Same with Droid vs. Milestone. It seems Motorola is leaving it up to 3rd parties to foot the bill for this stuff and is unwilling to do so themselves.

This is the part of the Android community I hate. The part that freaks out if the don't see exactly what they want to see. Did your DX really just become a crap device because of a screenshot of a roadmap? Seems to me this roadmap was updated to reflect the latest Froyo update info, not a roadmap for Gingerbread. I'm not at all concerned about my D2 not being listed. Why? Because, again, there's nothing to indicate this is a Gingerbread roadmap. So unless your device is listed as "will remain on" you have nothing to cry about regarding this article so shut up already. And how many of you crying DX owners came over from the original Droid and back in February would said you'd never own another Motorola device again because the 2.1 update didn't roll out as planed?

If it doesnt get upgrades, yes, it turns into a crap device. You see, that was part of the POINT for most of us when we chose Android. Because it is expandable and upgradeable. That is a large part of the appeal of this OS. So if a manufacturer tells us that they are going to deny us access to this upgradability, then yeah, I think we have a right to be a little pissed off about it.

Say what you want about Samsung and their crappy support...but at least they are not putting those obnoxious bootloader roadblocks in our way if we want to install custom ROMs. Thats really what ticks me off about motorola...not only do they not want to upgrade their devices, they dont want YOU to upgrade them either! Thats just evil.

I am sad to see that Android is becoming what it is. My D2 is the first droid I got and I am totally wishing I would've gotten the incredible instead, or heck even the OG Droid. I am not a big fan of not being to do what I want with the phone. Plus motoblur/ninja blur or whatever it is, I think is hindering the updates from Motorola.

Don't base Android on Motorola's crappy market decision, Motorola are not very good to the non-US market.

For those not in the U.S. or Canada here's the entire roadmap. https://supportforums.motorola.com/community/manager/softwareupgrades

Droid X will get gingerbread in 2012. Stupid Motor doesn't care about phones already released.

Have any of you thought about the fact that Software Upgrades to phones require Carrier approval? And some Carriers just don't agree to update the phones! They don't think it's worth the time or the money. Motorola isn't necessarily the one to blame here. I don't see any complaining on T-Mobile's forums or AT&T's forums or verizon's for that matter. They are part of the decision making it's not just Motorola. It's not as simple as everyone assumes it to be. I have owned the OGDroid the Droid X and the Droid 2 Global and I love them all and have never once complained that an upgrade was taking too long. Why? Because I realize that software programming takes time and no one is perfect which is why there is soak periods and why some upgrades may take longer than others. There is this thing in life called Patience...Some of you lose yours very quickly. I would rather wait 2 years and get an upgrade that works then wait a month and have it not work.

I've given up on my cliq xt months ago and moved on to the vibrant. Meanwhile, my cliq xt is collecting dust. Seriously, Motorola should stop selling Android phones because their reputation gives google a black eye.

Cliq XT users got shafted. But at least they fight back! LOL
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8178243

Motorola should be ashamed of themselves over the bootloader crap. They had me basically in the palm of their hand, a loyal customer for life... Even before the Droid 1, I loved their cell phones. The Droid 1 just made me love them more. Then all their phones got MotoBlur, and locked bootloaders; two things that together guarantee that I will never buy a phone from them again.