[Q] Manufacturer Support?

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So I hate my Hero, A, because it is slow, and B, because it is stuck on 2.1 forever. So I have been looking at the Evo and the Epic, and the other related phones, and here is my question, what is the support going to be like? I know that every time a new phone comes out, the manufacturers seem to forget about the old ones, and for no technical reason, the MyTouch 3G is getting Froyo after all. So one of the things I am looking at with my next phone is that it will be supported for the full two years, the Hero only made it 6 months, so I know that seems like a lot, but I honestly don't think it is too much to ask. If you sell a phone with a 2 year contract, you should support it for at least 2 years, as long as technically possible. So without a vanilla Android phone available on Sprint, which of the two phones do you guys think will be supported with updates longer? I have seen that sources close to Google said the Galaxy S phones will be upgraded to 3.0, but they didn't mention the EVO, even though it meets the spec requirements. Would it be waiting until the end of the year for whatever comes then? Or is just that buying me until December of next year instead of August? Thanks.

No phone will ever be supported for 2 years...some countries even have 3 year contracts as standards...The contract is unrelated to the phone you buy...

The manufacturer warranty is 1 year for all of them...past that you can't really expect them to issue updates for it...that is why we have a community...

You have to remember that the manufacturer is not earning money off your contract, only from the sale and if they have their apps in there, those as well...

The one who is forcing you into the contracts are the carriers...no matter how much you may think the US is a free open country..it is not...out of all the countries we have the most locking of phones and other things...

You are not forced to sign a new contract..you can always pay the full price of the phone up front..the contract just gives you a discount...

Ok, while I will admit all that you said is true, my example is the iPhone. Apple puts out a phone, and continues issuing updates for it, even you you are probably out of your 3G contract now, you can still upgrade to OS 4.0, you won't get all of the features, and it is debatable whether you should have those features, but at least you get part of the update. I don't understand why that can't happen on Android. Even the MyTouch 3G will have had support for over a year. The Hero on the other hand, got its first and only upgrade after about 6 months. Why can't we have some arrangement like that with a non-Google phone? I mean, just give me a full year of updates and I will be happy, if those updates are reasonably prompt, as with the EVO and Froyo. Will that continue with the EVO, or the Galaxy S when we move to Gingerbread?

Originally Posted by USAF22

Ok, while I will admit all that you said is true, my example is the iPhone. Apple puts out a phone, and continues issuing updates for it, even you you are probably out of your 3G contract now, you can still upgrade to OS 4.0, you won't get all of the features, and it is debatable whether you should have those features, but at least you get part of the update. I don't understand why that can't happen on Android. Even the MyTouch 3G will have had support for over a year. The Hero on the other hand, got its first and only upgrade after about 6 months. Why can't we have some arrangement like that with a non-Google phone? I mean, just give me a full year of updates and I will be happy, if those updates are reasonably prompt, as with the EVO and Froyo. Will that continue with the EVO, or the Galaxy S when we move to Gingerbread?

Well iPhone is different..Apple actually gets paid a portion of your contract...not to mention all app revenue goes to them as well...

But in case of the Hero..it kinda came at a bad time...it was the point where the device specs skyrocketed and Android was moving fast in development..not to mention the Hero was already an out dated phone before it even came out..US was just slow at getting devices on the shelves...recently it seemed to have picked up..before it used to be 6 month - a year before it got in US shelves but was already all over the world...nowadays we get them 1-3 month or so...

Once 3.0 hits Android also slow down a bit in their release cycle...

Most likely you will get 1 year support around these days..and afterwards it will be community support for life ...

Maybe I am slightly bitter, especially that the poor Hero support came after my first HTC phone, the Touch Pro, broke on 4 separate occasions, the first two were within 30 days, so Sprint replaced it, but the 3rd time it took 3 weeks to send to HTC and get it back, after a maze of tech support calls. Then I upgrade to the Hero, and don't get supported.

But what you are saying all makes sense, so I hope either way we get more updates, even if they have to be delivered by the Dev community.

Originally Posted by USAF22

Maybe I am slightly bitter, especially that the poor Hero support came after my first HTC phone, the Touch Pro, broke on 4 separate occasions, the first two were within 30 days, so Sprint replaced it, but the 3rd time it took 3 weeks to send to HTC and get it back, after a maze of tech support calls. Then I upgrade to the Hero, and don't get supported.

But what you are saying all makes sense, so I hope either way we get more updates, even if they have to be delivered by the Dev community.

My Hero has 2.2....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_vAbsx0spM

Originally Posted by DirtyShroomz

My Hero has 2.2....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_vAbsx0spM

He means from HTC/Sprint official upgrade..not community stuff..

Originally Posted by DirtyShroomz

My Hero has 2.2....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_vAbsx0spM

So does mine, thanks to Darchstar and all of his fellow developers. And I can't thank them enough for that, because if it weren't for them, I would have thrown this phone out of my car at high speed off a cliff long ago. But it shouldn't be up to developers to support a year old phone. Especially when it is obviously capable of running newer firmware. And because they don't officially support it, these 2.2 ROMs will never be as good as ones with the official HTC base.

Originally Posted by gTen

He means from HTC/Sprint official upgrade..not community stuff..

Correct, I just think it is the right thing to do when you sell a phone. Support it for two years. Sprint pays HTC for the phone, and we pay Sprint for the phone and service, so it just makes sense that they Sprint should make sure their customers are supported for at least the two year contract whenever technically possible.

One year of support might be feasable. Htc doesn't want to waste resources supporting old hardware, sprint doesn't want you to reach end of contract. This is why they give upgrade pricing after one year in exchange for 2yr contract agreement. Android platform + this communit have given me the ability to keep a phone for 2yrs with minimal discomfort.

Originally Posted by USAF22

Maybe I am slightly bitter, especially that the poor Hero support came after my first HTC phone, the Touch Pro, broke on 4 separate occasions, the first two were within 30 days, so Sprint replaced it, but the 3rd time it took 3 weeks to send to HTC and get it back, after a maze of tech support calls.

Wait a second... Why the heck would you EVER have to send the phone in to HTC? If it's under warranty, Sprint repair stores handle it for you. If there's no repair stores near you, care cross-ships you out a new (or refurb) phone. You shouldn't have to be without a phone for more than a day, max.