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A rant against the SmartPhone ecosystem.

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superboyac:
This is a comment in some blog I was just reading.  I thought it was a good description of why people like us don't really prefer to use these phone gadgets:
This is a "how" begging for a "why".The downside of hacks like this will always be the hardware.

Today's "smart"phones and "tablets" almost exclusively look to ARM platforms which derive their significance from the world of embedded computing.  The fact of the matter is that the natural setting for this hardware, and indeed where it flourishes, is vertical integration.  With vertical systems:
* You're not SUPPOSED to be able to update your operating system or software when and how you want to.
* You're not SUPPOSED to be able to upgrade your operating system or software when and how you want to.
* You're not SUPPOSED to be able to install the operating system or software of your choosing when and how you want to.

It is intended to be a curated experience through the vendor, or the whole, delicate ecosystem breaks.  The vendor has integrated your device as part of a larger ecosystem (and "ecosystem" doesn't refer to the stupid collection of crAPPS that you can download through a crAPP Store).  It is setup this way for the convenience of your vendor, and in actual vertically integrated systems this makes a lot of sense.  For example, I don't think anybody wins if some UPS courier decides to "hack" her digital signature tablet or handheld code scanner to put a different operating system of different software on it.  Those devices are just a small part of the overall ecosystem of package tracking and delivery for the company, and the courier's devices are just one of many. 

For some reason, people think that their “tablets" are personal computers because they’re theirs.  That’s a nice application of grammar.  They are “personal” computers.  However, they are not “Personal Computers" because they’re built on hardware and with software and operating systems that REQUIRE vendor and operator intervention for them to achieve and maintain their perpetual usefulness.

In reality, hardware intended for vertical integrations is, has been, and always will be a pretty lousy fit for consumers.  Whereas it makes a lot of sense for UPS to demand that devices are EOL'd and replaced on their command (cause you can’t work efficiently if you have to inter-operate and support multiple generations and species of devices), it's pretty dumb for vendors to be able to do that consumers, which is essentially what happens when the newest software won't be brought to your "outdated" hardware.  So, a hack likes this will work as long as it works, and then it simply won't work anymore.

If it's really important for you to be able to run Ubuntu, you might want to either buy a supported device or pressure hardware vendors to open up their drivers.  As is, this hack doesn't really solve any problems, it just makes it easier for the problems to persist without anybody really caring.

If NOBODY bought hardware that was ONLY supported by proprietary drivers then NOBODY would try to sell them.  It’s hard to blame companies for wanting to install such leverage points against consumers when consumers are dumb enough to fall for it, and I’ve made a lot of money thanks to that exploitation of your stupidity.  Still, I’d be a poor man living amongst the wise than a rich man living amongst idiots.  I’m not sure if money can buy happiness, but it certainly doesn’t quell frustrations over absolute, reckless, uncaring ignorance.
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Renegade:
It's much worse than just that.

The manufacturers make deals with the telcos.

etc. etc.

Eóin:
Android OS is outselling iOS in smartphones at least and with companies like HTC offering a service to unlock their bootloader those phones truly are open.

As and example, I currently run CyanogenMod on the 2 year old HTC HD2, a phone that originally shipped with Windows Mobile 6.5. I bought it SIM free and have been able to go to foreign countries, pick up a pay as you go local SIM and use the phone without hassle on their networks.

BTW - It can also run Ubuntu, MeeGo and Windows Phone 7.

mahesh2k:
I hate cloud services for the same reason. You're locked with them forever and many services make it hard for you to switch to another service. In case of carrier locked phones, they don't understand the fact that people do have issues with carriers customer service, after-sales support and troubleshooting. They just force it on users thinking that popularity and coolness factor will get them more sales. And in case of tech dumb, mojo paralyzed, pocket rich folks they do get enough sales with this tactics. This is the reason Sony tied up with 3 Mobile in UK, Apple with verizon and T-mobile and other international carriers. RIM was always locked to some carrier and even their OS is so closed that there are very few external apps coming up these days with BB support.

One thing is for sure, android is popular in market because they have both locked and unlocked phones in the market, which is very hard in case of other popular brands. I'll not be surprised if apple starts shipping unlocked iphones in next few months, that's what they need to do in the absence of Steve and to sustain the android attack.

Eóin:
I'll not be surprised if apple starts shipping unlocked iphones in next few months, that's what they need to do in the absence of Steve and to sustain the android attack.
-mahesh2k (October 17, 2011, 11:55 AM)
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I was about to say that'll never happen. But actually, now that jobs is gone maybe such a miracle is possible.

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