Samsung Reveals Bad News: No ICS for Galaxy S & OG Galaxy Tab; Problem is TouchWiz

[Blacksheep427]

Why they don't just install these as a removeable app is beyond me. For that matter, I keep saying go out and hire some of the great rom developers to do it right. I recognize the need/desire to differentiate with the custom UI's, but when your custom skin prevents upgrading the latest Android that is a serious issue and customer service failing.

Even from a pure selling standpoint, why they arbitrarily limit their potential market by making the custom UI unremoveable without root is mind-boggling. I doubt anyone would care if it was pre-installed by default, so long as it was easy to remove.

And clearly the wave of the future (or at least where things should be heading) is a Firefox-type launcher where you can install additional features as add-ons. You want to customize the notification bar? Boom, here's an apk to d/l and install otherwise no need to clutter up your OS if you don't want the feature.

It's obviously a completely foreign concept to the OEM's to develop leading software/apps that, if they choose, they could make exclusive to their phones. Looking at what Moto did with the RAZR and "smart" features, they should go buy Tasker or Locale, soup it up and offer as an exclusive on Moto phones. Put some resources behind it to make more user-friendly and you actually have a feature that becomes a REAL selling point (Blur seems only to serve to turn-off potential customers).

100% on the mark. Why make bloat ware permanent? Removable bloat, etc., the full customizable phone out of the box. And add in the add on style feature for it to be outstanding.

[akhenax]

This isn't directly related to Verizon products, but is discussion-worthy regardless, and is likely a bit of news that could potentially anger some folks.
Share your thoughts on this.

I really like diverse news like this being posted to DroidForums, because I am a Technology junkie in general, and Android specifically. I don't have time to visit the Verge, Phandroid and Droid-Life. A website that could aggregate all this news would be key!

So please continue to post articles like this.

[Narsil]

...I keep saying go out and hire some of the great rom developers to do it right...

The truly ironic thing is Samsung already did that. Samsung hired Cyanogen back in August...

[skennelly]

It's a shame that any oem would think that their bloatware is more desirable than the latest and greatest, most hyped software for Android.

[x25064]

While I understand this is frustrating to a lot of users, I personally enjoy touchwiz 4.0. I know that's not applicable to the phones in question, but I'm just saying not ALL OEM "skins" are the devil. TW4.0 on the epic touch is actually a pretty nice user experience.

Also I don't know how well ICS will handle on single core phones. I was skeptical about it for my Droid x til I purchased the nexus .

[kodiak799]

The truly ironic thing is Samsung already did that. Samsung hired Cyanogen back in August...

Good point. I do remember that, but it seems to be the lone exception. Also, August may be a bit soon for us to start seeing the fruits of that labor. On a side note, it's another potential reason to go with the Nexus (even if it's a Google developer device) that flew way under the radar.

[revelated]

I guess it would be too much to ask for them to just not install TouchWiz and bloatware.

In some cases the custom UI not only makes the phone useable, it makes it stand out from the crowd. I'm fine with Touchwiz and I'm fine with the RAZR version of MotoBLUR (i.e. not intrusive in the slightest). I actually am sick of Sense, it feels heavier than the others.

I do agree though that it should be an optional skin - similar to what BlackBerry used to offer with the Storm and newer devices. You didn't have to have the same look and feel, you could revert to other styles if you wanted.

[ddfuji]

samsung fail!

[cellphonedork]

I'm not to worried. I will eventually have ICS on my OG Droid and my unbranded gt-p1000 galaxy tab 7. I may have to wait a few more weeks for bugs to be worked out, but the modding community is hard at work putting together some great roms for these devices that were forgotten long ago by the OEMs and Carriers. I have yet yo meet a carrier or OEM rom that compared to what aftermarket developers have been able to do. That is also the reason I will not buy a device with a locked bootloader or one that initially comes skinned by the OEM. Blur, Sense = bloat

[sb1831]

I don't get why people are upset about this. They bought the device with touchwiz on it. I'm sure it would make a LOT more people angry to get a new update that looks absolutely nothing like what they're used to than it will to just not put ICS on the phone. May as well anger the rooted crowd as opposed to the core group of users.