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Android tablets and poor updates??? out of date out of the box? |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: East Midlands
Posts: 3,840
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Android tablets and poor updates??? out of date out of the box?
For some time ive been considering buying a tablet, however the android systems for sale seem to be out of date already.
Some of the samsung and other tablets are sold running android 4.4, and as far as i know this is vastly out of date. Do these things get updated to the latest android version (with whatever security flaws fixed) ? or would it be better to go for a windows based system, or even iOS to have a maintainable and upto date system? |
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#2 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 11,493
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Quote:
For some time ive been considering buying a tablet, however the android systems for sale seem to be out of date already.
Some of the samsung and other tablets are sold running android 4.4, and as far as i know this is vastly out of date. Do these things get updated to the latest android version (with whatever security flaws fixed) ? or would it be better to go for a windows based system, or even iOS to have a maintainable and upto date system? |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 25,199
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It's their way to make you buy another Android device. They usually offer a next OS update longer for their flagship devices, maybe one for anything else and that's it. If you want your device to get the next OS for a while you are better off with Windows or iOS.
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: West Yorks
Posts: 6,180
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Quote:
If an up to date OS is important to you, I would touch an android tablet.
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,852
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Quote:
For some time ive been considering buying a tablet, however the android systems for sale seem to be out of date already.
Some of the samsung and other tablets are sold running android 4.4, and as far as i know this is vastly out of date. Do these things get updated to the latest android version (with whatever security flaws fixed) ? or would it be better to go for a windows based system, or even iOS to have a maintainable and upto date system? Indeed I have had so many issues I wish I had stayed on 4.4. Unlike Windows, the nature of the android system actually makes conventional virus/malware infection a lot harder, I just have a malware/adware checker I run from time to time. TBH I use a windows tablet mostly now because it is so much more flexible. eg Linx 810/1010 for £100/150 approx. Of course IOS will be very secure, but at a high price. |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,852
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Quote:
If an up to date OS is important to you, I would touch an android tablet.
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 11,493
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Teesside, England
Posts: 2,900
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It is true a lot of android tablets don't come with and will never get the latest version of Android. Even recent and popular tablets, for example one I own, the Hudl 2 is still on and will probably never get past Android 4.4. I have a Toshiba Excite Write (an expensive flagship tablet at the time) that got one major update 4.2 to 4.3 but likely won't see 4.4 and I have a Wikipad 7 that is still on 4.2.
I have heard that the tablet manufacturers have to pay Google a significant amount for each OS update so it would make financial sense for them to offer as few as they can get away with. Perhaps Google should charge a bit less and we might see our devices get updated a bit more often, not exactly like they are short of money.... The thing is, provided the app you want is supported on the version of Android your tablet has it doesn't really matter. In terms of compatibility even going back to 4.2 the vast majority of major apps are supported and run just fine. In this day and age I would be wary of owning a tablet that couldn't run 4.2 as support is being withdrawn for earlier versions but 4.2 and above is fine and probably will be for at least the next 12 months or so. |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 11,493
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Quote:
It is true a lot of android tablets don't come with and will never get the latest version of Android. Even recent and popular tablets, for example one I own, the Hudl 2 is still on and will probably never get past Android 4.4. I have a Toshiba Excite Write (an expensive flagship tablet at the time) that got one major update 4.2 to 4.3 but likely won't see 4.4 and I have a Wikipad 7 that is still on 4.2.
I have heard that the tablet manufacturers have to pay Google a significant amount for each OS update so it would make financial sense for them to offer as few as they can get away with. Perhaps Google should charge a bit less and we might see our devices get updated a bit more often, not exactly like they are short of money.... The thing is, provided the app you want is supported on the version of Android your tablet has it doesn't really matter. In terms of compatibility even going back to 4.2 the vast majority of major apps are supported and run just fine. In this day and age I would be wary of owning a tablet that couldn't run 4.2 as support is being withdrawn for earlier versions but 4.2 and above is fine and probably will be for at least the next 12 months or so. |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: West Yorks
Posts: 6,180
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Quote:
I have heard that the tablet manufacturers have to pay Google a significant amount for each OS update so it would make financial sense for them to offer as few as they can get away with. Perhaps Google should charge a bit less and we might see our devices get updated a bit more often, not exactly like they are short of money....
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,852
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Quote:
Android is a free OS though so how can Google charge?
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/newre...ply&p=79596547 |
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,474
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if you want OS updates on Android you buy a Nexus. If you want to pay less you buy a Hudl, or a chinese "no-name". If you want other features you look at one of the hundreds of other models out there.
Im not sure you can be ultra-critical of software updates on a unit that possibly costs 20% (or less ?) than the price of a similar spec'd iPad ? Personally my current tablet-of-choice is my Linx 8 - recently updated to Windows 10 and will be supported for longer than an iPad i suspect ![]() oh. and it was £70
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,852
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Quote:
if you want OS updates on Android you buy a Nexus. If you want to pay less you buy a Hudl, or a chinese "no-name". If you want other features you look at one of the hundreds of other models out there.
Im not sure you can be ultra-critical of software updates on a unit that possibly costs 20% (or less ?) than the price of a similar spec'd iPad ? Personally my current tablet-of-choice is my Linx 8 - recently updated to Windows 10 and will be supported for longer than an iPad i suspect ![]() oh. and it was £70 ![]() Main complaint people have is desktop apps are fiddly (fat finger syndrome). I have installed a great program called touchmousepointer that emulates a laptop mouse trackpad, and you can use whole screen as a giant trackpad, giving very precise control. |
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#14 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 598
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Quote:
if you want OS updates on Android you buy a Nexus. If you want to pay less you buy a Hudl, or a chinese "no-name". If you want other features you look at one of the hundreds of other models out there.
Im not sure you can be ultra-critical of software updates on a unit that possibly costs 20% (or less ?) than the price of a similar spec'd iPad ? Personally my current tablet-of-choice is my Linx 8 - recently updated to Windows 10 and will be supported for longer than an iPad i suspect ![]() oh. and it was £70 ![]() |
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 3,474
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Quote:
If the Linx 8 meets your needs fantastic, an the iPad 2 will be getting iOS 9 and that we released in 2011. So we can assume the next iPad will be supported until 2019. So enjoy your linx8 other will enjoy Samsung Tab and some iPads.
![]() Im old enough to remember a time when you bought something and that was it. It didnt ever get updates, certainly not free ones. If updates on Android are important to you then you pay a reasonable amount and get a Nexus - a tablet built specifically for and around the OS in the same way that iPads are for iOS. if you just want something at a more disposable price then you go for a cheaper android model. You could even buy a new no-brand Android unit every year for 6 years and still be quids-in versus an iPad if that floated your boat. Or a window tablet at £70 that does full multi-tasking and runs desktop apps for a fraction of the cost of a surface pro. choices galore. |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,297
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There are Android devices still being sold with 4.2 on them. My Asus tablet never got an update (it has 4.2 on it) And my Moto E doesn't look like its going to get an update past 4.4, despite being sold with a "guaranteed update" sticker on it.
The Nexus 9 originally came with 5.0 which was not good, and took forever to receive the 5.1.1 update. |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 7,793
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Quote:
For some time ive been considering buying a tablet, however the android systems for sale seem to be out of date already.
Some of the samsung and other tablets are sold running android 4.4, and as far as i know this is vastly out of date. Do these things get updated to the latest android version (with whatever security flaws fixed) ? or would it be better to go for a windows based system, or even iOS to have a maintainable and upto date system? |
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#18 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Derby (using Waltham)
Posts: 244
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Quote:
4.4 is better than 5 which stinks to high heaven.
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Wapping, London
Posts: 16,222
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don't forget that a lot of new stuff is pushed through Google Play services now - that means it goes to a lot more devices rather than just those running the most recent OS.
e.g. the Android Pay update was pushed to devices running 4.4 and higher. and of course individual core apps get their own updates; the recent Google Photos update (which could easily have been wrapped in an OS update) is available for Android 4.0 and up. |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,297
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Quote:
Early versions of Lollipop (5.0, 5.02, 5.1, etc.) were very buggy, but Google finally got their act together with 5.1.1
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Derby (using Waltham)
Posts: 244
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Quote:
Except about 1% of Android users have 5.1.1
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 25,199
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Quote:
Both my Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013) have had it for ages. In fact there have been two recent new builds of 5.1.1 featuring lots of security fixes. Are those software people at Samsung, HTC, etc. not keeping up?
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Derby (using Waltham)
Posts: 244
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Quote:
Nexus devices have updates directly from Google. If OEM chooses to modify the original Google source code in parts not installable via Google Play they need to reintegrate the Google changes into their own code. Which takes time, work, and money. Not mentioning they often use this situation as a means to force customers that care about the latest OS version to simply buy a new device.
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 7,793
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Quote:
Early versions of Lollipop (5.0, 5.02, 5.1, etc.) were very buggy, but Google finally got their act together with 5.1.1
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Southern East Anglia
Posts: 75,222
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Quote:
Except about 1% of Android users have 5.1.1
If that was withdrawn and 5.1.1 put in its place, I'd install. |
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