(you know, this trying to use the combined forums to save stw bandwidth is doing my head in. Every thread goes in the wrong one !)

… like computers have

I mean, you can get an apple one, or a pc (or laptops equivalents) and (pretty much) you can install whatever OS you want and update software whenever you like, despite ongoing “Improvements” to new hardware

phones arms race, on the other hand seems typified by every new iteration of “our best phone” having features & software that older ones may never get (unless someone cooks up their own bodge)

I’m guessing the market will grow up one day – soon ?

(owner of a late-georgian mobile phone and a PDA – waiting for my one phone for the next 5 years to come along)

I don’t think it will happen anytime soon. Computers haven’t settled down, laptop ownership has gone balistic in the last 3 years too.

My current phone has a faster processor and more RAM than all but the last 3 of my computers; the android OS does most of the stuff my lapdog does.

Someone said that the thing with a lot of modern gadgets is that they can’t decide if they want to be big or small – phones are a good example.
When the screen can go from 4″ to 15″ diagonal at need it’ll be really good. Probably next year.

Augmented reality from android apps is amazing, it might end up built in to a pair of shades, or even implanted in your eyes. I love this we’re actually living in science fiction. With any luck it won’t settle down. I love technology.

Oh, I don’t mind hardware progress but the lack of compatibility is daft

Android phones are prob worse, but apple too. Want the new OS ? – buy a new phone (even though the contract on you “old” one till has a year to run)

laptops/desktops, I can at least put on whatever I want, then change it – or run two side by side if I fancy

Apart from forcing churn in the phone market, why does it have to be like that ?

It won’t settle down anytime soon 🙂

Highly unlikely anytime soon. I mean, have you looked at new computers like the latest MacBook Air? Or the latest iMac compared to an iMac from ten years ago?. The latest smartphones, iOS, Android and WinMob7, are properly usable, sophisticated pocket computers, of a quality almost unthinkable even five years ago. Compare an iPhone 4 to an N95 or an O2 XDA Mini. Poles apart. Continual increases in memory capacity and processor speed mean that smartphones will equal current laptops in many ways. My 7 year old PowerBook has a 1.3GHz processor, 1Gb RAM and an 80Gb HDD. my iPhone has a 1GHz Processor, 1Gb RAM and 32 Gb flash storage. Next version will be 64GB, version after, quite possibly 128Gb. Fine by me, the improvement in usability between my nearly two year old 3G and the 4 is amazing, and the GPS is hugely improved, it’ll show me actually at home when I’m indoors, the 3G actually showed me living nearly half a mile away when I was indoors. Those improvements in speed and accuracy are very much to be appreciated and applauded.

Oh, I don’t mind hardware progress but the lack of compatibility is daft

Android phones are prob worse, but apple too. Want the new OS ?

the new OS downloads and upgrades automagically with android. I went from 2.1 to 2.2 without noticing… easier than MS thats for sure. (I don’t know with apple products)

It will continue for as long as the natives project their search for inner happiness/sense of self-importance onto incremental ‘advances’ in the shiny bead trade.

So, a fair old while then.

The phone market has a lot to answer for. You get to chop your phone in every year or 18 months, and people don’t care much about keeping their apps so it doens’t matter if your new phone’s got a different OS. And people don’t tend to need to transfer data between them either or share software.

It’s worth noting that there were many computer OSes until one gained enough market share to crush the others. Only a historical quirk followed by some clever thinking by Jobs saved one of the others.

yep android 2.1. to 2.2 in about 4 mins here, 2.2 is luvverly!

you’re missing my (poorly expalined) point. The great thing about pcs is their universality. With some exceptions I can do what the hell I like with one; it’s a blank canvas. Sure I can’t put the wrong memory or processor in there, but they all work in much the same way and (unless VERY old) can run the same OS if the right bits are in (Christ, apple now even use the same chips don’t they ?)

Say I have an android phone – last years top line model (was it hero or something ?)
my phone provider has to deign to provide me with an updated software package for it, despite them selling newer phones already with that in place. A year or two in and I’ll find that apps won’t run on the old OS, etc etc etc. I believe iphones also are only getting the new software if they’re the i4 or the immediate predecessor ?

I can shove any old OS onto my oldish PC any time I like and I don’t see why I should be tied to another, worse way of doing this with a phone. Sure, the technology is newish and burgeoning and maybe good reasons why systems aren’t standardised yet, but sooner or later surely they will ?

I’m intending to keep my next device for a while, so not about to buy at all
(If my PDA was capable of usb hosting I’d buy a wifi stick and shove the whole lot up vodafone’s arse)

(edit on reading recent replies 😳 )
Android upgrades are independent of your phone network are they ?
Can any android device be upgraded to current version ?

The new iOS upgrades on older models with the iPhone. Obviously, though there are going to be certain restrictions on what will work and what won’t, purely because the actual hardware has improved on newer models so there will be things that just can’t work properly. Jailbreak hacks can get video on a 3G, and you can get apps that will give video on non-jailbroken 3G’s, but it’s pretty low grade, just because the camera is only 2Mp, and there’s not much RAM to play with. That’s a technological fact of life and always has been. Just to show how good the GPS is, I’ve just taken a screen shot using UK Map, which has free OS 1:10k mapping, while I’m sprawled on the couch listening to Hounds Of Love.
The blue dot is on my house, accuracy shown at the bottom around 213ft. Pretty good for a mobile phone inside a 30’s semi.

Just after the imminent release of the iPhone 5. It’s going to change everything, I mean, really. It’s like your whole life has been waiting for it. You’ll be able to tell everyone about it and show them all your apps in the pub!

It has to be said we couldn’t even begin to imagine the technology in modern mobile phones years ago. Look at Star Trek. Look at their commiincators. What I’m posting this on is soooo far in advance of that eras sci-fi it beggars belief!

I think it’s bloody wonderful!

flash – it was better the 1st time round 😉

(My mrs has just got an iphone – it’s great, honest it bloody is. But I want a bigger screen so wondering about that newish android thing (summatHD), only I’ve no intention of doing so ’til I can be reassured that it’ll remain properly useable for several years)

Nah, it’s usually the most recent photos I’ve taken. Although one friend of mine loves scrolling around and searching for places on the OS maps in Viewranger. Saves carrying a bunch of folded up paper maps and getting them soaked in beer on the table.

Yeah, I know, it was on the other post, though, so thought I would share! 😉

if someone made a mobile phone that did the Star Trek noise when you flipped it open, they’d make a bomb.

I have a tricorder on my Desire 🙂 it’s actually useful – it scans for networks…

This stuffs been around for years apparently:

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/blog/article/57334/time-traveller-spotted-at-chaplin-premiere.html

but they all work in much the same way

PCs do.. but don’t forget PCs are simply the particular brand that crushed all the others apart from Apple.

Back in the day, there were loads of different types of personal computer, and what are now PCs were referred to IBM Compatibles.

molgrips – yeah, and betamax etc. That’s what I mean by growing up really

(and, I’m led to believe, you an run the mac OS on a pc and vice versa – can’t you ?)

stoopidly edited this into an older post, so repeating for rocket, basspine etc:

Android upgrades are independent of your phone network are they ?
Can any android device be upgraded to current version ?

how the hell did people manage before mobiles and tinternet ? lol
‘pagers’ were the up and coming start of it all i think…my hubby had one wen he worked for BT….as soon as he’d got a message from work (ruddy thing bleeping contantly) then he’d have to find a nearest phone box and ring work….. neva a fone box in sight when you want one…lol
anyway we all have it too easy these days 😉 oh yes before ‘pagers’ there were those CB radios (lol i had one of those) had a brill one… (Ham international uk)..high mid and low band frequences.. think i got into trouble one day cos i was searching up on the high bands and some wierdo on the other end told me to get off the frequency ( i wasnt aloud to be on it…only them with certificates who had passed some airwaves test were aloud on the high bands !!!! lol 😉

Until that naked woman gets off the screen herself to touch it, I’ll never be happy.

😆

scaredypants – there are slightly different versions with each network. or you can unlock the phone and do the vanilla android. Either way the upgrade happens ‘as if by magic’.