Is Android 2.3 Already Dead?

Is Android 2.3 Already Dead?

Tuesday, February 08, 2011 - by Michael Santo
The first Android 2.3 device may also be the last Android 2.3 device, according to a report from Pocket-lint. Speaking to a representative from Viewsonic, the site learned that Android 2.3 was being end-of-lifed, because of incompatibilities with Honeycomb apps.

The change in strategy is being made "to ensure that dual-core apps designed for Honeycomb (Android 3.0) will be compatible with single-core devices running 2.4." To make things still more confusing, Android 2.4 won't be Ice Cream (Sandwich), as originally thought, but instead be Gingerbread, just as Android 2.3 is.

The information comes from Viewsonic, who told Pocket-lint that the ViewPad 4 smartphone will be carrying Android 2.4 when it launches in April. That device has a 4.1-inch screen, Qualcomm MSM 8255 1GHz platform, 720p HD video recording, playback, and HDMI 720p display output, along with a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11n wi-fi, and now Android 2.4 (it was originally to be sporting Froyo, Android 2.2).

Additionally, Viewsonic said that the aforementioned Ice Cream (Sandwich) will be Android 3.1. Pocket-lint believes this to mean that Google will keep the 2.x and 3.x codelines split for the foreseeable future, except in terms of application compatibility. However, Venture Beat thinks that instead Ice Cream  (Sandwich) will be the version that joins the codelines.

Either way, the news is bound to bring forth more criticism about Android's fragmentation problem.
Via: Pocket-line | News Archive | Tags: Android, Google, ViewSonic
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By InfinityzeN1 on Feb 8, 2011

I'z can has 3.0 romz on miz evo plz? k bye...

This keeping Android split thing makes little sense. Since the biggest (if not only) difference will be in the GUI and preinstalled apps, just make all of Android 3.0. This is actually something they can take from Apple (shudder), in which the version of iOS on the iPhone and iPad has the same number, but a different GUI.

All Google has to do is take the 2.X GUI, tweak it and port over to run on the 3.X code. Install all the phone specific applications (Dialer, Contact Manager, SMS, etc) and your done.

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By Inspector on Feb 8, 2011

I don't think its software issues, rather then hardware issue. Thats what i think/got from reading this :)

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By 3vi1 on Feb 8, 2011

>> Either way, the news is bound to bring forth more criticism about Android's fragmentation problem.

Why? Don't critics realize that this is the exact same situation as for phones running Windows Mobile 6.5? Have they never tried to install iOS4.3 on an old iPhone? Has it not been they cycle since the beginning of time that you must upgrade your hardware if you want to use software that requires more powerful hardware?

>> Is Android 2.3 already dead?

No.  Android 2.3 can't be dead just because 2.4 is coming anymore than Windows 7 SP1 can be dead because SP2 is coming.  It just means there's going to be an upgrade sooner than later for Android 2.x devices.


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By coolice on Feb 8, 2011

Duude... too fragmented.... Apple was right a few months ago... remember when they were saying, android has too many versions, not all are compatible... we all said nah apple, quit yo whining (including me)

I've also been saying it for some time... software compatibility between versions.

I agree with going two separate lines... a phone version and a tablet version. Though i'm pretty sure, (as motorola is doing it right now)... phones are going to be/ already have become tiny tablets.

A next solution could a be special layer on top of the 2.xx only for tablets... that way core kernal? stays the same. I agree with infinity on this one!

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