No, no, an ANDROID market-

[Thoth_Hotep]

Okay, silly question.
And I realize that this content might offend...
But really it is an honest question, so.

I've been waiting patiently for my new 2.1 update, along with every other hero user, and had an idea. Why don't some kick ass modders do the job for sprint. Open an online store where you pay $5-$20 and download an updater that puts the latest and greatest on your phone.

I know, there are plenty of custom roms floating around, but work with me for a sec. No licensing issues, maybe some custom widgets, complete driver support; something that works better than what I am going to get from sprint. And when the new release comes out, 90 days and the new roms are ready.

Quick, easy, reliable, and SUPPORTED for the non-command-line masses

It seems so simple; what is the obvious torpedo that I am missing?

 

[mrmojoz]

Could easily be some legality issues here, plus whats to stop the modders from simply cracking and re-distrubuting these magic ROMs you are proposing?

 

[drksilenc]

... i have had 2.1 on my hero for idk almost 4 months now if you want it so bad just root its not hard

 

[hood420]

... i have had 2.1 on my hero for idk almost 4 months now if you want it so bad just root its not hard

Same here. I think just about anyone who knows the difference between 2.1 and 1.5 is probably more than capable of rooting and flashing a ROM.

 

[Thoth_Hotep]

Absolutely, I could do it.

Have even started it a couple of times;
Then I read things like "I expect to get the camera working next update"...
"Looks good and only crashed a couple of times".

And I also understand that the recent leaked rom that has sense in it is
pretty legit.

And the official update has only been 2 weeks away for months.
But none of that was the point.
It was all about some place where a user could go, to get a rom with officially licensed core apps and factory supplied drivers, in a reliable and convenient format.
In other words its not about us (hope you don't mind rounding myself up)
It's about them, the user.

The single greatest problem with android is fragmentation. And with the rate of
major releases as high as it is, it is only going to get worse.
If the factory/carrier can't supply official roms to the masses in a timely fashion, I think there is an opportunity for someone who can, and android as a whole will be healthier.
An efficient mechanism to keep everyone on the same page is desperately needed.

As far as piracy, won't be any worse than it is now, and will be similar to other media.
Pirates will help popularize it (open source; they might even improve it) but the average Joe can't be bothered to go through the steps.
Most of them will pay to make it simple.