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Why does Google allow this?

A.Nonymous

A.Nonymous

Extreme Android User
I stumbled across yet another $80 Android tablet today. It was running Cupcake and had some 3rd party market on it that I had never, ever heard of. Why does Google let OEMs still put dated OSes on their crap? It's ridiculous. Clueless user sees that iPads are $500, but here's a tablet for less than $100. Why would you pay $500 for an iPad when you can get an Android tablet for $100? So they pick it up. They find that it's a complete and total piece of crap. Then they think that Android is a piece of crap. The average user has no clue that they're running an OS that is so far behind what is out right now. Why would Google let OEMS continue to do crap like this?
 
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A.Nonymous said:
Why would you pay $500 for an iPad when you can get an Android tablet for $100?
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Even people who aren't technically inclined know that if a product generally sells for $500, a $100 version is very much 'you get what you pay for'. Cars sell for $10-$40k on average, we all know the $10k version is an economy car and isn't going to have the same features as the $40k. We also know that if a 2011 came out and cost $4k, there's something horribly wrong with that car, whether or not we also know how to change the oil and how many cylinders there are.

People without the patience to save know they're getting an inferior product. The only people who listen to their complaints and lend them any validity are responding on a "like/dislike" comment system. ;) The rest of the consumer world never hears from them.
 
I don't think Google has the power to "allow" or "dis-allow" this.

Developers have ported Android to Windows Mobile phones. Anyone can take Android and put it on any device.

If they want the Google Android Market on it, however, they will have to pay Google a fee to "officially" have the Android market on it and be supported. But if they don't, and use put some 3rd party market on it, they can do whatever they please.

And realistically, any "clueless" consumer buying a $80 tablet is really not that clueless, imho. They know what they're getting into. Most of these $80 tablets are sold online through questionable sites.
 
Cupcake is ollllllllllllld. Android 1.5, sounds horrible nowadays. It was a big deal back when I had the g1 though because it meant there was finally a virtual keyboard.

Android is open-source, so the OEM was free to put it on their tablet. Google didn't actually approve of it which is why google apps aren't on it and it uses the 3rd party app market.
 
First of all, Android is built from Linux. which is a free open source project.

If you want to use Linux, you have to comply with GNU/GPL license.

Which makes whatever OS you make out of Linux, you have to give back to Linux by making that code open, publicly published and free.

At least, that is your moral obligation to do so. Furthermore, the guys who modifies Android for their devices are equally obligated to do such, and that's what HTC, Motorola and Samsung does, publish the code for their devices.

You can't say, I will withhold my OS source code and only give it to select partners and so on so I can control the quality and selection of the devices. Oh well, it seems Google is already doing that with Honeycomb, but that is against the spirit of the GNU/GPL license. No doubt Google is getting heat about that from the Linux advocates.

And that goes the same with anything dealing with Linux, including WebOS and Meego.
 
AndroidSPCS said:
And realistically, any "clueless" consumer buying a $80 tablet is really not that clueless, imho. They know what they're getting into. Most of these $80 tablets are sold online through questionable sites.
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'

Indeed, grey imports. The thing is most of these low cost $80 Android tablets are designed, produced and intended for use in China, where not everyone can afford to be spending $500 on a Galaxy Tab 10.1, iPad 2, or whatever. But on the other hand they provide cheap way for many Chinese people browse the interwebs, QQ messaging and blogging, read e-books, play MP3s/MP4s and maybe play a few games as well(Chinese love games).

PS.

Besides these low cost, low tech Android tablets been common in China. There are many examples of low or old technology in widespread use, e.g. Cassettes are still extremely popular here, despite having all but disappeared in America and Europe. There are also few examples of technology which is completely unique to China, e.g. EVD, which is neither DVD or Blu-ray, China Mobile's TD-SCDMA 3G wireless technology, and mobile phones with two SIM slots is something which is uniquely Chinese.
 
A.Nonymous said:
Why does Google let OEMs still put dated OSes on their crap?
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That's the point of Android. It's open for the OEM's to make into their own product however they see fit even if you don't agree with their approach. If you don't like a product, don't buy it. If no one buys a product then the company won't continue producing it.

A.Nonymous said:
Clueless user sees that iPads are $500, but here's a tablet for less than $100. Why would you pay $500 for an iPad when you can get an Android tablet for $100?
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People that don't research their purchases get what they deserve.

A.Nonymous said:
They find that it's a complete and total piece of crap. Then they think that Android is a piece of crap. The average user has no clue that they're running an OS that is so far behind what is out right now.
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If they're that clueless then they probably don't even know that the OS is Android. Even clueless shoppers should know that you get what you pay for.

Seriously, no product (including Android) needs consumers defending it. Leave that to the fanboys.
 
The problem is that the consumer picks up this $100 tablet, quickly finds out it's crap and then gets the perception that Android is crap. They then tell their friend who is eyeballing the HTC Flyer or Galaxy Tab, "You don't want to buy an Android tablet. I used to own one and it was a piece of crap."
 
Is it cheaper for the to buy/supply the OS rights for an older version, than to say supply a tablet with Honeycomb?
 
A.Nonymous said:
The problem is that the consumer picks up this $100 tablet, quickly finds out it's crap and then gets the perception that Android is crap. They then tell their friend who is eyeballing the HTC Flyer or Galaxy Tab, "You don't want to buy an Android tablet. I used to own one and it was a piece of crap."
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I don't think people are that unaware of the differences in a $100 item vs. a $500 item. I doubt anyone would be jumping to the conclusion that a Corvette is crap because they had a bad experience with a Chevette. I am sure that the Chevette owner is likely to say that all GM cars are crap without ever driving something better, but there is a market out there for cheap Android Tablets.

For example, we are implementing a delivery tracking app for our drivers (I work for a logistics/transportation company) and those "crap" tablets are perfect. They will get abused even though the drivers are responsible to take care of them. I wouldn't want to be buying 20 Galaxy Tabs every couple of months, but a couple of the $100 resistive screen pads are well within the budget.


sweeds said:
Is it cheaper for the to buy/supply the OS rights for an older version, than to say supply a tablet with Honeycomb?
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No, but you do need quite a high hardware spec for Honeycomb, which most of the cheap tablets don't meet.
 
Maybe the crap tablet serves your needs. If I could find a 100 ipad clone that ran the only apple program that I want - it might be worth it. A $100 Android tablet that can run the ebook formats is cheaper than the color Nook. Reliability is more the question.
 
zuben el genub said:
Maybe the crap tablet serves your needs. If I could find a 100 ipad clone that ran the only apple program that I want - it might be worth it. A $100 Android tablet that can run the ebook formats is cheaper than the color Nook. Reliability is more the question.
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How much reliability do you want for $100? If you're going to buy on the cheap you have to sacrifice something. When you buy a pair of shoes from Walmart for $25.00 and they fall apart in three months, you should be less likely to complain than if you had bought a a $250 pair of Florsheim's.

Remember the old saying: Price, features, and reliability ... pick any two.
 
A.Nonymous said:
The problem is that the consumer picks up this $100 tablet, quickly finds out it's crap and then gets the perception that Android is crap. They then tell their friend who is eyeballing the HTC Flyer or Galaxy Tab, "You don't want to buy an Android tablet. I used to own one and it was a piece of crap."
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An extremely unlikely scenario. For a start one cant just pop into a Best Buy and pick up this 'piece of crap'. Places like Best Buy and other big name stores just don't sell cheap $100(intended for China) tablets running really old versions of Android like Cupcake.

One usually has go out of one's way to find them, generally shady vendors on Ebay and shipped from China.

Did you read my comments about these cheap tablets been designed and intended for use in China. Most of these devices do NOT have the required FCC or CE approvals for the US or Europe, as they are meant to be sold and used only in China.

As others have already pointed out with Android, because its open source, what it gets used in is completely outside of Google's control, and probably even more so in China....totally the opposite of Apple's iOS.

A.Nonymous said:
I stumbled across yet another $80 Android tablet today.
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Mind me asking where did you actually stumble across this $80 tablet? A flea market? Ebay? The tech malls of Shenzhen?
 
Roze said:
I thought the old saying was: Price over quality or Quality over price. :)
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I think that's more along the lines of "form follows function" rather than "you get what you pay for" or caveat emptor.

edit: never mind. I just read that again and realized I definitely need more coffee.

Besides, the way Price has been pitching, you apparently can have both. ;)
 
A.Nonymous said:
The problem is that the consumer picks up this $100 tablet, quickly finds out it's crap and then gets the perception that Android is crap. They then tell their friend who is eyeballing the HTC Flyer or Galaxy Tab, "You don't want to buy an Android tablet. I used to own one and it was a piece of crap."
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Agree. Also, people hear in the news about the "open Android platform" being infected by viruses, worms, hackers, etc, and simply believe it all. Google are doing very little that is visible to address these issues and therefore Android as a whole get's a bad name.
 
brykins said:
Agree. Also, people hear in the news about the "open Android platform" being infected by viruses, worms, hackers, etc, and simply believe it all.
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They often hear exactly the same thing about Microsoft Windows, and have done so for years. Hasn't stopped the vast majority from using it though.

brykins said:
Google are doing very little that is visible to address these issues and therefore Android as a whole get's a bad name.
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Maybe Google is doing something to address it. Cleaning up the Market, more control about who can have Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich.
 
mikedt said:
They often hear exactly the same thing about Microsoft Windows, and have done so for years. Hasn't stopped the vast majority from using it though.
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Lack of credible alternative. At the moment there's not enough of a price difference between iPad and Android tablets to convince people to either take the risk on security or to teach themselves how to stay safe. When (if) useable Android tablets come in at between half and one third the price of the equivalent iPad, then maybe we'll see a more balanced view od the threat as more people take up Android.

mikedt said:
Maybe Google is doing something to address it. Cleaning up the Market, more control about who can have Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich.
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Too little and too far below the radar. I know people who are already of the opinion that Apple's way (approving before being allowed on the App Store) is far better than Google's way (removing from the Market after a threat is found) including me.....an iPad and Android phone user.

Just like Windows, there's going to be an explosion of virus threats, then people will be writing suites of security software and 20% of the power of the tablets will be used up in just avoiding threats. And the Apple users will answer with 'should have bought an iPad'.
 
brykins said:
...Too little and too far below the radar. I know people who are already of the opinion that Apple's way (approving before being allowed on the App Store) is far better than Google's way (removing from the Market after a threat is found) including me.....an iPad and Android phone user.

....
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I disagree. Apple's way is far far too harsh, one of the reasons I prefer Android over my iPad 2 and iPhone.

Google's way is far better, particularly if you're careful about what you download, and don't download every little farting app or fanciful program that come with questionable reviews or very few reviews.

If someone needs a lot of handholding, then iOS is perhaps better because Apple treats you like a little kid who needs mommy's approval before you can be trusted to download stuff. I prefer to be treated as an adult, and Android gives me that respect.
 
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