ICS

Jelly Bean and Gingerbread Man

Posted on by benardquek

Google_Distribution_Numbers_August_01_2013

The latest figures on Android OS distribution is in and it shows that both ICS and Jelly Bean command more than half of the installed OS based for Android products. But a sizeable number, about 33 percent are still holding on to the old Gingerbread OS, which I have used and do not like but what gives?

As many of you may already be aware, Gingerbread is virtually the last OS that people can hold onto before they are propelled upwards to ICS where apps can be moved to SD card storage. This handy approach of course is one factor for keeping to Gingerbread as those with less than 1GB of internal storage will need the option to move apps to the SD or external storage. Gingerbread was  found on most smartphones during the introduction of dual core devices but there are also a lot of owners who own single core devices which ran Gingerbread. These devices, when loaded with ICS would be troublesome to say the least. In fact, the benefits outweigh the advantages when it comes to keeping your old device running. 

ICS has no inherent advantages except for smoother UX and better app memory and storage management. The Google bloatware that comes with it like G+ and Googleplay Services plug-ins are things you can live without. Any device without sufficient RAM will suffer from operational lag and will translate to nothing more than mind boggling frustration.

It’s the same with iOS devices, where the 3GS iPhone can run the updated iOS firmware but it starts behaving like an geriatric device in need of a mercy death blow.

Hacking or rooting your device on ICS is probably one way of getting round to some of the storage restrictions but it never really addresses the issue of app compatibility once the surgery is done.

My advice to you who are thinking of update your device hangs one pertinent issue. If it ain’t broke, why update it?

Galaxy Tab 7.7 updated to ICS 4.04

Posted on by benardquek

I hate to tell you this but if you are experiencing coma status on your tablet, please don’t fret. It’s just that ICS doing its rounds again.

This is the same type of problem I had with the Asus TF-300, which can drive you nuts. Even after the update to Jellybean, the tablet will go to sleep and will not wake no matter how much you shake it. Not fun I tell ya.

Getting to the root of the problem is relatively easy. Try removing all the apps that require network access and you’re done. Facebook fortunately is relatively safe but the rest of the apps, like games, news apps, and of course social apps that need feeds are the most annoying and problem causing as they have not been updated for ICS as yet.

I am reminded of the same problems when Apple updates its iOS firmware and you find that the apps you once had won’t run or will cause battery problems.

There is no quick fix for this. I wish there was one but every firmware upgrade is suspect. Even Google’s own Google Voice feature is rendered useless in Jellybean.

Such sloppy programming is causing a tonne of problems for users and I hope you don’t get upset over this because its part and parcel of growing up. The evolutionary cycle is often viewed with a different perspective from Google’s end.

ICS has been out for a year, but the roll out does not automatically mean easier access to the core features for many app developers. They need time to tinker with it once it hits the street and if the device doesn’t support it they will have to work on that further to ensure some kind of universal compatibility.

Since such pain is expected with every upgrade, my advice is to find those incompatible apps and have that deleted. You can always check back to see if they are up again for download.

ICS for Galaxy Note: Tips on Installation

Posted on by benardquek

If you have not installed ICS yet on your Galaxy Note, then do take note of the following:

1. Backup your apps and data with AppBackup Reinstall or similar apps

2.Upload all your photos through sync to Google if you haven’t done so. 

3. Use Samsung’s own KIES desktop up to upgrade your phone to ICS as OTA update is unreliable.

4. Upon successful upgrade, please do a FACTORY RESET. If you don’t you will encounter battery leakage problems. Go to SETTINGS>Backup and Reset to perform the reset. 

5. After FACTORY RESET, just reinstall apps by downloading a copy of AppBack Reinstall and reinstall all the apps. Some Apps may not reinstall as they are protected. 

When you take these steps, you will be assured of a smoother transition to ICS. I had run into problems with it as I didn’t do a factory reset. 

 

 

ICS Roll Out By Samsung

Posted on by benardquek

The Galaxy Note should be getting an ICS update anytime now however if you are experiencing any update problems, the Samsung servers are probably over whelmed. I have had two separate failures to date with WiFi updates and part of the problem is certainly the servers. 

The ICS update is significant for the GN as there are several premium apps included for use with the S Pen. I figured that the 326MB update would just be for ICS but it turns out the whole suite of apps are included as well. This could explain why the Samsung update is not rolling out as smoothly. 

It takes me under 30 mins to update the GN but each time, after about 10 mins, the server starts to drop the connection and I have to restart the update all over again. The GN update I am receiving is for the Internationally released model and not ones sent out to residents in Europe or America. 

What Samsung could have done is to push the premium apps for the GN directly to their Samsung Appstore instead of packaging everything together. This way, you can get people to log into the store and download these apps separately at their convenience. 

As I understand it, Samsung wants to include the S Pen suite with the ICS update to act as a one stop download for  all phones but in order to do that, your servers should be up to mark on this. Right now, the updates are not rolling out in time for everyone because Samsung just isn’t into the Cloud computing space and will require time to get their act together. The investment called for is significant but as a products driven company, it still has some way to go to reach the level that Microsoft or Apple are at right now with servers and cloud storage. 

This weakness should be addressed before Samsung gets even more ambitious.  

 

 

 

 

 

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