[omniusovermind]

My biggest beef with my android phone has always been being held back by carrier skins overlaying the stock android OS, and also the fragmentation of getting the latest OS updates on various android phones. This has often been listed as one of Android's biggest downsides. I resigned myself that this was going to be the way it is with android forever. But they're changing that, and what's better is it's happening this year. Awesome news!

[kenyonLee]

I like the idea that google will sell the devices directly without consumers being slaves to carriers. That's awesome in my book.

[omniusovermind]

As far as Android is concerned, awesome is an understatement. This is groundbreaking! I'm so happy about the new tech coming out this year, and frankly I'm completely amazed at how all of the different smartphone companies are actually doing things this year that customers have been asking for. Actually I'm a little scared that they're being so in tune. Why has that van with the tinted windows and big antennas been parked outside my house so long anyway...?

[TgeekB]

Very interesting. Look forward to seeing what comes out.

[big_time2]

I like this idea and I will probably buy one of these if this ever happens. But I don't think this will be successful. Google tried this a little more than two years ago with Nexus One. It was sold directly by google, free of contract, or on contract if you preferred that. How many did they sell? 302 phones?

[lssanjose]

I like this idea and I will probably buy one of these if this ever happens. But I don't think this will be successful. Google tried this a little more than two years ago with Nexus One. It was sold directly by google, free of contract, or on contract if you preferred that. How many did they sell? 302 phones?

Things may be different, this time around, from when the Nexus One rolled out

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Lukehluke]

This makes a lot of sense for Google and hopefully they'll make a lot of sales with this.

[jd914]

I will gladly pay full price for a carrier free Android device. Lets face it, the openness of Android has been a disaster especially for the latest ICS version. Months after the release of ICS there are still devices that are stuck on Gingerbread because of carrier skins and interference.

Moto Blur, Sense and Touch wiz and carrier crap ware take away from the Android experience that Google intended. Android has gained much traction since the Original Nexus One and this time around I'm sure they will succeed selling devices directly. This is good news and can't wait for this to happen. I purchased a Galaxy Nexus last week directly from Google and will never get anymore Android devices from my mobile provider.

[jd914]

BTW this is the exact crap that ruins Android and brings the entire OS down

LG Optimus UI: Android 4 version coming soon

[papped]

It's still kind of a niche way to buy phones in the States though, not nearly as common as it has been for years in other parts of the world.

Remains to be seen how many people will get onboard here buying phones that way...

[avt123]

This is going to be a GSM only thing I would think.

If that's the case, I wont leave VZW for a new Nexus if they don't get it. The carrier is more important to me, and AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint all suck where I live. I am pissed that VZW is trying to take away my grandfathered unlimited data plan though.

[TgeekB]

I was a bit upset when ATT took my unlimited data plan away also but, in the end, it hasn't affected me negatively at all. I understand that it could for some though.

[Chrisy]

CRAP. I might have to try Android again!

[aNYthing24]

CRAP. I might have to try Android again!

Flip Flopper.

[MobileMadness002]

Although I love my 9800 and 9810, I might just want to try a new Android phone as well, and not needing to extend a contract for 3 years would be totally awesome. I can switch SIM cards from Telus and Rogers and have my Droid running on either. Happy Days.

IMO, having carriers removed from the equation and the removal of contracts for subsidized devices is a win win situation. Manufactures get their money, consumer gets freedom of selecting the BEST carrier for them, and the Carrier gets the benefit of knowing if they cannot provide the service quality they are expected to then they will be out of business.

[big_time2]

Things may be different, this time around, from when the Nexus One rolled out

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I hope so only for the fact that carriers will not be involved. I will chose the phone I want, and then I will chose the carrier I want (granted in the US, the only two GSM carriers are Tmo and AT&T). Maybe this will help some of the smaller carriers. I would switch to a regional carrier that's much cheaper after buying one of these phones from google.

[jd914]

And yet another reason why open source doesn't work and has failed Android users. BTW I'm also a Motorola Atrix owner, at the mercy of Motorola and bad news for me.

http://www.androidcentral.com/motoro...wont-update-it

[Rickroller]

And yet another reason why open source doesn't work and has failed Android users. BTW I'm also a Motorola Atrix owner, at the mercy of Motorola and bad news for me.

http://www.androidcentral.com/motoro...wont-update-it

I disagree. It's not open source that is failing, it's the carriers and handset makers having to put their own spin on Android that isn't working. My Nexus is amazing, and I too own the Atrix, but I upgraded because I pretty much knew that ICS wasn't on the list for upgrades.

If Nexus devices start getting multiple manufacturers, you are going to see Android being presented as it should, without all the crap and updates directly from the source, rather than being at the mercy of the carriers and handset makers.

[omniusovermind]

And yet another reason why open source doesn't work and has failed Android users. BTW I'm also a Motorola Atrix owner, at the mercy of Motorola and bad news for me.

http://www.androidcentral.com/motoro...wont-update-it

That's a problem I solved in a few hours

Thing is, you don't even need to unlock the bootloader, which is by far the more complicated part. Rooting itself can be done with a automated batch file in a matter of minutes. Then all you need to do is install a custom launcher, then install Titanium Backup and freeze all of the Motoblur stuff. Including the Blur launcher itself. Presto, you have a one year old phone that will out dps an unrooted Galaxy Nexus on html5 speed performance tests (depending on how speedy the custom launcher you chose is)

[jd914]

That's a problem I solved in a few hours

Thing is, you don't even need to unlock the bootloader, which is by far the more complicated part. Rooting itself can be done with a automated batch file in a matter of minutes. Then all you need to do is install a custom launcher, then install Titanium Backup and freeze all of the Motoblur stuff. Including the Blur launcher itself. Presto, you have a one year old phone that will out dps an unrooted Galaxy Nexus on html5 speed performance tests (depending on how speedy the custom launcher you chose is)

NO I'm sick and tired of work arounds, rooting, roms, hack, homebrew and jailbreaks. I was an avid hacker but now a days absolutely refuse to alter my devices in any way. It gets tired and played out. I'm now of the opinion that it should work the way I want it out the box.

BTW I'm the last person that needs to be schooled on how to customize Android devices after almost thee years as an Android user.

[jd914]

I disagree. It's not open source that is failing, it's the carriers and handset makers having to put their own spin on Android that isn't working. My Nexus is amazing, and I too own the Atrix, but I upgraded because I pretty much knew that ICS wasn't on the list for upgrades.

If Nexus devices start getting multiple manufacturers, you are going to see Android being presented as it should, without all the crap and updates directly from the source, rather than being at the mercy of the carriers and handset makers.

But if Android were closed we wouldn't have Blur, Sense, Touch Wiz and so fourth. Manufacturers would't have the chance to muck up the OS. WP is closed and it's the same experience on every handset from different manufacturers. Time for Google to rethink the way different manufacturers are presenting their brand which more than likely is in a less than favorable light.

BTW on the last AC podcast Jerry said that Sense devices aren't even Android because HTC alters the framework in such a way that you can't really consider sense devices Android. Is this what Google was striving for?

I do Agree with you on how Nexus devices are going to present the Android OS the way is was meant to be.

[Chrisy]

NO I'm sick and tired of work arounds, rooting, roms, hack, homebrew and jailbreaks. I was an avid hacker but now a days absolutely refuse to alter my devices in any way. It gets tired and played out. I'm now of the opinion that it should work the way I want it out the box.

BTW I'm the last person that needs to be schooled on how to customize Android devices after almost thee years as an Android user.

This is how I've become! I used to think it was fun to mess with my phones. It really was a hobby. But for the past while I just want to use the darn thing, not play and mess with it.

That's why I'm liking BlackBerry again. I don't want to find apps to replace the native functions I use on it.

Whatver platform does the most of what I need ill go with.

[omniusovermind]

NO I'm sick and tired of work arounds, rooting, roms, hack, homebrew and jailbreaks. I was an avid hacker but now a days absolutely refuse to alter my devices in any way. It gets tired and played out. I'm now of the opinion that it should work the way I want it out the box.

BTW I'm the last person that needs to be schooled on how to customize Android devices after almost thee years as an Android user.

whew! someone's grumpy today!

ok fine. But just FYI, if you use Doomlord's basically one-click root, then within a few really quick and easy minutes you'll be rooted. Then install titanium backup (which as an avid android rooter, you already know is a great app), and use it to freeze all of the bloatware. That'll take you maybe 10 more easy minutes to sift through. I can even help you make it even easier by linking you doomlord's rooting thread, along with the lists of stuff that can safely be frozen using TiBu, I bookmarked it all from XDA's site. I did all of that, then I installed a custom launcher (currently using L7 because I just like it). Then went back into TiBu one more time and froze the actual Blur launcher itself so that L7 runs as its own launcher rather than on top of Blur.

The Atrix is freaking fast now. Very little time and effort. The payoff? I basically spent a total of 45 minutes doing everything, BUT that included finding info for myself. You see, I'm NOT an avid rooter. And it still only took me that long my first time trying it. Someone like you will have it done in less time than you spend making a full pot of coffee, and it was easy for a newbie like me even.

Nothing like the bootloader unlocking runaround you're talking about. I did that as well afterwards, but then I discovered I didn't need to bother because I'm not flashing custom ROM's. By the way, my experience with XDA's horrible and outdated tutorials available for unlocking the Atrix made that part of my day a royally painful process. I can't blame you for being pissed about that part if your experience was anything like mine.

[Chrisy]

LOL @grumpy!!

[papped]

Your average user (the largest percentage of buyers) aren't going to work around anything...

Also open source doesn't really have anything to do with it. HTC has been skinning their phones with sense since windows mobile 6...