Database Users

Behind the scene: Developement of the Galaxy S

Cool read.
JULY 01, 2010 06:31
When Apple launched its new smartphone iPhone 4 June 8, Samsung Electronics released its smartphone Galaxy S without prior notice.
The Korean electronics maker said, “This is the culmination of our company’s 20-year history of handset manufacturing.”
People in and out of the company said Samsung timed the release with Apple’s launch of the iPhone 4 to compete squarely with Apple. Aware of the “Apple shock” triggered by the iPhone’s entry into Korea in November last year, Samsung reacted in an orderly manner this time to prevent a recurrence, experts said.
Many people wonder what happened inside of the company after the shock.
○ Paradigm shift in product development
The Dong-A Ilbo interviewed Monday Kim Hak-sang, director of the platform development department in the company’s wireless division who led the development of the Galaxy S, and Ahn Won-ik, head of a software platform group at Digital City of Samsung Electronics in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Kim led hardware development and Ahn software development.
A task force to develop the Galaxy S was set up in October last year shortly before the iPhone arrived on the Korean market. The team designed the hardware at first, but had difficulty choosing an operating system.
Kim said, “We applied many operating systems and concluded that consumers and mobile carriers want Google’s Android.”
The task force is different from the previous handset development team in the company’s wireless division. Samsung allowed flexibility in its guidelines on developing new products.
Ahn said, “In the past, there were clear guidelines for product development and they never changed, so what we had to do was to strictly follow the guidelines. This time, however, they are constantly changing.”
“From the beginning of development, we sent a prototype to power users not only in Korea but also in the U.S. and European countries and based on their feedback, we’ve improved the product.”
The sense of touch and electricity consumption were improved based on such feedback.
By actively incorporating opinions of the product planning and marketing departments, the team changed the smartphone’s design seven times.
The timing of the release was set, but developers were embarrassed because of constantly changing guidelines.
Ahn said, “At one point, we received more than 1,000 pieces of feedback from overseas power users,” adding, “We felt increasingly burdened since we had to choose from them those that deserve attention and discuss whether corrections were necessary.”
○ Big change in decision making
It is difficult to achieve flexible product planning and rapid production at the same time. To meet these two goals, the company simplified the decision-making and reporting processes.
Kim said, “Previously, the staff members in charge submitted well-written reports to executives. Now, they have meetings with staff members with rough draft reports.”
This was to save time in drawing up reports and spend more time developing products.
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I cant seem to post link.

Did they think a lot when they decided to implement the toyish plastics on that -brilliant in other aspects- phone?

One thing to consider about that back everyone complains about. I've read that it is carbon fiber. It does look like it. If it is true, that is a very strong material and considered high end in automobile design to give strength and lighten the weight. And not cheap.

ewingr said:
One thing to consider about that back everyone complains about. I've read that it is carbon fiber. It does look like it. If it is true, that is a very strong material and considered high end in automobile design to give strength and lighten the weight. And not cheap.
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I think you're refering to the Captivate version on AT&T which has a carbon fiber pattern on it's battery door. Whether or not it's really carbon fiber I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure all other versions of the SGS are completely plastic.
If I'm wrong and the casing is made of carbon fiber, that'd be one more thing to add to the checklist for this excellent phone.

^ Its a carbon fiber lookalike plastic. Its NOT carbon fiber.

i work with carbon fiber and two reasons i doubt it's carbon fiber
a) cost of CF is high, even in this economy. Last price quote we had was in the $52 sq yard range - and yeah i know samsung would get a much better price, and it's only an approx pc sized at 3X5" but still the cost of it vs the faux CF would be excessive
b) CF shields electrical / radio signals - blocks them as effectively as tin foil or copper sheet
even black colored plastic degrades a radio signal some, as carbon is used as the coloring agent - that's the reason the last phone i bought and was offered in white as one of the options, i went with white

HD3 out in 9 days!

http://www.fudzilla.com/mobiles/mobiles/htc-hd3-out-in-9-days

That is a pretty bad 'article'.
The 'reporter' has worded it such that the reader has no idea which specs are for which device they mention.
Their 'sauce' [sic] mentions AMOLED displays, which in the current market, are a pain to get hold of, and HTC have already mentioned getting different types of screen (such as the Sony one a commenter has said) rather than use the AMOLED.

Well it's coming out anyway in the near future shame I still got another year on my contract.. The specs that have been mentioned seem very impressive I'm not sure about an even slighlty bigger screen it's big enough ain't it?

I bet my life that thats fake.

edved said:
http://www.fudzilla.com/mobiles/mobiles/htc-hd3-out-in-9-days
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From what little evidence there is out there - at least from what little can be treated as in any way reliable - 15th September MAY be the day of the official announcement, with the actual device available some time thereafter.
One 'sauce' reckons an O2 spreadsheet shows it being available from mid-October.
Being little more than a month away from release - perhaps - I might have thought there would be more noise about WPS7, or am I just missing it? If locked down like the bright boys say it will be, WPS7 may be a killer - nice device or not. Backward compatability with WM6.5 anyone?

Gustopher said:
From what little evidence there is out there - at least from what little can be treated as in any way reliable - 15th September MAY be the day of the official announcement, with the actual device available some time thereafter.
One 'sauce' reckons an O2 spreadsheet shows it being available from mid-October.
Being little more than a month away from release - perhaps - I might have thought there would be more noise about WPS7, or am I just missing it? If locked down like the bright boys say it will be, WPS7 may be a killer - nice device or not. Backward compatability with WM6.5 anyone?
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I'm still in two minds about WPS7. I'm awaiting a play with one before a verdict

edved said:
http://www.fudzilla.com/mobiles/mobiles/htc-hd3-out-in-9-days
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I'm really not worried about the launch on the HD3 to be honest. It's likely to have initial problems and updates will inevitable. I'll hang on for the length of my contract and get one when it's up? I'm sure some clever cooks gonna run the os on an HD2 anywez?

Gustopher said:
From what little evidence there is out there - at least from what little can be treated as in any way reliable - 15th September MAY be the day of the official announcement, with the actual device available some time thereafter.
One 'sauce' reckons an O2 spreadsheet shows it being available from mid-October.
Being little more than a month away from release - perhaps - I might have thought there would be more noise about WPS7, or am I just missing it? If locked down like the bright boys say it will be, WPS7 may be a killer - nice device or not. Backward compatability with WM6.5 anyone?
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o2 sais that the hd2 was going to be mid oct last year, ended up being nearly end of novemeber so id take that with a very large pinch of salt

"according to our source from the queen vic pub" - lool. I call bull**** on this article

davebobson said:
"according to our source from the queen vic pub" - lool. I call bull**** on this article
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+1 I call shenanigans

Very Interesting, but a big but....
Looking at another article the specs seem resonable, except I do not believe the dual core bit (Two major steps in one phone?)
Otherwise it looks like a phine with peppersauce and a cream-vanillasauce on top to soften things.
I am worried about stability and performance (New OS, Bigger screen [375 Kpix vs 1000 Kpix], probably - as HTC-usual- no good graphic drivers, Dual-core?)
If as usual the graphics drivers suck again, screen will be slower as on HD, as there are almost 3 times the amount of pixels to manipulate while the proc only delivers about 1.4 times HD2 capacity.
Stability will be an issue as combining new Operating system, new techniques and new processors, probably new gui over WP7 rarely integrate without major issues.
Glad I just hava a proven good phone, I will let the new techniques cristallize to stability before I will buy one.

Fake Fake and Fake

All we have to do is wait and see for it to come out, just appreciate what u've got for now!

I think this is too good to be true. Just me.

I'm going to take a punt and offer an opinion - nothing more.
I think the announcement date is probably genuine - the timing feels about right - and I suspect that the specs aren't too far off the mark, although I certainly wouldn't treat them as gospel.
The timing of RTM is much trickier and may be the alarm bell that should convince me that this is fake. If it is to be a WPS7 device, an October release is rather early given that MS seem to be suggesting availability of WPS7 from December...last I looked anyway.
So I think there is a germ of truth submerged in a moderate quantity of bull excreta. Happy to be proved wrong either way though!

Wouldnt it make alot more business sence to drum up interest and market the phone pre-releases?
THis is not going to be released in such a short time frame just like hd2 release drag it out and you get more ppl interested

Feck off (and i have to write this to bulk up my reply)

Wp7 doesn't support this resolution
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

You do realize that the way the OP titled the thread the release will always be nine days away don't you?

Airborne Aircrew said:
You do realize that the way the OP titled the thread the release will always be nine days away don't you?
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unless they plan on editing it and counting down.........
by the time its released we'll be at about -34 days.............

All Things Gingerbread (aka Android 2.3 [not 3.0])

I thought it might be good to have a central place to post information about Gingerbread for the Dinc. I am thinking we can use this thread primarily as a clearinghouse for "news", speculation, rumors, etc.
I remember the way Verizon and HTC left us twisting in the wind for months with Froyo, forcing users into wild speculation and a lot of useless "inside information". Use this thread as you see fit. I would ask, however, that you do your best to include a citation and/or weblink for information you provide here to help users decide the value of your information.
I imagine the devs will have their own ROM/Theme/Kernel-specific information regarding Gingerbread in those threads so obviously check there also.

Senior Member "DS36" posted some information this morning regarding Gingerbread in a thread I started yesterday asking if we should start a Gingerbread. Here is his comment from that other thread:
"Yes start the thread
The .32 source codes for has just been released"
Thank you, DS36, for providing this information. Apologies in advance for cutting and pasting from your original post.

ptgay49 said:
Senior Member "DS36" posted some information this morning regarding Gingerbread in a thread I started yesterday asking if we should start a Gingerbread. Here is his comment from that other thread:
"Yes start the thread
The .32 source codes for has just been released"
Thank you, DS36, for providing this information. Apologies in advance for cutting and pasting from your original post.
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not a problem thanks for the new thread
lets all get excited and hungry mmm mmm gingerbread

DS36 said:
not a problem thanks for the new thread
lets all get excited and hungry mmm mmm gingerbread
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drooling already

Posted on Android Community Website on 11-15-2010
Eric Schmidt Demos Nexus S Running Gingerbread
15 November 2010 by Dylan Bailey
Google CEO Eric Schmidt was on stage at the Web 2.0 Summit and then all of the sudden he pulled out one of the most talked about phones of the last few weeks: The Nexus S. He didn’t go into much detail, he even left out which manufacturer is making the Nexus S, even though it’s very obvious.
While he was on stage he also mentioned that Android 2.3 should be out in the “next few weeks” and Google TV integration with major networks is going well.

I believe I'm excited
ptgay49 said:
Eric Schmidt Demos Nexus S Running Gingerbread
15 November 2010 by Dylan Bailey
Google CEO Eric Schmidt was on stage at the Web 2.0 Summit and then all of the sudden he pulled out one of the most talked about phones of the last few weeks: The Nexus S. He didn’t go into much detail, he even left out which manufacturer is making the Nexus S, even though it’s very obvious.
While he was on stage he also mentioned that Android 2.3 should be out in the “next few weeks” and Google TV integration with major networks is going well.
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Sent from my Incredible using XDA App

I just realized the minimum requirements for gingerbread are what our phones have do you think this may mean well miss updates after 2.3?
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App

Gahh Its Lee said:
I just realized the minimum requirements for gingerbread are what our phones have do you think this may mean well miss updates after 2.3?
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App
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The hero and Eris have froyo....
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

@Lee Like any great phone, this one is becoming obsolete. Some time after 2.3, our contracts will start to be up for renewal and we will get the next latest, greatest phone just like this one once was. It's a vicious cycle that never ends. But with advances in operating systems, there will always be advances in hardware. Who knows, our next phone may have a quad core processor. Let's just hope battery technology advances lol.
sent from my Incredible running cyanogenmod 6.1 with a quadrant score of 1453.

^
Good point. Since the Dinc is my first smart phone, it seems like I'll want to use it "forever". But with electronic gadgets changing and, for the most part, improving so rapidly, I guess that is not realistic.
My goal is to brick my Dinc exactly 730 days after I bought it.

jbrowning37 said:
@Lee Like any great phone, this one is becoming obsolete. Some time after 2.3, our contracts will start to be up for renewal and we will get the next latest, greatest phone just like this one once was. It's a vicious cycle that never ends. But with advances in operating systems, there will always be advances in hardware. Who knows, our next phone may have a quad core processor. Let's just hope battery technology advances lol.
sent from my Incredible running cyanogenmod 6.1 with a quadrant score of 1453.
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Personally, I believe the DINC will still be able to handle a couple more updates with ease. If you look at lower end phones like the G1, Hero, Eris, etc, there will always be those awesome devs tweaking the code to make certain phones work, even if the update wasn't specifically made for a particular model( i.e ERIS and the froyo uodate.)

I just love my dinc. I actually got mine rather recently and I doubt ill ever wanna give it up. Although I will throw it off the bridge if I can get a quad core lol.
Random extra thought... What is the word of dual core phones? I remember reading something about some phones possibly being made with dual core.
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App

Gahh Its Lee said:
I just love my dinc. I actually got mine rather recently and I doubt ill ever wanna give it up. Although I will throw it off the bridge if I can get a quad core lol.
Random extra thought... What is the word of dual core phones? I remember reading something about some phones possibly being made with dual core.
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App
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Chips go on market in 2011
Dual 1.3 and 1.5s
Plus most high end phones should sports samoled in 2011
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

I want a new phone now...

Looks like Google won't be waiting for the Nexus S to debut GB..
Now that the Google Nexus S has been delayed, the reasons for which are still unknown, could Android 2.3 Gingerbread make its debut on the Google Nexus One instead — the handset that also intro’d Android 2.1 and 2.2?
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I think in the next couple weeks, Gingerbread droid should be dancing around on phones. Just in time for the holidays!

News Article from the Pop Herald dated 11-21-2010
Windows Phone 7 and Android (Gingerbread preparation) Marketplace updates
November 21, 2010 By Joan Lee
Android’s upcoming update with codename “gingerbread” still unavailable, but report says Android marketplace will get few tweaks before the launch. Plus, Windows Phone 7 catching up with new apps.
Google’s mobile OS, the Android 2.3 with codename “Gingerbread,” is just around the corner. And before its launch, reports say few changes on Android’s marketplace interface for developers were seen.
This only means one thing, more “cool” apps for Gingerbread are possible.
There were improvements last week called ”Recent changes” for applications. In this new section, users can now see the details of every changes made with the app. For example, if the developer creates one new feature like “share,” the update log made will be visible to the user who wants to download it.
In the Android developers interface, a 325 characters of space is now available, where app creators can mention bug fixes, support for additional languages, new options, and more.
Users can also feel the application “more” with the developer requirement of 1024×500-pixel graphic, plus a YouTube video link. With a bigger resolution, users can see a bigger screenshot of the app, plus developers can now add videos to give users more insights like how-to and preview. Perfect for game apps.
These updates are expected to give the Android apps more purchases, more profits and more fun (for the buyers).

News Article from slashgear.com 11-24-2010
Andy Rubin to release Android 2.3 Gingerbread on Dec 6?
By Chris Davies on Wed Nov 24th, 2010
Speculation is mounting that Google will launch Android 2.3 Gingerbread on December 6, when project mastermind Andy Rubin is expected to take the stage at the “D: Dive Into Mobile” show in San Francisco. The prediction, says IntoMobile, fits in with Google CEO’s Eric Schmidt’s suggestion that Gingerbread would see a release in the next few weeks; Rubin’s appearance will be three weeks from Schmidt’s confirmation earlier this month.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread will roll out to the Google Nexus One initially, and then it will be up to individual manufacturers to put their development money where their mouths have been and deliver updates to their handsets. As we’ve seen with previous Android updates, however, the timescale for that will likely vary from weeks through to months.
NOTE BY POSTER ptgay49: That last sentence is a buzz kill.

What new features are in 2.3?

Not much worried about it.. owning a incredible with the developers in xda 's forums it won't be long after release to having it running on my phone..super pumped about it though
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Gingerbread Features
dpwhitty11 said:
What new features are in 2.3?
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Article found on androidandme.com dated 11-25-2010
Now Andy Rubin, the godfather of Android, is scheduled to speak at D: Dive Into Mobile on December 6th and everyone is speculating that might be the magic day for the Android 2.3 announcement.
We can’t say for sure what he will talk about or possibly announce, but as we get closer to the launch of Gingerbread more and more features are starting to leak out. Read on after the jump for 12 features that could be appearing in the next release of Android.
1. Tweaked UI
It doesn’t sound like the Android UI is getting a complete overhaul till Honeycomb, but Gingerbread will include some small tweaks. The notification bar at the top of the screen has gone from white to black, the launcher buttons are now green instead of translucent, and many of the native app icons have received a makeover.
Most of the existing native apps will also look slightly updated thanks to tweaks with the styling of menus, check boxes, and radio buttons as leaked in the last Google Maps update. Other small tweaks include new animations when you swipe across the desktop and when you power off the display (as reported by Phandroid).
2. Near Field Communications (NFC)
We first reported back in October that Samsung’s Google experience phone would support MasterCard PayPass, and then last week Eric Schmidt confirmed that Gingerbread would support Near Field Communication (NFC).
NFC is a short-range, high frequency wireless communication technology that only operates when two devices are about 4 inches apart. It is basically just another form of electronic identification except the ID is tied to a bank or credit card company. All the user needs to do is just setup their account then tap their phone to a wireless payment pad and complete the transaction.
Eric Schmidt said that in the future your phone could replace your credit card, so you can see how important this is to Google and their partners.
Opponents of NFC say it might fail because it is too complex and big companies will fight over who owns the point of control for the transaction, but if Google is going to make this a standard feature on all future Gingerbread phones then we think that ensures it will at least move the mobile payment standard forward.
MasterCard has not been confirmed as a NFC partner, but I think there is a good chance they are on board in addition to some other payment companies like PayPal.
3. New Motion Control APIs
True 1:1 motion processing is coming to Gingerbread thanks to InvenSense, the company behind the MEMS gyroscope sensor found in the Nintendo Wii MotionPlus controller.
Gyroscope sensors have already appeared in some phones like the Samsung Galaxy S, but Android 2.3 will add new sensor fusion APIs including quaternion, rotation matrix, linear acceleration and gravity. These new tools will open the door to all kinds of motion controls for augmented reality apps, games, navigation systems, and camera improvements like image stabilization.
See our previous post for a video with several real-world demos.
4. Native Video Chat
In his last interview, Andy Rubin hinted that native video chat was coming to the next version of Android. “We support video chat today, with Google Talk Video. It works on the desktop. Whether that can be repurposed and made appropriate for sipping bandwidth for mobile, it’s an exercise that’s underway.”
If Mr. Rubin is willing to admit that it’s underway, that tells me the project could be nearing completion and already in the testing phases.
It looks like all the high-end phones coming in the next few months will include front-facing cameras so this is another sign that Android is ready for a native video sharing app to connect all these devices.
5. New Android Market
Google has been telling us for awhile that a new Android Market was coming and recently said new features could appear in the next few weeks. The Android Market can be updated separately from the operating system, but the timing tells us the new Market could be tied to the release of Gingerbread.
Confirmed features for the new Android Market include YouTube video previews, parental controls, PayPal payments, and new high-res promotion graphics that sound like they will be used on the desktop browser version of the Market.
At the Google I/O Developer Conference we attended back in May, Vic Gundotra demonstrated the browser version of the Market that was being tested. See the video below for an idea of what to expect.
6. Google Music
As you can see from the video above, Google is also working on a music streaming service for Android. They launched a music search service earlier this year and hoped to get their music store opened before Christmas, but the latest reports say it might be delayed till 2011. Apparently the music labels are still negotiating with Google on how their “digital locker” will store purchased music, but maybe they come to an agreement this year.
This is coming sooner or later so if it doesn’t make it into Gingerbread then I expect we will see it early next year when Honeycomb tablets are revealed.
7. Support For More Large Screen Devices
On the Android Device Dashboard there is a report where Google displays the different screen sizes and densities of devices that access the Android Market. The Large category is currently blank, but look for more big screen devices like tablets to be officially supported in Android 2.3. This means we could see more 7-inch tablets like the Galaxy Tab (1024 x 600) get certified and maybe a few other resolutions for the new smartphone displays that are rumored to be coming.
We have also heard that Google might relax the rules of their Compatibility Definition Document and allow non-3G devices to be certified. No WiFi-only devices have been certified to use the Android Market yet, but Android 2.3 should hopefully change that.
In a somewhat related note, I believe this is the reason the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab was delayed till next year so that Samsung could make sure that Google allowed them to ship it with the Android Market.
8. Virtual Keyboard Enhancements
Google recently acquired hot startup BlindType to improve their virtual keyboard and we are hearing the enhancements might be coming as soon as Gingerbread. The old company website is now down, but you can still see a demo of their technology on YouTube.
What is BlindType? It is a revolutionary system that:
Eliminates touch typing frustrations
Allows for super sloppy typing
Helps you type easier and faster
Constantly adjusts to the user’s “perceived” keyboard and typing style
Just type the way you are used to – no gestures, nothing new to learn!
9. Support for WebM and VP8
We know that support for WebM and the VP8 video format are coming to Gingerbread because Google and the WebM team have told us this.
WebM is defined on the official project page as, “An open media file format designed for the web. WebM files consist of video streams compressed with the VP8 video codec and audio streams compressed with the Vorbis audio codec. The WebM file structure is based on the Matroska media container. Though video is also now core to the web experience, there is unfortunately no open and free video format that is on par with the leading commercial choices. To that end, we started the WebM project, a broadly-backed community effort to develop an open web media format.”
YouTube now offers WebM videos as part of its HTML5 player experiment. Logitech and Skype are also working with the format for future video calling services.
10. New YouTube With Broadcasting
As we get near the end of the list some of these possible features might be a stretch, but there are still hints that new YouTube features are coming. Phandroid reported that Gingerbread will have a new YouTube app and we know that they are also testing their new live broadcasting platform.
If you look at how important video will be to the upcoming Gingerbread experience, then it is not too hard to imagine that YouTube will allow live broadcasting from your phone similar to Qik or Ustream.
The next generation of superphones will include dual-core processors that support 1080p video streaming and also have speedy 4G connections, so the hardware is definitely going to be there to make it happen.
11. Google Me or Social Gaming Network
Google recently denied the reports they were working on a Facebook competitor called Google Me, but all the signs are there that Google is working on a way to bring together all their social services. TechCrunch reported that Google’s master pitchman Vic Gundotra was being placed in charge of the project, so we expect big things from him.
Andy Rubin hinted that Gingerbread would include improvements for gaming in a previous interview. “I think gaming is an area that I think is underserved right now. If we were to carefully look at what new features and functionalities in the platform that we would need to support all forms of gaming across the entire spectrum, I think that would probably be an interesting thing to pay attention to.”
A number of recent acquisitions and partner agreements might also play a role in this social gaming platform. In the last year Google acquired LabPixies for $25 million (an Israeli startup that made web games), Jambool for $70 million (makers of a virtual currenty platform), Slide for $182 million (Facebook games developer), and invested $100-200 million in Zynga (makers of Farmville).
Apple’s Game Center and platforms like Open Feint have really raised the bar for social gaming, so Google will have to release something soon if they want to catch up.
12. Flagship Phone – Nexus S
Finally, what good is a brand new operating system unless you have a flagship product that can show off all the new features. That device is the Samsung Nexus S which is widely expected to be released alongside Android 2.3. Google’s CEO recently demoed the phone to show off its NFC capabilities, so hopefully we see the device soon.
The Nexus S was originally planned to launch at Best Buy on November 11th, but then TechCrunch reported a serious hardware issue had caused a delay. One of our tipsters said the original Samsung Nexus S was scrapped for a newer dual-core version, which shocked many people because they did not expect Samsung to have a dual-core phone this year, but another trusted source also confirmed that Samsung had such a device in testing.
Conclusion
In the next few weeks we should hopefully get an official list of new Android 2.3 features from Google, but don’t be surprised if Andy Rubin doesn’t announce anything on December 6th.
Google and Samsung already missed the rumored launch date, so they could delay this project till next year in order to iron out all the launch details. Some would say that Samsung has rushed their recent Android products to market without properly testing them (aka GPS issues), so I have no problem with them taking as long as they need.
I would love a taste of Gingerbread for Christmas, but if waiting till next year gets me a fully functional dual-core Nexus S then I’m all for waiting.
How do you think Android 2.3 is shaping up so far? Does this sound like a worthy update, or do you hope that Google is packing in even more exciting features? What other types of improvements would you like to see included with Android 2.3?

Notion Ink Loves XDA Developers!

Dear All,
Happy Republic Day to the world! India is one of the better examples of the Democratic Countries in the world. None is as diverse and complex to understand as India is. I have always felt, it’s not a country but continent in itself, sometimes for the good and for the bad. The good part comes when we see and observe the variations in languages, cultures and history. And the bad part comes when I see a division, more states, communal fights, etc. It’s a mixed experience to be here, because from Switzerland to Sahara desert, India has its own instance of every climate, ecological balance or geographic state. This reminds me of one instance when we were making reliability report. We suggested that device should work from -3 to 50 DegC and our Chinese counterpart said, no city will have that temperature range. We told them, Delhi is our capital!
Coming back to the quick updates:
* All next batches will have the updates pre-installed. Our team will get in touch with all the individual customers and help them install the update, so there are no ‘bricking’ issues.
* Next Order stage is starting soon. We are just ensuring that from Mastercard to Banking issues would not be there this time.
* All the members of the NotionAddicts, NotionInkHacks, NotionInkFan and those who commented before 22nd of January WILL be the part of the next pre-order.
* Few blogs reported about the source of Mail’d. I remember posted either in blog or comments, that Mail’d, is indeed based on K9 and is an open source application, and along with the K9 source, our work will also be there in the source code. Jesse (K9 Project Founder) and we at Notion Ink are thrilled with the opportunities of working together.
* XDA community, we love you!
* Chinese New Year is coming, and we are ensuring that the vendors doesn’t loosen up :|
We are waiting to release some information on Adam 2 (which will take 9 months from now!). It is going to be an exciting piece of engineering and we will surprise the world by making everyone sleeping in their beds a part of it! We will release the road map, timelines and other details. This time, we will make it with you!
With Warm Regards
Rohan Shravan
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That's refreshing.
The NI Adam, a truly open device it seems.

When i preordered my Adam (29th group), i new i could come here and get a fixed, tuned rom, it makes me wonder if Notion Ink had the same idea. Use XDA community to impove the Adam.

I think that is what open is all about, not just greed for money and power, but collaboration to make something even better.
It's a big thing when you don't let things get into your head and recognize other's work.
Very down to earth. Looking forward to what's to come next!
Thanks for sharing,
-CC

Even if Eden sucks, and the device has software issues, as long as the device is kept open, the community will not really care to much because there will always be the option of having custom roms and the like. Notion Ink has made an amazing piece of hardware, and they should be proud of that.

I was really amazed at the love XDA got from Notion INK +10 for them in my book. I can't wait for production to be in full swing!

NI just doesn't love us as much as Notioninkhacks, notioninkaddicts etc... no preorder love at all of XDA . I mean, there's only how many XDA members?

Root?

Is root going to be possible for this phone?
Sent from my SM-G950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Once kernel source is released, it's very likely. Essential said they'd be releasing that soon in their AMA.

gk1984 said:
Once kernel source is released, it's very likely. Essential said they'd be releasing that soon in their AMA.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for answering I happy to hear it I heard this is great now except for the camera app.
Sent from my SM-G950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app

gk1984 said:
Once kernel source is released, it's very likely. Essential said they'd be releasing that soon in their AMA.
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Click to collapse
Keep in mind, Essential said repeatedly, week after week, while the phone was delayed 90 days beyond when they first said it would be released, that it would be "coming soon."
And they said recently that Oreo would come in the next couple months, which they described as "soon."
And the since it went up in May the website has said that the Stellar Grey and Ocean Depths colors would be "available soon." Even though in the AMA they admitted that they had no idea when those colors would be availalbe and in fact they don't even know how to get ceramic to be those colors, with their attempts so far failing (in other words, they said "available soon" for something they don't actually know how to make).
So Essential's idea of "soon" tends to be months and/or never. And, really, Essential seems to just say "soon" whenever anything is not ready, but they don't want people to go away, so instead they say "soon" to the point of meaninglessness, because they are unable to be honest about what's really going on.
I'm not saying they won't release the kernel source. I'm just saying their promises about when something might happen are empty and "soon" is just used as a delaying tactic.

cb474 said:
Keep in mind, Essential said repeatedly, week after week, while the phone was delayed 90 days beyond when they first said it would be released, that it would be "coming soon."
And they said recently that Oreo would come in the next couple months, which they described as "soon."
And the since it went up in May the website has said that the Stellar Grey and Ocean Depths colors would be "available soon." Even though in the AMA they admitted that they had no idea when those colors would be availalbe and in fact they don't even know how to get ceramic to be those colors, with their attempts so far failing (in other words, they said "available soon" for something they don't actually know how to make).
So Essential's idea of "soon" tends to be months and/or never. And, really, Essential seems to just say "soon" whenever anything is not ready, but they don't want people to go away, so instead they say "soon" to the point of meaninglessness, because they are unable to be honest about what's really going on.
I'm not saying they won't release the kernel source. I'm just saying their promises about when something might happen are empty and "soon" is just used as a delaying tactic.
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Click to collapse
The AMA said "a couple days" so it might be sooner than "soon"

I guess expected to much because Andy Rubin was involved. The whole internet is saying essential was released too soon, that they should have worked out all the bugs first.
Sent from my SM-G950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app

canynballa said:
I guess expected to much because Andy Rubin was involved. The whole internet is saying essential was released too soon, that they should have worked out all the bugs first.
Sent from my SM-G950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
It really was. That and them being severely understaffed, not a good combination.

What really bugs me is releasing kernel is a matter of a clicking a button and they have yet to click that upload button. Very frustrating. I have tried reaching out to them on Facebook and Twitter but there has been zero word from essential or Andy since the AMA. Their silence is troubling

I had the phone and really like the build quality.
What disappointed me was that no source released, so no customs recovery.
No image so you could return the phone back to stock.
No cases.
I sent it back and will see what V2 looks like.

hellot1M said:
What really bugs me is releasing kernel is a matter of a clicking a button and they have yet to click that upload button. Very frustrating. I have tried reaching out to them on Facebook and Twitter but there has been zero word from essential or Andy since the AMA. Their silence is troubling
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I'm not Android technical but wasn't there mention of proprietary assets mingled it and would need to be removed? Also read somewhere that OnePlus released theirs but it was still hard to create kernels because of the way they released the source. I think it was someone on the AMA thread.
*edit*
C&P from the AMA below. Doesn't specifically mention kernel....
[–]AmirZ 8 points 11 days ago
So, ROM development. Can you commit to releasing ALL of your framework sources like Google does with AOSP and Nexus? One frustration with OnePlus is that their released sources are missing parts and thus work a lot worse than their real OS (OxygenOS).
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[–]EssentialOfficial 13 points 11 days ago
This actually turns out to be really hard technically. We're going to try to do more and more of this over time but ensuring you separate out any close source proprietary bits from the rest, but that things still work well is a big challenge. -Rebecca

flakko86 said:
The AMA said "a couple days" so it might be sooner than "soon"
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Click to collapse
Looking at it, it actually says, " We'll be releasing our kernel and factory images in the next few days." So, it says, "the next few days." And yet that was eleven days ago.
Another example of playing fast and loose with what I think anybody's idea of "few days" would be. Hopefully it will come soon. My point is only that people should not place much faith in Essential's statements about timing. They have only made promises and failed to keep them, just about without exception. It is not a good track record and part of why after my initial hopes and excitement about Essential, I now view them as an "essentially" dishonest company whose intentions are much less honorable than they claim.
This would all be more or less par for the course, for a big corporation spouting empty PR. But Andy Rubin, when he first introduced the phone, did this whole song and dance about how they were going to be a different sort of consumer friendly company. I no longer believe that at all. I no longer even believe that Rubin believed it when he said it. I think it was PR and nothing more.
---------- Post added at 05:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------
gqukyo said:
I'm not Android technical but wasn't there mention of proprietary assets mingled it and would need to be removed? Also read somewhere that OnePlus released theirs but it was still hard to create kernels because of the way they released the source. I think it was someone on the AMA thread.
*edit*
C&P from the AMA below. Doesn't specifically mention kernel....
[–]AmirZ 8 points 11 days ago
So, ROM development. Can you commit to releasing ALL of your framework sources like Google does with AOSP and Nexus? One frustration with OnePlus is that their released sources are missing parts and thus work a lot worse than their real OS (OxygenOS).
permalinkembedsavereportgive goldREPLYpocket
[–]EssentialOfficial 13 points 11 days ago
This actually turns out to be really hard technically. We're going to try to do more and more of this over time but ensuring you separate out any close source proprietary bits from the rest, but that things still work well is a big challenge. -Rebecca
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I remember this. I was thinking when I first read that: Why don't they just open source the proprietary parts and problem solved? Rubin claimed this company is all about open source. That's part of his legacy with Android. He made a big point about how they are even open sourcing the hardware for module development. In fact, since they claimed the phone runs entirely stock Android I was suprised there even are proprietary parts. So to me rather than being an explanation, that was another example of the discrepancy between Essential's claims about what kind of company it is and the reality of the sort of company it really is.

cb474 said:
Yes, I remember this. I was thinking when I first read that: Why don't they just open source the proprietary parts and problem solved? Rubin claimed this company is all about open source. That's part of his legacy with Android. He made a big point about how they are even open sourcing the hardware for module development. In fact, since they claimed the phone runs entirely stock Android I was suprised there even are proprietary parts. So to me rather than being an explanation, that was another example of the discrepancy between Essential's claims about what kind of company it is and the reality of the sort of company it really is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not good.

cb474 said:
Looking at it, it actually says, " We'll be releasing our kernel and factory images in the next few days." So, it says, "the next few days." And yet that was eleven days ago.
Another example of playing fast and loose with what I think anybody's idea of "few days" would be. Hopefully it will come soon. My point is only that people should not place much faith in Essential's statements about timing. They have only made promises and failed to keep them, just about without exception. It is not a good track record and part of why after my initial hopes and excitement about Essential, I now view them as an "essentially" dishonest company whose intentions are much less honorable than they claim.
This would all be more or less par for the course, for a big corporation spouting empty PR. But Andy Rubin, when he first introduced the phone, did this whole song and dance about how they were going to be a different sort of consumer friendly company. I no longer believe that at all. I no longer even believe that Rubin believed it when he said it. I think it was PR and nothing more.
---------- Post added at 05:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------
Yes, I remember this. I was thinking when I first read that: Why don't they just open source the proprietary parts and problem solved? Rubin claimed this company is all about open source. That's part of his legacy with Android. He made a big point about how they are even open sourcing the hardware for module development. In fact, since they claimed the phone runs entirely stock Android I was suprised there even are proprietary parts. So to me rather than being an explanation, that was another example of the discrepancy between Essential's claims about what kind of company it is and the reality of the sort of company it really is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta have that special sauce... lol

cb474 said:
Looking at it, it actually says, " We'll be releasing our kernel and factory images in the next few days." So, it says, "the next few days." And yet that was eleven days ago.
Another example of playing fast and loose with what I think anybody's idea of "few days" would be. Hopefully it will come soon. My point is only that people should not place much faith in Essential's statements about timing. They have only made promises and failed to keep them, just about without exception. It is not a good track record and part of why after my initial hopes and excitement about Essential, I now view them as an "essentially" dishonest company whose intentions are much less honorable than they claim.
This would all be more or less par for the course, for a big corporation spouting empty PR. But Andy Rubin, when he first introduced the phone, did this whole song and dance about how they were going to be a different sort of consumer friendly company. I no longer believe that at all. I no longer even believe that Rubin believed it when he said it. I think it was PR and nothing more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol well to look at it in a more positive light, I think the issue is he has a tendency to over promise and leave use twiddling our thumbs. Considering they are a relatively new company and are severely understaffed, the overpromising can be forgiven. However, when missing the said dates, there is barely any follow-up as to why the dates were missed leading to major concern for the customers. I think saying anything is better than silence. Like at least tell us that such and such update promised on such and such date has been moved.
On the plus side, during the AMA, VZW cert was promised and it was certified on the date promised. The recent security patch was released with bug fixes within a day of the Pixel. They have definitely improved thier presence on reddit which I think is a huge plus. They also have said on Twitter a couple hours ago that they are currently working on a Dev page for their website.
https://twitter.com/essential/status/912424863951810560
So calling them dishonest or not honorable or saying they aren't customer friendly I think is a bit of a stretch. I think they are still super swamped after getting knocked down from the initial release and are trying their darndest to get back on their feet so they can stay in the fight. Yes, I am giving them the benefit of a doubt but I think once Essential gets over this initial launch hurdle, promised timings will be a little more "on time" than they currently are.

flakko86 said:
Lol well to look at it in a more positive light, I think the issue is he has a tendency to over promise and leave use twiddling our thumbs. Considering they are a relatively new company and are severely understaffed, the overpromising can be forgiven. However, when missing the said dates, there is barely any follow-up as to why the dates were missed leading to major concern for the customers. I think saying anything is better than silence. Like at least tell us that such and such update promised on such and such date has been moved.
On the plus side, during the AMA, VZW cert was promised and it was certified on the date promised. The recent security patch was released with bug fixes within a day of the Pixel. They have definitely improved thier presence on reddit which I think is a huge plus. They also have said on Twitter a couple hours ago that they are currently working on a Dev page for their website.
https://twitter.com/essential/status/912424863951810560
So calling them dishonest or not honorable or saying they aren't customer friendly I think is a bit of a stretch. I think they are still super swamped after getting knocked down from the initial release and are trying their darndest to get back on their feet so they can stay in the fight. Yes, I am giving them the benefit of a doubt but I think once Essential gets over this initial launch hurdle, promised timings will be a little more "on time" than they currently are.
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Click to collapse
That is a more generous way to look at it.
It's true the Verizon thing is the one thing I'm aware of where they made a promise about when something would happen and did it. I didn't say they never kept their promises. I said they have simply failed to keep them just about without exception. They didn't really promise a specific time on the security updates, as far as I'm aware, but it is good that they did it right away. Anyway, there have been so many promises they have not kept that I'm underwhelmed by the one instance where they did.
But, for me, the thing really is they have been called out repeatedly on tech sites and even in the AMA about their promises and not keeping them. Instead of owning up to that, they just do it again. They have been called out even more on how bad the camera is, especially in low light, and how it's inferior hardware can never live up to the hype. And yet to this day their website still says: "That’s why we put so much effort into developing one of the world’s best phone cameras." And: "This results in stunning images that are rich in color and detail, even in low light." (CNET critized them for keeping this on their website.) The camera was also brought up in the AMA. Rubin's response was hand waving jibberish about "computational photography," which is a technical term for bull**** (isn't, after all, all digital photography "computational"). Rubin also said, " We are pretty happy with the hardware design of the camera," even though the inferior sensors they are using was public knowledge by then. Rubin as recently as four days ago claimed in Time Magazine (http://time.com/4950677/andy-rubin-essential-interview/) that the reviewers received phones with incomplete camera software and that caused the problems, but there have been subsequent updates. This was long after the reviews had been out, the updates had been issued, and all the reviewers said it made little to no difference. This is not honesty. That is engaging knowningly in PR bull and trying to obfuscate something.
It's one thing to overpromise. It's another thing to overpromise and when you are called out on it double down on the overpromising. Further, there is zero way that the engineers within the company who worked on the camera didn't know that they were using sensors that are not as good as the best camera phones, so they knowingly claimed to make "one of the world's best phone cameras" when they knew that couldn't be true. They released the phone with that camera anyway, because there was nothing (much) more to be done.
Lastly, yes they are small and overworked. That seems clear. But even here, in promotional events, over and over, they have hyped the fact that being small makes them more effective and efficient, because there are not a lot of layers of bureaucracy to go through to make decisions and get things done. Yet clearly, being small in Essential's case means there are a lot of things they don't have time to do that well (and may never have time). And they have never said, oh, we're small, be patient. They have said over and over, being small makes us better. So if they weren't out there promoting the benefits of being small in contradiction to the reality, it would be easier to forgive them on this account.
When you add it all up, I just don't buy that it comes down to a simple tendency to overpromise. As they say, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I think they are being knowingly dishonest or, at best, knowingly engaging in PR misdirection to try to mislead people about problems with the phone and company.

cb474 said:
That is a more generous way to look at it.
It's true the Verizon thing is the one thing I'm aware of where they made a promise about when something would happen and did it. I didn't say they never kept their promises. I said they have simply failed to keep them just about without exception. They didn't really promise a specific time on the security updates, as far as I'm aware, but it is good that they did it right away. Anyway, there have been so many promises they have not kept that I'm underwhelmed by the one instance where they did.
But, for me, the thing really is they have been called out repeatedly on tech sites and even in the AMA about their promises and not keeping them. Instead of owning up to that, they just do it again. They have been called out even more on how bad the camera is, especially in low light, and how it's inferior hardware can never live up to the hype. And yet to this day their website still says: "That’s why we put so much effort into developing one of the world’s best phone cameras." And: "This results in stunning images that are rich in color and detail, even in low light." (CNET critized them for keeping this on their website.) The camera was also brought up in the AMA. Rubin's response was hand waving jibberish about "computational photography," which is a technical term for bull**** (isn't, after all, all digital photography "computational"). Rubin also said, " We are pretty happy with the hardware design of the camera," even though the inferior sensors they are using was public knowledge by then. Rubin as recently as four days ago claimed in Time Magazine (http://time.com/4950677/andy-rubin-essential-interview/) that the reviewers received phones with incomplete camera software and that caused the problems, but there have been subsequent updates. This was long after the reviews had been out, the updates had been issued, and all the reviewers said it made little to no difference. This is not honesty. That is engaging knowningly in PR bull and trying to obfuscate something.
It's one thing to overpromise. It's another thing to overpromise and when you are called out on it double down on the overpromising. Further, there is zero way that the engineers within the company who worked on the camera didn't know that they were using sensors that are not as good as the best camera phones, so they knowingly claimed to make "one of the world's best phone cameras" when they knew that couldn't be true. They released the phone with that camera anyway, because there was nothing (much) more to be done.
Lastly, yes they are small and overworked. That seems clear. But even here, in promotional events, over and over, they have hyped the fact that being small makes them more effective and efficient, because there are not a lot of layers of bureaucracy to go through to make decisions and get things done. Yet clearly, being small in Essential's case means there are a lot of things they don't have time to do that well (and may never have time). And they have never said, oh, we're small, be patient. They have said over and over, being small makes us better. So if they weren't out there promoting the benefits of being small in contradiction to the reality, it would be easier to forgive them on this account.
When you add it all up, I just don't buy that it comes down to a simple tendency to overpromise. As they say, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I think they are being knowingly dishonest or, at best, knowingly engaging in PR misdirection to try to mislead people about problems with the phone and company.
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Click to collapse
I remember reading somewhere that someone messaged customer service and the rep said they would try to release the patches within two weeks of google's release.
I agree with you about the camera and how they are handling it. I think the AMA question should have been worded a bit more differently like "You claim to have one if the best cameras in the world but you are using a 2 year old sensor that is known to have problems with capturing images in low light. Other competitors at this price range such as the Google Pixel and the Samsung Galaxy S8 have far superior sensors. Can you really optimize the software that much to compete with them?". Something like that. Anyways, I forgot which reviewer stated it but there's a lot of hubris coming out of this company and I think that's what's causing them to have that "do no wrong" attitude, and Im not a big fan of it.
As for them being a small company, while the downside is not being able to handle handle thousands of orders and customers efficiently especially with a rushed buggy product (of course they will never admit that cuz hubris), im finding more recently that they are starting to frequent Reddit more often and I was assured when I sent the big bug report out, which was responded to in less than a day, that the company monitors the essential subreddit religiously and the software team is and will be referencing that thread. They aren't wrong in their statement about them being a smaller company. They just gotta shoot the issues and suggestions straight to the top making decisions a lot more efficient than a larger company. All I'm saying is let the dust settle from the launch and see how they deal with it the upcoming months

Maybe they'll do better the second time around when they make another phone.
Sent from my SM-G950U using XDA-Developers Legacy app

That's how OnePlus was.... their OPO launch was pretty horrible. They're doing much better now. Still with some hiccups but definitely much better than when they launched their first phone.

canynballa said:
Maybe they'll do better the second time around when they make another phone.
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Click to collapse
Yes, I agree, what will really be telling will be if they incorporate any of the criticisms of the Ph-1 into the Ph-2 (assuming there is a Ph-2).

I received this reply this morning. No dates, but it sounds encouraging.
Erich T (Essential Products)
Sep 27, 9:32 AM MST
Hi Mark,
Thank you for reaching out.
We are going to support the 3rd party developer community by releasing our kernel and factory images. These will be made available soon, but I don't have a confirmed date at this time.
I don't know at this point where they will be uploaded to, but please stay tuned to Essential.com, and our social media channels for announcements.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Erich
Essential Customer Experience Team