Samsung planning Android 1.6 update for Behold II -- but that's it
By Chris Ziegler 
posted May 28th 2010 1:55AM
posted May 28th 2010 1:55AM
That's all well and good, but Samsung goes on to say that "the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6" -- and we've got a serious problem with that wording. We know (and Samsung knows) damn well that they could upgrade the Behold II beyond Android 1.6, considering that the community has managed to shoehorn even Froyo onto prehistoric devices like the Dream; rather, Samsung chooses not to upgrade it beyond Android 1.6. That's a business decision that Samsung has to make, and far be it from us to try to push Sammy into continuing to sink cash into a phone that didn't sell very well -- but the least these guys could do is be honest, face the music, and tell us that's what's going on rather than insulting our collective intelligence and insisting that there's some cosmic force preventing Eclair or Froyo from loading onto a phone that was just released a few months ago. Seriously though, Sammy -- thanks for the Donut, we guess.
Update: We've now received Samsung's official response independently and have it for you after the break.
Samsung Mobile and T-Mobile USA are planning to update the Behold II to Android 1.6 which provides access to Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice Search capability and quick search box for Android. The update will also supply additional benefits including Swype, an improved Media Player, updated core Android applications and improved Bluetooth capabilities. However, the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6.
Damn
@Bud92
what a joke... and they expect us to believe in some i897 model.
@Becauseitsnotgoogle2
No, it proof that Samsung is not smarter than XDA developer.
They just don't want to do it.( SAVE $$$, RIP OFF BETTER)
@Becauseitsnotgoogle2
What the heck are you talking about?! If it proves anything it's that manufacturers shouldn't slap their ugly custom user interfaces on top of Android and that Samsung is lazy!
@annoynimous
Haha nice
I don't think Android fans realize this is going to be standard practice for most (all?) manufacturers for the platform in the long-term. They have no platform to maintain (it's Google's platform) - they only want to sell you hardware. Why should they put time (money) into software upgrades on previously-sold hardware? Particularly when Google and the carrier is busy marketing the latest and greatest device, which is probably made by your competitor?
Get used to it.
@HotFuzz
Hardware only age is fading out. Software became big deal. it is new trend.
Get use to it.
@raiden8383 Heck, I remember upgrading HARDWARE so I could start using a new interface. These days things move so blazingly quick, we get tired of what our phone DOES before what our phone IS. I predict a slowdown in Android though.
@raiden8383 But SW-development is held by another party.
I understand the crave of people, wanting to have the latest and greatest. But on the other hand, where should the money come from to continuously give existing customers MORE than they paid for ?
The better the iPhone OS is, the more money the users spend by using the handset (iTunes, Appstore, Browser, Ads...).
The better the Google OS is, the more Ad-money GOOGLE can make from it and the better their strategic position in this market becomes.
But unlike Apple, Google doesn't adapt their OS to the HW it uses, the vendor has to do it. Every time Google changes something.
See the difference here?
How can this be a vital SW-market if the HW-provider is supposed to spend money he is not going to earn back?
@HotFuzz
They will have to update their phones. Why? Word gets out to people (like us) that they don't so the push back will prove insurmountable as well as bad press it causes. Apple has updated/upgraded even early iPhones for a very extended period of time (the 1st gen is just now getting cut off - that's 3 years later) So to compete, phone manufacturers will have to do the same.
You can (actually) thank Apple for something
@Bud92
Can't hep but say good luck at the people who are `eagerly` waiting for the Galaxy S...
@raiden8383 I think they are right, this will be common place for most Android manufacturers. There is no reason for them to upgrade. All the incentive to upgrade lies with Google, not the manufacturer. While I agree that not upgrading will frustrate and anger the user that is in the know, that, unfortunately, describes very few users. This will be the norm for most manufacturers save for HTC and Moto maybe. Even then, it will take them time to update. It is unavoidable with a platform like what Google has.
@cashmonee except the fact that all the htc handsets except for the g1 if im not mistake 2.1 alrdy or close to it
Today cell phones are basically a necessity, but what about a dependable office phone? If you think about it most people are at work most of the day and need reliable Business Phone Systems .
@Deckard
I agree with you people might be expecting too much support on some devices. Most of this comes from rumors that flow heavily on the internet that never are confirmed by the manufacturers. However when a manufacturer specifically says in their marketing "upgradeable to 2.0 when the software becomes available" it becomes a reason to pick a handset. It's bait and switch at this point. They sold you hardware in promise of a road map of support that would get and probably end after the 2.0 patch, now they are switching to 1.6. I think this is a legal issue, which imo needs to be done to teach Samsung a lesson. They've always cut update support short on what seems like all devices. The Instinct series on Sprint rings the loudest in my ears. The original Instinct was Sprints best selling phone in their history, yet it still is buggy to this day. In the situation of the Behold2 Samsung actually sold the phone WITH a promise of an upgrade which means that no matter how much money it costs them to update a phone that sold like crap they need to do it or lose consumer trust. If the 2.0 upgrade was just a rumor on Engadget I'd be saying "tough luck" to Behold2 owners, but it's not.
But just to touch on what I did. My G1 died last month. I needed a new Android phone. The Behold2 was free on Tmos website at the time. With my experience with the Instinct line I shied away from Samsung. I bought a Cliq XT for $130 insted. It also has official word from Motorola that it will be getting a 2.1 upgrade. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they'll come through and not screw me. However from my personal experience I didn't trust Samsung. Fool me once shame on you....lead me to avoid Samsung products. In the end they are going to lose customers with a strategy like theirs, and I hope they get sued over the Behold2 fiasco.
@Deckard
After they sold Hardware, it is not over with customer. Customer keep interact with their product. Depend on their experience, they will decide future purchase,
To the manufacture, it seems to easy to leave customer without update. However, they will recognize it when market Apps start to refuse their OS version.
Internet community make customer's feedback to have power to decline company sales. Engadget commenter will check reviews and other's feedback first right? Sure, more people will do that in future.
@Becauseitsnotgoogle2
Android is one of the LEAST fragmented OSes out there.. Count how many different Apple, M$, or Nokia backed OS versions are roaming around the marketplace... You buy a device for the features at that time.. You don't buy a device to piggback features from newer advanced devices in the future..
Android has 4 versions, Apple has 6 currently without counting OS4, MS has around 7 without counting WP7..
@BusinessPhone Systems Cell phones are not a necessity.
Why doesn't Sammy just do what every other company does, let the user base do the work for them. (Okay not every company but you have an idea of which ones I'm talking about)
@montusama
samsung wont release the kernal source for this phone because touchwiz use the same security as their tvs so galaxy s is a no go
@thugjedi91 If Samsung wont release the kernel source for an Android handset, someone who holds copyright to part of that Linux kernel should go after them.
We as a community need to put increased pressure on companies that violate the GPL. Too many companies are using Linux on mobile phones, tablets, MIDs, media players, routers, set top boxes and other embedded devices and either delaying the release of the required source code or not releasing it at all.
If a company cant release the source code to the kernel used on your device without giving out hardware specs that are under NDA or without giving out secrets to device (or content) security or without giving out other stuff that the company maintains needs to be secret then said company should not release the product in the first place.
This is exactly why my Behold (first-gen) will be the first and last Samsung phone I've purchased.
[insert face-plain here]
@glenskey
i like it. it's like a blank stare. no blinking either. ice cold, dude.
@glenskey : don't you mean *face palm*?
@One Love
-__-
I'd wish they upgrade on the performance on this phone. I tried, and tried, and tried to like this phone. I really did. Believe you, me. End the end I got screwed.. and - oh look! I feel as if I'm being screwed again.
Thanks Sammy!
=)
wow, so generous. Lets hope they will not have another bada platform with fragmentation that bad.
/s
Well, regardless of the reason, why would Samsung update the OS on this? They want you to buy a new handset, plain and simple.
@pika2000 To counter their community image. I'm not sure it actually does make business sense to upgrade, because perhaps a majority of users are ignorant to these realities. The informed community, and maybe a large percentage of salesmen know this (who knows if they, and what precentage of them, will inform customers), but there are reasons to build a good brand, even if it'll mean people won't upgrade because they have the latest software. But, when those guys are ready for a new handset they'll remember the hand that did/didn't feed them and it'll go a long way to making a repeat/disenfranchised customer.
@juanvaldez Look at Nokia. How often they update the OS of their phones to the next version? They just release a new phone, and people have no problem with it. Look at Winmo phones, same thing. This planned obsolescence will actually increase sales as it entice people to buy newer models. Only the geeks will be bothered with this, and those geeks should've just bought the Nexus One and call it a day.
@pika2000
In Smartphone World, software update is BIG deal when most people stuck with 2year contract and $25~$30 data plan.
@pika2000
the thing is this phone came out when the nexus 1 was a rumor and if you were to walk in a tmobile store and ask about there phones the would tell you this phone is getting a 2.0 upgrade and soon
@raiden8383 How is this different than Nokia and Winmo smartphones? Everytime there's a new version of S60, it means new phone.
@pika2000
Because market has been changed. Smartphone is becoming main stream. People will start to count Software Update as Value.
Android is Open Source, it is clear to see manufacture's support.
Let's say, there is two smart-phone when you buy Smart-phone, One has consistent software support, and other one is not. What would you buy?
@pika2000
the latest firmware for the n95, which was released in 2007, is from december 2009
@mrqs Can you update your N95 from 9.2 to 9.3?
@raiden8383 No, it has not changed. If the market has "changed," we would be seeing 2.2 everywhere now. Not the case. Companies like motorola still have handsets with 1.x. Being open source doesn't mean anything, it just means less cost for R&D for manufactures. The fast development of Android is even better for handset manufactures, as it guarantees planned obsolescence much quicker, and almost guarantees better sales for newer units.
@pika2000 Ah yes. I remember being a Nokia E71 user and getting burned when the E71x came out (Identical hardware to the E71 with a newer OS version). New OS version, new hardware is Nokia's stances on the matter (being a hardware manufacturer I guess). It didn't take me long to jump ship to Android after that.
@pika2000
i wouldn't know, i have an android
@mrqs Then you're just trolling then. Firmware != OS
@pika2000
But in many cases, those Firmware updates to a single OS give the same added functionality as a new OS iteration for Android. It is a matter of terminology.
@pika2000 When a company publicly lies to their own customers, it's not a very good incentive for those customers to then go out and purchase another of that company's products. I'm already running Donut on my Behold II; why would I want them to update me to the same version, but with more bloatware (like their so-called "bug fix" in February)?
They keep lying to customers. First, the promotional video saying we'll get 2.0, then the recent statement that the Behold II cannot be upgraded past 1.6. The technical specs of the device, which are surprisingly difficult to track down (why, Samsung?) prove that the device is comparable to, say, the Moto Cliq, which was confirmed as getting 2.1.
I HAD been a pretty loyal Samsung customer for several years. I've bought their phones, TVs, DVD players, and other electronics. But I don't like being lied to, especially when it's this obvious. On my life, I will never buy another Samsung product again. And I'll be shopping for a replacement phone this week. HTC seems nice...
@yodamuppet You're not the only customer of Samsung. Their brand is becoming the Sony in Asia. Regardless of what u think, people would still buy their phones, and this planned obsolescence fits perfectly with their goal of selling newer handsets. As for motorola, we'll see if the cliq will actually get 2.0, let alone 2.2. Wouldn't you learn not to trust a company's promise after this, especially if the company's main goal is to sell new handsets?
I'm nor defending this practice, but at the same time, nobody should be surprised about this. If you are concerned about OS updates, get a Nexus One (while it lasts).
@pika2000 "obsolescence" when used in terms of not having a software update is being a bit hyperbolic, I've heard it from plenty of people and to me it's a bit of a non-starter - save a few scenarios.
Think about it, obsolescence in the true form, means no longer being able to be used; not useful. Not, no longer as good as the best. There are plenty of definitions using "out of date", but surely something that is good one day and not good the next is, again, being hyperbolic. As if, if Google wouldn't just update the damn software I'd have a phone that wouldn't be "*obsolete*". I have a problem with that definition.
@jadedmoonstudios What were you exactly burned by? The fact that the E71x has S60FP5 as opposed to FP3? Because frankly, I have an E71 and I will take it over the E71x any day! The amount of crap that AT&T or Telus (in Canada) put on the E71x completely negates the experience.
Also, the E71x does not receive as many updates direct from Nokia, because it is a provider independent phone and was never sold through Nokia directly.
In fact, the E71 received yet another update just this month which has upgraded Microsoft Exchange and the built-in messaging apps. Since owning the phone on launch, I have obtained at least a dozen software upgrades from Nokia.
Please don't get the issue confused, just because your provider does not allow you to upgrade the phone, doesn't mean Nokia doesn't allow it. For example, if you purchase the E71 through Rogers in Canada and attempt to upgrade it, it will give an error message saying "Your provider has not approved the latest software upgrade." In fact, Rogers has not approved any of the software upgrades since the launch firmware. However, my E71 is unlocked and was purchased directly from Nokia. I get an update for the phone about every 3-4 months.
Who cares, most Engadget readers knew better than to buy Behold II.
@liljon619
Oh c'mon, just cus us tech freaks didn't like the Behold2 doesn't make it ok for them to bait and switch their customers. People paid good money for that phone with a promise by the company for support up to but not beyond 2.0.
I know that one particular person on this forum could indeed argue that the ability to run Froyo is INSIGNIFICANT next to the power of The Force. Then again, I'm just a regular human being so even if that's true, that DOESN'T HELP me Mr Sammy, no siree! I want my mortal cake and I want to eat it too.
@buoy
All death star servers are belong to Skynet.