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Congrats! If you're an Android phone user, you may or may not be getting video chat. That's because the latest Google feature for its mobile operating system is only expected to work on phones running the Android Gingerbread update, or OS version 2.3. If your device isn't getting Gingerbread, it's not getting video chat either. Welcome to the world of Android fragmentation, where the power of the upgrade is wielded by the individual smartphone manufactures rather than a single entity— or, in Apple's case, the single manufacturer that makes the phone. Whether it's a hardware concern or a matter of manufacturer resource allocation, the simple fact of the matter is that just because a phone says Android doesn't mean that it can run all the way up the software upgrade chain. As it stands, a relatively scant number of phones currently ship with the Android 2.3 update even preinstalled onto the device: Samsung's Nexus S and Galaxy S 2, for example. And even though Gingerbread was officially released on December 6 of last year, manufacturers have continued to build and launch devices that use the previous iteration of Google's OS: 2.2, or "Froyo." Take, for example, LG's G2X: Launched with Froyo in mid-April, both LG and T-Mobile have confirmed that the device will be getting its Gingerbread update at some point in the future —possibly a June or July release, according to upgrade information found on LG's Danish website. Other phones, especially those delivered before Gingerbread even hit the street, will have to suffer through a Walt Disney-like queue before they gain access to Google's latest version of the Android OS. For many of these smartphones, like the HTC Droid Incredible or LG Optimus One series of smartphones, an upgrade to Gingerbread is in the works. But the big question is: When? And for other devices –especially those who never had a chance to taste Google's Froyo –you can rule out any kind of upgrade to Gingerbread. That might include the Motorola Cliq, which is still stuck on Android 2.1, as well as the HTC Droid Eris: No Froyo, no Gingerbread. So what's a consumer to do? Well, if you're holding one of the 65 percent of Android devices that are currently on version 2.2 of Google's mobile OS, you're in luck: Odds are significant that you'll be able to tap into Google's newer OS, for we have yet to see any official reports from any manufacturers indicating that they intend to lock a specific smartphone at Android 2.2. Manufacturers tend to just not give much word as to what point in their software development cycles a specific device will receive a Gingerbread update –you might even need a birthday candle for your Gingerbread, in some cases. For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter @undeadcitizen
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Congrats! If you're an Android phone user, you may or
may not be getting video chat. That's because the latest Google feature for its mobile operating system is only expected to work on phones running the Android
Gingerbread update, or OS version 2.3.
If your device
isn't getting Gingerbread, it's not getting video chat
either. Welcome to the world of Android fragmentation,
where
the power of the upgrade is wielded by the individual
smartphone manufactures rather than a single entity— or, in Apple's case, the single manufacturer that makes
the phone. Whether it's a hardware concern or a matter of manufacturer resource allocation, the simple fact of the matter is that just because a phone
says Android doesn't mean that it can run all the way up the software upgrade chain. As it stands, a relatively scant number of phones currently ship with the Android 2.3 update
even preinstalled onto the device: Samsung's Nexus S and Galaxy S 2, for example. And even
though Gingerbread was officially released on December 6 of last year, manufacturers have
continued to build and launch devices that use the previous iteration of Google's OS: 2.2, or
"Froyo." Take, for example, LG's G2X: Launched with Froyo in mid-April, both LG and T-Mobile have
confirmed that the device will be getting its Gingerbread update at some point in the future
—possibly a June or July release, according to upgrade information found on LG's Danish website. Other phones, especially those delivered before Gingerbread even hit the street, will have to
suffer through a Walt Disney-like queue before they gain access to Google's latest version of
the Android OS. For many of these smartphones, like the HTC Droid Incredible or LG Optimus
One series of smartphones, an upgrade to Gingerbread is in the works. But the big question
is: When? And for other devices –especially those who never had a chance to taste Google's Froyo –you can rule out any kind of upgrade to Gingerbread. That might include the Motorola Cliq, which
is still stuck on Android 2.1, as well as the HTC Droid Eris: No Froyo, no Gingerbread. So what's a consumer to do? Well, if you're holding one of the 65 percent of Android devices that are currently on version 2.2 of Google's mobile OS, you're in luck: Odds are significant
that you'll be able to tap into Google's newer OS, for we have yet to see any official reports from any manufacturers indicating that they intend to lock a specific smartphone at Android 2.2. Manufacturers tend to just not give much word as to what point in their software
development cycles a specific device will receive a Gingerbread update –you might even need a birthday candle for your Gingerbread, in some cases.
For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter @undeadcitizen
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