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Details Of Android 3.0 Gingerbread – SIP Support, Gtalk Video Chat and More

38 points by dkd903 16y ago

nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
All of which is completely unsubstantiated rumor attached to a blurry picture that could just as easily have been any number of 3rd party ROM themes... Edit: Also, good luck seeing Google Voice/SIP over data connection if you ever intend on buying a carrier-released phone. Or at least not without paying a surcharge equivalent to the cost of a voice plan a la tethering.
- drivebyacct2 16y ago
  You can buy data only plans through VZW. They offer them for deaf/mute people but they're legally obligated to sell them to everyone. It's not even hard to find. There is so much fearmongering on here from fanboys on both sides (carriers will block it, carriers won't support it, fragmentation every other word...). It's worse than other places. And that's saying something.
  - nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
    Yes, you can buy a data-only plan from them, but that same data-only plan explicitly prohibits the use of VoIP technologies, just like every other carrier in the US.
    - drivebyacct2 16y ago
      And see my other comment for my remarks in that regard. My University tells me that my internet connection is not to be used for accessing "obscene materials". Guess how much that's stopped me.
- technomancy 16y ago
  > if you ever intend on buying a carrier-released phone Why would you ever do such a silly thing?
  - nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
    I personally have a Nexus One, but as the sales data shows, I am by far in the minority for doing so.
  - cookiecaper 16y ago
    Because it's a lot easier for most people to justify dropping $200 now and paying out the rest over time in a plan that you'd be paying for anyway than it is to justify dropping $600-$800 now. I am pretty sure that the carriers don't discount rates for non-contract phones. People just don't have the money to justify spending that much on a phone when there are so many cheaper alternatives. Excepting developers, most people are happy to save $400-$600 even if it means they have to deal with a Blockbuster app cluttering the menu.
    - ben1040 16y ago
      I am pretty sure that the carriers don't discount rates for non-contract phones. T-Mobile is the only US carrier that does -- the smartphone plans are $20/month cheaper if you bring your own phone or buy at the no-contract price. They also have an installment plan where you can pay full price for the phone, but spread it out over 20 months with no interest and pay it on your phone bill. This seems like the best of both worlds.
      - technomancy 16y ago
        Indeed, if you look over the total cost for 2 years, it's really a no-brainer: 2 years @ $80/mo, no cost for hardware: $2099 2 years @ $40/mo, $520 for hardware: $1466
        cookiecaper 16y ago
        The parent says it's $20/mo off for no-contract, at that rate ($60) the no-contract comes out to $1960, barely a savings of $100 overall. Definitely worth the contract if you don't have $520 to drop when you need a phone.
- nextparadigms 16y ago
  Do you think Google would implement it if carriers wouldn't agree? Maybe. But I think the carriers will support that feature. Why? It's simple. Verizon, for example, could say "Yes, we sell this Android 3.0 phone and you can make VOIP calls on it - you only have to buy this expensive LTE data plan from us". Carriers can easily embrace this and make even more money from it than from minutes.
  - wmf 16y ago
    People aren't that dumb; they're only interested in VoIP to save money. As soon as it costs more, people will be back to circuit-switched voice calls (which are higher quality anyway).
    - onewland 16y ago
      Pardon? Most of my experience is with Skype/iChat, but I find sound quality to be far better than POTS.
    - zacharycohn 16y ago
      There are other advantages to VoIP. Namely, portability. If your office has a VoIP phone system, you could take calls at your desk or on the go without a person trying to track you down, forward the call, etc.
    - joeyo 16y ago
      > As soon as it costs more, people will be back to circuit- > switched voice calls (which are higher quality anyway). In my experience the quality of Skype to Skype calls (Android to desktop) can be way better than POTS.
zacharypinter 16y ago
Whether the rumors are true or not, I'm really hoping for and looking forward to a version of Google Voice that works entirely over the phone's data connection. With Skype caller-id now supporting Google Voice numbers and Skype on Android, we're close, but not entirely there yet.
- ROFISH 16y ago
  Not to be a buzz kill, but I think that's the first thing that will be carrier disabled. The downside to Android's openness is that carriers are open to disable features that they don't like. And they certainly have been pushing against "dumb pipe" since there's still plenty of money in selling "minutes".
  - zacharypinter 16y ago
    I suspect that you're right. It's one of the reasons I was enthusiastic to buy the Nexus One directly from Google, and was disappointed to see the idea fizzle. I really think it'd be for the betterment of all of us if wireless phone companies became commodity wireless internet providers. Sigh...
  - dminor 16y ago
    Perhaps, but Verizon's LTE will be a "dumb pipe": https://www22.verizon.com/opendev/faq.aspx https://www22.verizon.com/opendev/faq.aspx It will be interesting to see what happens.
    - ESchmidtSeesYou 16y ago
      What leads you to believe that Verizon or any other carrier wants to become a dumb pipe?? A decade of contrary statements to the press suggests otherwise.
      - dminor 16y ago
        I doubt they want to, but the device openness on that spectrum is mandated by regulations.
ESchmidtSeesYou 16y ago
Original source: http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-gingerbread-details/ http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-ging... Remember that Google recently hired Matias Duarte from Palm, who headed the UI design of webOS. These subtle revisions aiming towards design consistency and taking the ugly out of Android, if true, are very promising.
- ESchmidtSeesYou 16y ago
  Also, rumors that Gingerbread will launch by December, and 4.0 towards the end of next year: http://phandroid.com/2010/10/19/android-3-0-should-be-ready-for-prime-time-by-december-wont-see-4-0-until-late-2011/ http://phandroid.com/2010/10/19/android-3-0-should-be-ready-...
guelo 16y ago
Sauce http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-gingerbread-details/ http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-ging...

38 points by dkd903 16y ago

All of which is completely unsubstantiated rumor attached to a blurry picture that could just as easily have been any number of 3rd party ROM themes... Edit: Also, good luck seeing Google Voice/SIP over data connection if you ever intend on buying a carrier-released phone. Or at least not without paying a surcharge equivalent to the cost of a voice plan a la tethering.

drivebyacct2 16y ago
You can buy data only plans through VZW. They offer them for deaf/mute people but they're legally obligated to sell them to everyone. It's not even hard to find. There is so much fearmongering on here from fanboys on both sides (carriers will block it, carriers won't support it, fragmentation every other word...). It's worse than other places. And that's saying something.
- nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
  Yes, you can buy a data-only plan from them, but that same data-only plan explicitly prohibits the use of VoIP technologies, just like every other carrier in the US.
  - drivebyacct2 16y ago
    And see my other comment for my remarks in that regard. My University tells me that my internet connection is not to be used for accessing "obscene materials". Guess how much that's stopped me.
technomancy 16y ago
> if you ever intend on buying a carrier-released phone Why would you ever do such a silly thing?
- nuclear_eclipse 16y ago
  I personally have a Nexus One, but as the sales data shows, I am by far in the minority for doing so.
- cookiecaper 16y ago
  Because it's a lot easier for most people to justify dropping $200 now and paying out the rest over time in a plan that you'd be paying for anyway than it is to justify dropping $600-$800 now. I am pretty sure that the carriers don't discount rates for non-contract phones. People just don't have the money to justify spending that much on a phone when there are so many cheaper alternatives. Excepting developers, most people are happy to save $400-$600 even if it means they have to deal with a Blockbuster app cluttering the menu.
  - ben1040 16y ago
    I am pretty sure that the carriers don't discount rates for non-contract phones. T-Mobile is the only US carrier that does -- the smartphone plans are $20/month cheaper if you bring your own phone or buy at the no-contract price. They also have an installment plan where you can pay full price for the phone, but spread it out over 20 months with no interest and pay it on your phone bill. This seems like the best of both worlds.
    - technomancy 16y ago
      Indeed, if you look over the total cost for 2 years, it's really a no-brainer: 2 years @ $80/mo, no cost for hardware: $2099 2 years @ $40/mo, $520 for hardware: $1466
      - cookiecaper 16y ago
        The parent says it's $20/mo off for no-contract, at that rate ($60) the no-contract comes out to $1960, barely a savings of $100 overall. Definitely worth the contract if you don't have $520 to drop when you need a phone.
nextparadigms 16y ago
Do you think Google would implement it if carriers wouldn't agree? Maybe. But I think the carriers will support that feature. Why? It's simple. Verizon, for example, could say "Yes, we sell this Android 3.0 phone and you can make VOIP calls on it - you only have to buy this expensive LTE data plan from us". Carriers can easily embrace this and make even more money from it than from minutes.
- wmf 16y ago
  People aren't that dumb; they're only interested in VoIP to save money. As soon as it costs more, people will be back to circuit-switched voice calls (which are higher quality anyway).
  - onewland 16y ago
    Pardon? Most of my experience is with Skype/iChat, but I find sound quality to be far better than POTS.
  - zacharycohn 16y ago
    There are other advantages to VoIP. Namely, portability. If your office has a VoIP phone system, you could take calls at your desk or on the go without a person trying to track you down, forward the call, etc.
  - joeyo 16y ago
    > As soon as it costs more, people will be back to circuit- > switched voice calls (which are higher quality anyway). In my experience the quality of Skype to Skype calls (Android to desktop) can be way better than POTS.

zacharypinter 16y ago

Whether the rumors are true or not, I'm really hoping for and looking forward to a version of Google Voice that works entirely over the phone's data connection. With Skype caller-id now supporting Google Voice numbers and Skype on Android, we're close, but not entirely there yet.

ROFISH 16y ago
Not to be a buzz kill, but I think that's the first thing that will be carrier disabled. The downside to Android's openness is that carriers are open to disable features that they don't like. And they certainly have been pushing against "dumb pipe" since there's still plenty of money in selling "minutes".
- zacharypinter 16y ago
  I suspect that you're right. It's one of the reasons I was enthusiastic to buy the Nexus One directly from Google, and was disappointed to see the idea fizzle. I really think it'd be for the betterment of all of us if wireless phone companies became commodity wireless internet providers. Sigh...
- dminor 16y ago
  Perhaps, but Verizon's LTE will be a "dumb pipe": https://www22.verizon.com/opendev/faq.aspx https://www22.verizon.com/opendev/faq.aspx It will be interesting to see what happens.
  - ESchmidtSeesYou 16y ago
    What leads you to believe that Verizon or any other carrier wants to become a dumb pipe?? A decade of contrary statements to the press suggests otherwise.
    - dminor 16y ago
      I doubt they want to, but the device openness on that spectrum is mandated by regulations.

ESchmidtSeesYou 16y ago

Original source: http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-gingerbread-details/ http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-ging... Remember that Google recently hired Matias Duarte from Palm, who headed the UI design of webOS. These subtle revisions aiming towards design consistency and taking the ugly out of Android, if true, are very promising.

ESchmidtSeesYou 16y ago
Also, rumors that Gingerbread will launch by December, and 4.0 towards the end of next year: http://phandroid.com/2010/10/19/android-3-0-should-be-ready-for-prime-time-by-december-wont-see-4-0-until-late-2011/ http://phandroid.com/2010/10/19/android-3-0-should-be-ready-...

guelo 16y ago

Sauce http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-gingerbread-details/ http://phandroid.com/2010/10/18/exclusive-first-android-ging...