Day one of the Google I/O event, Google announced a new coalition of carriers and OEMS. The initial members being AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, LG, Vodafone and Motorola. The group’s goal is to work out the logistics of keeping all Android powered phones on a 18 month guaranteed support window. The committee will provide timely OS updates to hardware capable phones inside this window.

Hardware capable designation will be left to the handset manufacturers, adhering to Google’s specifications. Of course, this will leave quite a few older generation mobiles out in the dust but should keep more newer generation models up to date. Moving forward, hopefully this tackles the fragmentation issue that Android phones deal with.

After the disastrous way Samsung handled the upgrade from Eclair to Froyo for its Galaxy S line, this was inevitable. The allure of the Android OS is the feature adding updates and the Galaxy S line is a flagship product for Samsung. Months passed with deadlines missed and communication at a minimum. Headaches all around for customers and carriers alike. By building a structured system and forming specific guidelines, these things should become a thing of the past.

The only disheartening thing is that right now, the support window is “encouraged” by Google right now. Certainly this could or should change in the future but for now it’s a vague mark on an otherwise solid plan. Now, where’s my Gingerbread for my Captivate?

Source: Engadget

Related articles

• Google partners with manufacturers and carriers to speed up Android updates (androidandme.com)
• Google partners with OEMs and carriers to guarantee timely Android updates (engadget.com)