We’ve been handed a tip just now that might ruffle your feathers a bit if you’re amongst the thousands of rabid Android fans waiting with your fingers dug into your knees for an update of your phone to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. A source familiar with the matter has told us that Google, our everloving king keeper of the Android, is forcing manufacturers to hold back the update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread on ALL handset models until April or even May so that they can sell more Nexus S.

Now any other time in the history of Android we’d have said no way! That’s impossible, Google doesn’t do stuff like that, they’re totally nice and open source minded and want to give us updates as soon as they’ve got them ready! But recently there HAVE been some reports of similar such happenings going on. Notably, the event that started the Samsung war that’s still raging today.

Could it possibly be that this is the dawn of the update that costs cash?

15 COMMENTS

  1. No, this is just not likely true. This site and your “source” have no credibility, sorry. The source code is released, they don’t have any control over who puts what out when, nor would they want to.

  2. Huh? I’ve been running CM7, which is Android 2.3, which is Gingerbread, on my My Touch 3g Slide for a week now. I mean… what you say in the article is true, it’s all open source, Gingerbread is already out and people are using it… or is the Nexus S some kind of special Gingerbread? Or am I just not understanding something basic here?

  3. I’d say that is nonsense. Google already released the SDK for 2.3 and is probably smart enough to know that most people that will buy the S will buy it regardless of OS updates on the other devices.
    Also, it turns out that the Samsung debacle was bunk as they are rolling out Froyo tomorrow. So stop spreading dumb rumors.

  4. Ok, so if it’s not Samsung, it’s Google’s fault.

    No thanks. I’m thinking the carriers are just timing it with the releases of new handsets or like with T-Mobile, customizations are causing timely delays.

  5. I like Android Community, but his has to be the least researched blog! I would have cared less if such thing came from MG @techcrunch, cause I know he is already a lost soul! It just doesn’t make any sense, not because I adore Google but it has zero logical reasoning behind it! It will be a shameful thing for Google to ask in the first place, and then why would any OEM/Carrier care? One thing we need to understand is, Google is the company that needs to please OEM and Carriers and not other way around!

  6. I call BS. Google has no control over that once they release the source code, which they’ve already done. Besides, the Nexus One will receive the update shortly, once that happens, it will be a race between HTC and Moto to see who gets it out first. HTC will probably win.

  7. I am, likewise, calling BS on this one. Google doesn’t make money on their development models, and Android doesn’t need any more bad publicity than the manufacturers are already giving it.

    I’ve had enough of this site’s sensationalism. I’m dropping the feed.

    Laters.

  8. There’s absolutely no truth to your rumor or speculation.

    The Linux kernel, and most every layer of Android running on top of it, are licensed under the GPL. To charge for an update, or otherwise withhold source code that’s been released in binary form, is a gross violation.

    That’s not to say that it has never happened, but Google’s engineers and lawyers would have no part in such a thing.

    In fact Google has already released the source code to Gingerbread. Any manufacturer is free to redistribute it on any device, TODAY. In fact I’m running Cyanogen7 now on my Nexus One at this moment.

    Why would you report a rumor that is already proven to be false? Blindly posting everything that comes to your inbox is not journalism.

  9. Would not like to wait till April or May for the 2.3 update to my HTC EVO…may decide to root the EVO after all….was going to buy my fiancee a SAMSUNG NEXUS, but not sure now…

  10. I think this might be true. Yes, The source code is out and Devs have their own ROMS/updates. So why Google /HTC / Samsung can’t provide updates while a independent Developer can ?

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