back to article Moto cold shoulders upgrade-hungry Xoom users

Motorola offered no consolation today for the many UK-based owners of its Xoom Wi-Fi-only tablet who feel let down because OS updates made available in the US have not come to this country. And not just Brits. Updates released in the States have yet to reach a fair few other countries too. A company spokeswoman was only able …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Bait and switch

    If you pre-ordered in the UK, you had no way of knowing it wouldn't be a Google Experience Device, and that you'd be update starved. -1 for Motorola.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Trollface

      Warning: Troll.

      I thought being update starved *was* the Google experience.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Warning: Troll

        Your troll powers are weak my young apprentice.

        Everybody knows being update starved is an Android problem and the only solution is to buy a real smartphone, like an iPhone.

        *runs away*

  2. dotdavid
    FAIL

    I gotta ask

    ...why is a wifi tablet regionally-restricted at all? It's not as if it's an operator-specific version in each country. My OH's Transformer got Android 3.1 when everyone else with a Transformer did.

    After reading this I don't think I'll buy any moto products, their phones are equally complaint-inducing from what I've heard.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Available Wifi Channels

      It could be down to Wifi frequencies.

      Different countries allow the use of different frequencies (channels) for Wifi - although since I can enable the disabled frequencies on my NS with a custom ROM, I fail to see why they cannot do the same, so perhaps it's something else.

  3. Thomas 4

    Butbutbut.....

    If we release the update, how will we manage to sell the almost identical looking Xoom X2 with identical specs but **ANDROID 3.2**?

  4. Righteously Indignant
    Thumb Down

    Motofail

    Motorola did the same thing with a bunch of their Android phones too - most notably the original Milestone (US - Droid) They updated the US one to Froyo(?) fairly quickly and then ignored the UK/Europe customers.

    They keep pulling the same stunt over and over again, expecting you to replace your device with their latest & greatest rather than giving you software upgrades for your existing devices - even though the devices are more than capable of running said upgrades. (As evidenced by the US consumers getting the upgrades on mostly identical hardware.)

    Once bitten, twice shy. I will never buy another Motorola product.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Me too

      As a Milestone user I can confirm that the behaviour from Motorola as described in this article is exactly how they behaved with the Milestone. If that is any guide for the Xoom, next we can expect an announcement of when the update will be available, that date will come and go before they give a new date which will also come and go. Then they will silently release an update with poor documentation that requires you to install all sorts of Windows only Motorola 'device management' software to push the update to your device.

      I too will not be buying another Motorola product and, despite being a superb piece of hardware, my experience with the Milestone updates is precisely why I didn't buy a Xoom. Pretty happy with that decision now.

    2. muttley
      Facepalm

      @MotoFAIL

      And the Dext (Uk's Cliq) too.

      MotoROFL lied and stated in public (CEO @ trade fair, Facebook status update, Twitter feed etc) all handsets on 1.5 would receive an update to <gasp> 2.0, but then announced the Dext (but not the US Cliq iteration of the same handset funnily enough...) would be stuck on 1.5, sorry about that.

      F**k Moto, I'd rather suck the shit out of my dog's arse for a £10 bet than ever buy a Moto product again.

  5. Ian Ferguson
    Linux

    Why can't you upgrade yourself?

    I thought the whole point of shunning the 'closed garden' of Apple and buying an open-source Android tablet was that you can do what you like with it? If so, what's to stop you upgrading from v3.0 to v3.2 yourself?

    Genuinely not just trolling.

    1. Giles Jones Gold badge

      DIY

      Maybe because the updates are over the air and getting access to the ROM is beyond the capabilities of much of the non-geek user base?

    2. Ru
      Devil

      Re: Why can't you upgrade yourself?

      Various reasons. Important ones include device-specific drivers which may not be publically available, and locked bootloaders that prevent running OS images that have not been signed and released by Motorola themselves.

      There's also the fact that google is only releasing portions of the Honeycomb source tree, unlike previous versions of the OS which were freely available in their entirety.

      Honeycomb devices aren't much less of a 'closed garden' than iOS devices, at least for now. If you want open, you'll pretty much have to look at devices supported by Cyanogen. They're a small subset of the whole Android device family.

  6. Bassey

    Not true

    "you had no way of knowing it wouldn't be a Google Experience Device, and that you'd be update starved. -1 for Motorola."

    That's not true. You could simply have looked at Motorola's previous behaviour with every single Android device they have released. If you buy a Motorola Android device expecting a software update you WILL be disappointed.

    1. Lars Petersson
      Mushroom

      Just like HTC then

      To be fair, I'm sitting with my HTC wishing that I would get OS updates...

      Maybe we should try to figure out which companies *do* send out updates ;-)

  7. Sam Liddicott

    Don't forget they are competing with Apple

    Motorola are competing with Apple in the "we hate our customers" stakes.

    1. Giles Jones Gold badge

      How so?

      Apple's support period is industry leading. 2-3 years of updates with more than just bug fixes.

      In this case Motorola can't even update users of its current product, never mind owners of older stuff.

    2. Righteously Indignant
      Pint

      Even as a card-carrying Apple hater I have to admit..

      ...that they do support their hardware for a couple of years at least. They won't ostracise you for wanting to put the shiny new iOS on your old 3GS for example... Granted it may lack a few features compared to the newer devices, but there are *genuine* hardware differences between the models.

      I have a genuine dislike for Apple products based solely on their proprietary nature. (I dislike Sony for the exact same reason) That said, I will be buying a Macbook Air when the new model is released purely because I cannot find anything that comes close to it in size/weight/battery life. (and promptly installing Windows 7 - because I can. Another thing Apple doesn't restrict. Dammit I'm defending them now!!)

  8. john list
    FAIL

    Motorola strikes again

    Yet another Motorola update story, what a surprise. As I type this my DEXT with Android 1.5 is on my desk, the US version had an upgrade to 2.1 but we didn't. When will the Moto marketeers get this into their thick heads: customers who are let down in this way do not return for a second helping.

    Motorola: Nice hardware, shame about the idiots selling it.

  9. BenDover
    FAIL

    You can...

    make a US Xoom out of the UK version by flashing the Tiamat ROM (it also allows for overclocking up to 1.7 GHz and the SD Card slot works as well). It's not very straightforward, but is on mine right now. Not without it's kinks but there are detailed instructions how to upgrade the UK wifi only Xoom to the US 3.2 on the XDA website. Still a fail from Motorola, but there is a community to fix the problems.

  10. launcap Silver badge
    Stop

    And children, this is why..

    .. you should never buy stuff from Motorola. If it is designed it break easily (Star Tac phones spring to mind) then you will be treated with utter contempt by their support department which has all the attitude of Microsoft support without any leavening of usefulness..

  11. James 93
    Devil

    Motorola

    I know you shouldn't have to but, root and boot US stock image its dead easy!

  12. thesykes
    Thumb Down

    fortunately...

    I will never buy a Moto phone.. ever...

    My first mobile phone was a motorola, and it was terrible. It's the only phone I have ever used that required you to write the number a text message came from, just so you could scroll through your contacts (on the phone) and find who it came from. That's right... it couldn't show you the name of the sender from your phonebook.

    OK... things have changed, technology-wise, but any company who could produce something so stupid will never get my money again.

    As for poor customer-service...never contacted moto, but, Samsung are pretty hopeless too... Aaaghh.. Samsung... pc sync... calendars... birthdays... bad memories... bab, bad memories

  13. TonyBanjo
    FAIL

    Straight to eBay

    Had enough of Motorola's contempt for customers. The Xoom is getting listed on eBay and good riddance.

  14. Jean-Paul

    Another day

    another Android device that doesn't get updates. What is the news here exactly? Android users surely must be glad with their open system and have all the functionality bettering Apple that they don't require updates...

  15. Alan 45
    Angel

    Moto problem

    I was going to complain myself on this yes I would like the update, but decided against it so as not to encourage the baiting all I will say is that despite the problems no working SD card (at least I have one) browser that occasionally crashes, battery life approx 48hrs average (for me anyway) I'd rather not be an apple DROID

  16. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

    It looks like Steve is my master...

    I don't particularly like Apple. But it's going to be an iPad 3 methinks. Unless HP can rustle up some enthusiasm for WebOS, then I might take a look at that.

    Too many Android tablets are rubbishy widescreen. Far too many Android devices are being sold with 6 month old (and sometimes year-old!!) versions of the OS. There's often no hint of updates. You sometimes have to use a hardware device to break protection to upgrade the software, and doing that you've got no security as it mostly seems to be amateur modders with no guarantees of quality control. I'm not being rude about the modding community, who do a hell of a lot of work.

    And then you've got Honeycomb which is an even more pathetic pretence at open source / open platform than the phone version.

    I'm really disappointed. I was looking forward to this year, as the year of the Android tablet, so I could replace my iPad with something I have full control of. But it's taken 6 months for there to be any stock of most of them, and I'm distinctly underwhelmed. Shame.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    selling your xoom? i'll take it sir!

    first mistake - i bought a motorola milestone

    second mistake - buying a milestone 2 when i broke the original

    I shall not be buying a xoom full price, but i literally cannot stop myself from wanting one.

    2nd hand market it shall be so i dont feel quite so upset when they enevitably dont upgrade it and leave us all feeling burnt once againm cursing their name, swearing to never buy another moto product.

    until the next shiny object of desire comes out.

    fail on my own behalf for wanting one

    1. dotdavid
      Thumb Up

      Forget about the Xoom

      Get an Asus Transformer instead. They're excellent and a bit cheaper.

      Plus they got Honeycomb 3.1 in a timely fashion and it's looking like they're getting 3.2 soon too - Asus seem to actually understand their market.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    damnit!

    now i have to start all over again!

    the transformer does seem a nice bit of kit, i will attempt to find it in a shop this weekend to have a fondle.

    On the other hand i have just found a xoom on a certain tat bazaar, for £250 :O US version as well, so the SD Card will work when 3.2 is rolled out properly (i guess)

    Ahhh decisions, i may just do a cartman and strap a bit of dulled glass to a sheet of aluminium and put an apple sticker on the back.

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