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Comment by userbinator | Hacker News Reader

The article doesn't mention the huge number of unbranded/clone/not-well-known Android phones/tablets from China, which basically won't get any version newer than the one it came with (unless unofficial ROMs come out).

I have one myself, it's running a 4.2.x (rooted) and does what I need it to, so I'm not really concerned. It probably doesn't affect the average user all that much either.

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I think for the user, the fragmentation of Android at versions 2.x was an issue, since major, fundamental features were coming in at each release. The features for 4.x have been less fundamental - my own phone gets typical use, and has gone 4.1 -> 4.2 -> 4.3 through the carrier's own slow process, but I haven't noticed a difference in the day-to-day functioning of the device (it does run a little smoother, and the battery is 2 years old and showing it, but nothing in terms of features)

another thing is that google has started pushing new features through its apps instead of OS updates

I don't know by heart about the versions you quoted, but it might just be that some of the user visible changes have been hidden from you for the sake of not irritating users.

Be concerned: It's not getting security updates so you can get a malware infection from a bad app or malicious web ad. There goes your Google account etc.

How can you get malware from a malicious web ad?

The Android browser is not devoid of bugs, some of which leave the device vulnerable.

E.g.: http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/02/e-z-2-use-attack-cod...

Yes, I know that the browser has bugs but my question is how can you get malware installed using the web browser

There is a continuous stream of fixes for remotely exploitable bugs being committed to the public repos by Google and apple. Just shift through them and apply to the old WebKit...

in earlier android versions, i use the firefox browser rather than the stock. it's regularly updated.

Apps generally use the Android WebView widget that will contain an out of date, vulnerable version of WebKit.

And when running Firefox, compromising the browser will yield an easy whole device compromise since the OS won't provide an extra layer of security.

firefox uses gecko rendering engine:.. and i really didnt understand what you mean with extra layer of security...

I got a OnePlus One - a device from China that is on 4.4.4 and where the developers promised (yeah, okay.. Just words so far) a timely upgrade to the next version (”3 month after AOSP release").

Well if someone willingly buys from a vendor that will never upgrade their OS who is at fault here.

And if the consumer didn't know? It's not like they broadcast that they won't update.

I went with a Samsung when LG never updated I'll be getting an iPhone next for the same reason.

A lot of folks don't know because they don't want to know. Again, I am not sure who to blame here. People might not be even aware of what an upgrade is or what Android is in itself.

I stick with all Nexus devices. I get upgrades 2 weeks after the release announcement. I don't think Android is fragmented by design but by user choice.

>I don't think Android is fragmented by design but by user choice.

Google forces vendors to ship Google's services if they wish to use the Android branding. I don't see why they can't include language in the contract that says vendors should update the OS too. All Google seems to care about is whether user data flows into their servers.

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