"Boy, could I use an Ice Cream Sandwich!"

Reader Paradice · 12-09-2011, 04:02 AM

....kidding aside,

Does Kobo intend to give us a real tablet O.S. such as Google's ICE CREAM SANDWICH?!?

I saw on YouTube, that somebody already has a beta version running on the Kindle Fire. If it can port over to the Fire, it sure can port over to the Vox!

So JamesW...can we be expecting this as well? I mean, who wants to keep running with an O.S. designed for a smart phone? I for sure, do not.

If so, what would be the rough timeline for this....

taming · 12-09-2011, 07:16 AM

I wouldn't hold my breath for Kobo to be the provider of the updated OS. Will it be hacked by someone to run ICS at some point? Probably.

I do think it is important for us to remember that the Vox is sold as an eReader with benefits, not a tablet. When the kinks are worked out, it will undoubtedly be all the tablet I need, but still...

suedenim · 12-09-2011, 11:20 AM

It's still an android device and ICS "unifies" the smartphone and tablet OS'es. I don't think asking for ICS on the Vox is unreasonable. I'd like Kobo to fix the current issues first and then as part of the ongoing support provide a means to upgrade to ICS.

Haesslich · 12-09-2011, 01:38 PM

That's a bit like saying the manufacturer of a budget phone owes me an upgrade to the new flagship version of the new OS designed for a new generation of hardware because I own a phone and there's a new OS. Not all Android devives are created equal, and just running Android underneath does not mean that the OS is the product they're selling.

Sony has the PRS-T1 running atop Android, as does the nook Touch, but I don't expect Sony or B&N to upgrade those devices to ICS. Plus, the Vox barely runs Gingerbread well - I don't know if any company selling their color ereaders will officially support ICS - the devices are there to sell books, play a few games and browse the Web in the side. Things that the current OS already does. I'd rather they fix the damned bugs first, rather than introduce new ones trying to cut down ICS to work.

markT4 · 12-10-2011, 02:54 AM

Many Android phones (Nexus One, HTC Incredible) when they got an upgrade to the newer version of Android they actually improved in performance (such as speed and battery life). It could be a chance that the Vox might improve as well with icecream sandwich if it has the proper hardware to support it.

I agree with everyone else though, you would probably have to wait for someone to hack the Vox to put 4.0 on. By that time maybe someone might figure out how to overclock the processor. Now a Vox with Icecream sandwich and a over clocked possessor - that be something to salivate over

Haesslich · 12-10-2011, 03:24 AM

Both of those devices were top-end smartphones when released on top end hardware, and the Nexus One was designed with upgrades to newer OS versions in mind. The Kobo Vox.... not so much, outside of the screen. It doesn't even technically meet Google standards for certification, which is why we've got Gingerbread, with no hope of Honeycomb for now, since it won't meet spec... much less ice cream.

It might get hacked to ICS... but I don't hold out hope for it to run WELL with ICS. The Kindle Fire runs it because it at least has the processor for it, whereas the Vox doesn't.

KoboJW · 12-12-2011, 12:30 PM

We are looking into ICS support, but I cannot give you a timeline or any promises.

Reader Paradice · 12-12-2011, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoboJW

We are looking into ICS support, but I cannot give you a timeline or any promises.

----------------------------------------------------------
James,....THANK YOU! I think my Vox is awesome,...am having a ball with it. The 7 inch form factor is what I was looking for (but at the time...didn't know it, lol) and ICS would be such a boon and boost to the product experience. Let's face it...yes this is a dedicated eReader, but the Vox truly goes beyond that design envelope. You have a great offering here...and ICS would truly be a wonderful 'corporate thank you' to all that have decided to invest with Kobo, rather than any other business competition.

Please ask Kobo to give this serious consideration. I believe that your specs and product will handle the O.S. I must say that I use the Net about as much as I spend in time, reading. The fact that the Vox comes in at 7 inches had been no impediment to my Net cruising enjoyment. A quick double-tap, and the page re-formats to an easy read. Great fonts, the ease of back light intensity, and a beautiful colour display....what a keeper. Please forward this post to any and all that would be making the decision whether to proceed with porting ICS over to the Vox.

I am most confident that you will get all birth pang bugs removed from this product.

Edit: That the Vox comes in at a single core 800 MHz does not deter me. I remember the Intel Celeron days of only 450 MHz single core, and that speed ran Windows and every other app and game of the day. I think we are becoming CPU frequency speed 'jaded'. 800 MHz is a fast chip! Especially for what the Vox is/was designed to do. I have no problems with it, or wouldn't have purchased....

Regards,

Mitch

pokee · 12-12-2011, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoboJW

We are looking into ICS support, but I cannot give you a timeline or any promises.

Whaaa??? Really?!?!?!

markT4 · 12-12-2011, 04:40 PM

If Kobo is successful at getting ICS and the Vox it would be a major selling point as I doubt the Kindle fire or Nook tablet will make the update with their restrictive software platform. Both companies design their custom UI's with 2.3 and would have to re-do a lot of work (coast) to have the same UI's with ics. Plus, it might improve the Vox's performance .... I know very hypothetical.

suedenim · 12-12-2011, 04:53 PM

I certainly think this would be good. I like my Vox a lot (I'll like it even more when the sleep issue is fixed).
You will get more commitment from me too if I know the product is going to be supported/upgraded in the future.
Much better for the Vox as its more than just an eReader, and I don't imagine Kobo is planning to make a profit by pushing hardware on the back of access to the next big OS upgrade.

JD Gumby · 12-13-2011, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markT4

If Kobo is successful at getting ICS and the Vox

Eh. Assuming ICS would work with such a low spec tablet, the only real issues would be porting over their own app (and its widget for the main page) and making sure that their various partners (GetJar, Zinio, rdio, whoever it is that they've got for newspapers, etc.) have updated versions are willing to join in again...

BradenW · 12-13-2011, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reader Paradice

Edit: That the Vox comes in at a single core 800 MHz does not deter me. I remember the Intel Celeron days of only 450 MHz single core, and that speed ran Windows and every other app and game of the day. I think we are becoming CPU frequency speed 'jaded'. 800 MHz is a fast chip! Especially for what the Vox is/was designed to do. I have no problems with it, or wouldn't have purchased....

Normally I would agree with you, however that was back in the day when software tended to be written in lower-level languages that allowed optimizations, and time was taken to test and re-test.

Nowadays, it is pretty clear that software development -- and I think the brute strength of modern processors is partly to blame for this -- is not done quite so carefully anymore. Proper software QA is sadly an afterthought at best in many shops I have experience with. After all, thorough testing cycles might interfere with the product manager's release timelines ...

hpulley · 12-13-2011, 07:35 PM

First, you cannot compare x86 to ARM, CISC to RISC for clock cycles. Apples to oranges really.

Next even in the ARM family most chips like the iMX51 are really System On a Chip so it is hard to compare clock rates simply without knowing the rest of the support packages.

Nearly twenty years ago I did graduate work on a compiler to improve the performance of software written in C on TMS320 family processors in mobile phones that had laughable amounts of memory compared to now. They would have sold their souls to the devil for 512MB RAM back then! The iMX51 has 32KB and 256KB cache when we didn't have that much memory at all! 32GB microSD flash would have been unimaginable.

At the time I begged industry to consider using a high level C-like language compiled to object code with an optimizing compiler but they preferred hand coded assembly language. Today most apps are written in Java, turned into byte code, again this would have been unimaginable twenty years ago. To have an operating system like Android ona mobile device is still amazing.

These would have been considered supercomputers not that long ago and what do we use them for? Angry Birds and Cut the Rope! Fun for sure but all the animation, graphics, swooshing effects cost processing power.

jefftheworld · 12-16-2011, 02:25 AM

As James said, it makes sense for them to at least look into it.

On one hand, switching to ICS could petentially boost performance and usability. On the other hand, it requires a considerable amount of effort and they don't want to take away from the current development.

Really, for a 7" tablet I don't think ICS is crucial. It'd be nice, but some tweaks to the Ginger UI seem to do it quite nicely for me.

12-09-2011, 04:02 AM	#1
Reader Paradice Getting Back To Reading! Posts: 206 Karma: 431306 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox and Touch	"Boy, could I use an Ice Cream Sandwich!" ....kidding aside, Does Kobo intend to give us a real tablet O.S. such as Google's ICE CREAM SANDWICH?!? I saw on YouTube, that somebody already has a beta version running on the Kindle Fire. If it can port over to the Fire, it sure can port over to the Vox! So JamesW...can we be expecting this as well? I mean, who wants to keep running with an O.S. designed for a smart phone? I for sure, do not. If so, what would be the rough timeline for this....

12-09-2011, 01:38 PM	#4
Haesslich Fanatic Posts: 544 Karma: 1138182 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kobo Touch,Glo,Mini,Aura/HD/One,H20, Sony PRS-300/600, Kindle 3-PW	That's a bit like saying the manufacturer of a budget phone owes me an upgrade to the new flagship version of the new OS designed for a new generation of hardware because I own a phone and there's a new OS. Not all Android devives are created equal, and just running Android underneath does not mean that the OS is the product they're selling. Sony has the PRS-T1 running atop Android, as does the nook Touch, but I don't expect Sony or B&N to upgrade those devices to ICS. Plus, the Vox barely runs Gingerbread well - I don't know if any company selling their color ereaders will officially support ICS - the devices are there to sell books, play a few games and browse the Web in the side. Things that the current OS already does. I'd rather they fix the damned bugs first, rather than introduce new ones trying to cut down ICS to work. Last edited by Haesslich; 12-09-2011 at 01:46 PM.

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12-09-2011, 07:16 AM	#2
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	I wouldn't hold my breath for Kobo to be the provider of the updated OS. Will it be hacked by someone to run ICS at some point? Probably. I do think it is important for us to remember that the Vox is sold as an eReader with benefits, not a tablet. When the kinks are worked out, it will undoubtedly be all the tablet I need, but still...

12-09-2011, 11:20 AM	#3
suedenim Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 400010 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: BC Device: Kobo Vox	It's still an android device and ICS "unifies" the smartphone and tablet OS'es. I don't think asking for ICS on the Vox is unreasonable. I'd like Kobo to fix the current issues first and then as part of the ongoing support provide a means to upgrade to ICS.

12-10-2011, 02:54 AM	#5
markT4 Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 101745 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	Many Android phones (Nexus One, HTC Incredible) when they got an upgrade to the newer version of Android they actually improved in performance (such as speed and battery life). It could be a chance that the Vox might improve as well with icecream sandwich if it has the proper hardware to support it. I agree with everyone else though, you would probably have to wait for someone to hack the Vox to put 4.0 on. By that time maybe someone might figure out how to overclock the processor. Now a Vox with Icecream sandwich and a over clocked possessor - that be something to salivate over

12-10-2011, 03:24 AM	#6
Haesslich Fanatic Posts: 544 Karma: 1138182 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kobo Touch,Glo,Mini,Aura/HD/One,H20, Sony PRS-300/600, Kindle 3-PW	Both of those devices were top-end smartphones when released on top end hardware, and the Nexus One was designed with upgrades to newer OS versions in mind. The Kobo Vox.... not so much, outside of the screen. It doesn't even technically meet Google standards for certification, which is why we've got Gingerbread, with no hope of Honeycomb for now, since it won't meet spec... much less ice cream. It might get hacked to ICS... but I don't hold out hope for it to run WELL with ICS. The Kindle Fire runs it because it at least has the processor for it, whereas the Vox doesn't.

12-12-2011, 12:30 PM	#7
KoboJW UX Lead, Kobo Vox Posts: 113 Karma: 199002 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Boxes of Voxes	We are looking into ICS support, but I cannot give you a timeline or any promises.

12-12-2011, 04:40 PM	#10
markT4 Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 101745 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	If Kobo is successful at getting ICS and the Vox it would be a major selling point as I doubt the Kindle fire or Nook tablet will make the update with their restrictive software platform. Both companies design their custom UI's with 2.3 and would have to re-do a lot of work (coast) to have the same UI's with ics. Plus, it might improve the Vox's performance .... I know very hypothetical.

12-12-2011, 04:53 PM	#11
suedenim Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 400010 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: BC Device: Kobo Vox	I certainly think this would be good. I like my Vox a lot (I'll like it even more when the sleep issue is fixed). You will get more commitment from me too if I know the product is going to be supported/upgraded in the future. Much better for the Vox as its more than just an eReader, and I don't imagine Kobo is planning to make a profit by pushing hardware on the back of access to the next big OS upgrade.

12-13-2011, 07:35 PM	#14
hpulley Addict Posts: 288 Karma: 29760 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Playbook32	First, you cannot compare x86 to ARM, CISC to RISC for clock cycles. Apples to oranges really. Next even in the ARM family most chips like the iMX51 are really System On a Chip so it is hard to compare clock rates simply without knowing the rest of the support packages. Nearly twenty years ago I did graduate work on a compiler to improve the performance of software written in C on TMS320 family processors in mobile phones that had laughable amounts of memory compared to now. They would have sold their souls to the devil for 512MB RAM back then! The iMX51 has 32KB and 256KB cache when we didn't have that much memory at all! 32GB microSD flash would have been unimaginable. At the time I begged industry to consider using a high level C-like language compiled to object code with an optimizing compiler but they preferred hand coded assembly language. Today most apps are written in Java, turned into byte code, again this would have been unimaginable twenty years ago. To have an operating system like Android ona mobile device is still amazing. These would have been considered supercomputers not that long ago and what do we use them for? Angry Birds and Cut the Rope! Fun for sure but all the animation, graphics, swooshing effects cost processing power.

12-16-2011, 02:25 AM	#15
jefftheworld Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 157090 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo, Kobo Vox	As James said, it makes sense for them to at least look into it. On one hand, switching to ICS could petentially boost performance and usability. On the other hand, it requires a considerable amount of effort and they don't want to take away from the current development. Really, for a 7" tablet I don't think ICS is crucial. It'd be nice, but some tweaks to the Ginger UI seem to do it quite nicely for me.

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