Quote:
Originally Posted by phacdelm
The other issue was the lack of Market support: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=155164
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh ... but I'm coming at this with an Android phone (LG Google Shine Plus) as my only 'droid device. I was totally shocked that the basic Google Apps (Gmail, Listen, etc.) aren't there; that they advertize Facebook, but it's only the website; that all apps have to be side-loaded b/c of no Market, etc.
I'm a software developer, so I'm no tech idiot ... but if I have to start rooting the device to get what I consider the baseline features of an Android device, I'm going to get a bit gnarly.
Maybe I'm a bit off on my expectations - so I'd appreciate some pointers to info on how this is Google's issue rather than Kobo's.
My bottom line is this: I bought it to give to my daughter for her 10th birthday. The "eReader" was a secondary consideration to fact that this is a lower-priced basic tablet. I was willing to compromise on the camera and some of the bells and whistles ... I just didn't realize how much device configuration control would be giving up.
It's a show-stopper. If I can't remove apps that I don't want my 10 year old to have (Rdio, Facebook "icon app", etc.) and get the very basic protection of ensuring the apps that she can install come from the Market ... without voiding the warranty (given the other issues out there re/ wifi sleep locking the device) ... then this is NOT the device for me, it's going back. |
Those Google Apps you mentioned are closed-source, unlike the rest of the Android OS. Google does not license them freely to every device manufacturer and Kobo is simply too small and too new a company to get those apps and the Android Market licensed.
The Getjar market that comes with the device is perfectly safe and has a good selection and is easy enough even for a 10 year old to use.
As for removing those other apps, it's not hard to just lock their use and remove them from the home screen (they'll still appear in the app drawer, but they'll be unusable). Even your LG Android device has apps you can't be removed without rooting and most carriers shove way more annoying junk on than Kobo did.
On the topic of device control, I'm not sure what features you're looking for that are missing from a vanilla Gingerbread install but I'd love to hear ideas on improving device control because I'm a control freak and I'd love to find a way of changing any settings I'm unaware of.