Solideliquid said:
I know there's a hardware thread around here, but this is more a thought regarding OS updates. It seems to me that no new Android handsets are being released with stock Android since the Moto Droid and Nexus One. It's either all Sense or Moto Blur. And looking at brand new devices including all the Moto and HTC offerings (the big boys) none of the offerings are stock android.
How is this going to affect fragmentation/updating the OS? I'm really interested in the Incredible, for example (being on Verizon) as well as the two mystery android (?) phones moto is going to release on Verizon this July. With the Incredible I know it won't get 2.2 until Q3-4 of 2010, by then 2.3 is going to be out. These things are not making it easier for me to upgrade from my Droid.
Decisions decisions.
Stock Android hasn't been abandoned. Motorola has a stock Android phone for Verizon in the pipeline (Droid 2). The rumors now are that there are 2 Moto Droids enroute for V this summer, one being Shadow, the second potentially Droid 2. If not this summer, then by November, we'll have a new stock by Motorola.
If you want upgrades the fastest and don't want to root and deal with custom roms, then bottom line, you want stock on a high end device. Manufacturers like to put their own spin on Android because Android does most of the work for them, and it helps them differentiate their offerings from other Android phones instead of relying solely on specs. Even LG took two seconds to throw a ever so slightly custom homescreen/launcher for the Ally. That's not going to change.
Hang in there for Droid 2. Even if manufacturers learn and get updates out faster, they'll always be behind stock, since there's just more work to be done there. You're a stock Android kind of guy, Stock is getting better and better everyday (Froyo, Gingerbread + webOS designer), and stock devices aren't dead. We only know the future based on leaks, and not everything is leaked. But there is definitely a Droid 2 in the future. Whether that's in a couple months or in November remains to be seen, but that seems like the sensible next step for you (and me).
At the same time; think about it. As more and more phones get custom Android, more and more take longer to get updates than the few stock phones. When you look at it that way, it's not like everyones having the latest update while you're missing out because you thought a custom UI is awesome. Sense is still awesome, your phone can still do a lot of cool and different things that stock Android doesn't, and the Streak/TouchWiz/Xperia/Blur people are waiting just like you are. It may be less of an issue than people make it out to be.