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Android Version

SlickWilly_403801

I have Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on T-Mobile which still works great. I am not a fan of the planned obsolescence tactics that push us into throwing away good $600 equipment before its time is up. I am interesting in the Joule device, but the FAQ states that the Android hardware requirement is 4.4. Unfortunately, the T-Mobile version of the Note 2 is the only one that didn't get the firmware upgrade from 4.3 to 4.4. My question is: Will the Joule just flat not work with Android 4.3, or is it just "not supported"?

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Comments

fisher23

@Emmett_Barton_12803 @Dan_Ahern_30344 @Ellen_212162 any thoughts on this?

AngelArs_240456

There is no "planned obsolescence tactics". Technology, like civilization moves forward, not backward. You are free to use your Galaxy Note 2. No one is forcing you to upgrade. Of course you will not be able to use newer technologies and standards than your device was not designed to use, but that is your choice, The Joule app as designed to support iPhones and iPads running iOS 8.0 (or later) and Android phones and tablets running Android 4.4 (or later). Since T-Mobile has a cut off point on your particular phone for version 4.3, then unfortunately the app will not run correctly on your phone. You can of course still try it, but don't be surprised if you get the "This app is not supported on your device" message. This is a android/T-Mobile issue, and is not the fault of ChefSteps or Joule. As more and more time passes, your phone will not be supported by more and more apps. Even apps that work today will eventually stop being supported, as the developers move forward to use new and better standards. You may be able to side-load 4.4, but you run the risk of bricking your phone, so be safe and back up all of your data first.

Dan_Ahern_30344

Hi SlickWilly,

I'm not 100% sure, but I am pretty sure there are a number of technical limitations that prevent us from supporting Android 4.3. I know they actually introduced the standardized Bluetooth Low Energy stack in 4.3, and then in 4.4 they improved it quite a bit in response to feedback

. Sorry to say, but I think 4.4 is the minimum requirement because it will just not work on anything less.

Disclaimer: (The following is not supported by ChefSteps)

Although, as a tinker who loves hardware and android. One way I squeeze some extra life out of my devices (and usually get a nice little performance boost), is by rooting my phone and installing custom ROMs (specifically Cyanogen). Just doing a quick search it looks like the Galaxy Note 2 has Cyanogen 11 official builds, which would put it at 4.4.X.

I don't know your technical aptitude and all of that would be at your own risk and theoretically you could void any warranty that you might have left on your device. I personally have learned a ton about how embedded devices work by playing around with ROMs, Android source, and rooting my device. But I do recognize that everyone's mileage may vary on how much they want to deal with that kind of stuff on their phone. It does have its risks though and you should definitely read up on all that stuff before you do anything. I'm not telling you that ChefSteps supports that, or that is an official answer, just more something coming from my interest in android.

fisher23

Thanks Dan, your comments are appreciated.

SlickWilly_403801

Dan,

Thanks for responding and providing information on what makes Android version 4.3 a no-go for the Joule. I have been considering rooting my phone for a while and now seems like a good time to make the jump.

SlickWilly_403801

I understand the points you made in your reply. It had never entered into my mind to blame ChefSteps or the Joule for this issue. I guess that I am old school enough to expect that what I buy at a premium should last and also be supported for a reasonable amount of time - not abandoned after 12 to 18 months (by the manufacturer and/or carrier in this case). Sure seems like planned obsolescence from my perspective!

AngelArs_240456

I understand how you feel, and I feel the same way. In the electronics industry there is a thing called “Moore's law”. Simply put it states that that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. Advancements in digital electronics are also strongly linked to Moore's law. For example, memory capacity, sensor capability and the number and size of pixels in digital cameras all use Moore Law. This has been the rule of thumb since 1965. What seems like planned obsolescence is really just the natural growth of the technology industry.

Now some companies take advantage of this and actually design their products (or in the case of phone carriers, other companies products) to “wear out” after “X” amount of years, but this has nothing to do with Moore's law. This seems to be what happened in your case. Like you I wish that smart phones lasted much longer. Apple feels the same way and over the next couple of years they plan to try to change the mindset of the industry by releasing a new iPhone once every 3 years, instead of every year. This way consumers will get much more value out of their premium smartphones. Until that happens technology marches on.

As Dan suggested there may be ways to get around the 4.3 limit of your phone, but do a LOT of research before you change anything, or you could unintentionally change it into a paper weight. The good news is that you should be able to get more milage out of your next phone. Keep in mind that Joule was designed to last for many years. Once you get past this android 4.3 speed bump you should be a happy camper for a long, long time.

Dan_Ahern_30344

Totally agree.... read up on it and read up on people's experience and some of the things that can go wrong.

SlickWilly_403801

I was able to get the rooting part done this weekend. Also got a recovery utility and a full backup done. I am going to do some additional manual backups just to be safe. I hope to be able to get the actual custom rom installed yet this week. Wish me luck.