When an Android upgrade goes nowhere but down

On the one hand, it’s something like Exhibit J in the case that the “Google Update Alliance” is dead. But, on the other hand, the one that you hold your phone with, good for Motorola, assuming they’re serious about their intent. It would be easy, of course, for a manufacturer to stick to the short view of the market, expecting custoemrs to buy a new device every two years or sooner and assuming every Google upgrade is unnecessary. But Motorola is device-by-device specific in what they’ll be upgrading, and what stage those upgrades are in. That kind of straightforward upgrade information is hard to come by with other manufacturers. (On a related note, HTC actually made a phone named “Status”? Seriously?)

If you needed more proof that Google was looking to have a stronger hand in the initial release of devices for each new Android version (as noted in last week’s Rumor Roundup), consider that now one of their most stalwart partners are openly noting that their software upgrades are not upgrades, and that it’s just that one partner who’s being vocal about it. Something’s gotta give.