The root of the problem, of course, is that Android is the Wild West, especially compared to the monolithic culture of Apple. All iPhones come from one manufacturer, and there's no variation in their look and feel. Even Windows Phones, despite originating from a handful of different manufacturers, share a common user interface. Google, instead, lets its manufacturing partners offer a fairly wide variety of customizations -- all those aforementioned skins -- whether or not they really add anything to the experience. Google's slogan for Android -- -- celebrates this diverse approach.

Yes, Google offers an alternative in the form of its Nexus phones, These wild flowers iphone case carrier agnostic Google-blessed models offer "pure Android," and are thus eligible for day-and-date OS updates the minute they're available, The catch? You'll probably need to forego contract subsidies or zero-interest monthly installment payments, leaving you to pay full price for the phone, Even when a manufacturer eschews over-customization in the hopes of delivering more timely updates, the result can be mixed -- just witness Motorola's struggle to keep up with Google's timetable..

Compare that to at least two-thirds of iPhones running iOS 8 or later, as of January 2015. My CNET testing duties have me frequently using an iPhone, enough that I know I still prefer Android overall. So what can I do?. I could go out and purchase a new device such as the Galaxy S6 or LG G4 , two "hero" models that are more likely to be updated. I could buy a Google Nexus phone, which should get Android M on day one. Or I could attempt to install a customized "ROM" on my phone -- basically a hacked, homebrew version of the latest software update -- though doing so risks bricking the phone, or at least violating the warranty.

But the whole point is that I shouldn't have to do any these things -- nor should the tens of millions of other Android wild flowers iphone case users, It's time for Google to get serious about software updates and pressure its manufacturing and wireless carriers partners, Yes, the platform's inherent openness makes it a much harder uphill battle compared to Apple and Microsoft, But Google is a behemoth, with nearly limitless resources and plenty of negotiating power, The company should lay down the law: If you buy an Android device from a member of the OHA, that device should be supported with the latest software updates for at least two years (if not longer), and those updates should be propagated to end users within 30 days of initial availability, regardless of manufacturer or wireless carrier..

That's when I slap my face with a wet tea towel, knowing that something I haven't seen is about to enter my firmament. So it is that I have received wind of a man riding his motorbike last Tuesday in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, China. As recorded by the People's Daily in China, he and his bike were in an accident with a car at an intersection. What's not clear is what caused the accident. Might the man have been riding his bike while playing with his phone?. I ask this apparently absurd question only because photographs first published on Weibo show the man lying in the street, clutching his phone and seemingly playing a video game.