In a huge leap forward in the battle against Android fragmentation Google announced today and alliance whose founding members have agreed to keep their devices up-to-date with the latest Android releases in a timely fashion.
The founding group includes all of the big names. HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and more.
Details are still very scarce, but the idea behind the group is to assure consumers that the phone they buy new today won’t be abandoned in short order in favor of the new favored device. The group will agree to release the latest update in an as yet unspecified short timeline and to support the device for a (short) 18 months.
While the 18 month time-frame is short, no indication was given whether the 18 month countdown begins at first sale or last. If it is 18 months from discontinuation this is a big deal. If 18 months from first sale, this group has further work to do.