Another thing I want to discuss is Android Lollipop.
A year ago, I was right about the features of Android Lollipop.

But one thing I was wrong about was the underlying Linux Kernel.
I believed it was going to be based on Linux Kernel 3.9.

Android had been stuck on an outdated version of Linux Kernel 3.0-3.1 for a long time now.
It made it tricky to get native Ubuntu/distro compatible on Android devices using the provided kernel.
I believed Google was going to push Android 5.0 to support a modern version of Linux.
Linux Kernel 3.7 was very probable (some experimentals were leaked).
However, Linux Kernel 3.8 was designed to bring in multi-platform. So it was more hopeful.

Since Linux 3.8 was a short-term release, sort of like "Beta", I believed Google was going to adopt Linux Kernel 3.9

Version 3.10 was still in RC stage, so I thought that wouldn't be adopted.
Even though Linux 3.10 was supposed to overtake 3.9 and become a Long-Term support... making it suitable for chip manufacturers to target. Also making it easy to cross-compile SailOS, UbuntuPhone, openSUSEarm, and other distro's straight to Android devices.

So what has happened instead?
Google's Android 5.0 Lollipop Operating System supports Linux Kernel 3.14
https://android.googlesource.com/pla...onic/+/38062f9

That's the twelfth (and latest) long-term support... and quite a modern version (latest short-term is 3.19).

That's the good news. Here's the bad news:
- New devices like the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 are shipping with older kernels such as 3.8/3.10.... Why????!
- Devices updated to Lollipop are still on outdated kernels. Some are on v3.1, most are on v3.4, and few on v3.8

Even the BeagleBone Black had the 3.8 Kernel version, and that's before Lollipop was rolled out.

Why the hold up?
Well, because kernel development is a really difficult task... and they rarely add a must-have feature. Plus, SoC and OEMs only make small upgrades for security purposes. Android system was designed in a way, where the kernel can remain relatively the same and the updates made to the overlying system (ie the ROM).

This might actually be one of the reasons for Lollipop's very slow upgrade status. There are more and more bugs to fix for Lollipop if one is to try and use and old kernel. So it seems to most OEMs and Developers, simply much better to stick to Android 4.4.4

With the release of the HTC One M9, Samsuck Galacheese S6, SGS6 Edge, LG G4, Moto X3, NOTE 5, Next Nexus, Android Wear 3 and Android TV... the leap should be made.

I think late 2015 / 2016... we're going to see more devices on modern linux versions. And that's a great thing for TMO and Open Source community.