[Galaxy S 4 Active General] br0adband:
Yes, you're being way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too optimistic but it's still a good thing I suppose.

I say this because I've noted it: I don't think the Active will be available much longer, and I say that because I was in Best Buy last week just after I bought my GS4A off craigslist looking for a battery and a case, and of course they stocked neither, and b) I was in Best Buy yesterday and they don't carry the GS4A anymore, at least not the store I was in.

Last week they did, and they had a floor sample/fake model on display, with the tags, etc, info, and even a brochure explaining the difference.

Yesterday when I stopped by (looking for some blank optical media) I walked through the exact same spot and the GS4A was nowhere to be found, replaced by the Galaxy Mega so I asked the guy about the GS4A and he said "We don't carry those anymore."

Now, Best Buy still has it listed on their website (the Urban Grey and the Dive Blue models) as well as the Urban Grey unlocked, but they did not carry it in the store directly for purchase. I got home and called two other Best Buy locations here in the Las Vegas region and was told the same thing: "We don't carry that in stores anymore..." and of course the sales people are clueless about why.

The Galaxy S4 Active just isn't selling well, and the negative press it received from owners that couldn't comprehend the basic instructions of "no more that 30 minutes in up to 1m/3ft of water, with time to dry off in between 'dunks' under water..." as well as AT&T giving in to a lot of customer complaints from idiots that didn't read the instructions, damaged their phones by not ensuring the seals were tight on the microUSB port as well as making sure the battery cover is on properly (when you do it correctly and press on that area just below the camera flash it will SNAP - with a loud snapping sound - into position which is THEN precise and sealed).

The overwhelming majority of GS4A owners don't get that, and they damaged their phones by not realizing it and not paying attention to it - AT&T and Samsung even put that sticker or the back of the phone with DIAGRAMS of how to ensure the seal, I mean really - and then AT&T was put into a position of having to replace a whole bunch of the GS4A's recently and it hasn't put the phone in a good light.

So I don't expect to ever see a 4.4 upgrade from AT&T, and I mean never. Potentially a 4.3 upgrade in the next month or two (when the actual GS4 gets it or sometime soon afterward which is rumored to be in October), but never 4.4 - AT&T isn't going to waste time supporting a device it's not even going to be selling soon.

Now, take this all with a few grains of salt: this info I just presented is based on my own experience in a retail Best Buy store in a 10 day period: they had it on the shelf ready to buy and walk out with 10 days ago, and less than 24 hours ago (of the time I'm making this post) they didn't - the same Best Buy here in Las Vegas on both visits.

It's my speculation that the GS4A simply won't be available for sale within the next 2-3 months, by New Year's Eve I'd say. AT&T wants to wash their non-water resistant hands of it, sadly... again, that's my speculation. I hate it, I hate knowing the GS4A is a damned fine device, seriously it is: it's a damned GS4 for Pete's sake with a gimped camera resolution and it's missing a few software features the GS4 has which I could care less about, and it's water-resistant as well and comes in a sturdy package/form-factor that I really like (and the Dive Blue color is awesome, I wanted the International version in Flaming Orange but, alas, it wasn't meant to be).

It's a shame this phone isn't getting more interest, it really is. :(

So for me I'm waiting till the official 4.3 is released for the GS4, then I'll be on the lookout for someone to dump it so it can be properly ported to the GS4A (because of Safestrap and our ability to run ROMs now) and that'll be what I use until KitKat makes an appearance and I do all that over again.

That is, unless the bootloader gets cracked open like the surface of a planet smashed by an asteroid, of course. :D