Samsung and AT&T have prepared an Android 2.2 "Froyo" upgrade for the Samsung Captivate. However, it's not over the air; users must download it.
Samsung's
Captivate smartphone is now available for an upgrade to Google's Android 2.2
"Froyo" operating system, but it won't come from its carrier AT&T
through the traditional over-the-air channel.
Rather,
Samsung and AT&T have created an "optional upgrade" Captivate
users must download from the Samsung Website to a desktop or laptop computer
running Microsoft Windows 7, Vista or XP.
Users also
need a USB cable to connect their phone to their computer to complete the
upgrade. See detailed instructions
here.
AT&T began
selling the 4-inch Super AMOLED (active-matrix
organic LED) screen Samsung Captivate last July for $199 with a two-year
contract. The handset is one of a handful of phones from the Samsung Galaxy S
line that sold more than 10 million units in 2010.
Android upgrades
have come fairly rapidly on Motorola and HTC handsets, but Android 2.2 has
posed a significant technical challenge for Samsung and its carrier partners.
T-Mobile's
Samsung Vibrant last month became the first Galaxy S device to
have Froyo, which includes Adobe Flash 10.1
support, USB tethering and mobile hotspot capabilities.
When asked
when Froyo would come to other Galaxy S handsets, Samsung told eWEEK at the
time: "We are working to make the Android 2.2/Froyo upgrade available to
all U.S. Galaxy S owners as soon as possible. Due to the complexity and unique
functionality of each Galaxy S device, we are performing additional
testing."
Now Captivate
owners may enjoy Froyo, though the manual upgrade is clearly more cumbersome
than an over-the-air bump. Indeed, Samsung cautioned users to back up all their
Captivate data, such as contacts, pictures, music and videos "prior to
performing the update as data could be lost."
When asked the
reason for this manual practice, Samsung told eWEEK: "Samsung and AT&T
worked closely together to determine the most efficient upgrade path and best
experience for our customers."
That is a
subtle way of saying that technical issues precluded an over-the-air Froyo bump
across AT&T's network.
While some
Captivate owners may be rejoicing, the long delay to Android 2.2 has been a
painful wait for Galaxy S owners, who watched Samsung launch its Nexus S
smartphone with Android 2.3 in December.
With the
Vibrant and Captivate, owners of Verizon Wireless' Samsung Fascinate and
Sprint's Epic 4G will be especially anxious to get the upgrade to Android 2.2.
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