Samsung Mobile, which weathered criticism for delaying Android 2.2 upgrades for its Galaxy S phones, is now pushing out Froyo for its Vibrant smartphone.
Samsung Mobile has weathered withering criticism for being slow to pushing Android
2.2 upgrades to its handful of popular Galaxy S devices, which have sold more
than 10 million units.
T-Mobile customers at least have begun to get a reprieve from this delay, as
Samsung confirmed Jan. 21 it has started rolling out the Android 2.2 upgrade
for the Galaxy S Vibrant smartphone. Getting here has been a long road.
Rumors surfaced in October that the Android 2.2, or Froyo, upgrade would be
coming to the Android 2.1-based Samsung Fascinate on Verizon Wireless,
Captivate on AT&T, Epic 4G on Sprint and the Vibrant.
But while Motorola and HTC upgraded their
Android 2.1 handsets to Android 2.2, Samsung failed to deliver the over-the-air
provision of the new OS for its handsets in the United
States.
Samsung was cagey about the Froyo delays. Tensions boiled over Jan. 12 when
AndroidSpin
cited an alleged T-Mobile source who claimed Samsung was
withholding the Froyo bump.
"Samsung has NOT allowed us to push the update OTA for 2.2 because they
feel it will decrease the value of the upcoming Vibrant 4G," the source
said.
While the blogosphere blew up with the news, a Samsung Galaxy S customer
filed a class-action
lawsuit
versus T-Mobile and Samsung over the matter, alleging that Samsung wanted to
charge existing customers for software updates.
Samsung flatly
denied this allegation in a statement to eWEEK:
"Samsung does not charge carriers for updates to new versions of
Android," the spokesperson said. "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."
T-Mobile executives convened in New York
Jan. 20, and while there was no talk of the
Samsung Vibrant 4G that is allegedly responsible for the
Android 2.2 delay, they did
unveil the Samsung Galaxy S 4G.
At the event, T-Mobile CMO Cole Brodman
told
PC Magazine that the Froyo delay was technical in nature and that the
upgrade would begin rolling out Friday, Jan. 21, to Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant
customers.
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