I would have to agree with Ricky on this one, I don't want to hear excuses.This phone should've never hit the market with this OS if they knew that 2.1 was that close in the future, especially with knowledge that they are now trying to avoid fragmentation in OS amongst all Android devices. But no, let's just keep releasing new technology before it is ready just to increase profit margin before the end of the last quarter! In the end we the consumer are the ones that pay for it. I not only point the blame at Sprint but many other technology based companies. Bottom line, someone at sprint forgot to do their homework and I now am the owner of a three month old phone that already has an outdated operating system!
It's not about any perceived delay's it's about the fact that the other handset are getting updated and the Hero is not. My farther-in-law has a Moto Droid and receives updates all the time. I just want my Hero to be on the same level as other phones. At this rate the 4G will be out before the Hero gets an update.
This phone should've never hit the market with this OS if they knew that 2.1 was that close in the future, especially with knowledge that they are now trying to avoid fragmentation in OS amongst all Android devices. ...I not only point the blame at Sprint but many other technology based companies. Bottom line, someone at sprint forgot to do their homework and I now am the owner of a three month old phone that already has an outdated operating system!
If we knew that 2.1 was that close in the future, why'd you buy a phone with 1.5 on it, then? Weird, that works both ways...
It's not about any perceived delay's it's about the fact that the other handset are getting updated and the Hero is not. My farther-in-law has a Moto Droid and receives updates all the time.
The Moto Droid doesn't run Sense. HTC has to update their skin for the new version, and that takes time. If you don't want to wait for that, you can root your phone and install any flavor of 2.1 that you can get to run.
Don't cry to HTC when you bought something you thought was worthwhile and then they take a little extra time to perfect the update before releasing it. Everybody who complains about this should have rethought buying a phone with a special layer on it.
Really...Verizon has piut out a website detailing their update to the Droid Eris plus stated it is over the air...Sprint is so handicapped that they just microblog showing their NON-RESPONSIVENESS to their customer's requests for open communication...and BTW ...iPhone G4 with LTE on Verizon seems pretty unbeatable to me!
I think I will have to get the new EVO this summer to have an updated OS because I am tired of reading the same s$%^t that the update is coming and coming... I just hope that the updates on the EVO are done in a more enthusiastic manner, it better be because this is the new baby from Sprint!!
My question is why this thing hasn't atleast come out for the moment. It's running the stock version and doesnt need any kind of special treatment that I am aware of unlike the hero with sense. Talked to a sprint rep yesterday and they said it's coming out same time as the hero update but lord knows how accurate that statement is =/ Just gettin frustrated with the wait game and I'm not messin with the leaks because it doesnt even support all the apps I use.
Indeed, Sprint does perform OTA updates, but only if the patch is below 10MB in size. The Android 2.1 update for both the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment will be OTW updates due to their fairly hefty sizes.
As for Sprint dropping the ball here, I believe that this has been a huge public relations disaster for them and they need to quell the angst in the Sprint Android community with at least a bit of a more firm time line for the updates' release.
I am a patient person as I don't mind waiting if the end product ends up meeting or exceeding all of my expectations. I have been happy with my HTC Hero thus far, except that I cannot access the full Android Market due to the lower version of my OS and it can be a tad laggy at times with longer lists of items to be displayed.
I stated above that I am patient, however, this is starting to get dangerously close to the release of the HTC EVO. This, to me, looks like an intention of Sprint to delay the Android 2.1 update until just before or immediately following the release of the HTC EVO, so that more people would be interested in buying the new handset. It's just food for thought. It could be completely wrong here.
Sprint did have many unofficial release dates, but if you called Sprint and asked them they told you other dates. I used the chat feature on Sprint and they told me that it was coming out on the first week of May. I know that many people fack communications and screenshots for some stupid reason, but the following is unaudited except for taking out identifiable stuff. Sprint has pissed me off with this and has lost my trust. Since there is number portability I may switch to whatever network has the best deal. I've been with Sprint since 2000. They only reason that I stayed was that they kept given me new stuff when I went to switch and they didn't complain about excessive data usage.
Time Details
04/23/2010 05:07:00PM System: "Please wait and the next available specialist will be with you shortly."
04/23/2010 05:07:06PM System: "If you are chatting today for Technical Support, please call (888) 211-4727."
04/23/2010 05:07:11PM Session Started with Agent (Steve U)
04/23/2010 05:07:11PM System: "Thank you for contacting Sprint. My name is Steve U."
04/23/2010 05:07:11PM XXXX: "Question about Hero OS. When will Android **********.********** update be release for the HTC Hero?"
04/23/2010 05:07:29PM XXXX: "Hello"
04/23/2010 05:07:37PM Agent (Steve U): "Let me check this for you."
04/23/2010 05:09:23PM Agent (Steve U): "Android **********.********** for the HTC Hero will be available in the first week of may."
04/23/2010 05:09:44PM XXXX: "ok"
04/23/2010 05:09:57PM XXXX: "thanks"
04/23/2010 05:10:45PM Session Ended
"Early Q2" means "within the first half of the second quarter of the calendar year" to me.
However, that deadline expires May 15th. The only rumor I got excited about was May 7th, because that came with fairly believable photographic "evidence", and it was just about when I thought "early Q2" would end.
Just root your phones and stop the bizzitching. It takes all of 10 minutes to root and flash and you've got an overclocked hero with updated market and root access.
0
KwitkoSheriff of Banning (Retired)By the thing near the stuffIcrontian
edited May 2010
Not everyone wants to root their phone. In fact, I would say out of all Hero users, 96% have no idea what rooting is, nor do they care to root even if they did know what it was.
Thrax
🐌Austin, TX Icrontian
Comments
If we knew that 2.1 was that close in the future, why'd you buy a phone with 1.5 on it, then? Weird, that works both ways...
The Moto Droid doesn't run Sense. HTC has to update their skin for the new version, and that takes time. If you don't want to wait for that, you can root your phone and install any flavor of 2.1 that you can get to run.
Don't cry to HTC when you bought something you thought was worthwhile and then they take a little extra time to perfect the update before releasing it. Everybody who complains about this should have rethought buying a phone with a special layer on it.
As for Sprint dropping the ball here, I believe that this has been a huge public relations disaster for them and they need to quell the angst in the Sprint Android community with at least a bit of a more firm time line for the updates' release.
I am a patient person as I don't mind waiting if the end product ends up meeting or exceeding all of my expectations. I have been happy with my HTC Hero thus far, except that I cannot access the full Android Market due to the lower version of my OS and it can be a tad laggy at times with longer lists of items to be displayed.
I stated above that I am patient, however, this is starting to get dangerously close to the release of the HTC EVO. This, to me, looks like an intention of Sprint to delay the Android 2.1 update until just before or immediately following the release of the HTC EVO, so that more people would be interested in buying the new handset. It's just food for thought. It could be completely wrong here.
Time Details
04/23/2010 05:07:00PM System: "Please wait and the next available specialist will be with you shortly."
04/23/2010 05:07:06PM System: "If you are chatting today for Technical Support, please call (888) 211-4727."
04/23/2010 05:07:11PM Session Started with Agent (Steve U)
04/23/2010 05:07:11PM System: "Thank you for contacting Sprint. My name is Steve U."
04/23/2010 05:07:11PM XXXX: "Question about Hero OS. When will Android **********.********** update be release for the HTC Hero?"
04/23/2010 05:07:29PM XXXX: "Hello"
04/23/2010 05:07:37PM Agent (Steve U): "Let me check this for you."
04/23/2010 05:09:23PM Agent (Steve U): "Android **********.********** for the HTC Hero will be available in the first week of may."
04/23/2010 05:09:44PM XXXX: "ok"
04/23/2010 05:09:57PM XXXX: "thanks"
04/23/2010 05:10:45PM Session Ended
However, that deadline expires May 15th. The only rumor I got excited about was May 7th, because that came with fairly believable photographic "evidence", and it was just about when I thought "early Q2" would end.