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Vodafone has angered HTC Desire owners, after it updated the phone with a little present many of them did not want at all.
Believing they were going to get the latest Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ update with all the latest goodies, users eagerly installed a hefty download, only to be mightily disappointed when instead Vodafone sent over a number of branded applications, a new restart animation and some changes to bookmarks.
The included apps — described by some fuming customers as ‘bloatware’ — such as 360 updates, a music shop and another Web browser, were also said not to even work due to network connectivity problems. According to angry forum users they couldn’t be uninstalled.
As ‘Chicanekuk’ commented on a board filled with furious posts, “You’ve got to admire the brass neck of Vodafone really. Everyone is desperately waiting for the Froyo update and they go and push this out.”
“I’m sure the timing wasn’t intentional or anything… you know, to trick those of us who were patiently waiting for Froyo, into installing this update for a ton of rubbish which none of us even wanted.”
Some angry users promised to ‘root’ their phones — stripping the operating system down to the most basic version of Android — which like jailbreaking the iPhone, will void the warranty.
In response, Vodafone said it was only putting out its own software to improve user experience on the network.
As far as the lack of an Android update was concerned, Vodafone, in common with other networks, has to test the software before pushing it out to users.
This could take quite a while though: “Our testing process begins as soon as we receive the software, which often happens once the manufacturer has already released the open market version of the software,” a spokesperson said.
“During the review process, we report any issues with the software back to the manufacturer for them to address. Once the firmware is approved by Vodafone, we return it to the manufacturer and they will then distribute the software to customers through the appropriate channels.”
No release date for the actual Android 2.2 update has so far been given by Vodafone, or any other network. If you want an unbranded Android device with the latest software updates, you’ll have to go unlocked.
