Posted on 06/30/2010 9:47:16 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Some users of Sprint's new EVO 4G Android handset have reported that an over-the-air software update has made their smartphones dumb as doorstops. Sprint has apparently told users whose phones were bricked that they should return the devices to the stores where they were purchased. That may not result in an immediate replacement, however -- the EVO is still in short supply in many markets.
Less than a month after the release of the Sprint (NYSE: S) HTC EVO 4G, many of the smartphone's users recently found their devices rendered completely inoperable. That's because a firmware update released by Sprint this week seems to have gone badly awry for an unknown number of the customers who installed it.
For those customers, the firmware update has "bricked" their phones -- a term not so affectionately used for phones that behave more like doorstops than multifunction communications devices. The screen is blank, the signal is gone, the phone is dead.
I Am Bricked, Hear Me Roar
Blogs and Web sites are buzzing with user experiences, replete with expletives and disappointment expressed by customers whose phones are anywhere from one day to a couple of weeks old. While Facebook user Becky Parker reported that her firmware update went without a hitch, noting that "now my EVO is FAAAAAAAAAST," lots of posts to Sprint's Facebook page are not so cheerful. Facebook user Bill Gagnon said of his failed update: "Now Radio Shack said my new phone will be arriving within 7-10 days. B.S.!!!"
As of this writing, Sprint's official Twitter feed had no further word on the subject. The last tweet, from June 28 at 3:06 p.m., simply announced that the update is available. Sprint did not return calls in time for publication of this article.
However, a wide range of users have reported that Sprint's customer service personnel are telling them to return their phones to the place of purchase. Doing that may not win the user any immediate satisfaction, though -- the EVO is still in very short supply in many markets. In a comment to a ZDNet blog entry on the firmware update, EVO owner "gabato" said, "My EVO is totally bricked. None of the Sprint stores in my area have new ones to replace it with. I was offered a [refurbished] EVO but I refused it."
Updates Without a Net
Some customers have described a situation in which they were offered the update twice by the over-the-air update process. The first installation went well, but the second caused the phone's total shut-down. Others assert that only "rooted" phones were damaged by the update. A rooted phone, or a "jail-broken" one, is one that has been altered to remove its carrier- or manufacturer-proprietary settings to allow customizations not normally available.
However it happened, the incident points directly at a flaw inherent in delivering software updates directly to a mobile device, Carl Howe, director with the Yankee Group, told TechNewsWorld.
"Over the air updates leave the consumer doing updates without a net," he explained. "If it doesn't work, it can require the consumer to return a phone for service." In fact, this is exactly what Sprint customers are reporting. Once bricked, their phones can no longer be patched via the cellular airwaves or even via WiFi.
By comparison, said Howe, the update process used for some other smartphones, such as Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone, provides a way for customers to restore a phone to its original settings. "While Apple's requirement to use a computer and iTunes to update iPhones is a bit cumbersome," he said, "it does have the advantage of leaving the consumer with a backup plan."
All In the Timing
A backup plan may be exactly what Sprint needs, given that its EVO offering is a key entry in the heated battle among smartphone platforms. As an Android device, the EVO is positioned directly against not only popular BlackBerry devices and Palm (Nasdaq: PALM) smartphones, but also the iPhone itself.
In fact, such a stumble could be a significant problem in this competitive climate, according to Alex Spektor, an analyst with Strategy Analytics. "The EVO's recent firmware troubles are a big risk for HTC," Spektor told TechNewsworld. "The vendor is trying to build its brand name in the U.S., and well-publicized glitches on high-profile devices like the EVO 4G could negatively impact HTC's reputation."
The episode's most ironic moment may have come from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who delivered a conference presentation on Tuesday touting the results of a recent Forrester Research survey. Sprint, he noted, made the biggest improvement in the "Customer Experience Index 2010 - Wireless Service Providers" survey, gaining 15 percentage points.
Yep. A restore setting would really be nice in a situation like that.
You actually searched for this and posted it because someone dared to mention the EVO on an iPhone thread, didn’t you?
Tsk, tsk. You’ll need a new image to post that says ‘Don’t feed the pro-Apple trolls’. Maybe even a whole new ping list.
Doubt they will need a class action lawsuit though.
LOL!
Apparently the fanboys are feeling the heat...
LOL!
Isn’t this what you consistently refer to as FUD?!
The first update jacked up my Evo. The second turned it into a door stop. The store gave me the run around, saying that they would put me at the bottom of the waiting list. They were persuaded to do otherwise.
Heh, I don't know, I'm not Swordmaker, but if so, what of it? There's nothing wrong with posting a tech article about a product that's having troubles. I don't see any "Nyeh, nyeh, my phone is better than your phone" crap from Swordmaker. Just a tech article.
Why's that got you worked up?
> Tsk, tsk. Youll need a new image to post that says Dont feed the pro-Apple trolls. Maybe even a whole new ping list.
You seem to not know what "troll" means. Are you implying that the reference article of this thread is lying, or was published only in the hopes of drawing in people for a fight? That's what trolling is...
Nor was Swordmaker's posting of the article trolling, because if it was, he'd be in here fighting with the pro-EVO folks like trolls do. I don't see him doing that.
So I suggest you not worry about it and stop baiting him.
You wanna see something "feel the heat", watch this video of an iPhone and the Death Ray.
FUD is by nature false -- misrepresentation of the facts, with an intent to undercut a competitor.
I don't have a dog in this fight -- I own neither an EVO nor an iPhone, and I'm not a fanboy in any camp. I'm just asking you a question, because I'm honestly curious:
What about this article is false or misrepresenting the facts?
If you know the article to be false, by all means present an opposing tech article for argument.
WOW. It’s times like this when I am soooo glad that Apple goes the extra mile in their security and procedures. Sure, the usual gang of haters may mock us, but no Update has ever bricked an iPhone, let alone hundreds or perhaps thousands or more?
Any idea HOW wide spread this is?
Eeeeek.
I think you got it right. There is a huge gulf of difference between FACT and FUD.
Fact: An update has effected an unknown but potentially large segment of the new Droid HTC phones. Bricking them totally. And they are so new as to make replacement phones days or weeks to reach these customers.
FUD: Don’t see any in this article.
No, I didn't. I found it interesting... and ironic. The Perfect Android Phone... bricked. I also thought it might be a useful warning for those Freepers who happen to have an HTC Evo... not to accept this over the air update. Wait for the next one.
Did I ping the iPhone list to this thread? Nope. Did I post a snarky comment? Nope.
Not at all... this is a news story about something that is happening yesterday and today... that HTC EVO users need to be aware of before the upgrade their phones... Give them the opportunity to turn down the upgrade and wait for the next version.
In the interests of full disclosure, Rachel, we should admit that the upgrade from IPhone OS1 to OS1.1 did indeed brick jailbroken iPhones... but not any non-jailbroken iPhones. Apple also did restore those bricked iPhones to factory default for their embarrassed owners under warranty.
Ha ha, the fix was sent out, within 24 hours, and before you posted this thread.
A bricked evo makes calls as well as a brand new iPhone out of the box. When in that software fix coming for the defective antenna? Oh wait, people are just holding their iPhones the wrong way.
No wonder iOS growth rates are well behind Android. But no need to get so uptight about it. Geez.
Worked up? YOU are the one who’s emotionally attached to computer hardware, not me. I was merely observing and commenting is all.
Fanboys of all stripes are irritating. Apple fanboys are particularly annoying. But you Apple guys here at FR are the most irrational, argumentative, emotional bunch of neuters that I’ve ever seen.
If an update accidentally bricked a rooted phone, that’s just the user’s fault for running a non-supported configuration.
But bricking regular phones and telling people to wait a week for a replacement? That is unacceptable.
Never be on the bleeding edge of technology.
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