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.
You obviously haven't bothered to find out who you're addressing. I suggest you read up a bit first. I'm no Apple fanboy, and not emotionally attached to -any- hardware. Please take your personal insults and put them somewhere else for safekeeping, as I have no need of your crap talk. When you're interested in having a civil conversation, write back. Thanks.
I’ve watched your behavior in this thread and in the ridiculous iphone camera thread that spurred this one. Folks may like to pretend, but anyone who’s paying attention knows that this thread was posted just for the self-serving purposes of Apple fanboy hypocrites. I don’t care personally, but I find it interesting that guys who get so upset about ‘trolling’ on their precious ‘slob the jobs’ threads would engage in such douchebaggery.
Then, you told me I was ‘worked up’ about it, which is typical Apple fanboy projection behavior. So, in spite of not reading your autobiography, it was pretty reasonable to suspect that you were a member of the Apple fanboy neuter club.
LOL! That person apparently has way too much time (and money) on his hands.
Quite the impressive setup. Ants don’t stand a chance!
Whatever. You seem to be incapable of writing a civil reply that isn't filled with name-calling and obnoxious crap, even when you know it isn't appropriate. Are you done spewing? Good. What do you say we drop it and get back to the discussion of the actual thread topic now, ok?
Whatever. You seem to be incapable of writing anything but shockingly arrogant replies even when you know it isn’t appropriate. Are you done over-estimating your own importance? Good. What do you say you go get your shine box and the rest of us will get on with more important topics than you, your autobiography, or your feelings of inadequacy, ok?
I remember that now. But like you said, jailbroken... keyword Broken by OWNER not by Apple.
Now, technically, did Apple reform them in the stores or did people have to mail them in and wait weeks?
It was a combination of both... AT&T and Apple Stores as well as mail back for service with a 3 day return time.
A bricked EVO makes no calls at all and cannot be updated even from a computer according to this article. My brand new iPhone makes calls quite well and I cannot duplicate the antenna issue at all, nor can the majority of the over 2 million owners of the new model. I think it's a manufacturing defect in a small fraction of the production.
Interesting. Mine “bricked” yesterday and I wondered what the heck happened. But mine came back from the dead...
Glad to hear that. Perhaps the rumors of it's demise are somewhat exaggerated.
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