Vodafone pulls 360 trick on Froyo hungry users Android updates are causing problems again, with Vodafone trying to foist 360 apps on users while T-Mobile does much the same thing, only in German. Most of those with with an Android handset are waiting to get a Froyo (2.2) update, which promises higher speeds and greater stability, as well as the long-awaited support for …
So your support drones can either say: "this is the way we at MegaCorp choose to do things, kindly FOAD" or actually give the impression of providing some support, even at the risk of going 'off message'. I know which I prefer, although most MegaCorps appear to spend a lot of time trying to stamp it out.
I know that updates take time to hit everybody's phone, but yesterday morning I had two alerts offering the update. Due to various reasons, I had to cancel both offers. As of 1100 yesterday, I've had nothing, and a manual check says my 2.1 desire is up to date.
It really annoys me when the operators mess around with the updates. If they insist on forcing bookmarks and apps down our throats, then knock off a nought from the large upfront cost of these handsets.
I nearly went sim free for the first time with the desire, I am regretting it now.
This isn't the fault of *Android*. Its the operator each and every time. They want to control the UX and if a handset maker wants an operator to sell their handsets they have to bend over, lube up and let the operator muck around customising the firmware.
Buy any operator locked and branded handset and they will stuff it full of crud as they still haven't figured out they are just dumb data pipes.
Apple is the only one (AFAIK/YMMV) that hasn't succumbed to this - and that's only because His Steveness has the whip hand over the operators who are falling over themselves to sell his iFancy on his terms only.
That has to be the thinking behind this move, that it's a different phone albeit an Android phone, and so it should be ok to try the same trick. How stupid are they?? They saw the backlash the last time they pushed out their unwanted waste of money instead of what people were expecting. Your project failed Vodafone, let it die, accept that you are just a network provider and stop trying to be more than that. Sadly this won't happen and this crap will continue.
I was considering Vodafone because they claim to have the Galaxy Tab coming but with the price being touted as around £650 and more nonsense from Vodafone I think I'll give that a big miss.
I specifically bought my Galaxy S from Phones4U (who undercut CPW's deal) to avoid all these nightmares - though, they are my operator, so I was suspicious that Kies might be under their control; but I've not been offered any 'upgrade' so think it's ok.
Wouldn't it be nice if Google put in an API that (upon entering the IMEA or something) would allow -ordinary- users to give root access to a tool to clean away this nonsense and maybe even run standard Android upgrades to at least the user space side of things?
As it is, I suspect my Froyo update will end up coming after gaining root under Eclair, and having to fiddle with the image to prevent it updating the boot-loader to a more 'secure' version - all that, just to retain the possibility that I can truly own the device.
What is it about Democracy that allows corporate totalitarianism to thrive?
I've got a 6 year old nokia which is just a phone, but it's -my- phone. And it works really well, with whichever SIM I put in it.
I'd like to get a new all singing all dancing device, but when the companies pull crap like this, I just decide to keep going with what I've got - I've got a standalone GPS, and a very nice little music player....and they all do what I want with no excrement that I don't want, and which slows it down.
Working as a computer tech, I used to get machines from various companies, pre-loaded with all kinds of crap, which was neither wanted or needed - but I've noticed recently that Dell at least has stopped this. Maybe the mobile phone companies will, when we all become proficient at jail-breaking
At least they are getting upgrades..
I am still waiting on the three Desire Froyo upgrade - it better come soon or I am whacking on a generic HTC rom.
I am getting fed up of waiting - it makes you wonder what surprises they have planned in their 'custom' upgrade that HTC have had to write them,
The update is no longer available "Over The Air" to T-Mobile HTC Desire users.
However there has been no official confirmation of this, or of any possible remedy.
They may well end up with Vodafone style egg all over their faces if they don't sort this out pretty quickly.
I have a T-Mobile Desire and although I am not too bothered about the odd German bundled app, what really annoys me is that we have waited since (correct me if I am wrong) some time in April for this update. T-Mobile have always maintained that the delay is in testing.
How good is their testing department if they can take months and months and fail to spot German apps included in an update? What faith have we in anything else they do?
Within a month of receiving it. I have been running variants of Froyo 2.2 since about May and have not experienced any problems whatsoever. First thing I do when I get an operator branded phone is go to the relevant forum, lean how to de-brand and then do it. It's the only way to be sure
...while my normal phone was being repaired. The phone is a good quality one, but heavily centred on Vodafone 360 to the point of making it unusable as a phone. 360 is all show and hopeless to use.
Who needs a phone book whizzing around in 3D when its more sensible to search it alphabetically. Its like trying to find a book in a library when someone has scattered them all over the floor in a seemingly random order.
Why would I want to zoom through 3d space to see my text messages when I can do the same thing scrolling up a list?
And as for their social networking. I'm not going to get my friends to give up Facebook and buy a Vodafone handset just so we can... do whatever the hell everyone does on Facebook.
The whole thing is pointless.
Even the Vodafone staff who was in charge of the loan phone said that no one liked it.
I don't think my next phone will be with Vodafone when my contract is up in 6 months time.
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