Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
So here I sit, still waiting for the GPS update that was promised to be ready for my phone back in September. The update got pushed to "early 1Q 2008." That time has clearly passed. Yes, we're still in the first quarter, but January saw a leaked "beta" rom that's clearly buggy. Rumors now say March 10. I am not holding my breath.
Last week I sent an e-mail to HTC asking about the ROM update. Their response pushed the issue back on Sprint, which was funny considering a day or two before they stated that they were developing the update. Now they say that Sprint is developing it and they just post the file.
Posts on the Sprint board remain unanswered.
Now it gets even better. HTCClassAction.org reports that the promised graphics drivers are now merely a performance tweak.
Let's recap the issues:
- When I bought the device in July, the Sprint web site promised an update in September to support GPS and the upcoming Rev. A EVDO service. Triangulation-based services won't even work (except, presumably, E911). Yes, my husband's two year-old cell phone does more in this department than my so-called Smartphone.
- A ROM update finally arrived in November. Performance was improved. Access to YouTube was broken (though I'm told if I jump through enough hoops I can get it back).
- Video performance is slightly better than my old Pocket PC, even though the chipset is capable of much better. HTC doesn't seem to be keen to fix those issues.
I could load the buggy beta rom or a cooked rom at my own peril, but why should I have to risk bricking my phone to get features that were promised six months ago?
And no, don't tell me to get an iPhone. Sprint has a faster network - even the slower EVDO is faster than their EDGE - and I can do more with my smartphone.
I took the plunge on a smartphone so I could carry less crap in my bag. 1 cellphone + 1 PDA + 1 camera + 1 GPS = 1 Smartphone. This is what I want. I bought this device on the promise that it would do all that. Yes, I dropped quite a bit on it, but I did so with the expectation that it would perform as promised and I would use the device for several years.
Should the ROM update arrive soon I'll post my experience with it here. Just don't hold your breath for a post soon.
Oh, and if someone from Sprint or HTC happens to read this (as if): A little communication with your customers would go a long way. If you're debugging the update, say so. Silence makes it appear is though you don't care about your customers. Sprint, I know you care about my money (see my earlier posts tagged Sprint). If you put half that much effort into customer care, you would have many happy customers.
Tags: Technology, Sprint