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List of Broken Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Promises Could Grow

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Over the weekend, we learned that Motorola canceled the Ice Cream Sandwich updates for three devices, a list that included the Motorola Electrify, Motorola Photon 4G and the Motorola Atrix. All three devices had originally been promised Ice Cream Sandwich, a promise that was subsequently broken by Motorola. Unfortunately, there is the possibility that that list could grow as several other devices are still in Ice Cream Sandwich limbo.

Earlier this year, HTC and Motorola made some bold Android promises. They announced that they would be upgrading the Motorola Droid Bionic and HTC ThunderBolt, two popular Android devices, with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. In addition, HTC announced that the Droid Incredible 2 would be getting Ice Cream Sandwich as well.

The Droid Bionic ICS update was supposed to roll out in early third quarter but missed that window and was recently postponed until the fourth quarter of this year.

Read: HTC ThunderBolt Ice Cream Sandwich Situation is Unacceptable.

The HTC ThunderBolt and Droid Incredible 2 Ice Cream Sandwich updates were delayed indefinitely on the last day of their promised roll out window and thus far, HTC remains completely silent about the prospects of the updates.

However, as HTC has shown with the Desire HD and Motorola has shown with the Atrix, Photon 4G and the Electrify, the updates for the HTC ThunderBolt, Droid Bionic and Droid Incredible 2 are not out of hot water and it’s still possible that all three could be canceled before everything is said and done.

Up in the Air

The Atrix and Photon 4G arrived in the U.S. around the same time as the HTC ThunderBolt. The Motorola Electrify launched in late 2011, just like the Motorola Droid Bionic. The Atrix, Photon 4G and Electrify have dual-core processors and 1GB of RAM, just like the Droid Bionic. The Droid Incredible 2 and the HTC ThunderBolt feature single core processors with less RAM.

So it could be that the hardware is not cooperating with the software, something that seemed to be the reason why Motorola canceled the updates for the trio of phones. Motorola said that it was due to performance which could be related to hardware, bugs, or maybe even a combination of both.

Read: Motorola Droid Bionic Ice Cream Sandwich Update Wait Starts Over.

motorola-photon-4g-477px

Hopefully, the other devices in ICS limbo don’t follow in the footsteps of the Motorola Photon.

Something else that doesn’t bode well for the Droid Incredible 2, ThunderBolt and Droid Bionic is that they are all on Verizon. Verizon is notorious for its high standards when it comes to releasing Android updates and at this point, it’s looking like none of the updates have met Verizon’s standards.

And they may never get to that point given that they have been in development for months.

Consolation Prize

For Droid Bionic owners, there is a little bit of a consolation prize. Motorola, if it doesn’t upgrade the Droid Bionic to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, will give owners $100 credit towards a select Motorola smartphone. It’s not much, given that it has to be a Moto phone, but at least it’s something.

Atrix, Electrify and Photon 4G should be able to collect their reward once the program goes live.

Owners of the HTC devices will not be the benefactors of such a prize should the ThunderBolt or Droid Incredible 2 not get ICS.

Predictions

So will these updates ever roll out? Here are my humble predictions.

Motorola Droid Bionic: If it does roll out, it won’t be until the middle to end of Q4. The fact that devices with dual-core processors and 1GB of RAM have seen their updates canceled does not bode well for the update. However, I think Motorola would have flat out canceled it last week if it intended on doing that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TaJ4BlthS44

HTC ThunderBolt: At this point, I’m starting to doubt it. More than a month has passed now without a word and while I think they are trying hard to get this update out given the backlash from ThunderBolt owners, the odds of a ThunderBolt ICS update appear to be pretty slim given the device’s specs and the turmoil that we heard about before the delay.

tbolt24-570x600-546x575

Droid Incredible 2: I get a bad feeling about the Droid Incredible 2 as well. And it doesn’t help that it probably doesn’t have the same kind of adoption rate that the ThunderBolt had. I can’t say for sure but I would not be surprised to see the update canceled.

Droid-Incredible-2-Review-19-625x454-575x4171

What do you think? Will the list of broken Ice Cream Sandwich promises grow?

30 Comments

30 Comments

  1. Jason

    10/02/2012 at 11:56 am

    247 just leaked yesterday so there is still movement on the bionic.

  2. Steve Smith

    10/02/2012 at 12:15 pm

    I think you misused the word “indefinitely”. Just sayin…

  3. zizzybaloobah

    10/02/2012 at 12:59 pm

    XOOM is a dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM and now has Jelly Bean. It’s not the hardware that’s the problem with Bionic getting ICS. The problem is red and has three initials: VZW.

  4. wnanwan

    10/02/2012 at 1:41 pm

    HTC Incredible S has had ICS for ages. It’s not the hardware. I’d have to agree it’s more likely VZW.

  5. Lisa

    10/02/2012 at 1:42 pm

    yes, I think it’s canceled. Sad, but we must face reality. I am a sad Droid incredible 2 owner who has to play with my husbands galaxy nexus until I can get an upgrade…. :(

  6. drkavnger99

    10/02/2012 at 1:53 pm

    Sorry really had to laugh at the part for VZW not releasing any updates unless they are perfect. Being a Thunderbolt owner (and yes I think it will be canceled) I know first hand how good updates are from VZW. I recall many random reboots and LTE that cut in and out without falling back to 3g until you rebooted the phone. Thunderbolt owners should get some kind of credit if they still have the phone for the enormous patience we have had with the red tape and BS.

  7. Mithrandir48

    10/02/2012 at 2:12 pm

    Class action lawsuit for the HTC Thunderbolt…who’s with me? The battery life issues (<3 hours of life and on my 4th battery), the random reboots, the random data connection problems (multiple times a day) and now not a single software update (not counting GB since that should have come with the phone, GB was out 6 months before the phone was released). The best part was if you bought the phone right away and then grabbed the first software update (with a promise to fix battery life issues, which it did not) you got to deal with random reboots (multiple times, daily) and you were stuck with the phone since the trial period had already ended! Talk about bait and switch.

    • William

      10/02/2012 at 3:21 pm

      And you expect to achieve what by this? These take years to settle and in the end, the attorneys reap the money while the end users get some token $1 check in the mail…

      • Kevin

        10/03/2012 at 9:22 am

        William, not that I’m advocating for a class action suit here, but the point of class action suits is rarely the return to the customer. It’s the collective size of the settlement which theoretically acts as a punative punishment for the actions of the defendant, which again theoretically should discourage others from doing the same.

        You’re notice the repeated use of theoretically, as I’ve learned in reality the settlement is rarely big enough to serve as a real lesson to anyone.

        • William

          10/03/2012 at 6:24 pm

          Even in theory…the reality is that Vzn/Motorola would pay some “pocket change” penalty and continue to their practice. After all, we all signed some “contract” so in the end, we still lose while they laugh all the way to the bank

          • Kevin

            10/03/2012 at 10:53 pm

            Yeah, that about sums it up.

    • mrbigdaddyspoon

      10/29/2012 at 5:24 pm

      The first and last HTC phone ill have ……..s3 on the way!

  8. Michael

    10/02/2012 at 2:37 pm

    I cannot understand why the Incredible 2 would be an issue since the Incredible S has the update…I agree it has got to be Verizon, but why? I read somewhere that the Inc 2 and Thunderbolt had a relese date of October 21, for ICS.

  9. coozers

    10/02/2012 at 2:38 pm

    Based on this track record I see no incentive to ever buy a $300 flagship phone again.

  10. shawn

    10/02/2012 at 3:48 pm

    Who ever is responsible i dont see why we should get credit of only 100 dollars toward another phone when we were told THIS PHONE would have it. Should just be upgraded to next available phone that does support ics. reason for buying this phone when i did, now u want us to pay again to get something that was promised

  11. Boomer

    10/02/2012 at 4:43 pm

    If ICS never comes to the Thunderbolt, I’d be willing to purchase a new LTE at the discounted price as long as Verizon keeps me in Unlimited Data – that’s the LEAST they could do

  12. peter everett

    10/02/2012 at 5:10 pm

    there is so many sly reasons verizon will hold out on this after it is possible! there are so many bionic ics versions floating around that seem to be pretty decent from what I have seen! and I feel lied to as well thinking I bought a phone with 4g lte only to find out it has severe conection issues! I have been learning a lot the last few months and realizing verizon screwed me when they sold me this phone and making me loose my unlimited data like everyone else and to top it off a mobil hotspot that wont stay connected? I will learn how to install modified opperating systems myself in the future in ditch all verizons bloatware and root my phone and rip them off like they have been doing to me the last 5 years!!!

  13. Stefanie

    10/02/2012 at 8:13 pm

    Got sick of the wait and finally ditched my Bionic. Will Never have a Motorola phone again. My HTC Rezound with 4.0 already running shows up tomorrow :)

  14. Jeff

    10/03/2012 at 4:03 am

    Expect the Droid Bionic to be added to this list. After all, it’s over a year old now and the way cell phones evolve, they’re obsolete six months into their two-year contract. Besides, Motorola & Verizon can’t sell the newer models when they debut (with Jelly Bean) just before the holidays.

  15. whoknows

    10/03/2012 at 3:34 pm

    Not sure how true this is but I spoke to a Verizon tech on the phone recently about another matter, and I asked him when the Bionic would be getting the update. After stuttering for a second, he said they he didn’t think it would be getting it. He said that he believed Verizon and Motorola wanted to concentrate on the newer phones. With that being said, I like my Bionic. I know lots of people are going crazy because we haven’t gotten the update, but in my opinion, it’s still a nice phone. It does everything I need/want it to do in a timely fashion. If people’s complaints are legitimately about phone performance and not about just “wanting” the update because it was promised then I understand the outcry.

  16. April

    10/03/2012 at 6:20 pm

    I was at a local verizon store to have them reset my phone earlier today. He also mentioned that ICS or JB would prevent future problems but it was unlikely that my droid bionic would get any upgrades because it was “so old”. Someone in sales offered to waive my current contract and a 100 buyback if I upgraded to a Razr. I didn’t do it because I’d have to switch my contract to their new data plan and reset the clock to two years.

  17. Duncan

    10/03/2012 at 6:40 pm

    In the world of wireless communication, there is no such thing as customer loyalty. We’re all leashed to a contract like an abused dog tied to a tree, never to be released and able play. And we Droid Boionc owners agreed to this when we signed the contract.

    Since we’re so dependent on our cell phones, manufacturers and service providers know they have our wallets so we’ve become the puppet and allow our masters pull our purse dollars.

    Even their “insurance” is a scam since you pay a monthly fee on top of a “deductible” for a “reconditioned” replacement. The price of new phones is absurdly over inflated, probably quadruple from what they’re actual production cost is and non-negotiable.

    Someone mentioned a class action law suit? Good luck with that. First, find a law firm willing to take the case and in the end, if they win, VZN and Motorloa hand over some chump change penalty, the law firm walks with the winnings and distributes some measly $2.42 rebate…three years from now.

    So here we are, whimpering about not getting ICS and chances are, we never will this late in the game. After all, the phone is well over a year old and with the newest and greatest about to showcase this upcoming holiday season sales, will have many drooling and willing to give up their Droid. All in the name of feeling they’re one up over the competition. Likewise, VZN and Motorola will not reap any monetary gain updating this ancient droid to the newest OS. They’ll continue to hold out all in the name of new phone sales, contracts and profits. All in the name of “customer service”.

    The key is not to get wrapped around the axle on the latest gadget, gizmo and upgrades and hang on to what you have and make it last. And when you’re contract expires, your leash is off and you’re free to choose if to hitch another leash on your collar, switch to a new pay as you go, or keep whats working for you.

    • Paul

      10/05/2012 at 11:37 am

      I disagree with your premise that Motorola aka Google has nothing to gain by updating the Bionic to ICS. I’m eligible for a Verizon upgrade on 5/8/13 and I’d be more apt to stick with a Moto device if they were to update my Bionic. But if I see this cancelled, I’ll either get a Samsung or an iPhone. So you see, they do have money to lose as I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way.

      • TARA

        10/18/2012 at 12:42 pm

        That’s exactly how I feel. Fool me once…. And if I leave Motorola I’ll likely never go back.

  18. smarterthanuare

    10/03/2012 at 11:23 pm

    The ICS update for the Atrix wasn’t cancelled due to poor performance or hardware problems. ICS ran perfectly fine in all of the tests that Motorola conducted on the device. They cancelled the update because it was costing the company too much time and money to develop a compatible ICS update for so many phones. Another reason the update was cancelled for the Atrix is so Motorola could focus on rolling out ICS for the Droid Bionic which is much more important. Gingerbread isn’t fully compatible with LTE. The Droid Bionic phone is by far not the only LTE phone that suffers from data dropouts. It’s well known that AT&T provides the best combination of coverage and the best Android experience. It’s also well known that the Google Galaxy Nexus is not available on Verizon. Pay very close attention to that last sentence.

  19. Ray

    10/06/2012 at 6:34 am

    Toshiba has issues as well. ICS was released for the AT100 Thrive for USA users months ago but not yet for users in other countries. Why? Silence from Toshiba on this so who knows.

  20. galaxy

    10/11/2012 at 6:27 am

    At this point who really cares anymore. None of these phones that are on the ICS bubble, will ever be upgraded beyond ICS. ICS was released about a year ago. So we are just now, a year later, MAYBE going to get the upgrade. In the meantime Jelly Bean has come out. None of these phones will get JB. I for one want a phone with at least the latest OS I can get. So if the ICS update happens, it still leaves me behind the Android curve. If the update happens, and we all stare in wonderment at our new ICS powered phone, our very next thought will be, “I want jelly bean”, and we will quickly lose any excitement about our precious ICS update.

  21. Rich

    10/15/2012 at 7:10 pm

    Verizon has high standards on updates? who’s smokin’ what here? vzw added their bloatware garbage and it killed os performance… No other way to explain it! I’m on a rooted inc 2 running the inc s ota and it works perfectly fine! vzw is blowing smoke up everyone’s a$$. HTC should simply release source code and let our development community update our own devices! apparently we do a better job of it than they do!

  22. Henry

    10/20/2012 at 10:57 am

    Well, I own 2 Thunderbolts and will be upgrading phones next month. I am looking at the newest refresh on the Razr if I can get it unlocked. I am over HTC. I was seriously considering the HTC One, but frankly this delay on ICS makes me want to break my chains on subsidized phones.
    Henry

  23. John

    10/24/2012 at 11:09 am

    I own a Thunderbolt – this is the last HTC that I will buy, and I am seriously considering leaving Verizon also.

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