Mobile
Motorola Admits Droid Bionic Owners Got Raw Ice Cream Sandwich Deal
Motorola’s new Vice President of Product has admitted that Droid Bionic owners have gotten a raw deal as far as Ice Cream Sandwich is concerned and that the team is working to fix things, particularly for the future.
In a lengthy discussion on Google+, courtesy of Droid-Life, Motorola’s new Vice President of Product, Punit Soni, has been answering the calls from owners of various Motorola devices in an effort to not only connect with customers but to also listen and learn.
Read: Droid Bionic Ice Cream Sandwich Update Makes Motorola Look Silly Yet Again.
Maybe the most vocal of the bunch are the Droid Bionic owners who have been asking Soni about the Droid Bionic Ice Cream Sandwich update which is still missing as we head into the last part of September.
Soni, in return, has been extremely candid with these users and one of his comments especially, was greeted with approval from the Droid Bionic owners who have been following along.
This is the first time, as far as we know, that anyone at Motorola has been this forthcoming about the Droid Bionic Ice Cream Sandwich update’s whereabouts. Until this point, the company has only said that it would be coming at some point in Q3, which, of course, is much different than the tune they were singing in early summer.
Originally, the device was supposed to get ICS in early Q3, however, the update was delayed for unknown reasons. Speculation rests on the disastrous Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX Ice Cream Sandwich updates that brought heaps of bugs to users of those devices. Motorola, not wanting a similar disaster with the Droid Bionic ICS update, was rumored to have postponed the Droid Bionic update to iron out the kinks.
This is what a source conveyed to us in August and it’s looking like a likely story.
The company has provided owners with zero answers since early Q3 passed, only saying that it was planned for September.
However, for many Droid Bionic owners, that was simply not good enough. Not after missing the promised roll out window, and certainly not after the previous blunders Motorola and Verizon made with the Droid Bionic.
It’s now clear that Motorola’s new leadership wants to make it right with Droid Bionic owners and make sure that miscommunication like this doesn’t happen again. And for Bionic owners, hopefully, that means getting the ICS update soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TaJ4BlthS44
We’ve got our fingers crossed.
Zac Hastings (@ZacHastings)
09/21/2012 at 3:16 pm
Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late for me. I would be SHOCKED if this roll out happens within the next 8 days and then 3Q has come and gone.
My relationship with Motorola has been damaged enough that’s I’ve put the women and children in the lifeboats. It’s over.
Randy
09/21/2012 at 3:19 pm
Fuck you Motorola and Verizon skip ICS and bring on Jelly Bean
Lew2
09/21/2012 at 3:33 pm
ICS and JB are ancient history. Bring on some real changes and improvements!
Spencer R
09/21/2012 at 4:48 pm
If you don’t think Jelly Bean is a major improvement, then you are an idiot.
Motobro
09/22/2012 at 10:18 am
Well said sir spencer R
Pete
09/21/2012 at 3:46 pm
To make it right, Bionic owners should be top of the list for Jelly Bean. ICS is outdated before we get it…
fu
09/21/2012 at 4:13 pm
Your articles never add value to a topic. Just rehashing what you found elsewhere online.
stop complaining
09/21/2012 at 10:19 pm
Couldn’t agree with you more
Had enough already
09/21/2012 at 4:16 pm
I say Motorola should replace everyone’s Bionic with a Razr Maxx HD free of charge!
Jeff
09/21/2012 at 7:07 pm
I second that!
David
09/22/2012 at 9:24 am
Third
mike
09/22/2012 at 12:40 pm
Verizon did that for me. If you keep.complaining theyll send you a razr
cwilson75080
10/11/2012 at 9:21 am
For real?! I would love a razor. I freaking hate my bionic so bad that they pretty much ruined android for me. After I was gun hoe sbout them. I had the very first droid and had absolutely no problems. Battery life was so good that I never Had to put a task killer on it! And then the quality of they’re phones went straight to crap. I Have both bionic and iPhone 4S. Thinkig about Getting rid of both and get the iPhone 5 now. I know the 5 has bugs that need fixed, but I jailbreak them and pretty much run my OS. Never us apple store ect… bionic. What a disappointment. I had the thunder bolt also. Android has pretty much tarnished their name for me now.
Impatiently Waiting for Upgrade to ICS!!!
10/10/2012 at 7:34 am
4th! First, they announce the Bionic in early 2011, then there was a release date a month or two later, then the processors were getting too hot! I had to wait till effing NOVEMEBER 2011 to get it!!! Then, soon after that release, the Droid RAZR comes outs…I got screwed….then, very soon after that, the Droid RAZR MAXX comes out and the RAZR owners got SCREWED!!! NOW the ICS upgrade for Bionic has come and gone, TWICE….and I may have to wait from a few more weeks to maybe 3 months?!?!?! Maybe I should just switch to the Samsung Galaxy S III, I haven’t heard any complaints about it, actually the ratings are quite high! What say y’all?
ROBSHOW
10/30/2012 at 9:10 am
Research the product before you buy. I heard the bionic was coming out and I laughed as there was so much hype yet it was out dated before it was release. Those of you who purchased it should have been more aware. Before you commit for two years do your homework or save 600 so you can buy one with cash (hopefully that one doesn’t suck as well. Stay away from htc as they are pretty much garbage.
Vindizo
09/21/2012 at 5:14 pm
My XOOM updated twice already in the past year (ICS to KB)..why oh why not my Bionic? Is there any hope left at all?
Vindizo
09/21/2012 at 5:17 pm
*JB
FF. Ryan
09/21/2012 at 5:16 pm
Free razr maxx hd HA that would be nice though
sxott
09/21/2012 at 5:42 pm
Two weeks ago I got 4.1, I bought a Galaxy Nexus. The Bionic is in a drawer.
paul
09/21/2012 at 6:01 pm
Oh..notice he said they will update the timeline page…. aka…no ics by 3Q for the bionic… screw you Soni and Moto… what are you going to do to fix things now that you’ve publicly said that we’ve gotten a raw deal?
dirtdawg57
09/21/2012 at 6:02 pm
Definitely should get JB for this! Why even bother going through any more trouble to roll out outdated software. Just get us JB under a month and I would forgive. This is a fantastic phone as far as I am concerned the only thing that has been bad is being stabbed in the back by out own company and not giving us any support.
banshee962
09/25/2012 at 3:41 pm
I agree! Being able to swap out a battery is a big deal for me, and my Bionic is solid EXCEPT for the data connections which, thankfully, I don’t rely heavily on. Still and all, if I could just get my Bionic to QUICKLY and RELIABLY access the 3G and 4G network signals it picks up pretty much everywhere I regularly go, I would be 100% satisfied. As disappointed as I am with Moto’s lack of response to the OS issue, I still have to say that I am not ready to switch to another make and model….which makes me one of the minority, I know.
Eddene McNamara
09/21/2012 at 8:08 pm
Extremely disappointed ….never again Moto..
bill
09/21/2012 at 9:02 pm
Suggestion to ease the impact of all the bs trade our bionics for the latest devise like the latest razor or better and charge like. $100.00 for the new phone.this way we soiled feel motor and vrrizon are serious about your mistake.bionics owners. bought this bionics due to being convinced it would be getting the greatest and latest software.this promise began almost a year ago. You need to do something drastic for us in order to even attempt to regain our trust. Your reputation is badly damaged and drastic measures need be taken. I have been loyal motor customer or almost 35 years and believe me when I tell you that samsung is getting stronger due to the bionics feasco.good luck with your decision.
sam
09/26/2012 at 6:17 am
Well said. I have had lots of Motorola products, but the bionic is my last. I used to have trust in Motorola and their products but that is long gone. They should never have brought the bionic to market.
Church
09/21/2012 at 9:34 pm
It sucks. My mom’s terrible Samsung phone is on 2.3.6 while we’re waiting at 2.3.4 for 4.0.4? Terrible. Motorola has really dropped the ball. Hopefully with the continuation of Google’s control, Motorola will finally be on the same page when Key Lime Pie comes to be.
Keith
09/21/2012 at 10:52 pm
Motorola it’s simple. Bionic owners are wanting jumping ship to your competition and you have to do something for those customers to keep them. Plain and simple give them a discount on a new phone.
droid bionic user very upset
09/21/2012 at 11:25 pm
too late as soon as i can i’m dumping my bionic and going to get the Samsung Galaxy Note2
Kelly S. Hunter
09/22/2012 at 12:12 am
My Bionic hasn’t let me down. Yes, I’m annoyed with how the update situation has been handled, but I blame Verizon more than Moto. Verizon is trying to do whatever it can to get more money, which includes getting you on a new device with no more unlimited data.
VA Patriot
09/22/2012 at 3:22 am
My discussion with the Verizon Wireless customer service yesterday, telling me “they don’t see any updates for the Droid Bionic anytime soon” and Ponits comments is not encouraging at all. Ponit chose his words carefully in this interview.
…”We have a plan for Droid Bionic owner” If you you’re later claiming to be “transparent” with your customers, tell us what the plan is. And hopefully it’s not some monetary rebate to trade our phones in so Verizon can make more money on us.
…”try to FIX things” Don’t try, DO!
…”As far as what is in our control…” You’re the same manufacturer who produced the phone, so what could possibly be out of your control? Or is Verizon is really pulling the company’s puppet strings?
Actions (or inaction’s) speak louder than words and updating the timeline page is not “fixing things”.
Yes, we Droid Bionic owners indeed got a very raw deal. The blame needs to be shared equally with Motorloa and Verizon. At least Motorola finally took a stance on this issue while Verizon continues to remain silent.
ChrisA
09/22/2012 at 4:00 am
When I started to experience the data drop issues I called Verizon and without my even asking they offered to switch me into another phone. I’ve had my HTC Rezound for about a month and I couldn’t be happier! I still have the XOOM which is running Jelly Bean and it works well, however it will be my last Moto purchase.
Josh Oswald
09/22/2012 at 9:59 am
Wtf I have 2 bionics and have called more than a handful of times and was told to call motorola once lol that was not a good experience mail us your phone lol
ebomb
09/22/2012 at 5:19 am
my wife has a samsung stratosphere that got the 2.3.6 update FFS , Moto does not care about the customer just wants our money by giving false promises. Never again
Paul L
09/22/2012 at 7:35 am
Im a Bionic user and I hate this phone. And the sad thing is unless I pony up full retail price Im stuck with this POS for another year. I love my data dropping out and having to reboot the phone to get it back. Awesome feature for the machine to rule all machines. Plus the battery that lasts about 5hr.
Delta
09/22/2012 at 7:52 am
They’ve rescheduled it for Q4 now.
https://forums.motorola.com/pages/00add97d6c
Josh
09/22/2012 at 7:57 am
Well, their official site now says Q4 for the bionic. I love Android, but this is ridiculous. How can you be over 3 months wrong with OS update projections? Probably getting something else when my upgrade is here in December. I wouldn’t be surprised if my bionic STILL didn’t have ICS by then.
https://forums.motorola.com/pages/00add97d6c
Mike
09/22/2012 at 8:07 am
peace out shitty moto
Zorblack
09/22/2012 at 8:08 am
As I type this on my Bionic I only have one thought for them. Goodbye Moto and Android hello Lumia 920
Mike
09/22/2012 at 8:21 am
anyone know an email address i can write i complaint letter to which will be useless but worth a shot
Blake
09/22/2012 at 8:35 am
I’ve been a bionic user for I think 8 months, and the phone is getting stale! Im tired of the constant screen lagging due to gingerbread. Well I agree that we should get jellybean because ics will be far obsolete and im afraid to say it guys this is probably our last update! Well motor next phone I get will be samsung but if there’s one thing you got you’re still better than apple
bill
09/22/2012 at 9:10 am
Final for moto.so sorry but ran out of forgiveness.lies lies.like politicians.but in this case there are good choices to pick.you have used up all your chances to correct your obvious non caring attitude toward your customers.as I stated before samsung is going to kick your butt and now I will help them.we have several moto phones that will be retired.
Frank
09/22/2012 at 9:26 am
This is the end of Motorola for me. I have used their phones for years but its over. I am going to get a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Now my concern is Verizon. They will not renew a contract with unlimited data. With Amazon Cloud for example, you must use your data to access music which you paid for. From now on I will only buy music I can download to my computer/smartphone. In the info from Samsung I don’t see anything on Navigation. I hope Verizon isn’t goig to block thatr and the try to get $10/mo for VZNavigator.
A Verizon rep told me that I can keep unlimited data if I get a phone from somewhere else and simply connect it to my Verizon line. Does anyone know if any other Note 2 will be compatible with the Verizon network without being restricted and without the Verizon bloatware?
Bye-onic No More
09/22/2012 at 9:28 am
Let’s face it. There must be a fatal flaw with the Bionic where even the ICS update doesn’t fix the data drop issues. Other than that one major issue I’ve liked my Bionic and have always preferred the solid build quality of Motorola products. I’ve had a Samsung phone previously and the plastic toy feel to it was unacceptable as was the poor call quality. I’m just biding my time until the Razr Maxx HD is available. I’ll give Motorola one more chance, but if there is a repeat of the Bionic fiasco it will be “bye bye Motorola”
Josh Oswald
09/22/2012 at 9:48 am
All to true HTC makes a great devise though
Josh Oswald
09/22/2012 at 9:46 am
As a past bb curve 8330 owner . I say Verizon is to blame! with that device the update was available but not on Verizon ! My 2 bionics are ok devices and the docs that I have for them are great ! But if motorola gives us some rebate will they rebate acciories ? No! So now what I don’t want a phone that I can not take the batterie out of ! Hopefully the new motorola is better . (as a company) just update our devices when you say you will .
Josh Oswald
09/22/2012 at 9:52 am
sad to see running away from a company . Over a devise they did not build but where left with to fix
Zmyr88
09/22/2012 at 11:03 am
Plain and simple bionic will not receive the ICS update, ever. Some how I don’t think the 100$ update because no JB will apply to it either . Will be some excuse for exception
Paul L
09/23/2012 at 9:44 am
I commented yesterday but am following up again. This is my last Moto product also. And at that I “might” be done with Android also, as much as I like it. The fragmentation is unacceptable. I just wish the new iPhone 5 had not just a taller screen but a wider one also. If I stick with android Ill likely go Note or S3
Not Happy
09/24/2012 at 11:02 pm
So many people are going to wait it out.Give Motorola just one more try.That’s all they want! One more chance to get your money and give you another excuse why we should have patience and just give them One more chance! Wake up people! Screw me once, shame on you! Screw me twice, shame on me! Motorola take your Bionic back! Verizon give me back the money you took from me for services not rendered!
bill
09/25/2012 at 3:59 pm
Motor and verizin both screwed us with the droid.both are done and I will not do business with these lying cheating idiots ever again.I don’t want anything from either and am suggesting s class action suit against both.
john cotter
10/02/2012 at 11:28 am
contract breakers Verizon and Motorola have not delivered. I’m going to check out AT&T…Boost…Whatever. With a clear conscience. I DO NOT HONOR BROKEN CONTRACTS. Their promises MEAN NOTHING. and they KNOW IT. We Bionic-ers band together and stop paying, THEN see how fast they fix it. We need new PHONES. I’m tired of big business screwing me. WHO’S WITH ME???
neal
10/03/2012 at 12:38 pm
I dropped my bionic today and cracked the screen. Assurion is sending me a comparible replacement. The DROID razor. They said they can’t replace my bionic anymore….ahhhhh dang. Looks like I just upgraded for the cost of ny deductible. Hope you all don’t drop your phone accidently.. wink wink..