HTC and Android are now fighting over my phone, and I’m a pissed off consumer who’s stuck in the middle.
Originally, my phone shipped with Android 2.3, with (the very slick) HTC Sense running on top of it. Recently, HTC released an upgrade to Android 4.0, the much-touted Ice Cream Sandwich. (Never mind that 4.1 AKA Jellybean is about to be released.) It also released a built in update to its HTC Sense.
What’s the purpose of the new version of Sense? Is it to take advantage of the new user interface that Ice Cream Sandwich provides? Is it to add a shiny finish on top of the OS that’s brilliantly designed to take advantage of the hardware present in both smartphones and tablets? Ha!
No, you silly dreamer. It’s to make 4.0’s interface look JUST LIKE 2.3’s interface. It’s purpose is to undo nearly all of the awesome that comes along with 4.0 so that HTC’s end users don’t get confused by the changes to their phones.
HTC upgraded the operating system my phone, and then added extra software to un-upgrade it. On top of that, it doesn’t work. At least three times a day, when exiting an app, Sense reloads itself. I’m not sure if it’s crashing, if it’s becoming unresponsive and timing out, but the result is the same. Irritated end user.
Wouldn’t it make more Sense (see what I did there?) to actually design that shiny polish for Ice Cream Sandwich? Of course it would! It makes so much sense that they’ve already done it. Can I install this piece of awesome software on my phone, since I’d rather have the changes that come with the new OS?
No, you silly dreamer. That’s only available for new phones that ship with Android 4.0 pre-installed.
*sputter*
This is yet another reason why people root their phones. Listen to me, phone companies and service providers. Your shininess is appreciated, but if it doesn’t work, it’s not welcome. That phrase you use? “Value-added feature?” It’s not adding any value for me. It’s right up there with the provider’s mandatory pre-installed junk apps that do nothing but slow my phone down as they inevitably crash and burn, or pop up helpful notices that cannot be dismissed or acknowledged or what-the-hell ever. I shake my cane at them and tell them to keep that crap to themselves.
So now I’m faced with the rooter’s conundrum. Do I root my phone, void its warrantee, and have the device function like it should? Or do I leave it alone, preserve the warrantee, and deal with the dumb? I suppose there is the third option of contacting HTC and finding out what they can do for me. Maybe I’ll give that one a go.