You may recall a few months back when every tech blog out there, every US Galaxy S owner, and I were relentlessly giving Samsung a brutal lashing. They made several hollow promises of the Froyo update before the end of 2010 and even into 2011. The Froyo rollout didn't end until just under a month ago, in April, when Verizon's Froyo update was received by users on April 20th.
This drawn out Froyo debacle made many question Samsung's priorities in getting firmware updates out to customers. It also made us dread the rollout of the next version of Android, Gingerbread, as it took them an entire year to successfully upgrade all Galaxy handsets to Froyo. However, it appears as if Sammy may have learned its lesson after all and is fighting hard to show us just that.
We are now midway through May and there is a rumor that the original Galaxy S owners (specifically in the U.K. And gradually branching out) will begin to receive their Gingerbread updates “soon.” Take that for what you may, but if they hold to this promise – I'm not holding my breath – they will be the first manufacturer to upgrade their (custom skinned) handsets to the new platform and it would speak volumes for the company's dedication to making customers happy.
That said, Google has mentioned several times and expressed with great intent that they will be putting their foot down and making manufacturers bring updates in a much more timely manner. This speedy update could certainly be due to a gentle nudge by Google. But based on what I'm seeing from the company, I'm prone to believe that this is a shot at redemption rather than a practice of obedience.
Not only does it seem as if Samsung has finally taken their firmware off the back burner, but their second generation Galaxy S line is earning lot of attention as well. Samsung's original Galaxy S line arguably fell short in the vicious market last year, bowing to the much glorified EVO 4G, Motorola Droid X, and many other flagship devices, as did their Galaxy Tab. They were definitely great devices and held their own, but they lacked the sheer power others had.
But I don't see that happening with their new line. Aaron "Hairon" Baker received his Galaxy S II in the mail today and had a few things to say about it on Twitter like, “Galaxy S II is scary fast for an Android phone.” And IntoMobile's Black Stimac titled his review of the Galaxy S II as the question, “Samsung Galaxy S II – The new king of Android?” Stimac also posted some stock quadrant scores that reached an astounding 3580. Their upcoming tablets are getting all sorts of positive feedback, too.
Who knows, maybe Samsung is making a turnaround: fast updates, better phones, and better performance. What do you guys and gals think? Is this Samsung saying, "We're sorry. Really, really sorry." Or is this just evidence of Google getting their hands a little dirty?
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