Sprint halts EVO 4G update due to reports of it bricking phones
By Vlad Savov 
posted June 29th 2010 5:59AM
posted June 29th 2010 5:59AM
In the mean time, let's all just sit, wait, and hope the sky doesn't fall on our heads.While the vast majority of consumers successfully downloaded and installed the most recent HTC EVO 4G software update, we have received a handful of reports from customers having some issues with the update. In light of this, HTC and Sprint have decided to temporarily halt distribution of this software release until we can investigate further. We expect to be able to resume software updates shortly.
At least they didn't tell their customers to avoid updating that way.
@SteveBaldmer
I'm sure they were holding the phone wrong when they aplyed the update .
at least apple boys don't go saying IOS 4 wouldnt brick my phone blah blah blah..
forgot to type the /S since they wouldnt get it.
maybe a edit button is in order?
@SteveBaldmer
Of course none of you realize how stupid you seem posting about an iPhone in a Evo post. The iPhone isn't THAT important.
@tklr08 1.7 million in 3 days.......no big D
@tklr08 I think it is only fair given the amount of EVO spamming there has been on iPhone topics in recent weeks.
@tklr08
Yeah it's fair. The EVO is HTC/Sprint's top of the line and compared to the iPhone all the time. The difference here, from a media mindshare point of view, is that this story isn't nearly as interesting, because the EVO isn't the same kind of cultural event the iPhone is. There's not the same kind of brand worship here (yet) that makes the iPhone antenna failure so delicious.
@meiauras What does this update do?
Bricks the phone.
@tklr08
I am just one that cares about customer service. I also realize that, in our universe, there is nothing that is perfect. The measure of a company's worth should be measured in how they respond to the needs of their customers and how they handle any issues that are being experienced by those customers.
Yes, my comment was a shot at Apple, but the EVO is a direct competitor to the iPhone and it seems that Apple needs quite a bit of bad PR for them to get off their asses and remedy their customers' problems.
I don't hate the iPhone, but Jobs' response is bad customer service and insulting to his customers.
For the 5 people on this forum who actually bought an EVO instead of just shouting at other people to buy one instead of the benchmark phone and bricked their device with this update, I feel bad for you.
@SteveBaldmer
Well, obviously you don't earn enough because ontop of fat stacks of mad cow cash Jobs really can't see or contact the PR department.
Also, what's the point of an over an OTA update method? Not like the EVO's battery can last long enough for it to apply or run the update.
@SteveBaldmer
All the reports i've heard of bricking only occurred when people tried to update twice or were stupid and turned off the phone while the update was happening. I updated...no issues
@Coke they dont get the option to update lol if steve says update the phone updates.... unless your holding it the wrong way
@SteveBaldmer
Consumer stratification is not guaranteed when a company has people blindly and willing buying defective products.
@GenericPoster
just to clarify some facts
Steve Jobs makes $1 a year not counting the money he and many many others get from owning part of apple stock, so the better the company does, the better he does
@SteveBaldmer
Glad I updated already :) Enjoying the longer battery life. I told my girlfriend she better update hers, but she said she would do it today.. HAHA guess not!
@SteveBaldmer K-K-K-arma!!
@SteveBaldmer
Oh how the mighty have fallen. While the 2 suffer from problems...nows your chance CB Radio!!! Nows your chance!!!
Are you tired or paying monthly fees, signing contracts, bad battery life? Relive the good ol days with a CB Radio. Stay in contact with all* your friends** and rediscover the joy of talking to people.
CB Radios, they just work...unless they don't.
*All friends within range of your antenna, the bigger your antenna the more friends you can have, impress all your friends!
**Friends must also have CB Radio to communicate with others, CB Radios are not compatible with other radios or the internet.
@SteveBaldmer
But will it blend?
@SteveBaldmer Hey what!! wasn't it a brick to start with??
@big nazty You're dumb we do get the option to update you don't have to update. It tells you a new update is up and if you would like to update you just say no and it doesn't come up anymore. So do your damn reasearch and I'm holding my phone the way your talking about and my bars aren't going down so stop hating on it cause you love it. At least apple would never brick our phones ;)
@Eastwood for Prez
Plus the $40million from disney stock,
Plus the higher distribution pay he tales from apple as opposed to normal pay, which idioms be taxed a a much higher rate.
His "hip" Eco do-right wannabe image is actually evading millions in income tax.
@robe5000
Why do people put so much weight on sales volume? More ford escorts have sold in the last few years than ferraris entire sales history.
@tklr08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg
@tklr08 You're actually stupid for saying someone seems stupid for doing so. Droid users always fill up the iPhone posts. Obviously the iPhone is important or people wouldn't bring it up.
@N900androidOS the battery life has improved tremendously. I wonder why they didn't write that in the release notes.
@Failbait
1. it shows how many people like it , people are obviously loving them
2. what other figure could be used to show it's importantce? marketshare? it still has 3x that of android
3. the anology is stupid , the ferrari isnt for the same target audience. Both the iPhone and say the Evo are aimed towards the mainstream market , the one who has more sales is more popular.
@dswatson83 I used to work in the cellular industry and I know how to install an update. I downloaded it and let it run its course, I touched nothing on the fourth reset the screen blacked out and the phone powered down. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and tried to power it up, NOTHING! I pulled the battery for 2 minutes and then tried to power it up, NOTHING! I plugged it in and it would not even indicate iot was charging, it is bricked! Between this and the other problems I have been having with the Evo and Sprint as much as I think Verizon is an evil empire I get a huge discount with them AND RELIABLE SERVICE! I will be getting the Droid X. Before you call me a troll understand that I loved the Evo but Sprint is messing up badly and I am not waiting a month for my replacement.
@Accelerator
My whole point is popularity is for doormat personalities. Do people have an inability to look at an item in absolute terms an make a judgment? I think for most people, no, and that makes you a doormat.
I don't want a popular phone, I want the right phone. And hen the right phone gets too popular, I almost want it less.
@SteveBaldmer - See Chris Ziegler, there doesn't always have to be an iDevice reference in a post. Take a writing lesson from Vlad Sav here and leave the ichumming to us comment trogs. ;^)...
Can I build a house with the bricked ones now?
@meiauras
LOL
A 4" brick.
@Accelerator
A Ford Escort cant even be put in the same category as a Farrari. I mean when one sale is equivalent to about 15 Escorts of course sales volume wont be the same lol... Horrible analogy!!
The same when people compare the iphone sales to the evo... Horrible too! The Iphone is a gsm phone... It will outsale the cdma evo easily...
@SteveBaldmer Agreed. At least Sprint and HTC are doing something about customer complaints and making an effort to fix things.
@Failbait Escorts cost $12k USD and Ferarris cost $250k, That's the only reason.
@Mikeserena
Since you guys can't read, here it is again. The point was supposed to SHOW the irrelevance of sales volume, in any degree of viewing worth, regardless of who it's for or how ts sold:
"My whole point is popularity is for doormat personalities. Do people have an inability to look at an item in absolute terms an make a judgment? I think for most people, no, and that makes you a doormat.
I don't want a popular phone, I want the right phone. And hen the right phone gets too popular, I almost want it less."
@N900androidOS
You talk to your right hand like that? Shame..
@Failbait I didn't want a popular phone either that's why I bought a iPhone instead of the Blackberry which is the most popular by sales volume, on the Ferrari Escort analagy you need to compare 2 similar priced items for it to hold water.
@robe5000, that's odd considering only 600,000 pre-orders were sold, Apple canceled a lot of those pre-orders as well.
@N900androidOS
Battery life did not improve....not part of the update.
@SteveBaldmer
Oh, you bricked your Evo, here use my iPhone, just dont use your left hand and ull be fine lol.
@coolkams03
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVzm8vVjHGs
@Failbait Of course sales volume tells a story. Comparing an Ford escort to a Ferrari doesn't make sense because price differences determines the difference in sales. In the case of iPhone vs EVO, they are in the same category in terms of market, so for most people the iPhone is the better phone. In fact, the average selling price of an iPhone is more than the EVO, $200-$300 depending on storage VS less than $200 on the EVO depending on where you buy from.
Disclosure: I'm an EVO owner and love it more than an iPhone, but even after using it only a month, I know that it's not the better phone for most people (even intelligent folks).
@Girish My battery life has almost quadrupled
@dswatson83 "All the reports i've heard of bricking only occurred when people tried to update twice or were stupid and turned off the phone while the update was happening. I updated...no issues"
Noobs :)
Now they cost me my update. I didn't see any OTA update.
@dswatson83
Agreed. They pulled the update to save more stupid people from bricking their phones. One more example of their improved customer service. They even care about stupid people. :)
@dswatson83
I received the update correctly, and applied it once as directed. After 5 hours of churning, I took it to the Sprint store. They pulled the battery, unit was bricked. There's no way an update should take 5 hours. Clearly it was faulty. So here's one first hand report of an EVO bricking from a 'normal' update.
To make matters worse, Sprint had no EVOs to replace mine, so I'm currently without any phone until later this week.
@robe5000 COD Modern warfare sold 4 million in a day... COD=Android>iOS... FTW!!!! jk