Further info re Gingerbread update.

[JerryF]

ALL,

Please folks keep your Charge phone for now.  Don't send it in for a replacement.  I know many of you are quite angry but just cool it for a few more days.

The following message was buried in this thread, "6th Charge with the same issues," posted by texaswj.  Go there and see it.

"Just got an update that the new TA date for Droid Charge MR3 will be November 22 and will be releasing November 29. This MR will incorporate an update to gingerbread"

I personally have no inside info on this but I have asked texaswj for more info.  So far he has not responded.

JerryF

PS,  I looked around the internet and it appears that TA means Technical Acceptance and MR means Maintenance Release.

[trparky]

I certainly hope so.  I've been wanting to load the latest leak onto my brother's phone (mine already has it loaded on it) but if this is coming then I'll wait.

Hopefully the release will be quickly followed by some source code so that the Open Source Android Community can start tweaking the ROMs and people like myself can really get a smooth running Droid Charge.

[glyde23]

I dunna know - asked a rep online (played dumb, REAL dumb):

as you can see, nobody at VZW knows anything about anything

You are now chatting with 'Katy'

Katy: Hello. Thank you for visiting our chat service.  May I help you with your order today?

erik: hi!

Katy: Hello!

erik: thinking of switching to Verizon for my cell phone

erik: I really like the charge

Katy: Okay great!

erik: I have a friend that has the charge, and I really like it...

Katy: I would be happy to walk you through the process of starting service.

erik: however, when I went into my local store, they said that they could not provide me with one

erik: they mentioned something about the software being updated...

Katy: Okay.

erik: do you know when i get one?

Katy: Did you already order it?

erik: or when that "software update" will be done?

erik: nope

erik: they didn't even have one out for display

erik: what software are they talking about?

Katy: We have them available online.

erik: great!

erik: oh wait, with or without the software update?

Katy: With.

erik: but is this "software update" about?

erik: err. what is this software update about?

Katy: They just upgraded to the most up to date operating system.

Katy: Would you like me to walk through the order process?

erik: i dont understand... is it still android?

Katy: Yes there are just different versions like Internet explorer has updates.

erik: so what version is this?

Katy: The newest.

erik: hold on a minute - let me look at the webpage

Katy: Okay.

erik: is the newest software 4G LTE?

Katy: Please hold on while I check that information.

erik: k

Katy: Thank you.

Katy: Yes it is 4G TE

Katy: LTE*

erik: so my friend's charge is currently only running 3G LTE right now?

Katy: As soon as an update is available it will pop up on any Droid.

erik: hold on a sec, my friend is calling me...

Katy: Okay.

erik: he says that his phone has 4G LTE, but that is not the software they are talking about...

erik: he says it is feryoyo

Katy: Okay.

erik: he tells me not to get this phone until it has gingerbread...

erik: does that sound right?

Katy: It will probably not be released until early next year.

erik: ah, I see...

erik: okay, then I will wait until then.

erik: thank you

Katy: Your welcome!

[bluevolume]

Yes, another example of the often-stated fact that Verizon support people are not told when software updates are coming out.  They usually find out when a customer calls in to tell them that they had a problem with it.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting Unicorns.

[dviolett]

I like how 'Katy' tells the customer that the phone has the latest version of the OS, until he asks specifically about Gingerbread, then she comes back with it not being available until next year.

Kind of like buying a computer with XP on it and the sales rep telling you it is running the latest OS. It may be the latest that has been loaded on that machine, but not the latest version of the OS available.

[phillthedrill]

I wonder if any of those chat representatives are even in the US or overseas like most are.  I know they don't have any idea when the software comes out, but some of them are either really dumb, or acting really dumb, especially when they claim the software is up to date.  It's almost like they have a script of what to say.  Then when you ask them something that isn't on the script, they go off into either not knowing, or a "sure, why not?" type of attitude.  Like when you asked if the latest software was 4G LTE, and she said yes, but then had to go look it up.  I'm using the latest leak of 2.3.6, and while the phone is snappy when restarted, a few days later, it slows down a lot.  Looks like that may never get fixed on this phone.

[DharmaQueen]

"I wonder if any of those chat representatives are even in the US or overseas like most are." Good news: Verizon's customer support is ALL US-based. They have NO off-shore support. 

[HoustonHeart]

The 2.3.6 build was sent in for certification and is expected after thanksgiving, however 3 times Samsung has moved onto a newer build delaying it further. 2.3.5 was going to be pushed in October and was retracted for 2.3.6.

[trparky]

We just got source code!  I repeat, we just got source code!  Source code for Samsung SCH-I510 Gingerbread internal build number EP4D has been posted to the Samsung Open Source Web Site!

What does this mean for the rest of us?  It's simple... an OTA to Gingerbread is days away.  Seriously, this is the best news we could be hoping for!

Usually when source code is released, that means that the update isn't too far behind it.  Usually it's days away.  Samsung doesn't release source code, especially kernel source code, unless the version that the code is being released for is intended to be released as an update to the actual phones.  That is Samsung policy.

[jco23]

just my luck - as soon as I install 2.3.6, they come out with an OTA very shortly.  oh well, still glad I did, as I got to remove much of the apps that I wasn't really using anyway....

[JerryF]

jco23,

You said that you just installed version 2.3.6.  Is that EP4P or is it EP4D?

JerryF

[JerryF]

On another more technically oriented forum one of the folks downloaded it (126.37 MB) and found that EP4D is probably Version2.3.5 (see attachment).  Also, others said that some of the files are missing...who knows, not me!

JerryF

[DC5_K20Z1]

What site was this that this person downloaded EP4D?? This OTA is going to be 2.3.5? I thought 2.3.6 was going to be the OTA?

[DC5_K20Z1]

Wow.....very nice. Hope they really fix what they claim to have fixed on the change log. The download manager will be nice to have, along with added security, new UI, fixes to bluetooth, data connection, camera, GPS and web browser Has anyone been able to pull it manually OTA yet? Even though it is supposed to take around 5-7 days before you can pull it sometimes a few hours after they post the change log pulling manually will work. Looking forward to getting this loaded onto our phones!!

[DC5_K20Z1]

Droidlife claims it is 119MB in size....what version is going to be OTA?

[trparky]

That's what I want know as well. Is it going to be EP4P or newer (2.3.6) or EP4D (2.3.5)?

[DC5_K20Z1]

Some older builds were EP1W 2.3.5? EP3HA and EP3HB both 2.3.5 and then EP4PC leaked as 2.3.6, so I don't think that the OTA that Verizon is listing as "EP4" would end up being a 2.3.5 build, it should be 2.3.6., as the EP3 builds were 2.3.5 and now EP4 builds seemed to jump up to 2.3.6.

[majael]

---

DC5_K20Z1 wrote:

Some older builds were EP1W 2.3.5? EP3HA and EP3HB both 2.3.5 and then EP4PC leaked as 2.3.6, so I don't think that the OTA that Verizon is listing as "EP4" would end up being a 2.3.5 build, it should be 2.3.6., as the EP3 builds were 2.3.5 and now EP4 builds seemed to jump up to 2.3.6.

---

I'm not sure why everyone is trying to draw a direct correlation between the version of a published source code package (EP4D) to the software build version.

If we all look at our stock phones, we see the reference to the software being version EE4.  The Samsung-published source code package is EE4B.  I'd read that as the second revision of what Samsung prepared for source code publication and it doesn't have to equate with the software version Verizon references, nor is it necessarily the same version that was used in the compiled code set that was delivered by Samsung to Verizon for testing as a final OTA release candidate. 

It's entirely possible that the software version distributed by Verizon is truncated to three characters and we are going to get what has leaked as EP4P, but Verizon will label as version EP4.  As for the source code version EP4D, perhaps Samsung was confident that they were ready with EP4x release versions that they prepared the source code while testing was being done, only to have to retry a couple of times when bugs were found.

I agree with the more recent post.  Let's just be thankful on Thanksgiving that we are finally getting the update so many have been desperate to receive.  If necessary, we can worry about the little tweaks between .5 and .6 later.

[jco23]

Ep4p = 2.3.6

[DC5_K20Z1]

Yea I don't see why they would release a 2.3.5 build

[jco23]

maybe b/c they have not fully tested 2.3.6, or don't see the need for it.  i hope folks don't start complaining about getting 2.3.5 when there is very little advantage (if any) of 2.3.6 over it.

isn't this the time of year to give thanks and be thankful of what you got rather than what you don't got?