14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier T-Mobile is expected to start offering its Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) owners the possibility to taste the newer Android 2.2 Froyo software update on their devices starting with today, January 21st, 2011. The software update was expected to arrive on devices ever since the third quarter of the last year, but it got delayed by several months in some markets, including the United States, where it did not land on any Galaxy S device as of yet.
However, a recent article on PCMag notes that T-Mobile's chief marketing officer Cole Brodman already confirmed officially that the software update would become available for the Samsung Vibrant starting today.
Apparently, the delay was caused by various quality issues, Brodman stated, adding that various customizations that the carrier included with the software also contributed to the push back.
Previous rumors suggested that Samsung would be charging carriers per device for the delivery of this software update, and that this would be the main reason for which the software got delayed so much.
“It was a quality control and timing issue,” Brodman said. “The biggest challenge is integration and customization.”
The software arrived in T-Mobile's labs sometime in November, but the said customizations, testing, along with the holiday season, contributed to the delay.
The new Android 2.2 Froyo upgrade comes with a nice range of enhancements, including improved web browsing, and better performance levels.
The news site also notes that T-Mobile committed to delivering OS upgrades to its customers within 3 to 5 months after Google releases the new platform version officially (due to inclusion of customizations like T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling feature).
The new software update for Samsung Vibrant is expected to arrive in stages, which means that not all users would receive it at the same time. However, the entire update process should be completed in a matter of weeks, T-Mobile says.