Database Info

just had a brainwave-bear with me on this, please just read it!

Hi
i was just reading a thread entitled 'are we all running a pirated version of WM6 on our wizards'
and it got me thinking.
theres a legal grey area surrounding xda-devs, namely, the roms that have been placed onto the ftp/forums that are the 'intellectual property' or whatever of microsoft as they were initially intended to be run as 'beta' builds despite being HEAVILY modified by the great members of this community.
so, i thought......
Why doesnt www.xda-developers.com sit down with someone from HTC and similar to how Orange or Cingular are re-branding HTC devices, why don't Xda-Devs setup their OWN OEM company.
HTC *could* (in an ideal world) sell the devices onto xda-devs or an affiliate with the devices set-up as having Super-CID, sim-unlock and being able to run unofficial code on them.
the biggest problem i think HTC have with releasing builds of OS's to the masses is the simple fact that a lot 'joe bloggs'' will ring up MS moaning about how their phone doesnt work...
but, what if the xda-devs company's contract states that the devices are sold with NO support, apart from any support provided from the forums/community at large. this way, nobody would be ringing up HTC as presumably you would have to have found this site, have a little know-how and know what you would be buying from the xda-devs company.
that way, HTC could itself release builds of the OS's to xda-devs for xda-devs to then modify, patch and optimise. this build can then be released to the masses by HTC as a stable build. HTC could as a result of this collaboration sell the devices to xda-devs at a lower cost.
i admit, it sounds a little far-fetched, but im bored and looking for a point of discussion! it could be done though i think, all you'd have to do is find some investors to buy the initial devices to sell- and of course some way to clear this with HTC!
discuss!lol\

While in concept it isn't a bad idea, I've got to point out one major flaw of humanity... our need to place blame.
Selling an unsupported device, be it new or old takes away the ability to blame someone when things go wrong.
However, some sort of support could be offered in the form of:
1. If flashing your device to the original ROM it came with doesn't fix the problem then the issue is 99% of the time hardware related. Call HTC for warranty service, within 1 year of course.
2. I bricked my phone, bootloader doesn't work thus I can't flash it. Same warranty applies.
Anything else is customer's fault, you're on your own.
Of course this could only work with GSM or rather SIM enabled devices. ESN based devices couldn't be part of this venture. Don't know about other CDMA countries out there, but at least in the US Sprint will CATEGORICALLY REFUSE to register an ESN that is not in their database, whereas Verizon will, but you've got to sweet talk the store manager.
Still, even with these little clauses this whole thing is a huge class action lawsuit just waiting to happen.

Although this would be grate for us, as far as the commercial parties are concerned there is a ton of problems with this idea:
a) HTC pays M$ for every copy of WM based on the components they include.
So you still can't legally cook your own ROM.
b) This would get HTC in trouble with every brand and telco they deal with.
c) This will significantly prolong the life of the devices and reduce profits for HTC.
d) xda-dev is not a commercial body and is in no position (I am stating this from what I know of the site, official comment is left to the management) to make any official order for HTC to even consider.
But the project you describe already exists, it just does not run M$ crap:
www.openmoko.com

There's a hole in your rom, dear XDA User, dear XDA User!

Leaked roms:
Have a look at this thread on Pocket PC Thoughts:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/for...48&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=
It discusses this question:
Are you desperate enough to try a "iffy" ROM on your device just to get to Windows Mobile 6? And Does Palm have any of the blame resting on it's shoulders for bricked devices given their non-existant communication with users regarding the timeline for this upgrade?
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Click to collapse
Should we use leaked roms? Why do we use leaked and cooked roms?
V

My reply to that thread. And as I said to my soon-to-be-disappointed wife on my wedding night: it's a big one.
I tend to live most of my online life over at XDA Devs, but this is an interesting question for all hackers and tweakers:
As enthusiasts, we spend an enormous amount of time introducing instability into our systems, tweaking, refining, rebooting, registry editing, hacking, reverse engineering, re-writing, reflashing, pleading to forgiving better-halves and generally suffering from trichotillomania.
Why? So that at the end of the day we can come out with a new tweak, or a new rom, that's 0.01% faster, has a shinier bar at the bottom, tweaks the carrier logo, or whatever's your poison.
I'm a little bit of a PPC nerd, but I have the enormous pleasure of rubbing shoulders with some of the smartest hackers I've ever known. We all work hard, doing a job that we should not have to do: we spend our hard-earned time to improve the device that we've spent our hard earned cash on.
In an ideal world, Microsoft would have made the operating system perfect, and would merely push improvements to us, over the air, transparently, every week, and our WM2003 devices would have self upgraded themselves to WM6 by now.
However, due to the agreements and the way that most of the Mobile Phone Operators operate, any build improvements from Microsoft, the manufacturer (eg HTC), or indeed the phone company (eg Orange) must get pushed to the Operator, who will then rebrand it, test it (because of course, we never want buggy upgrades), decide whether to charge for it, and finally get around to releasing it some months later. Or: maybe they will just decide to sit on it and never release it, as it will impact sales for the devices that have become more relevant in the intervening period.
I love my phone (HTC Hermes), as an extension of my daily life. I like to tweak it, here and there, there and here. I know I waste a disproportionate amount of time doing so, often for little practical gain. But why then? Because we're enthusiasts, and that's what we do.
So, if Microsoft dangles a carrot in front of our face in 2005, and tells us they're going to release WM6 to manufacturers, that's great news! And if they tell us, it's hardware compatible with WM5, that's even better news! Now we just have to wait for HTC and Orange et al to release it to into our outstretched hands.
But.... sometimes, things don't work like that. It requires effort to rewrite drivers for the new OS. To test compatibility with the new upgrades. To ensure nothing crashes, or is less stable, or won't randomly drop calls. This requires investment. And investment demands cash returns. So, it only really makes sense for the operator to release a tested, substantial upgrade if they can get something out of it: whether that's improved goodwill, or just a a few dollars/pounds/won... and you know: sometimes, it makes sense not to release it all!
Why upgrade the HTC Wizard to WM6, when it will cannibalise sales from "true" WM6 devices like the Keiser? So, commercial decisions may just come down to the hard truth: they're not going to upgrade your phone, even though it can, because it's not commercially sensible to do so.
Understand: I have absolutely no problems with that. Our phone manufacturers are in Business, so random acts of generosity are few and far between. It makes sense to sell a million new handsets, then to allow the last million to upgrade.
However, if we can upgrade, should we not try? Should we not try to get the most out of the hardware we've spent our money on and are happy with?
So, speaking for the xda guys and gals, we are, as lawyers would say (and I am a lawyer, so I say it), somewhat reckless as to the consequences of our actions! We dive into the latest upgrade, take it apart, strip it down, build tools to decrypt, decompile, recompile, reflash, and ultimately cook your own DIY rom. The guys (and gals) are enthusiasts, and will try to tweak and refine. It takes time for us because often we don't know what we're doing, and have to do it all from the ground up [and don't forget: support your local rom chef. PLEASE don't complain and curse, advise and help. They work hard! And we're all people with feelings: if you prick us, do we not bleed?]
In a very very roundabout fashion, I hope I've explained a little of my personal motivation for jumping on the opportunity to upgrade. Now that doesn't always mean that I will. A brief segue, and a funny story:
I have been asked to be one of the "experts" on the Pocket PC Annual Awards. One of my perks is that they send me the latest edition of the Smartphone and Pocket PC magazine. It's HIGHLY recommended. Buy a subscription now. You will get to see a photo of me, and that alone makes it worth it.
So anyway, on the cover of this month's magazine, it proudly proclaims:
"Windows Mobile 6 phones are HERE!"
I chuckled when I saw this.
I am far from the most connected guy around, but let's say, I know "friends" that were running WM6 for getting on close to a year. Very stable, very usable versions of WM6, for various devices. These friends are generally very very careful about who has access to these leaks. And they are very concerned about the risk to the leak-er, the person giving them access to leaked roms, because people shouldn't lose jobs because of this.
So, if the "public" is wondering why leaked roms don't always get released to the masses, it's because sometimes they don't want to risk anyone getting into major trouble.
But, when possible, they try to share with the public, and to feed the useful, stable parts back into the community. And yes, cutting edges can make you bleed, sometimes. But caveat emptor.
If you do not know how to reflash and repair your phone, don't risk pre-release roms.
But, if you like to live on the bleeding edge, sometimes it's a real revelation.
The Hermes was a much better device with WM6, and the Universal suddenly became much more usable.
In fact - some of the pre-release roms were, from experience, better then the current "official" roms, which have slower bells and whistles, and are generally more bloaty.
So, again, caveat emptor, but if you're prepared to take the plunge, and know what you're doing, sometimes, it's worth it.
V
PS Obligatory iPhone reference: Apple once again raised the bar with manufacturer controlled upgrades - they can upgrade the phone directly through itunes, rather than waiting for AT&T to get around to it in their own time. And as iPhone hackers have seen, they pushed upgrades through very quickly. Compare that with the sporadic and tardy fashion in which the Windows Mobile community receives upgrade love.
PPS Illegal rom updates: if anyone finds anything illegal on XDA devs (or indeed this forum), let your local moderator know. I'm always happy to receive posts from concerned xda devs users.
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Vi -- EXCELLENT!! Now, where's that newest edition of Pocket PC mag??

Great post.

Sugesting New Devices From SPRINT

I had sent an E-Mail yesterday to [email protected] and had recieved a phone call back. We can contact SPRINT in this way to get them to really hear what we have to say and ask. I had spoke with the VP and had sugested that SPRINT contact HTC to have them design the HD2 to also have a sliding keyboard. All SPRINT has to do is put in the request because their customers "US" are asking for that feature to be added to the phone. If just one person asks 1 question, then it might be heard. But if 10,000 people or 100,000 people ask the same question. It will definatly be heard and then answered. If we want SPRINT to STOP CRIPPELING the phones, then let's all ask the same question. If we want SPRINT to advertise about the TP2, then let's all ask. If more people knew that there is a phone that can give the IPHONE a beating, then all we have to do is make SPRINT stand up and listen to what their customers have to say. So far to date, there has not been one advertisement for the TP2 in any way shape or form to the masses. Sure there have been some reviews on the phone. You will only know about it if you read that perticular magizine or go to the right web site. So, agian let's all send an E-Mail to [email protected] and speak up

How is Sprint crippling their phones?

I definitely do NOT want an HD2 with a keyboard. Since Sprint is in NO WAY getting the HD2 (at least for a while), I would like to petition them to get a phone without a keyboard that is otherwise equal to or better than the TP2. While we are petitioning, how about making it free...

gd761 said:
I had sent an E-Mail yesterday to [email protected] and had recieved a phone call back. We can contact SPRINT in this way to get them to really hear what we have to say and ask. I had spoke with the VP and had sugested that SPRINT contact HTC to have them design the HD2 to also have a sliding keyboard. All SPRINT has to do is put in the request because their customers "US" are asking for that feature to be added to the phone. If just one person asks 1 question, then it might be heard. But if 10,000 people or 100,000 people ask the same question. It will definatly be heard and then answered. If we want SPRINT to STOP CRIPPELING the phones, then let's all ask the same question. If we want SPRINT to advertise about the TP2, then let's all ask. If more people knew that there is a phone that can give the IPHONE a beating, then all we have to do is make SPRINT stand up and listen to what their customers have to say. So far to date, there has not been one advertisement for the TP2 in any way shape or form to the masses. Sure there have been some reviews on the phone. You will only know about it if you read that perticular magizine or go to the right web site. So, agian let's all send an E-Mail to [email protected] and speak up
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TaurusBullba said:
How is Sprint crippling their phones?
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I am not sure what exactly gd761 is talking about. I do know, though, that all CDMA versions of the phone (including Verizon's) do not have an FM Tuner in there. For whatever reason, it is sacrificed for some of the CDMA hardware. Though there are ways to get Radio, just not through normal FM/AM.
The other thing gd761 may be referencing is the fact that nearly EVERY VERSION OF THIS PHONE with other carriers (not all, but most), were released with WinMo 6.5 and a newer (and Sense-like) TouchFlo. For whatever reason, Sprint seems to want to delay it and only says that it will be released "early 2010." I spoke with a representative today who agreed it is ludicrous that nearly every, if not all, carriers now have the upgrade (or at least their form of it) and sprint is dragging their heels.
To tell the truth, I am not sure what gd761 is referring to. I do share the resentment, at least on the upgrade thing. Who knows?
I agree, though, on one point... I do believe that we should, as their customers, their paychecks, let our opinions be heard... and not just on their web forum or through customer service. It is obvious that we need to let them know what we want, and, if need be, bypass the normal channels and go for the bigwigs.
I'm not calling for a revolt, I am however, tired of hearing one person after another complain about service or not having the best phone (in their opinion) and rant and rave..... AND THEN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT (but complain some more). If you ahev enough time to be on here and B!+ch about it, you have enough time to write a letter to someone about it. It's a rare day if the powers that be in our respective phone companies (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, etc) scan these forums for advice and ideas, at least not in depth. Even if they did, it would be much longer then just going to the source.
Think about it, everyone.

I've seen plenty of tp2 commercials since at least November.

"If more people knew that there is a phone that can give the IPHONE a beating, then all we have to do is make SPRINT stand up and listen to what their customers have to say."
Not convinced HTC will completely redesign a platform because a carrier requests it. If you really want an iPhone killer tho, Droid Does. The TP2 certainly has a more refined slider keyboard, and the tilt is nice. Have to say I like the glass capacitive screen better tho. The real advantage the Droid has right now is a separate GPU. It really is a noticeable improvement over the TP2 performance-wise. I was anxious to see what HTC did with the Nexus 1, but lack of a physical keyboard is a deal killer for me, Snapdragon or no.

I have tried to use Andriod and Palm and don't like the look or feel of them. I know that we all have our own opinions about all of the different devices out on the market. What we should be doing is not complaining about what we think individually, but all want from the Carriers. these forums are not you and me againt one another, but us the customesr to share info and to try to get the Carriers to listed to ALL of us, not just ONE of us. I want a keyboard and you don't want a keyboard. These things tell the Carriers that their customers want one with a keyboard and one without a keyboard. We want one feature or another, or one OS or another. this will let the Carriers know that you want a specific device with specific features with a certain device. I might want exactly the same thing with all the same features, but just with a different OS, or feature. If the Carriers start hearing this, then when they negotiate with the Manufacturs of the devices for them to carry them, they will say that their customers are asking for this or that, and have the devices tweaked or redesigned. This is how it is done. Some people think that we the customers don't influence in any way how these devices are designed or what OS is installed on them. There are a lot of deciding factures that go into these devices that most peolpe do NOT realize or want to accept as being fact. This is just the way that things are. But again, let's agree to disagree and tell the Carriers what our personal desires are. They weally do listen, but not to just one voice, but to many voices.

The Samsung Secret - Why U.S. Galaxy S Phones run Android 2.1 Still

Hello,
I’m going to step across the NDAs and explain the issues behind the Android Froyo update to Samsung Galaxy S phones in the United States. I think most of you have come to this realization yourself now: the withholding of the Froyo update is a largely political one, not a technological one: Froyo runs quite well on Galaxy S phones, as those of you that have run leaked updates may have noticed.
To explain the political situation, first, a primer on how phone firmware upgrades work for carriers. When a carrier decides to sell a phone, a contract is usually written between the phone manufacturer and the carrier. In this contract, the cost of updates (to the carrier) is usually outlined. Updates are usually broken into several types: critical updates, maintenance updates, and feature updates. Critical updates are those that resolve a critical bug in the phone, such as the phone overheating. Maintenance updates involve routine updates to resolve bugs and other issues reported by the carrier. Finally, feature updates add some new feature in software that wasn’t present before. Critical updates are usually free, maintenance updates have some maintenance fee associated with them, and feature updates are usually costly.
In the past, most phone updates would mainly consist of critical and maintenance updates. Carriers almost never want to incur the cost of a feature update because it is of little benefit to them, adds little to the device, and involves a lot of testing on the carrier end. Android has changed the playing field, however – since the Android Open Source Project is constantly being updated, and that information being made widely available to the public, there is pressure for the phone to be constantly updated with the latest version of Android. With most manufacturers, such as HTC, Motorola, etc. This is fine and considered a maintenance upgrade. Samsung, however, considers it a feature update, and requires carriers to pay a per device update fee for each incremental Android update.
Now, here’s where the politics come in: most U.S. carriers aren’t very happy with Samsung’s decision to charge for Android updates as feature updates, especially since they are essentially charging for the Android Open Source Project’s efforts, and the effort on Samsung’s end is rather minimal. As a result of perhaps, corporate collusion, all U.S. carriers have decided to refuse to pay for the Android 2.2 update, in hopes that the devaluation of the Galaxy S line will cause Samsung to drop their fees and give the update to the carriers. The situation has panned out differently in other parts of the world, but this is the situation in the United States.
Some of you might have noticed Verion’s Fascinate updated, but without 2.2 : This is a result of a maintenance agreement Samsung must honor combined with Verizon’s unwillingness to pay the update fees.
In short, Android 2.2 is on hold for Galaxy S phones until the U.S. carriers and Samsung reach a consensus.
Some might wonder why I didn’t deliver this over a more legitimate news channel – the short answer: I don’t want to lose my job. I do, however, appreciate transparency, which is why I'm here.

Interesting.. thank you for that
Sent from my GT540 using XDA App

this has been an issue since the Samsung Omnia (SGH-i900) came out. Promises of updates to no avail. No updates, just do it yourself!

Finally something that makes sense to me. I do have 2.2 on my phone thanks to the folks here on XDA.

I work for Sprint at a service and repair store. We had a memo that the Epic was suppose to get Froyo on Dec 26th, but that they pulled it because it bricked half their test phones and needed more work. I do know that the Intercept had an official update go out for Froyo that bricked roughly 10% of customer's phones and we were instructed to put them back on 2.1, I do know someone who has a legitimate carrier copy of Froyo on their Intercept, its not a Galaxy phone but its still Samsung. What you're saying Samsung is doing(which sounds right/true) is pretty petty. HTC released an update to Froyo for the Evo about 2 weeks after the phone launched. That's what manufacturers should do IMO.

In regards to the Epic, i'd like to remind people that originally, it was marketed as having 2.2. Then, closer to release, they changed it to 2.1 "with 2.2 coming soon after." Well, "soon after" has come and gone.
I bought the Epic partly because it suited me better than the Evo, but also because of 2.2. I knew that i would have a current version running. Froyo was part of the basis of my bargain. At this point I'm fed up with samsung. We've been getting teased with 2.2 almost every month for literally 5 months now, and at least for 1-2 months prior to the phone being released (which makes it upwards of 6 months). It is ridiculous.
People who have this phone should just return it when something new comes out. Samsung has breached their promise. Im sure there will be people here who will comment about the fact that you can always root your phone or that they are happy with eclair; that's fine. I bought this phone with the assumption it would perform on par with 2.2, and not have any annoying lags and bugs.
If everyone complains and ditches boycotts samsung phones, then maybe they will change their ways. From everything i have ever read, i never see anyone mention the fact that samsung marketed this device as having 2.2 and subsequently, promising it within a short period of time.
Just my .2 cents

This is one major reason that I am contemplating trading my Epic out for an Evo, I am tired of Sammy's bull****.
I am realizing that even though it is a good phone, it will soon be "out of date" with the lack of support from every one.

All this is bull****. Us cell carriers suck.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

samsung
personally after owning a moment i will never own a samsung phone again. thank got i got an evo shift

Interesting. Kinda contradicts with Samsung's marketing agenda during launch of the Galaxy S line in the States. During the launch event in NYC it was clearly stated by Samsung that all variants of Galaxy S line will receive Froyo firmware update, no where it was mentioned that if you are on a US carrier the device upgrade will be subject to terms and conditions set between the manufacturer and the carriers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf3uGTAeQy4
FF to 4:45

I think it's pretty god damn egregious that they'd charge large sums of money for code thats open source and freely available. I'd also think it has to be against some sort of law or license.

Hot_Hands said:
I think it's pretty god damn egregious that they'd charge large sums of money for code thats open source and freely available. I'd also think it has to be against some sort of law or license.
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Disclaimer: I am not defending Samsung. Upgrading an embedded platform (regardless is the software is open source or not) is an extensive process that takes the time of engineers and testers...so it does cost Samsung money. I think the argument that just because Android is open source, Samsung has no reason to charge carriers for updates is off-base. This type of R&D cost money....maybe not a whole bunch, but some investment dollars are still allocated.
With that said, if Samsung led the public to believe that US Galaxy S devices would be upgraded to Android 2.2, then they need to absolutely hold up their end of the bargain. A lot of these corporate types lack long-term thinking. Samsung could begin to build a good fanbase if they pickup the slack in the customer support department by providing timely upgrades, fixes, and other types of support. This fanbase will continue to buy their products and recommend others to do so. This is why Apple consistently ranks highest customer satisfaction, they provide software support for their products for at least a year, mostly two.
At this point, their public image (in my eyes) has taken a dive. I own the Captivate, a Samsung monitor, and digital camera. But these will be my last three Samsung products forever and I will not recommend any others Samsung products.

Great post. Makes me dislike Samsung even more now!

Thanks for bringing this side of the story to light, and risking your job to do so. If this story holds any bearing, Samsung is an entirely terrible company who hold zero care for their customers. They are only concerned with profits and pushing out new products instead of making their current customers happy and possibly turning them into repeat customers. Pitiful.

Great OP, which leads to three comments / thoughts.
First, if a carrier, such as T-Mobile USA decided to carry the rumored Vibrant 4G, this would suggest that either 1) they have renegotiated their contract with Samsung or 2) that they don't care about their customer base - given what their existing Vibrant customers have experienced. We will know, in due course, what path T-Mobile USA has chosen to walk.
Second, it sounds like the iPhone has an advantage over Android based products because Apple is in a position to update the operating system without involving the carrier. If this is the case, then financially, one would expect carriers to start pushing the iPhone to their customers. I don't see this happening yet as many carriers have really built up their Android lines. But it will be interesting to see what happens now that other carrier(s) start to carry the iPhone.
Third, it seems like this is an area where Google really needs to step in and set expectations - with carriers, manufacturers, and consumers. Right now, we are witnessing a growing dissatisfaction with Samsung. However a recent report showed that the best manufacturer for pushing updates - HTC - only had a 50% track record. Consumers, who are locked into a 2 year contract, will grow frustrated if their only means of getting the latest operating system (including some "non-critical" bug fixes) is to purchase another phone at full price. This will affect how Android and Google are perceived.

Seriously, why do we need to keep telling people this:
Never
Ever
Ever
Buy a phone for promised future updates.
You buy it for what it can do now, if it can't do that, then you have zero right to complain when it doesn't.
Yet in all seriousness, what does it matter to anyone on this forum? We all have the capabilities to upgrade our devices to the latest roms. Yes, pushed out updates give us updated drivers, packages and all around system fixes, but seriously guys, even with a N1 I don't even wait for OTAs.

OP, can you maybe link to some official documentation on this? Not that I doubt you for a second, but putting out some dox would light a serious fire under Samsung's ass...

So does this have anything to do with the fact that AT&T was/is(?) dumping the Captivate on the marketplace?
Last July, it was giving away Captivates. I have heard rumors that some folks are STILL able to procure free Captivates.
Is this the beginning of a falling out between Samsung and AT&T?

Awesome, thanks for the news. This article explains a lot but on a different note, I'm not sure about "effort on Samsung’s end is rather minimal" is 100% accurate. Have you seen how crazy TouchWiz is integrated into stock Android OS, it is pretty ridiculous when comparing to to Motorola's Moto Blur...

No update - No problem
No worries. The lack of update to Froyo forced my hand. I found the wonderful world of XDA and also taught myself how to choose custom ROMs, tweak features, and remove Sprint bloatware that I never wanted anyway.
So this little spat of theirs has actually provided great benefit to me. I've learned how to customize my phone and I've learned that Samsung is a ****ing nitwit of a company. The Galaxy S is my first and last Samsung phone. I'm very happy with it, currently, with my custom ROM. However, when the time for an upgrade comes, so long Sammy.
I hope your extra fees for open source software covers your future losses from me and others jumping ship.
Oh wait, no I don't.

Updates on back to back dates little weird?

I just think it is kind of weird right after at&t releases their two new android phones and new tethering plan, that our phone then the aria who have both waited for months get an update. Kinda seems like at&t was holding out on the updates. Anyone else agree this seems a little weird?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

+1
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

OK, this is just my opinion, but I believe that all the people that have been castrating Samsung about the updates are generally wrong, and that ATT was where things were being held up.
So, it's easy to castrate ATT for that but, really, it's easy for people that don't understand software/product support to pass judgement. Most people assume that ATT delayed things for commercial reasons so they could bloat/cripple the software. That may very well be true, but is it the only reason?
Assuming there are a couple million captivates out there, maybe ATT wanted to make sure they were able and ready to support the update of a couple million phones by generally retarded consumers that were going to create a huge demand spike for support when the upgrade was released?
Being in the software business, I know that software rollouts are not simply a matter of the software being ready. Having an infrastructure/ecosystem in place to support the software once it's rolled out is often as challenging as developing the software, and often just because the software is ready doesn't mean the business is ready to roll it out and support it. It may be as elementary as making sure you have enough capacity in your call centers to take the additional end-user support call volume generated by the update.
So, it's logical for me to believe that ATT set up an infrastructure and a plan that was implemented to support rollout of updates. It's also logical to assume that plan was intended so that the day it "went live" it enabled them to support multiple phone updates. The timing could certainly encompass dependencies/considerations on other elements of their business/infrastructure, including seemingly unrelated (to us) elements like support for tethering, etc.
I'm not necessarily defending all of these companies practices, and I really do think their communication could be better, but let's face it. Sometimes they are caught between a rock and a hard place. If they roll out something before they are ready they get berated because they released prematurely (see IPhones and network capacity and one reason so many people ***** about ATT). Or some updates fail and some phones get bricked and bloggers jump on them and try to ruin their reputation (see the recent WP7 first update). Or they try to communicate and people want specific dates and complain if they don't get them (see recent SamsungJohn/XDA debacle). If a date slips because of some unforeseen reason, people hold their feet to the fire over it.
So, is it coincidence that the Captivate and Aria updated at the same time, along with some other business elements like tethering? Probably not. Does it imply something insidious? Maybe, but I tend to believe it was along the lines of their project/implementation timelines based on the things they needed to put into place to support their customers and manage their business plans.
People, in general, VASTLY underestimate the amount of work that is required to set up an ecosystem to support end-users and roll out and release software/products.
Can Samsung and ATT do a better job of communicating? Absolutely, especially as it relates to the XDA audience. But consider this: maybe, from their business perspective, the number of people that ***** on the Internet are a miniscule (albeit very visible to us) percentage of their business/customers and although they are willing to spend some time to cater to that element, maybe their willingness only extends out a little bit because they think it only affects their business a little bit.
Just my $.02.
Bob