Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled

By | July 12, 2011, 10:32am PDT

Summary: The flaky Android update system has resulted in the postponement of the update for the Sprint Nexus S 4G. Even Google’s flagship Android phone isn’t safe from the awful update process.

Have you been waiting for the bug fixing update that Sprint was rolling out for the Nexus S 4G on July 11? You should stand down as something has forced the carrier to postpone the update until some unspecified date in the future. No reason was given for holding off on the Nexus S 4G OTA update, unlike the one for the Samsung Transform that began rolling out but “was failing” before cancelation. That one will be rescheduled for some point when the update will actually work.

The Nexus S 4G update will bring the flagship Google phone to the latest version of Gingerbread. More importantly the update addresses signal strength issues that some Sprint customers have reported affecting both phone calls and data connections. Hopefully it won’t be long delayed for those customers.

These update problems demonstrate once again how poorly the Android update system works. It’s never known which phones will get a given update, or when it might happen if so. Now we have a couple of handsets that are to get an update which gets canceled for reasons unknown. It is not a simple process for Android handset makers, that is certain.

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James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long.

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James Kendrick

James Kendrick has no affiliations or relationships that need to be disclosed.

Biography

James Kendrick

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long. Prior to joining ZDNet, James was the Founding Editor of jkOnTheRun, a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog that was acquired by GigaOM in 2008 and is now part of that prestigious tech network. James' writing has appeared in many print publications: Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, Information Week and Laptop Magazine to name a few. James' coverage of the mobile technology sector has regularly appeared in the New York Times, Salon.com and CNN/ Fortune online. Not just a writer, James has filmed numerous video reviews and how-tos that have garnered well over a million viewers. He has appeared on local news segments and been interviewed by the Associated Press on mobile technology topics. Additionally, James has been podcasting about mobile technology for years.

Talkback Most Recent of 26 Talkback(s)

  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    Why did we not read about the Nexus S 4Gs signal troubles all over ZDNet?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    msalzberg
    12th Jul
  • ZDNet Blogger

    RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    @msalzberg Not everyone has them, my Nexus S 4G doesn't. It's an intermittent thing for some people, don't know why.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    JamesKendrick
    12th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    @JamesKendrick I think his point was that a very small percentage of people had an issue with the antenna on the iPhone 4 yet every other article at the time was about antennagate.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    non-biased
    15th Jul
  • ZDNet Blogger

    I wrote about it and don't know why people buy them
    @msalzberg I wrote about it here on ZDNet (http://blogs.zdnet.com/cell-phones/?p=5975) and would never buy one myself since the signal was unacceptable for me.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    palmsolo (aka Matthew Miller)
    12th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    @palmsolo (aka Matthew Miller) - were you holding the phone properly?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Gr8Music
    12th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    @James and @Matthew

    I must have missed those articles. Sorry, guys.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    msalzberg
    12th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    Not sure if my post got through - apologies if this appears twice.

    I haven't really had issues with mine either, using it in S.F. Bay Area and Los Angeles. Also a recent trip to TX. It didn't do so well in Seattle, however. I wonder if it's more network-related than the phone itself? For those interested, my review on the Nexus S (published by Law Technology News) is here:
    http://trial-technology.blogspot.com/2011/05/samsung-nexus-s-blackberry-replacement.html
    ZDNet Gravatar
    litigationtech
    12th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    "These update problems demonstrate once again how poorly the Android update system works."
    We certainly don't know that this issue ties to the Android update system. It could entirely be that Sprint is once again using the system to push out a crap update. Bad code on Sprint's end.

    That's not a problem with the system or even process, and it's misleading to imply that it is. That's entirely on Sprint.

    Google provides a transport method for OEM's and carriers to pump their code to their phones. I don't believe that system is at issue, but this article/author definitely seems to be pointing the finger in that direction.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    geolemon
    12th Jul
  • ZDNet Blogger

    RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    @geolemon But having the OEM, Google AND the carrier is the Android update system. Doesn't matter to the customer which spoke is broken, end result is the same.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    JamesKendrick
    12th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    @JamesKendrick - The updates for the Nexus S 4G come directly from Google. Sprint simply informed Google that their network was down so Google decided to wait a few days before rolling out the update. Remember the AT&T compatible Nexus One phone? Updates to that phone never got tested by AT&T prior to release. Things work exactly the same way with Sprint's Nexus S 4G phone.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    rottenapple1
    12th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    Ahh this is where iPhone shines... I can even restore my device and sync everything I've purchased over the air through iCloud... no need to back up apps or music on computer anymore, very nice!!
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Hasam1991
    12th Jul
  • its not just the 4g that has issues
    the 3g is screwed up as well. and google is just ignoring us. similar situation, not all phones are affected.

    http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=49e8ca84071d51a4
    ZDNet Gravatar
    diffusing
    12th Jul
  • world challenges
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    ZDNet Gravatar
    ibrahim.ali2009@...
    13th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    God, do you really want to see a grown man cry? if not, please release the update. I can barely use my phone because of poor signal strength. 4get about 4G, can't get that while even standing outside in the middle of downtown Dallas. Wifi is my only savior with this phone.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    DBURNSINC
    13th Jul
  • RE: Sprint Nexus S 4G update canceled
    Reading these emails makes me VERY glad I have an iPhone.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    eye4bear
    14th Jul

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