Orange HTC Desire Android 2.2 update delayed

Orange has announced that the Android 2.2 update, due to be pushed out over-the-air to the HTC Desire during August, has been delayed once again.

On 3 August, the company announced that the Froyo update —which brings new enterprise features as well as a redesigned launcher, the ability to use a handset as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot (depending on operator policy) and support for Adobe Flash 10.1, among other features— was intended to be launched over the course of the next "several weeks".

However, according to an Orange spokesperson on Friday the HTC Desire Froyo update will be at least two weeks longer due to delays in receiving the software from HTC.

"We're waiting to receive the Orange Android 2.2 Desire update from HTC. Unfortunately this is taking longer than was originally indicated, and expect it will be available for customers in mid-September."

On the 11 August, Vodafone told ZDNet UK that HTC Desire owners on the network would start receiving the Froyo upgrade OTA within the next "7-10 days" and that it would "be based on the open market version of the software”. "We can confirm that the Android 2.2 update will remove the 360 applications and will leave the homepage and bookmarks on your current settings", the spokesperson added.

The decision to remove the previously issued OTA branding and 360 service update followed an outpouring of disappointed customer comments on the company's support forum and the establishment of a group page on Facebook.

"I feel you've just ruined my Desire with software I neither need nor want," one commenter, 'Allan87' wrote on the support forum.

A similar Facebook page has been set up by Orange HTC Desire customers demanding that the Android 2.2 remove Orange's own operator tweaks from the device before it is issued to handsets.