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HTC Thunderbolt owners hoping for an Ice Cream Sandwich treat to relieve the dog days of summer were sorely disappointed when the update missed its targeted August release date. Even worse, it seemed all signs were pointing towards a future without Android 4.0 for the aging Verizon handset. But wait just a minute, HTC has once again put some hope back into our hearts.
In a response to the curious tweet of one Thunderbolt user, the @HTCUSA account said, “ICS will be here soon,” adding, “Thanks for your continued patience!” And patience here is key, as there is no telling what HTC’s exact idea of “soon” really is.
The Thunderbolt is nearing the two year anniversary of its unveiling at CES 2010 so we should consider ourselves lucky that HTC and Verizon are even pushing ahead with ICS for the handset. Similar devices such as the HTC Desire HD weren’t so lucky, despite having a fairly equivalent set of hardware.
[via Android and Me]
i loved my Thunderbolt. Battery was pretty bad, but I had it when I was working from home and on WIFI all day.
I keep it in my backpack in case i brick my S3. I still take it out every now and then to clean it off and update the apps that are on there.
I use my OG Droid as a media player at the beach or w/FM transmitter on long trips in wife’s car where she has no AUX input. When she moves away from Tbolt in a couple months we’ll use hers as a media player or FIOS/HTPC remote. Old android phones are still very capable devices.
oh yea, my OG Droid is my alarm clock in its media dock right now. Most advanced alarm clock I have ever had lol
This is the funniest article I’ve read all day… Well… Congrats tho Thunderbolt owners. You’re being upgraded to obsolete software.
Obsolete? Froyo or even Gingerbread maybe. ICS is still awesome and I’d be more than happy with any device running it, especially something as old as the Thunderbolt.
But the point is that it should have been upgraded long ago, the thunderbolt wasn’t that old when ICS was released, only about 6 months old.
That’s just the nature of first gen hardware. It was the first LTE device and it has a strange radio setup. That causes a lot of kinks to work out. Which is why is was pretty buggy out of the box until it’s 2nd or 3rd update. After that though it was actually a pretty great phone. So if they get ICS right it will still be a solid device for people who would rather save money than have bleeding edge hardware.
Gingerbread to ICS is a larger step forward than ICS to JB… Its hardly obsolete.
I’m very content with ICS. I don’t have Jellybean on my E4GT and I’m not complaining one bit. I don’t mind waiting one more year when my upgrade expires. And I DO NOT want those JB ROMs. Way too many small issues that actually affect me. LoL!!
I think all phones should be upgraded to at least ICS for a stable experience.
I think obsolete is a bit too strong. =.3
Something obsolete would be Windows XP. Microsoft stopped support for it. LoL!!
A week later, that same person will start to apologize that there has been a horrible mistake that the Thunderbolt will actually NOT receive an update to ICS, LOL~
Amazing! a 2 year old phones is being upgraded to a 1 year old OS! Android OEMs rock! /SARCASM
ICS is far from obsolete.
Technically it is since there is a newer version of Android available. ICS is still very usable
ICS is more than usable. It’s great. I’m more than happy with ICS on my Optimus G and even preferred it over JB on my GS3 :/
A newer version being available does not necessarily make the older version obsolete. If ICS phones were unable to run all the same apps as JB phones and we’re miles below feature and spec wise you might call ICS obsolete but that’s just not the case. JB adds in some cool feature and definitely builds on ICS’s greatness but it doesn’t make ICS obsolete.
Wow really? I was under the impression the Thunderbolt already had ICS… The Evo 3D had it for a while now…
Good job Verizon! (Sarcasm)
Evo 3D has a dual-core Snap. Thunderbolt is still running on a 2nd gen single-core.
How about the Evo Design 4G? Yes, it has Snapdragon running at 1.2 ghz, but it’s also single core, like the Thunderbolt (running at 1 ghz), and it got ICS.
The Thunderbolt could run ICS, and they should have gotten it a long time ago in early Summer… I’m just blaming Verizon as a company for delaying the update, and maybe I used the wrong example to compare the Thunderbolt to
Maybe you just blamed the wrong people period, because you have misplaced nerdhate against a company you have no dealings with.
Hmm… nope.
Verizon does have a history of delaying updates… even to their Galaxy Nexus device… You can’t doubt Verizon has their hand in the delay of this update.
Was HTCs fault. They’ve already admitted it.
Show me one place where HTC has admitted it’s their fault. Everything they have said is that the update has been in Verizon’s hands since August.
While I suppose this is good news, will it even be 4.0.4? And it will still be two releases behind, 4.1 and 4.2. Plus I imagine the majority of thunderbolt owners have moved on to greener pastures by now.
Which is strange that Verizon still feels the need to even update it to ICS.
This just pathetic from Verizon. How do you treat your customers like this, they took that big first step in your unknown LTE coverage and you treat them like this instantly forgotten about…truly sad
it was HTC, you derp. If you’re going to get all nerdraged, at least focus on the right people.
Really? That is odd because it’s the carrier that holds them up……sooo thus ics update should come bloat free….right?
Yeah and I guess Samsung is the reason why my Verizon Galaxy nexus doesn’t (officially) have 4.2 yet…. why don’t you remove your head from your backside before you start calling people ‘derp’.
ingua2 , aparrently you are not familiar with Verizon’s process. Verizon is always the last one with updates. Even though it is for longer testing purpose but it is annoying that after nearly 2 years we are still using the same OS and unable to sync up with the newer peripherals. HTC (as much as I no longer a fan of them) but has done its job and released the latest OS to carriers, but it is up to the carrier to polish the OS for their network and devices. … which Verizon sucks at this part !
lmao
Twisted’s mash up of Liquid/CM/AOKP/etc ICS is awesome on the TBolt. No video recording or Netflix app but otherwise great. I handed my TBolt down to my daughter when I got my GS3. Hopefully with an official ICS release Twisted will be able to get video recording and Netflix app to work.
I think most HTC phones released in 2010 have Icecream.
I legitimately feel sorry for people who don’t know how to root their phones. Unlike jailbreaking, there’s so much that can go wrong for inexperienced users.
I don’t want a JB ROM on my E4GT. Those ROMs, while nice, aren’t stable enough for me. I’m content with ICS.
So rooting and manually upgrading isn’t always the best idea. LoL!!
Plenty of ROM’s are very stable.
Stability requirements differ from user to user, but I know many users who just want some upgrade love, for those who aren’t technical enough to understand rooting and custom roms, it’s sad because a lot of what they want is already available at XDA. Maybe not everyone wants manual custom rom upgrades, but they are a blessing. I myself have numerous times found very good stable upgrade roms. I was running a very stable version of gingerbread on my thunderbolt months before gingerbread came out, and the best gingerbread custom roms was actually much better with battery life than the official gingerbread rom, and was stable as a rock. It’s takes patience and a lot of trial and error to find the best roms.
Legitimately? The word isn’t even used in the proper context here. Outside of that, millions of smartphone users could care less about rooting their phone. Most use it for texting, sharing crappy pictures of coffee in instacrap, FB or twitter. 99% of smartphone users care less. END OF STORY.
Stop trolling
Ain’t that the truth layman76. I rooted my TB awhile back and ran the ICS roms on it. Man were they slow and buggy not to mention. As many times as I loved ICS on my TB the battery life is horrendous. I won’t hold my breath on seeing ICS for my TB before my upgrade in June 2013. Even if they do upgrade it I doubt battery life will improve
Patience isn’t even the word, HTC. I didn’t have the Thunderbolt but I would’ve switched long ago.
As a previous thunderbolt owner, I’m glad they are finally getting this, despite the battery issues the rest of the phone hardware was really good. But after owning a Thunderbolt and a Rezound and watching all of the updates being released to GSM devices much faster, I left verizon and became a permanent nexus convert :) I just don’t have the patience for slow updates.
It’s funny because most thunderbolt owners are now or about to be able to upgrade to phones like the Note 2!
LMAO I thought they just swept this under the rug.
Put your money where you mouth is HTC. Big Red never pushing that update out. It’ll make HTC thunderbolt people who are tired of GB become complacent with ics and not upgrade
I’m pretty sure the few strong thunderbolt owners are looking to upgrade when it is available, just for the battery life, whether or not it’s updated. Many of the early adopters are already eligible for an upgrade.
I hope my One X doesn’t get treated like this phone
Coming Summer 2014
Its funny cause Verizon seems all proud about it..
Calling ICS (4.0) obsolete compared to Jelly Bean (4.1) would be like calling Windows 7 obsolete compared to Windows 7 Service Pack 1. Idiots.
How dare you compare Android to a Microsoft product! :-P
Yep Windows is much more stable. :)
A Sunday school teaching housewife in a frock and bun is probably more stable than a hot biker chick with a couple of piercings in naughty spots and can go shot for shot with the best of ’em, but I guarantee it ain’t the housewife that’s more fun!
you have never cornered the wife in the laundry room when the kids finally GTFO of the house on your anniversary have you. housewife ftw. just saying.
it’s coming up on three years if it was revealed at CES in 2010.
This sounds like BS to me. Not pinning any hopes on some twit on twitter
I had the thunderbolt for a year and a half and always thought it was a great phone. I upgraded and now my mom has been using it for a while and she absolutely loves it. Still runs perfect. She will be happy to hear it getting ics.
LOLz
If the T-BOLT has half the VZW bloat that my XYBOARD tablet has,I’m surprised it’s getting the update @ any date.
Regardless,CONGRATULATIONS to all T-BOLT owners for a LOOOOOOONG overdue update!
One shouldn’t be excluded from an up-to-date O/S as long as the hardware will support it.Buying a newer phone or rooting/ROMS is not always an option for some,if not most consumers,nor should it be an easy-out for the carrier/manufacturer.
HTC is just hoping that the world is going to end as the Mayans “predicted” it. Loads of stress off their backs.
Can’t believe this Smartphone didn’t have Android Ice Cream Sandwich!!!
3 year anniversary not 2 year.
I gave up on ICS for my Thunderbolt and got an HTC DNA…awesome phone…. I still have two Thunderbolts in a drawer….waiting for ICS ..then I will try to sell them to recoup my $600.00 investment in the DNA !
@toomuchgame .. technically it isn’t. Maybe you should understand basic vocabulary before you begin spewing opinionated nonsense.