Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

Earlier this week HTC released an update to the software on its Hero handset, but T-Mobile customers who thought their handsets were equally Heroic are being left behind.

Users of HTC's Hero handset have already got their hands on the latest update, which improve the interface speed while fixing various bugs on the device. But T-Mobile customers touting G2 Touch handsets are having to live with the lag, and bugs, while the company tweaks the software, despite the fact that the two handsets are identical.

This is nothing new of course: ever since manufacturers started updating handset software there has been an irritating lag while operators applied their own branding to each the new version. This has prompted some customers to risk applying vanilla patches to variant phones, with variable results.

When it comes to the G2 Touch - as T-Mobile likes their variant of HTC's Hero to be known - there's no telling when the latest patch is going to arrive, despite numerous postings on the support forums and obvious customer frustration. Orange also offers the HTC Hero, but Orange customers can install the patch direct from HTC*, so no lag there.

Over the years there have been various attempts to create a standard "operator preferences" file which could be distributed along with standard patches, or automatically reapplied when a new version is installed. Operators all have their own ideas about what constitutes their preferences, however, and the subsidy they're prepared to put on the handset will depend largely on the amount of customisation possible.

We've asked T-Mobile when they expect to have the tweaked version out, but are still waiting for a response.

Some G2 Touch users have given up on T-Mobile and have found ways to install the standard release from HTC. This will fix the bugs and get a more responsive handset at the cost of invalidating their warranty, not to mention losing access to all those features to which T-Mobile likes to provide quick access. ®

* We're hearing from some Orange customers that they've not been able to install the update, while others have managed it, so we'll let you know what the official line is when we hear back from Orange.

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