In November or December of 2011, I purchased a mobile device, Model Number ADR6425LVW, aka "Rezound," for a subsidized price of ~ $290 after discount (which was less than I originally was led to believe) and including tax, upon the renewal of my contract. At that time, every indication was that its Operating System (OS) was going to be upgraded to a more recent firmware by an Over-The-Air (OTA) update within Q1 or Q2 of 2012. As of today, July 31, 2012, this OS has not yet been "pushed" by Verizon Wireless (VZW) to the phone.
Between the date of purchase and today, the company has made SEVERAL claims that this OS would be distributed. The first claim was in the initial sales brochure at the date of purchase. VZW also continued to publish through several online media "posts" that this update was still in the works. By the end of Q2, both the manufacturer of the device (HTC) and VZW made claims that the software was going to be ready "during June/July 2012" and that it would continue throughout the month of August once it had begun.
Again, to date, there has been no sign of said OS update from users/owners of the Rezound, nor from HTC, nor from VZW, through any online social media outlets, with which they continue to post updates about new products, indicating that they are still active with these advertising methods.
The upgrade to the more current "Android 4.0" OS is said to be a vast improvement in both performance and user satisfaction in current devices. Claims of improved battery life (which the Rezound is inherently in need of due to its high-powered processor) and improved signal strength and response have been reported.
The Rezound uses VZW's "4G LTE" technology, which was a huge marketing factor for the device but is inherently intermittent due to its current OS "Android 2.3.5", which is itself one year old and based on "Android 2.3", released in December 2010. This nearly antiquated software has theoretically restricted the phone's capabilities to an almost undesirable state for some, while VZW continued to market similar mobile devices touting lower-end hardware but more recent versions of the software.
Furthermore, there have been rumors that the current software has been configured for the device by the manufacturer and was sent to VZW for approval. Indeed, versions of this updated firmware have been unofficially "leaked" throughout various internet websites, and has been shown to work exceedingly well in the device. But installation of this software through these unconventional methods requires a technical skill exceeding that of the average intended customer, and is therefore limited to "developers, hackers, and techies." These types of users, in turn, do their best to help others install the software. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in consumers "hacking" or "rooting" their device to obtain the best possible performance, knowing the risk subject their device's ability to operate, which is not covered under warranty.
It has been speculated by myself, and others whom I have encountered through social media websites and forums, that VZW has intentionally delayed the release of this current OS in order to maximize sales of other similar devices, force impatient customers to return their Rezound devices for lesser units (which in turn forces them to change their contract), or void the warranty of their phone. This can be seen as a manipulative and deceiving business practice, which I personally consider unethical.
