Sprint Stops Evo 4G Updates Due To Reports Of Bricking

There has been a little bit of a complaint with the latest Evo 4G update which has resulted numerous people finding their smartphone becoming unusable. Aside from the expected rooted handsets having their predictable woes with the new official software, some users have found that applying the update twice bricked their phones, even those on a stock OS. Pretty worrysome for those who shelled out the money for this beast of a phone, especially because you can check for updates after a successful install gives you the option to apply it all over again. Sprint and HTC have acted quickly to pull the OTA (over-the-air) update off and they both promised to restore it as soon as the issue has been ironed out. Here is what two companies had to say:

While the vast majority of consumers successfully downloaded and installed the most recent HTC EVO 4G software update, we have received a handful of reports from customers having some issues with the update. In light of this, HTC and Sprint have decided to temporarily halt distribution of this software release until we can investigate further. We expect to be able to resume software updates shortly.

For now all we can do is sit and wait and hope that everything gets fixed soon, otherwise we will be left with several unsatisfied customers.

The rumor mill may have been early, but it's about to be proven correct - says Bloomberg.

It appears that Verizon, the largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will at long last finally introduce coverage for Apple's iPhone next year - possibly as early as January. Bloomberg is reporting from two familiar sources in the know (not something a major, credible news source like Bloomberg does very often) that AT&T's exclusive hold on the iPhone is effectively over.

Verizon Wireless, now laboring to roll out a high-speed fourth-generation network, is expected to include the iPhone in its big new product unveiling in January at the Consumer Electronics Show. Verizon's network coverage for the iPhone 4 will dramatically improve the user experience for both AT&T and Verizon iPhone customers, as the network expansion will significantly reduce the overwhelming data burdens presently incumbent on AT&T, the sole carrier of the iPhone in the US.

UBS AG analyst John Hodulik tells Bloomberg that Apple is going to drastically "increase the number of devices it sells in the US when exclusivity at AT&T ends. It’s hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced.” For now, spokespersons at Apple, AT&T, and Verizon are not commenting on the Bloomberg report, which for the most part, is presenting the iPhone's arrival on the Verizon network as fact rather than a mere possibility.

Of course, some conspiracy theorists are already speculating that the "leak" may be intentional by Verizon as a means to sway some folks to hold off on upgrading to the iPhone 4 and, consequently, extending their love-hate relationship with AT&T for another twenty-four months. As Verizon looks to ramp up its competitive efforts in the smartphone marketplace in the coming months, it isn't impossible to fathom the carrier pulling such a clever stunt.