HTC Class Action Organization sues over software inadequacies, offers $3,000 reward for a fix
Posted by Will on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm under Financial, HTC, Windows Mobile, Announcements
Our favorite Windows Mobile smartphone manufacturer has landed itself in a bit of hot water. We can't imagine that this class-action lawsuit will have little more effect than to convince HTC to release some updated firmwares, but it's still a bit off-putting to see our dear HTC in legal trouble.
You see, there's this class-action lawsuit that was filed against HTC, complaining that HTC failed to provide support for a particular graphics driver. The resulting lack of software has led the plaintiffs, the HTC Class Action Organization, to claim that their Qualcomm MSM7200 and MSM7500 chipset-based smartphones are getting out-performed by older HTC models as well as competing handsets.
Apparently, the Qualcomm MSM7200 and MSM7500 chipsets include ATI Imageon hardware, but HTC overlooked the necessary driver to enable hardware graphics acceleration. Even the HTC flagship, the TyTn II (aka HTC Kaiser/AT&T Tilt 8925), has been listed as one of the afflicted devices.
The HTC Class Action Organization has even put up a $3,000 reward to anyone that comes up with a software solution to the graphics-performance-issue.
We'll have to wait and see how this one plays out. If we were HTC, our end-game would be to quietly roll out that darn driver and appease the 4,000-strong group of disgruntled HTC smartphone customers. For what it's worth, we already signed the petition.
[Via: Register Hardware]
If you found this story interesting, why not subscribe to our RSS feed to get your daily fix of mobile technology news?
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
4000 are voicing their discontent, but the number of HTC devices sold is in the millions:
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/22/HTC-sold-2-million-iPhone-rival-handsets_1.html
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
[…] a brand-new AT&T Tilt 8925 are stuck with the AT&T-flavored GSM network. Nevermind that HTC has been sued over the lack of a graphics hardware driver, a problem which also afflicts the HTC Kaiser TyTn II. HTC sells their mobile phones unlocked out […]
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
[…] a brand-new AT&T Tilt 8925 are stuck with the AT&T-flavored GSM network. Nevermind that HTC has been sued over the lack of a graphics hardware driver, a problem which also afflicts the HTC Kaiser TyTn II. HTC sells their mobile phones unlocked out […]
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
[…] We can’t imagine that this class-action lawsuit will have little more effect than to convince HTC to release some updated firmwares, but it’s still a bit off-putting to see our dear HTC in legal trouble. … Read More […]
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
@Mark
4000 is pretty much.
People can't complain about something they're not aware of. They could be like me, be calling in to ask if there's something wrong with my phone since my dad's 3-4 year old PDA performs better when scrolling and such.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:37 pm
The numbers are growing. The petition is currently @ 6370. People don't like the feeling of being cheated.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?tytn2vid
http://www.htcclassaction.org/
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:25 am
HTC did another "shipped before it was ready".
I learned my lesson with HTC Tytn with daily screw ups of screen alignment.
And they'd better sue Microsoft as well for making a totally inadequate cell phone operating system.
Windows Mobile is full of shortcomings, inconsistencies, instabilities for just basic operation as cell phone. I'm seriously wondering what all these so called luminaries at Microsoft do day in day out except counting their money.
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
[…] to allegations of wrong-doing. In response to claims from the HTC Class Action Organization that HTC devices using Qualcomm's MSM7500 and MSM7200 chipsets didn't perform as well as they…, HTC has issued a public statement: "HTC believes the overall value of its devices based on […]
January 24th, 2008 at 12:06 am
…. There's always a whinger out there that wants to class action about something.. Whether it's that Maccas forgot to warn you that eating 10 BM's would make you fat .. or that jumping into the surf might injur you if you're drunk and stupid.. There's always some nut-job that wants to call himself an "organization" and defame someone for to ease their own boredom.. (or make up for a small (*&( complex)
Seriously - why doesn't that 4000 user base do something useful like put out a serious reward for a software developer to write a patch?? Raise money or awareness for the homeless?
If $3000 is all they can come up with, then they seriously can't be that fussed.
All up, as an HTC Tytn II owner (and a happy one), I'm amazed that people feel the need to bully everyone else all the time over some pathetic performance figure? Does it work well? Yes! Could the next firmware update make me happier.. Sure.. But do I have more to life than sodding around with pathetic whinging petitions about a performance score.. ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY..
Shame.. Shame.. The lot of you.. GET A LIFE!!
All the best
PDAFan.
January 28th, 2008 at 8:22 am
PDAFan smells like troll to me
January 29th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
[…] of increasing pressure from other touchscreen smartphone manufacturers. Not to mention all that bad press from the HTC video driver […]
January 29th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
[…] of increasing pressure from other touchscreen smartphone manufacturers. Not to mention all that bad press from the HTC video driver […]
January 30th, 2008 at 6:53 am
to PDAFan:
"If $3000 is all they can come up with, then they seriously can't be that fussed."
- Bounty is far more than 5000$ and raising every hour.
"why doesn't that 4000 user base do something useful"
- Also I suggest you not going to xda-developers forum. I think some of these 4000 users make more for HTC devices, than you can do for the whole life.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
[…] long-ago promised to release a graphics-improving update to appease disgruntled customers complaining of lackluster video performance. It's been a long wait, and after a recent […]
May 24th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
[…] Not to be outdone by ROM leaks and unofficial copies of its Windows Mobile 6.1 update for HTC TyTn II handsets, HTC has gone official with their HTC TyTn II ROM-boosting update. HTC has delivered the ROM update to keep their flagship touchscreen handset at the top of its game, and at the same time appeased the masses complaining of crippled video performance. […]