If you’re on an Android handset on Verizon, you’ll be happy to know that the nation’s largest U.S. carrier is studying the Android 2.3 Gingerbread software and mulling which devices will be getting the update. Now, it’s just a waiting game … but we may have to wait a while.
Droid-Life got its hands on a customer service rep script which talks about the “buzz” Android 2.3 Gingerbread is creating and it tells employees to tell customers that Verizon is “assessing” which devices will get the update “within the coming months.”
So, what can we expect to get with Android 2.3 Gingerbread? Well, you can check out our hands-on of the Nexus S for a quick software tour but you’ll be getting an improved user interface, improved download managers, more APIs for developers and the ability to utilize Near-Field Communication (if your handset has this). While it’s a nice update, it’s not a massive one and that should mean it could come to many Verizon devices.
I’d expect Android 2.3 Gingerbread to definitely land on the Droid X, Droid Incredible, Droid Pro and maybe even the original Droid. Samsung has already said it will definitely bring 2.3 to the Galaxy S line, so we can look forward to it on the Samsung Fascinate.
The big question is: how long will we have to wait for the software update? Well, there’s always additional time added when you have an on-board custom user interface like MotoBlur and the carrier certification testing will also add some time too.
For comparison’s sake, the Froyo source code was released June 26 and it hit the Droid X in late September, so we can look forward to a few months of waiting.
We can also look forward to months of users complaining about the lack of an update and you should be as vocal as possible because that’s the only way Verizon will move quickly.
[Via Droid Life]