Android 2.2 update for Samsung's Galaxy S smartphones has once again been delayed.
Samsung issued a press release last week promising that its update to Android 2.2 'Froyo' would be released this week. But now it has chosen a less formal mediumto announce that the update has been delayed until "early November".
The news gets worse, with the firm saying that all operator versions will be available by the end of November. It is not clear why Samsung has delayed the release of Android 2.2, but the latest delay will frustrate users who have repeatedly been promised an update only for their hopes to be dashed.
Samsung's further delay to operator customised versions provides fodder for Microsoft and Apple when they criticise Google's Android operating system. Microsoft in particular has been arguing that Android is far from free, with phone manufacturers and operators having to spend money to customise it to their needs. Apple CEO and spinmeister Steve Jobs recently attacked Android as fragmented.
We wrote about that eight months ago, but Jobs' conclusion that Android's multiple versions mean it is not open source is simply baffling.
While customers might not care how much money operators spend on branding Android, if it leads to repeated delays, and limitations on the software that users can run due to varying versions among handsets, then the shine on the Android operating system might start to tarnish.
The Galaxy S smartphone has been a sales success for Samsung and rightly so. The combination of high specification hardware coupled with a powerful smartphone operating system is hard to resist, however Android 2.2 will have been out for the best part of six months by the time UK Galaxy S owners get their hands on the software.
Brits are used to being last in the queue for most things but usually that's before they have splashed out hundreds of pounds on a product. Samsung's latest delay will test the patience of even the biggest Android fan. ยต
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