Waiting for upgrades when a new version of Android comes out can be a big pain. While many users are wondering when they’ll get Gingerbread, there are still plenty of phones out there who never even got FroYo. Well Cincinnati Bell is shattering the mold with a move that is the very definition of bold. They are providing instructions and the necessary files to root your Motorola Milestone XT720, back it up with Titanium Backup, and then flash a FroYo ROM.
Needless to say this is pretty unheard of, most carriers frown upon rooting, let alone encourage you to do it. This is also the first time a carrier has circumvented the OEM when it comes to pushing a software update. All the shock aside, I think its a great move on Cincinnati Bell’s part and even better news for XT720 owners.
Since it wasn’t handled by the OEM, the process is a bit more technical than your standard “click to download and install” OTA update. The great news is, even if you’ve never heard of rooting before, if you bring your phone into a Cincinnati Bell store, they will have staff on hand to do the upgrade for you! If you are into rooting, or comfortable enough with your technological skills to figure it out, they have a very thorough, step-by-step, guide to walk you through installing drivers, rooting, backing up, then flashing a custom recovery and their 2.2 ROM. The caveat here being that the instructions are only for Windows.
It’s been awhile since FroYo was announced so here’s a quick refresher of what the update brings. First and foremost, FroYo brings major performance upgrades, especially to the stock browser. Speaking of the web, 2.2 lets the XT720 access Flash. Another handy bonus is that you can now move apps to the SD card natively. Finally FroYo introduced native tethering, but Cincinnati Bell’s site says you will still require a tethering plan. This likely means they’ve still made some of their own modifications to the ROM so that they could turn off tethering, which is a bit of a let down. For all these lovely features check out Cincinnati Bell’s site or visit their local store.
[via Cincinnati Bell]
