Well that just sucks. T-Mobile Streak 7 owners, I hope you like Froyo. While users of the unlocked 3G and WiFi variants of Dell’s Streak 7 tablet are already seeing updates to the full tablet version of Android, T-Mobile customers will be stuck on Android 2.2 if they opt to stick with official software. Dell did not give a reason for their failure to send out an over-the-air update.

Android users are more than familiar with long delays for current software, but this denial of service will sting just for T-Mobile users, who are apparently plain out of luck, while the rest of the Streak 7 userbase enjoys Android 3.2. The snub is probably because T-Mobile hasn’t sold enough of the HSPA+ tablets to warrant the development time for an update – not that that makes the people who spent the most on the hardware (after two-year wireless service contracts) any happier.

A port of Honeycomb from the other Streak 7 hardware is likely if I know the good folks at XDA, but that’s not the point. It shouldn’t have been necessary for users to hack their tablets to receive functionality that’s been available in other tablets for the better part of a year already. This latest bit of news makes it more and more important to pay attention to the version of Android that’s on a device you buy – neither the manufacturer nor the carrier has any obligation to upgrade the Android software within, and unless you’re willing to throw your warranty out the window, you could be stuck.

3 COMMENTS

  1. How can they (tmoblie) hold us to contracts when they act in such deceptive and disingenuous ways. I bought the streak 7 because it was the first available with 4G. 4G is the first time that anything useful could be done and now they tie our hands behind our backs. Why should we put up with this kind of treatment. Tmobile customer service has gone down the tubes and now their support of existing customers appears to be the last thing on their mind. What sort of retaliation is possible?

  2. I contacted TMOBILE customer service and they gave me the unlock code for my dell streak 7 4g. Now i can get the upgrade to honey comb 3.2. All it requires you to do is give the IMEI number and tell them all you want to do is unlock the tablet to get the upgrade and you are not planing to change the carrier.

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