Thunderbolt and Evo 4G Gingerbread update in late June

Both the HTC Thunderbolt and Evo 4G are scheduled to receive a Gingerbread update in late June, according to an email exchange with an HTC representative. The rep was responding to a frustrated customer who vented about the lack of the update in Verizon’s premiere 4G handset. The irony is, that Gingerbread has been out for over 4 months and most wireless handsets haven’t updated to it. It’s a common issue as updates have to go to the manufacturer, then be approved by the provider, before going to an over the air update.

Many just give up and either live with Froyo, or root their phones and install it themselves. The question though, is it really worth it to root a phone to get an update before the carrier and manufacturer decide to provide it? If you’re a Thunderbolt user it is since Gingerbread has better power management features, and let’s face it, the Thunderbolt needs all the help it can get in stretching battery life. Gingerbread improves app management, by limiting the time an app can keep the screen on and even closing apps that aren’t being used, if necessary. Settings also provide more accurate overview of battery life including the power being consumed by each component or app.

That alone is a good reason for these large screen 4G phones to get the update. But there’s NFC (Near Field Communications) support. With more merchants offering the option of paying with cellphones, NFC is a convenient feature. And then there’s multiple camera support where users can switch between the front and rear facing camera. Hopefully, if all goes well, both Thunderbolt and Evo 4G users will it their Gingerbread update by the end of June.

[via Unwired View]