Verizon to push out Droid Charge update 'soon'

Computerworld - Verizon Wireless Tuesday said it will soon push a wireless software update to Samsung's Droid Charge smartphone to fix a number of glitches, including choppy audio, clicking sounds during calls and crashes when the device is placed into a desktop dock.

The update will also add a remote diagnostics application to the 4G LTE-ready smartphone that will allow Verizon's customer care techs to, with a customer's approval, remotely view the device for troubleshooting, device training and app demonstrations, Verizon said.

Verizon explained in an online document that users will be notified on the smartphone when the update is ready. From there, users can tap "install now" and download the 85 MB update. The download process can can take up to four minutes, Verizon said.

The update is not available for manual download, a Verizon spokesman said.

In an email, Verizon said only that the update would arrive "soon."

Verizon's online community of customers have discussed a variety of Droid Charge problems going back to July 2011.

The device first shipped in mid-May 2011 after a 16-day delay that some analysts attributed to problems with Verizon's LTE network.

The Droid Charge, with a 4.3-in. display, was the second Verizon LTE-ready phone. It followed the ThunderBolt, which was introduced in March 2011.

The Charge was priced at $300 with a two-year contract, which at the time was considered higher than the average smartphone price of about $250.

The update also provides a new user interface and updated versions of Verizon Navigator, Google Books, Google Market and Gmail apps.

The remote diagnostics app is currently being provided to the Droid Revolution through a software update being shipped over the air in phases, the Verizon spokesman said.

It will be offered for other phones in the coming months, he added.

The spokesman said that the Droid Charge didn't have an above average number of problems for new smartphones. "It's gotten pretty good feedback, in fact," he said.

Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen, or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed . His e-mail address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.

Read more about Mobile/Wireless in Computerworld's Mobile/Wireless Topic Center.