HTC has at last issued a Gingerbread update for the HTC Desire. But disappointingly, updating isn't as simple as a normal Android update -- and it could hobble your mobile.
The Android 2.3 update has been seriously squeezed -- adjusted and with applications removed to work around the Desire's memory constraints. As such HTC says it's for development only, and is recommended for "expert users". It's available to download and install as a ROM file from HTC's website, but if you do install it you'll lose features and your mobile will be wiped.
"Flashing this ROM will erase your previous customisations, including any messages, emails, contacts and other personal information," according to HTC's licence agreement. It's recommended that you backup as much as you can to your Google account before updating. Anything stored on your SD card will be safe, because it won't be erased or modified.
All wallpapers except the default will be removed, as well as several HTC applications, and the official Facebook app, though you can redownload this from the Android Market.
More painful is a warning that certain functions may become unavailable after updating, including SMS and MMS.
If that all sounds like too much faff, take comfort in the fact that your faff detectors are working normally.
HTC originally stated it wouldn't be bringing Gingerbread to the Desire because of the phone's memory constraints, but after a vicious backlash it quickly changed its tune. Now Desire owners are offered this -- a technical and tricky method of updating their mobiles, with many features cut out. On its official Facebook page, HTC said, "We've been forced to accept there isn't enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire.
"We're sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you."
Many Desire owners are understandably ticked off. One commenter on the Facebook page writes, "Do you really think Desire owners are going to upgrade to another HTC phone after this?" Another says, "And this was once a flagship phone... what a send-off. RIP desire. You deserved better."
So is it worth updating? We're not convinced. A glance at our Android updates guide confirms Gingerbread contains few new features. The battle to get Gingerbread on the Desire is more one of principle, with many users thinking it unfair for HTC to stop supporting a phone that's only just over a year old.
What do you think? Do you own a Desire? Are you disappointed by HTC's handling of the situation? Let us know your sentiments in the comments section below, or on our Facebook page.
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Anonymous 1 August, 2011 12:38
Why they've released it then?
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 12:46
Would cnet be willing to have a go on a review desire and see if SMS does break or whether this is just a covering their backs style disclaimer?
DavidMiller 1 August, 2011 13:17
What has been removed from this update to allow us to upgrade? also how much space is left on the phone? Half of the apps I have on my phone cannot be moved to the SD card :( Also, why has this update been released if it breaks sms and mms, this seems like an epic fail!
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 13:32
Root your phone and install one of many custom roms (which include ginerbread+sense). Simple
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 13:36
I own a desire, and like others i am very disappointed with HTC's lack of forethought in their design decisions.
To leave a barely 1 year old, flag ship phone with no upgrade path..!!!
Simple, I will not buy another HTC.
gilesdavies 1 August, 2011 13:41
I don't understand how there cannot be enough memory?
The Wildfire S has less memory and this runs 2.3...
Am I missing something here?
Giles
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 14:14
Lets be clear here HTC haven't stopped supporting of the Desire, abandoning support of a product means no longer keeping spare parts in stock; no more warranty or technical support; no more software support on services such as sense.com.
HTC just haven't provided an update due to the technical limitations of the product, and it's not like its even a neccessary update. If there was a function on the Desire that was impaired as a result required an update to fix, yes HTC should be obliged to fix it; but there isn't the Desire was fine when it was released and it's still fine now.
You wouldn't go out and buy an XP laptop then complain that it can't run Vista because there isn't enough RAM. Of course it can't run Vista, Vista wasn't even out when the laptop was released and the laptop was never designed to cope with it. That doesnt mean it's broken and you 'have' to buy a new one.
"RIP Desire" - What a load of Betty Swallocks
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 14:24
Hi guys this ROM is for developers not for regular use
ace9988 1 August, 2011 14:36
what people fail to understand is that on xda there are more developers for the desire than for any other HTC handset....just a measure of how popular that handset still is,
i don't see the big hype in gingerbread it is just a bunch of tweaks ffs, why all this mayhem. atleast they haven't done a sony ericsson and updated their phones after some of it's owners probably lived their lives.
you're getting arguably the BEST UI experience available on android and you still complain. i have a desire HD which i rooted and installed a custom rom on, if you're that desperate for it, do the same...it's even easier on the desire since it's just installing a piece of software that does it all for you. if they really stopped supporting it...they would'nt even answer your queries about it atleast they listen to customer feedback...give them a break
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 14:44
I own a Desire and am very disappointed. I've been running Cyanogen MOD 7 for a long time now, since I wanted the features that come with Gingerbread. I was hoping to switch back to Sense, as that is still the best rom, but reading this it seems I've gotta stay with cooked roms if I wanna keep up with the times...
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 14:46
One of the main problems for memory on the Desire seems to be the lack of ability to have certain items reside in SD card rather than phone memory. Agreed this may make them run slower but users could make this decision.
Scools 1 August, 2011 15:34
Just updated to this today - went fine and my phone is running fine. No complaints so far
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 16:13
Upgrade to gingerbread worked for me and SMS works too!
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 16:54
Scools, have you test SMS or MMS after updating? Thanks
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 17:08
Where is the best place to find out how to do this update?
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 17:33
I have watched this go on and on about gingerbread upgrade, and like everyone else waiting after being told it would come, well what a kick in the B!!!S, WILL NEVER BUY htc again the desire was my first, and now my last.
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 18:16
A smartphones primary function is still to be a phone.
I was waiting for updates because the HTC didn't perform on the little things (i.e. high battery drain, messaging). I'm tired of being told that it is me (for not setting up the phone well, carrying a cable, installing a data watch app, installing a battery drain app, installing an app killer, using the phone incorrectly - i.e. I looked at the internet, etc) and not the phone.
HTC, never again.
Probably iPhone next, why? Because it just works. That was how phones used to be.
EvilJoe39 1 August, 2011 18:17
What exactly comes in Gingerbread that you need?
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 18:40
Works better than gingerbread on galaxy s
Lots quicker all works
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 18:46
Sms msm all works
Quadrant clicked over 1324
Linpack 37 mflops
Lots quicker than galaxy s gingerbread
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 19:07
Quite alot of what I've read has been said esp. the wildfire S with 2.3.
It appears flashing is the way forward? lol
I like the idea of an S2...the radios work on Samsungs.
Interestingly, id be interested to know what the CPW will be doing re support for the desire. I knew as soon as newer models where released by HTC that this'd happen.
Htcs are well made, great features etc.. BUT this is a mammoth fail and they will lose customers for this.
I will be asking retailers what they're to do about this.
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 19:36
Google have made a serious error by allowing networks and phone makers to mess with Android,and to allow unchecked apps onto phones. My next phone will be Google branded 'vanilla Android' or,probably, an i-phone.
DavidMiller 1 August, 2011 21:36
Has anyone tested this on a branded o2 payg phone. Can you still send sms and mms on payg?
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 21:37
I've got an HTC phone in order to discover the android world.
The desire was a trick in name and fact.
I could spend half and get more with an other brand
vince
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 22:01
"What exactly comes in Gingerbread that you need?"
a chance for HTC (Desire) to redeem itself. I know I'm in the minority, but I want the phone to work hassle free. Yes, it is a feature packed phone, but this is only of use if your battery doesn't drain in less than a day, if it is not resetting itself, if it doesn't drop signal (better radio package) mid call. You can't even hear a person well when using the most basic, and primary, functions of the phone - a call.
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 23:35
Installed HTC's 2.3 on my Orange branded Desire. Yes it wipes the phone (but not the SD card), and yes they've left out a few essential things, but it's great. Startup is a fraction of the time, it runs a fraction slicker, and (most importantly) it gets rid of the all the rubbish Orange install on the phone and don't let you uninstall, like game demos.
SMS is working fine - not tried MMS yet though.
So, proceed with caution, don't blame me if it goes wrong, but well worth doing. HTC would not release it at all if it was that bad.
Anonymous 1 August, 2011 23:36
Sorry, the above should read "yes they've left out a few NON-essential things"!!! And everything they've left out can be added in again easily if you want.
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 00:01
I've installed HTC's 2.3 update and it runs beautifully with no difficulties, the battery lasts longer, it's faster and there are a few wee aesthetic differences. Surely this is what everyone has been waiting for, Gingerbread with Sense. Why has this angered eveeyone? HTC have done brilliantly, and gone out of there way to make this update possible.
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 08:51
I put 2.3 on my unbranded desire yesterday. No problems at all, though it's easier to do on a windows pc.
To be honest I don't see any changes worth mentioning. It is slightly (very slightly) faster and looks slightly different. As for the apps they left out - torch and facebook. As far as I'm aware all else is the same, live walpapers and all that stuff ws there. ps the rom comes with torch as an extra.
The phone works correctly - I'm with giffgaff and it had all my settings still there.
I'm glad I upgraded - got rid of all the rubbish! but I wasn't long in using a lot of memory with apps and utilities, so I'm no better off for memory than with froyo.
Still, it's nice to have something new + it's good bragging rights
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 09:33
Upgraded yesterday and after a few failed attempts all went well, much faster and quicker to respond. I do however object to owning a pjone for less than a year that is now branded obsolete, if this was a cheap phone would accept but it wasn't. In the future will be looking at the iPhone or Samsung. Congrats to HTC for making the upgrade available but cmon guys you have to allow for upgrades. Or is android becoming as bloated as other OS's. Miss my blackberry :-(
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 09:46
The upgrade is ONE-WAY only. You cannot root 2.3, nor downgrade to 2.2 etc.
Be advised it's one way.
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 10:16
I don't understand the outrage. I have both Iphone 3Gs and desire, neither are perfect and apple often drop support for their products before everyone is ready to upgrade. It is actually part of their development policy. Admittedly this is different with the mobile phone only because most people lose them or break them within a few years!
My only gripe is that the poor memory provision was a glaring ommision at the design stage which has left an otherwise excellent handset with a serious achilles heal.... somewhat like the silly lack of flash either as a software player or a camera feature on the Iphone 3Gs.
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 10:28
I have to say, I have no idea where these HTC unreliable comments are coming from. Having owned an iPhone (and all 7 of its replacements due to various faults), my Desire when I had it was easily the most reliable phone I've ever owned.
I think its fine they are at least giving you the choice to chance it or not. Yeah the phone has technical limitations, its limited memory has ALWAYS been one of it's criticisms. It hasn't suddenly become inferior on that front; its always been that way. Android 2.3 is within reason mainly bug fixes; the phone works perfectly fine without. I simply don't get the complaint.
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 10:59
Whaaaa whaaa whaaaa! The basic Desire is a VERY good smartphone. Good enough for almost every tech site to rate as high as a PooPhone and heap praise upon it. So why the hell is everyone crying for an update of extremely basic tweaks.
Is our desperate, empty need to have the latest of everything even though what we already have more than suffices so great?!
The ONLY thing wrong with the desire is that there is not enough built in memory. If you want a phone with more built in memory then your going to have to spend more. That has been, and will always be, the way of things.
It amazes me how many of the supposedly tech’ savvy people who post on these websites can’t see that.
As someone mentioned earlier, HTC have NOT stopped supporting this phone although I don’t think it really needs to be on Gingerbread given that this is not a major OS overhaul.
This blind need for “need it now even if it doesn’t really do much†is iPhone fan boy behaviour and I feel doesn’t belong in the Android world!
My rant is done, no doubt I will get flamed by the trolls and the shallow lol
Oh, I will be installing GingerCow but that’s cause I’m a tech head who enjoys having the freedom to do what he likes to his mobile communications device…pffft….iPhone lol
MikeBuck_1 2 August, 2011 12:01
k, so I've installed the update, and so far so good, yeah its a pain that you lose everything, finding out the APNdroid is now a purchse app not free is annoying as i use 3G watchdog, but i'll get over it. Not overly confident about the wireless being reliable as it was fine before but doesn't seem to stay connected to the work wireless now. And theres still some c**p that they could of got rid of like the Stocks app and peep. after the upgrade i had 125MB free on the phone, so not too bad, i've re-installed most of the apps i use and can remember and still got 80Mb ish left.
Mike
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 13:28
I sort of see some of the reaction - but given the enhancements that gingerbread bring, it seems like a bit of an over-reaction in the main. HTC Sense is by far better than all other UI's. There are people out there that bought Sony-E phones just over a year ago that don't even have multi-touch, but I assume there is the outrage that they cannot use certain apps.
Seems that most people are unhappy at HTC trying to adapt a GOOGLE upgrade as best as possible to meet public demands within the contrainsts of what the phone will do!
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 14:22
Installed the 2.3.3 update on my HTC Desire with no problems. You need HTC Sync so that your PC has the USB drivers for the phone, and then the installer pretty much automates the entire process. As someone said above, the update package comes with Torch and Seesmic packages and the HTC wallpapers for you to add afterwards, which is fairly painless.
I used SMS Backup and Restore to back all my SMS messages to XML file on my SD card and all my contacts are synced with Google anyway, which then restored back to the phone with no issue after the update.
So yeah, I now have 2.3.3 on my phone with added advantage of having a lot more internal memory space due to missing some of the bloat packages I never used in the first place, a win win situation.
I am using this with a vodafone UK contract and sim.
Anonymous 2 August, 2011 17:27
Hi all,
I'm Spanish. Right after the update: 120MBs free.
It's half true that the sense it's the same. It's half half. I've got animated clock widget, slightly different keyboard, decent version of Google maps app that does not require 14Mbs update -in market you can download the last version. It says to install not to update even though maps it's just there- but there is not htcsense.com or new notification menu feature. SMS seems to work. different notification and battery icon. The highest network speed back to an 'H' instead of the old '3G+'. A little bit faster. Facebook app gone but not Facebook for HTC Sense or HTC Peep. HTC Scene to reallocate some widgets but not themes. Better copy and paste. faster keyboard.
My opinion: it worth the update. Yes it will wipe ALL your phone -not SD card- data. I bet you all already figured out that when it comes to Android it's better to have all your contacts and calendar in Google. But if you still don't it's a good time to do it or resync with HTC Sync.
Ryan Mac 2 August, 2011 20:37
What was the point of releasing the update?
avae001 3 August, 2011 10:45
I used to have an iPhone 3G, at the time I didn't like how closed iOS was so I gave it to my sister and bought a HTC Desire. Now I see that iOS is just a lot better than Android. Take for instance applications, you don't have to worry about malware in the App Store, you do in the Android marketplace.
Now with PC I accept that same risks, but when my PC is infected I can still use my house phone to call my friends, I don't lose their mobile numbers, they can still call me, I don't have to worry about my personal calls and letters being photographed and recorded or international calls being made. iPhone just works as a phone, it's safe, it's reliable, you don't have to worry about Apps and permissions.
See that nice Wallpaper App on the marketplace? Your thinking of downloading it then you wonder, why the hell does it need access to my contacts, phone identity, internet communication, browsing history etc.
If you use your android to access work related emails, then at the back of your mind your thinking, which apps can I trust? None of them are checked and they are only pulled after they have been found to be malware, after they have been available for download.
Don't get me started on Battery life, with my Desire I have to look up guides on how to get the best out of the battery and that mostly includes configuring it in a way that doesn't affect it's functionality, you lose nothing but gain extra battery life. That is a pain in the ass.
If Google created another Tier of Apps which are checked as being safe then that would go a long way to making the Android Marketplace better, in the meantime you just can't rely on what the developers say about their apps or that perhaps 60,000 other people have downloaded the malware too.
You can't treat your Smartphone like it's your PC, because it's much more personal than that and Android is sometimes too risky.
avae001 3 August, 2011 11:03
P.S:- Do you think Apple would ever release an update and actually state that this update could pretty much cripple your phone and their could be no way back since you can't even install a custom ROM onto it to fix it? So install this update and you could permanently lose half the functionality of your phone if XDA can't figure out how to remove the boot lock? Ridiculous.
MikeBuck_1 3 August, 2011 13:15
So update on situation, battery life is definately better before id go home with a full battery and by the next morning it wouold be in the orange section, but this morning I had over 50% left. The wireless issue I reported earlier was because there was an open wifi network it kept on wanting me to connect to, turned off the notify of open networks option and its fine now. smoothness in general is good, feels quicker.
Now bad points.
1, When i move apps to the SD card, for some reason i get a error first time, if i ok the error and try again it then works fine, not sure why that is.
2, Can't link contacts to facebook any more, which is a shame, but no massive bad thing.
3, Some of the apps I had are not compatible with gingerbread.
Generally i'm happy with the update, the only major thing i've got is the app move but doesn't take long to press the move to SD button again. HTC made it as easy as they could if you want to update it. Its a shame they didn't do it OTA.
Anonymous 4 August, 2011 01:39
I upgraded to 2.3 and it did everything successfully. however I fail to understand what has really changed? In the settings it says the version is 2.3 but literally everything is the same as 2.2. i was expecting some changes to themes, displays but NOTHING has changed. Am I missing something here?
Anonymous 4 August, 2011 11:06
Hi all,
I'm the spanish guy a couple of post above.
Updates: In my case, I notice that the quick start up thing of HTC Sense is there. I thought it only changed the shutdown menu but no, it's much more than the menu. The drawback. I can't figure out how to set a cold start up so when I had a problem with my camera I had to remove the battery. No. I it wasn't a sleep mode it was a shutdown, but for some reason the phone saves the state of pretty much everything. I DO notice a boost in my battery life, let's say like a 30% more. Enough to complete a day of charge without being hung on twitter :)
Now to the guy with 'Move to SD' Issue. I haven't had any issue with that with my phone. Maybe you should reapply the update or just try with a new SD Card. It could be a warning from the SD card.
To the guys wondering, 'what's the big deal here? I have exactly the same thing than before' I'd tell them:
There some display changes like the notification icon and menu. Have you try the new keyboard it seems to me much faster and definitely the copy paste option is more accurate like to place the cursor with a tap in any place of the word have been improved. I find it all a little bit more smoother, even though in my case I have less free RAM memory. Like a 40MB less but in exchange I have like 40MB more of ROM memory with all apps installed.
summarizing: for me it worth the update and I'm glad it's there.
Anonymous 4 August, 2011 11:12
PS from the same spanish guy: I've been able to link my contacts to facebook. Well I have ALL my contacts at Google, so all the contacts remained linked right after the update and I could relink them to my whatsapp and vivber section. -Twitter and Facebook remained linked-.
Anonymous 4 August, 2011 23:53
This angers me. It's only because HTC have bundles their Sense UI onto Gingerbread that the Desire has problems running it. The HTC Desire can cope easily with normal Gingerbread, there's plenty of custom ROMS out there that are Gingerbread based that run even better than HTC's Froyo ROM does on the Desire.
Take Cyanogenmod 7 for example. It's been stable for ages now, it's the latest version of Gingerbread, and runs like lightning on my Desire. It even comes bundles with ADW Launcher, and still runs nice and smooth.
At the very least HTC should offer a Sense-less version of Gingerbread. If a bunch of hackers can do it, then I'm sure HTC can do it.
Anonymous 5 August, 2011 06:51
The main problem with this new Rom is that HTC Sense takes up far too much memory, i've been using cooked roms all my life, the second i got my htc desire i rooted it and stuck Cyanogen mod on it, its faster because it has no sense on it and the battery life is better, agreed, you d have to have a certain no how and the first time i rooted my desire was a pain in the backside but its well worth it, cyanogen mod are bringing the gingerbread rom soon and all is well with it says the testers. anyone wanting to know how to root there device and put a cooked rom on email me at this address and i can tell you everything. cwmdavies@gmail.com
Anonymous 5 August, 2011 12:04
"I was waiting for updates because the HTC didn't perform on the little things (i.e. high battery drain, messaging). I'm tired of being told that it is me (for not setting up the phone well, carrying a cable, installing a data watch app, installing a battery drain app, installing an app killer, using the phone incorrectly - i.e. I looked at the internet, etc) and not the phone."
I cannot stand to look at your ignorant comment and had to respond, have you got a clue about anything? Would you leave a video and bluetooth and wireless running on your laptop then complain the battery has died in 30 minutes when it says it lasts 4 hours? Yes, You probably would becuase you are clueless.. But for the majority, they understand that if you drive a car at 100mph they will run out of petrol in half the time it would take if they were only doing 70mph.. Get a clue. The Desire supports flash, the iphone does not so therefore the desire is the more functional handset because it supports 85% more of the webs interactive content than the iphone.
I have a desire and got it as soon as it was released, I don't care 2 hoots about updating to 2.3 as I already had done through a custom rom from modaco ages ago, I also have a Advent Vega tablet that only has 2.2, so I put honeycomb on it today and i'm over the moon!
And as for your stupid comment that iphones just work, I've had my desire for 15 months and its never once froze or have i needed to pull the battery out.. Something iphone users have to do regularly. There is a reason why HTC have won phone of the year 3 years running.. because they are the best.
Anonymous 5 August, 2011 14:11
I own a desire and i've had gingerbread since a few months ago. I had to root obviously...
Next smartphone i buy, i don't think it will be a HTC but probably a Samsung :P
Anonymous 5 August, 2011 14:59
I don't really care about Gingerbread being the latest 'must have' on my Desire but recent communications wil HTC's excellent technical department hinted that the upgrade might fix my non-working GPS functionality. I have tried all other suggested fixes from HTC & forums but still no GPS fix. Does anyone know if G'bread fixes this problem or do you have an alternative fix? Errr........worth also mentioning that my Desire has been dropped, screen replaced & therefore out of warranty but the GPS stopped working before the drop.
Anonymous 7 August, 2011 21:49
Its awesome update from my point of view.. previously (Froyo 2.2) has around 140 MB free space on phone to install applications/games (without rooting), now it is around 122 MB only.. every one is thinking in different way by lose of 18MB.. but facts are here..
I have applied android SDK, and moved all the applications to SD card.. previously when I did the same job, the applications are sharing 40% in mobile and rest in SD card. After 2.3 update, most of the application data moved to SD card. Its great feature from my end.. now I installed around 40 apps and big games (including car racing, assasin, lets golf etc), still I have 70MB free space in the mobile.
one more example, I am using sygic maps for routing (its one of the best routing apps for India), its total size is around 19MB, in Froyo 2.2 the move to SD card option works to 8 MB and rest in my mobile around 11 MB.
The same thing in Gengerbread (with newly update in HTC desire), which moved 18.7 MB to SD card and only 0.3 MB stays in mobile. By this application I saved around 10.3 MB space in my mobie compared to Froyo.. this is really great update by HTC for desire owners (because we have very limited space for apps), now I am enjoying the Gingerbread update.
let me know if you have any questions..
Anonymous 9 August, 2011 09:22
Don't be put off this upgrade. My unlocked Desire was upgraded successfully in a process that was little different to an OTA upgrade. I can run all the programs I was running before and have experienced no memory shortage. The scrolling is smoother, it runs faster - eg adding something to a screen and choosing an app is now instantaneous. The battery life seems about 20% better (based on 2 days use). There's nothing scary about it so you don't need to feel "brave"
Anonymous 9 August, 2011 14:48
Did this at the weekend following these instructions, whole thing took no more than 30mins inclufing backing up and most of that was trying to find the unzipped files on my PC. Phone seemed to hang up when I tried to switch off after the uograde but just removed battery, Switched back on and the HTC logo came up almost instantly, no waiting for the O2 stuff etc to load up. Phone is faster and battery life certainly seems to be a lot better, although I have also installed "battery update" "I have loaded most of my aps back on and still have around 150Mb of memory . Was certainly worth the "risk"
Anonymous 11 August, 2011 20:18
Too lazy to do all this to HTC, waiting Nokia windows phone to stock..
Anonymous 12 August, 2011 07:55
Talk about B.S!!! I've installed this on my Desire and it still has all the app's plus 140mb left! Have no problums with it at all! In fact it works "GREAT"!!! So I don't know why HTC is talking about memory problums! B.S. in my books!!! Marketing!!!!!!!
Anonymous 12 August, 2011 20:51
Well, I did this last night with very little trouble. Yet to notice any particular benefits of the 'upgrade' however.....shame that it is not being offered in the same manner as other upgrades for HTC desire.
There may be several warnings before upgrading, but I am not in the least bit technically minded, and I wouldn't dare root my phone. I'd say most people could do this so long as they follow instructions.
Anonymous 13 August, 2011 01:03
How sad.
I don't understand one thing.
Why HTC didn't released 'htc-Desire' with damn (-1- one-gigabyte) build in memory. Why!
I mean this is killing me off!
Okay it was a year and a half before. Htc desire was one of the best phones on market.
However i totally realised that htc desire will no longer fit my needs.
Reason 1 no longer support.(Find yourself a custom rom to play with)
reason number two(Totally bad video, and stills quallity)
I mean if IPhone hardware was running android i was happy forever. :-)
Well in the conclusion i'd like to say that Htc desire totally changed my life.
And i really like it. But i'm looking for better hardware-android based phone.
Still don't know what to choose.
But seems like galaxy s 2 is the right choice!
Anonymous 13 August, 2011 19:51
I'm VERY disappointed with this. For months we've had "We will get an upgrade...we won't get one" and then, after promising an upgrade by the end of July, they do this - give us one that we're warned against installing, as it may break our phones! I've never liked Samsung and this means my options for a new Android phone are even more limited...
Anonymous 14 August, 2011 18:56
I updated my desire to gingerbread on Thursday, I've had no issues with sms or mms, infact the phone is smoother, faster and it gained a lot more phone memory, the provider brand apps are deleted which isn't needed in most cases. The battery life has improved. I am not an experienced root user and was apprehensive about updating, but the instructions are easy and the whole process took 10 mins.
Anonymous 15 August, 2011 03:40
Has anyone in New Zealand tried the upgrade? HTC Desire was not released here officially so the phones come from Hong Kong, Vietnam, SIngapore or somewhere.
Anonymous 15 August, 2011 21:28
I have recently loaded HTC's Gingerbread ROM onto my Desire and have to say the improvements are minimal at best. A friend owns a Desire S, and I like the extra functionality 2.3 brings to that phone. However, almost all of the good bits I was expecting are not present on my Desire after upgrading. It hasn't, however, negatively affected anything at all (apart from only having one wallpaper to choose from now......) A few of the pre loaded apps, as mentioned above, are also gone.
The phone is definitely quicker and smoother in operation now, but not by much. And the battery life may be slightly better, but it's not huge.
The icons in the notification bar are different, but the bar itself is unchanged. The main app drawer is unchanged.
The long press to select text is improved, now showing a magnified image and easy to select arrows.
A quick boot option is now present, which does work brilliantly.
Long pressing the power button brings a different menu up, with less functions.....!
The volume button operation icons and ring volume selection tones are different.
Less memory for app storage now, there was about 125mb free showing immediately after loading 2.3.
To sum up, not much improvement, although the speedier operation is very welcome. And it's not the scary, phone will be wrecked experience that HTC make it out to be!
anonymous 17 August, 2011 19:26
I have had enough of low memory warnings, can't download any Apps and now No Update! This is supposed to be a top of the range phone? All I have to say is Goodbye HTC
anonymous 18 August, 2011 09:34
i did last night also. this is not a 2.3 gingebread, it is a refurnished froyo 2.2, they should not come up with a rom like that. It will be probaply preferable to add some cosmetics to froyo 2.2 to remove useless apps or to make a rom that everyone could install whatever he liked. first and last time i buy htc mobile
anonymous 19 August, 2011 12:02
Since I posted a comment having installed this update (about 2 weeks ago) my O2 Desire runs so much smoother and faster, the battery life is significantly better, running all day (make 3/4 calls a day plus SMS and play games) Battery used to die around lunchtime now there is still charge at 10pm. It;s also worth installing a battery saver Ap. As other comments have said not a huge diference in functions just every works better and faster. .
anonymous 23 August, 2011 11:12
It is really disappointing. I have 3 android phones: HTC Desire, HTC Desire HD, Samsung galaxy S2. The last is the company phone the other were good price offers. Despite the good price I'm sorry that instead of HTC I didn't choose Iphone. I was afraid about this support drop that is common on all the android phone makers (inc. Motorola samsung etc) but I thought that HTC will be more serious in this aspect since this is their main business. Wrong! If you think that the first update was in fact a fix and this one is "forced by the users" there was no real update to show the respect to the users. They are focused to Iphone competition but to throw on the market many similar models without any respect to the update process is showing only that they don't give a dime for their users.
Maybe others will disagree just to be anti Apple but I have an Ipod touch 1st gen for four years and beside the fact that in my opinion the interface is much better than any actual android I could not complain to anything. Off course the hardware became obsolete but there are 4years.
Another disappointment is the very good reviews done on android phones by respectable sites. HTC desire had really good reviews but nobody mentioned the big memory restrictions on this phone. Nobody mentioned the lack of future support. Maybe a new user is not aware but a "professional" reviewer must know which maker has a good reputation and which not.
The memory argument is just a cheap escuse that in free translation means just:" We really don't care about you. Just buy a new phone with TWO years plan that in less than one year will not be supported anymore. Then buy anotherone and so on..."
anonymous 23 August, 2011 18:09
My HTC Desire upgraded from 2.2.1 Froyo to 2.3.3 Gingerbread by itself around two weeks after I received it in May '11 -- meaning a software update appeared in the notifications & I simply ran it, the update took around two hours to download & install & after rebooting, the difference in the lock & home screen graphics was obvious (For the better).
I've had absolutely no problems since, the GPS voice direction works perfectly now, it didn't before, the apps load faster & I love this phone even more. Android on the Desire has really impressed me & my iphone fan friends have all borrowed it to compare. I still prefer the Desire hd.
anonymous 24 August, 2011 07:52
You sure you don't have an HTC Desire HD?
anonymous 24 August, 2011 07:56
Well, the new Android license that Google are forcing on phone developers are that they MUST support and release upgrades to their phones for at least 2 years. Also new releases must be released quickly. This means that HTC doesn't have any choice for future phones - thought HTC Desire are lost.
anonymous 24 August, 2011 14:15
As an Android user for years i am now starting to feel very disheartened by the state of the Android deployment so far.
I initially had a G1 and after one update we were told it wouldn't be upgradeable any further due to memory constraints.
Then once my phone was ready fro an upgrade I moved to the newly released HTC Desire, HTC's flagship phone and I thought "There's no way they'll leave this phone to go the same way, they must've given it more than enough memory this time" only to find it's been restricted by exactly the same problem, again!
It really does make me think twice about buying another HTC. The point of a smartphone is that you're tied in to a two year contract but it doesn't matter because it's upgradeable, but it's not. Within a year of my contract starting (not even half-way through) HTC had already stated they were not upgrading the Desire to 2.3.
I'm glad to hear Google are finally getting involved and forcing their manufacturers to support their phones for the term of their contract but I can't help wonder if Samsung treat their customers so badly....
anonymous 26 August, 2011 17:04
Have installed Gingerbread on my Desire, everything works except the individual ring tones which revert back to default when the phone is restarted.
anonymous 3 September, 2011 09:56
What I don't get is that I'm running Leedroids rom of Gingerbread with Sense and it actually contains more wallpapers etc than the stock 2.2 rom. How come a lad in his bedroom can make a full featured Gingerbread rom but HTC can't? Root your phone (especially if over a year old) and head over to Leedroids website.
anonymous 4 September, 2011 13:45
I've had alerts on my Desire HD phone for several weeks saying there was a system upgrade available, as I didn't know what it was. I ignored it until yesterday. Anyway it did the FOTA quite happily and installed Gingerbread without any problem or data loss. My internal memory says 0.94 GB. So I'm not really sure what the issue is.
anonymous 6 September, 2011 17:02
Installed update, phone quicker and smoother, small changes pleasing. Good upgrade! should tide me over til contract renewal due.
anonymous 6 September, 2011 21:17
The HTD Desire HD was my first Android phone. And my last. Good phone but the lack of updates for such a young phone is nonsensical - this alone means I will not be getting another HTC. The other reason is the Android market - how on earth are you supposed to find anything there?
anonymous 12 September, 2011 00:48
Installed gingerbread on my HTC Desire A8181 yesterday. No problems. Did MyBackup Pro first. Then after the install downloaded MyBackup again from Android store, did a Restore and all is well. The ony thing I still had to do was to reset up email accounts.
anonymous 13 September, 2011 20:19
I own a desire and i am actually quite dissapointed in HTC. Why wouldn't they just make it a normal update. I haven't updated it yet but I'm planning on doing it soon. I'm wondering is it worth the upgrade? Is it faster? Do i get to see some more major-like updates, for example better video sound?
Please answer, thank you
anonymous 15 September, 2011 00:09
I like the upgrade. It is faster and just seems to perform that much better. The sound seems better but difficult to make an objective analysis. Well worth doing in my humble opinion! Acc to HTC and OTA upgrade was not possible - I'm sure life would have been a lot easier for them if they could have. It's simple to do. Do it.
anonymous 16 September, 2011 13:05
Well tbh the gingerbread upgrade is crap.
I have a lot of ohone resets for no reason at all.
Installing went fine, but daily use is crappy.
To be honest this phone has been a let down from the start.
And mainly for the memory issues. And the lack of devs to implent the move to SD option.
Even then the memory will fill up in no time.
Leszcz 18 September, 2011 00:37
@Anonymous 1 August, 2011 14:14
What are you talking about? how is gingerbread an unnecessary upgrade?
Dramatic speed improvement over Froyo, new kernel, internet calling, copy and paste are all worth having won't you agree?
and wtf is 'xp laptop'? Minimum specs for win7 are 1ghz CPU and 1 Gb of RAM, and my 'XP laptop' as you call them, had 3 times that even before vista came out not even mentioning win7.
It seems like you have no idea what you're talking about. HTC Desire used to be a high end phone and is still more than capable of running gingerbread and maybe even ICS when it's released.
anonymous 18 September, 2011 10:47
I just don t get it ...there are so many custom roms like Cyanogen mod 7 which is based on 2.3 os ,and it s working smooth fast etc,but HTC ENGINEERS are saying that sone-SOME-features wont be available like sms and mms.Thats stupid,and they are payd to do that job.But overall htc desire its a good phone.
anonymous 19 September, 2011 17:10
Couldn't be more displeased with the level of service HTC is displaying. They should have thought this through before limiting the ROM to such a low number, or just give customers to choose if they want the Sense suit or not.
Now we have to go through a heap of a trouble to root the phone to erase the Sense suit, and install an unsecure version of Gingerbread.
Just like someone said above, I will probably not buy an HTC again in the near future seeing that their level of support is this awful. Samsung Galaxy S (or another model from them) here I come!
Buster 21 September, 2011 13:26
I got sick of waiting and rooted my phone weeks ago, having no problems with Cyanogen mod 7, it's great!
anonymous 28 September, 2011 16:05
I`m using HTC Desire since it`s released with Amoled screen, and i don`t want even think to change for anything. Got latest Oxygen MOD with v2.3.5 Ginger. Put Launcher PRO and your phone will work faster than any and you will still have almost 300 MB free for your applications not 170 when u install Official ROM pffff. And there is solution for unlimited memory for your application. Google it :P
anonymous 6 October, 2011 10:33
This is shame, shame, shame.
Why not offer to exchange model, customer will little bit pay for next Ginger suitable phone. HTC will have old, earn money, recycle old and keep customer happy, this will save money for everybody? Disire still cost more than £200 and in this mater I will really considering to upgrade HTC model again. It was so near to be real good company.
anonymous 11 October, 2011 11:46
I am amazed at the nerve of HTC. Firstly for putting their customers on to 2 year contracts only to then tell them that they cant update the phone leaving the only option to replace the hand set at a massive cost to the customer. Maybe HTC should offer a minimal upgrade offer to all mid term customers giving them the option of upgrade.
anonymous 16 October, 2011 01:51
I think it sucks that HTC is NOT taking care of their customers after the sale. This will be my last HTC phone because they turn their back on the Z.
anonymous 17 October, 2011 18:00
htc keyiniorfs suckks
charlesharley 17 October, 2011 18:02
loving the sense ui
charlesharley 17 October, 2011 18:03
im going to get the htc sensation beats
anonymous 18 October, 2011 14:10
seems harsh but its how it goes
anonymous 4 November, 2011 15:55
why cant they do it over air its sooo stupid and no ones gonna buy them anymore
anonymous 26 November, 2011 15:37
GPS does not working after update to 2.3.3
anonymous 30 December, 2011 18:52
Just did the update to 2.3.3 on my Desire in South Africa on Vodacom (Vodafone) network and all seems fine. Calls, emails, SMS's, contacts, all just like they were before.
anonymous 11 January, 2012 13:52
Loaded gingerbread on my desire, now when phone is powered up it starts up in car mode and needs to be restated to function properly. Battery life has inproved though.
anonymous 14 February, 2012 19:19
How do I change android market to uk, as I have us version now.. thanx
anonymous 15 February, 2012 11:22
The Desire is a suberb phone EXCEPT for battery life (as all Smarts) and hopeless memory - and that's not good enough. Will never go down the Fruit Root so I will be giving Samsung a try when contract is up.
anonymous 1 March, 2012 13:13
Finally after much deliberation updated my phone rom to gengerbread. Not see much difference but all is well.....
anonymous 29 March, 2012 21:26
Hi, very good article with video help. managed to upgrade HTC Desire to Gingerbread, however, looking for some help on the 2 APK file instalation.
an help will be appreicated.
anonymous 15 April, 2012 08:52
Can't even find the 2.3 gingerbread upgrade for Desire on the HTC developer website anymore!
Peter 20 November, 2012 11:53
I've been using my HTC Desire phone for nearly two years now and i've been more happy with it. However, if decided to add Gingerbread to it just to upgrade my phone, it would only mess everything up. If it aint broke, dont fix it i say.