HTC Droid Eris To Get Android 2.0 Update
Verizon Wireless has said that the HTC Droid Eris will receive a significant system update at some point in the fist quarter of 2010. The update will boost the Eris' version of Android to at least 2.0, and possibly even 2.1.
Context & Ripple Effects
The Eris arrived quietly: leaked documents in late October pegged its November 6th launch at $99 on Android 1.5, positioning it as the budget companion to Motorola's DROID while Verizon built out its Android roster through the fall. The catch was software — the $99 handset shipped two major versions behind the flagship, and early buyers had no stated path forward.
Verizon's confirmation of a Q1 2010 update to Android 2.0, possibly 2.1, closes that gap on paper and signals the carrier treating post-launch OS support as part of the Android pitch, not an afterthought.
First-order effects
- Eris owners get a committed upgrade path from Android 1.5 to at least 2.0, closing the version gap with the Motorola DROID sold alongside it on Verizon's network.
- Verizon gains a credible answer to the obvious objection against its cheapest Android phone — that it was obsolete at launch.
Second-order effects
- A $99 Eris running near-current software undercuts the rationale for paying up for the DROID on features alone, pressuring Motorola to compete on hardware and brand rather than OS version.
- Explicit update commitments raise the bar across Verizon's Android lineup — every subsequent handset announcement will be measured against whether it ships with, and keeps, current software.
Third-order effects
- If carriers keep making version commitments after launch, over-the-air update delivery becomes a competitive battleground in Android's fragmentation problem — shifting value toward manufacturers who can promise and ship upgrades on schedule.
The trend: Android's accelerating release cadence is turning post-launch update promises into a selling point as carriers fight fragmentation on their own lineups.