Fragmentation is often brought up as one of Android’s bigger flaws, and despite Google’s promises, it doesn’t look like it will be going away any time soon. Google has said that Froyo is supposed to help bridge the gap between OS versions, and help stem fragmentation, but I haven’t been able to track down exactly how that’s supposed to happen.

Not that any of that matters for owners of the Samsung Behold II – it doesn’t look like they’ll be seeing anything past 1.6, let alone version 2.2. Much to the chagrin of Behold II owners everywhere, Samsung has officially stated their position regarding the upgrade path…and it’s not pretty:

To All:

Samsung Mobile and T-Mobile USA are planning to update the Behold II to Android 1.6 which provides access to Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice Search capability and quick search box for Android.

The update will also supply additional benefits including Swype, an improved Media Player, updated core Android applications and improved Bluetooth capabilities. However, the Behold II is not upgradeable beyond Android 1.6.

This is especially enraging for owners of the Behold II because around the time the phone was released, Samsung had published a promotional video for the phone where they stated it would be receiving an update to Android 2.0:

However, Behold II owner’s aren’t going down without a fight. They’ve already put up a petition, and there are even talks of organizing a class action suit, but I’m not sure either tactic will actually convince Samsung to change their mind at this point.

Regardless of Google’s intentions to decrease the current levels of fragmentation, it’s clear that there are still some battles they are doomed to lose. Until all of the ‘legacy’ devices reach obsolescence, fragmentation will continue to be a problem, and in the end, it’s the consumers that end up suffering.

Are any of you Behold II owners? Let us know how you feel about this situation in the comments!

Source: Samsung Mobile USA Twitter, Android Headlines

Via: Engadget