Android 2.3 Gingerbread comes to the HTC Desire this month

TAIWANESE PHONE MAKER HTC has confirmed that the rollout of Android 2.3 Gingerbread to its Desire handset will begin by the end of the month.

It's been a rocky road but HTC has finally given Desire owners a set forecast for the software upgrade. The news comes as a big relief to customers who are eagerly awaiting the newer version of the operating system.

As usual HTC used its Facebook page to make the announcement and said, "Hi everyone. As some of you have seen already, we have more news about our build of Gingerbread for Desire. Our testing has gone well so we will begin rolling out the update by the end of July. Thank you again for your support."

HTC first announced the update back in February but then changed its mind because of the memory limitations of the phone. Desire owners were understandably unhappy about the U-turn and a day later HTC caved in to the demand.

The phone maker made another announcement on Facebook earlier regarding the bootloader for its Sensation handsets. Using an unlocked bootloader will make it easier for users to customise the phone or load an alternative operating system.

HTC said, "We're thrilled to announce today that software updates to support bootloader unlocking will begin rolling out in August for the global HTC Sensation. We're in the testing phase for the unlocking capability now, and we expect it to be fully operational by early September for devices that have received the software updates."

The firm emphasised that a lot of work has gone into making it possible, which has required a new software build and extensive testing. It first announced it would introduce the unlocked bootloader in May.

The Sensation won't be the only device to get the unlocked bootloader, as HTC said, "We'll continue rolling out the unlocking capability over time to other devices as part of maintenance releases and new shipments."

HTC was unable to give us any information beyond today's post so we don't know which handsets will get the update or when. It has promised updates on the subject every few weeks, though. µ