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dammit, branded before unbranded, no fair

Where are you getting that from?

anyone have a bulletpoint list of what the benefits are of gingerbread over what we have now?

Oh and im with cracksquirrel..so unfair!!

Difference Between Android 2.2 (Froyo) and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) | Difference Between | Android 2.2 (Froyo) vs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

In a nutshell -

Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) supports the following features in addition to existing 2.2 features:
New user interface design with new themes (Black themes save power)
Extra Large Screen Size supported
SIP Communication Supported (SIP Video and Audio Calling, In an operator point of view, this is feature will decrease their voice calling revenue where as user can call each other for lower rates or even free if they have good data connection)
Supports for NFC (High Frequency High Speech Data Transfer in short range)
Support for WebM/VP8 video playback, and AAC audio encoding
New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost
Improved Copy and Paste functionality
Redesigned Multi Touch Software Keyboard
Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers
New sensors support (i.e gyroscope)
Download manager for long running HTTP downloads
Enhanced support for native code
Improved power management and application control
Support for multiple cameras
 
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No probs, that's quite a good comparison site :)

The firmware updates were minor releases for various bug fixes though, not an entirely new version of the OS. I was under the impression that the network providers get their versions from the handset manufacturers, not via google themselves. The only exception being handsets running pure versions of Android, not with the Sense/Touchwiz/Motoblur etc. HTC would need to tweak Sense to work with the latest version before they released it to the networks to add their own software. I can't imagine they would let a 3rd Party mess about with their overlay without their say so?

Could be wrong though! :)
 
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Yeah, in my experience HTC create the new firmware update based on google's and their own work and then release it to unbranded handsets. Then they'll distribute it to all the different networks, who will then do their own testing and bug fixes before releasing to their customers. That's why branded OS updates always come later (and often much later).

Updates that don't change OS version and are just bug fixes/minor updates don't always follow that pattern, since they may only be relevant to a specific network's branded firmware.
 
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