We’re not sure if we can believe this ourselves, but Verizon has surprised everyone this week by seemingly bringing one of their veteran smartphones back from the dead. The infamous HTC Thunderbolt has been sitting on Android Gingerbread for as long as we can remember, but that is all changing now with a lovely update to official Ice Cream Sandwich.

If you can remember, the Thunderbolt was Verizon’s very first LTE smartphone and arrived almost two years ago in March 2011. It shipped with the now ancient Android 2.2 Froyo and was then given an update to Gingerbread shortly after. Consumers then expected an Ice Cream Sandwich update to occur during September 2012, but unfortunately problems occurred which prevented this from happening.

Skip forward to today and it looks like everything is now in order for Verizon and HTC to finally give the missing update to consumers who have been patient enough to stay with the Thunderbolt all of this time throughout the ordeal. The update should now be starting to rollout to users OTA, but may still take a while to reach everyone depending on your area.

Ice Cream Sandwich weighs in at a whopping 395.6MB and will include a considerable amount of new features that should help to breath a fresh lease of life into your aging handset. These include the customizable launch bar from the homescreen, lock screen notifications and Face Unlock as well, which should please some of you.

Once updated you should be running a new version of Android 4.0.4, customized over the top with HTC Sense 3.6. Perhaps Verizon isn’t so bad after all, as they could have easily hoped that consumers would forget about the Thunderbolt, but they’ve come up good here.

The question is, are you still rocking a Thunderbolt with pride? Let us know if you have received an OTA update from Verizon to update to Ice Cream Sandwich.

If you have been keeping up with the latest Android news, you may have heard Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak publicly express his opinions on why he thought the HTC Thunderbolt was the worst Android device he’s ever owned. Regardless if you agree with him or not, the handset is going to breath a new lease of life as you can now upgrade to a lovely build of Ice Cream Sandwich, as long as you’re rooted.

The unofficial update has come courtesy of the guys over at Team BAMF and you’ll be updated to Android 4.0.3 and have a new build number of 7.00.605.2. Aside from the lovely new user interface that you’ll be able to enjoy, you will also be able to navigate using a new version of Sense. Unfortunately though, this is only Sense 3.6 and not the more glamorous 4.0.

Both HTC and Verizon have said that the official update to Ice Cream Sandwich will take place sometime in August. Considering that we’re now reaching the end of the month, let’s hope that this unofficial leak is a good sign that Verizon will be able to meet their self-imposed deadline.

Are you still content with your HTC Thunderbolt, despite the criticisms that the handset receives? Is this update going to keep you going for another few months, or are you already thinking about dropping the mecha in favor of another Android phone?

HTC may not be the quickest in getting the update out to their devices but they seem to be ahead of the likes of Motorola, and are at least keeping everyone informed. This latest news brings the new operating system closer to many of the company’s US carrier specific smartphones. HTC have confirmed a number of Verizon handsets will eventually be getting the upgrade, which according to SlashGear includes the HTC Rezound.

Other handsets listed by HTC include the HTC Thunderbolt, HTC Droid Incredible 2, and the HTC Rhyme. The company also announced that the HTC Raider that is found on Rogers and Bell in Canada will receive ICS. HTC promised that more handsets will be listed in the coming weeks so will hopefully reach the likes of T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T devices.

This will be good news for owners of the handsets that may have wondered if their device would be left out of the upgrade plans. We recently told you that some owners of the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE will soon be treated to early access to ICS for testing. It looks like that many HTC handsets that are around a year or more old should eventually be upgraded to Android 4.0.

The company has yet to give a timescale when this latest list of smartphones will actually be receiving the update, but hopefully it won’t be too far away. Do you have any of the handsets now listed by HTC?

The last time we spoke of any official updates for the HTC Thunderbolt was back in October, when the handset received an upgrade to Android Gingerbread build number 2.11.605.5. Now though, we have word that Verizon are prepping build 2.11.605.9 for download and it should be rolling out to customers as we speak.

The update weighs in at 36MB and includes fixes for contact ringtones, notification volume and improved streaming playback support. There’s also improvements for Exchange ActiveSync, a new Twitter API and the Clock app can now be seen in the all app list as well.

Unfortunately, that’s all you are getting. While it is nice that Verizon and HTC are still pushing out these minor updates, customers would really love to see the HTC Thunderbolt get an official update to Ice Cream Sandwich. The chances of this are probably very slim officially, but there’s great optimism that someone will end up developing a stable unofficial port which runs just fine.

If you want to see the official document containing the update notes, you can view the direct PDF file here, courtesy of Droid-Life. We’ve heard that some users have the update already, so if you haven’t received a notification, it’s a good idea to head to your phone settings to see if the update is available manually.

Have you noticed any other features in this new Gingerbread update that haven’t been mentioned? How optimistic are you that the HTC Thunderbolt will get an official update to Ice Cream Sandwich?

Verizon has now identified the new Gingerbread update by Build 2.11.605.5, and the modified update notes have now been obtained by Droid-Life, if you click on the picture through their article.

You’ll see that Verizon has now fixed their voicemail problem which was the main reason behind the delay in the first place, while the update notes also reveal that a Bluetooth security patch has now been added as well. Further changes include a fix to stop SMS messages sending to other people, while Verizon also note other security improvements to device vulnerability as well.

It was initially thought that the update would be coming in a few days time, since Verizon usually go live at the weekend with their software updates, but actually, we’re hearing that the update may be available now for some users! If you have a HTC Thunderbolt and want to try and force the update yourself, simply go to Settings>Software update>Check new on your device and see if the update will start.

It seems crazy to think that the device is still residing on Android 2.2 Froyo, but hopefully the majority of Thunderbolt users will be enjoying Gingerbread by the end of the week – the first bit of good news that should at least put a smile on the faces of frustrated owners.

Will Gingerbread tempt you to keep hold of your Thunderbolt, or have you already grown tired of Verizon and HTC’s silent stance on their once ‘flagship’ handset? Let us know if the push method works for the update and how your handset is fairing after installing Gingerbread.

After previously informing you that the update was live at the end of September, HTC then pulled the update completely at the start of October, citing a major problem with Verizon’s stock voicemail service as the main reason behind the update removal.

This was seen as further frustration for Thunderbolt users, given the fact that many do not even use Verizon’s stock voicemail service anyway, with most choosing to use an alternate service such as Google Voice.

The latest stage of the update process though, is that it is meant to be coming soon, as HTC has delivered the following message on their Twitter account, as reported from Droid-Life:

‘‘@Cbreezy_Brown VZW & HTC anticipate the update being available soon. You will be notified directly on your device when it is ready.”

As usual though, there is no solid release date unfortunately, as HTC has again opted against giving consumers a definite date, even though the update has been delayed several times. It’s stressful situation for all parties as you can imagine, especially when you consider that handsets will soon be releasing with Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Droid Incredible hasn’t had an update to Gingerbread either, so at least Thunderbolt owners are not the only ones being shunted by Verizon and HTC. Is this the final straw for Thunderbolt owners with regards to the way you view HTC as a company? Perhaps you are not bothered in the slightest about this and are more concerned about the upcoming Galaxy Nexus reveal. Let us know what you feeling right now.

However, there will always be a trade-off between performance and battery, and it seems as though HTC has let us down yet again – just as they did with the ThunderBolt in that respect. Engadget points out that HTC rushed the release of the Amaze 4G, which is why it suffers from a lack of battery stamina. There are two things that could be the cause of this, the first is the dual-core processor and the second is the demand that 4G can have on the handset.

There now seems to be a pattern that many phones are being released with these battery issues, such as the ThunderBolt already mentioned and even the iPhone 4S. However, this now seems to be down to iOS 5, as readers have commented on our Facebook page that they are suffering from the same issue on their iPhone 4.

What has shocked us the most is just how quick the battery drain is on the Amaze 4G, which is said to deplete in three hours from a full charge, and this is just light to moderate use. We now have to wait to see if an Android update will help to solve the issue.

The bad news, is that Verizon has axed the update for the time being and they don’t know when it will be available again. For those of you that have already updated, you may discover that there is problems with notifications for the voicemail service.

It’s important to note that this voicemail is Verizon’s stock voicemail service that is experiencing problems, and not the voicemail that is available via Google Voice. With this in mind, it shouldn’t be too disheartening for you since a lot of you are probably only using Google Voice anyway, and not Verizon’s own app.

Having said that, it is still hugely disappointing for those of you that haven’t updated yet, as unless you choose to update manually which isn’t an easy task, you are still stuck in the past on Android 2.2 Froyo, while the rest move on to bigger and better things with Android Gingerbread.

A quote from Verizon below has apparently been offered in relation to the voicemail problem, courtesy of Wireless and Mobile News:

”It has come to the attention of Verizon Wireless and HTC that customers using the Thunderbolt by HTC have experienced a voicemail notification error with the recent software update. As a result, the update has been temporarily suspended while the companies work together to resolve the issue. Verizon Wireless and HTC anticipate the update being available soon; customers will be notified directly on their devices when it is ready for download.”

We have two questions for you to ponder over now. Number one is how many of you have discovered this problem at hand on the Thunderbolt, and number two – how many of you actually use Verizon’s ‘stock’ voicemail service? We’ll update you when we get a revised date for the update, hopefully it won’t be too long.

Verizon has now released an official Gingerbread update document on their website which provides users with last minute guidelines before the update becomes available later on this week, which usually happens when Verizon issue these documents.

However, as usual – there is yet another option to install this Gingerbread update manually, and you will be pleased to hear that you can do it right now if you wish. One word of warning though, as choosing to install this manually does come with certain risks so you may want to wait until the official update releases in a few days.

The risks include the data being whiped off your phone completely, and you’ll also lose your root access if you install this manually. Those are two pretty big factors to consider, so if you ask us you should definitely hold off from trying this.

If for some reason you still want to go ahead, you will find instructions on how to update to version 2.11.605.3 over at Droid-Life, as they have compiled some easy-to-follow steps for those that simply can’t wait for Gingerbread any longer.

Some pleasing early feedback to tell you about too, as it looks the Thunderbolt benefits from an overall speed boost thanks to the Gingerbread update. Of course there will be new software to play around with, but it will be general performance that most of you will be concerned about. If you are already running Gingerbread on your Thunderbolt, give us your thoughts on how the handset is handling at the moment – it is well worth waiting for?

Obviously, there are a fair few of you who are getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of news from Verizon and HTC regarding the official update, especially for consumers who continue to hold out for an ‘official’ update as opposed to getting a custom version of Gingerbread which let’s face it isn’t exactly hard to do these days.

A Thunderbolt owner recently took to Twitter to query HTC on the delay and the user received this response from HTC in reply: ”Sorry about that. It’s scheduled for later this month. Very soon.” Considering that it is now September 27 at the time of writing, HTC only has a few days left to comply with their promise.

Is that Twitter reply a load of nonsence or are they actually planning to release Gingerbread this week? If the information proves to be correct, we have a feeling that Gingerbread may be out this Friday, just in time for the weekend as updates usually tend to fall on Fridays to follow similar trends with previous updates.

Are you growing tired for this official update for what is now basically an aged handset? We’re willing to bet that most of you have already decided to pick up the elusive Nexus Prime handset, maybe some even in protest of HTC’s continued methods. If you still have a Thunderbolt and have been waiting for the update for months, give us your say on the drama – are you confident it will drop this week or have you heard it all before?