Ever wonder why software updates arrive on your phone much later after OEMs announce them? Well for those in the US, it is because these updates are usually required to go through an approval process from the carrier before it is pushed to the handsets of their customers. We suppose this is fair since a buggy release would no doubt result in a lot of unwanted customer complaints.
Companies like Motorola have long offered some of their customers a chance to participate in soak tests, which is basically the testing of software to help iron out the kinks ahead of its release. Well it looks like HTC wants in on the fun because the OEM has recently announced a private preview program for software updates.
Unfortunately it looks like this program could be limited to those part of the HTC Elevate community since the announcement was posted there. For those unfamiliar, HTC Elevate is a private community by HTC where the company promotes its devices and services to the members, and where members are also given the occasional freebie.
According to the FAQ, it also sounds like the testing of the software will also be done under NDA, so if you were hoping for tidbits ahead of an official release, you could be disappointed. It also seems that users are required to send their handsets to HTC to be flashed back to its original state if they wish to exit the trial early.
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