Droid Incredible to get mandatory Verizon app shop

Verizon has posted notice of an upcoming update to the HTC Droid Incredible that has already drawn controversy. Along with typical updates, the update next week will bring the V Cast Apps store for the first time. Customers won't have an option of declining the store.

The carrier also hasn't said whether or not users can uninstall the V Cast Apps icon, although it has stressed that the store wouldn't replace Android Market. Verizon has sometimes, though not always, loaded software that couldn't be installed.

Deciding to load the store roughly half a year after the phone launched may draw criticism from Verizon, which also attracted complaints when users discovered they couldn't use Google search widgets on the Samsung Fascinate, even if downloaded later. Google has repeatedly trumpeted Android as open but has increasingly had to defend ceding control to carriers that in many cases limits the control of actual users. The search firm has insisted that restricting the influence of carriers would defy the concept of openness but hasn't said how a user could have a truly open experience with even the stock G2 preventing custom firmware.

Apple has itself been criticized for limiting choices for searches and app stores, but recent restrictions on Android devices have sometimes left iPhones with more choices, such as default search engines and unofficial support for jailbroken firmware.

By Electronista Staff

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