When bugs bedevil brands
Brands yearn to operate at the highest realms of context, but even the mightiest brand can be tripped up by a lowly bug. Verizon’s new (and highly-publicized) Droid phone is a case in point. Featuring Google’s slick Android 2.0 operating system with a handset by Motorola, Droid is getting rave reviews as an emerging competitor to the iPhone.
Except for that bug.
Fuzzy autofocus—that comes and goes
The first Droid phones had problems with the 5.0 megapixel camera, which itself is intended to be a prime feature. The camera’s autofocus didn’t work properly. Many pictures came out fuzzy. Really fuzzy. Reviewers labeled it “average at its best, and terrible at worst.”
Apparently, the problem was/is a fuzzy-photo bug in the camera software that appears/disappears in 24.5 day cycles. As one reviewer summed it up:
The camera works poorly for 24.5 days, then works properly for the next 24.5 days. This is based on the improper use of a timestamp by the focusing code, a strange cause to be sure.
Recently the fuzzy photos suddenly disappeared, leading some to believe that Verizon issued an unannounced software update over its mobile network. Or, it may be that the next 24.5 day “good” cycle kicked in.
Lowly bugs can be big brand opportunities
If Verizon wants to be a brand that takes care of its customers, then the time is ripe to announce a formal fix. Show customers that the Verizon brand has their back.
Lowly bugs can be big brand opportunities.
