Samsung updates C Spire SCH-I500 Showcase (Fascinate) to Android 2.3.5

Anyone with a Samsung Fascinate (C Spire SCH-I500 Showcase) we got great news for you. Samsung issued a new software upgrade for this device to Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread.

This new firmware upgrade is available through Kies Mini for PC and it will update your Samsung C Spire Wireless SCH-I500 Showcase to Android 2.3.5 software version SCH-I500.EI20.

For a full list of new enhancements and fixes take a look down below.

Release notes:

Google platform upgrade to Gingerbread 2.3.5 Operating System
New: SMS Delivery Report for Google Certification
Fixed:
- Google Security Patch
- Download freezing when downloading applications from Google Market
- Yahoo mail, incoming and outgoing servers
- Sending SMS over 160 characters as MMS
- Enforce network supported threshold of 1MB for MMS
- POP email sync
- Exchange PIN security
Removed:
- Discover Center Bookmark in Browser
- The Back up my data and Automatic restore options in Settings > Privacy

Requirements

COMPUTER

Desktop/Laptop Computer Running Either Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, or XP
All Firewall & Anti-Virus Programs Should Be Disabled
Administrative Privileges Required To Download & Install Software Including Drivers
An Available USB Port On The PC That Supports USB 2.0

PHONE

Important: Fully charge the battery before updating your phone

OTHER

USB Data Cable (Included In Retail Box)
Available USB Port.

Direct connection of the USB cable to the computer’s USB port is strongly advised. The use of a USB hub or docking station is NOT recommended.

Important: Any Previous Samsung Software or Samsung Drivers Should Be Removed, Then Restart Your Computer.

For a easy step by step tutorial on how to do this if you do not have experience check Samsung’s official support page here.

Tags: 2.3 Android computer phone SCH

Selene

This release, 2.3.5, is even WORSE than the previous one, as hard as that may be to believe. My phone now freezes and shuts down even more than before. The screen captures resulting from diagnostic s/w left in the release that runs when you try to turn off the screen occurs even more often now. Google maps/navigation HANGS…I re-installed it and it WILL NOT RUN – just hangs when I enter an address. GPS does not find my location. This s/w release is a piece of crap and Verizon will not own up to it. All they want to do is a master reset, wipe the phone. This should NOT BE NECESSARY simply for a s/w upgrade. I am completely fed up with this phone and am switching to an iPhone as soon as I can.
- Scott Popowich
  
  my suggestion is to upgrade to a SGS II
Selene

@Scott Popowich – why is this necessary? Why wouldn’t a standard software upgrade work? Why does it have SO many major issues? I just want my phone to work..
Scott Popowich

what do you mean by “a standard software upgrade” what comes through KIES is standard there isnt anything more standard than that..something that has to do with the testing prior releasing the update you should call customer support and complain about it!! @Selene -
Selene

I just mean that a routine upgrade to the Droid OS should not cause other basic functionality to fail… I called Verizon tech support and as usual they were worthless…as I described above, they wanted to do a master reset which means wiping the phone completely and reinstalling everything. This is their routine solution for any type of problem. The phone had its glitches before, but you shouldn’t have to take such extreme action simply due to a s/w upgrade, should you? I asked them what if taking that action did not fix the problems. They said the phone was out of warranty (which I interpret to mean the *physical* phone) so they would not be liable, and if I wanted an upgrade I’d have to pay for it.
- http://www.pocketdroid.net Florian Mihu
  
  alright we got your point and you are 100% right, unfortunately the update/upgrade process will suffer in the next couple of years as the OS is still young and under heavy development. As you probably noticed everyone is complaining about the way the updating process is being handled. Never arriving in time .. sometimes with more bugs than fixes etc.
  
  luckly the Android OS is a lot better than the iOS and you have the customization option to make whatever you want from your UI which you dont have on an iPhone, iPad. Thats where iOS users get bored with their devices, eventually.
Kvrayner

Afer I applied this update, me LED apps don’t turn on the LED
- http://www.pocketdroid.net Florian Mihu
  
  please give us more details ..like what os were you on prior updating to 2.3.5 Gingerbread? have you tried to install other apps tp test LED? could be just a simple compatibility of the apps with 2.3.5 firmware
- http://www.pocketdroid.net/ Florian Mihu
  
  please give us more details ..like what os were you on prior updating to 2.3.5 Gingerbread? have you tried to install other apps tp test LED? could be just a simple compatibility of the apps with 2.3.5 firmware
Kvrayner

Afer I applied this update, me LED apps don’t turn on the LED
- http://www.pocketdroid.net/ Florian Mihu
  
  please give us more details ..like what os were you on prior updating to 2.3.5 Gingerbread? have you tried to install other apps tp test LED? could be just a simple compatibility of the apps with 2.3.5 firmware
Ken

My biggest problem with the Samsung Showcase i500 is the screen capture. This happens arbitrarily when I use the side power button to put the display into sleep mode or power the device down. Once it does this, it continues to take screen captures as many times as one presses the side power button. While experiencing this glitch, the phone will not go to sleep mode or power down. I have had two i500 and both have had this issue. The provider stated it is indeed a software glitch and that samsung is currently writing a “fix.” So it is a wait and see situation. This problem aside, the phone is adequate, but I can’t stand the screen capture feature. I guess I don’t fully appreciate this feature because I’m not 12 and don’t want to post screen captures of my text conversations to facebook. GRRRRRRRRRRR.
- http://www.pocketdroid.net Florian Mihu
  
  if i remember corectly on samsung devices the back button (exit) + poweroff does exactly that, prints the screen of the device. are you 100% sure that the new update made your device go malfunction. can you pls chk for any recently installed apps on your phone.. like a keyboard app or something related to virtual keys.
  
  im not excluding the posibility that you suggested though, i just want to make sure its not something else
Eric

I’ve had the same issue with the LED. I updated from Froyo (2.2.3 I think) to Gingerbread (2.3.5) and now, any 3rd party apps that use the LED don’t work. Let me rephrase, the apps work, however they will not turn the LED on. I’ve tried multiple flashlight apps from the market, and although they worked before the update, they no longer work. Note that the led works fine when using the stock camera.
I read in xda that one guy (with my same phone) loaded a custom kernel and now his led works again. I posted asking details, but have had no response.
Also, since updating, I have noticed that my screen mysteriously comes on without warning.
One other thing I have noticed, they added a screen shot option. Sometimes, when I press my ‘power’ button in order to turn the screen off, it instead snaps a screenshot. If I wait a few minutes, it will stop doing this and let me turn the screen off as normal.
Is my phone possessed???? grrrrrr
- http://www.pocketdroid.net Florian Mihu
  
  looks like the LED bug is more than just an isolated case we will forward this problem to C Spire and all the other problems encounter with the new update.
Ken

Yes, pressing the back button and the power button simultaneously does a screen capture, but the glitch causes a screen capture by pressing the power button only. Apparently, there is a “fix” in the works, but this is annoying!
http://www.pocketdroid.net Florian Mihu

try using an app to turn your device into sleep mode directly until the fix arrives to avoid pressing power button to often i apologize but this is the only thing i can think of for now… already in progress to contact cspire for a speedy solution
Ken

Is there an app you suggest for this?
Shelli Merkel

I have the same problem with the LED flashlight apps not working. I’ve downloaded many and none have worked. I also get the screen coming on for no reason and it will sometimes freeze where I can’t even power the phone off. I have to take the battery out and restart the phone.
- http://www.pocketdroid.net/ Florian Mihu
  
  I am sorry for trying to contact C Spire and failed to receive an official answer from them. They totally ingored our messages in which we informed them about this problems. I guess they dont give a damn about their customers.
  
  My advice is to keep calling customer service until they decide to offer a proper solution/answer to these bugs (maybe a new update?). I apologize we couldnt provide you a official answer!
  - Aaron R.
    
          At least you are trying. I have been a C Spire loyalist since their birth as Cellular South (About nine years). I do understand that their systems used (inside their phones) does create conflict with developers as they are different than that of other normal service providers.
    
         Its is slightly depressing how the company has almost fully progressed to that static “only new customers matter” attitude. As to me, while their phones were always the last to get the ‘same’ new phone offered by other carriers, their customer loyalty and service area provided was what set the company well above the others. Slowly but surely, I feel that this is becoming less and less apparent.
    
         For example, with the mad dash to 4g, the service has had multiple down-times of both service and broadband 3g many times without any notice to the customers. In the past that would not have occurred. Just a small example.
    
         For now though, I am still a loyalist. That with hearing of, what I’ve heard called ‘throttling’, as I have yet to see this affect through my daily usage, or monthly usage of over 2GB (rough average).
    
         In the mean time, I think that the local area is what needs to be foucsed on. What I mean by this is that there is a data usage cap when you leave the local coverage area. Of course this is the reason for the name change and all the changes that have been the topic of my reply.
    
    
       Thanks for the time.
    
    Aaron.
Aaron R.

     Let me just simply say that I am glad that I didn’t simply go along with the new firmware update offered by the kies mini when i plugged my I500 to my usb port. I’m operating on the 2.2.1 firmware, 2.6.32.9 kernel, build SCH-I500.USEE25 (‘US’ because I’m in the United States). Along with others that have posted I have the same problem with my screen mysteriously returning to awake while in sleep mode, and at times have issues regarding deletion of pictures within my gallery (mainly mass deletion, and having to do a battery pull for normal functions to resume).

     As of now, I do not intend to update my phone any further, as there are not any significant fixes within the update to the SCHI500.USEI20 firmware. Ive also subscribed to this thread, and intend to keep up with the latest developments.

     Another question: why would you need to remove the automatic backup/restore functions. Those features are a great part of the OS that I have. As I have downloaded malware and had the data stored as a backup and not lost any of the data that was precious (I.E. contacts, application lists, etc.)

     I hope that other people do research the updates before blindly clicking ‘yes I have read and understand the preceding information.’ as I have.

Best of luck to all!

     Aaron.
- Mike Josey
  
  Was wondering if there is a way to re-install firmware without using kies mini. all i have on my screen is a little box with a yellow arrow coming out of it and a lil green droid..cant do anything