Sprint fires up 4G in St. Louis, Richmond, and Salt Lake City

If you’re carrying an EVO 4G and live in St. Louis, MO; Richmond, VA; or Salt Lake City, UT, it’s time to smile: that mandatory monthly $10 fee you pay for the 4G network just got a whole lot more worthwhile.

That adds 3 more cities to the slowly growing list of WiMax-enabled cities — a list which, by the way, we’ve got right behind the jump.

All of the cities with Sprint 4G, as of June 28th, 2010:

Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville
Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui
Idaho – Boise
Illinois – Chicago
Maryland – Baltimore
Missouri – Kansas City, St. Louis
Nevada – Las Vegas
North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro (along with High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (along with Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham);
Oregon – Portland, Salem
Pennsylvania – Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Reading, York
Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls
Utah – Salt Lake City
Virginia – Richmond
Washington – Bellingham, Seattle

View Source

Tags: 4G, 4G Network, EVO 4G, Sprint, WiMAX

Posted in 4G | No Comments »

HTC EVO 4G gets an OTA software update

We don’t know exactly what’s included, but Sprint’s sending out that rumored over-the-air Android software update to HTC EVO 4G devices this morning. It’s labeled as version 1.47.651.1, and it’s just 21.43MB, so we’re guessing it’s just mostly bug fixes, but word on the street was that it would “enhance” WiFi, so there’s a chance it could enable the EVO’s 802.11n support, and we’re also hoping for some improved battery life. We’ll update you once we see some release notes, but in the meantime let us know how it goes, yeah?

Update: Release notes have been posted, and they’re just as expected — and unfortunately, we still don’t have confirmation on whether “improvements to WiFi performance” means 802.11n. Check the full notes after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC EVO 4G Software version 1.47.651.1

Update includes:

• Improvements to Wi-Fi performance
• Exchange Active Sync improvements, including fix to issues with new account setup, PIN policy usage and Exchange Calendar 2010 Sync
• Addresses Facebook sync issue which can improve battery performance

Download Timing:

• Customers will be notified that an update is available. The download will take a couple minutes (depending on the device connection) and the install will take a couple minutes which includes an automatic power cycle. Download will take a couple minutes if in 3g coverage.
• HTC servers will push the OTA update on a daily basis.
• FOTA server will check for old software version and prompt once a day on units without the latest firmware until customer accepts.

WARNING – Rooted Devices:

Tags: Android, EVO 4G, HTC, OTA, ROM Update

Posted in Android, HTC, Smartphones | No Comments »

HTC EVO 4G sold out online once again

It’s happened before, and it’s happening again: the EVO 4G’s getting hard to find. We’re sure you’d be able to track it down locally, but the option that requires the least dreadful physical movement — ordering online — isn’t an option for now, with Sprint saying “this device is so hot we can’t keep it on our virtual shelves.” We imagine the situation will clear itself up shortly, but it makes you wonder — could the screen separation fix on the assembly line be the culprit behind the shortage?

View Source

Tags: Android, EVO 4G, HTC

Posted in Android, HTC, Smartphones | No Comments »

3G video call on Fring for Android: bringing HTC EVO 4G and Dell Streak together (hands-on)

Consider this: you may have an Android phone with a front-facing camera, and so do your distant loved ones (yes, friends count too). Now slap that free IM app Fring onto your phone, and the once-dormant chat camera shall finally come to life — right now only the Streak and EVO 4G are supported, whereas the others (like the X10) will have to rely on their main cameras. Still, Fring also supports dual-camera Symbian devices plus Skype video calls to and from computers, and since it isn’t locked down to any particular connection method, users with unlimited data allowance get to make free 3G video calls! Take that, FaceTime. Read on to watch our very own transatlantic banter.

Oh sure, we shouldn’t be getting all that aroused about an age-old technology, but given the massive video quality improvement — clearer picture with more tolerable lag — and the aforementioned affordability of mobile data, it seems like 3G video calls might be able to make a comeback. That said, with each minute of Fring video sipping up about 1MB, do watch out for your carrier’s fair use policy. We’re sure you kids will behave, anyway.

View Source

Tags: 3G, Android, Apps, Dell Streak, EVO 4G, Fring, HTC, Video, Video Calling

Posted in 3G, Android, Apps, Dell, HTC | No Comments »

HTC has fix in the works for EVO 4G screen sensitivity; separation problems are minor

We’ve just been tipped off on a couple feel-good items for EVO 4G owners that should end your Friday on a bright note:

• The glass separation issues are real, but said to be super minor and have no effect on the usability of the phone apart from a nearly imperceptible “give” to the touch. That said, HTC has made some assembly changes that should reduce or eliminate the problem going forward, and it’ll keep an eye on the situation.
• This is really interesting: the screen sensitivity problems are also real and are apparently far more prevalent in arid climates, but it can be fixed with a software patch alone. That patch will be rolling out to EVOs soon.

See? Told you it was feel-good news. More on this stuff as we get it.

View Source

Tags: Android, EVO 4G, Glass Seperation, HTC, Screen Sensitivity

Posted in Android, HTC, Smartphones | No Comments »

White HTC EVO 4G coming exclusively to Best Buy on July 11th, pre-orders start today

Jumpin’ Jehosaphat! Just when you thought America’s first 4G phone couldn’t get any hotter, along comes this: a striking white version of the HTC EVO 4G (so much for that unavailable white iPhone 4, eh?). We’ve received confirmation that this here handset will be sold exclusively through Best Buy (as in, don’t even bother heading to your local Sprint store), with the official launch date set for July 11th. We’re told that Sprint will eventually gain access on August 8th, with other retailers snapping it up in September. If you somehow managed to hold off on snagging the existing black EVO 4G, you can get your pre-order in starting on June 18th — yeah, today, Junior! We’re assuming the price will remain at $199.99 on a 2-year contract, but be sure to drop us a line if you wander in and find out otherwise.

Update: And it’s official; the presser is after the break confirming the same $199.99-on-a-2-year-contract price as well as the dates mentioned already.

Update 2: Turns out this thing was around way back at Google I/O! Head on past the break and mash play — that’s definitely a white-backed EVO 4G on stage. Thanks, Omar!

View Source

Tags: Android, Best Buy, EVO 4G, Google I/O, HTC, Pre-Order, Video, White

Posted in Android, HTC, Smartphones, Videos | No Comments »

Flash 10.1 Ported To HTC EVO 4G, No Root Required

Can’t wait for the Flash 10.1 to be officially offered on your HTC EVO 4G? Turns out the smart folks over at the XDA-Developers forum have come up with an APK file for the HTC EVO 4G that allows full Flash 10.1 support in the web browser. If you’ve used a device with HTC Sense, you’ll know that it sports Flash Lite, which isn’t as cool as the full Flash 10.1, so this will be welcome news to owners of selected devices. According to them, the APK only seems to work on a few HTC Sense-equipped devices, such as the HTC EVO 4G and Hero, but it could be compatible with some other devices. Are you willing to give it a try in order to get Flash 10.1 running on your Android-device? Bear in mind that you’re trying this at your own risk.

View Source

Tags: Adobe, Android, EVO 4G, Flash 10.1, HTC

Posted in Adobe, Android, HTC, Smartphones | No Comments »

HTC EVO 4G Overclocked To 1.2GHz And Beyond

While your HTC EVO 4G sports a pretty fast processor, there’s nothing stopping you from bumping the processor speed up, which is precisely what a user called Coolbho3000 did, pushing the EVO 4G beyond 1.2GHz. The files necessary to achieve this have been posted online, but it’s worth remembering that Sprint wouldn’t be too happy to hear that you’re doing this, not to mention that each processor is different, so your mileage may vary. Check out a video showcasing this overclock after the jump.

View Source

Tags: 1.2GHz, Android, Coolbho3000, EVO 4G, HTC, Overclocked, Video

Posted in Android, HTC, Smartphones, Videos | No Comments »

Sprint fires employee who leaked weak EVO 4G sales numbers

You know the backstory by now: Sprint boasted that the EVO 4G was its fastest selling phone ever a couple of days after hitting the American market, before abruptly correcting itself and admitting that the EVO’s sales were in fact in line with those achieved by the Pre last summer. What you, and we, didn’t know till now, however, is that Sprint’s self-correction was sparked off by an employee with a curious mind and posting privileges over on the xda-developers forum. On June 6, according to MobileCrunch, this unnamed hero of truthiness browsed Sprint’s internal inventory system and nailed down a figure of 65,500 sold units from Sprint’s own stores — a stat far south from what Sprint would announce a day later. That number ultimately found its way onto the message board, and though it obviously shouldn’t be taken as authoritative (or exhaustive), it was enough to get Sprint to hit the auto-correct button and part ways with the activist member of staff. Harsh.

View Source

Tags: Android, EVO 4G, HTC, Sprint

Posted in Android, HTC, Smartphones | No Comments »

HTC EVO 4G Touchstone hack adds wireless charging [Video]

We’ll be the first to admit; heavy use of the HTC EVO 4G’s WiMAX connectivity will see the battery gauge drop in short order, so anything that makes it easier to top up the juice has to be a good thing.  That’s why YouTuber infinitemods‘ DIY hack to get the Sprint EVO 4G working with a Palm Touchstone inductive charger is so impressive: it allows for easy drop-and-charge powering of the smartphone, just as you’d get with the Pre Plus or Pixi Plus.

Video demo after the cut

The inductive coil can be removed from a spare battery cover plate for the Pre, which costs $46.  That then has to be attached to the correct points on the EVO 4G’s mainboard – not, it’s worth noting, to the battery connections – with four magnets around the coil to hold the phone in place on the Touchstone itself.

The main drawbacks are that those magnets mess up the EVO 4G’s digital compass, and that – without some case reshaping – the battery cover no longer closes exactly.  According to an interview with infinitemods, there’s a tutorial as to how to hook up the inductive coil to the EVO 4G on its way.

View Source

Tags: EVO 4G, HTC, Palm Touchstone, Video, Wireless Charging

Posted in Accessories, HTC, Smartphones, Videos | No Comments »