• android,  google,  sprint

    HTC EVO 4G Arrives on Sprint June 4th

    Get ready Sprint fans! The HTC EVO 4G hits store shelves on June 4th!

    Sprint issued a press release earlier today to announce the release date of their new 4G Google Android handset.

    If you were creating your dream wireless device what would it look like? Two cameras and video chat so you can say goodnight to your children when you are away on a business trip? Simultaneous voice and data, so you can call in your take-out order while you look at their menu on the Internet? The ability to plug your phone into your HDTV, so you can let your children finish the movie they started watching in the car’s backseat when you get home? And a huge screen for watching the videos you download in seconds – not minutes – with the fastest wireless data speeds available in America today? Stop daydreaming and get ready for Sprint to make your dreams come true on June 4 when the highly anticipated HTC EVO 4G debuts.

    “HTC EVO 4G is a fantastic 3G device, but when you use it in our growing 4G coverage area, it becomes a multimedia powerhouse,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “The EVO 4G experience is much like going from TV to HDTV. But EVO has more than just an impressive list of features – it is also fun to use with remarkable gaming, video and web-browsing capabilities.”

    Amazing Features, Beautiful Design

    HTC EVO 4G features the latest version of the increasingly popular Android platform, Android 2.1, offering more than 35,000 apps, as well as a mind-blowing list of features, including:

    • Simultaneous voice and data capability in 4G and Wi-Fi coverage areas, enabling Web surfing and more while the conversation continues.
    • Offering a new way to search with pictures instead of words, Google Goggles(TM) works with everything from books, DVDs and barcodes to landmarks, logos, artwork and wine labels.
    • Superfast 1GHz Qualcomm(R) Snapdragon(TM) processor, ensuring a smooth and quick movement within phone menus.
    • Two cameras – an 8.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder and a forward-facing 1.3 megapixel camera.
    • Built-in mobile hotspot functionality allowing up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to share the 3G or 4G experience on the go with a laptop, camera, music player, game unit, video player, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device.
    • Integrated HD video capture with the ability to capture and share live video via the Qik Web site, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter(TM).
    • Ability to easily watch video with the device on an HDTV via an HDMI cable (sold separately).
    • Custom Web browser optimized for the 4.3 inch display and Sprint 4G speeds to deliver a full, no-compromise Internet experience.
    • A handy kickstand built into the back, making it easy to watch videos on-the-go.
    • Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen.
    • Pinch-to-zoom and automatic text reflowing provide easy Web page views.

    HTC EVO 4G boasts the newest version of the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience. With HTC Sense, HTC EVO 4G users can use Friend Stream to aggregate multiple social communication channels, including Facebook and Twitter into one organized flow of updates; a “Leap” thumbnail view to easily switch between home screen “panels;” the ability to download new, interactive widgets; and a “polite” ringer, which quiets the ringing phone once lifted up.

    HTC EVO 4G Pricing and Availability

    HTC EVO 4G will be available in all Sprint retail channels, including Sprint.com and national retail partners, RadioShack, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Sprint will price the award-winning device at $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate (taxes excluded) with a new line activation or eligible upgrade. Pre-registration is available now at www.sprint.com/evo.

    In order to provide the best experience, HTC EVO 4G will use Sprint’s industry-leading Everything Data or Business Advantage Messaging and Data plans that include unlimited Web, texting and calling on the Sprint Network to every mobile in America with Any Mobile, Anytime. Everything Data plans start at $69.99 per month. A $10 per month Premium Data add-on will apply allowing customers to take advantage of a richer data experience than ever before.

    Additionally, an optional pricing add-on will turn HTC EVO 4G into a mobile hotspot connecting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, gaming devices and digital cameras, simultaneously at 4G speeds where available and at 3G speeds anywhere on the Sprint 3G network for just $29.99 per month – half the monthly cost of the current Mobile Broadband plan (pricing excludes surcharges and taxes).

    For more details about the Sprint HTC EVO 4G, visit the Sprint website. The full version of today’s press release can be found on the Sprint Newsroom website. Sprint has also made the EVO 4G spec sheet available.

  • android,  chrome os,  google,  verizon

    Verizon and Google Working on a Tablet

    Barron’s Tech Trader Daily is reporting that Verizon Wireless and Google are collaborating on a new tablet-based computer.

    “Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam told the Wall Street Journal that the company is working with Google on a tablet computer.

    “We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience,” he said.”

    You can read the full article, with links, on the Tech Trader Daily blog.

    [Via Barron’s Tech Trader Daily…]

  • android,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 Begins Rolling Out Today

    According to AndroidCentral.com, Verizon Wireless customers who have an HTC Droid Eris are starting to get their Android 2.1 mojo on.

    “Today was supposed to be the day of the magic for you Droid Eris owners, and it appears Verizon has kept its word, and the rollout has started. This update is scheduled over the course of two weeks, so keep checking your device for updates, and hit up the forums to see who’s got it, and what’s in the update”

    Details about what is included in the 2.1 Android update for the Eris can be found on the Verizon Wireless website.

    [Via AndroidCentral.com…]

  • android,  apple,  google,  ipad,  mac os x,  macbook pro,  mobileme,  rumors

    Rumor: Apple To Give Mobile Me Subscriptions Away

    File this under “Crazy Ass Rumor of the Week”, but if Electronista.com and MacDailyNews.com are right, Apple might be feeling some pressure from Google’s free cloud services.

    “A tentative new rumor asserts that Apple may turn MobileMe into a free service. The plan would drop the $99 annual fee and let anyone with an iPad, iPod, iPhone or Mac get the online sync service for free.”

    “Free MobileMe access would likely be a shot across the bow of Google, for whom online sync has been an inherent feature in most of its software. Android users can sync accounts and contacts for free through Google’s existing services. Apple handheld owners can already sync Google features to some extent but don’t have the live updating of more unless they use Exchange or MobileMe.”

    Personally, the only reason why I don’t have a MobileMe.com account is that I really don’t feel like paying Apple another $69-99 a year for an email account – all be it a really handy email account. If the service was made available to me for free since I own two iPods, an iPad, a MacBook, and my recently purchased 17-inch MacBook Pro, hell ya, I’d jump on MobileMe in a second. Google who?

    Until we get some more details, however, I’m going to stick with my Google Gmail and Calendar accounts.

    [Via Electronista.com…]

  • android,  droid,  google,  sprint

    Sprint to Google: We’ll Pass On the Nexus One

    The Sprint, the Now Network, told us that they, like Verizon Wireless, won’t be carrying the Nexus One smartphone either. Take that Google!

    BoyGeniusReport.com reported late yesterday afternoon that “Sprint’s PR people have let it be known that the Google Nexus One will never have a home with the Now Network. Singling out the lack of need for the handset in their portfolio thanks to the bigger, better, faster and stronger HTC EVO 4G[…]”

    [Via BGR.com…]

  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    Rumor: HTC Droid Eris 2.1 Update Coming “Soon”

    Depending on which rumor you have read, the Google Android 2.1 update for the HTC Droid Eris could be coming to Verizon Wireless customers as early as tomorrow, May 11, or as late as the end of the month. Regardless, if a report back in February from Android And Me is true, all of today’s Google Android smartphones will be getting the Android 2.1 treatment.

    I’ll give you our option: Bring on the yummy Android 2.1 goodness!

    Regardless of when the update finally becomes available, we can read about the details of the HTC Droid Eris upgrade on the Verizon website.

  • android,  blackberry,  blackberry os,  google,  rim,  treo,  verizon

    Returning to BlackBerry Nation

    Today I was issued a company phone. I had the choice of selecting either a Motorola Droid or a BlackBerry Storm2. I chose the Storm2.

    I had the chance to work with both phones late last year as I worked with a team of people to select the phone, or in this case, the phones, that would replace our aging fleet of Treo 755p smartphones for mobile email and calendaring access. At the end of the day, our team decided to support both BlackBerry OS and Google Android because we use Notify Technology’s NotifyLink middleware server. NotifyLink is a robust platform that quickly allows small and mid-size businesses to connect just about any current smartphone with just about any standards based email and calendaring platform.

    You can read my BlackBerry Storm2 and Motorola Droid reviews here on Smartphone Fanatics.
  • android,  google,  motorola,  verizon

    Moto Droid 2.1 Update: Is it Out?

    “Is it or isn’t it available yet?”, that seems to be the question that Verizon Moto Droid customers are asking.

    According to a post earlier this week on BoyGeniusReport.com, the update is available as an over the air update. If you go to the Verizon Wireless Motorola Droid support page, you see a message that the update is “coming soon.”

    On the Droid unit we have in the office, the update wasn’t showing as being available. My advice: check back often if you are a software update junkie.

  • android,  google,  sprint

    Sprint Announces the HTC Evo 4G

    Sprint and HTC Corporation today announced summer availability of the world’s first 3G/4G Android handset, HTC EVO 4G exclusively from Sprint. HTC EVO 4G delivers a multimedia experience at 4G speeds that is second to none, making it possible to download music, pictures, files, or videos in seconds – not minutes – and watch streaming video on the go with one of the largest pinch-to-zoom displays, at 4.3 inches, in the wireless industry.

    Sprint 4G offers a faster wireless experience than any other U.S. national wireless carrier, and Sprint is the only national carrier offering wireless 4G service today in 27 markets. Sprint 4G delivers download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1,giving HTC EVO 4G the fastest data speeds of any U.S. wireless device available today.

    “Sprint continues to lead the 4G revolution as we introduce HTC EVO 4G to give our customers an experience that is unlike anything available in wireless to date,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “Not only is this feature-rich device incredible on our Sprint 3G network, but Sprint 4G speeds will take mobile multimedia, including live video streaming, gaming and picture downloads, to a whole new level.”

    “HTC and Sprint have a strong history of working together to bring consumers technologies and advancements that make their lives easier,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “We believe that the HTC EVO 4G represents the best of Sprint and the best of HTC working together to bring an unmatched device to the U.S. This combination of HTC and Sprint innovation will allow people to do even more while on the go, faster than ever on the Sprint 4G network.”

    HTC Evo 4G Specifications

    Productivity

    • 3G/4G capability
    • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ QSD8650 (1GHz) processor
    • 4.3” capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom and tactile feedback
    • World-class HTML browser
    • Android 2.1
    • Google mobile services: Google Search, Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail, YouTube, and syncs with Google Calendar
    • Sprint Navigation, with turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D maps
    • Updated HTC Sense, which includes Friend Stream to integrate Facebook, Twitter and more
    • Visual voicemail
    • 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps
    • 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) – peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps

    Entertainment

    • 8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera
    • High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G and 4G data speeds
    • Capture and share HD-quality video (720p) from your phone
    • Output pictures, slides and videos in HD quality (720p) via HDMI cable (sold separately)
    • Live video sharing with Qik
    • Built-in kickstand for hands-free viewing
    • Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
    • FM radio and Amazon MP3 store
    • Sprint applications including Sprint TV and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile
    • Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
    • Built-in WiFi: 802.11 b/g
    • Digital compass, G-Sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
    • Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports up to 32GB

    Hardware Specifications

    • Dimensions: 4.8″ x 2.6″ x .5″ (LxWxT)
    • Weight: 6 ounces
    • Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors
    • Standard removable 1500mAh Lithium (Li-on) battery
    • Memory: 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM

    Pricing and Availability

    Customers will be able to purchase HTC EVO 4G through all Sprint channels and through national retail partners, RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart, this summer. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Pre-registration begins today at www.sprint.com/evo.

    You can read the full version of today’s announcement on the Sprint website.

  • android,  eris,  google,  sprint,  verizon

    Android 2.1 Update Coming to All US Android Phones

    Taylor Wimber, the skipper over at Android And Me, has posted and article stating that Google is working with carriers to release the Android Eclair 2.1 update to all of today’s existing Android powered smartphones.

    “After talking with several inside sources familiar with the matter, I would like to report that every Android phone currently released in the United States will be receiving an upgrade to Android 2.1.”

    Now for the bad news. Mr. Wimber writes:

    “Now let me cut to the bad news. Select Android phones will require a wipe when they are upgraded to Android 2.1. I actually only know of phones that will require a wipe, so it could include all of them (minus the Droid which is already on Android 2.0.1).”

    Mr. Wimber goes on to state that he believes that the update will be rolled out to Android customers in late Q2, 2010. (Translation = Could be as late as the end of June or July)

    Ok, so is a hard reset really that bad? I’m guessing that if your an Android gear head that you would rather have the official update on your phone and a reset won’t be the end of the world.

    I’m playing with a work issued Verizon HTC Droid Eris running Android 1.6 (Donut) and would like to have the newer OS so that I don’t have to worry about compatibility issues with new application software over the next 24 months.

    So how about it, Android fans? Are you ready for some “Google Goodness?”

    [Via AndroidAndMe.com…]