• android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    Verizon HTC Droid Eris OTA Update Still Rolling Out

    July 24, 2010 /

    I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve finally received my upgrade noticed for the MR4 Android update for my Verizon HTC Droid Eries. Android Central reported that the update began to trickle out to customers starting last week.

    MR4 is a maintenance release that addresses the “silent call” issues with the Eris and other minor fixes. The update weighs in at just under 13MB and will take about 30 minutes to install on your device from the time you start the download to the time you finish installing the update.

    You can check for the update by going to Settings > About Phone > System updates.

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  • android,  apple,  google,  ios,  iphone,  itunes

    For Apple, Google, the Stakes Are Sky High

    July 10, 2010 /

    Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android platform are on top of the smartphone world right now.

    Any one who has been watching both Apple’s and Google’s rise in the smartphone, music, and video businesses knows that the two tech titans are headed for a high stakes showdown in the sky.

    Apple’s approach to smartphones, and the entire iTunes ecosystem, is a walled garden that takes care of your every need; as long as you are using iTunes on your Mac or PC and an iDevice running iOS 3 or 4. Google, following in Microsoft’s desktop footsteps, has flung open the doors to their Android operating system and allows anyone with the ambition and the know-how to develop a new phone or develop applications for their smartphone platform.

    For both companies, streaming content over the Internet, or the “Cloud” as some like to say, is the next battleground for the hearts, minds, and dollars of gadget lovers across the globe.

    A recent online Baron’s Technology Trader column, How a Droid Could Eat Apple’s Lunch” talks about how Google’s and Apple’s approach to “locking” customers into their ecosystems have taken divergent paths toward the same goal. Right now, Apple is sitting pretty as the undisputed king of the kill. The number of Android smartphones being put on the market is staggering when compared to the number of carriers selling the iPhone, which is only available from Apple.

    It’s hard to say who will be the winner of this show down. Barron’s columnist Mark Veverka writes:

    “There are other reasons why Android is gaining momentum. Many Silicon Valley veterans envision Apple’s repeating the mistakes it made during the rollout of its first personal computers, when it chose to keep a closed proprietary system over a more pervasive operating system pushed by IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC). The WinTel collaboration took Apple to the brink of bankruptcy, and some fear that Apple is going down the same path with the iOS. “Android attacks Apple at its weakest point, which is its walled-garden ecosystem[.]”

    You can read the full article on Barron’s website.

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  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 Update Rolling Out

    May 17, 2010 /

    The HTC Droid Eris update has finally started rolling out to Verizon customers this past Sunday. A message from a Verizon Twitter account indicated that the update would become available yesterday.

    The Android 2.1 update is an Over the Air (OTA) update that you apply to your Eris without having to connect it to your computer. When the update becomes available for your Eris, an Update Available icon will appear at the top left of your screen. Once you download the update installer, you will be prompted to restart your phone and the update will be installed.

    For more details about the Google Android 2.1 update for the HTC Droid Eris, check out the Verizon Wireless support website.

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  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 by May 16th

    May 13, 2010 /

    I just saw the following Tweet by @VZWTechSupport:

    “Droid Eris users should expect 2.1 updates by Sunday 5/16.”

    That’s good news because I’ve had my Eris on all day and I keep getting the message “Your system is currently up to date” when I run the manual check.

    Well, at least I have something to look forward to playing with on Sunday afternoon.

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  • android,  google,  sprint

    HTC EVO 4G Arrives on Sprint June 4th

    May 13, 2010 /

    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.

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  • android,  chrome os,  google,  verizon

    Verizon and Google Working on a Tablet

    May 11, 2010 /

    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…]

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  • android,  eris,  google,  verizon

    HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 Begins Rolling Out Today

    May 11, 2010 /

    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…]

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

    Rumor: Apple To Give Mobile Me Subscriptions Away

    May 11, 2010 /

    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…]

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  • android,  droid,  google,  sprint

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

    May 11, 2010 /

    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…]

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  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    Rumor: HTC Droid Eris 2.1 Update Coming “Soon”

    May 11, 2010 /

    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.

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