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HTC Mobile Sprint

HTC EVO Shift 4G Specs Leaked On Wal-Mart Website

LetsTalk.com; a Wal-Mart partner has published complete specifications and features of the HTC EVO Shift 4G phone – whose details have remained only rumors until now. Interestingly, while this looks like the company published these details inadvertently, the EVO Shift page is yet to be pulled. HTC or Sprint is expected to unveil this new HTC EVO model with a physical keyboard on the sidelines of Consumer Electronics Show this week.

The EVO Shift 4G will be carried by Sprint and will come with a 3.7″ capacitive touchscreen display, Android 2.2 OS and up to 32GB of microSD expansion. Other details include an 8-megapixel camera and up to 312 minutes of talktime and support for 4G WiMax.

You can check out the complete details here (mirror). As always, do let us know your views on this upcoming HTC handset in the comments below.

HTC Sprint EVO Shift 4G

Categories
Gadgets Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Player Features Revealed

Samsung has confirmed that they shall be unveiling their new Galaxy Player during the Consumer Electronics Show next week. The Samsung Galaxy Player (codenamed YP-GB1) is likely to be to Galaxy S what iPod Touch is to the iPhone. All specifications are reportedly inspired from Galaxy S.

According to reports, the new  Galaxy Player shall run Android 2.2 out of the box and will feature a 1GHz processor, a 4-inch Super-Clear LCD screen (not Super AMOLED) that will support 800×480 pixel WVGA resolution. Other features include a 3.2-Megapixel rear facing camera, a front-facing VGA camera, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, a micro-SD card slot and a 1200 mAh removable battery.

The features also indicate that the Galaxy Player could support popular tools like video calling and GPS navigation. The price of the device is rumored to be €200 (in France at least) and there are likely to be three storage variants that will offer 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities.

Categories
Mobile Samsung

Samsung Epic 4G Android 2.2 Update Release On December 26?

A screenshot of an internal memo that is doing the rounds across the blogosphere has hinted at an imminent arrival of a FroYo update for Samsung Epic 4G devices. From what we hear, Samsung Epic 4G users are likely to receive an Over-the-Air update on December 26 that will let them upgrade to Android 2.2.

In case you are not aware, Android 2.2 will bring a number of new features including the ability to install applications on external storage cards, enhanced Bluetooth support & voice dialing and offers Adobe Flash 10.1 compatibility. The screenshot also reveals that the update will bring enhancements to the GPS functionality on the Epic 4G.

Samsung Epic 4G

The OS update is expected to roll out to all users over a four day period with those handsets running Android 2.1 receiving priority over the others. For what it’s worth, the screenshot informs us that 67% of Epic 4G users have Android 2.1 installed on their handset.

Categories
Gadgets

Hack NOOKcolor To Install Android 2.2 Now

If you own a Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor, it is now time to turn the eReader into a full fledged tablet device. Following the successful rooting of the NOOKcolor eReader late last month, hackers have now been able to successfully port Android 2.2 to the eReader. These developers have released a demo of the hacked NOOKcolor that you can find embedded below.

If you are looking to carry out the trick yourself, we must warn you that this procedure is still pretty raw. What this means is that there is still no one tap installation procedure available as yet. Those who want to install FroYo will have to compile the OS besides carrying out a number of complicated procedures before seeing Android 2.2 installed on your NOOKcolor. It should then go without saying that this is absolutely risky and not worth carrying out unless you are a geek yourself.

Look out for the instructions here and let us know if you hit on a roadblock somewhere during the process.

Categories
Gadgets Software and Apps

Fix For FroYo Update On Dell Streak Causing Performance Lags Available

Earlier this month, Dell started rolling out the new Android 2.2 update to its Streak tablet customers. Apparently, the update has resulted in a number of users reporting slowness and performance lags. If you are one of the affected users, here is some good news – a fix for the performance lag is now available albeit unofficially.

Folks at the XDA developers forum have released a few files that could speed up the performance of the Dell Streak so that it performs at the speed it should. The process does not seem to involve overclocking the processors which means it is not exactly a hack but is just a fix to the reported problems.

This update installs custom kernel, custom build.prop and performance tweaking post_boot.sh script.
It will not erase your system, userdata or anything else. It just replaces some files.

You can find the updates from the XDA forum thread here. Do check them out and let us know if it helped.

Categories
Mobile

Now Buy Unlocked Dell Streak With FroYo Online

Dell has announced that American customers willing to purchase an unsubsidized Dell Streak directly from the manufacturer can now do so from the company’s website. The unlocked phone will come at a price of $549.99 and will include a 16GB microSD card slot.

Just like what we had noted in our article earlier this month, this unlocked Dell Streak phone will run on Android 2.2 straight out of the box. However, before you get all too excited, here are some pointers to note. Firstly, only 3G bands from the AT&T network seem to be recognized at the moment.

What this means is that while you can indeed buy a T-Mobile SIM for your Streak, you may have to make do with their 2G/EDGE network for wireless internet access. Not really a great option if you are quite particular about accessing high speed internet on the go.

Categories
android Mobile

Install Android 2.2.1 On Droid X With New Hack

The latest version of FroYo is not available for Motorola Droid X users yet. But if you are of the restless variety and need to get it sooner, a leaked version of Android 2.2.1 that can be installed on Droid X handsets is now available. Of course, since this is not official, you will need to root your Android phone first which, as you should be aware already, is fraught with risks and so will need you to proceed at your own risk.

Even if you are successfully rooted, the Android 2.2.1 installation comes without an SBF file which means there is no way to go back to the original state should something go wrong. So proceed to the following steps only at the risk of bricking your phone. No guarantees here.

To start with, you will need to download the source file from the link here. Once this is done, download the file and copy it to your SD card. Use the instructions mentioned here to bootstrap the recovery and reboot it. After you complete this, navigate to “mount and storage” and pick format system & mount /system.

Now tap the power button of your phone once to return 1-Menu option. Here, select install zip from sdcard -> choose zip from sdcard. Pick the Blur.zip file that was downloaded to the SD card to proceed.

This will complete the process. The Droid X will now reboot to the new Blur and Android version.

Categories
Google Mobile Software and Apps

Edit Google Docs On iPhone, iPad & Android Soon

A few months ago, I had written about an iPhone application called iGoogDocs. The application enabled one simple task – the ability to edit your Google Docs on the move from your iPhone. This was still pretty nifty since the official Google Docs applications did not allow this functionality over mobile phones.

That could change soon though. The company has announced a new version of Google Docs for mobile shall be launching soon that will make it possible for users to edit their documents on the move. This shall be a web application which means users can access it over their mobile browser and shall be rolled out to English speaking users across the world on Android 2.2, iPhone and iPad. Support for other languages are coming soon though it is not clear when the feature will be enabled for other platforms.

You can check out a demo of the new Google Docs application in the video below.

Categories
Mobile

Unlocked Dell Streak With Android 2.2 To Launch In USA

Those of you looking to get an unlocked SIM-free version of the Dell Streak in the United States may have to wait for just a few more weeks to get your prayers answered. Dell has announced that they shall soon be coming up with such unlocked units for US customers shortly. What more, these handsets are expected to run on Android 2.2 out of the box which is a relief considering that the early adopters of this mega-smartphone or mini-tablet – whatever pleases you better – had to contend with Android 1.6 until now.

You will remember an announcement from earlier this week that noted that Android 2.2 will be coming to Dell Streak starting in the UK by the end of this month followed shortly by its roll out to other parts of the world, including the United States. In all likelihood then, these unlocked Dell Streak handsets should be released just about the same time as Android 2.2 becomes available for the current users in the United States.

Categories
Mobile

Official Android 2.2 Update For Dell Streak Coming This Month

Last month, we reported that a full-build FroYo Android 2.2 update was available for download on Dell Streak. That however was unofficial and required users to root their handsets. Now, if you have not hacked into your handset yet, you would rather wait for an official release now. Dell UK has announced that the Streak users in the United Kingdom will start receiving an OS update by the end of this month. The company wrote on the Facebook page,

“#DellStreak will begin a rollout of the 2.2 update OTA before the end of Nov. This is happening over a period of time and staggered by region, starting in the UK.You will receive notification of the update directly on your Streak. If you don’t see it before the end of Nov, please be patient as your build may be happening at a later stage.”

The rollout is initially planned for the UK market. But do expect the same to happen elsewhere like in the United States soon after.