Today Sprint announced that it would be the first carrier to offer the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system to its smartphone users, and that its HTC EVO 4G customers would be the lucky initial recipients.
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Sprint: HTC EVO 4G users getting Android 2.2 Froyo update next week
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The Droid Incredible recently had Froyo leaked, and I got my hands on it. So here it is, the Droid Incredible with 2.2.
Boot Animation:
As soon as you turn the device on, you are greeted with a fancy new boot animation. It features the specs of the device, and the Droid Incredible’s Droid eye:
Click here to view the embedded video.
Apps:
VZ Navigator, a revamped Camera app that allows you to snap a picture any way you want, be it landscape, portrait, or upside down, and a camcorder app that allows you to shoot in 720p, are just some of the changes to the apps on the Droid Incredible. Throw in an app sharing app, 3G mobile hotspot, Amazon Mp3, HTC LED Flashlight, News via RSS, the Evo’s Youtube App, and a Video gallery, and we are good to go.
VZ Navigator: Just what you would expect, Verizon Wireless Navigation. $9.99 a month for something we already have.
Camera: The camera app has been changed, so that when you rotate your phone, the icons rotate with you, allowing you to shoot photos any way you damn well please. Also, face detection has been added.
Camcorder: 720p. All I need to say. It looks absolutely stunning. About time. Also, you can record with the LED on for nighttime videos, and face detection had been added.
App Sharing: An app that allows you to share other apps via Mail, messages, and many more options.
3G mobile hotspot: Share your 3G connection with other devices, like a laptop, other phone, or a media device.
Amazon Mp3: Buy and download your favorite songs via Amazon Mp3.
HTC Flashlight: Similar to the Moto Droid’s Droidlight, this app allows you to use your phones dual-LED as a flashlight. No root required.
News: Allows you to subscribe to TalkAndroid (and other sites, but why would you need too?) via RSS feeds.
Youtube: The update also gave us the Evo’s Youtube app, which runs better than the old one.
Video Gallery: Takes you straight to your videos that you recorded in sweet, sweet 720p. Did I mention you can record in 720p?
Widgets:
Also included in the Froyo update are a bunch of new widgets.
Mail, Messaging, Contacts, Calander, Friend Stream, and News Widgets: All of these widgets are scrollable, and do just what you expect them to.
Market: A widget that show you featured apps available in the Android Market.
Sync All: Allows you to sync all of your accounts at once.
UI Changes:
No UI changes at all, with the exception of under Settings, Sound and Display are now seperate. Still no viewing Sense in landscape mode. Also, you can now set a password, pin, or pattern to unlock your screen.
Wallpapers:
One new live wallpaper, which is the Nexus Nerual Network. One color scheme. Runs great.
Speed:
As the update came with Froyo, it’s bound to be a lot faster right?
Sort of…
The reason why I don’t notice a big speed difference is because it already ran like a champ. That being said, it has improved drastically in some areas, like live wallpapers. I used to never use live wallpapers because it always slowed my device down. Not any more. This baby hauls while using the Nerual Network wallpaper, as well as all the other one’s I tried out. Bottom line: It’s still fast, and in areas where it wasn’t so fast, it is now.
Froyo Features:
Included in the update is all the Froyo features you expect: Apps2SD, Update All in the Market, and everything else. My Linpack scores wobble around the 30’s-40’s (compared to 7 before Froyo), and my Quadrant scores are about 1100 (compared to 400 before Froyo), showing the speed change that 2.2 promised us. Flash works great, and you can watch videos straight from the page you are on (no going to HTC’s Flash Player).
Battery Life
I haven’t used the device with Froyo for a whole day, but as far as I can tell, the battery life has not changed.
Wrapup:
All-in-all, the official Froyo update is going to be huge, and will keep you loving your phone for months to come. Do you have the leaked Froyo installed on your Incredible? Let us know what you think in the comments
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Droid Incredible Froyo initial impressions
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Droid Incredible Froyo initial impressions
The Sprint HTC Evo 4G will be the first carrier-branded device to get an Android 2.2 (Froyo) update. The first device (period) to get Froyo was the HTC Nexus One (AKA the “Google Phone”), but while that was subsidized to T-Mobile, it wasn’t carrier-branded as most phones are.
Sprint’s press release says that end users will get OTA notifications starting on August 3rd, with everyone covered by mid-August. However, for those who don’t want to wait, they can attempt to initiate the download by going to the Settings Menu / System Updates / HTC Software Update.
The Sprint press release didn’t say when users could start trying to do the update manually, but an earlier leaked Sprint memo seemed to indicate that the build will be ready by 12PM CDT on Friday, with “client-initiated” updates available by Friday afternoon.
The leaked memo states that the MR (maintenance release) is a “high priority for competitive reasons.” Those reasons could be the Droid X, the iPhone 4, or the Vibrant / Captivate that are definitely rivals of the Evo 4G.
The Froyo update will bring what folks are expecting from the earlier Nexus One release, that is, performance improvements, the ability to move apps to the SD card, and more, but in terms of the Evo 4G, it will also bring a bunch of new widgets, a flashlight mode for the LED flash, light-assisted 720p video, and “improvement” to the quality of video.
What say you, readers? Will you be among the “client-initiated” updaters?
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Sprint’s Evo 4G to become second device to get Froyo
Just a couple hours ago, news broke of the $99 Copia Wave5 e-reader, or tablet, or whatever you want to call a 5″ LCD-based device focused on reading. That isn’t the extent of the lineup, however: Copia has two more LCD-based tablets coming out soon, as well as two E-ink-based readers with Kindle-esque designs.
As they’ve said since their CES debut, the draw is supposed to be their unique social platform, which allows a community of readers to exchange reviews, recommendations, and so on — and although it will start as an exclusive to Copia-branded devices, they’re trying to go OEM and make the Copia service the premier social layer for e-books.
In addition to the devices I am about to go over, I am told that iPad, Windows 7, and Android apps are planned for later in the year, in addition to a browser-accessible web app. Whether the Copia app and service can survive alongside the popular Kindle app (as well as all the others, like Kobo) is difficult to say, but as I have noted, consumers want as little fragmentation as possible in their experience. This isn’t helping, as well-meaning and possibly useful as it is.
They’re trying to hook into existing social networks, which may accelerate things, but it may also accelerate the “social fatigue” we discussed. Only time will tell, and luckily Copia is backed by its parent company, DMC Worldwide, and may be able to weather the initial period of slow growth that tends to accompany social networks.
On to the devices. First is the Wave5, which was announced today sans specs. We’ll include it here for completeness’ sake. Prices are not final.
Wave5 and Wave7
5″ or 7″ capacitive touchscreen LCD (800×480)
64MB RAM and 2GB onboard storage
SD card slot
Mono speaker and 3.5mm headphone jack
Supports most audio and image formats, plus ePub, TXT, and PDF
6.7oz and 12oz respectively
MSRP: $99.99, $129.99 respectively
Ocean Color
10.1″ 16:9 capacitive multi-touch LCD (1024×600, GPU accelerated)
512MB RAM and 4GB onboard storage
SD card slot, 2xUSB 2.0
Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone and mic jacks
Tilt sensor
Wi-Fi, browser, e-mail client, IM
Supports MP3, AAC, WMA, MPEG-4 and WMV video, most image formats, plus ePub, HTML, TXT, PRC, PDF
1.12lb (18oz)
MSRP: $299.99
Tidal
6″ E-ink display (800×600, 16-stage greyscale, portrait or landscape mode)
2GB onboard storage
SD card slot
Wi-Fi (optional, $10 extra)
3.5mm headphone jack
Supports MP3, AAC, WMA, most image formats, plus ePub, HTML, TXT, PRC, PDF
9.3oz
MSRP: $149.99
Do these things stand a chance? The platform is still in beta, so I don’t want to say anything about it without giving it a shot first, but the tablets are at least competitive with existing low-cost hardware (though their processors aren’t mentioned, a bad sign). The omission of Wi-Fi from the Wave5 and Wave7 might be murder, though; for a pure e-reader, the new Kindle seems to school them. If they had e-mail and a browser, however limited, that would be a selling point against Amazon’s 900-pound (or however many pounds idiom requires) e-book gorilla. At least they’re not bad-looking, as I am forced to point out their old lineup certainly was.
The idea of a social platform for reading is slightly abhorrent to me, but then again, I don’t use Twitter, and I collect centuries-old editions of books no one else reads. I’m not the target market. Distributing these at Walmart where bestseller reading groups can see them, and creating a grassroots community that way, could be possible — but it’s tricky with all the competition out there, and the lowest-cost readers are slightly confusing in their object. Tablet or e-book device? As Amazon has observed, most books are in black and white; the benefits of color are doubtful for most users (certainly not for all).
If Copia can get a foot in the door and make their platform an OEM solution, good for them. But first they have to find the door.
Copia Plans Low-Cost 7″ And 10″ Tablets As Well As E-Ink Devices
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Built on the Android Platform, the HTC Hero for Sprint offers a rich mobile Internet experience, an intuitive user interface for extraordinary personalization power, and a full capacitive touchscreen display. With the Android smartphone platform, you’ll be able to access built-in mobile services–including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. And through Android Market, you’ll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.
Stay connected using the integrated social networking apps including Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, as well as add more apps via the Android Market.
Capture on-the-go memories with the 5.0-megapixel camera/camcorder. It also includes HTC Sense, a user interface overlay from HTC that makes it easy for you to create an individualized mobile experience tailored specifically to your needs. You’ll enjoy high-speed connectivity via
Rating: mobile services–including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. And through Android Market, you’ll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.
Stay connected using the integrated social networking apps including Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, as well as add more apps via the Android Market.
Capture on-the-go memories with the 5.0-megapixel camera/camcorder. It also includes HTC Sense, a user interface overlay from HTC that makes it easy for you to create an individualized mobile experience tailored specifically to your needs. You’ll enjoy high-speed connectivity via
Rating: mobile services–including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. And through Android Market, you’ll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.
Stay connected using the integrated social networking apps including Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, as well as add more apps via the Android Market.
Capture on-the-go memories with the 5.0-megapixel camera/camcorder. It also includes HTC Sense, a user interface overlay from HTC that makes it easy for you to create an individualized mobile experience tailored specifically to your needs. You’ll enjoy high-speed connectivity via
Rating: mobile services–including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube. And through Android Market, you’ll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.
Stay connected using the integrated social networking apps including Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, as well as add more apps via the Android Market.
Capture on-the-go memories with the 5.0-megapixel camera/camcorder. It also includes HTC Sense, a user interface overlay from HTC that makes it easy for you to create an individualized mobile experience tailored specifically to your needs. You’ll enjoy high-speed connectivity via
Rating: 
(out of 26 reviews)
List Price: $ 599.99
Price: $ 0.01
HTC Hero Android Phone (Sprint) 
Seidio Multi-Function Battery Charger for Use with HTC Droid Incredible, HTC EVO 4G, Droid Eris and Touch Pro 2 
Sprint gives us a demo of the HTC EVO 4G, a WiMax Android smartphone with HTC Sense UI, with key features including an 8-megapixel camera, 720p HD video recording and encoding, HDMI output to TV, large 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, mobile hotspot app, kickstand for multimedia consumption experience, and more. The device also has a fast Snapdragon processor. This is the smartphone to beat!
Video Rating: 4 / 5
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HTC Hero Android Phone (Sprint)