Word of HTC Evo 4G storage bug couldn't come at a worse time (update: OTA fix)
By Tim Stevens 
posted June 4th 2010 6:52AM
posted June 4th 2010 6:52AM
If you read our review of HTC's awe-inspiring Evo 4G, you might have noticed that we recommended ditching the paltry stock 8GB microSD card and living large by throwing in a 32GB model. We were being a wee bit facetious, but as it turns out the advice was well-founded. We're seeing reports flung far and wide across these great united internets about errors regarding "insufficient file permissions" when attempting to write to that packed-in card, others finding that the phone will simply fail to read the card altogether. Our first suspicion was bogus flash, like the counterfeit ones that plagued the Chumby, but HTC spokesman Keith Nowak indicated they have identified the cause and there's an OTA fix coming "very shortly." We know it's early, and apparently not too many of you have rolled out of bed yet to get your Evo today, but sound off in comments if you're seeing this issue as well. Meanwhile, we're trying to replicate it on ours.Update: Well, that was quick. Dre wrote in to tell us of a 13MB OTA update being pushed already, version 1.32.651.6, that looks to include a number of fixes including, apparently, a solution for this storage bug. We're hearing it also breaks the root path that dropped yesterday, but it sounds like a decent trade-off for now.
Oh well that's what happens with V1.0 products.. always pays to wait a while.
@mukatuna Or it could be that this is yet another overly hyped android phone which is going to fail
@sl86
From someone who never touch an Android I rekon.
@sl86
Shoo troll!
@sl86 No! I just composed an entire song about trolling based on 'Poker Face' and now it has disappeared!
God damn it. :( It was really good too.
@sl86
Awwww... Look at the little troll. It's so cute!
Update being pushed and supposedly an immediate fix is to simply cycle the power. lol. This is the minor-est of minor bugs. rofl
@sl86
I can only think of the Nexus One that was hyped and underperformed. If anything the Droid did far better than expected.
@gnargle
Everything happens for a reason ;)
They already have an OTA update that fixes it, this bug doesn't matter.
@mukatuna
Fuuuuuuuc
@PCG how did the nexus One under perform? Yeah there was alot of hype and no phone could live up to it but it is still running like a champ
I just did the OTA update. I wonder if Pandora will stop crashing now.
I like the EVO, but the web browser isn't as smooth as the iPhone's. It is a little harder getting it to register what links I am trying to click on.
{ don't kill me) I also don't like having to press an extra button to switch between browser windows. iPhone is Click, Swipe, Click. EVO is Click, Click, Swipe and Click. { minor, but why the extra click }
Used both today, the battery in the EVO does seem to go faster than the iPhone.
I've read the fix is to simply format the card using the phone.
@phalcon
Yeah. I have a *really* hard time believing that this isn't an easy DIY fix. If a new memory card works fine, it's clear the problem is with the card itself, not with the phone. There should be no reason you can't completely wipe the card that comes with the phone -- on a computer as a last resort, if necessary, but thru the phone's interface would be even easier.
HA i havent slept since wednesday... This really sucks, but i have 16gb on my HD2 so im just fine thank you
HTC still screams 'second-rate' to me. They can tout all the specs they want, but their workmanship, build quality, and materials are still light years behind Apple.
@Dugan Edwards said by someone who clearly hasnt used an HTC phone in the last 3 years...
@Dugan Edwards
Really? Do this with your iPhone. I dare you.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/07/watch-nexus-one-get-built-then-beaten-mercilessly/
Oh, and make a video too! :D
@Dugan Edwards Kiss steve jobs ass much? What about the poor radio in th eoriginal iPhone, or the crappy cracking cases on the 3G? Or the dodgy lock button that break safter about 6 moths?
Every tech product has problems, Apple is no better than anyone else...
@Dugan Edwards
You must not have a job where you get to see all of the issues with iPhones once they hit a few months old. There are days where 3 or 4 people in a row are defective iPhones. The HTC devices vie used have been pretty solid.
@SteveyAyo I have used a nexus one and it's junk compared to the iPhone. The back is made out of this super slick plastic, the screen is plastic instread of glass, and the center of the screen would appear pink instead of white when it heated up from use.
@vidoardes Hey, iwhore....check your warranty tabs...are they red? Over in the uk a survey found out a high number of iphone users has red tabs=warranty void (tabs go red to show water damage) basically sweat could cause this to happen and apple do sweet fanny adams to fix 'em lol!!
@vidoardes
Not to include the widely known hairline body cracks reported through all iphone generation.
@Shalabi you should get the HD2, youd never look at an iphone again
@Dugan Edwards
hmmm, speaking of iphone's manufacturers....
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_24/b4182035750226.htm
I wonder if any of the workers driven to suicide due to poor working conditions in an attempt to minimize production costs worked on your iphone.
@Dugan Edwards My iPod Touch's seal around the screen is starting to crumble, the lock button has broken so the only way is to set it to auto sleep and leave it and my volume rokr can only turn the volume down. It's only a little over a year old and i've never treated it roughly; if this is any indication of iPhone quality and general Apple quality as a whole then they're probably the worst company I've ever witnessed build quality wise...
@rawbros You know that FoxxConn makes stuff for everybody right? Just that saying "Iphone maker" get more hits than "PS3 & Wii Maker"
@Dugan Edwards
That's funny, I'd believe that if I didn't see all the people on the New York city subway with cracked or shattered iPhone screens.
@iucidium
Wasn't that just London due to all the fog and rain ? ;-)
@eliotw nope, it was featured on 'Watchdog' a UK consumer show, this show also showed a fix for yellow light of death on ps3's
Update is already available! It's popping up on Evo screens already!
@MarqBland Samsung could learn a thing or two from them...
@juanvaldez Motorola can learn tons from them
Milestone
c'mon engadget... an update is already being pushed out.
http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc-evo-4g/15249-evo-ota-update-already-pics.html
@dre3k2 well that was insanely fast... well done HTC
It seems so wrong to leave my palm pre in the dust and get the evo... but it just feels so right!
Heading to the shack now!
The update is out!!!!!!!
The only way to fill those 32gb storage card is to shoot yourself in the mirror looking back at you... Naked.
Well i still would like to have it here in France... we're stuck with the N1, which just arrived with a carrier contract, and the desire...
Yeah, that was fast! HTC must have been watching the blog activity on this. Thats a good sign for the future.
I just got my EVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO yayy at a radioshack before work
I've been following this issue for a few days since the first hint of it happening with the EVO was glazed over in Techcrunch's review - I recognized the symptoms he described in the error message almost immediately. There is good reason to believe this is not centralized to the EVO. Anyone interested should take a gander at this informational thread: http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/05/29/is-htc-evo-4g-about-to-be-launched-with-a-massive-defect-in-the-included-8gb-microsd-card/
I'm not a betting man, and I hope I'm wrong, but I'm willing to guess this update is not the last you'll hear about this issue. Well, off to pick up my EVO.
I get this ALL THE TIME on my HTC Desire using the 4GB MicroSD card it came with. It's very, very annoying.
So Sprint does OTA updates now....impressive! I would have loved an EVO on Verizon. But the little brother Incredible is doing just fine.
HTC has no luck with memory cards. My HTC Desire had problems too with the card that came in the box. I switched it and it seems to be ok now...
@kozjegyzo it is not HTC. I blame SanDisk. Their men cards fail on me all the time. I try to stick with Kingston or OCZ.
@DeEeEe Don't get me wrong it's not HTC I'm blaming. They just had bad luck with their supplier. They should switch to Kingston you are right. That's the brand I'm using in my device right now.
I heard that the fix is to buy an iPhone
@malus
I also heard that the only cure from the iphone is to buy one and chuck it at the nearest ifan.
@malus
Why? So you can have a whole host of alternate issues like cracked screens and broken home buttons?
Come on now, I'm no fanboy for either side but don't sit here and act like this is the first company to have a hardware/software issue when they are first released. Apple is not even exempt from this as they've had their fair share of problems with their device. You definitely have to hand it to Sprint/HTC, they rolled that update out pretty qik.