supersonic
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Supersonic Green Machine sends greetings from the future
While many of us are busy debating the relative merits of pocket-sized technology, NASA is mulling over ideas on a much grander scale. Submitted as part of the Administration's research into advanced aeronautics, the above Lockheed Martin-designed aircraft is just one vision of how air travel might be conducted in the future. It's a supersonic jet employing an inverted-V engine-under-wing configuration, which apparently helps to significantly reduce the resultant sonic boom. Other than that, we're only told that "other revolutionary technologies" will provide for the achievement of range, payload and environmental goals. So that snazzy paintjob wasn't just for show, after all -- who'd have guessed?
EVO 4G gets 802.11n WiFi by changing two lines of code
The EVO 4G has a lot of weight in the smartphone arena thanks to WiMAX and that 4.3-inch screen, but though its Broadcom BCM4329 silicon also technically supports 802.11n WiFi over 2.4GHz, the protocol was disabled for some reason. Thankfully it's just a matter of ten characters to enable greater throughput, as the fine folks at xda-developers recently discovered. Better yet, you don't even have to edit those characters yourself -- if your EVO's nice and rooted and the word "brick" doesn't inspire fear, you'll find instructions and flash-ready ZIP files at our source link.
HTC has fix in the works for EVO 4G screen sensitivity; separation problems are minor
We've just been tipped off on a couple feel-good items for EVO 4G owners that should end your Friday on a bright note: The glass separation issues are real, but said to be super minor and have no effect on the usability of the phone apart from a nearly imperceptible "give" to the touch. That said, HTC has made some assembly changes that should reduce or eliminate the problem going forward, and it'll keep an eye on the situation. This is really interesting: the screen sensitivity problems are also real and are apparently far more prevalent in arid climates, but it can be fixed with a software patch alone. That patch will be rolling out to EVOs soon. See? Told you it was feel-good news. More on this stuff as we get it.
HTC EVO 4G gets hacked Froyo port, Sense UI be damned
You know what happens when you give EVO 4Gs to a room full of some of the brightest developers the world has to offer? Well, [expletive] is going to go down, that's what -- so it comes as little surprise that the phone's already been blessed with a seemingly functional Froyo port, even though neither the phone nor the operation system have even seen a public release yet. The largest distribution of the EVO so far has come at the hands of Google itself, which provided the Android 2.1- and Sense-equipped handsets to attendees of its recent IO conference; a timely upgrade to Android 2.2 has unquestionably been a big sticking point for would-be buyers, though, so it's good to see that early owners are already hard at work making this happen. Root is naturally required for the 2.2 port to work -- and there will undoubtedly be some hurdles to overcome to make this totally usable -- but we have full faith in these lovely wunderkinds. Follow the break for video evidence of a Froyo'd EVO in the wild.
HTC EVO 4G review
As a mobile platform, the EVO 4G's Android foundation is still an infant -- well, okay, perhaps it's a tweener -- but in its two-odd years in the public spotlight, the list of truly revolutionary devices to use it has been a significant one: the G1 for being the first to market; the Nexus One for ushering in a new (and subsequently killed) retail model; perhaps the CLIQ for introducing Motorola to the platform or the Droid for bringing the company some desperately needed, long overdue success. For the moment, anyway, a whopping fraction of the world's most important phones are running Google's little experiment. Needless to say, Sprint, HTC, and quite frankly, many of us have come to expect the EVO 4G to join that short list for some obvious reasons. Put simply, its magnificent list of specs reads as though it was scribbled on a napkin after a merry band of gadget nerds got tipsy at the watering hole and started riffing about their idea of the ultimate mobile device: a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, HDMI-out, and WiMAX compatibility. Of course, the list of potential deal-breakers for a phone is as long as the EVO 4G's display is wide; to put it another way, there are countless ways HTC, Sprint, or even Google could've screwed this thing up. So does this moderately intimidating black slab of pure engineering and marketing -- this high-profile bet on Sprint's future -- deliver the goods? Read on. %Gallery-93334%
Sprint selling HTC EVO 4G on June 4 for $199
Everyone's favorite WiMAX-powered Android device finally has a date and a price, and you don't have terribly long to wait: June 4 is the date that you'll want to be lining up outside your local Sprint store for an EVO 4G, $199 in hand (assuming you're signing up for a new contract, of course -- according to the fine print, the full cost is $450 before all discounts). Interestingly, Sprint has specifically called out that you'll be able to video chat (remember, the EVO 4G has a front-facing cam) over both 3G and 4G using Qik -- not a bad choice, considering the company's well-established expertise with streaming live video out of handsets. Unfortunately, there's a downside to all this: customers will be paying a mandatory (as confirmed to us by Sprint reps) $10 per month "Premium Data add-on" on top of their plan -- ostensibly for the privilege of enjoying WiMAX when they're in a Sprint 4G market -- and the 8-device WiFi hotspot feature runs an extra $29.99 a month, which Sprint is quick to point out is half what you'd pay for a dedicated mobile broadband account. As we saw at CTIA, the phone is the first to offer on-phone YouTube high quality video, a feature that automatically kicks in when you're in the sweet confines of a WiMAX tower. Oh, and check this out: Sprint was hesitant to commit to offering simultaneous voice and data before, but HTC must've worked out the kinks, because it's all systems go -- you'll be able to yap and browse on 4G at the same time. We're at the EVO 4G's announcement in New York as we type, and we can tell you that everything Sprint is demoing is crazy fast -- we'd expect no less from an WiMAX device with a 1GHz Snapdragon -- and we're particularly stoked to see them demo Need For Speed Shift on it, which will be launching on Android around the same time as the device. Follow the break for Sprint's full press release! Update: According to Phone Scoop, that $10 premium add-on has the benefit of no data cap for either WiMAX or 3G connections. Since we're on the subject of updates, have you seen our bevy of new EVO 4G videos yet? Update 2: Starting today, Best Buy is accepting pre-orders for the device, and per usual, they won't require you to wait for the mail-in rebate -- it's just $199.99 straight-up on contract. Thanks, all!
HTC EVO 4G earns FCC's blessing, WiMAX and all
Looking at hundreds of FCC documents each and every week, it's pretty difficult for us to get too excited about any particular filing, but there are two words that do it for us each and every time: "LTE" and "WiMAX." In this case, the latter word caught our eye all throughout the filing for HTC model PC36100, which runs WiMAX on Sprint's (and Clearwire's) 2500MHz band alongside the standard suite of CDMA bands with EV-DO. In other words, folks, yes -- it's true -- you're looking at the frickin' EVO 4G for Sprint. There's not much to see here, really; it's still under confidentiality for the external photos, but at least they've cleared that all-important FCC hurdle on the way to retail, which will be... soon, Sprint? Right? Please?%Gallery-92549%
Sprint contest promises ten lucky jerks HTC EVO 4Gs before everyone else
You know what they say about Sprint Premier, the carrier's VIP program for loyal customers: membership has its privileges. Actually, that's the tagline for something completely unrelated, but we think it certainly applies here -- especially now that we've learned that Premier peeps have been invited to apply to win an EVO 4G before the superphone's general release. It's not as simple as dropping your name in a hat, though: you've got to tell Sprint in at least 150 words what you can do "really fast," presumably with the goal of making the judges laugh, cry, and generally love you. Ten winners will be notified on May 18 that they've been selected, at which point you'll get a phone, a year of free service, and a job as a blogger on an official Sprint site about your experiences with the handset through August 31 (hopefully using a contest management system that's compatible with Eclair's not-always-awesome browser). What's more, four of those ten will get "long summer weekend" trips to a Sprint 4G-enabled city; it's not Venice by any stretch, but hey, the EVO's the important thing here, right? [Thanks, nickb]
HTC Droid Incredible shows up on official Verizon preview page -- coming April 29th (updated)
Official announcements be damned -- Verizon's just thrown up a "coming soon" preview page for the HTC Incredible. While we didn't necessarily need any more evidence this guy was real -- we've read its user's manual, we've spied shots of it in Verizon's system, and we've seen it in the wild enough times to sketch it quickly from memory with our eyes closed -- it's still exciting news to know that the inevitable unleashing of this beast is nearly upon us. Update: They've changed up this page already (as you can see from our updated image) -- giving us the date of April 29th. And yes, they're calling it the Droid Incredible. Update 2: You'll want to hit the read more and check out some photographic evidence of the Incredible making its way to T-Mobile via Costco stores -- it appears to be showing up in inventories now -- we'll keep you posted. Update 3: And now the website is password protected. That's okay: we know what it said. [Thanks, Ryan and James]
HTC EVO 4G is Sprint's Android-powered knight in superphone armor, we go hands-on
We've been rumoring a WiMAX "HTC Supersonic" for a while now, and Sprint just dropped the hard news: the phone will be dubbed the HTC EVO 4G, will be released this Summer and it's easily the best specced phone we've ever witnessed. The hardware is of quite obvious HD2 descent, but with Android onboard and some nice aesthetic tweaks, the EVO 4G takes on a life of its own. The handset is centered around a 480 x 800 4.3-inch TFT LCD, with a Snapdragon QSD8650 1GHz processor under the hood (the CDMA version of the QSD8250 in the HD2 and Nexus One), and even a helpful 1GB of built-in memory and 512MB of RAM -- hello app storage! Even the battery is bigger than the HD2, and the camera is an 8 megapixel monstrosity with flash, that's capable of 720p video, and is augmented by a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera for good measure. The phone features HDMI out (though you'll need an adapter for turning it into a TV-familiar HDMI plug), 802.11b/g WiFi, and an 8GB microSD card. There's that still-rare Android 2.1 underneath an updated version of HTC's Sense UI. But... despite all these wild features, what actually sets the EVO 4G apart is the fact that it's Sprint's first 4G phone. The handset runs a combo of EV-DO Rev. A and WiMAX, with calls still being made over CDMA and the EV-DO / WiMAX options for data. Interestingly, it sounds like concurrent data and voice use might be possible for the first time on CDMA carrier in this way (killing AT&T's well-advertised differentiator), though Sprint says that's still in the testing phase. One other new feature is the Sprint hotspot app, another MiFi-style connection sharing number, which is obviously aided greatly by the WiMAX on board and can support up to eight concurrent users. Follow after the break for our hands-on impressions and videos of the phone in action, including an up-close-and-personal test of the touchscreen keyboard. Below you'll find galleries of the phone by its lonesome and up against the Nexus One and iPhone 3G. Update: We've got a graph comparing the Nexus One and Droid with the EVO spec for spec, and there's also a pictorial shootout with the Desire and HD2. Pick your comparo poison! %Gallery-88840% %Gallery-88836% %Gallery-88834%
Sprint to announce 'groundbreaking new device' (HTC Supersonic?) tomorrow
Sprint Premier customers are being treated to a rather tantalizing account alert tonight: "Visit us tomorrow for an exciting announcement about a groundbreaking new device." No other details provided, but if we had to make an educated guess, we'd say all signs are pointing towards HTC's Supersonic, the long-rumored WiMAX smartphone with a 4.3-inch screen and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. A 4G device would certainly fit the billing as "groundbreaking," and we've already heard of plans to unveil the phone at CTIA, which officially kicks off tomorrow. A web chat transcript found on the Sprint Community seems to corroborate, but we can't at this point verify the validity of the screen capture. You can view the entirety of the purported web chat after the break. If we do wake up tomorrow to a shiny, large-screened WiMAX phone, care to take bets on what Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is gonna talk up in his Wednesday keynote? [Thanks, Jackson R and Aggrey J]
HTC A9292 'Supersonic' shows up in another inventory listing
It's anyone's guess whether we'll see this mythical Supersonic from HTC show up at CTIA next week (wouldn't that be awesome?), but a phone identified as the HTC A9292 has recently made an appearance in yet another internal system which can't be a bad sign. As a refresher, the A9292 is popularly believed to be the Supersonic, a 4.3-inch Android-powered beast for Sprint that could become one of the carrier's very first WiMAX-enabled phones. This time around, the phone's turned up in a warehouse portal used by indirect third-party dealers, which would seem like a sign that they're getting ready to distribute these bad boys; hopefully we'll know all in just a few days' time out in Vegas. Stay tuned. [Thanks, Onyoursix]
F-35B supersonic jet's first mid-air hover (video)
VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) is no great shakes in a wargadget these days -- and a craft like the F-35B, with its short-take off and vertical-landing capabilities might be even less shocking -- but jets that stop whatever they're doing mid-air to just hover awhile? That's another story entirely. The $83 million-plus, supersonic stealth jet did just that yesterday, according to Lockheed Martin. The flight began with a conventional takeoff and the aircraft hit about 200 knots before the pilot switched her into STOVL, culminating in a zero airspeed hover 150 feet above the runway. This is the first "mid-air hover" by the aircraft, and if development continues at the pace most of these programs do it should see active service sometime around Engadget's 25th birthday. Video after the break.
WiMAX-enabled HTC Supersonic rumored to debut on Sprint at CTIA
There's hardly anything here that we didn't already know, but an unveiling date of "next week" sure catches our eye. A new report over at The Wall Street Journal confirms earlier details that were fed to us over Sprint's first-ever WiMAX smartphone, and now we're learning that the HTC Supersonic will be officially revealed to the world at CTIA next week. We've heard before that the carrier anticipates selling a 4G phone "this summer," but you can bet we'll be digging for a hard ship date and price tag when we hit the scene in Las Vegas in just five short days. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC Supersonic meets Mr. Blurrycam, leaves us wanting more (video)
Being drip-fed information on the HTC Supersonic is unlikely to be as pleasant an experience as actually having one, but it's all we can do to fill the time until this beast of a phone finally makes its official debut (probably on Sprint). Today's appearance shows what looks to be a majorly insecure Mr. Blurrycam sporting gloves and gingerly handling a handset purporting to be HTC's latest and greatest. We're mostly treated to a sight of the back, which is white as our first (and most trusted) tipster had seen, and gives us a grainy first look at the camera and speaker grill arrangement. Check out the video after the break. As a bonus, we've found another source for the earlier Supersonic video -- you know, the one that got yanked from YouTube twice -- and have embedded it as well, go get them both while they're still around. [Thanks, Andy]
HTC Supersonic (or Incredible) spotted on video?
It's impossible to say with certainty what we're looking at here, but by all appearances, this is likely the first time most of you (and all of us) have seen HTC's so-called Supersonic on video. As a refresher, this is the phone rumored to be rocking Android, WiMAX, and pretty much every other spec line item you could possibly want for a date with destiny on Sprint later this year -- and while you can't make out much from the 40-second video, you can clearly make out the red earpiece grill we've seen in past pictures, suggesting that this isn't the similarly-equipped Incredible we've heard of for Verizon. Anyhow, care to get dinner and a movie sometime this Summer, Supersonic? Follow the break for the full video. Update: ...and that was quick! Video's been pulled, but if it's any consolation, there's not much more to it than the screen grab above. We'll leave the video after the break just in case it comes back online. Update 2: New video posted after the break! Yay! Also, commenters have astutely noted that there appears to be some sort of nav pad at the bottom of the phone, something the Supersonic lacks -- so perhaps this is the Incredible after all, or a third Android superphone out of HTC. Clearly, we're not complaining if that's the case.
Sprint promises its first WiMAX handset by this summer, could be the Supersonic
The life of a gadget lover tends to involve a lot of waiting, so it's always nice to be surprised by a roadmap getting shorter rather than longer. Sprint has told Forbes that its very first WiMAX phone will be arriving in the first half of this year, which will be somewhat earlier than many had expected. We're likely talking about that A9292 "bar handset" from HTC that was spotted in January, as Forbes goes on to note that it's likely to be a HTC-built Android device. The aptly-titled Supersonic seems like the obvious, albeit unconfirmed, prime candidate here. Further word from Paget Alves, Sprint's president of Business Markets, indicates that businesses and government agencies might be the first adopters, which must mean whatever handset's being discussed will be at least somewhat business-friendly. Finally, CEO Dan Hesse himself is cited as saying Sprint will be bringing out "dozens of devices" with embedded WiMAX this year, so even if you don't like the first one, there should be plenty of options come the holidays. [Thanks, Douglas]
HTC Supersonic maybe rendered, matches up with leaks so far
Okay, look, we're not saying it's unpossible for someone with some incredible Illustrator skill to have thrown this together after seeing the supposed leak last night -- there are definitely plenty of talented people out there with far too much time on their hands. That being said, this matches up perfectly with everything we know and everything we've been told so far, so even if it is fake, it probably gives us some good insight into what Sprint's terrifying beast of a phone is going to look like up close. The Supersonic is said to have a 4.3-inch display and WiMAX alongside Sense -- so if it's all true, we strongly suggest other carriers be ready to step up their Android game. Any other leaks care to step forward today? [Thanks, Silver]
HTC Supersonic for Sprint possibly spotted in the very, very ugly wild
We've seen our fair share of unattractive leak photos in our day -- Mr. Blurrycam is an extraordinarily busy, well-traveled individual, after all -- but this might very well take the cake. What we see here is allegedly the first live shot of HTC's killer Supersonic for Sprint, a phone that we've heard would feature HD2-like specs in an HD2-like shell: 4.3-inch display, fast processor, and an unbelievably thin body, to be specific. Where the Supersonic allegedly goes off the beaten path, though, is with the inclusion of Android 2.1 with Sense and WiMAX, perfect for Sprint's budding 4G network. The site that's leaked the photo also says we can expect an FM radio and a 1GHz clock on that Snapdragon plus a kickstand, something we'd heard before. It's still not much to go on, but the fact that we're this close to falling in love with a phone that we can barely make out through thick artifacting, censoring, and a dirty camera lens really says something, doesn't it? Stay tuned -- we're hopeful the leaks are going to start flowing fast and furious on this one. [Thanks, Jackson R.] Update: They've posted closeups of the original shot without the masking -- still not mega high-quality, but getting better. We're not convinced it's real, but we're certainly not convinced it's fake, either. Update 2: Our trusted tipster (the one that tipped us off to the Supersonic's existence in the first place) tell us that this is, in fact, the real deal. We'll take two, please. Update 3: And finally it appears in the clear -- image updated above.
HTC 'Supersonic' to ring in WiMAX on Sprint, Android-style
Remember that mysterious HTC A9292 with WiMAX rumored for Sprint a few days back? Well, take a seat, folks -- we think we've got the lowdown on it here from a trusted source, and it's a bit of a monster: Codename is "Supersonic" -- a name we've heard at least once before. Feels a lot like you'd expect an Android-powered HD2 to feel thanks to a 4.3-inch non-AMOLED display and a svelte shell. (For reference, the HD2 is 11mm thick, but we don't have exact dimensions here.) It's got a kickstand on the back. This wouldn't be a first for HTC; the Imagio on Verizon has one, for example. Runs Android 2.1 with HTC's Sense UI. Our tipster saw it in white; production devices could be available in different colors, of course, but white seems like it'd be an intriguing choice for a phone of the HD2's size and shape. The phone's software stack is buggy enough right now to suggest that we're not looking at a release any time soon, but we don't have details on the projected launch window. It's fast -- Snapdragon fast, it seems, though our tipster can't confirm the processor under the hood. We know 2010's just begun, but between all this noise and the promise of a legitimate 4G radio on board, let's be real -- we're already looking at a very, very early contender for smartphone of the year. Let's not run into any major roadblocks between here and retail, alright, guys?
