evo4g
Latest
HTC EVO 4G subjected to harrowing barrage of scratch tests, holds its own
The thought of marring the EVO 4G's glorious 4.3-inch display sends shivers down our spine, but just remember: this is all in the name of science, and it's for the greater good. An Android Forums member was due to return his defective EVO to Sprint anyhow, so he figured he'd take the opportunity to run the lame duck unit through some torturous scratch tests including keys, a screw, a penny, and -- of course -- a razor blade. After everything was said and done, the EVO emerged victorious, so you shouldn't feel too bad about sticking it in your pocket with spare change knocking around (actually, yes, you still should feel bad about that). Then again, the camera lens didn't do as well, so the lesson is to use common sense and... you know, just handle your multi-hundred-dollar gadgets with care. Follow the break for all the harrowing test footage. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC EVO 4G's graphics capped at 30FPS?
Reports are flying in from across the internet -- and by that we mean the xda-developers and Google Code forums -- that the EVO 4G might have something of a framerate issue. It seems that the device is "locked in" at 30 frames per second both in 2D (Canvas) and 3D (openGL) modes, while anecdotally, a phone like the Hero hits 54fps on average and has "smoother scrolling" in the menus. This apparently is visible both with the standard Sense UI installed and with the Froyo preview build, although in the latter case the Nexus One bootup video is 60fps before halving upon reaching the home screen. So, wherein lies the culprit? For Google's part, Android framework engineer "Romain Guy" responded to one thread reasserting the platform team's "target was, is and will be 60fps." We can't imagine it's related to the hardware given the EVO's impressive specs. Some fingers, ergo, are being pointed towards firmware. This wouldn't be the first time HTC's handsets have come under scrutiny for troubling graphical performance -- 2008 was not the company's finest year in that department. Whatever the reason is, we just want a quick resolve -- after all, it's just not fair when our Hero-carrying buddies are scoring better benchmarks.
HTC EVO 4G meets magnetic macro lens, shoots gorgeous closeups
As phone accessories go, protruding lens attachments are rarely top of our wishlist, but this one here might just alter our perspective a little bit. Good and EVO have gone to the trouble of obtaining a magnetically mountable macro lens to test out how well the EVO 4G's camera performs with a little more optical prowess. The answer is that in spite of the inevitably goofy appearance, the jumbo Android handset delivered some highly impressive imagery, getting really up close and personal with its subjects and picking out exquisitely tiny details. The results are certainly of a caliber unobtainable with the default optics and well worth checking out -- the source link is where that party's at.
Sprint misstated EVO 4G sales, by a lot
Remember when Sprint said this: "The total number of HTC EVO 4G devices sold on launch day was three times the number of Samsung Instinct and Palm Pre devices sold over their first three days on the market combined." Nuh uh, it's wrong. Sprint just issued a correction in the wee hours stating that first day EVO 4G sales were, in reality, "in line with" the number of Instincts and Pres sold over their first three days on the market combined. Still pretty good if that translates to the 150,000 units sold as some analysts are touting; even better if Sprint can restock shelves.
HTC EVO 4G sold out pretty much everywhere
It's being widely reported that the HTC EVO 4G is sold out all over the US -- at brick and mortars and online. And while we can't 100 percent certain that Sprint doesn't have a few hidden away in some of the less traversed pockets of this great land, the fact that they're selling out shouldn't come as a huge shocker. The phone overtook the Palm Pre to become Sprint's best-selling launch day ever, though we don't have an actual number of units moved. Be sure to let us know in comments if your local store has any left -- we'll be sure to stampede over there.
iPhone 4 vs. the smartphone elite: EVO 4G, N8, Pre Plus, and HD2
We know how the iPhone 4 sizes up against the aging 3GS -- but how does it fare against its fiercest competitors from all the major platforms? We wish we had some production Windows Phone 7 kit to check out here, but in the meantime, take a look at the results against the gruesome foursome of the EVO 4G, N8, Pre Plus, and HD2. You might be surprised by some of the results -- and sorry, RIM, you don't get to play until you bring some fresh, media-heavy hardware to the table. Nothing personal!
iPhone 4 vs. EVO 4G... fight!
If you put your ear up to the screen, you can hear these two beasts snarling at one another. Hit up the gallery for more shots, along with some iPhone 3G for good measure. Let's see how they stack up on the big stats, shall we? iPhone 4 EVO 4G Screen 960 x 640, 3.5-inch 800 x 480, 4.3-inch Thickness 0.37-inch 0.47-inch Primary camera 5 megapixel 8 megapixel Secondary camera VGA 1.3 megapixel Video chat FaceTime Qik Not enough for you? We'll have a big comparison of all the "majors" for you shortly. Now, there's a lot left to learn about Apple's FaceTime video chat service. For instance, they called it "open," but they also only mentioned a zero-configuration iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 calling setup. Meanwhile Qik can make calls between EVO 4Gs, but also stream video live to the web (while the iPhone needs to record and then upload to get "social" using its official apps). No mention was made of the FaceTime call resolution, but given the fact that the front camera is merely VGA, it's probably streaming at the same 640 x 480 that Qik is constrained to in the free service. However, a premium version of Qik for $5 a month lets you go beyond that resolution, using the EVO's higher resolution cameras. Perhaps the largest distinction is the fact that the EVO can stream video calls over 3G or 4G, while the iPhone 4 is constrained to WiFi for the time being. Naturally, we expect other video calling apps (Skype, please?) to crop up on both platforms and give these initial offerings a run for their money. %Gallery-94632%
QIK admits Evo 4G launch problems after 20x increase on server load
While record sales are generally a desirable thing, that one-time spike in demand can leave service providers scrambling to cope on launch day. Evo 4G owners are well aware of this after noticing one of the handset's flagship features -- Qik video calling -- was unavailable in the Android Market on Friday. After correcting the issue, Qik then had to pull the app after users experienced intermittent service failures resulting from what Qik calls "an unprecedented 20x" workload increase on its servers. The Qik team is scrambling to provision more capacity and expects to have things under control "shortly."
HTC EVO 4G gets unlimited WiFi hotspot skills, courtesy of root
The root, the root, the root is on fire! Well, not quite, but you just got another pretty splendiferous reason to hack your EVO: android-wifi-tether, an app doing exactly what its name suggests, has now been confirmed to support HTC's 4G-capable phone. There were apparently some compatibility issues at first, but those have now been ironed out and superuser-empowered folks have been successfully pairing the free app and supersonic phone since. Might as well jump on board with this one -- Google has already said Froyo's native ability to do this might be circumscribed by carriers, meaning Sprint's likely to package any official firmware upgrades in such a way as to keep you paying for hotspot capabilities. And who wants to do that?
HTC EVO 4G overtakes Palm Pre for best-selling launch day on Sprint
Considering the lackluster career that Palm's inaugural webOS duo ultimately endured on Sprint, it's wild to think back to those heady days when the Pre was the carrier's best launch day performer in history -- but alas, no longer. As you might've expected, the mighty EVO 4G has shown the Pre the door to take its own place in the record books, a mark we're not surprised to see considering the activation issues many customers saw on Friday as Sprint's systems buckled under the load. Sprint isn't quoting figures, but it proudly boasts of "temporary shortages of the device at some of the 22,000 sales locations across the United States" that are in the process of being replenished with daily deliveries. Now, the next hurdle is to see whether Sprint's shared WiMAX infrastructure can stand up to the load of its first wildly-successful 4G consumer product, eh? Follow the break for the carrier's press release.
HTC EVO 4G's appearance on HSN is either a great sign, or a harbinger of the apocalypse
Remember to use Tootie!
EVO 4G launch day antics: Sprint's computers overwhelmed, Radio Shack listing CDMA iPhones?
You might imagine that we're getting a pretty wild variety of EVO 4G-related tips today, seeing how it's launch day and all -- but a couple really stood out for us: Sprint's activation system is apparently buckling under the pressure, an issue that's giving us nightmarish flashbacks to iPhone launches of days gone by. We've even heard reports of poor shoppers being "turned away" when reps are stymied by the situation. A wildly successful product is both a blessing and curse, is it not? One corporate store clerk says Sprint's system is now entirely down, and employees are being forced to write receipts by hand. "We have sold out (and pretty fast at that), but can't do anything at this point, not even a bill pay," he adds. We've gotten multiple tips saying that Radio Shack now lists a $400 early termination fee in its contract for the iPhone on Verizon and Sprint. Our guess is that this is just some generic verbiage, not a sign of an impending CDMA launch, but you never know. One tipster said his EVO came with a Samsung microSD card, rather than a SanDisk. We don't know what to make of that, as it was far too late for HTC to head off storage bugs at the pass. Keep us updated with your launch day travails, folks! [Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
Word of HTC Evo 4G storage bug couldn't come at a worse time (update: OTA fix)
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.
HTC EVO 4G launch day line watch
You've had the day circled on your calendar for nearly a month, you've seen its insides, you've seen it rooted, and you've even witnessed Froyo running on its massive 4.3-inch screen. Now the time has finally come to actually own the EVO. As is our time-honored tradition with galactically significant product launches, we're starting up a little photo essay here showing the progression of lines outside Sprint stores through this most auspicious of days. Only the trick here is that you'll be doing our writing for us, a thousand words at a time. Join us after the break for the pictures and don't forget -- a lot of stores will be opening early to sate demand.
Evo 4G now for sale at Sprint online
It's here! The Evo 4G is now on sale at Sprint's online webstore. The dual-mode 3G/4G handset with 4.3-inch display, 8 megapixel camera, two-way video calling, and personal WiFi hotspot feature all powered by Android 2.1 on a 1GHz Snapdragon is now for sale for $199 on two year contract (after $150 instant savings and $100 mail-in rebate). Oh, sales are limited to five per customer just in case you're planning to go nuts. Now get out of here, the future is waiting. Update: Official PR added after the break. [Thanks, Tim]
EVO 4G manual goes online, should hold you over for the next few hours
Wouldn't it be embarrassing if you activated your new EVO 4G in the store tomorrow morning and you didn't immediately know how to fire up a Qik video call? You'd be the butt of the joke -- just imagine the hearty laughter and pointing you'd receive from Sprint reps and fellow line-waiters! Don't let this happen to you, friends; come prepared. Read the manual now. [Thanks, Carl]
HTC EVO 4G root tutorial available, and not a moment too soon
We know that you've been champing at the bit ever since you heard that the EVO 4G had been successfully rooted, so we're pleased to tell you that the gang at the XDA-developers forum has gone and posted everything necessary for you to perform the operation yourself. Better yet, Android Central has even posted a step-by-step tutorial. Now you too can perform a semi-obscure operation on an as-yet-unreleased smartphone! Check out the links below to get started.
Sprint EVO 4G celebrates its 'first' commercial
"First is the beginning" -- tautologies notwithstanding, so debuts Sprint's inaugural EVO 4G commercial, now online and airing over broadcast television. Although evoking the same parallel syntax narrative style akin to the "Droid does" campaign -- as well as rocket-propelled imagery -- we gotta say, this one's much more comforting. Like the commercial says, first isn't later, first is... right after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC EVO 4Gs flooding into Best Buys, some Radio Shacks opening at 6AM on Friday
EVO fever -- have you caught it? Things are seriously starting to ramp up in preparation for Friday's festivities, the day that Sprint's EVO 4G hits shelves (though most will likely be sold before they even touch a shelf, truth be told). Radio Shack hit us up with the knowledge earlier today that it'll be opening some locations as early as 6AM -- and what's more, they claim to have "specifically set aside" some units for folks who didn't pre-order, so that might be your best chance. We're also getting a bunch of shots from tipsters who say their Best Buy locations have started taking delivery of the retail units, so at least you'll know they'll be in stock on Friday -- but for how long is another question altogether. [Thanks to everyone who sent these in!] %Gallery-94241%
HTC EVO 4G splayed, found to contain wires, chips
Often, iFixit needs to wait for a product to be released before it can spend a few hundred bucks buying one and tearing it asunder -- but in the case of the EVO 4G, Google's pre-release of units to attendees at IO appears to have been just the kind of event these guys needed to get in the door early. Taking the phone apart is described as a "wonderfully easy" process, and changing the screen's glass is said to be pretty easy as well -- good news considering how easy it'll probably be to crack those 4.3 inches of pure WVGA glory. There aren't any surprises in terms of silicon, but we've got one tip for you, HTC: if you're going to take this color-the-inside-of-the-phone business seriously, would you do us a favor and match the color of the circuit board, too? Seriously guys, go big or go home. Follow the break for iFixit's full rundown of the process.
