According to BGR, sources close to HTC have revealed that the HTC Desire is headed to AT&T sometime in May or June and will offer up some HTC Sense UI goodness for its owners. The model that will hit the shelves is likely to look slightly different than the one pictured, with some minor cosmetic changes.
Rumor has it that Sprint will get a new Android handset of their own from HTC – the Hero2. The Hero2 is actually the new HTC Legend but will also undergo some cosmetic changes as it makes its way to Sprint. There is no timeframe at present for Hero2 availability on Sprint, but as we learn more details and as rumor becomes reality, we will post it here.
We recently mentioned an update for the Samsung Moment that was to require you to bring your handset to a Sprint repair center. Well, Sprint has decided to offer the update via your own PC. While the carrier’s other Android device, the HTC Hero, has received a few OTA updates for light housekeeping, it seems that Samsung is just not there yet in regards to sending out the upgraded software.
After the update is through, the Moment will still be running Android 1.5. There should be a firmware upgrade to Android 2.1 early in the next quarter. For those who don’t keep up to date on these matters, Sprint will send out an SMS that will alert the user to the CL 14 update. Among the changes will be updates to certain third party apps like Visual Voicemail, NFL, NASCAR and Sprint TV. The Emergency Dial on the lock screen will be changed as will the hard reset which will now be available in recovery mode. This update should also improve battery life. For more info and instructions, visit the source link.
source: Sprint via Twitter, AndroidandMe
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has told Forbes that his company is about to drop something bigger than a pin on the cellphone industry. According to Hesse, a HTC manufactured WiMax Android phone will be offered by the carrier this Summer. The handset will run on the 4G network being built out by Sprint with Clearwire Corp. that currently reaches 27 markets or 30 million people. Those figures will rise by the end of the year to 120 million people and include such major cities as New York, Boston, San Francisco and Washington. Sprint’s President of Business Markets, Paget Alves says that 4G is a multi-billion dollar business opportunity. The carrier says that 4G is up to 10 times faster than 3G which certainly helps to keep those pipelines running with streaming video and data. During a recent conference call with analysts on February 10th, CEO Hesse said that 2010 is “The Year of 4G” and that the company is working with “several equipment manufacturers that will embed 4G capability into dozens of devices.”
The HTC phone appears to be the previously discussed Supersonic which Sprint execs say will have a dual Ev-Do/WiMax radio and will be targeted to business and governmental workers besides consumers.
source: Forbes via PhoneNews
When we last spoke of the Samsung Moment, it was to pass along the word that the device could start receiving an Android 2.1 upgrade as soon as February 22nd. Actually, the upgrade was to be offered in two different ways. According to the story, Moment owners could take their phone over to a Sprint store starting February 22nd to receive Android 2.1, or wait until March 8th for an OTA version. That report seems to be incorrect as Sprint has just sent out a tweet saying that early in the second quarter, the carrier will upgrade both the Samsung Moment and the HTC Hero to Android 2.1. The message says that the pin-dropping network is working through update options with both HTC and Samsung. In reality, we’re probably talking a few extra weeks of waiting, but for Android 2.1, we know that you’ll be patient.
source: Twitter via Engadget
There are a lot of Android handsets that are anticipating to see Android 2.1 land some time soon to existing models, but now the Samsung Moment can be added to the list with a potential date lined up. Although the Moment is still running Android 1.5 and could’ve been easily lost among the other big named Android phones expected to make the transition to 2.1, it may see light sooner than expected – the first wave is expected to happen beginning on February 22. Unfortunately it will not be an over the air process, instead it will require owners to visit Sprint stores to actually get it installed. It’s still not a terribly bad thing when you consider that the Samsung Moment is reported to get 2.1 as opposed to 2.0. If you do plan on skipping the first wave, then you can sit back at home as the second one will go live on March 8 – that one will be pushed out via OTA process. It’s yet another reason why Samsung Moment owners can rejoice – let’s just hope it comes out on time with the latest version
source: Android Central
An Android smartphone has been used as a remote control for a robot before. Of course, it was a $3,000 Japanese PLEN robot with a price tag that puts it out of reach for Mr. and Mrs John Doe. But if remote control is your thing, the more easily affordable LEGO Mindstorm kit can be turned into a robot that will take orders from an Android handset. The Enea Android team took advantage of the integrated Bluetooth technology in the Mindstorm to allow an HTC Hero to be a remote control for the robot.
Movement is signaled by tilting the handset and the user can switch back and forth between different robots to control. The actual set-up is a bit convoluted because the Android 1,5 OS in the Hero doesn’t support the Bluetoth serial profile. Instead, the Hero is linked by Wi-Fi to a nearby laptop uses its Bluetooth connectivity to link to the robot. Android 2.1 will support the Bluetooth’s serial profile, so a Nexus One should be able to make a direct link without the laptop.
source: ENEA via AndroidCommunity
Sprint customers can stop feeling left out. Remember when we reported that Walmart had listed the Nexus One on its web site? Even though the giant retailer said that the posting was a mistake, it did show that the phone would be available for Sprint. While that sounds promising, it is a letter from Sprint’s Customer Solutions to Gizmodo responding to an inquiry about the N-One that really gets the juices flowing. The letter reads, “Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding the nexus one. Unfortunately, this handset model is not on offer as of now. Once it is launched, you will see promotional campaigns related to the launch date, cost and the features of the handset on our Web site and other promotional media. Thank you for showing interest in our products & services. Please let us know if you would like us to assist you with anything else.”
The letter certainly makes it sound like the Nexus-One has its eye set on getting launched at Sprint. As far as having to produce a CDMA version iof the handset for the pin-dropping network, such a model will be ready by March when the Verizon version of the phone is supposed to be released. With the story we reported the other day about a FCC filing for the device with AT&T’s 3G frequencies included, a Sprint launch would appear to allow the N-One to have a version for each of the top 4 U.S. carriers. Sprint customers, start walking with your chin up. Looks like you won’t be left out after all.
source: Gizmodo
Just in case you are a Sprint customer using the Samsung Moment or the HTC Hero and was wondering about the promised Android 2.1 OS upgrade, a Sprint employee posted the latest news on the official message board. He wrote that the upgrade is being tested and that everything is going well. While Sprint still expects to make 2.1 available in the first half of the year, if things continue to go so smoothly, the carrier will have the upgrade ready well within that time period. The employee, who uses the handle “tooner”, writes that he just wanted to keep Sprint customers up to date. So now, you Moment and Hero owners can sit back and enjoy the upcoming weekend, safe and secure in the knowledge that movable wallpaper will soon be on your handset.
source: SprintCommunity via AndroidGuys
We were a bit excited earlier when the Google Nexus One by HTC made an appearence on the Walmart LetsTalk wireless site as “Coming Soon” for Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. As of now, Google has only released the Nexus One for T-Mobile, yet have said Verizon and Vodafone would get it sometime this Spring. But it appears that the listing on Walmart was nothing more than a mistake, as their spokesman Ravi Jariwala now says “Due to a technical error, this item erroneously was displayed on our site. We’re working with our partner Let’s Talk to have it removed as quickly as possible. We have no plans to carry Nexus One in Walmart stores or online at Walmart.com at this timed.” Thanks for bursting our bubble on this one!
source: BusinessInsider via Engadget
We have been waiting to see the HTC Nexus One more widespread and outside the confines of Google´s website and T-Mobile´s embrace. It now appears that the device will soon roll out through Walmart or at least, that´s what the webpage of the retail giant promises. This is good news indeed and even more so if the rumor that the Nexus One might become available for just $99 to anyone willing to sign up for a two-year agreement proves to be accurate. Sounds unbelievable? Well, if that´s what you think, you might want not to take a look at the specifications of the handset published at Walmart´s website.
What you can see under “Network Technology” is that the handset supports the 3G frequencies of AT&T (850/1900 MHz) as well as Sprint´s and Verizon´s (1xEV-DO). We are not surprised to spot Verizon on the list, because one of the facts that got announced at the official introduction of the Nexus One was that the carrier would be offering the handset later this year. Is it likely, however, that the Google Phone can actually run on AT&T´s and Sprint´s networks as well? One and the same cell phone utilizing the frequencies of all four major carriers sounds great indeed, but certainly, we cannot disregard the possibility of, well, all this being just a typing mistake, made when the information was entered (it would not be the first case) and giving us false expectations. We hope that confirmation on whether or not the Nexus One is truly able to run on AT&T´s and Sprint´s networks appears soon enough.
source: Walmart via AndroidandMe
