Hasta La Gadget!

Give your HTC EVO 4G LTE a quick update scan if you haven’t lately. Sprint has started pushing out an upgrade that brings its flagship phone both to Android 4.0.4 and to Sense 4.1, putting the EVO’s software on a par with the just-unveiled Desire X. Patching up doesn’t bring a revolution in features — you’ll mostly notice the known option to change the multitasking button’s functionality and hide the on-screen menu key. However, there’s a lot of Sprint-specific fixes that make the update worthwhile, such as an LTE “scanning improvement” that some owners suggest is improving their overall cellular data quality. If you already have the update, let fellow readers know how well it’s working for you in the comments.

[Thanks, Jason]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

HTC EVO 4G LTE update brings Android 4.0.4 and Sense 4.1, dash of improved data for good measure originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Third-party navigation apps still tend to fall apart when the keys are out of the ignition — try to cut back on car use and you’re often kicked over to another app with its own set of rules. Both Garmin’s StreetPilot Onboard app and its Navigon equivalent are getting a much more holistic experience through respective upgrades due this fall. Android and iOS users alike can soon buy an Urban Guidance pack that factors buses, subways and other forms of public transportation into their on-foot routes. The playing field is leveling off for drivers willing to stretch their legs, too: iPhone owners with Navigon’s app get the same last-mile walking directions and parking finder as their Android counterparts. StreetPilot iPhone app users are left out of this last addition, but they’ll see compensation in the form of an optional Panorama View 3D mode and the Google Street View they’re about to lose from Maps in iOS 6. The updated titles will still cost $30 for Navigon-only regional packs, $50 for editions with US-wide maps and $60 for all of North America, although you’ll need to spend $5 more ($3 during the first two weeks) for Urban Guidance and $10 for the Panorama View 3D pack.

Continue reading Garmin, Navigon GPS apps now consider mass transit, remember where we parked

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Software, Mobile

Garmin, Navigon GPS apps now consider mass transit, remember where we parked originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flipboard supports video, but it’s always been focused on modernizing the reading experience. Until today, that is. The app is taking advantage of YouTube channels to give readers — sorry, viewers — a steady stream of video pattered along common themes. Basic feeds for concepts like cooking, music and news sit side-by-side with more esoteric sections for ‘influencers,’ fashion and (our favorite) science. Is it the end of reading? We don’t think so, but it does mean we won’t have to hop to another app to get our moving picture fix, which we’re sure is as much Flipboard’s dream come true as it is ours.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software

Flipboard adds dedicated video channels, decides reading isn’t everything originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung just couldn’t relegate itself to a two-tone, blue and white Galaxy S III universe — the company is using the run-up to IFA 2012 to triple the size of its smartphone’s palette. We’ve seen the Garnet Red model arrive early at AT&T, but it now looks to be spreading abroad; the previously leaked Sapphire Black is equally official for those who don’t think the original blue is dark enough. We’re also seeing two more colors that have been relatively undiscovered, including a Titanium Gray and an unconventional Amber Brown. No, not that kind of brown, although it may be the first time in awhile that earthy hue has claimed such a high profile. Color choices will vary depending on the carrier or store, which leaves a distinct chance that you’ll be switching networks or hunting down importers if you’ve got to have just the right shade of Hyperglaze in your life.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung expands Galaxy S III colors: yes, you can get brown originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first-run Motorola Droid has developed a reputation as the Phone That Would Not Die — while official upgrades stopped around Froyo, enthusiasts have been keeping the QWERTY slider alive ever since. Kfazz at the XDA-Developers forums has taken up the torch this time around with a port of Jelly Bean. Based on CyanogenMod 10, the build is surprisingly functional, if currently buggy. The only glaring holes are a sometimes-broken camera and the absence of Google Now. The main disincentives to waiting for a stable build are the slow performance and very limited remaining storage that result from trying to stuff a 2012 OS into a 2009-era smartphone: Kfazz can defy expectations, but he can’t defy reality. It’s thus more of a proof of concept, because-we-can port than a favor for holdouts keeping the Droid as their daily driver. If you want to keep a mobile ancestor feeling relevant for one more generation, however, the fountain of youth is waiting at the source link.

Continue reading Jelly Bean hits original Motorola Droid for the same reason we climb Everest: because it’s there (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Jelly Bean hits original Motorola Droid for the same reason we climb Everest: because it’s there (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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