Hasta La Gadget!

You may have noticed the update on our Epic 4G review from yesterday where we lauded the fact that Samsung seemed to have fixed the GPS problem plaguing every other Galaxy S flavor released thus far, but it turns out there are actually two distinct issues. One has a fix — sort of — while the other is hopefully what we’re going to get next month. Here are the two failure modes, based on what we know so far:

• “Use wireless networks” is now turned off by default, but even with it on, the phone may be slow or unable to determine even a rough location. Originally, we’d believed this was the only problem. Samsung tells us that it’s a new Google mandate that Android devices be shipped with the “use wireless networks” option disabled, which means you’re relying on traditional GPS alone to determine your location — a lost cause indoors, in urban canyons, or under dense tree cover. Indeed, we discovered it was turned off on our Captivate, Vibrant, and Epic 4G after fresh hard resets, and there’s no indication to the user that it’s probably in their best interest to enable it; we’re accustomed to being presented with the option during account setup on other Android devices, but it doesn’t happen here. After enabling it from settings, we found that both the Captivate and Epic 4G were able to get our location with 1,000 to 1,500-meter accuracy practically immediately in Google Maps, though the Vibrant still never came through; it had the weakest signal of the three, which may have accounted for that (though it never dropped the signal altogether).
• The regular GPS circuitry and software aren’t doing their job. Cell tower triangulation and WiFi location database services like Skyhook only take you so far — at the end of the day, you still need to tune in to the birds a few thousand miles up to figure out precisely where you are. All Galaxy S models seem to be having trouble turning GPS reception into coordinates, even when the phone is able to see four or more satellites in view (four is the minimum you normally need for a precise, three-dimensional lock). In some cases, resetting the phone apparently helps, but it ceases to work again after a day or two of use. To our knowledge, none of the homebrew fixes out there have been able to solve this part of the problem perfectly and permanently. The Captivate and Vibrant are both affected by this one; we’re not sure on the Epic, but we’re working to nail it down.

What this means for you: for now, simply make sure you have “Use wireless networks” checked in your Galaxy S’s settings under the “Location & security” menu. It won’t get you the most reliable, precise location you should be entitled to, but it’s a start — and next month’s round of firmware updates should hopefully take us the rest of the way.

[Thanks, Carl]

Samsung Galaxy S GPS-gate: two problems, not one (and what to do about it) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Of the seemingly countless variants of the Galaxy S that Samsung’s in the process of deploying around the globe, one stands out in a couple very unique (and important) ways: Sprint’s Epic 4G. The Epic hangs on to a couple of the Galaxy line’s most important characteristics — namely the 1GHz Hummingbird processor and the 4-inch Super AMOLED display — but adds in a sliding landscape QWERTY keyboard, support for the wickedly fast WiMAX network that Sprint shares with partner Clearwire, and a handful of other notable one-off customizations.

We’ve already taken a look at two of the other US-bound Galaxy S models — AT&T’s Captivate and T-Mobile’s Vibrant — but it shouldn’t take more than a quick glance at the Epic to tell you that this is a very, very different beast. Becoming just the second WiMAX phone released in the States (and the first with a physical keyboard), this is a pretty critical release for Sprint at a time when its subscriber count is just starting to pick up after several quarters of decline — and making things even more interesting is the fact that Sprint’s first WiMAX handset — HTC’s EVO 4G — is simply one of the best phones we’ve ever reviewed. In other words, yeah, you could say that the Epic’s got a lot to live up to. Is it up to the task? Let’s find out.

Continue reading Epic 4G review

Epic 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look out, Sprint — if you aren’t careful, you might just end up pulling a Palm. Shortly after Dan Schulman, Sprint’s prepaid business honcho, announced that he’d be leaving The Now Network for a position at American Express, product development guru Kevin Packingham has announced that he’ll be packing out on Monday. The 39-year old is responsible for spearheading some of Sprint’s most highly sought after products, namely the HTC EVO 4G and Samsung Epic 4G. He’ll be leaving his Senior VP office in order to “run another company in Kansas City,” but Sprint’s remaining mum on what exactly that company will be. For what it’s worth, a spokeswoman for the carrier confessed to the Wall Street Journal that the departures aren’t a concern, and that “Steve Elfman, president of Sprint’s network operations and wholesale business, and Fared Adib, vice president of product development and Mr. Packingham’s lieutenant, will share oversight of product development.”

Sprint’s product development guru bolts from yellow pastures, heads to greener ones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, XDADevelopers has had an unofficial fix for a few days, but we understand your hesitation — installing custom firmware is how you got burned in the first place. Thankfully for you, HTC is now beaming the official EVO 4G patch over the airwaves, which updates your tainted 3.26.561.3 dairy dessert to a more toothsome 3.26.561.6. Just scoot on over to Settings > System Updates and invoke the download — assuming Sprint is being nice in your area — or wait it out and your handset might even update itself.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC EVO 4G Froyo .6 update starts OTA rollout for early adopters originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

Screen Grabs: EVO 4G captures illicit in-progress surgery on The Closer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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