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Updated to include HTC comment

After Google’s Nexus One, HTC’s Evo 4G phone is the first device to get upgraded to the latest Android 2.2 Froyo version of the operating system. But some users are not happy about it.

The Froyo update has broken the syncing of multiple Gmail accounts on the device. The results is that only the primary Gmail account is updated automatically. Second and third Gmail accounts  have to be manually refreshed to pull in new e-mails, say Evo users on forums such as Android Central and Google’s Android support board.

“My two Gmail accounts have always worked great on 2.1. Moving to 2.2 my primary Gmail pushes instantly. My secondary Gmail account doesn’t sync at all. I have to manually sync to get it to work,” says ‘tommy m‘, an Evo user who first posted about the issue on the Android Central forum.

The problem also means that users don’t see new e-mail notifications from secondary accounts.

A HTC spokesman told Wired.com the company is aware of the bug but does not see it as a widespread issue.

“The good news is that it has not affected a majority of users,” says Keith Nowak. “We are working to find a fix.”

HTC and Sprint, the exclusive carrier for the Evo, started pushing out Froyo to customers on August 3. The update offers features such as voice dialing over Bluetooth, the ability to store apps on the external memory card and browser improvements including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash support.

The problems with syncing of multiple Gmail accounts flared up right after the Evo moved to Android 2.2. Some Froyo users have been offering homebrewed solutions on message boards including deleting the accounts and adding them again with a change to the mail setting of ‘notify once.’  But the solution hasn’t worked reliably for all users.

See Also:

• Storage Bug Hits HTC Evo 4G Phone Just Before Launch
• Wired Video: HTC Evo 4G Dissected
• Overclocked HTC Evo Runs Almost 30 Percent Faster
• Oops! Sprint Says it Overstated HTC Evo Phone Sales
• Independent App Stores Take On Google’s Android Market

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

We know our readers: obsessive early adopters who’ll stop at nothing to have the latest and greatest software on their handsets. Just like us. Unfortunately, sometimes we get burned in the process. But the community is nothing if not tenacious. Now we’ve got an apparent “fix” for anyone who updated their EVO 4G to the Android 2.2 Froyo build discovered on HTC’s servers, only to find out that they were running a non-final build. User Pojoman over at XDADevelopers just upped the .3 to final .6 RUU from Sprint that should correct any woes. Based on the enthusiastic feedback we’re reading we’d say that this is good news. Nevertheless, the usual disclaimers apply before hitting the source link below, especially with HTC already acknowledging that a fix is on the way via official channels. Yeah, we know, blah blah blah.

HTC EVO 4G Froyo .6 update seems to fix early adopter issues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most high-profile smartphones launch exclusively on one of the major carriers in the U.S. The Samsung Galaxy S, though, will come to market via all of them under different names, different industrial designs, and, in one case, with different input options. And yet, its screen’s quality and size – big but not too big – will certainly make it a contender at all of them.

But the handset will encounter anything but a level playing field in its respective portfolios. The Galaxy S will provide a good lab in which to study how much motivation to push a high-end portfolio device counts versus the muscle of having the largest subscriber bases but stronger handset competition. With the Galaxy S’s lack of exclusivity already dampening some carrier enthusiasm for promoting it heavily, it appears as though the handset’s impact goes down as the number of carrier subscribers goes up. Let’s look at the universe of Galaxy S distribution.

Continue reading Switched On: The Galaxy S paradox

Switched On: The Galaxy S paradox originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC’s Evo 4G phone will become the first device (after Google’s Nexus One) to get an upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo, the latest version of the Android operating system.

Sprint will begin pushing out the upgrade to Evo users starting Tuesday, August 3. All Evo users will have Android 2.2 by the middle of the month, says the wireless carrier.

The upgrade will offer features such as voice dialing over Bluetooth, the ability to store apps on the external memory card and browser improvements including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash support.

Sprint launched the Evo in June with version 2.1 of the Android OS. The phone has become a best seller for Sprint and HTC.

Sprint’s move is also likely to put pressure on Motorola and Verizon to get the Droid upgraded to Android 2.2 as soon as possible. Earlier reports have suggested that the Droid’s 2.2 upgrade is expected in “late summer.”

For Evo users, the upgrade will be pushed over-the-air to the device and automatically installed. Those who can’t wait will have the option to manually download it. Customers can access the update through their phone under the Settings Menu > System Updates > HTC Software Update.

Sprint says the change to the firmware will not wipe personal data such as contacts, apps, settings and photos — but it’s always a good idea to back up your device before performing a firmware upgrade, just in case.

See Also:

• Storage Bug Hits HTC Evo 4G Phone Just Before Launch
• Wired Video: HTC Evo 4G Dissected
• Oops! Sprint Says it Overstated HTC Evo Phone Sales
• Sprint, HTC Unveil First 4G Android Phone

Photo: (Mike Saechang/Flickr)

We’re not certain that this date is going to hold — things like this have an uncanny tendency to slip at the last possible moment — but we’re at least hopeful to see some internal Sprint communication that they’re trying to get the EVO 4G updated to Froyo as soon as tomorrow, July 30. It’d be the perfect way to kick off the weekend, wouldn’t it? Turns out this is no mere 2.2 upgrade, though — they’re making a bunch of changes, too, including a host of new preloaded widgets, a flashlight mode for the camera’s LED flash, light-assisted 720p video, and “improvement” to the quality of said video capture (something we specifically complained about in our review). Unfortunately, it looks like the hotspot hack might be sealed off with this update, but that really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. As we said, we’re hopefully the date sticks, because Sprint has identified it as a “high priority for competitive reasons” — in other words, these guys must be feeling the Droid heat — but the PR is apparently going to identify the week of August 1 as the first push, so the devices getting the OTA tomorrow might just be a very small, select group to ensure that nothing spectacularly bad happens. We’re pulling for you, EVO owners.

Update: It’s been made official! Notifications will go out starting August 3, but Sprint’s doing something extremely cool by allowing eager users to opt-in early and grab the download at their choosing. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading EVO 4G’s Android 2.2 update starts trickling out tomorrow, loads of new features and fixes in store? (update: official for August 3rd!)

EVO 4G’s Android 2.2 update starts trickling out tomorrow, loads of new features and fixes in store? (update: official for August 3rd!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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