• HTC Inspire Update: HTC Inspire 4G OTA Android 2.3 Update with Sense

    HTCinspire2.jpgHTC and AT&T are rolling out an over-the-air update for the HTC inspire 4G to update it to Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC Sense features.  HTC Inspire owners will get an notification on their smartphones. 

    The HTC Inspire update includes:

    • Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread
    • New HTC Sense features including udated Application Tray,  FriendStream and added Quick Settings in the Notifications window.
    • Improved Power Management functions.
    • Improved media experience.
    • Various minor bug fixes.

    The list of features in the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update are impressive,
    with the addition of download manager, active app management,
    shortcuts, one-touch copy/paste, widgets, icons, app groups, updated
    calendar options, camera geotagging, improved email synching, and camera
    auto-focus improvements.

    Users can  check for this update by going to
    Home>Menu>Settings> AT&T Software Update > HTC Wi-Fi
    software update > Check now. The system update can also be
    downloaded  and manually applied.  Performing the system update manually will delete all information
    from the device.  Ensure all information is backed up before
    proceeding.  Information saved on the microSD card will not be affected.

    Read HTC Sense Tips.

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  • Verizon Update Call Tonight; Listen by Phone or Online at 7 p.m.

    Join us tonight as CWA national officers update members on the status of Verizon bargaining.
    CWA Union News

     
  • TS2R Wireless News: GestureTek Tech Bought, iPhone Update, Samsung Galaxy R & Family Locator

    TS2R Wireless News.jpgTS2R Wireless News from Wireless and Mobile News

    Full news stories today include Google Chairman BlackBerry Bold user Eric Schmidt, Sprint’s CDMA push-to-talk, AT&T Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for 2011 smartphones, the release date for Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a price for the LG Thrill 4G.

    Here’s the news that’s too short to report:

    Qualcomm buys GestureTek Tech- Qualcomm  announced that it has acquired
    certain assets from GestureTek, a developer of gesture recognition
    technology.  Gesture recognition technology will be integrated into Qualcomm’s current and next-generation Snapdragon processors.

    iPhone iOS 4.3.5 Updated - Apple has release a security update for AT&T iPhone customers that “Fixes a security vulnerability with certificate validation.”

    Samsung Galaxy R YouTubed - A video updlaoded today shows a new Samsung Galaxy Smarpthone the Samsung Galaxy R considered to be a mid-level smartphone with a 1GHz processor that is ultra slim and Samsung is going through the alphabet the last leaked Samsung Galaxy was the Samsung Galaxy Q with a 5.3″ touchscreen. See video below.

    Verizon Family Locator - Summer is in full swing, and knowing where the kids are and where they
    need to be over the busy vacation months is important to families.
     Family Locator, a simple and secure service from Verizon Wireless,
    allows parents to be informed in real-time about their kids’
    whereabouts. 

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  • Droid Charge Update (Already): Droid Charge Update Disables 3G Media Hub Downloading

    SamsungDroidChargeupdate.JPGThe newly released Samsung Droid Charge is already getting an update from Verizon that fixes the Media Hub so that you can only download media via Wi-Fi or 4G, not 3G.

    The Verizon 3G network could be overloaded with massive iPhone traffic and data drain from other smartphones and tablets.  Many bloggers have commented that this is the first time they’ve seen an update that disables a feature instead of enabling a feature.
     
    The software update is named ED2.  To be safe, you should back up all your data before the update and be sure that your Droid Charge is at least 40% charged.
    The update size is 5.24MB and takes 2 to 5 minutes to download and 2 to 5 minutes to install.

    After you’ve received the first notification of the system update, you can manually initiate it by going to “Home” > “Menu” > “Settings” > “About phone” > “System updates”.  Press “Restart & install.”  Your Droid Charge will power off and back on and the installation process will begin.

    We found new Droid Charge videos and deals today

    The Samsung Droid Charge has received rave early reviews, and it offers great data speed from the 5G-rated 4G LTE Verizon network.  We recently published the Droid Charge FAQ with some great tips.  Verizon is offering free mobile hotspots until June 15.

    Read all Samsung Droid Charge articles and read review.  It appears in our list of the top Android an’ Droid phones now and later.

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  • Droid Update News: Droid Pro Update 2Day with More Encryption and Exchange Support

    droidproupdate.JPGThe Droid Pro by Motorola is getting an OTA(Over-the-Air) update with some glitch fixes,increased Microsoft Exchange support and data encryption on the microSD card.  The update improvement are especially welcome for business users.

    This software update by Motorola Version.3.8.7.XT610.Verizon.en.US. You can update your Droid Pro either when you get a notice or by checking, Menu>Settings>About Phone> System Updates. If you are roaming  you will not receive an update notice, you will have to enable Wi_Fi for the update.

    When updating any Droid phone, be sure that your battery is at least 40%
    charged and that you have at least half an hour to wait for the process
    to complete.  Just in case, you should also back up your contacts, photos,
    and note what software you had installed.

    You cannot use your
    phone or make emergency calls during the update.  Some settings and
    applications will revert to default but may be resynced or reset
    following the completion of the upgrade.

    Here’s a list of features of the Droid Pro update:

    • Device and SD card encryption. The software now nncrypts files in device memory and/or SD card with AES256 encryption and auto-generated device key.
    • Within the Exchange ActiveSync initial email account configuration, you will now be prompted to enter a server name.
    • Exchange ActiveSync email delivery delays have been corrected.
    •  Exchange ActiveSync calendar events created on the device will now push to your PC calendar.
    • Calendar events will no longer be deleted from your device if the meeting is updated.
    •  Device will now allow Wi-Fi users to access external corporate networks.
    •  Global Customers can now re-register on non-CDMA networks after Airplane mode is exited.
    • The on-screen clock times remains up-to-date.
    •  Bluetooth devices will now select the correct audio recording level for optimal voice capture and alert youwhen your audio levelis too low.
    • V CAST Apps has been preloaded.
    • The 3G Mobile Hotspot icon correctly reflects the 3G Moblie Hotspot status.

    New ActiveSync Email Policy Support for the following:

    •  Data encryption for both the internal and SD card memory.
    •  Requires manual synchronization while roaming.
    •  Allow HTML E-mail.

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  • Wireless and Mobile News Top Ten Best-Read Stories: Droid X Update, Droid Incredible 2, Samsung Droid Charge, Droid X2 & HTC ThunderBolt

    TopTen BEST read newsWireless News.jpgMost Read Top Wireless and Mobile News Stories this Week:

    While we’ve seen many new sneak peaks at the next generation of Droid, HTC and LTE 4G smartphones from Verizon Wireless ,current Droid X owners are happy to know that there may be an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, soon.

    This week has been charged with the Samsung Droid Charge with an unexpected appearance at Walmart online, connections for up to ten mobile hotspots. There was x-2-sy for the dual-core  Droid X2.
    We’ve seen incredible new revelations about the Droid Incredible 2 world phone and a suspected April 28 release date.

    Prices for next Droids were revealed.

    While the HTC ThunderBolt was discounted, its extended battery was tested to have almost 7 hours of battery lite. 

    All readers still love our top Android an’ Droid phones now and later.

    WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

     
  • TS2R Wireless News: iPhone Hotspotted, Motorola Moblyngs, Windows Phone 7 Updates Update & HTC ThunderBolt Displays/Commercial

    TS2R Wireless News.jpgTS2R Wireless News for March 3, 2011

    AT&T iPhone Mobile Hotspot Coming 3/11 – AT&T spokesman Seth Bloom confirmed that AT&T will offer the mobile hotspot feature in iOS 4.3 for iPhones when released March 11.  It will require the DataPro 4GB/ tethering data plan.

    Motorola Invests In Moblyng - Motorola Mobility Ventures has invested in cross-platform, HTML5-based games developer Moblyng.  Moblyng games have been published for Android,
    Facebook, iPhone and WebOS and have been downloaded more than 9
    million times.

    Windows Phone 7 Update for Samsung Rolls Out AgainMicrosoft resumed the update of Windows Phone 7 for Samsung smartphones.  The Microsoft engineering team pinpointed and fixed problems that were preventing
    a small percentage of Windows Phones from installing the February
    software patch.  Microsoft apologized for the delay.

    HTC ThunderBolt News – While no official announcement has been made by Verizon, in-store displays for the ThunderBolt by HTC have been reported.  HTC has aired its own commercial for the HTC ThunderBolt that appeared on YouTube (video follows).  Read the latest HTC ThunderBolt news.

    Full wireless news today includes a look at the Motorola Xoom vs the iPad2, new Nielsen smartphone research, and a new postpaid tablet data plan for AT&T with a first month free offer.

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  • Samsung Galaxy S Glitches Update: Nexus S Troubles – Reboots, Bluetooth Streaming & SMS

    Thumbnail image for NexusS.jpg

    Samsung Galaxy S phones have been in the spotlight recently for delayed Android 2.2 updates by carriers, class action lawsuits and hardware standby-death on the Samsung Captivate.  Now there is news that the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus S phone with Android 2.3 Gingerbread has “issues.”

    The Nexus S received excellent reviews for its “pure Google experience,” with reviewers suggesting that pure Google updates would be faster.  Now owners have noticed a few problems, and they are reported to be “furious.”  Glitches experienced include forced, unexpected reboots during voice calls, SMS messaging troubles, streaming audio cut-offs, and the accelerometer stops working after using Google Skymap.

    There is no clear reason yet for the problems that some forum members contend originated with the latest Over-The-Air (OTA) update to Android 2.3.1/GRH78 for reboots during calls.  A Google employee at the Google Mobile Help Forum responded with, “..we are getting close to tracking
    down the root cause of the reboots during calls and are currently
    testing a fix to resolve the issue.”

    The SMS errors include users
    reporting messages sent to the wrong contacts, which is believed to be a
    problem also with Android 2.2.  Google assigned a priority of “medium” to
    the random bootup and text messaging bugs.  There has been no response
    form Google regarding the Google Skymap glitch.

    Recently, with the onslaught of very sophisticated smartphones, there have
    been glitches reported after releases of the products.  With Verizon
    offering the iPhone soon, it will be interesting to see if the iPhone
    competitors can hold their market share on Verizon.

    We received this email message yesterday from a disgruntled Samsung Captivate owner, commenting on our recent Samsung Captivate glitch article:

    As a Captivate owner myself, I have had quite the Love/Hate relationship with this phone, now teetering more on the hate side.

    I agree 100%, my GPS has not worked right since day one, and they have been promising a fix with an update since last October, all of which have not fixed the GPS.

    I went ahead and bought an external Bluetooth GPS just to get it to work for navigation.  And the biggest reason I selected the Samsung Captivate is that I was tired of Apple not supporting Flash, and expected this phone to do so.

    Well, 6 months later, I am now wishing I would have chosen to go with the iPhone 4 instead, or waited and got the Android Phone by a manufacturer that knows how to do it right, the Motorola line (Atrix).

    Samsung Galaxy S smartphones in the U.S.all received excellent reviews, including the Samsung Epic 4G, Samsung Fascinate, Samsung Captivate, Samsung Continuum and Samsung Vibrant.

    Many of the Samsung Galaxy S phones were named in Wireless and Mobile News’ Review of Reviews Top Ten Best Android an’ Droid Phones Now an’ Later, as well as the Top Ten Best Smartphones.

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  • iPhone, BlackBerry, Android an’ Droid App Update: Viper SmartStart Finds My Car

    ViperSmartStart.JPGToday must be car app day because after the City of Los Angeles sanctioned a parking space finder app, Viper has added car finding to its app.

    Directed Electronics announced the availability of a new feature
    on its award-winning Viper SmartStart that allows users to pinpoint
    exactly where they parked their car.  The feature, SmartPark, notes a
    vehicle’s location every time the user presses the door lock button in
    the Viper SmartStart app.

    To return to the stored location, users press the Find My Car
    button in the app and retrieve the location, accessing any additional
    accompanying photo or note reminder that the user may have stored.  SmartPark shows a map with walking directions back to the car’s location.
    “Using Viper SmartStart to control your vehicle with your smartphone has
    been a game changer,” said Kevin Duffy, president of Directed
    Electronics, “and the feature set continues to expand.  When we launched
    Viper Motor Club roadside assistance recently, we promised exciting new
    features to follow – and SmartPark is the first of many.  It’s free, it’s
    fun, and it’s also useful.  If you forget where you parked, SmartPark has
    the smarts to find your car.”

    “Users can also find their car using a great augmented reality feature
    we call SnakeEyes,” said Duffy.  “You just hold up your phone and
    a virtual view of your car keeps you pointed in the right direction.”

    Viper SmartStart users can update their app to get the new
    SmartPark feature.  New users can download the free Viper SmartStart app
    with SmartPark at the iTunes App Store, BlackBerry App World, the
    Android Market, and at www.viper.com/smartstart.

    Directed Electronics is inviting users to enter the free “10 Day Viper
    SmartStar
    t iPad Sweepstakes” for the chance to win a free iPad.  New
    users can download the free app, click on “How To Buy” in the app and
    enter their email to register.  Current users can enter the sweepstakes
    via the “Find a Dealer” button.  Official rules are in the app – no
    purchase necessary.

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  • Samsung Galaxy S Update 2 Android 2.2 Froyo: Epic 4G, Fascinate, Vibrant and Captivate Coming Soon?

    Koreanscreenshots.jpgThe Samsung Labs in Korea have finished testing the update to the Samsung Galaxy S phones to Android 2.2 Froyo. A leaked email in Korean apparently confirms that Samsung is done testing Android 2.2 and that the Korean binaries will be released this week.  Binaries are the code that makes the software work.

    Although some bloggers are saying that the it means that Froyo is on its way to all the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones in the US including the Samsung Epic 4G, Samsung Fascinate, Samsung Captivate and Samsung Vibrant . There is no proof yet, that the carriers have tested the update.

    After the manufacturer sends the software update to the carriers, the carriers then test the update and prepare it for over-the-air updates.

    The fact that Samsung has readied the update to Android 2.2 is still good news, because a T-Mobile forum post noted that the Android 2.2 update had been delayed. A copy of the email appears at the end of this article.  If you read Koren it would be nice if you contacted ediitor[at}wirelessandmobilenews.com with any important details.

    The Samsung Epic 4G began getting the interim “3G-fixer” update earlier this week. The Samsung Vibrant started receiving an OTA update with GPS fixes and Samsung Media Hub on Thursday.
    The Samsung Epic 4G received an update to use Media Hub in September.

    Many of the Samsung Galaxy S phones were named in Wireless and Mobile News’ Review of Reviews Top Ten Best Android an’ Droid Phones Now an’ Later.

    All Samsung Galaxy S phones
    have a super-fast 1GHz hummingbird processor with efficient 3D graphics
    processing, Super AMOLED 4-inch touchsreen, 5 megapixel camera,
    microSD, Wi-Fi, and Android 2.1.  Samsung has added-on TouchWiz software
    for a social hub as well as a media hub for online viewing. 
    Differences come in the amount of internal storage, size of the microSD
    card included, mobile hotspot capabilities, keyboard style and the speed
    of data networks.

    We will be exploring the Samsung Galaxy S phone series in future articles.  Check the Samsung Glaxy S page to see when they appear.

    Click on image to enlarge it to full size.
    KoreanEmail.jpg

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