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Sprint: The EVO 4G’s are getting the OFFICIAL Android 2.2 update (froyo) starting as of Aug 3rd. (Or tomorrow 7/30 if you want to manually update your EVO)

anovelo — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Based on an announcement on the Sprint Community Blog (LINK: http://community.sprint.com/baw/community/sprintblogs/buzz-by-sprint/announcements/blog/2010/07/29/sprint-is-the-first-wireless-carrier-to-bring-android-22-to-customers-using-the-award-winning-htc-evo-4g-beginning-tuesday-aug-3), the EVO will be getting its froyo update in the next couple of days. As of now the announcement says that the froyo (2.2) update for Android will be available as of 12p (CST) tomorrow 7/30 for download if you want to manually update the phone yourself (This is a nice touch on Sprints part for those who just don’t want to wait) and as of Aug. 3rd Sprint will begin (OTA) over the air updates to the EVO Devices.

Froyo which is the latest (and very highly awaited) update to the Android operating system, will carry numerous updates and new features as part of its update.

Some of the changes are -

Voice Dialing Over Bluetooth.

Application Storage on External Memory, giving users more storage room for all their apps.

Camera 4-way rotation allows the camera icons to rotate with the camera.

Improved Browser Performance including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash 10x Support improving the user’s ability to view videos and available content associated with web pages.

For those who just can’t wait until the Froyo OTA update, you can manually trigger the download (As of 12p CST on 7/30) by doing the following

Customers can access the software update through their HTC EVO 4G under the Settings Menu > System Updates > HTC Software Update. This will initiate the three-step process also.

Software: EVO 4G – Qik Video Chat update for your HTC EVO 4G

anovelo — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:16:00 +0000

Here is a quick note about the Qik video chat program that comes on the HTC EVO 4G by default. IT NEEDS AN UPGRADE. The version that comes with the phone does not work with the 2 camera set up that the EVO uses. The front facing camera will not work with the system. If you have an EVO and plan to do video calls, you will need to run this update 1st. To get the update, go to the Android market place and search for Qik. Then on the list that you get, look for the version that specifically says that its for the “EVO 4G”. Once you see it. select it for download and run the install. That is all there is to correcting this issue.

EVO: How to improve the battery performance of the EVO 4G (From Sprint)

anovelo — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:02:00 +0000

Once of the big questions with the NEW Sprint EVO 4G involves the battery performance. I have had a couple of people tell me that they can get 7 or 8 hours of good use out of the battery, while others have said that its been less than 1 hour of good use before needing to recharge again.

I have only had my phone for 1 day**, and so far I got 12 really good hours of use, but I went in and turned off everything I wasn’t using when I 1st got the phone. The following information from Sprint (LINK: http://support.sprint.com/support/article/Improve_battery_performance_on_your_HTC_EVO_4G/case-wh164052-20100601-130442?&INTNAV=SU:DP:HDIA) is what I used as a guide to what to turn off.

IMPROVE BATTERY PERFORMANCE ON YOUR HTC EVO 4G

Last Updated: Jun 09, 2010

Battery performance depends on many factors, including network configuration, signal strength, the temperature of the environment in which you operate your phone, the features and/or settings you select and use, items attached to connecting ports, and your usage patterns for voice, data and other programs.

There are several differences between other phones and your new HTC EVO™ 4G that can impact your battery life:

HTC EVO has more radios to power (3G, 4G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS)
HTC EVO has a larger screen than most typical feature phones
HTC EVO has more capabilities than most typical feature phones
- Management of multiple email accounts and syncing
- Wi-Fi access point
- Wi-Fi Router capability
- 4G data
- GPS
- Access to several 3rd party applications through the Market
- Applications and Processes running in the background

Because of all these new wonderful capabilities and features, it is up to you to manage your battery life experience. Here’s how!

Multiple radios

The multiple radios use battery life even when you are not using them. To improve battery life, turn off your Bluetooth, GPS, 4G, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi hotspot if you are not using them.

Preloaded widgets are available for your Home screen to conveniently monitor use of radios:

Power Control Widget – allows you to see radios that are ON and OFF
- Widget > Power Control
Individual Widgets – available for Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, GPS, Mobile Network, Wi-Fi, 4G, Hotspot
- Widget > Settings and select what you want to monitor
Running Services Widget – can help you identify services that are running that you no longer need that could be ended to save battery life
- Shortcut > Settings > Running Services Widget

Live Wallpaper and backlight settings

Live Wallpaper uses significantly more battery than standard wallpapers when your screen is ON

Ambient Light Sensor – controls backlight brightness based on your ambient lighting condition
- Settings > Sound and Display > Brightness
Manual Control – You can use your Power Control Widget to easily adjust your backlight intensity with a simple touch.

Email Applications Settings

Bottom line, email synchronization settings can have significant impact to battery life and the ideal settings are going to vary by person. Try different configurations that achieve the best compromise between convenience and battery life.
Generally, less frequent email syncing equals better battery life
Shorter polling frequencies (5 minute, 10 minute, 15 minute) can actually be worse for your battery life than As Items Arrive, especially if you do not have high volumes of email.
Email settings allow you to set up peak and off-peak hours for email sync on each email account
- Pop Account – Mail > Menu > More > Settings > Send & Receive > Set Download Frequency
- Exchange Account – Mail > Menu > More > Settings > Send & Receive > Schedule
- Manual Sync – allows you to receive emails only when you choose to; this can be optimal for battery life if you don’t necessarily need emails as quickly as they arrive. Sync by selecting Menu > Refresh

Preloaded Applications

There are several preloaded applications which update based on frequency settings:

Stocks
Weather
News
Peep
Flickr
Facebook

These applications have a settings menu that typically can be accessed by using the Menu button while you are in the application. In the settings menu there is an item called Update Schedule

(Menu > Settings > Update Schedule; this may slightly vary from App to App).

In general, the less frequently you allow these applications to update, the better your battery life. If you find there are applications you don’t use at all, for the best battery life experience, configure the application to either not sync at all or to sync at the lowest frequency. You can also end the application or service by going to the Running Services Widget mentioned above.

Google Talk

When you sign up for the Google Market or Gmail with your Gmail account information, you are also signed in to the Google Talk instant messaging application. The Talk application tracks the presence of your Google Talk contacts in order to let you know who is available to instant message. Each presence change uses power, even if you do not have the Talk application open.

If you do not use Talk on your device or do not mind if it is only operating when you actually have the application open, then you can eliminate this extra battery consumption:

Press Menu then tap All apps > Talk > Menu > More > Settings
Uncheck the automatically sign in box.
Make sure you exit the application by going to Menu > More > and selecting Sign Out
In order to again receive Instant Messages through the Talk application, all you’ll need to do is open the Talk application again and it will automatically sign you in.

Note: Make sure you always exit the application by selecting Sign Out to reduce battery consumption. Exiting the application by use of the back or home keys will not sign you out and battery life will not be improved.

The 4G radio should only be turned on when the improved network speed is required for an application, such as YouTube, Web Browsing or Sprint Mobile Hotspot. When not in use, it’s important to use the built-in 4G widget to turn the 4G radio OFF.

If you have your 4G radio ON, but are no longer in 4G coverage, then your device will be scanning in an attempt to re-acquire the 4G network. Your battery can be significantly drained by scanning, so if you know you will be out of 4G coverage for an extended period of time or if you are not acquiring a 4G signal as indicated in the task bar, it is important to turn your 4G radio OFF.

Even when in 4G markets, particularly when mobile, you may be going in and out of 4G coverage. If you notice that you do not have a 4G signal at any point in time, turning off the 4G radio will save you significant battery life. Simply turn it back on to check for 4G coverage when you are back in 4G coverage.

To check for the latest 4G coverage in your area, click here.

3rd-Party Applications

Be especially cautious with all 3rd-party applications that you download from the Android Market. Often times these applications have not been designed with battery life in mind. Many of these applications significantly impact your battery life and quite often they remain running even when you exit the application. It’s important for you to understand the behavior of all the applications you download and to:

Learn how to use the running services application or other 3rd-party task managers to identify applications that are still running even when not in use and to end applications that are still running but no longer needed
Know how to close the application so that it does not continue running
If the applications synchronize data, make sure you optimize the synchronization settings for improved battery life

How to: Block or Allow (Unblock) text messages from your Sprint Cell Phone.

anovelo — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:52:00 +0000

I’ve recently started receiving TEXT spam. If you think that its annoying when you get spam in your email, wait until you start seeing it in TEXT message form. For me its Text messages concerning the “Warranty on my car is about to expire”, supposedly if I respond to the TEXT I will get information about how to extend the warranty on my car. (On a funny side note: My car is 14 yrs old and has been out of warranty since the turn of the century)

I am a Sprint user, and the following information will allow Sprint users to Block or Allow Text messages on their phones.

(Information is from the Sprint Support Page LINK http://support.sprint.com/support/article/Block_or_allow_text_messages_from_your_phone/case-ev207663-20090625-102112?&INTNAV=SU:SP:MVT )

Block or allow text messages from your phone

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2009

You can block unwanted text messages from your phone using text messages.
This service allows you to manage your blocked senders list without the need to access sprint.com or to call Customer Care.
There’s no charge for the text messages you send to or receive from 9999.
To block or allow senders, see a list of senders you have blocked, or report spam, send a message to 9999 with one of the commands from this

COMMAND SENT TO 9999:	DESCRIPTION OF COMMAND:	TEXT RESPONSE FROM SPRINT:
help	General help	SprintFreeMsg: Text these commands to 9999 to manage SMS blocking: block, list, spam, help. Text “help ” to learn about each command.
help block	Help with blocking senders	1/2 SprintFreeMsg: block : Blocks the sender. 2/2 Sender can be a shortcode, 10 digit phone number, email address, or "email" to block all messages from email addresses.
help allow	Help with allowing senders that have been blocked	1/2 SprintFreeMsg: allow : Allows the sender. 2/2 Sender can be a shortcode, 10 digit phone number, email address, "email" to allow all messages from email addresses, or "all" to remove all blocking.
block	Block a shortcode or phone number (4 to 10 digits)
	Block an email address	SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from "XXXXX" are now blocked.
block <@domain>	Block all messages from a specific domain	SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from "XXXXX" are now blocked.
block email	Block all email addresses	SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from all email addresses are now blocked.
allow	Allow a sender that has been blocked (4 to 10 digits)	SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from "XXXXX" are now allowed.
allow	Allow an email address that has been blocked	SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from "XXXXX" are now allowed.
allow <@domain>	Allow messages from a domain that has been blocked	SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from "XXXXX" are now allowed.
allow email	Allow all email addresses	SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from all email addresses are now allowed.
allow all	Allow messages from all senders (removes all blocks)	SprintFreeMsg: All text messages are now allowed.
list	Lists blocked senders	SprintFreeMsg: You have no blocked senders. All text messages will be allowed.
spam	Report spam from a shortcode or phone number (4 to 10 digits)	SprintFreeMsg: Thanks for reporting spam sent by "XXXXXXX." SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from "XXXXXXX" are now blocked.
spam	Report spam from an email address	SprintFreeMsg: Thanks for reporting spam sent by "XXXXXXX." SprintFreeMsg: Text messages from "XXXXXXX" are now blocked.

Note: This information applies only to Sprint® and PowerSource phones.

Note: The numbers you block need to be at least four digits long.

Software: Loudtalks Push to talk (For pc’s and Windows Mobile)

anovelo — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 07:14:00 +0000

Loudtalks (LINK: http://loudtalks.com/products_loudtalks_lite/) is a free push-to-talk for Windows Mobile. It utilizes Wi-Fi or your data connection and works between mobile operators and cross borders.
Unlike some of alternatives the communication is real-time and direct (peer-to-peer). Your messages are never stored to the server. There is a free Windows PC client software too so you can talk mobile to mobile, PC to mobile or PC to PC.
Features:

Push-to-talk
Contact list with online status
Voice history
Sound notifications
Works over Wi-Fi, 3G, EDGE or GPRS
Compatible with Windows Mobile 5.0 / 6.0 and on the PC side Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Linux using WINE

Sprint – Phone Replacement Pt3

anovelo — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:42:00 +0000

I finally have a replacement phone (That isn’t reported lost/stolen) and I have been able to get everything set up on the new phone. I have returned both the original phone and the 1st replacement phone (The “lost/stolen” one), let see if they process them properly or if i get a notice saying I haven’t returned them. I’m not holding my breath.

Sprint – Phone Replacement PT.2

anovelo — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Ok this is getting ridicules. So far since i requested a replacement for my Mogul that wasn’t working. I have received a phone, been told that the phone that SPRINT SENT ME was listed as lost or stolen and now after 4 hours 11 min (yes I’ve been keeping track) and 15 different reps and I can’t even tell you how many departments, the solution is that Sprint will send me another phone today and that when that one arrives i will send back not only my bad phone but the “HOT” phone as well. At least the last tech gave me a $30 credit on my next phone bill (and yes i do plan to ask for more from them once we get this mess fixed!).

Stay Tuned!

Sprint – Adventure in getting phone replaced

anovelo — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:05:00 +0000

I have a Sprint Mogul phone, which I actually like. As a tech and road warrior my phone has been in a lot of battles (and that’s why i get the insurance on the phone), and I finally needed to get my phone replaced via my insurance replacement. Well today I received my replacement Mogul……and wouldn’t you know it, even though i have a box from sprint with sprint paperwork…when i called in to get the new phone activated I was informed by the sprint tech that my phone is showing as lost or stolen in their computer system. So in other words sprint sent me a HOT phone (it appears). So far it has taken an hour on the phone with sprint to now be told that “a ticket is being created to have someone review it and try (that word scares me) to get the new phone out of jail (Hey I didn’t think I had ordered an iPhone – Jailbreak?). So the adventure continues tomorrow and lets see how much longer before my phone is replaced…..