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Feb

[Updated With Internal PDF] Confirmed: Samsung Epic 4G & Sanyo Zio Receiving Android 2.2 (Froyo) Update OTA On February 21

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News, Sprint, Zio

Earlier today, Android Central caught word that the Epic and Zio would receive an over-the-air (OTA) update to Froyo on February 21, but had nothing more than copied and pasted text from the Sprint system. Fast forward a few hours, and we now have more concrete evidence in the form a screenshots from Sprint's internal system that confirm the update is coming:

The image is courtesy of XDA member bentiger, and confirms his earlier statement that there was a Sprint internal announcement that the updates were rolling out:

I just saw an official release from Sprint Dealer News.

Software Updates: Samsung Epic (EB13, Froyo) & Sanyo Zio (2.200SP, Froyo)
Effective 2/21/11, software updates will be available for both devices Over-the-Air (OTA).

Jan

Are Samsung Galaxy S Froyo Updates Being Held Back Because Of Cost?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Captivate, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Vibrant

Last Updated: August 13th, 2011

A few weeks ago, Samsung USA tweeted that Froyo updates for the Galaxy S phones are being delayed due to further testing. Then, just 4 days ago, AndroidSPIN reported that the Vibrant update (if not others) wasn't rolling out so that the Vibrant wouldn't steal the Vibrant 4G+'s thunder. And now the saga continues, as a new anonymous source has stepped forth to clarify the issue.

Reportedly an insider who has stepped "... across the NDAs [to] explain the issues behind the Android Froyo update to the Samsung Galaxy S phones in the United States," he/she says:

To explain the political situation, first, a primer on how phone firmware upgrades work for carriers.

Nov

Froyo Leak For Epic 4G, Now Rooted, Fixed Up, And Ready For Consumption

Posted by Brad Ganley in Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News

This article deals with a couple of advanced topics. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terms, hit up our primers here:

Last night, XDA user Firon posted a flashable, pre-rooted, deodexed, and zip-aligned version of the Froyo leak for the Samsung Epic 4G. This is good news because the Galaxy S phones are hurting for some Froyo love, and Samsung seems to be taking its sweet time with it.

As with any leaked ROM, the DJ29 Froyo build for the Epic 4G is going to be anything but flawless.

Sep

Battery Lives Of 8 Flagship Android Phones Tested And Compared - LCD Wins, AMOLED Loses, Droid X Takes Home The Crown

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Captivate, Devices By Manufacturer, Droid 2, Droid X (Shadow), Epic 4G, EVO 4G (Supersonic), Incredible, News, Streak, Vibrant

Here’s something to get your teeth into. Over at LaptopMag, a whole host of Androids have been put through their paces in a grueling battery life endurance test. The goal was to keep the phones’ screens on while doing a moderate amount of processing, namely cyclically browsing a collection of web pages. Despite the supposed power savings afforded by AMOLED screens, the phones employing that screen technology fell quite a ways behind in comparison to the traditional LCD phones.

Why is that? AMOLED is supposed to only use up power on non-black pixels, right? Well, as LaptopMag points out, the majority of webpages are actually dark text on a light background, a scenario in which AMOLED actually uses more power than an equivalent backlit LCD.

Sep

Sprint Launches An Epically Awful Ad Campaign To Promote Samsung Epic 4G And Media Hub

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Epic 4G, News, Sprint, Videos

I'm not sure how much money Sprint spent on this but I'm sure whatever the amount was, they overpaid. In an effort to promote the recently launched Samsung Epic 4G handset and the new Media Hub, the company shot a series of short movies, all with the word "Epic" in the titles.

The website layout, production quality, and presentation are all top notch. What is not top notch, however, is the most important part - the content. Plain and simple, it sucks. It is mostly the opposite of I would call funny or entertaining, ends way too abruptly (yeah, they really are short films), and makes no sense in the scope of effectively promoting both the phone and the new media service.

Sep

Samsung Releases Minor Update For Epic 4G - Adds Media Hub, Fixes A Few Bugs

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Epic 4G, News, Sprint

Yesterday, Samsung released a fairly minor update for the Epic 4G. There are only a handful of changes, including some light optimizations and a few small bug fixes - but more importantly, it adds Media Hub functionality. Media Hub is a new service that was introduced last night by Samsung, and provides access to movies and TV shows from most of the big dogs - not too shabby.

Full list of changes:

DI07 Update Details

Please see the list below for details of some changes found in the DI07 update.

Optimized, HotSpot in 3G idle mode to help conserve battery power

Optimized, Applied Qualcomm patch for performance enhancement

Added, Media Hub

Modified, WiMAX exit delay

Modified, UI "Noisey" One to "Noisy One"

Fixed, 32GB mSD card is not recongized when formatted in device

Fixed, When playing video, the playback is paused if a headset is connected/disconnected

Fixed, Sorry popup when DRM file is selected in the Gallery

Fixed, Hotspot registration/deregistration

Note, below is a screen shot of the descriptor.

Aug

Root Available For the Epic 4G You Don't Even Have Yet

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Epic 4G, News

That was quick - the Sprint's Epic 4G has already been rooted by the crew over at SDX-devs. In other words, now you can root that phone you don't have yet. It's a method requiring adb (Android Device Bridge) commands and thus desktop connectivity, but a one-click solution will probably emerge sooner rather than later. Note: it says EVO root, but the method works on this phone as well, don't let the filename fool you. Instructions below:

download this file
http://evo4g.me/downloads/evo-root.zip

run these commands thru adb
adb push c:\downloads\rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin /data/local/tmp
adb shell
chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
cd /data/local/tmp
./rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin

exit out of the adb shell, and type adb shell again.

Aug

[Updated] Hands-On Review Of Sprint's Samsung Epic 4G

Posted by Ian Douglas in Epic 4G, News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Samsung, Sprint, Videos

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

When offered to preview Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S offering, the SPH-D700, also known as the Epic 4G, I immediately jumped on the opportunity. While my first personal-use Android device was the Nexus One, I’ve handled my share of Android smartphones, and my history of smartphone use has included several Samsung phones over the years. This being the first Galaxy S device I’ve personally handled, I’m glad to say that Samsung does not disappoint, and I can highly recommend the device to users who need a physical keyboard and can sign up for a contract with Sprint.

Update #1: added a 720P video sample.

Aug

Samsung Epic 4G Pre-Order Begins - Here Are Your Options

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Epic 4G, News, Sprint

Looks like the floodgates have opened and pre-orders have started for the Epic 4G. All the usual suspects are offering the device, and all in their own way. As with the EVO 4G, Sprint will be requiring the Premium Data (or 4G) surcharge of $10/month. As always, to get the lowest price, you need to sign a 2-year agreement.

Sprint is selling the device for $350 with a $100 mail-in-rebate (MIR). Currently, if you pre-order online, you pick it up in-store on the August 31 and pay for it then. Looks like full retail on the phone is $500.
Best Buy is pricing the device at $250 with no MIR, as usual.

Aug

[BREAKING] Sprint: Samsung Epic 4G Will Be Available August 31st For $249, Pre-Orders Start August 13th

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Epic 4G, News

UPDATE: Customers can reserve their smartphone for purchase at www.sprint.com/epic4g beginning Friday, Aug. 13

Well, it would appear we were off a bit on our August 20th estimate. Sprint has just informed us that the Epic 4G (the first Galaxy S keyboard phone, and the first 4G keyboard phone) will be available for purchase on August 31st on the Sprint network, specs below: