May 23rd sounds a lot better than indefinitely!

Thanks to Inside Sprint Now for a little hope.

Sprint began to push a new OTA update out yesterday to eager EVO 4G owners that promised all sorts of good stuff:

• Improvements to Wi-Fi performance
• Exchange Active Sync improvements which include a fix to issue including new account set up, PIN policy usage, and Exchange Server 2010 Calendar Sync
• Addresses Social Networking Sync issue with Facebook application which can improve battery performance.

This all sounded exciting to most EVO users, especially when confronted with what many users believe are below average battery levels for day to day usage. Unfortuantely, as you can see here and here, the update was anything but a success on the part of Sprint or HTC. Apparently many users were prompted to install another update after installing the official 1.47.651.1 and, upon doing so, ended up with a very expensive paper weight. This is because, for some reason, the same OTA update was being pushed to the device twice.

The unlucky recipients of the second update reported that their phones were “bricked” and could not be repaired even at Sprint corporate stores or repair centers. What’s worse is Sprint and HTC are reportedly pointing fingers at each other and in many cases EVO users are simply left without a working phone. Other users who did not get prompted to install the OTA update twice, or who were lucky enough not to do so if they were prompted, also report a number of other issues:

• Some Apps not working, which they did prior to the update
• Some widgets not working, which they did prior to the update
• No longer able to disable HTC Sense UI and use the stock Android home screen launcher
• Google Talk runs in the background, even after disabling it within the app
• Apps working and then the phone becomes randomly unresponsive
• Many stock Android wallpapers were removed
• Much, much more

Sprint pulled the OTA update late last night and really had very little to say about it. Reports are in from users in this thread that the update is again available, in at least a few markets. With all that has transpired in the last twenty four hours, I recommend that you wait a few days and see how other EVO users are doing after the update. And if you do go jumping in, I wish you the best of luck.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Have you ever been asked to pay for something that you couldn’t receive?  PPCGeeks’ very own blogger explains that the new 4G fee has exposed how Sprint is asking their customers to do exactly that.  Sprint’s new HTC EVO 4G phone comes with a $199 price tag but also tacks on a mandatory $10 monthly fee that they’ve labeled as a “Premium Data” add-on, similar to road-side assistance.

Our blogger has been in contact with Sprint over the last week and has been asking them for one request:  simply explain the fee.

Sprint’s “Premium Data” fee has been described by Sprint as a way of allowing their customers to experience data like never before.  They call this ride a “Richer Data Experience” and the admission cost is $10 per month.  The thing is, though, the blogger directly questioned the definition of “Premium Data” and was told that it is related to the phone’s enhanced features, such as dual HD cameras, Snapdragon processor, 4.3″ touchscreen and even a kickstand.

The obvious question here is if this fee has any relation to Sprint’s new 4G network (currently only in 33 markets).  Sprint’s answer is that it doesn’t matter if you are on your existing 3G network or in one of their new 4G areas – you must pay the fee.  They continue to state that this is related specifically to the phone.  That’s right, customers are being told that this fee will allow them to experience a “Richer Data Experience” even if they’re not in a 4G area!

Since explainthefee.com was created 4 days ago, there have been over 5,000 hits as our blogger has posted his email interactions from Dan@Sprint.com and even emails from Sprint’s Public Relations department.  The site has received numerous emails from people sharing their own stories and providing their supporting comments.

Several days ago, there was a Sprint “HTC EVO 4G Playbook” that was leaked on the Internet that poses “sample” questions that customer’s might ask their sales people.  One question in the playbook was “Why would someone in a 3G market buy an EVO 4G and pay for the $10 Premium Data?” This was answered with the following:

The EVO offers an unparalleled experience on 3G as well as 4G.  The combination of a 4.3 inch screen, built-in-kickstand, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 2.1 and the hallmark HTC Sense experience makes HTC EVO 4G a best-in-class 3G phone.  As 4G launches in additional markets, HTC EVO 4G will take a great 3G experience (and great apps created for 3G, especially those using video) and makes it even better on 4G.

As you can see, Sprint doesn’t clearly explain anything.  Again, they try to sell the “Data Add-on” as hardware features of the phone.  Our blogger has recently posted his last update titled “Just answer the questions.”  This is what he wants Sprint to explain:

If the “Premium Data” charge is not for the 3G nor 4G network access and the charge is for the phone features why is it that all of the “Premium Data” features are listed as technical specifications of the HTC EVO 4G phone?  If I were to take this phone to a non-Sprint area, such as the south pole, would those “Premium Data” features work, such as the 4.3″ screen, HD Camera/Camcorder, faster processor, and even kickstand?  Would I be able to use these features in Airplane mode? If I can use those in a non-Sprint area or in Airplane mode, why must I pay $10 a month to use this “add-on” when I’m not using Sprint’s data network?  Can you please explain the fee?

 You can read his ongoing saga and try to bring more attention to this mandatory “add-on” by going to http://explainthefee.com and joining thefacebook.com/explainthefee group. You can also follow the site ontwitter.com/explainthefee.

The HTC EVO 4G provides capabilities never before available on a wireless device.  The $10 Premium Data Add-on will ensure your customers receive a richer data experience and get the most out of their EVO (Not to mention customers get unlimited data on the Sprint network).

Art Work Credit: [sammich]

Cupcake. Donut. Eclair. Froyo- wait what? Yes Froyo, short for Frozen Yogurt, is the codename of the  next update for Android OS, which will be based on Linux Kernel 2.6.32. This tasty update was mentioned in the Developers Guide Sprint released for the HTC EVO a few quaint days ago. The interesting tidbit in the Guide is this following quote-

The Android Éclair release does not include the support for 4G radios like WiMax.  Sprint is actively working with the Android team to support WiMax in the Android platform level.  The below APIs will be used for Sprint 4G device until the official Android release includes 4G support.

From the looks of things, Sprint will be the first carrier to be using the Froyo update unless the EVO is initially released without 4G support. With this tasty update, the EVO just gets better and better. Now the wait is on for a release date and pricing plans.

Source- Pocketnow.com

Image Credit- leakdroid.net