Update -- Engadget Mobile

update posts

Samsung unleashes WinMo 6.5 upgrade for AT&T's Jack

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 4th 2009 @ 7:21PM

It's not often that a manufacturer pushes a Windows Mobile version bump in a timely fashion, so color us impressed to see that Samsung has now released an official 6.5 upgrade for the Jack on AT&T. 6.5 is a relatively minor bump over 6.1 in the non-touch Standard world -- Professional devices are getting the lion's share of improvements -- but users will be happy to find that they're getting an updated Internet Explorer Mobile, Windows Marketplace access, and automated free connections to AT&T WiFi hotspots (anything to offload cellular strain, right?). Grab it now from Samsung's site, make sure your battery's charged, and let 'er rip.

Palm: webOS speed fix in the 'immediate future'

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 4th 2009 @ 3:31AM

Palm device owners have little to complain about when it comes to webOS; not after enduring Garnet and empty Access promises for so long. Still, that OS which relies so heavily upon web technologies like HTML 5, JavaScript, and CSS can be surprisingly sluggish when compared to other smartphone OSes. Now we have a hint as to why thanks to Palm's Ben Galbraith and Dion Almae who made an interesting admission Tuesday related to the Pre's UI latency compared to the iPhone 3GS -- a phone based on the same ARM architecture. According to the duo, "the path to the GPU didn't exist" in webOS, something that will be solved in the "immediate future" using CSS transforms to modify visual elements thus freeing-up CPU cycles for other tasks. Hmm, immediate future sure sounds like a webOS update to accompany the Palm Pixi release on November 15th.

[Via Everything Pre]

HTC confirmed to be cooking up Android 2.0 update for Hero, other devices unclear

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 28th 2009 @ 7:19PM

Anyone with an existing Android device and a nasty case of DROID envy today might want to hold off before switching devices, emptying the bank account, and possibly switching carriers in the process, because HTC's got a little bit of information here to end our day on a high note. Here's the full quote:

"Yes, we are working on an Eclair update for the HTC Hero. Because Eclair is a significantly enhanced release, it will require some time to update Sense for this new version of the Android OS. Please be patient while we work to provide you with a tightly integrated experience like the one you are already enjoying on your Hero."

Bottom line, the Hero is signed up for Android 2.0 and it's just a matter of HTC getting Sense ported and tested -- makes sense (no pun intended), and we imagine Motorola will have to go through these same hoops with BLUR. The company went on to mention that it intends to bring the update to all versions of the Hero, though it's up to partners (like Sprint, for instance) to help coordinate how and when that's going to go down. We don't have any information on the sundry Dream and Magic variants around the world at this point -- but it's important to remember that the Hero uses the same processor as its older siblings, so at least there's hope for a good xda-developers port if nothing else.

Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 hits the tubes, is ready for your attention

by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2009 @ 8:57AM

Got an N97? Yeah? Reckoned that Nokia has forgotten about your loyalty and moved all of its focus onto the N900? Fret not, dearest early adopter -- the engineers in Espoo are making good on a promise to clear out lots of bugs in the aforesaid handset with firmware 2.0, and if we're seeing this right, it's available now to download all over the world. We know, you 5800 owners are clamoring for the same type of TLC, but for now it looks like the pricier sibling is getting its due. Hit the read link and get your download going, and make sure to report back on your kinetic scrolling experience, cool?

[Thanks, Daniel]

Sense UI update for HTC Magic makes the scene in Taiwan

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 5:04PM

If our ability to guesstimate Chinese website contents based on sketchy machine translation software is correct, it looks like HTC Magic owners in Taiwan are finally getting that Sense UI update they've been teased with since mid-August. Further blurring the lines between the aforementioned handset and the Hero, it is unknown whether or not the update will ever come to carriers besides Chunghwa Telecom, or how long that could even take. One thing we are fairly certain of, however, is that phones "with Google" will probably remain without this update, into perpetuity. Sorry, myTouch! If you're one of the lucky few, hit that read link to get started.

[Via Unwired View]

Verizon Storm2 on October 28th, BlackBerry OS 5.0 for original Storm out now

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 7:17AM

If you have an original Storm purchased through Verizon then first, our condolences. At the risk of rubbing it in (since you're still on contract) we have to tell you that the second generation Storm2 -- the full-screen BlackBerry you should have waited for -- just got an official $179.99 (after $100 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract) October 28th release date as expected. Storm owners can, however, take solace in the BlackBerry OS 5.0 update now available for download that boasts several improvements including those keyboard and general usability enhancements we already knew were coming.

BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 24th 2009 @ 11:01AM

Hey, you -- yeah you, the BlackBerry Storm owner over there. You listening? Good. That mythical software update we heard about just last week is obviously the real deal, and a screen grab from Verizon's internal systems has shown up to prove it. We're told that it should go live tomorrow (that's October 25th for those in strange, potentially illegitimate time zones) at 6PM. On the whole, it'll make your Storm act a lot more like the forthcoming Storm2, but specifically you can expect a "faster, more accurate and more natural text input experience, word completion, a virtual QWERTY keyboard in portrait view and enhanced sensitivity when editing, copying and pasting." You'll also get the ability to "enable Auto Correction as opposed to Word Completion in landscape view." The full changelog should be coming soon, so hang tight! Oh, and cancel those plans for tomorrow night, okay?

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Update: Check out the full (purported) changelog after the break!

Continue reading BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)

Original BlackBerry Storm to get flick scrolling, better browsing through firmware update?

by Darren Murph posted Oct 19th 2009 @ 10:19AM

Despite Verizon's best efforts to ignore the obvious, RIM's BlackBerry Storm2 is not only official, it's (un)officially destined for Big Red's airwaves. If you're one of those slightly disgruntled Storm 9530 owners, however, you could be looking at a rather nice firmware update coming your way in the near future. According to phoneArena, the Storm and Storm2 will eventually be "practically identical" in terms of software, with a forthcoming update to add flick scrolling, tabbed browsing and threaded texting to the original. Of course, we should probably wait for VZW to confirm the existence of the Storm2 before expecting any formal word on this, but feel free to go about your day with cautious optimism.

HTC Touch Pro2 and Snap among first official WinMo 6.5 updates

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 13th 2009 @ 6:08PM

HTC promised way back at Mobile World Congress in February that the Touch Pro2 would be fully upgradeable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when the binaries went gold, and... well, here we are. Sure enough, they're making good on the promise by rolling out official updates for both the Touch Pro2 and the Snap so far, though this is one of those situations where availability for your particular version of the phone is going to depend on carrier branding, locking, and the phase of the moon, among other things -- so if the updates don't work for you, you can wait for your carrier to get in gear or, you know, try your luck over with the always-helpful xda-developers to roll your own update.

[Via Smartphone Thoughts]

Read - HTC Snap
Read - HTC Touch Pro2

Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, 'fixes' iTunes media sync

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 3rd 2009 @ 4:20AM

The game's back on. Palm just announced the availability of its 1.2.1 update to WebOS for the Palm Pre and, well, that's it for the time being. It fixes Exchange mail syncing issues experienced by some users, which is nice, but for everyone else it re-enables media sync with iTunes 9.0.1, with or without the USB-IF's support. In fact, Palm has signaled its commitment to its rogue approach by improving synchronization with the Photos app to keep the album structure in tact while allowing lower-resolution images to be synced to the Pre. Oh happy day -- enjoy it while it lasts Pre owners.

Android 1.6 update now official for T-Mobile G1 and myTouch 3G

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 1:49PM

Donuts for everyone! Well, not everyone -- but as we'd heard, at least some G1 and myTouch 3G owners on T-Mobile USA are now being blessed with an official Android 1.6 build over the air. The carrier says it has "begun delivery," which we take means it's not all happening at once; that's the way the 1.5 rollout was handled, so it really doesn't come as a surprise. Keep checking for that update notification, folks.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nokia N86 firmware v20 brings exciting new features, improvements

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 11:44AM

Something like a year and a half ago, every camera manufacturer in the world suddenly decided that face detection was the Next Big Thing -- so naturally, cameraphones were destined to follow down that path. Given that the N86 8MP currently resides as Nokia's undisputed photographic champion, it makes sense that the company would be pushing its awesomest (is that even a word?) camera features that way -- and indeed, the just-released firmware version 20 adds face detection, red eye reduction, improved video quality, and a host of bug fixes and tweaks. Seems like a must-have update, so fire up that NSU client and go to town, won't you?

[Via All About Symbian]

Android 1.6 getting pushed to G1s starting tonight, myTouch 3Gs in a day?

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 12:28AM

This is totally out of left field, but TmoNews (which tends to have a pretty solid track record when it comes to all things T-Mobile) is claiming that "select" G1s will be receiving Android 1.6 "Donut" starting... well, right about now. So much for any lingering worries that the first retail Android device was being left high and dry, eh? If everything goes well, the rumor goes on to say that myTouch 3Gs would be getting their own over-the-air upgrade in about 24 hours -- and like the 1.5 update before it, it'd likely be a staggered rollout to make sure that T-Mobile doesn't brick a bazillion phones in one fell swoop. Any G1 owners out there seeing anything yet? This sounds awfully quick, especially considering that the Dev Phone 1 just took delivery of 1.6 a handful of hours ago -- but hey, if it's true, we like T-Mobile's hustle.

BlackBerry Storm gets a freshly leaked upgrade to OS 5.0

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 29th 2009 @ 2:01PM

Will Verizon release an official update to 5.0 for the current generation of the Storm? Maybe -- it's a total crap shoot -- but even if they do, your children's children could be having midlife crises before it's actually released considering the glacial pace that Verizon typically gets new hardware and software to market. Of course, that's partly thanks to an infamously back-breaking testing regimen that helps Verizon consistently earn high marks for network quality and generally keeps customers off the support lines, but for those of us who want nothing more than to live on the edge, it's good to see that another packaged 5.0 update for the 9530 has hit the wires -- this one versioned 5.0.0.230. We imagine this one's leaps and bounds more stable than the nearly unusable stuff from earlier this summer, and initial reports from users seems to indicate as much -- the camera works (always a good thing) and there seem to be countless minor tweaks and fixes that folks are describing as "promising." As always, your average BlackBerry user who relies on the phone day in and day out might want to wait for something a little less leaky -- but like we said, it could be a bit of a wait.

webOS 1.2 now available, brings support for app purchases

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 28th 2009 @ 4:03PM

http://www.engadget.com/media/2009/09/updates_2009-28-09_160135.png

The tips are flooding in -- webOS 1.2.0 has just been released, and downloads are starting all over. Obviously the big new features is support for app purchases in the Catalog, but we've heard there are a ton of little fixes and improvements in addition -- we're checking it out now, let us know how it goes for you in comments!

Update: We haven't tested it yet, but the Media Sync section of the release notes doesn't make any mention of restoring iTunes compatibility -- looks like Palm's not going to poke at the USB-IF any more than it has to.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]