HTC has finally started to push out Android 2.2 for the international HTC Desire (not carrier customized). System upgrade version 2.09.405.8 is a 90MB download, and is automatically pushed to your device over-the-air.
This will update your current Droid installation to run on Android 2.2 with HTC Sense UI.
The phone will run much faster, mainly due to the JIT compiler update that we saw in Android 2.2. Other features introduced in Android 2.2 is the HotSpot support, application installation to microSD cards, OpenGL ES 2.0 support, 720p video recording, Caller ID and better localization. Also the Sync application got updated, with the biggest addition of iTunes syncing.
Not long ago, specs for a device previously known as the HTC Ace leaked. With that leak, we also got a new name for this thing, and the official marketing name is HTC Desire HD. Another interesting device that appeared is the HTC Desire Z, previously known as Vision. Specs has yet to be released for the Desire Z.
What we do know, is that these both devices have appeared in a Vodafone inventory program, meaning that the products has been ‘created’. Normally this happens when operators know when they will get the device. Both the Desire HD (Ace) and Desire Z (Vision) is expected to be released in October. Maybe we’ll see a launch sooner than this?
A Dutch HTC executive tweeted today that the HTC Desire would be getting Froyo, Android 2.2, starting tomorrow. Now, Eldar Murtazin tweeted that his Desire started to download a new firmware, so I’d say this is Android 2.2!
Will update the post when I find more evidence on on this!
Edit: Not Froyo yet, but a minor release dated 28.07.2010.
According to a leak today, what we previously knew as the HTC Ace, could in fact be called the HTC Desire HD.
HTC Desire HD leaked specs:
4.3 ” WVGA (480 x 800) capacitive touchscreen
1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
8 Megapixel camera with 720p HD video capture
Android 2.2 with Flash 10 support
XviD playback support
SRS surround sound
4GB internal memory
eBook reader feature
unibody aluminum design
Spec wise this sounds lovely, especially the unibody aluminum design part! From the leak that happened earlier this month, we can expect the Desire HD to be available sometime in October (read more about it here).
Both the HTC Desire and the Samsung Galaxy S runs at a clock speed of 1GHz. It doesn’t mean that they are equal tho, the chips are made by different manufacturers. The Hummingbird chip inside the Galaxy S is developed by Samsung, while the Snapdragon processor inside the HTC Desire is made by Qualcomm.
As you can see from the video above, the Humminbird dominates the Snapdragon in 3D game performance, even though they both run at 1GHz. The game seen on the video is Quake 2.
It has been known for long, that a basic AMOLED screen doesn’t do that well in direct sunlight. Samsung has told that their new Super AMOLED screen is better than anything else currently on the market.
In the video above, you can see three different screen types tested in direct sunlight:
Samsung Galaxy S with a 4 inch Super AMOLED screen
HTC Desire with a 3.7″ AMOLED screen
Sony Ericsson XPERIA x10 with a 4 inch TFT LCD screen
Can’t really say if the Super AMOLED is better than the LCD, but at least they are equally good. So now you can get the advantages of both worlds with the Super AMOLED screen seen on for instance the Samsung Galaxy S.
HTC released two a new firmware for two of their brand new phones, the HTC Desire and HTC Legend. No changelog is currently available.
The new versions are as follows: HTC Legend version 1.31.405.4, and HTC Desire version 1.21.405.2.
In our commitment to providing you with the best user experience, we are pushing out a new firmware update to your phone. Your phone will receive a notification of this update when it is made available. Simply press OK to accept the update via a data connection such as Wi-Fi or GPRS/3G. After installing the update, you can confirm a successful update by confirming the Software Number (From the Home Screen go to MENU> Settings> About Phone> Software information> Software number). The new software number after the update will be 1.31.405.4 on HTC Legend and 1.21.405.2 on HTC Desire.Note：We recommend using a free Wi-Fi hotspot or an unlimited data plan to apply this update. If not, standard data connection charges may apply. For any questions, please contact us viahttp://www.htc.com/www/CA_Hotline.aspx
Read more: HTC Support
Update: The update for Legend brings “ Email Application Optimization“.
According to a post over at XDA-developers, a guy was ‘fighting’ with a sales representative of HTC, and got a bit of information to share with the rest of the world. The user was fed up with the fact that he was running out of space to install applications. After a while of arguing, he got to speak with the supervisor, and this is what the answer to his problem was:
But you never heard this from me…. A new update is coming the 23rd of June and you will be able to put some apps on to the micro sd card.
That my friends, is a feature of Android 2.2 or Froyo, so if this conversation indeed did happen, then HTC Desire will see an Android 2.2 update on 23rd of June. Would make sense to update the “Nexus Two” after the Nexus One.
