14 DAY TRIAL // Shortly after Sprint and HTC had kicked off the rollout of the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the EVO 3D, the companies announced the immediate availability of a major upgrade for HTC EVO Design 4G.
Ice Cream Sandwich is finally pushed to HTC EVO Design 4G, though the smartphone has already been launched at Boost Mobile with Android 4.0 out of the box.
Initially slated for a June release, Sprint and HTC delayed the update for July just to deliver it in August. As expected, the major update is pushed OTA (over the air) in stages, so it may not reach all EVO Design 4G units at the same time.
Aside from bumping the software to version Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the update brings the new HTC Sense 3.6 user interface, which is a consistent improvement from the previous Sense 3.0 UI.
With the new Face unlock feature users will be provided with the latest facial recognition technology, which will enable them to unlock their phone with a simple smile.
Android 4.0 ICS for HTC EVO Design 4G brings other changes as well, including the following:
- Create folders on your home panels; - Improved Android browser; - Improved accessibility; - Resizable Google widgets; - Add/remove panels; - Redesigned camera app that introduces scenes like Panorama, and effects like Vignette, Depth of Field, Vintage and Posterize; - Redesigned Gmail app lets you swipe between conversations to catch up quickly; - Google+ integration.
Last but not least, the update includes a few bug fixes, which are meant to address some issues previously reported by HTC EVO Design 4G owners:
- Fix: Sprint Mobile Hotspot; - Fix: Dialing 1 to allow voicemail access; - Fix: Exchange calendar sync fail issue.
HTC EVO 4G Design owners who have yet to be notified on the update can manually check for Android 4.0 ICS by going to Settings / About phone / HTC Software Updates / Check.