14 DAY TRIAL // HTC Aria, one of the Android-based handsets that wireless carrier AT&T offers to its users, has just received a software update, bringing the OS version it runs under up to Android 2.2 Froyo. The software update was announced by AT&T last week, and the company has already made it available for download for customers.
Those who would like to manually update their smartphones can now head over to HTC's website here to download the necessary files.
“This software is an update for the HTC Aria for AT&T,” the mobile phone maker notes.
The vendor also offer info on what the software update includes, in addition to the said Froyo OS version:
App Sharing – Allows you to share an application via Bluetooth, Friend Stream, Email, etc. Google Search Latitude – A service by Google that lets you see your friends' locations and share yours with them. Navigation – Google Maps Navigation is a Turn-by-Turn GPS navigation application. News and Weather Places – A Google service that makes it easy to search and find Restaurants, Coffee, Bars, Hotels, Attractions, ATMs, Gas Stations, and more. Videos – Links directly to videos that have been taken with the camcorder. Wi-Fi Hotspot and USB Tethering – Allows the user to use their Aria as a mobile hotspot for up to 8 devices or connect a PC using the Aria's data connection. A separate data plan is required for this functionality.
A series of other changes were also included with the new software update for HTC Aria, the company notes. Moreover, HTC also says that users should perform a backup of all data on their devices before proceeding with the installation process, so as to make sure they won't lose important files.
“Please note that during this update process, the device will be Hard Reset and anything that is NOT part of the Operating System (applications downloaded from Android Market, SMS/MMS, Email, etc)) will be permanently deleted; always make a point of backing up your devices data on a regular basis,” HTC explains.
One thing that should be noted here is that the files that are stored on the microSD memory card inside the device, including Music, Pictures, and Videos, as well as other files, will not be affected by this OS upgrade.
All of the applications that users downloaded and installed from the Android Market and which are linked to the Gmail account can be easily restored to the handset, the company continues.
Additional info on Android 2.2 Froyo for HTC Aria can be found on HTC's website here. The new ROM is available for download from there too.