Android Invasion » Rezound

News: Ice Cream Sandwich Now Rolling Out to The HTC Rezound

Chance — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:54:07 +0000

We told you yesterday that Android 4.0 is now on nearly 16 percent of devices and that number will only grow, and after a very long wait, Ice Cream Sandwich is now available for the HTC Rezound. The update brings Android 4.0.3 to the device with Sense 3.6 on top. Changes include Face Unlock, new notifications enhancements, a multitasking interface, new browser features, a data usage meter, and many other enhancements.

The update is rolling out in waves, but some users are having luck manually pulling the update by heading into the settings.

Have you gotten the update? How is it? Let us know in the comments!

News: HTC Says ICS is Coming to the Rezound by end of July

Chance — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:30:49 +0000

Don’t throw in the towel yet, Rezound owners. According to this support letter from HTC, the device will be receiving Ice Cream Sandwich by the end of July, which “final pushes in August.” HTC originally said that the Rezound would be getting Android 4.0 sometime in June or July. So if the company does get it out by July 31st, it will keep its promises.

Dear Andrew S,

Thank you for contacting HTC regarding the Android 4.0 update. I understand that you are excited to receive the update for your HTC Rezound. I will be happy to share the information I have with you.

The ICS (Android 4.0) update will be released for the Rezound by the end of this month (July) with final pushes in August. Due to localization, testing, and partner approvals, updates do not roll out to all devices at the same time. For devices on a wide variety of carriers and in many countries, rollouts can take up to 45 days from the initial update to reach everyone. It’s almost here, Andrew! We are as excited as you are. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Let me know if I have successfully answered your question, please click here to complete this.

To send a reply to this message, please click here.

Sincerely,

Jauna

HTC

It is odd that HTC said last month that the update had been approved, but now says it will not be here for at least 3 weeks. Either way, we’re glad to finally get an update on Ice Cream Sandwich for the device.

[Via: DroidLife]

News: Most HTC Devices Will Have Ice Cream Sandwich by August

Chance — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:35:54 +0000

The Ice Cream Sandwich saga continues. The O.S was announced 6 months ago, and as of right now, 5% of devices have the tasty update. That number should gradually rise through August, as HTC has released their upgrade roadmap which says all HTC phones should have Android 4.0 by August. Most devices, including the HTC Rezound, HTC EVO 3D, and HTC Desire S should see the update by July, while others including the HTC Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible 2 will get the new software by the final days of the eighth month.

So, who owns an HTC device and wants some Ice Cream Sandwich? Or, bring on the Jelly Bean?

[Source: HTC]

News: Leaked Upgrade Roadmap Shows Verizon’s ICS Plans

Chance — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:58:08 +0000

Ice Cream Sandwich has been out for almost 6 months now, but it appears many Verizon users will have to wait one more month before getting their paws on the upgrade.

We originally heard whispers that the Rezound and RAZR twis would be receiving the update last month, but obviously that has not panned out. This leak states the Rezound will get the update on May 9th, with the RAZR/RAZR MAXX following on May 23rd.

In Motorola’s infinite wisdom, the XOOM’s update has been delayed yet again with no release date in site.

HTC Rezound – 05/09

Software Update Version: 2
Soak Test: 04/16/2012 – 05/07/12
OTA: Verzion
Size: 297mb
Push OTA: 05/09/12
Pull Avail: 05/09/12

Motorola Droid RAZR/MAXX – 05/21

Software Update Version: 4
Soak Test: 04/19/2012 – 05/17/12
OTA: Motorola
Size: 341mb
Push OTA: 05/21/12
Pull Avail: 05/23/12

Xoom 3G/4G – ON HOLD

Software Update Version: 5
Soak Test: 03/29/12 – 04/19/12
OTA: Google
Size: 106mb
Push OTA: ON HOLD FOR TA
Pull Avail: N/A

[Source: Reddit]

News: Ice Cream Sandwich Delayed for the RAZR Twins

Chance — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:44:01 +0000

Last week, we reported on a leaked screenshot from Best Buy that stated the RAZR and RAZR MAXX would be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich on April 4th and the HTC Rezound would get the tasty update on April 6th. While the latter is still on track, the former has been delayed. According to a new Best Buy image, obtained by PhoneDog, the Razr twins update, which was supposed to roll out yesterday, has been delayed.

No word on when the update will rollout, but we are hoping that it is not too far off! Rezound owners, on the other hand can begin attacking the update button on Friday.

[Source: Phonedog]

News: Best Buy Leaks ICS Upgrade Dates for the RAZR Twins and Rezound

Chance — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:29:47 +0000

Rezound and RAZR owners, you now have something to rub in Sensation users faces. According to the a leaked Best Buy message, the Motorola RAZR and RAZR MAXX will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich on April 4, while the Rezound update should begin rolling out just two days later on April 6.

Android Police, the origin or the image, is quick to point out that is not an April Fool’s prank and that multiple sources have confirmed the dates to them.

All you RAZR and Rezound owners, are you pumped up? Get ready to hit that “check for updates” button!

[Source: Android Police]

Review: HTC Rezound (Verizon) – Best Android Device on the Market?

Chance — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:49:05 +0000

Overall 4/5

The Good: Beautiful hardware and the camera is the best available. HTC Sense 3.5 is better than ever. Gorgeous, jaw-dropping 720p display. Beats Audio makes the stock music app sound great. Verizon’s LTE is amazing, and getting better. The Rezound’s back is easy to grip and hold on to.

The Bad: The device is rather thick and heavy. Battery life is not that great. Verizon LTE goes down more than it should. Beats Audio technology does not work with third-party apps, such as Pandora.

Overall: The HTC Rezound 4G is a blazing fast device with the best camera available on a phone. While the device is thick, it is beautiful and feels sturdy in the hand. Verizon’s 4G networks is good and very fast. The Rezound is easily Verizon’s best Android device, and HTC’s best available.

Review

When the HTC Sensation was released in the summer of 2011 on T-Mobile, users on other carriers were jealous, especially Verizon users who were stuck with the single-core Thunderbolt. Well, HTC listened and brought the HTC Rezound to Verizon late last year. The Rezound is currently on sale for $99, but normally costs $299 with a new 2-year agreement.

Design

The HTC Rezound features a 4.3 inch Super LCD with a resolution of 1280×720, or 720p. The display really pops and video and text look extremely crisp. The Super AMOLED Plus display, found on the Galaxy S II, seems slightly better, but the Rezound has a much higher resolution.

The device weighs in at 6 ounces and measures 129mm tall by 65.5mm wide by 13.65mm thick. As you can tell, it is one big piece of hardware, which is both good and bad. The weight of the device makes it feel sturdy and solid. But, it eventually gets a little heavy and uncomfortable to hold. The rubberized back makes it very easy to hold and not drop, which is great.

Below the screen, you will find your normal Android controls: home, menu, back, and search. On top, you get a power/lock button, while the Micro-USB port is located on the left side. The right side features a volume rocker. On the back of the device is an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 1080p video with a 2 megapixel shooter on the front.

Software and Performance

The HTC Rezound ships with Android 2.3 with Sense 3.5. Currently, it is the only device available in the United States with Sense 3.5. 3.5 does not change much. The camera interface, browser, and widgets are slightly tweaked.

The Rezound is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S3 1.5GHz dual-core processor and has 1GB RAM, and man does it scream. The device could handle every test we through at it. Games such as Need for Speed and Angry Birds performed flawlessly and the web browser was smooth as silk.

As we do in all of our reviews, we ran a Quadrant Standard test. Quadrant, available in the market, puts your phone through several tets, such as 3D graphics, 2D graphics and more.

The Rezound scored around 2200 consistently, which is a very good score. Though, it is not as high as the Galaxy S II.

The full spec sheet looks like this:

Processor: Qualcomm MSM8660, 1.5 GHz, Qualcomm MDM9600
OS: Android Gingerbread w/HTC Sense 3.5
Memory: 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 16 GB memory, 16 GB microSD
Dimensions: 5.1” x 2.6” x .54” (LxWxT)
4.3” (diagonal) super LCD WVGA (1280×720)
Display: HD 720p
Battery: 1620mAh LiIon
Connectivity: HDMI, Bluetooth 3.0 + Headset, WiFi®: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n
Sensors / Charging: G – sensor, Light sensor, Compass, Proximity sensor, MicroUSB, USIM/CSIM/ISIM, audio jack, Wireless Charging
Camera: 8.0 megapixel camera with auto focus, /2.2, 28mm wide angle lens, 2 x LED flash, 2 megapixel front camera, 1080p video recorder

Audio

HTC signed a huge deal with Beats Audio last year, and this is the first device to take advantage of the technology in the United States. With the Rezound, you receive a pair of $99 iBeats headphones. Surprisingly, they sound great. When you play music through the built-in Music app, a Beats logo appears in the status bar — this is your cue that the phone is running some proprietary processing on the signal, and it makes the output sound much “bigger.”

Taken with the Rezound

Camera

The camera on the Rezound is absolutely great. Pictures in both normal and low-light conditions are great. You get the same scene modes in Sense 3.5 that you got in 3.0.

Auto: Automatically detects and adjusts settings
SmartShot: Quickly takes a slew of pictures and tries to find one in which everyone is smiling.
SweepShot — aka panorama
ClearShot HDR
BurstShot
Night
Action
Macro
Portrait
Manual

Video recording is in 1080p, and it as well is outstanding in both light and dark environments. Audio can sound a little tinny, but the stunning video makes up for it.

Data and Phone Quality

The Rezound is compatible with Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network. Currently, this network is available in more than 150 markets, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and covers 170 million Americans.

Using the speedtest.net app, we were able to consistently get 20-25mbps up and 5-9 up. ESPN’s mobile site loaded in a speedy 6 seconds.

Phone quality was great and speaker phone was decent, though a bit tinny. We experienced no dropped calls in a twenty call test.

Battery Life

The Rezound ships with a 1,620mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 6 hours and up to 16 days of standby time. As with most HTC devices, battery life was rough. We had trouble getting through a day with moderate use without having to charge the device.

Overall

The HTC Rezound is a blazing fast device with the best camera available on a phone. While the device is thick, it is beautiful and feels sturdy in the hand. Verizon’s 4G LTE is the fatest available, but is has gone down a few times in the last 6 months.

If you are in the market for a Verizon Android phone, we definitely would recommend the Rezound. It compete’s directly with the flagship device, the Galaxy Nexus, which features a TI OMAP processor, but we prefer the camera and design of the Rezound. However, the Exynos powered Galaxy S II found on Sprint and and AT&T perform a lot better.