Android Tablet Update

Sprint has announced via it’s Sprint Community page that the highly-anticipated EVO 4G LTE smartphone will go on sale this Saturday, June 2nd for $199.99. After a customs investigation caused the delay of the May 18th launch of the Sprint One X variant, shipments have picked up enough to have most retail outlets offering the devices this weekend.

The HTC EVO 4G LTE has the following specs:

• 4.7″ 720p HD display
• Dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
• 8 megapixel rear camera with an f2.0 lens BSI sensor, dedicated imaging chip and HTC’s new Image Sense technology
• 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
• 16 GB internal storage, 1GB RAM
• NFC
• LTE
• 2,000 mAh battery
• HD Voice w/ voice-over LTE

The long wait is over, Sprint fans, as you’ll be able to get your grummy hands on the EVO 4G LTE in just two short days. Now, the waiting game for Sprint’s LTE network can fully begin, which is slated for launch later this quarter, with full rollout expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

Last week, HTC released a somewhat cryptic update regarding their little customs problem, stating that some models had been released to carriers.

This left us with more questions than answers, as they did not specify which devices had been released. It also left us questioning whether the holdup, which was believed to only affect the One X and Evo 4G LTE, was in fact hampering the importation of additional devices.

Well it appears we might never have a straight answer. HTC sent out an e-mail this afternoon indicating that the Customs review is complete and all devices have been released.

HTC has completed the review process with US Customs, and HTC devices have been released, as they are in compliance with the ITC’s ruling… Future shipments should continue to enter the US, and we are confident that we will soon be able to meet the demand for our products. HTC Public Relations

HTC is still working with Customs to get the devices to retailers and did not have a firm timeline for that as of yet. Suffice it to say that the wait should not be long.

This has been an unfortunate distraction for what most reviewers (including our own Taylor Wimberly) have said are the best Android phones currently available in the US. Not to mention that HTC has to be hoping to ring up as many sales as possible before Samsung’s Galaxy S3 can land stateside as early as next month.

Motorola would do well to pay attention. This could be a glimpse of the future, if the company doesn’t act on the ITC exclusion order that was issued following the finding that it infringed on Microsoft patents.

The delayed launch of the HTC EVO 4G LTE has officially come to an end. Sprint has just released a statement indicating that pre-order customers will receive their HTC EVO 4G LTE “on or around” May 24th — just one day after the May 23rd launch date claimed by Best Buy. This is certainly good news for those who have pre-ordered the phone, but we’d like to point out that the date only applies to those who pre-ordered the phone directly from Sprint’s website. Those who snatched up discounted pre-order deals from Amazon or Best Buy will most likely have to wait a few extra days before their handset is delivered.

Neither HTC nor Sprint have indicated when the handset will be available in retail stores, but we assume HTC EVO 4G LTE handsets shouldn’t have any issues making it through U.S. Customs going forward.

How many of you are excited to get your greasy fingers on your pre-ordered HTC EVO 4G LTE?

Customers who pre-ordered HTC EVO 4G LTE...Your wait is almost over! Sprint expects to begin shipping HTC EVO 4G LTE for arrival on or around Thursday, May 24 to customers who pre-ordered the device online from Sprint. We will provide details on the full national launch as soon as possible. To access the latest news and device information, visit our Sprint Community page where we'll be providing regular updates. To check the status of your pre-order, please visit www.sprint.com/myorder.Sprint

The U.S. Customs holdup of the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE may soon come to an end. In a statement submitted to the Taiwan Stock Exchange, HTC claims some of their handset models have passed the U.S. Customs inspection and are on their way to various carriers. At the time the statement was released, HTC was not given any specifics as to which devices had passed inspection, but we have a feeling the ITCs exclusion order is holding up more devices than we originally thought.

According to T-Mobile, shipments of the HTC Amaze 4G have been delayed due to ”an unforeseen issue with receiving the product from the manufacturer.” There’s no direct evidence that the Amaze 4G delays are connected to the U.S. Customs inspections which are currently holding up the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE, but the exclusion order issued by the ITC can be applied to all HTC devices which pass through U.S. Customs. We’re sure HTC is trying to keep things as quiet as possible, knowing that widespread delays to all U.S. service providers could result in significant losses for the quarter. There’s no indication as to how long the rest of HTC’s handsets will be kept out of the hands of customers, but we’re hoping for the best.

The delayed launch of the HTC EVO 4G LTE has pissed more than a few people off. Earlier this week, we learned that the ITC has blocked imports of Sprint’s new flagship HTC device at U.S. Customs to inspect the software loaded on the devices to make sure HTC is no longer infringing upon Apple’s patent #5,946,647. Sprint’s official notice of the delayed launch went out on its community forums while HTC issued an official comment to the media.

We can confirm that the product will not be in stores this Friday. Products for pre-order are on hold. We’ll provide a ship date as soon as we’re able. HTC will work with Sprint to maintain the promise for pre-order customers so they will be among the first to receive their HTC EVO 4G LTE units when available.HTC

While all of this is bad new for consumers, the delay of the HTC EVO 4G LTE may be short lived. A glimmer of hope appeared this afternoon when Best Buy customers who had pre-ordered the HTC EVO 4G LTE restarted receiving emails which state that the new release date for the phone has been pushed back from May 18th to May 23rd.

Best Buy could have some information which has not yet been made available to the public, but HTC has not released any new information on the issue. We are waiting to hear back from them regarding this new development. For all we know, the ITC has already lifted the U.S. Customs hold on the HTC EVO 4G LTE and HTC One X and HTC is waiting to release an official statement until the devices start moving through their supply chain again.

Yesterday HTC told us the EVO 4G LTE launch was delayed and now Sprint is confirming the device will not be in stores on May 18th. A post on the Sprint Community Forums says that HTC is working to resolve this issue and they can’t provide specific timing for product availability at this time.

Sprint goes on to say that you can cancel your pre-order, but we wouldn’t recommend it. The EVO 4G LTE offers a nearly identical experience to the HTC One X that we loved, and it will be the best smartphone available on Sprint for the next couple of months.

Hopefully HTC can resolve the issues with US customs and get this awesome device into Sprint customers’ hands soon enough. We have a demo unit in house, so be on the lookout for our full review coming in the coming days.

Back in December you might recall that the International Trade Commission ruled that HTC was infringing upon one of Apple’s patents (#5,946,647 if you must know) and a ban was to be placed on the importation of a number of HTC devices.

The good news for HTC was that the ban wasn’t immediate and they had until April 19th to rectify the situation or face the ban on a number of their devices. Further good news is that the patent in question was for the UI behavior that pulls up a menu in response to a user selecting a recognizable numeric sequence or string of text like a phone number or email address and so it could be corrected via a software update.

Well April 19th came and went without any grave consequences, but HTC confirmed in a press release this afternoon that both the AT&T One X and Sprint EVO 4G LTE are now being held by US Customs as a result of the ITC exclusion order.

The US availability of the HTC One X and HTC EVO 4G LTE has been delayed due to a standard U.S. Customs review of shipments that is required after an ITC exclusion order. We believe we are in compliance with the ruling and HTC is working closely with Customs to secure approval. The HTC One X and HTC Evo 4G LTE have been received enthusiastically by customers and we appreciate their patience as we work to get these products into their hands as soon as possible.

No word yet on whether this will delay the May 18th launch of the Evo 4G LTE on Sprint and while the AT&T One X has made it out to some users in its first week of availability the stock has already dried up online and with no new stock coming in stores will likely follow soon.

Nick Gray, our resident HTC addict, has both an AT&T One X and T-Mobile One S at the moment and verified that both still launch the dialer when selecting a phone number which would seem to be in conflict with the ITC’s ruling.

It’s unfortunate to see this great hardware from HTC held up by a seemingly trivial software detail and it seems impossible that with this ITC exclusion order hanging over their heads that HTC wouldn’t have dealt with the issue by now.

We’ll update you as we find out more.

Update: The launch of the Sprint Evo 4G LTE has been postponed with Sprint now simply indicating that it will be “coming soon.”

After a month of rumors and speculation, Sprint has finally announced that the HTC EVO 4G LTE will go on sale May 18^th. The HTC EVO 4G LTE can be pre-ordered directly from Sprint, but Best Buy is offering customers a $50 Best Buy gift card if you pre-order the handset from them.

The HTC EVO 4G LTE may not be the first LTE enabled device on Sprint’s network, but it will be the most powerful. The handset is powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm processor and contains a 720p HD display,1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a dedicated ImageChip used for the 8MP rear camera and a 2,000 mAh battery. At launch, the HTC EVO 4G LTE will be the most powerful and feature-rich Android phone on the market.

While the phone may be amazing, it will not reach its full potential until Sprint’s LTE network rollout switches into high gear. So far, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Baltimore, Kansas City and San Antonio are the only markets with Sprint’s 4G LTE coverage. Major LTE expansion isn’t expected until 2013, so don’t expect to get much use out of that LTE modem until then.

Is the HTC EVO 4G LTE the perfect phone for you or will you wait to see what Sprint’s variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III will offer?

Though we’ve known this date was coming for quite some time now, Sprint has officially announced that the HTC EVO 4G LTE is now up for preorder, and will run $199.99 with a new 2 year agreement. Customers looking to get their hands on the latest in the EVO line can head over to Sprint’s EVO 4G LTE landing page to reserve your device.

Of course, you may want to wait until a bit later this week to get your preorder on, as Sprint should be unveiling more information on their LTE rollout at the CTIA conference kicking off today in New Orleans. As you probably are aware, Sprint has the slowest 3G network of the major US carriers, and you probably won’t want to be stuck with 3G service if their speedy LTE network isn’t making its way to your town until next year.

The EVO 4G LTE is widely believed to be available on May 18th, so you won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on the EVO after preordering the device.

As a reminder, specs for the EVO 4G LTE include:

• 4.7″ 720P HD display
• Dual-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor
• 8 megapixel rear camera with an f2.0 lens BSI sensor, dedicated imaging chip and HTC’s new Image Sense technology
• 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage
• NFC
• LTE
• 2,000 mAh battery
• HD Voice for crystal-clear audio calls

After yesterday’s review of the AT&T HTC One X, many Sprint fans are even more excited to get their hands on the EVO 4G LTE. Sprint’s version of the device will feature all the same awesomeness, with the addition of a microSD card slot, slightly larger 2,000 mAh battery (vs 1,800 mAh), and a kickstand.

Today HTC shared a new gallery of photos taken by the EVO 4G LTE to show off their ImageSense technology. For this round of shots, HTC hired Meeno Peluce, American photographer and former child actor. Head over to the source link to check out the entire album.

Sprint opens up pre-orders for the EVO 4G LTE on May 7th, and you can head over to their holding page to sign up for reminders. We are still waiting on the official release date, but the latest rumors suggest it could be as early as May 18th.

The elephant in the room remains Samsung’s next Galaxy phone, but they unpack that tomorrow so we will know how the two device stack up soon enough.

If you are on Sprint, let us know which way you are leaning. What would Samsung have to do in order for you to pass on the EVO 4G LTE?