With a bright and colorful 4.3 inch screen and 1.0 GHz processor, the HTC Inspire 4G is already a popular smartphone and its current retail price of $29.99 with two year activation on the AT&T4G network makes it even more appealing. But a recent over the air software upgrade from the Android Froyo 2.2 operating system to the Gingerbread 2.3.3 OS has Inspire 4G owners and shoppers even more excited than the full-featured Android smartphone itself.
If you’re considering purchasing an HTC Inspire 4G, you should know that some of the software upgrades deliver an entirely new experience to Android operating system users. Let’s take a look at the major additions and differences the Gingerbread 2.3.3 upgrade to the HTC Inspire 4G has to its appearance and interaction.
HTC reps point out that the update is available only to AT&T HTC Inspire 4G customers, and will take place over the air, so no technical knowledge is needed to benefit from this upgrade. It’s hard to believe that the user-friendly HTC Sense user interface can get any better, but there are actually some new features which are revealed with this Gingerbread update. Application tray features are now updated and even quicker to access, and the updated FriendStream features allow even more social interaction via your favorite Web 2.0 social networking sites.
One really nice feature is the Quick Settings which are now added to your Notifications window. You no longer have to internally change the settings and can change your notifications much more rapidly. And this new Android software upgrade actually contains the power management feature which is going to get more juice out of the HTC Inspire 4G battery. The current average talk time for the HTC Inspire 4G stands at a low 6 hours, with the smartphone average being 8 hours. This upgrade should help correct that mistake.
As usual, several minor bug fixes and internal updates are also on board which contain so much techno-garble that they are hard to understand. Suffice it to say that the media experience is much improved, and the HTC Sense user interface Android overlay has changed dramatically visually as well as on the efficiency side.
Impatient users who have not yet received the update over the air yet can manually download the new software upgrade for free on the HTC website. The logistics of the roll out weren’t announced, but all handsets should be updated by the end of August.
August 23, 2011 at 9:22 pm
When I asked my AT&T office (Lexington, KY, Richmond Rd office) about the $29.99 price, they said no, it is $99.99. I am an AT&T customer up for an upgrade. Can you clarify?
Thank you.
August 23, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Carey,
The $29.99 is through Amazon, you can access the upgrade, which starts at $29.99 with this link: HTC Inspire 4G.
Amazon is quite a bit less than the prices you find at the AT&T store most of the time.
September 10, 2011 at 12:38 pm
So if I were to buy a inspire today would I get gingerbread right out the box or does it come with 2.2 and I have to do the update myself ?
September 21, 2011 at 3:53 pm
Radio Shack has the Inspire for $29.99 with renewal as well. You can walk in the store and walk out with the new phone. The phone is loaded with Froyo, but the upgrade is easy and will take about 15 minutes. Just go to menu-settings-AT&T Software Update-HTC wireless updates (it might say HTC WIFI updates). Click it and follow the prompts.