Surprise, surprise! Gingerbread update for the Sprint branded HTC EVO Shift 4G handsets is already available. The update has arrived a day earlier than what we thought initially. You might be aware that the Android 2.3 Gingerbread over-the-air (OTA) update for the HTC EVO Shift 4G was supposed to be released on June 17th, with the carrier set to push the update notifications starting June 20th as we reported yesterday. But the update is already available for the enthusiasts according to Sprint’s announcement “there will be an easy user initiated option to download the upgrade starting today” via a blog post. What it means is that you can now initiate the Gingerbread update download manually on your HTC EVO Shift 4G without having to wait till June 20th when the update notifications will be pushed to the handsets.
The new Android 2.3 Gingerbread software update version 2.76.651.4 will bring improvements to download management via Downloads application, with easier access to any file downloaded from the browser or any other application. The update also fixes issues in the media streaming through some apps. And lastly, it adds the SWYPE text input features for your HTC EVO Shift 4G.
Manual Download Instructions:
Go to Menu > Settings > System Updates > HTC Software Update > Check Now > OK > Yes on your HTC Evo Shift 4G and let the update to be downloaded on your device. You can check the status of the download in the task bar. You will be asked to install the update once the download gets completed. Tap OK to install it. The device will reboot and the installation process will start. Once the installation is complete make sure that the “Software number” is shown as 2.76.651.4 in the About Phone > Software Information section.
[Source: Sprint]