HTC Incredible S users can start spamming that “Software Update” button because Ice Cream Sandwich – in Android 4.0.4 guise – is now available for your device.

To get the update, go into “Settings” scroll all the way down to “About Phone” and then tap on “Software Update” to check for availability. As always, updates are released by batches, so the update may not be available immediately to you but keep on checking this couple of days. Enjoy!

Thanks @evofantasy for the tip!

Most Android smartphone owners are eager to get the latest OS updates for their device. HTC is no exception with its wide range of smartphones that come with decent specs that’s capable of running the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

With speculation and unofficial announcements flying around, HTC has published a full schedule which sets the record straight on their commitment to upgrade its current and past models. So far we have seen several models being upgraded including the HTC Sensation XE. The Android 4.0 upgrade comes with its HTC Sense 3.6.

Next in line will be the HTC Incredible S, EVO 3D, Desire S & Rhyme which is scheduled for June/July. Surprisingly, the granddaddy HTC Desire HD is still included with roll out expected in July-August.

Unfortunately not all devices are listed especially the lower end HTC Wildfire S, Chacha, Salsa and Explorer. Even their 7″ tablet HTC Flyer is not listed as well.

Head over to HTC’s blog to check out your device’s roll out timelines.

[ SOURCE ]

It was just yesterday that we reported about the HTC Sensation XE getting Ice Cream Sandwich. Today, we’ve been getting reports from readers that the update is available for the HTC Sensation as well.

To get Ice Cream Sandwich on your Sensation, go to “Menu”, then “Settings”, then Software Updates”. Like the one on the Sensation XE, you’ll get the update HTC Sense 3.6 UI skin as well. The update is nearly 300MB big, so WiFi connectivity is always a good idea to ensure a smooth and speedy update.

In mid-March, HTC revealed a list of devices that will be getting the latest Android OS, the one’s relevant to Malaysia are:

HTC Desire S
HTC Desire HD
HTC EVO 3D
HTC Incredible S
HTC Sensation
HTC Sensation XL
HTC Sensation XE
HTC Rhyme

We know now that updates for the Sensation and Sensation XE are available. It’s pretty safe to assume that ICS firmware update for the rest of the devices on the list should be available very soon, if not now.

If you’re using any of the devices listed above and have updated to ICS (official version through legit means), please do let us know so we can share the info with the rest of the readers.

Thanks everyone for sending this in!

A few days back, they have started rolling out the upgrade for HTC Sensation XE users and HTC Sensation XL users are expected to get it shortly.

The models listed are:

• DROID Incredible 2 by HTC
• HTC Amaze 4G
• HTC Desire S
• HTC Desire HD
• HTC EVO 3D
• HTC EVO Design 4G
• HTC Incredible S
• HTC Sensation
• HTC Sensation XL
• HTC Sensation 4G
• HTC Sensation XE
• HTC Raider
• HTC Rezound
• HTC Rhyme
• HTC Thunderbolt
• HTC Vivid

The list hasn’t change much from earlier announcement but they have now included HTC Rhyme. So far they are on track for March roll out for the HTC Sensation models but they didn’t provide any dates for the rest. Let’s hope it gets rolled out soon.

[ SOURCE, VIA ]

HTC users will have something to cheer very soon as they have announced its Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update roll out availability by end of March 2012. In addition, HTC has also extended the number of devices getting the update but they will be rolled out much later in the year. The devices that have been confirmed by HTC so far are:

By end March 2012:

• HTC Sensation
• HTC Sensation 4G
• HTC Sensation XE
• HTC Sensation XL

[ SOURCE, VIA ]

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We’re not kidding. Just take a look at the picture. DiGi’s offering a HTC Sensation with “3D screen for better gaming” and a HTC Incredible S that offers “the best HD viewing experience for your viewing pleasure”.

Somebody call the product guy and get this sorted out please. A lot of people are confused.

In the meantime, head on over to after the jump to check out the DiGi/HTC Hari Raya promo.

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The HTC Incredible S was launched in Malaysia just few months ago, about the same time as the Nexus S. Priced just slightly below the RM2000 mark, the Incredible S looks rather attractive considering it looks like a smaller sibling to its larger Desire HD.

Apart from the screen size which differentiates the Desire HD’s 4.3″ from the Incredible S’s 4.0″, the difference lies with the internals. First up, the Incredible S has a larger 1450mAh battery compared to the Desire HD’s 1230mAh which on paper should provide longer battery life. The screen on the Incredible S is a better S-LCD variant and it is also said to be using toughen Gorilla Glass. There’s also a front facing 1.3MP camera but video calls are not supported on the Incredible S.

The rest of the hardware features are rather similar as it also runs on 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 single core processor and a generous 768MB of RAM. Internally, the Incredible S has 1.1GB of storage which is 400MB less than the Desire HD. At time of review, the Incredible S runs on Android 2.2 Froyo but its upcoming Android 2.3 Gingerbread update should be available by now.

Hardware Design

Design wise, the Incredible S looks pretty sleek with a full glass dominating the front of the device. There are no physical buttons visible on the front and even the 4 Android shortcut capacitive keys are hidden when the screen is inactive, giving it a clean look. At the top right corner, there’s a front facing camera and an indicator LED which is hidden behind the speaker mesh. At the back, the Incredible S utilises its sibling Droid Incredible design which has a rubberized feel and an industrial-like pattern. Towards the top, you’ll find a 8MP camera, dual LED flash and a speakerphone outlet. The back plate also doubles as an antenna with its gold connectors on it making contact to its main circuit board of the device.

Although this gives an impression that it’s designed to handle day to day abuses, the placement of the camera isn’t. We noticed that the camera is actually protruding out at the back which it makes contact when placed on a flat surface. When we lay it down on a table, it rocks between bottom left corner and the camera. Although this doesn’t really scratch the camera, the camera could have been placed better perhaps a few mm gap away from the surface for better protection. Moving on, the mini micro USB port is located at the left hand side together with its speaker volume rocker. The physical buttons for the Incredible S such as the power/screen wake and volumes are designed to be flush but they are still easy to be pressed.

Screen and Orientation sensitive buttons

As you would have noticed, HTC has moved away from AMOLED screens from the past and has been actively using alternative screens such as LCD and SLCD. When we switched on the Incredible S for the first time, we are astonished by the screen clarity on the Incredible S. We seriously couldn’t tell the difference compared say to a Super AMOLED screen on a Samsung Galaxy S. The colours are vibrant yet the details of the icons are remarkably sharp and detailed. This goes to show that HTC is able to depart from AMOLED screens without compromising on display quality.

As shown on the previous hands-on, the capacitive buttons of the Incredible S are able to rotate according to your screen rotation. When in portrait mode, it illuminates in an upright position but the moment you switch to landscape in camera, gallery, games and web browsing, it actually switches to landscape orientation. This is the first time we are seeing this on an Android device. Admittedly this isn’t really a groundbreaking feature but it is a nice touch for the Incredible S.

Sense UI

The new HTC Sense UI is just as good as what we are used to in previous HTC Android devices. Its social integration and communication apps are seamlessly integrated which gets you started instantly. We also noticed that they have improved its text selection and copy and paste interface which makes on screen selection a breeze. HTC’s standard keyboard which is one of our favourites had some minor improvements with addition of cursor keys as a substitute for missing trackpad/trackball. As always, we installed Swype instead as our default keyboard.

When using Swype, this is where we noticed some incompatibility with HTC Sense UI. On the new HTC Sense, they tried to make things better by displaying text options the moment you select them. While this is good, it actually interferes with basic swype operations such as choosing the right text as shown above. It gets pretty annoying when you get into word mismatch situations on swype. We tried to find a way to disable such auto pop-up from HTC Sense but couldn’t manage to do so. Hopefully this will be fixed in the next Android 2.3 update for the Incredible S.

For Maps, HTC has included off-line navigation powered by Route66 maps. For starters, they are offering 30 days trial which after that you would need to purchase the license. This feature is well integrated with HTC’s Car Panel mode which is designed for driving use with bigger buttons and direct shortcuts to phone calls. With Car Panel mode running, this will be your home screen when you press the button key on the device. The maps are quite easy to use and like any GPS software, you would need to download the required maps first before you start a journey. During our test, the navigation worked pretty well and it is a good alternative considering Google Maps navigation is not officially available in Malaysia yet.

Camera

The Incredible S has a 8MP camera which performs better than expected. It was quick to focus onto objects and the resulting photos turn out well above average with impressive clarity. The camera UI is great and we like the responsiveness of the shutter button. There are couple of preset filters at your disposable together with your usual crop and rotate functions.

When it comes to video, the Incredible S is capable of shooting HD videos in 720p. If you’re expecting this to replace your compact camera for HD video shooting, you will be greatly disappointed. In our sample shots, the focus seems to be on the softer side and it gets blurry when we try to pan around. The colours however turned out to be pretty good but that isn’t enough to compensate for its lack of sharpness.

Performance

Performance wise, the Incredible S performs pretty well. Switching between apps was snappy and we don’t find any major lag or performance issues to report. The web browser is smooth and we appreciate how web text rendering turns out to be sharp and clear thanks to its screen. It scores nearly half of what the dual-core LG Optimus 2X performed in Quadrant score but the software integration by HTC makes the Incredible S a much refined smart phone to use.

Conclusion

For RM1999, the HTC Incredible S is a decently priced phone which proves new single core processors are still relevant for today’s smart phone usage. The larger 768MB RAM and its HTC Sense integration makes this a pretty good contender for Android. Battery life wise, the Incredible S managed to push an enduring 16-18 hours of mixed usage before requiring a charge. The screen is one of the best we’ve seen despite not being an AMOLED variant. If we had to pick between the Incredible S and its RM100 cheaper dual-core LG Optimus 2X, we would have picked the Incredible S for its all rounded performance including its software out of the box. The only complain we had is the HD video which is a big let down for a 8MP camera. If video and photography is a main priority, the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc would be a better choice at RM2099, which is a RM100 extra.

Today, the Incredible S faces a close rival from its own camp. The HTC Sensation offers a higher qHD resolution screen and a faster 1.2GHz dual core processor at RM2299. For the hardcore smart phone user that wants the best, the extra RM300 upgrade would be a small price to pay. Of course the HTC Sensation with its 4.3” screen is slightly wider, taller and heavier than the Incredible S, which makes it less appealing to some. However it is noted that the Sensation is thinner by 0.4mm. So, which HTC Android is a better choice? It all depends on your budget, if RM300 is a worthy upgrade.

Gallery

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HTC is doing a promo at PC Fair which is happening at Melaka International Trade Centre starting tomorrow, 3 – 5 June 2011. Among the devices on promotion are the latest models such as HTC Sensation, HTC Flyer and the recently announced HTC Wildfire S.

Although the prices for the latest models remained as per RRP, HTC is throwing a couple of extras. For the Flyer, they are giving out free screen protector, 16GB microSD memory card and a 4800mAh Battery bank. The HTC Incredible comes with a 4800mAh Battery bank while the Wildfire S is bundled with car kit. Other models are bundled with free gifts too so view the full size image above for the details.

Surprisingly the original HTC Wildfire is only RM100 cheaper than the latest model but they have thrown a 16GB microSD, screen protector and casing to make it more appealing.

Desire HD and Incredible S users will be getting something special pretty soon. The HTC Desire HD and Incredible S is expected to receive an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread from its current Android 2.2 Froyo. Right now the update is being rolled out in Europe as we speak. If it follows the software upgrade trend of previous HTC devices, we should be expecting the update in Malaysia very soon. It might happen end of next week or the week after.

To update on a HTC Android device, it is done over the air (OTA) where you will be prompt to download. If you don’t have a 3G data plan, you can opt to download via WiFi. For those who can’t wait, you can head to Settings > About Phone > Software System Update and check manually if it is available.

[ SOURCE ]

The HTC Incredible S promo is finally out on DiGi’s website. Earlier on DiGi had given a teaser that it is offering a 1 day special deal this Saturday, 2nd April 2011 where you can get one for only RM599.

Just like its previous one day offers for BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry Bold 9780, the HTC Incredible S is limited to first few hundred customers with 24 months DG Smart Plan. If you’re game for this offer, only 300 units nationwide are available at RM599 and they are limited to the following DiGi outlets:

• SoHoKL
• Berjaya Times Square
• Klang (BBT One)
• SS2
• Sunway Pyramid
• Bangsar
• Berjaya Megamall, Kuantan
• Greentown Business Centre, Ipoh
• Pulau Tikus, Penang
• Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
• Seremban
• Kuching
• Api-Api, Kota Kinabalu

The normal price for the HTC Incredible S is RM1999. On DG Smart Plan, it goes for RM1449 for 12 months or RM1199 for 24 months contract.

More details at DiGi’s Smart Plan promo site.