Sprint, ahead in serving Android customers?

The days have passed when you heard of Sprint's Customer Care's lack of efficiency in dealing with customer complaints and inquiries.  What the highly successful Android phone sales have done for Sprint has them playing to a different tune.  Listening to the customer and filling their needs.  The perfect business model is that which caters to customer needs and demands.  Another factor which can spell success for a company is being a leader, not a follower in trends.  


While T-Mobile was the first to offer Android devices with the introduction of the G1 in late 2008, Sprint took Android to a new level with the Evo 4G, which perhaps was just as successful if not more so than Verizon's Droid offering.

The following Press release was published by Sprint on August 4th, 2010 patting their back, as it were, for their leadership role in the wireless industry, citing the latest official upgrade to their Android handsets:

Android 2.2 offers HTC EVO 4G feature enhancements including Bluetooth® voice dialing, built-in Flash, the ability to store apps to the memory card and much, much more

The award-winning HTC EVO 4G just got that much better. We are excited to announce that beginning the week of Aug. 1; Sprint will begin rolling out the Android 2.2 upgrade to its HTC EVO 4G customers.

Sprint will be the first wireless carrier to bring¹ the latest version of Android to its customers. The Android 2.2 software release provides a significant number of feature enhancements, including:

• Voice Dialing Over Bluetooth.
• Application Storage on External Memory, giving users more storage room for all their apps.
• Camera 4-way rotation allows the camera icons to rotate with the camera.
• Improved Browser Performance including a faster JavaScript engine and Flash 10x Support improving the user’s ability to view videos and available content associated with web pages.

"Sprint is thrilled with our customers' response to HTC EVO 4G and the innovative and exciting experience it offers,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development for Sprint. “It is exciting for us to lead the industry in bringing the Android 2.2 update to these customers and improve on the amazing experience they receive with America's first 4G capable phone.”

Easy Downloading

Sprint will begin sending update notifications to users in waves beginning Tuesday, Aug. 3 and the upgrade should be available for all HTC EVO 4G users by the middle of August.

The notification will let the users know that the update is available and it will provide the simple two-step over-the-air download process.

1. Users will receive a notification that Android 2.2 is available for download.
2. Once the user has downloaded the update, they will be prompted to install the update. The user will be notified that their device will be disabled during the installation process. The phone will be ready to use once the process completes.

For those who just can’t wait to get Android 2.2, there will be an easy user initiated option to download the upgrade. Customers can access the software update through their HTC EVO 4G under the Settings Menu> System Updates > HTC Software Update. This will initiate the three-step process also.

UPDATE - The Android 2.2 update will not wipe your personal data (contacts, apps, settings, photos, etc.).  That said, it is always prudent to back up your device before any major software update.  There are many backup utilities available in Android Market.