Froyo, the Android 2.2 update, will come to the HTC Evo 4G smartphone starting Tuesday, Sprint confirmed, bringing support for Flash video and external storage of applications, among other features.
The Evo 4G smartphone will be the first to get the so-called Froyo update, though the OS update is expected soon on other recently-released Android devices such as the Droid X. Its rollout has been followed with excitement by Android early-adopters on forums and blogs.
Ironically, the Evo 4G is in short supply and devices could be even harder to get in coming weeks because of supply constraints on the display from HTC, Sprint officials said this week.
"We expect all Sprint channels to have significant outages [of Evo 4G] over the next few weeks," a spokeswoman said on Monday.
The HTC Droid Incredible and the Motorola Droid X are also in short supply.
Sprint said the Froyo update will begin with wireless notifications to users sent in waves starting Tuesday, with the upgrade available to all users by mid-August.
The device will be disabled during the Android 2.2 installation process and won't be ready to use until the update is complete. For those who don't want to wait, Froyo can be downloaded after next Tuesday by going to the Setting Menu on the Evo, then System Updates, then HTC Software Update to initiate the process.
In addition to support for Flash 10x, Froyo will bring improved browser performance and a faster JavaScript engine. Other features include voice dialing when using Bluetooth and application storage on an external storage device.
The Evo 4G, which shipped with Android 2.1, works on 4G cellular over WiMax where available and then reverts to 3G if a 4G network is not available. Evo 4G has a 4.3-inch touchscreen, an HDMI output jack, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a number of other standout features.
Engadget obtained a series of Sprint slides describing a long list of new features that will be possible with Froyo.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His e-mail address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.