HTC Sense UI update for HTC Magic released

htc-magic-sense-ui

After 4 months of waiting, The HTC Sense UI update for the HTC Magic has finally been released on the Leaf website.
The operating system version, however, is still at Android 1.5 Cupcake which is disappointing. They could have at least upgraded the Magic to Android 1.6 Donut at the least.

The new update has all the bells and whistles you expect from the Sense UI interface, and I believe it is an update you should definitely install … it will only make your Magic more user friendly.

The self-installation is easy, and only requires that you download the file off the website. The battery of the phone needs to be at least 30% charged and that the phone must be on and connected to the computer via USB. You then just open the EXE file downloaded off the Leaf website, accept all the terms and conditions, and the software will do all the rest.

The best part is that if something goes wrong, it will be within warranty.
Make sure you have backed up your phone as the update formats the phone.

If you do not wish to download the file or perform the update yourself, you can take your phone to the nearest HTC dealer and they should be able to assit.

Something to note however is that if you like running custom Roms, you will need to reroot your phone including changing the actual SPL as the new update comes with the latest perfected SPL and will require downrooting to the Engineering version SPL, something not recommended unless you know what you are doing.

If you would like to download the update, click on the link below:

http://www.leaf.co.za/pages/support/product.aspx

The size of the download is about 106MB.

Installing the update on my personal HTC Magic:
Before installing the update on my own HTC Magic, my Bootloader had the following information:
Image Version 2.17.421.2
SAPPHIRE PVT 32A SHIP S-ON H
HBOOT-1.33.0010 (SAPP10000)
RADIO-3.22.20.17

After updating, the Bootloader had the following information:
Image Version 3.05.421.3
SAPPHIRE PVT 32A SHIP S-ON H
HBOOT-1.76.0009 (SAPP10000)
CPLD-12
RADIO-6.35.08.29

As can be seen, the SPL has been updated to the new version, 1.76.009, and the Radio has been updated to the new version, 6.35.08.29.
As expected, the Recovery was overwritten, and I will need to re-root the phone again if I wish to install a new Rom.

The plus side on all this, is that my phone now has the new SPL and new Radio, which means I am able to install the newer Roms for the HTC Magic.

The HTC Sense UI is exactly what I hoped it would be and what many Hero users have been enjoying too date. I’m really glad the update finally came out.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 and is filed under Local Phone News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
«
»
  • Anonymous

    I flashed my magic last night to the sense UI and am very pleased with the results – was a bit nervous using custom Roms and voiding the warranty, so was very pleased to hear of the release. Sense delivers a lot more than i expected, and the additional screens make a big difference. The real high point though is a factory Outlook sync app that works. No longer do i need to rely on custom apps that require a purchase, something we still cant do in SA. The reason i roll android is because of its customisation abilities, but Leaf and HTC need to move the Magic guys in SA from 1.5 to the newer releases. I dont buy the hardware constraints issue. Not allowing Magic owners to get new updates in order to encouarage purchases of the Hero, etc is not going to make me buy more HTC products. its goign to turn me off them.
    Anyway. Very happy for now. Its like having a brand new phone :)
    Peace

  • Vector

    After the third attempt to download the file off the Leaf website (had to restart each time after my ADSL line dropped out), I flashed my Magic and ….. was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. I also had to redo a few APN settings to be able to access the internet to go to the Apps Market to download a file manager. This was needed to restore my apps stored on the SD Card.

    The Sense UI is a nice improvement over the original UI, but it takes a little getting used to. In order to get the best out of it, I suggest viewing the HTC Sense video on the Leaf Club webpage as well as downloading the Hero manual.

    The one issue with this update is that the transfer of files with Bluetooth does not work anymore. I tried both the Bluetooth File Transfer app as well as the Androbex app with the same negative result. 

    I trust that Leaf will release a 2.x update for this phone before my next phone upgrade!!

  • eitai2001

    Sadly I have been given almost an official confirmation that Magic users won't be getting 2.1 :( … it seems not just Leaf, but HTC isn't interested in creating a 2.1 update.

  • Anonymous

    After the update, it seems that my phone has really slowed down, even after removing several widgets which I guess uses a lot of memory. Have any of you experienced the same issues?Any fixes?Have you found any apps that work nicely on the new ui?

  • eitai2001

    Mine seems to have sped up … I don’t run anything special … but haven’t installed much … I use the EStrongs File Explorer and EStrong Task Manager and then a game or two, evernote and a few small other apps.

  • Anonymous

    Heya

    So I upgraded… I must say its a vast improvement over my cyanogens mod.

    I just want 2.1

    I know it HAS been promised from Rodgers to be released mid year. A quick google search will prove this fact.

    I hope by the end of the year I will be able to load an “Official” update.

    I see cyanogen has just released the 2.1 update, so maybe I will investigate this further!

  • eitai2001

    Yeah, only problem is that HTC internationally officially announced they won’t be doing a 2.1 upgrade for the Magic … it’s up to the telecoms providers such as Rodgers to do it … and I can’t see Vodacom giving a hoot.

    If you manage to root the phone, please could you post a how to in the forum, because I have been unable to root the new SPL so far … and would prefer not to use a gold card.

  • Anonymous

    Hey man

    I updated to this update about a month ago, and I rooted and flashed a custom OS of Froyo 2.2 on :) It took about 7 hours of research, but it is very possible!

    If you want more details, you can PM me on myBB, my nick is midkemia

  • Vector

    Yes,they may have officially said they won’t be doing a 2.1 upgrade but…. they haven’t said anything about a 2.2 upgrade. Hope springs eternal!

  • midkemia

    Hi Guys

    I have written a guide to flashing your phone to 2.2 if you have flashed this HTC Magic SenseUI Update.

    You can find it on my blog at : http://www.cptgeek.blogspot.com

© Copyright Android ZA 2010