The Evo 4G was rooted some days ago, and we finally have instructions. And it couldn't be easier. If you're new to this, we suggest you read through the thread at XDA Developers. And then read through it again. And after you think you don't have any more questions, read through it one more time. (Note: THIS WILL WIPE YOUR PHONE.) For the advanced, it's this simple:

1. Download this file (PC36IMG.zip). Move it to the root (as in top level) of the Evo's storage card.

2. Turn the phone off. Once it is, hold down the volume button and the power button until you get a white screen and some text. You're now in the bootloader. It should automatically start checking the PC36IMG.zip file you put on the card.

3. Once it's done, it'll list all the images on the card and ask if you want to flash. (This is your last chance to back out.) Say yes, and we're on our way. It'll look like this as it's going:

4. After it's done, it'll ask if you want to reboot. Surely.

That's it. You have a rooted ROM. You'll want to rename (or delete) the PC36IMG.zip image file that you put on the card, so that next time you enter the bootloader it won't try to automatically update again. You can do that by plugging in the phone, choosing "HTC Sync" and going to your favorite command line prompt and typing:

adb shell mv /sdcard/PC36IMG.zip /sdcard/root-PC36IMG.zip

Leave the phone plugged in if you want to go on to the next section and load the custom recovery. (After the break, for cleanliness.) Otherwise, you're done.

Ex-wife calling you over and over again at midnight? Froyo can't really do anything about that, but it does keep repeat callers from taking up space in your call log. Android 2.2 introduces threaded calls -- if there's a repeat offender (controlling boyfriend, creditor, etc.), multiple calls are collapsed into a  single pane. Tap it, and the calls expand so you can see just when each one was placed. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

[YouTube link]

We know how excited everybody is. In a mere 36 hours, the Evo 4G will be upon us. And Sprint wants to know: What will you do first with the nation's first 4G phone? (And we'd add the first with a front-facing camera.) Well, folks? What are you gonna do?

If you’ve been itching to get your hands on the near indestructible Dell Streak (aka the Dell Mini 5) you’ll be happy to know that starting next month, it will be available directly through Dell’s own website. Since its being sold unlocked and unsubsidized, it takes a little sting out of the $500 price tag it carries. You’ll have the choice of being able to activate it over AT&T or T-Mobile’s networks, most likely, and you won’t be locked in to any 2-year contract. Even though our European friends are getting the Streak a little earlier than us (this Friday), fear not friends, we’re not too far off. [via Engadget]

Google is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the search world.  It's about darn time the folks at Mountain View did this one.  Now, when you enter a search at google.com on your Android (or iPhone) device, you get relevant results for mobile apps too.  They will appear at the top of the search results, and have a quick view of some of the application details -- price, rating and developer.  A quick press will forward you right to the application's market page, where the full description can be read and you can decide whether or not to download. 

For now, this is limited to the US, with other countries and support for other platforms in the
works for the future.  Another big thumbs up Google, keep it coming! [Google Mobile blog]

The Droid Shadow (a.k.a. the Droid X, Droid X-Treme, Droid 2) is getting closer, and today new eye-popping images appearedT. his beauty’s casing is almost completely made of metal, just like its predecessor. To make things even more sexy, it’s also rumored to be basking in Froyo goodness, and outfitted with an HDMI port. If all that’s not enough for you, then maybe the fact that it will also be running a whopping nine home screens will be. Oh, and I almost forgot – there’s no sign of Motorblur, which can be considered a blessing to some. Needless to say, this phone is definitely shaping up to be a show-stealer.  [via Droid-Life]

With Computex under way, Aava Mobile demonstrated a handful of prototype smartphones, some of which we can expect to see within a year or two. One phone platform that stole the stage was the Intel Moorestown (no doubt a reference to Moores Law) with an Atom chipset and Android 2.1. It didn’t seem too much faster (at first glance, anyway) than the exisiting Qualcomm Snapdragon line. Hopefully as time progresses, we’ll see more demonstrations of this phone along with improvements in performance but it will still be some time before we start to see phones touting an, “Atom Inside” sticker. [via Engadget]

The Acer Stream (which was one of the devices on the great wall of Android) was announced by Acer recently, and it wants a seat at the big-boy table. The Stream packs a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and 512MB RAM. The 5-megapixel camera also records in 720p video and there's the increasingly popular HDMI-out port. It also uses HSDPA 7.2 MBps, 802.11n and Bluetooth. Sounds mighty familiar to Evo specs, no?

Acer has been focusing on building Android devices for some time now. We thought the Acer Liquid was a solid option and believe the Steam can be even better. Now if only Acer would tell us how much it costs, when it's available, and where you can get it. Those details obviously don't matter.

Press Release after the jump

It should have been a nice uneventful holiday weekend for Android Central Forum member mapexvenus and the missus, but real life seldom works out that way.  During the long road trip to Tahoe, they stopped for a little break at a rest stop and the unthinkable happened -- their car was robbed.

Along with other loot, one of the items taken was Mrs. mapexvenus' HTC Droid Eris.  After calling the CHP, the couple remembered one of the powerful tools that Android put at their disposal -- Google Latitude.  Using his HTC Droid Incredible, Mr. mapexvenus was able to track his wife's phone as the thieves motored down I-5 with a carload of expensive stolen gear.  A call to the CHP with this info and the suspects were nabbed and all items were recovered.  Read the whole story here in the Android Central forums.

We're all happy for you Mr. and Mrs. mapexvenus, and hope the rest of your weekend went well.  Crime fighting?  Droid DOES.

Rogers Wireless now has another great option for Canadian Android lovers, or for those who just need a nice current smartphone.  The Liquid E is a powerhouse stuffed into a smaller package, perfect for folks on the go and people who just don't need 4.3" of screen.  Full specs are listed on the Rogers website but here's the short list -- 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 3.5-inch display, 512 MB, Android 2.1.  Oh, yeah.

Pricing looks nice as well, at $49.99 on a three year contract, $324.99 for 2 years, $374.99 for one year and just $424.99 to buy the phone outright.  Looks like a hot little phone that I'd love to see come a little further south.  Anyone planning on picking this one up?  Shout out in the comments and on the forums! [mobilesyrup]