Yesterday we shared some Gingergread news with those of you that own the HTC EVO Shift 4G. Since then the information has changed somewhat, but it’s not all bad.

According to Sprint, the EVO Shift 4G will receive the Android 2.3 Gingerbread over-the-air beginning Monday, June 20th, 2011. The release will come in waves and Sprint will inform users that an update is available through the Android Notification bar. Acting on this notification will bring up easy-to-follow instructions for the two-step OTA update process.

That was the bad news. The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the OTA update to get the official Gingerbread ROM on your phone!

If you’d like to start your upgrade today, go to the home screen, tap Menu, Settings, System updates, then HTC software Update. Doing so will begin the upgrade process.

In addition to upgrading the Android operating system to version 2.3 Gingerbread, the update also improves download management through the Downloads application (extending the Downloads app to any downloaded file, whether from email, browser, or another application). A fix to enable streaming media through “certain applications” is also included. For those of you who like the Swype IME you’ll now be getting official support and the app will be pre-installed for you.

Source: Sprint