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Is Russell Holly a seer of the future, or did he just manage to get lucky? That's the question we're currently kicking around at Engadget. You see, when he first revealed that a Galaxy S 4 would be introduced at Google I/O with stock Android, we quickly dismissed it as something that'd never happen in a million years. Then it came true the very next day. Now, Holly is back with another mighty tall claim: "HTC is considering a stock Android variant of the One for release in the US." In fairness, rumors of such a phone began to circulate last week, but were quenched just as quickly by HTC. Contrary to the denial, however, Holly claims that multiple sources have informed him of an HTC One that's in the works with stock Android 4.2.2. It's tough to make heads or tails of Holly's report, especially since he follows the assertion that HTC is "considering" such a phone with a claim that it'll be announced within the next two weeks. Naturally, we're taking this with more than the usual dose of skepticism, but like Fox Mulder, we want to believe.

[Image credit: Pencilshade / deviantART]

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Voxx Accessories (formerly Audiovox) launched its newest Soundflow wireless audio product at CTIA this week: the Soundboard. The idea is quite simple; place just about any handset on the 3-AA battery powered Soundboard while it plays your favorite music and the device instantly amplifies and rebroadcasts it through its own built in speakers. No pairing, no wires and no hassle is the name of the game.

The concept and its ease of use is really slick, though sadly, the execution is sub-par because even if the tech works perfectly the sound is pretty terrible. The housing is so small that there is simply no bass at all so the resultant audio quality is high pitched and tinny. Voxx's rep did mention that the speaker still needs tuning, so we'll definitely wait 'til we run into it again for final judgment on the Soundboard's sonic abilities. So until that time we'll save its $29.99 list price for a decent NFC-enabled speaker that delivers almost exactly the same no muss no fuss wireless experience. Pics of the Soundboard are in the gallery below.

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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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They say necessity is the mother of invention, and nowhere was it more necessary than in the case of Kaiba Gionfriddo's life. The infant was born with a condition called tracheobronchomalacia that results in weakened support for the trachea, and his fate seemed all but decided until researchers at the University of Michigan proffered an unlikely solution: a 3D-printed tracheal splint. The splint was custom-made just for the child and designed to hold the trachea in place as the bronchus builds around it, giving it strength. In two to three years, the trachea will be able to stand on its own, and the polycaprolactone biomaterial used to create the splint will be absorbed into the body. After a successful operation, Kaiba was taken off ventilator support -- and he hasn't needed it since. From 3D-printed skull prosthetics to this recent innovation, it's clear 3D printing has a far more noble future than just making pizza.

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There are a lot of 7-inch tablets on the market, but few can be had at a US-based retailer for less than 100 bucks. Chinese manufacturer Hisense is set to undercut that saturated market with a pair of budget Jelly Bean tablets: the Sero 7 LT, priced at $99, and the Sero 7 Pro with a $149 MSRP. While both devices include similar housings, the internals differ significantly, as you might expect.

The cheaper model includes a 1.6GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 4 gigs of internal storage (plus a microSD slot with support for 32GB cards), a 1,024 x 600-pixel 7-inch display, 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, a four-hour battery and Android 4.1. The Pro model boasts a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB RAM, 8 gigs of storage, an upgraded 1,280 x 800 display, a 2MP camera up front with a 5MP cam on the rear, up to 10 hours of battery life and Android 4.2. You should be able to snag both tablets at your local Walmart store or through the retailer's website beginning tomorrow.

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In with a bang, out with a whimper. After making us fear for the Xbox 360's (shelf) life by delivering an adverse ruling in Motorola's ITC patent infringement case against Microsoft last year, the presiding Administrative Law Judge reversed his stance a couple months ago after prodding by the full Commission. While the finding of non-infringement was good news for Microsoft, the decision still needed to be OK'd by the Commission before the investigation could be officially closed. We thought we weren't going to get a final ruling until later in the summer, but the ITC apparently agreed with the ALJ's initial ruling ahead of schedule, and has decided not to review the decision today. As a result, the investigation is now closed, and this particular battle in the patent wars is finally over.

Update: Naturally Microsoft Corporate VP and deputy General Counsel David Howard is a excited to see this case be closed, and issued the following statement:

This is a win for Xbox customers and confirms our view that Google had no grounds to block our products.

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If you hoard gadgets like us, then your living room is probably covered with a plethora of remote controls. Flyover Innovations' Indiegogo campaign aims to streamline your home audio experience and minimize your mess with Blumoo, a small hardware platform that turns your mobile device into an RF remote. The IR-equipped Blumoo pod connects to your stereo via standard 3.5 mm jack or RCA connections, and allows you to control your home theater system with your mobile device through the magic of Bluetooth. The Blumoo app -- coming soon for both iOS and Android -- pulls from a database that Flyover claims is comprehensive enough to ensure your home theater equipment is covered. Flyover plans on retailing the device for $79 but is offering an early bird special for supporters starting at $45. To check out their rewards and watch their cartoon mascot, Blumoo Bob, shake it a like a polaroid picture, head over to their Indiegogo page. For a more informative -- if slightly less entertaining -- video, watch the preview after the break.

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Everyone's found themselves in this situation at one time or another: you're in a picture-perfect setting, but a selfie at arm's length won't cut it. You want to be in the picture, so you wait for a friendly looking passerby and ask them to take it. But, now it's out of your control, and chances are the resulting snap won't turn out exactly as you'd imagined. Samsung knows you're too polite to hold the stranger up while you convey your vision, so it has come up with a camera feature that does the explaining for you. It's described in a recent patent filing, and the gist is that you select the backdrop and take an initial snap that acts as a guide for the next, similar to how some panorama modes work. With a silhouette of the desired scene now showing atop the live view, the designated stranger just needs to let you get in the shot, line the overlay up with the live scene, and hit the shutter release.

The patent application also talks of editing the overlay, such as adding a circle to show the photographer where you'd like your face to be in relation to the backdrop. If you want the passerby to know how well they're doing, the claims explain an on-screen "composition score" that would rate their lining-up skills. And, if you'd rather trust the final decision to the camera, a ball-in-the-hole scenario is described that'll automatically engage the shutter release when the live view matches your ideal layout. This is just words and a few diagrams at this stage, mind, but if the patent gets granted, we could eventually see such a feature added to Samsung's smartphones or Galaxy cameras. Until then, you'll just have to put your trust in strangers and hope they have at least a basic understanding of the rule of thirds.

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Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this roundup, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.

A busy week has nudged us off of our regular roundup schedule, but don't fret because we've still got a smattering of links to consider -- regardless of the day. A duo of Dell wares hit the list with a 24-inch UltraSharp display and Inspiron 15R SE laptop. Details on that pair and the remaining items rests on the other side of the break.

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