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What we're listening to in April: The White Album in high-res
This month's installment of our audio IRL is an educational experience. It took a relatively affordable high-res music player and some appropriately equipped (but still pretty affordable) in-ears to teach Senior Editor Daniel Cooper that audiophile-grade sound wasn't total BS. Plus, he got to revisit one of the best albums of all time in the process.
The new 4-inch iPhone may pack a speedy A9 chip
That rumored new 4-inch iPhone, the iPhone 5se, may not just be an iPhone 6 in a smaller case. In a follow-up rumor, 9to5Mac's sources claim that the compact phone is "more likely" to include a version of Apple's A9 processor (and its companion M9 chip), as previously hinted, than the A8. And while it'd still ship with 16GB of baseline storage, you'd have the option of 64GB. Between this and earlier talk of support for Apple Pay and Live Photos, about the only things you'd really miss from the iPhone 6s are the larger display (if you like that), 3D Touch and the higher-resolution camera.
Apple unveils speedy A9 and A9X processors
New iOS devices usually mean new processors, and sure enough, Apple has taken the wraps off of some fresh silicon. The A9X in the iPad Pro is a doozy, packing up to 80 percent better performance than the A8X from the iPad Air 2. It's a champ beyond raw computational power, too, with twice the graphics and storage performance as well as double the memory bandwidth. Supposedly, the A9X is more powerful than 80 percent of portable PCs released in the past year -- that's a bold claim that we'll want to verify for ourselves, but it's certainly promising.
HTC reaches past Asia, brings the tweaked One M9+ to Europe
Remember when HTC released a shiny new flagship, and then kinda-sorta outdid itself by releasing a much cooler version just a month later? At the time, CEO Cher Wang said the company had no plans to bring that very updated device -- the One M9+ -- to European or North American shores, but that's officially no longer the case. HTC representatives just confirmed that the flagship will hit Europe, though at time of writing, we haven't heard exactly which markets will get their metaphorical hands on the thing. Expect that to change really shortly.
HTC brings the One M9's software tricks to its older devices
Chances are you haven't even gotten your HTC One M9 yet, but that doesn't mean you can't get a feel for its new bits. HTC just updated its Blinkfeed app with some of the thoughtful software tricks that shipped on its brand new flagship, and gave it a new name for good measure. Say hello to HTC Sense Home.
Where to buy HTC's One M9 in the UK
This year's MWC trade show was unquestionably headlined by mobile heavyweight duo HTC and Samsung. Not only did they both have fresh VR headwear to show off, but they arrived in Barcelona with new Android flagships in hand, too. Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 edge make their way to the UK on April 10th, but we get those smartphones ain't gonna be everyone's cup of tea. And if you've been waiting on HTC's latest instead, then today's your lucky day, as the One M9 is now available in the UK. In our review of the device, we noted the display was actually better on last year's model, and the M9's 20-megapixel primary camera didn't exactly leave us swooning. But one thing's for certain: HTC knows how to build a gorgeous, workhorse of a phone, even if the M9 isn't leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. So, first up, you need to decide whether you want one or not; then, you've just gotta figure out where you're going to get it from.
HTC's lead designer leaves after less than a year
For a tech company that places so much emphasis on design, we can't help but think something's up when one of the key designers leaves. Today, we bring you the sad news that HTC's VP of Industrial Design, Jonah Becker, has announced his departure on Twitter. To our surprise, that's less than a year after he picked up from where his predecessor Scott Croyle left off. With Croyle and Becker gone, this leaves Claude Zellweger the last remaining principal of One & Co -- the design firm that HTC acquired back in late 2008 -- running the design team at the smartphone company. According to a statement from HTC, Becker has been succeeded by Creative Director Daniel Hundt, who happens to look a lot like Apple's Jony Ive. Hundt's focus is on smartphones while Zellweger continues to work on "connected products," which include the RE Vive and the RE Camera.
HTC One M9 to go on sale for $649 unlocked tonight
Never mind that M9+ thing in China. Back in the US, it's all about the M9 for local HTC fans, as the device is about to hit the official online store at midnight ET for $649 unlocked (it'll have the same bands as the AT&T model). This may not mean much for folks who are used to subsidized phones, but if you compare this contract-free price with those from other regions, it's actually rather attractive -- even when you include tax. In Hong Kong, you're looking at around $770. Not to mention that US buyers also get to enjoy HTC's "Uh Oh Protection" program, which replaces your device -- be it faulty or simply because you want to change networks -- one time for free within a year, and you get $100 credit towards your next HTC phone if you end up not requiring this service.
HTC One M9 review: Another year, another modest step forward
Let's say you're a smartphone maker and you cook up a formula for a beloved, game-changing device. The next year, you tweak that formula a bit to create a worthy, if slightly less exciting, follow-up of a phone. What do you do after another year has gone by? Try something completely different in hopes you'll catch lightning in a bottle again, or keep plugging away on the mobile DNA that made you such a worthy name in the first place? If you're HTC, the answer is obvious: You keep polishing and polishing that formula until you finally reach the ideal you've been working toward. That's what we have in the One M9. It's still a ways off from fulfilling the vision that HTC's design wonks had in mind, but in most ways it's a very thoughtful refinement of what made the One series so special. Your pleas and complaints haven't gone unheard. The thing is, when the One M9 does try new things -- be they software features or hardware changes -- it doesn't always stick the landing.
HTC's 'Uh Oh' program will replace your busted One M9 once for free
HTC's two-toned M9 hasn't landed in the US yet, but the company's already champing at the bit to give you more reasons to buy one. Just as earlier reports suggested, HTC is fleshing out its Advantage program with a little something called "Uh Oh Protection," and it's a little more impressive than that tongue-in-cheek name implies. Long story short, if you crack the phone's Gorilla Glass-swathed screen, take it for a swim in the Pacific or pledge allegiance to another carrier within your first year of ownership, HTC will overnight you precisely one replacement unit totally gratis. On the off-chance that your M9 survives that first year without incident, you'll get $100 to apply toward the purchase of a new One down the road.
HTC One M9 preview: A battle between polish and progress
It looks the same. That's the impression you'd probably get looking at the HTC One M9 for the first time. I felt that way too, at first. Thing is, HTC knows it's got a good thing going with its high-end One design and just didn't feel like a full-on revolution was necessary in 2015... maybe to the consternation of some of its activist fans. So what's new, if not the M9's aesthetic? Quite a bit, really, and not all of it great.
We're live from HTC's One M9 event at MWC!
The One M9 is, perhaps, HTC's worst kept secret of 2015. But maybe, just maybe, the Taiwanese company could surprise us all at its Mobile World Congress press conference -- after all, HTC is known for trying new things every now and then. Whatever happens, though, we're here in Barcelona to bring you the play-by-play from the company's event. So stay tuned to this post; we'll be flipping into liveblog mode at 10:00 AM ET.
HTC's next flagship appears to flaunt 20MP camera in leaked shots
Leak happens, and poor HTC might have just become the first victim out of the MWC lot this year. What we're looking at here are two alleged spyshots of the company's upcoming flagship, the "Hima" aka "M9," courtesy of Nowhereelse.fr, who has since removed the images. While the French blog has a mixed record of credibility when it comes to leaks, we're struggling to find signs of tampering in these photos, but that's not to say we're convinced just yet. For one, the amusingly large camera hump on the back (remember the M8 Prime?) is a total eyesore on the familiar-looking but seemingly slimmer body; and it even reminds us of the Huawei Ascend Mate 7's own imager. If real, then HTC better have a very good justification for this. Maybe some love for a stealthy optical zoom feature? Or a larger sensor for bigger pixels? As for the pseudo-depth-sensing camera normally positioned at the top, the tipster may have cropped it out just to irritate us all.
HTC's next flagship phone to be unveiled on March 1st
While we're still in the middle of January, some of us are already hearing bits about the upcoming MWC. One e-mail that caught our attention comes from none other than HTC, who is already teasing its very own Barcelona event on March 1st -- the day before MWC kicks off (full invitation image attached after the break). We understand that this will be the launch of the company's next flagship device, which sounds about right; the One (M8) was unveiled back in March 25th and went to market soon afterwards.
Orbitsound announces M9 and M12 soundbars with Bluetooth connectivity and wireless subwoofer
UK-based audio outfit Orbitsound has just announced a new bluetooth-enabled range of soundbars. You may remember the British firm for its T14, T12 -- or more recently -- T9 offerings, but the latest line-up cuts the cable, opening up a host of new audio sources. So, it's out with the old 30-pin dock, but there's still optical, AUX, video out, RCA and 3.5mm jack connections if you prefer to keep things physically connected. It's not just the sound source that's on the loose either, as the companion active subwoofer uses a bespoke low-latency 2.4GHz connection (claimed to be 0.01 seconds delay) too -- no more hiding wires around the back. Other new features include a new digital amplifier, a Bluetooth remote, and a settings memory to remember your source, volume and EQ levels for next time. Not enough? How about a "grab" feature that instantly starts playing the last media from a paired phone or tabled? The firm's proprietary spatial sound? That, of course, remains present. There are two models to choose from, the M9 for smaller TVs, and the M12 for the bigger set in your front room. Expect to pay £299 (about $450) and £399 (about $600) respectively when they launch in March. UK retailer John Lewis will be getting them first, but online orders and "select" independent retailers should follow.
Leica teases our wallets with $50,000 Edition Hermès M9-P, $1,000 scarf sold separately
If you've ever wondered if designer names alone can send a product's price tag through the roof, this should suffice as confirmation. Hermès, the Parisian fashion giant best known for its prohibitively expensive wearable accessories, has teamed up with Leica for some creative marketing. Two special M9-P editions will be available -- a total of 300 Edition Hermès digital rangefinders will ship beginning in June for $25,000, while 100 "very special" (even more exclusive) Edition Hermès - Série Limitée Jean-Louis Dumas models will be available in July for, ahem, $50,000 (that's fifty thousand, in case you assumed it was a typo). Likely realizing that it would be insanely absurd to unload the M9-P for either price without lenses included, Leica has opted to offer both as complete kits. The less expensive version uses some fancy calfskin leather with a silver chrome finish, and ships with a Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. optic. The "very special" version, on the other hand, includes a Leica Summicron-M 28 mm f/2 ASPH., a Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 ASPH -- all finished in anodized silver. It also comes with a bag and a book. Due to the incredibly limited production run, you'll probably want to pitch a tent (or have your assistant park their assistant's Maybach) outside the Washington DC Leica Store, beginning sometime later this month. Update: Need little more convincing about the craftsmanship? There are making-of and unboxing videos embedded after the break.
Meizu plans ICS update for MX and M9 this June, slaps it with a Flyme OS skin
Back in November, Meizu's CEO Jack Wong casually mentioned an update to Ice Cream Sandwich would be making its way to MX and M9 handsets, he just didn't specify when exactly. Well, that all important tidbit's been cleared up today with official news pegging a software upgrade to Android 4.0 for sometime this June. Owners of either device won't necessarily be getting a pure injection of Google's latest dessert when that OTA hits, but rather a skinned version known as Flyme OS 1.0 that purportedly brings with it a host of improvements. Among that list of supposed refinements are a more logical interface, ability to backup and sync data, in addition to cloud storage. So when summer finally rolls around and the rest of the Googlefied smartphone universe is still kicking it with Gingerbread, feel free to sit back and gloat. Official presser in all its hyperbolic wonder after the break.
Refresh Roundup: week of March 26th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Leica's M9-P to be offered in unicorn-guise, $31,770 and Japan-only
Currently drowning in more cash than sense? Do you also call the land of the rising sun home? Excellent, as we've found the perfect camera just for you: the elusive white variant of Leica's M9-P. Restricted to only 50 units, the unicorn shooter will go on sale come June for a cool 2,620,000 yen (or around $31,770) -- a hefty premium over the regular (read: black and chrome) permutations which cost $7,995. Granted those pedestrian versions don't come wielding an insane f/0.95 50mm lens out of the box. And if this ridiculous combo is priced out of your league, you could always go after its cheaper, yet also delectable white predecessor -- although we'll hazard you're going to need more than just luck finding it.
Ice Cream Sandwich coming to Meizu M9, MX, Jack Wong confirms
Ice Cream Sandwich continues to march its way across the market. Next stop? The Meizu M9 and MX. Confirmation came earlier this week by way of Meizu CEO Jack Wong, who nonchalantly mentioned the forthcoming update on his company's forum. Affirming that the MX's December "release date remains unchanged," Wong went on to say that both the MX and M9 "will upgrade to [Android] 4.0 as soon as possible." No further specifics were offered, though the exec did explain the MX's delayed release, attributing it to his company's ongoing efforts to incorporate a sharper, back-illuminated camera within the handset. Rest assured, we'll keep you up to date with the very latest.
