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This funky looking ball is going to help you sleep
There are already too many sleep apps on the App Store to count, and they all claim to do pretty much the same things: Sense your sleep patterns, wake you at the optimal time, and chart your sleep trends. A new Kickstarter project by a company called "Hello" may make them all obsolete, with a pair of accessories that work along with your iPhone to track just about every possible bit of information related to your nighttime habits. It's called Sense, and it's already quadrupled its original $100,000 goal with a further 28 days of fundraising left. The Sense system is made up of an app, a central unit that remains stationary on your nightstand, and the "Sense Pill" that clips on to your pillow. Between the three devices, Sense tracks movement, noise, humidity, temperature, ambient light, and even air particles that could be keeping you from getting a good night's rest. The main unit also has a proximity sensor, speaker, and LED lighting. Ignoring the fact that the primary Sense device looks like a rubber band ball -- or maybe one of those weird, spherical aliens from Futurama -- the Sense system seems like it takes just about every conceivable piece of sleep science into account. Even at the discounted Kickstarter price of US$99, it's certainly a bit of an investment, but if you've gone through a half dozen sleep tracking apps with little or no success, it might be time to take things more seriously.
HTC's Droid DNA will get updated to KitKat this week, despite its age
Don't worry, Droid DNA fans -- HTC may have given the One series its first batch of Android 4.4 KitKat upgrades, but it still has plenty of love for Verizon's late 2012 flagship. Mo Versi, Executive Director of Product Management, announced that the DNA will get an over-the-air update to the latest firmware update (along with the Sense 5.5 interface) starting on April 24th. This is great news because the DNA, Verizon's version of the Butterfly, is quickly approaching its 18th month of life -- a milestone which is too often considered an expiration date by Android manufacturers. HTC recently announced its Advantage program, in which it guarantees its flagship phones will be updated for at least two years, but the DNA came out well before such a promise was given. Adding to our surprise is the fact that Verizon isn't exactly the quickest at pushing out phone updates.
BlinkFeed coming to non-HTC Android devices 'soon'
It was easy to miss in the fine print of yesterday's HTC One press release, but it appears that BlinkFeed will be coming to the Play Store for non-HTC devices. We knew that a number of Sense apps were being broken free of their firmware chains, in particular Zoe, but it wasn't clear just how fare the company was going to take that initiative. Now we know that the company plans to offer its own branded experience to any Android user. And it's even putting BlinkFeed, which is arguably the centerpiece of Sense, up in the app store for use on devices running TouchWiz or even vanilla Android. For now it's only listed as being compatible with the M8, but press materials state that: Following its popularity with HTC users, HTC will now make HTC BlinkFeed available to other Android devices, launching on the Google Play store soon. While we've never been huge fans of companies messing with the pure Android experience around here, we're certainly in favor of more consumer options. With the Google Now Launcher in the app store and BlinkFeed coming soon it might not be long before you can buy whatever high-end handset your little heart desires then slap the launcher of your choice on top of it -- be it HTC, Google, Samsung or Sony.
HTC pushing Sense 6.0 to the original One, One mini and One max soon
We don't have a specific date, but HTC's latest Sense skin -- which the company insists on calling Sixth Sense -- will be coming to the company's older models sometime this spring. Last year's One, the One mini and One max will all be getting updated with Sense 6.0 in the coming months. While it's not a complete surprise, it's nice to know that HTC isn't leaving its customers out in the cold. It's all part of the company's HTC Advantage program, which guarantees two years of software updates and support. That's longer than even Google supports its Nexus phone. Hopefully we'll get specific launch dates sooner, rather than later.
HTC One available today in the US, Verizon gets it in-store first
By now you probably know if you need HTC's shiny new One in your life -- now it all comes down to where and when you can nab it. Thanks to some wheeling and dealing, Verizon Wireless has a head start in the US: Online and in-store sales start today at 1 PM Eastern. AT&T and Sprint will kick off their online sales at that time too, but you can't waltz into one of their brick-and-mortar stores to find one until April 11th. As you might expect, the 16GB model will cost you $199, while the 32GB model comes in at $249... and if the thought of contracts makes you ill, you can buy one sans agreement for $649. The lone standout is T-Mobile, which won't sell the device until some time next month (we've reached out for clarification and will update this story as we learn more). Of course, everything above assumes you want your carrier's blessing. Don't forget: HTC will sell unlocked and developer versions for $649 on its website, and a $699 Play Edition version should hit the Google Play Store soon too. Update: T-Mobille will start selling the new One in stores and online starting on April 11th as well. Expect to pay nothing up front, with recurring payments of $26.50 for 24 months.
HTC opens up BlinkFeed, allows apps like Foursquare and Fitbit to push data to your homescreen
Love it or hate it, Sense is growing up. BlinkFeed, the beating tiled heart of the HTC experience is now being opened up to developers through an SDK. That means that third parties will be able to push information to the stream of data that makes up your feed. For example, Fitbit will be able to keep you abreast of how many steps you've taken without you having to go into the app. Oh, and the Fitbit app does harvest movement data from the phone's internal sensors, just like it does on the iPhone 5S, so you don't really need that separate band. HTC announced one other launch partner for the BlinkFeed SDK -- Foursquare. The location-based social network will pop up suggestions for lunch spots while you're out and about. Of course, the company will have to convince other big names to hop on the bandwagon if BlinkFeed is going to really take off.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: 3D Systems CEO Avi Reichental
The company that helped invent rapid prototyping has been in the 3D printing game for nearly three decades. In recent years, 3D Systems has been making an aggressive play at the consumer market with products like the Cube, CubeX and Sense as one of the driving forces in the desktop 3D printing revolution. January 7, 2014 7:00:00 PM EST Follow all the latest CES 2014 news at our event hub, and check out our full stage schedule here.
Weekly Roundup: Moto G and Nike FuelBand SE reviews, Smartphone buyer's guide and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
HTC One developer and unlocked models start receiving Android 4.4 KitKat in the US
If you were bold enough to buy a Developer Edition HTC One or its unlocked sibling, today is your lucky day. HTC's US division has announced that it's rolling out an Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade to both One variants, weeks ahead of the expected update for carrier-locked models. Sense 5.5 should also be a part of the package. While the KitKat upgrade isn't reaching these units as quickly as it did for the Google Play Edition, it's safe to say that many One owners will have another reason to celebrate this Thanksgiving weekend.
3D Systems Sense review: a 3D scanner for the masses (almost)
If we've crossed paths in the past week, there's a pretty good chance I've scanned you. This extends well beyond the human race, into the realms of animal, vegetable, plush toy and fruit bowl. Some subjects were too small to be scanned, some too fidgety and, in the case of my attempted 3D selfie, not nearly flexible enough. Such issues were mere roadblocks in my strange one-man journey to 3D-scan the world. I may have a problem. I admit it. For starters, I'm not completely sure what I plan on doing with all these scans, but while such questions are entirely logical, they've yet to curb my enthusiasm for the device. Sense is one of those propositions that seems too good to be true: a user-friendly, (relatively) portable 3D scanner capable of capturing objects up to 10 feet by 10 feet, and at a fraction of the price of the competition. If the product is indeed what 3D Systems claims, it could fill a major hole in the consumer 3D-printing market. In recent years, 3D-printing companies have largely focused on the printers themselves, which have gotten cheaper and easier to use. At the same time, the race to dominate the category has often caused companies to ignore the question of how those without extensive CAD experience can create 3D files in the first place. MakerBot unveiled its solution back at SXSW: the $1,400 Digitizer, a rotating, desktop scanning bed capable of capturing objects up to eight inches by eight inches. 3D Systems' Sense takes a wholly different approach: This is a $400 handheld scanner that can digitize an entire human being.
HTC's ex-lead designer may have leaked info to China's Chengdu government
The latest development on the recent HTC saga reveals that Thomas Chien, the arrested ex-VP of Product Design, was possibly lured by the Chengdu municipal government to set up a phone company in China. According to Taiwan's Next Magazine (pictured above by sister publication Apple Daily), Chien flew to Chengdu several times in the first half of this year, which got HTC suspicious since it doesn't have any direct business there. The alleged offer was that if Chien left HTC with some of the technology plus some money, then the municipal government would -- through another company it set up -- take care of the remaining costs for opening the factory, production and marketing. Previous reports say while still at HTC, the ex-exec had e-mailed some confidential Sense 6.0 files to external contacts, but there's no confirmation on whether those people are linked to the Chengdu government.
MoDaCo.Switch to let HTC One jump between Sense and stock Android (video)
Not sure if you want the regular HTC One or its Google Play Edition? MoDaCo's newly detailed MoDaCo.Switch ROM should let you have both. The custom firmware lets the indecisive run either the Sense interface or stock Android (AOSP) using only one set of data. It's not an ideal experience, even considering the usual risks of unofficial code: users have to reboot to change interfaces, and two ROMs in one will chew up additional storage. However, Switch could still give One fans the best of both worlds when it launches. MoDaCo tells us that a public beta could arrive early next week.
PSA: HTC One available today at AT&T and Sprint
April showers might bring May flowers, but the only precipitation we really care for around here is that of flagship handsets into stores. In that case, it's time to break out the raincoats: the HTC One is officially on sale at AT&T and Sprint as of today. Both carriers and their resellers are offering the aluminum wunderkind in its silver guise at $200 on contract for a 32GB model, with AT&T still holding the US exclusive on a $300 64GB version. Those jonesing for different hues or radios will have to wait a little while longer, however. The T-Mobile edition won't officially land until the 24th, and a black 32GB model is still "weeks" away from landing at AT&T and Sprint. Provided you're not the exception to the rule, though, you're cleared to buy what's arguably the first US-bound flagship of the year.
HTC E1 headlines company's Chinese online store with custom options (video)
While the Chinese variants of the HTC One won't be formally introduced until April 24th, we've managed to get our hands on its cousin device: the 603e that sports a similar earpiece design as the One, but without the front-facing BoomSound stereo loudspeakers. The retail name of this dual-SIM (WCDMA 900/2100 and GSM 900/1800/1900) device is actually E1, and HTC pitches it as an affordable Android 4.1 (with Sense 4+) phone with a 2.1-megapixel f/2.0 wide front-facing camera -- likely identical to HTC One's, judging by our own comparison -- along with beautification features and the company's much publicized ImageChip technology. But the real selling point of the E1 is its role in HTC's new e-commerce strategy in China: while you can get hold of one at an authorized HTC store, HTC's Chinese "eShop" throws in custom options for the built-in storage (8 or 16GB), main camera (five or eight megapixels, both with only 720p video capture) and one of the six body colors plus patterns. Choosing the top spec combo will also get you a special red body interior.
Switched On: Extreme takeover, Home edition
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Facebook's management doesn't see any dichotomy in the phrase, "Go big or go home," at least as far as it might pertain to Facebook Home. After being dogged for years with questions about whether the Land o' Likes would create its own smartphone despite consistent denials, the company explained that its own phone wouldn't give it the reach it would need for its more than 1 billion members. With the exceptions of the iPhone and the Galaxy S series, a successful handset today might sell 20 million units. That's a number that many services would dream of reaching, but it's just one-fiftieth of Facebook's user base. And yet, Facebook Home will start out factory-installed on only one device: the HTC First, a mid-range Android device available exclusively from AT&T. Home is also available as a download from Google Play for a handful of other popular Android handsets, including the Galaxy S III.
AT&T to sell the HTC One on April 19th for $200, pre-orders start April 4th
Earlier we reported that AT&T's version of the HTC One would be going on pre-sale sometime this week, and the GSM carrier has finally revealed its official plans: the flagship HTC device will be ready for pre-order online starting April 4th. Both the 32GB and 64GB models, which will be $200 and $300 respectively, will hit retail store shelves on April 19th. The carrier will also offer a free Media Link HD to sweeten the deal, though it appears that it's only a part of the pre-sale and won't be available to customers who wait until the 19th to grab it. AT&T's keeping all of the standard features found on the global One, but it's also adding its own carrier-branded services -- we expect the full suite of bloatware, but the only ones specifically mentioned are the network's Ready2Go service and DriveMode to prevent texting and driving. Skip down to the press release for more details.th
HTC confirms Sense 5 coming to existing phones, some features limited to HTC One
HTC didn't have much to say about its Sense 5 UI coming to existing devices when it introduced it alongside its new One handset, but it's now gotten a bit more talkative. In a post on Facebook, and confirmed to us independently, HTC says that global variants of the HTC One X, One X+, One S and Butterfly will all be getting an update to the new interface "in the next few months," although specifics remain light beyond that for the time being. The company does note, however, that not all devices will support all the features offered by Sense 5, as some of those features make use of hardware specific to the new HTC One.
HTC One event roundup
For a company whose launch event revolved around a singular device, HTC had a lot on its plate when unveiling the One. After all, the occasion was as much to showcase software as it was hardware. Not to fret -- we've bundled all the relevant stories in one place so you can relive the event proper, what it's like to use the One and our conversation with HTC chief Peter Chou. Hop past the break and you'll have a primer on what to expect on store shelves in roughly a month's time.
HTC One hands-on: design and hardware
The HTC One made quite an entrance in London and New York today with a slick-looking design and re-imagined Android user experience. It's a significant departure from last year's One X -- our favorite handset of 2012 -- and represents the company's most important product to date. The HTC One is positioned to become a true global flagship, a phone that's available unmolested on all carriers worldwide, a device that really competes with the Galaxies and iPhones of the world. We spent some time with the HTC One to understand the direction the company is taking with this handset. Join us after the break for our hands-on video and detailed hardware impressions, then go read our software and camera posts as well. %Gallery-179196%
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 21st, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought a new smartphone from Xolo to India, HTC's crackdown on a custom ROM distributor and the UK's largest mobile spectrum auction to date. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 21st, 2013.
