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HTC CEO Peter Chou was heavily involved in the One's design
Led by CEO Peter Chou, HTC has developed a reputation for making phones that are just as visually appealing as they are functional. The company's latest flagship device, the One (M8), is another in a long lineup of beautifully crafted smartphones, and we had a chance to sit down with Chou to discuss the handset and some of the process behind how it came to be. "Our challenge was how do we break through from M7 to M8?" Chou told us. "I decided last year that I'm going to spend most of my time in product to help break through. Make it premium, like watches or jewelry. We want to stand out." Chou was definitely deeply invested in the success of the M8, and was directly involved in its development -- he lost 5kg testing out the Fitbit integration, and even spent several weeks walking around with an M8-shaped block of wood in his pocket. "I tried to simulate when I take it out, how it feels when I put it on my ear, and when I talk." In other words, Chou wanted to see it through the lens of any other consumer. During this process, he provided feedback to his design team on which areas needed to be tweaked. "We were working back and forth on fine-tuning it; 'I don't like this curve, I want it to be more natural in the hands, I want this completely metal, completely pure.'"
New HTC One teardown reveals it's a pain to repair, just like the last One
While most people would be happy to have a new HTC One (M8) to play with, our friends at iFixit aren't "most people," and they're back doing what they do best: reducing gadgets to component confetti. Having said the necessary prayers and got to work, iFixit was delighted to find screws holding the main body together -- an omen of repairability, perhaps? The situation quickly "turned ugly," as a mass of tape and copper shielding had to be removed, only to expose a glue-fixed motherboard. Other components and the battery were found to be glued just as liberally, and having finally reached the display, iFixit accidentally cut the digitizer cable, essentially breaking it. It'll probably be of no surprise, given the narrative, that the new HTC One scored a measly two out of ten on the repairability scale, due to teardown difficulty and risk of damage. It's an improvement, at least, over the old HTC One's score -- iFixit didn't have the super-secret tool, mind -- but it's probably best you keep your M8 out of trouble all the same.
New HTC One available in the UK today
Now you've heard the skinny on HTC's latest flagship; the next step is figuring out where in the UK you can grab one. As Carphone Warehouse let slip last week, availability starts from this very moment. At six Carphone Warehouse stores across London, the retailer's offering the new One for £550 unlocked, or for £42 per month with no upfront payment. Head past the break to see where you can get it elsewhere.
HTC One (M8) review: a great phone, even if no longer a game-changer
The HTC One was one of our favorite smartphones of 2013. It featured a gorgeous industrial design, a fantastic display, great camera and top-of-the-line performance. HTC poured its heart into it, as evidenced by nearly every aspect of the device. The phone exceeded nearly all of our expectations, but that also left a big problem: We now expect history to repeat itself. After all, if the original One was such a great device, its successor should, in theory, be even better, right? Of course it should be. But does this year's version of the One have what it takes? On paper, the answer is yes: It has a larger screen, offers two curious-looking rear camera sensors, boasts an improved version of HTC's Sense UI and features a chassis with even more metal. It appears, then, that there's a lot to love here, but it's difficult to take our breath away twice in a row. Here's what impressed -- and what didn't.
Live from the HTC One event in New York City!
The time has finally come to see what the hullabaloo is all about -- this year's version of the HTC One is going to be announced here very soon, and we'll be bringing all of the big news to you live from New York City! Stay tuned as we get this liveblog rolling just before 11AM ET.
We're liveblogging HTC's 'all new One' event tomorrow at 11AM ET!
Given the extensive number of leaks we've seen of HTC's next-generation flagship smartphone, we wouldn't blame you if you thought that the latest and greatest out of Taiwan was already official and being sold in stores. Truth is, it's not -- but it's going to be announced in a little over 24 hours. The company is unveiling the all new HTC One in a big way: a livestreamed event taking place in both New York City and London at the same time. We'll be liveblogging the launch on the US side, and hope that you can join us as CEO Peter Chou finally reveals everything we want to know about the device codenamed the M8! March 25, 2014 11:00:00 AM EDT
New HTC One sold on eBay in Verizon packaging for $500
Given the vast number of leaks about HTC's all new One, its upcoming flagship launching March 25th, it's almost surprising that it was this long before we saw a retail unit sold on eBay. But hey, it's finally happened, although we must say we're a bit puzzled as to why the sale only netted $500. Naturally, the final retail price will be a bit higher than that. Regardless of price, the fact that it comes in its packaging is more important because it has most of the specs listed on it.
HTC's next One leaks again in all-angle photo shoot
HTC's upcoming successor to the One, codenamed M8, has been a leaky ship while sailing to its March 25th launch. But the latest set of photos from a Chinese Weibo site leave nothing to the imagination, showing a possible China Mobile retail model from nearly all sides. Of interest are the speaker grills, which seem to be coated with a clear layer of material, possibly for protection. The leaker also said that the M8 used a lot of new CNC process tech, resulting in a very tight build on the handset. Otherwise, the gallery confirms details we've already seen, plus several pics with an HTC One Max that show the relative size. To cap it off, @evleaks has shown a possible snappy-looking LED smart cover for the M8. That mimics others we've seen (like on the Alcatel OneTouch Hero), by showing the weather, date and other real-time info. Head after the break to see that image, or for an all-around view of the (alleged) M8, check the gallery below. [Image credit: TD Beta]
Another HTC flagship leak reveals microSD slot, brushed metal finish (video)
Storage expansion went out of fashion over the last two years. Fortunate, then, for those of us wanting to take our music / audio book / photo collection everywhere, that HTC's upgraded One will see a return to microSD storage on its flagship series. Against trend, the new One also looks like it'll have an identical footprint to last year's model. In a lengthy video leak from GadgetReviews -- now down, but mirrored elsewhere -- we get to see that unibody build from a few more angles (including a closer look at that brushed finish) and catch some few software tweaks to the Blinkfeed news stream (another swipe to the left apparently opens up more options). However, what does that secondary camera actually do? We're getting increasingly impatient about that March 25th reveal date. Update: That extra swipe on Blinkfeed was already there on the most recent HTC One software build.
Dual-lens smartphone cameras are coming, and this is why we want one
One camera. Two separate lenses. That's the conundrum raised by leaked images of HTC's forthcoming M8 smartphone, which is rumored to bring some interesting new imaging features that go far beyond mere 3D. But what could those features be? For an answer, we turned to a startup called Corephotonics, which is currently pitching precisely such a dual-lens concept to smartphone makers. The company's representatives told us that they're not behind the specific module in the M8 -- that camera must be coming from some other rival or from within HTC itself -- but they were keen to show us what their module could do for image quality, if it was ever put to work inside a smartphone or compact camera.
HTC's new flagship gets approved by the FCC
At this point, the followup to HTC's One flagship is a lock for late March, and we've even been blessed with leaks that show off what the phone, codenamed M8, looks like. Now the device has made its way through the obligatory FCC approval process, and the actual design of the phone -- complete with its soft curved corners -- made it through without the veil of confidentiality attached. There's nothing new here, but it at least confirms earlier leaks. In the way of additional details, it looks like this particular version of the new One will have AT&T-compatible LTE as well as a few extras (it features bands 2, 4, 5, 7 and 17), but we have a feeling that HTC will have regional variants to ensure every corner of the globe is covered with the necessary connectivity. There's also NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, and we'll update you if we come across any other goodies as we dig. Just about a month left until the company fills in all the missing pieces.
