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HTC Inspire 4G goes official on AT&T
Yet another of the many announcements at today's AT&T Developer Summit, the Inspire 4G is a 4.3-inch monster from HTC that looks ripe to do battle with its counterparts on Sprint and Verizon with the very latest version of Sense first launched on the Desire Z and Desire HD a few months back featuring a lost phone finder, cached maps, fastboot, and more. As with the other "4G" phones that AT&T has announced today, the Inspire 4G doesn't support the carrier's upcoming LTE network -- it'll top out with HSPA+. More details as we have them! %Gallery-112705%
HTC EVO Shift 4G (Knight / Speedy) gets leaked picture, January 9th release date?
We'll warn you that we have nothing but the word of an alleged Sprint employee that this is the real deal, but we don't know what else it could be -- if it walks like a duck and quacks like an EVO with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, we're inclined to believe it's the HTC EVO Shift 4G. Factor in the noticeable lack of front-facing camera, silver trackpad and those throwback flat keys, and we're even willing to forgive those hastily penciled watermarks on the keyboard and on top of the clearly 'shopped screen. Even if this shot is legit, we haven't seen the full device yet -- it sure looks like this Knight is wearing a suit of plastic armor around the edges. In possibly related news, Android Central nabbed an alleged screenshot of a Sprint database showing an "HTC A7373" handset coming to Sprint on January 9th, and while one Russian e-tailer seems to think that codename refers to the GSM-friendly Desire Z, we have to imagine a Knight / Speedy / EVO Shift release is far more likely than a T-Mobile G2 redux on Sprint's CDMA frequencies. Update: Just to be clear, there are a few things about this image that irk us, not least of which that pasted-on screen. We're inclined to think this might be a dummy unit that was touched up to look like a real phone.
HTC CEO: 'initially, we don't have time' to put Sense on Windows Phone 7
We think there might be a miscommunication or a disagreement in semantics here, because HTC CEO Peter Chou has mentioned in an interview with FierceWireless that its ubiquitous Sense UX won't "initially" appear on its first crop of Windows Phone 7 devices, but that "over time [they] will innovate on top of that to provide some HTC experience." That seems like odd phrasing considering that we've already seen HTC devices in the wild running bits and pieces of Sense on WP7, so we tend to believe Chou might have a more thorough, comprehensive experience in mind -- something that Microsoft is pushing back on (for now, anyway) by demanding that UI innovation be sandboxed in some pretty significant ways. In the same conversation, Chou mentioned that they'll be releasing an LTE phone in 2011, though he didn't give any details on design, platform, or carrier. MetroPCS, AT&T, and Verizon will all have fragments of their 4G networks live in 2011, and at least two of those three seem likely candidates to take delivery of some early LTE hardware from the big boys like HTC. For what it's worth, HTC already delivered the first WiMAX phone in the States -- the EVO 4G, of course -- so it comes as little surprise that they'd be looking to make a splash with LTE as well.
Mysterious Verizon-bound HTC handset appears mysteriously on the internet
Hey -- what's this? Well, from the looks of it, it's a new, as-yet-unnamed HTC device. There is perilously little info available about the mystery mobile, but it appears to boast an 8 megapixel camera with a flash plus a front-facing camera, a 4.3-inch screen, a headphone jack and a kickstand. It also appears that it's going to boast HTC's own Sense UI. This falls in line with what we've heard about Verizon's Android-heavy fall launch this year, so we would not be surprised to see this device make an appearance. Furthermore, we could go out on a limb and guess that it's possible this is the Merge mentioned in that lineup, which supposedly boasts a 1GHz processor. That's all there is to the story right now but we're going to stay up late tonight to be on the lookout for further information on this one. One more photo below and hit up the source for the rest.
HTC Sense coming to Windows Phone 7, after all
Some cried and some cheered when Microsoft revealed that handset manufacturers couldn't reskin Windows Phone 7 devices wholesale. But as it turns out, at least one major OEM is still banking on software to help differentiate its phones. HTC's Drew Bamford told Forbes that Sense UI will still appear in the company's Windows Phone 7 creations, and believes it will live on in Android 3.0 (Gingerbread) as well. "Microsoft has taken firmer control of the core experience," acknowledged Bamford, who added that Sense wouldn't be fully integrated into WP7 phones, but that HTC would "augment" the Microsoft experience with as-yet-undisclosed functionality of its own. As long as it doesn't eat up too much memory and processor time, right?
HTC: expect Desire, Legend and Wildfire to get Froyo 'beginning in Q3'
It's summer. It's hot. Naturally, everyone wants to lick some frozen dessert in one form or another. Shortly after the Nexus One got its absolutely official Android 2.2 update, HTC has once again leaped out to tell us of its own Froyo offering. The Taiwanese mobile giant has informed Recombu that it's expecting "several of our 2010 models including Desire, Legend and Wildfire" to join Google's latest green bot party "beginning in Q3." We went to the trouble of confirming this with HTC ourselves, and while this isn't really much of an update from the company's previous statement in terms of time frame, here's hoping that at least some of its customers will get the delivery before the summer fiesta ends.
HTC Wildfire review
If phones could make babies, then this HTC Wildfire would indubitably be the love child of the Desire and Nexus One. But of course, the humdrum reality is that 'tis just an Android 2.1 replacement for the entry-level Tattoo -- same 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor, 3.2-inch 320 x 240 capacitive LCD touchscreen instead of 2.8-inch resistive, 384MB RAM instead of 256MB, and a 5-megapixel camera instead of 3.2 (although quality matters more, obviously). So can this affordable handset provide enough bang for the buck to satisfy Europeans and Asians? Can the aging processor keep Sense UI well oiled? All will be revealed after the break.%Gallery-96128%
HTC promises fix for Droid Incredible's ne'er-to-forget browser
In case you missed the recent excitement, a "feature" of HTC's Droid Incredible was found whereby the Sense UI bookmarking widget would take random screenshots of your web browsing experience and put them in a folder that's nigh impossible to delete, even after resetting to factory settings. Looks like the company knows about the issue, acknowledging it in a statement and promising a fix "in the near future." It also suggests a different reset to fix the mess, which apparently is to select "Format Phone Storage" from the "SD Card and Phone Storage" settings menu. Let us know if you have any luck with this and please, be careful about your browsing habits if you're worried what might be hanging around.
HTC Aria for AT&T hands-on
We just took delivery of AT&T's brand new Aria from HTC, and we have to say, we're kind of tickled -- with the hardware, anyway. It's hard not to smile at the HD Mini-esque design elements, including the faux screws on back, the wild yellow interior, and... well, just the overall mini-ness of it. Seriously, this is a tiny phone; that means that eschewing WVGA in favor of HVGA isn't an issue, but it also means that effectively using the on-screen keyboard could be. On that note, the jury's still out on whether this phone is any good for day-to-day use -- and whether it has any chops as a legit Android device -- but stay tuned for our review coming up! %Gallery-95351%
HTC EVO 4G's graphics capped at 30FPS?
Reports are flying in from across the internet -- and by that we mean the xda-developers and Google Code forums -- that the EVO 4G might have something of a framerate issue. It seems that the device is "locked in" at 30 frames per second both in 2D (Canvas) and 3D (openGL) modes, while anecdotally, a phone like the Hero hits 54fps on average and has "smoother scrolling" in the menus. This apparently is visible both with the standard Sense UI installed and with the Froyo preview build, although in the latter case the Nexus One bootup video is 60fps before halving upon reaching the home screen. So, wherein lies the culprit? For Google's part, Android framework engineer "Romain Guy" responded to one thread reasserting the platform team's "target was, is and will be 60fps." We can't imagine it's related to the hardware given the EVO's impressive specs. Some fingers, ergo, are being pointed towards firmware. This wouldn't be the first time HTC's handsets have come under scrutiny for troubling graphical performance -- 2008 was not the company's finest year in that department. Whatever the reason is, we just want a quick resolve -- after all, it's just not fair when our Hero-carrying buddies are scoring better benchmarks.
HTC Hero (GSM) Android 2.1 update finally arrives... in Taiwan
In its day, the HTC Hero with its brand new Sense UI and browser with Flash Lite was a breakthrough, multitouch Android handset. As such, it quickly became a big seller for HTC and the carriers that sold it. Now one year later, owners of the GSM variant are still waiting for their chance at the latest Android 2.1 update. As a harbinger of things to come (we hope), the Hero 2.1 update just landed in HTC's home country of Taiwan. Unfortunately, this will likely be the last update Hero owners receive... via official channels, anyway. [Thanks, Lee]
HTC EVO 4G review
As a mobile platform, the EVO 4G's Android foundation is still an infant -- well, okay, perhaps it's a tweener -- but in its two-odd years in the public spotlight, the list of truly revolutionary devices to use it has been a significant one: the G1 for being the first to market; the Nexus One for ushering in a new (and subsequently killed) retail model; perhaps the CLIQ for introducing Motorola to the platform or the Droid for bringing the company some desperately needed, long overdue success. For the moment, anyway, a whopping fraction of the world's most important phones are running Google's little experiment. Needless to say, Sprint, HTC, and quite frankly, many of us have come to expect the EVO 4G to join that short list for some obvious reasons. Put simply, its magnificent list of specs reads as though it was scribbled on a napkin after a merry band of gadget nerds got tipsy at the watering hole and started riffing about their idea of the ultimate mobile device: a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, HDMI-out, and WiMAX compatibility. Of course, the list of potential deal-breakers for a phone is as long as the EVO 4G's display is wide; to put it another way, there are countless ways HTC, Sprint, or even Google could've screwed this thing up. So does this moderately intimidating black slab of pure engineering and marketing -- this high-profile bet on Sprint's future -- deliver the goods? Read on. %Gallery-93334%
HTC Wildfire hands-on (update: video!)
Some eager beavers went ahead and busted through the embargo dam this morning, so you should already be up to speed on the Wildfire's specs and vital statistics. For the latecomers, this is an Android 2.1 device with the same processor as HTC's fabled Hero, a 3.2-inch capacitive QVGA display, and an ambition to sate the market for an affordable, socially connected Android smartphone. It's slated for a release in Europe and Asia early in the third quarter of this year, and you can see all four of its tasteful color options in the exhaustive gallery of intimate photography below. Skip past the break for the full spec sheet and our early hands-on impressions of the Wildfire.%Gallery-93137%
T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide official: Android 2.1, QWERTY, coming in June (we go hands-on)
Hey, CLIQ, better check that rear-view mirror, because you've got an interesting competitor coming right up on your tail. T-Mobile is launching another midrange Android QWERTY slider -- some might argue the G1's true successor -- christened the myTouch 3G Slide (not quite the "myTouch Slide" we've been hearing for a few months) with a 3.4-inch HVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, and a pretty heavily-customized skin based on Android 2.1. How custom are we talking, exactly? Well, it's not quite like anything we've seen on a production Android device before, featuring a host of custom apps including the "Faves Gallery," a social aggregator for your most dearly beloved contacts; "myModes," a profile manager that can change the phone's themes and settings based on time or location; the Swype keyboard in place of Google's option; and the so-called "Genius Button," which seeks to extend Android's already decent voice command and text-to-speech systems by allowing you to do just about anything on the phone using your voice, hear messages read back to you, and so on. In the myTouch 3G tradition, the Slide will come in a selection of colors when it launches in June -- black, white, or red -- for a to-be-announced price. Check out T-Mobile's full press release along with our impressions of the device after the break %Gallery-92234% %Gallery-92237%
Droid Incredible review
At this point, the HTC Incredible should seem like pretty familiar territory to our readers. We first caught wind of the device in a ROM leak back in December of 2009, and shortly thereafter saw lots of little snippets on the phone that made it clear it was headed our way. Of course, it's a potent combination that's been put together here -- an HTC-made, Verizon-locked device sporting a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 8GB of internal storage, 748MB of ROM, a microSD slot (with support for up to 32GB cards), an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and autofocus, 480 x 800 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, and most importantly, Android 2.1 with HTC's Sense UI on-board. The combo of America's largest (and some say best) 3G network with a super-fast, Sense-equipped Android phone is a match made in nerd heaven. We've seen a near-exact device in the HTC Desire -- basically the Incredible for the European market -- and the internals and screen technology are almost identical to the Nexus One, but the Incredible has a personality that's all its own. So is this the next killer device on the US market? Or have we heard this tune before? Read on for the answers you seek! %Gallery-91085%
Home Tab Mod 1.7 for Sense 2.5 breathes new life into Windows Mobile (video)
Ready to customize your custom Windows Mobile skin? HTC's already thoroughly tricked out Sense UI has received the modding treatment courtesy of Co0kieMonster and his team over at xda-developers, and user feedback has been exultant about the results. What you're getting with the Home Tab Mod, and particularly in this latest version 1.7, is a litany of custom arrangement options to suit all tastes. Whether you want your weather and expandable appointment list front and center or you prefer extra quick links to your favorite applications and notifications of new calls, messages or emails, you'll find a layout to suit you. There are even options for loading up the lock screen with Sense elements, if that's more to your liking, and we've grabbed a video walkthrough of the new UI after the break. To get on board, you'll need a HTC device with Sense 2.5 and the clicking power to hit up the source for the download and full instructions. [Thanks, ran]
Verizon's HTC Incredible gets a user's manual
You can't buy an Incredible from Verizon just yet, but we're getting awfully close -- and in the meantime, you've got some exciting new reading material to pore over. It looks like the full, unabridged, seemingly final version of the phone's user's manual has just leaked over on Android Forums, and while there aren't any blockbuster revelations in here as far as we can tell, it confirms what we've long suspected: this is basically a CDMA Desire with an 8 megapixel camera. You've got the full Sense UI experience atop Android 2.1, a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display, 1GHz Snapdragon, and an optical joystick -- a new trend out of HTC that looks destined to completely supplant the trackball, much as it has already done for RIM. Around back, we've got some confirmation that the Incredible is going to feature a positively bizarre contoured battery cover; it might not be your first choice, but honestly, you're not going to let that stop you from buying, now, are you? [Thanks, eipee73]
HTC Desire review
Following the Legend, HTC continues its Android 2.1 lineup with the Desire -- a gorgeous cousin of the renowned Nexus One. We can trace our drool all the way back to the Desire's leak in December, but there have been some changes since then that made it slightly less desirable -- DivX support and 720p video capture never made it to the final build, but it's not like the company laid down any official promise on them, right? Anyhow, there's still plenty to be loved here, namely the speedy 1GHz Snapdragon, the large AMOLED screen, and HTC's latest revision of Sense UI that we've already seen on the Legend. Now, there are probably two questions floating in the minds of our readers: is the Desire worth the extra moola over the Legend? And is it any better than the Nexus One? Let's all find out together. Update: commenter NigelL pointed out that HTC will push out DivX support in a future update. Thanks!%Gallery-89291%
Sense UI ROM available for Droid; is nothing sacred?
It seems that man's mad quest to unite Sense UI and Droid continue at breakneck speed. This next bit of evidence comes from the blurrycam of AllDroid forum member Greek35T, and befitting its status as an experimental Alpha release, there are a few hiccups. Data is available when 3G is enabled, but not voice (although a quick perusal of the forum has indicated that at least one user has had success placing 3G calls -- but none receiving them). Bluetooth is also out of the question, for the time being -- as is airplane mode and the GPS (although aGPS seems to be working fine). That said, you do get Flash (as a rousing game of Alien Attack demonstrates). See for yourself after the break -- or hit the source link to try it out for yourself. You know, if you're crazy like that. [Thanks, Steven]
Sprint to announce 'groundbreaking new device' (HTC Supersonic?) tomorrow
Sprint Premier customers are being treated to a rather tantalizing account alert tonight: "Visit us tomorrow for an exciting announcement about a groundbreaking new device." No other details provided, but if we had to make an educated guess, we'd say all signs are pointing towards HTC's Supersonic, the long-rumored WiMAX smartphone with a 4.3-inch screen and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. A 4G device would certainly fit the billing as "groundbreaking," and we've already heard of plans to unveil the phone at CTIA, which officially kicks off tomorrow. A web chat transcript found on the Sprint Community seems to corroborate, but we can't at this point verify the validity of the screen capture. You can view the entirety of the purported web chat after the break. If we do wake up tomorrow to a shiny, large-screened WiMAX phone, care to take bets on what Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is gonna talk up in his Wednesday keynote? [Thanks, Jackson R and Aggrey J]
