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HTC's 'Exodus' blockchain phone is made for a decentralized future
Just as HTC is gearing up for the launch of its next flagship smartphone come May 23rd, today it made a surprising announcement: it's also making a blockchain phone dubbed "Exodus" on the side. There aren't any specifics about this privacy-focused Android device just yet, but it will feature a universal wallet supporting Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dfinity, Lightning Networks plus other cryptocurrency protocols. The company is aiming to "double and triple the number of nodes of Ethereum and Bitcoin" through its Exodus units, while delivering decentralized applications (DApp) to more consumers.
HTC will reveal its next flagship on May 23rd
In an interesting twist on the clichéd device tease, HTC has preempted an iFixit-style teardown by showing the back and guts of the phone it's about to release. It looks like the U12 (or U12+) smartphone will arrive on May 23rd, judging by the parts and shape. According to several leaks, it will sport dual rear 12- and 16-megapixel cameras, probably to allow for zooming with no detail loss, along with dual 8-megapixel front cameras.
FTC warned Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft about illegal warranties
Last month, the FTC sent letters to six companies informing them that their product warranties were violating US law. Though there are some exceptions, under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, voiding a warranty because a customer didn't use a specified part or repair provider isn't generally allowed. The FTC called out six companies for warranty language that did just that, though -- required certain parts or services to be used in order to preserve a warranty. The agency didn't say which companies received letters, but Motherboard filed a Freedom of Information Act request and found that Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Hyundai, HTC and ASUS were the recipients.
HTC's latest Vive Pro VR kit is built for business
You can already get HTC's Vive Pro in a bundle aimed at first-timers, but what if you're a business buyer who needs it for VR design and training? You're covered now, too. HTC has released a $1,399 Vive Pro 2.0 Kit that includes just about everything you'd want to use the headset for work, including two controllers and (most importantly) two second-generation SteamVR base stations. The new stations are crucial to supporting a large 33ft by 33ft tracking area, although you'll need to buy a pair of extra stations to get that full coverage.
Researchers say some Android phone makers hide missed updates
A number of Android phones have a tendency to skip the occasional security patch while making it appear that the device is fully up to date, Wired reports. Researchers with Security Research Labs (SRL) looked into 1,200 phones from manufacturers like Google, Samsung, Sony, Nokia, Huawei, Motorola, LG, HTC, ZTE and TCL and found that there's often a gap between what the phones say have been updated and what patches have actually been installed. "It's small for some devices and pretty significant for others," SRL founder Karsten Nohl told Wired.
$1,099 Vive Pro Starter Kit has everything you need for VR but the PC
One of the bigger complaints about the HTC Vive Pro from our review was that the $799 headset felt like an upgrade path for existing Vive owners -- not an entry point for new users. HTC and Valve must've heard those complaints and the pair will start packing its existing $300 accessory pack in with the Vive Pro. The Vive Pro Starter Kit will set you back $1,099, and it comes with the Vive Pro headset, two Vive 1.0 controllers and a pair of Vive 1.0 base stations. More than that, if you already have your Pro, HTC is giving away $100 store credits for the Viveport marketplace. The bundle will go on sale April 5th.
HTC Vive Pro review: Better in every way, but it’s not for you
What if HTC could make the Vive VR headset again, but with better ergonomics, and higher quality screens? That's basically the Vive Pro. It's not a sequel -- it's more of a remaster. One that incorporates everything VR headset makers have learned over the past few years. (Spoiler: Comfort matters. A lot.) At $799 with no sensors or controllers, though, it's strictly for enthusiasts and professionals with plenty of disposable income.
HTC Vive Focus headset will be available outside of China soon
If you're interested in the HTC Vive Focus VR headset but you don't live in China, you've basically been out of luck. That is, until now. Today, HTC announced that the Vive Focus would be available in international markets later this year. It's the first 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) headset that's commercially available.
HTC slips out an upgraded VR object tracker
HTC's Vive Tracker is barely half a year old for everyday users, but it's already being replaced with a new model. The VR hardware maker has confirmed to Tom's Hardware that it's now selling an updated "Vive Tracker (2018)" for the same $99. The product listing doesn't say much about what's new. However, they're understood to support SteamVR Tracking 2.0, enabling object tracking in much larger (33ft by 33ft) spaces. That could make this new model virtually mandatory for some VR enthusiasts -- the old model isn't expected to work with 2.0 base stations.
HTC's Desire 12 phones are pretty, but unremarkable
A few weeks after the world's biggest mobile phone show, HTC has popped up to tell us about its latest brace of mid-range smartphones. The HTC Desire 12 and 12+ are two 5.5-inch and 6-inch devices that are aimed squarely at the folks who aren't too fussed about getting the latest and greatest. Both units ship with an 18:9 ratio 1,440 x 720 IPS LCD display and an otherwise pedestrian spec list. If there's one reason you might want to get these devices, it's that it'll ship in a shiny gold body that looks pretty damn money.
HTC's Vive Pro headset is available to pre-order for $799
Once staunch rivals in high-end VR, it now seems Facebook-owned Oculus and HTC are treading different paths. While Oculus is gearing up to launch a more affordable standalone headset, HTC has gone in the opposite direction with the Vive Pro, a new top-of-the range facehugger announced at this year's CES. Today, HTC has revealed the Vive Pro is the antithesis of affordable at $799/£799, and that it's now available to pre-order globally ahead of its April 5th shipping date.
'Ready Player One' VR games show the future is now
Ready Player One imagines the year 2044 as an industrial wasteland where people escape the perils of modern life by strapping on virtual-reality headsets and disappearing into a vast digital playground called the OASIS. The book, written by Ernest Cline, was published in 2011 -- a year before Palmer Luckey and Brendan Iribe founded Oculus VR. Since then, VR has become a staple of the technology and gaming spheres, with dozens of headsets on the market -- everything from cheap, smartphone-powered devices to untethered PC rigs costing upward of $1,000 to run properly. Ready Player One may be set in the near future, but it could have easily taken place in 2018. Nowhere is that more apparent than SXSW's Ready Player One VR event.
Immerse yourself in ‘Ready Player One’ with HTC's VR experiences
The upcoming Spielberg-directed nostalgia orgy Ready Player One depicts a run-down future where the only escape is diving into a fully immersive cyberspace. Soon, you'll be able to visit that digital world, too, when HTC's Vive Studios releases a slew of VR experiences created by a variety of developers. They'll be available to download later in March, but first they'll come to events and 'VR Arcades' across the US -- including at South By Southwest.
HTC U12 leak points to the return of dual rear cameras
HTC's return to dual cameras with the U11 Eyes (for selfies) this year wasn't as "noteworthy" as it had claimed, but now it seems like we'll finally have something more exciting along this line. LlabTooFer, a historically accurate source of HTC-related leaks, has posted what's claimed to be specs for the Imagine (aka U12), and its centerpiece would be a dual rear camera system with 12- and 16-megapixel sensors. It's not explained how this would work, but the size difference is usually meant to allow cropping for portrait or zoom modes without losing detail. The device wouldn't lean solely on this feature, either.
HTC confirms layoffs as it combines VR and smartphone divisions
It's been an interesting few months for HTC. Google bought the team responsible for Pixel phones last year for $1.1 billion. The president of HTC's smartphone operations just resigned, claiming a "personal career plan" for the move. Now, the remaining US workforce is facing layoffs. As first reported by Digital Trends this week, HTC has confirmed that it will combine its smartphone and VR divisions, resulting in employee reductions.
MLB's 'Home Run Derby VR' is coming to PSVR and Vive this spring
Major League Baseball has gotten into VR lately with a host of initiatives, including partnerships with Google for At Bat VR, Intel for "Game of the Week" live streams and Samsung for immersive highlights of the 2017 season. Now MLB is bringing a VR Home Run Derby that debuted at the All-Star Game and select ballparks to your home via PlayStation VR and HTC Vive.
Flying with a VR headset isn't as dorky as it sounds
As a somewhat regular flyer, I had always been intrigued by the concept of wearing a head-mounted display for some immersive in-flight entertainment. However, I never really found the "cinema" part of existing "personal cinema" headsets pervasive at all. Watching a tiny video through those headsets is like sitting in the last row of an empty theater. I'm not going to pay $800 for that. Then came the smartphone-powered VR headsets, but their three-degree-of-freedom (3DoF) tracking for just the head was never precise enough for prolonged usage. It wasn't until the Vive Focus, HTC's $630 standalone 6DoF VR device for China (about $100 of which goes to local taxes), that I finally decided to give virtual reality a chance to prove itself as a worthy alternative to those in-flight touchscreens. Luckily for me, my wife didn't forbid me from bringing this bright blue headset to our vacation, as long as it would fit into my carry-on.
After Math: Market fluctuations
It's been a volatile week for us all, what with the stock market's unpredictable undulations, the US Senate's DACA drama, the Olympics hacking and whatever other craziness that's sure to happen between the time I file this post and Sunday morning. It was pretty wild for the tech industry as well. Turns out that Apple's HomePod seemingly secretes wood-marking oils, Sony announced it'll cut the price of its VR headset by a third, and Netflix continued its spending spree, blowing $300 million on the guy who brought us "Glee." Numbers, because how else are you going to count stuff?
Viveport VR subscriptions will cost $2 more starting March 22nd
HTC launched a monthly subscription for VR apps last spring, allowing users to choose up to five titles per month for $6.99/£6.99. As of March 22nd though, the price of that Viveport plan is going up. The company announced today that beginning next month, a Viveport subscription will cost $8.99/£8.99. However, there are a few caveats. First, existing customers will stay with the original $6.99 price through "at least" the end of the year.
HTC smartphone president Chialin Chang has resigned
Not long after letting go of its Pixel team in exchange for some much needed cash from Google, HTC is now also losing its smartphone lead. Chialin Chang, who joined the company as CFO back in April 2012, has immediately resigned as the President of Smartphone and Connected Devices Business due to "personal career plan," according to HTC. There's no word on who will take over this role, which basically means more work for Chairwoman and CEO Cher Wang until she finds a replacement, if any.
