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Xperia U, HTC One X and One S coming to Orange UK
Orange, the only cellular network that's also one of your five-a-day has announced that it'll be releasing Sony's Xperia U, HTC One X and One S to smartphone demanding Britons in the second quarter of the year. Depending on your point of view, it's either fantastic or terrible that the network bagged the white edition of Sony's handset as an exclusive, but it's going to tempt some of you to the citrus-side of the force. There's no word on pricing, but we'd expect them to cost something we've heard called "money." While you wait for them to arrive, why not decide on which handset you'd rather purchase by reading our splendid hands-ons with each of the handsets? Xperia U / One X / One S.
HTC One X hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
Mobile World Congress has already brought a lot of great phones, and the show floor hasn't even opened yet. But there's just something about Peter Chou's latest creation that has us more eager to play with it than anything else we've seen so far (and perhaps for the rest of the show). We're talking, of course, about the One X, the absolute top of the line model of HTC's trio of One series devices announced tonight. The "superphone" (Peter's words, not ours) is packing the entire deck of cards: a 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 CPU (for the global version; the LTE version uses Qualcomm's S4 Krait processor), 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 4.7 inches of 720p Super LCD 2 non-PenTile gorgeousness, Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0 on top, 8MP rear camera with f/2.0 lens and 1080p HD video, to name a few.First impressions? In a nutshell, we're blown away. It feels wonderful to hold in our hand, it's got the full suite of specs we like to see, the camera's as quick as HTC claims, and the device flies -- in fact, we'd be amiss not to mention the fact that the vendor's ICS-backed Sense UI is much lighter than any of its predecessors and doesn't bog down the performance at all. And keep in mind that this is in all likelihood still running on pre-production firmware. Impressive, to say the least. Our only beef with the device is the lack of a physical shutter button, especially given the firm's commitment to providing stellar camera performance. We're not ready to crown the One X as the best of the show yet -- we have four days' worth of MWC left, after all -- but it's one device we'll be returning to spend more quality time with on the show floor. If you want to share in the enjoyment, head to the gallery below, or the video after the break.
HTC reveals Media Link HD wireless HDMI adapter for One X and One S phones
Looking to accessorize your fresh HTC look? Then how about the Media Link HD wireless dongle for starters? It'll mirror the display from your One X or One S on any HDMI-equipped TV. We're told it'll be as simple as plugging the adapter into a free HDMI input and then performing a three-finger swipe on your phone. We're not yet sure of the price, but expect to see the add-on in stores from mid-April when the new One family becomes available.
HTC updates Beats Audio, makes it work with any third-party app
Let's just say we were underwhelmed by the first iteration of HTC Beats on the Sensation XE. But now it looks like the technology has been revamped for the latest One handsets, so -- once we've tasted the pudding -- we might just have to revise that opinion. The new Beats is claimed to make music sound more "authentic," and whereas the previous version could only be activated inside HTC's stock music player, this time it'll work with YouTube, Pandora, Spotify and any other third-party Android app. What exactly will it do with those apps? And will it move beyond its current gimmicky bass-boost status? We'll just have to wait and listen.
HTC One X exclusive to AT&T in the US, brings LTE, Beats, ICS and Sense 4 to Ma Bell
Just frothy thinking about HTC's recently unveiled superphone, the One X? Well, for those of you that call the US home, outside of importing HTC's latest, you're going to have only one network choice, and that's AT&T. Unlike the global Tegra 3 version announced today, Uncle Sam's variant swaps out that quad-core goodness for an LTE radio paired with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 by Qualcomm -- specs which curiously match a video titled One XL, which we've embedded after the break from its YouTube page. This also marks the first occasion a Beats by Dr. Dre-powered handset has made an appearance on the carrier. Other then that, you're looking at the same gorgeous 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 HD screen, 8-megapixel f/2.0 shooter and Sense 4 running atop Ice Cream Sandwich. As for when it'll land? The duo's playing coy, only mentioning it'll come in the "coming months." Stay tuned for a hands-on. Update: If you're wondering how the dual-core switcheroo will impact performance, AnandTech lays out some thoughts on the brain swap.
HTC One X announced at MWC 2012
HTC's launched a new flagship handset for Mobile World Congress 2012, the HTC One X -- codenamed Endeavour. Dipping into design notes from The Nokia Lumia line, the One X is a unibody device machined from white polycarbonate that uses Gorilla Glass to protect its 4.7-inch 1280x720 non-pentile Super LCD 2 display. Stunning outside appearances aside, HTC's newest features an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor for the Global edition and a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core for the LTE iteration. Memory specs on the box show 1GB DDR2 and 32GB of built-in storage -- 26GB of which is available to the user -- and an additional 25GB free for two years through DropBox. Connectivity options abound with quad-band GSM and quad-band 42Mbps HSPA+ -- which includes AWS frequencies, huzzah! At the heart of its 8MP f/2.0 camera section is HTC's ImageChip silicon for clearer shots even in low light conditions and the ability to shoot pictures while recording continuous focus 1080p video. Rounding out the new set's photographic prowess is a unique LED flash with support for 5 levels of automatic brightness control and a front facing 1.3 megapixel number that'll sort your 720p HD needs. All things considered we'd say HTC has likely knocked it out of the park with this Engadget specced device, the only thing some might possibly nitpick would be that the 1800mAh battery nestled in the housing is never coming out nor will you find a spot to pop an additional memory card in. We'll be back as quick as we can with some detailed hands-on details, pics, and video. What we do know is that it'll be out globally in April.
HTC adds even more Dropbox support in Sense 4.0, storage upped to 25GB
More news coming out of HTC's camp in Barcelona. The firm shared promise rings with Dropbox a few months ago, offering 5GB total storage capacity on its Sense 3.5 devices, and now the two companies are ready to take the next step in their commitment with ICS-backed version 4.0. This time they're integrating the cloud service directly into its OS and are offering five times the storage (and arguably five times the fun) for free, up to a grand total of 25GB -- in addition to the amount you already have in your account -- for the course of two years. That's great, but we're rooting for the relationship to last longer than "til end of contract do us part."
HTC debuts One brand at MWC 2012, unifies Android device lineup
Shearing clippers, meet HTC's Android device portfolio. It appears UK head Phil Roberson wasn't just blowing the proverbial smoke this past January when he stated intentions to tighten up the manufacturer's portfolio with fewer releases focused on "amazing hardware" experiences. At today's MWC keynote the company announced an initiative that'll quite literally institute a One product line to rule them all ethos. Functioning much like Samsung's Galaxy series does, all smartphones and tablets that fall under the 'One' brand umbrella will showcase an attention to three distinct areas of detail: top-notch imaging, integrated Beats audio and industrial design. And, unlike the divisive monikers that often results from heavy-handed carrier intervention, the 130 operators already on board for the OEM's newborn products will retain that streamlined naming convention. No word yet on whether the outfit intends to group its Windows Phone array under this same tree or if that'll warrant an entirely new family itself. PR about the new branch in the HTC family tree can be found after the break.
More HTC Endeavor whispers: SLCD display, thin chassis, 32GB and no microSD
Months of rumors about the HTC Endeavor (aka the One X, Edge, Ville) have layered up to provide a pretty complete (if not totally reliable) picture of the forthcoming Tegra 3-powered Android handset. There's room for a few more brush-strokes, however, and one of MoDaCo's tipsters is happy to paint them. We're told the new handset will have a Super LCD display, despite earlier rumors of HTC flirting with AMOLED (again). This could be no bad thing, judging from the stunning 1280 x 720 panel on the Rezound, but the Endeavor is expected to have a larger 4.7-inch screen and hence a slightly lower pixel density. The thinness of the Endeavor's chassis will reportedly be a major selling point, as will be the 32GB of onboard memory that will come as standard. However, this storage won't be expandable -- the tipster says there's no microSD on the back, just a microSIM slot and an 1800mAh battery that may or may not be removable. Again, the provenance of these reports is unknown, but MoDaCo's reports have so far tallied closely with what we saw in a leaked Endeavor ROM. Assuming it's all accurate, will it be enough to give HTC the differentiating leg-up it so badly needs? We're not sure, but we do know that more Beats Audio or a music streaming service won't cut it.
