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HTC must alter chip in One smartphone to avoid Nokia patents
Poor HTC. As if it didn't already have enough to deal with, the troubled manufacturer now has to meddle with the original design of the One and other smartphones in order to avoid infringing on a couple of Nokia patents. According to the Wall Street Journal, HTC is currently working with Qualcomm to find a different method of improving reception and transmission within its radio components, following a successful patent suit by Nokia in the US a week ago. If these tweaks don't happen, and if the ITC upholds Nokia's victory when it considers the matter in January, a number of models could potentially be subject to import bans. This has happened before, however, when HTC unwittingly infringed on a Nokia microphone patent and quickly managed to find a workaround, so by now it has become adept at this sort of fire-fighting and says it already has a plan to avoid "business disruption."
Refresh Roundup: week of September 23rd, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Gold-colored HTC One part leaked in China, we're sensing a trend here
We're usually quite skeptical when it comes to leaked phone parts, especially those that just show a new color, but this one seems fairly reliable. Courtesy of the same Sina Weibo user who previously showed us a blue HTC One (which has since been announced along with its mini counterpart), we're now looking at what appears to be the front-half of a gold-colored One. Call it impeccable timing, but given the August 12th date stamp on the part, chances are HTC also had this planned some time ago. In fact, a 24-Carat gold One already exists. In addition to the leakster's track record, the hand-written marks on the parts lend credence to their authenticity. The One series' designer Justin Huang (who's sadly in a bit of trouble right now) previously told us that the letters grade the form of the front-side frame, in order to help pick matching parts. It's also worth pointing out that we've yet to come across any fake custom HTC One parts in the Huaqiangbei market, which is likely because of the difficult manufacturing and disassembly process. That said, the phone's relatively lower demand than, say, the iPhones and Samsung devices may be a bigger deterrent for those part makers. Let's see if this new color option will change HTC's course.
Verizon's blue HTC One trickling out to Best Buy stores starting today
See that? It's an HTC One, programmed for use on Verizon's airwaves, and it's blue. Moreover, it's at Best Buy, and if you're lucky, you'll be able to pick one up yourself as early as tonight. If you'll recall, we had heard that Sprint was aiming to ship the aforesaid device on September 10th, but according to our tipster, these are hitting backrooms as we speak. Full retail is pegged at $699.99, but you can bet that a variety of contractual options will be available, too. Update: Another stellar tipster has provided us with a photo of the phone's front, which you'll find after the break. Additionally, we're told that the back of the blue HTC One is one full piece of metal, with painted accent stripes. Maybe you'll head to a Verizon store this weekend and check it out for yourself. [Thanks, Anonymous]
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.
HTC One and One Mini 'vivid blue' hands-on (updated)
HTC's designers may soon be more famous for their expense accounts than their designs, but that shouldn't detract from their latest color-picking masterpiece. We've been playing with the vivid blue HTC One and One Mini and have to admit, it's a tough choice deciding between this and the glamour red version we saw in July. While we were there, we also asked if the company would be introducing a Mini version of the One in red, but that's not yet confirmed. HTC is looking to hawk this as a carrier or retailer exclusive in various territories, with the official line being that it'll land in "select markets" from Q4 -- but we're reasonably sure that Sprint's got this one locked up for September. Keen-eyed readers will notice in the gallery below that the highlight colors are darker on the One than on the Mini, but that's the only difference between this and the original vintage. Update: While there's nothing official to emerge from the US just yet, we do have official confirmation that both the HTC One and One Mini in "vivid blue" will be sold through the Carphone Warehouse in the UK. The flagship can be had on plans starting at £33, while the smaller model is available from £26 a month.
Refresh Roundup: week of August 26th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Weekly Roundup: Peripheral Vision, Samsung's rumored Galaxy Gear, Nexus 4 price drop, 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.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 26th, 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 convincing signs that BlackBerry users are moving away from physical keyboards, along with a new budget Android smartphone for MetroPCS and a stumbling block that's holding up AT&T's acquisition of Alltel. These stories and more await. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of August 26th, 2013.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 19th, 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 free TV streaming service for Bell subscribers, the arrival of NFL Mobile to BlackBerry 10 and little bit of Windows Phone love from General Motors. These stories and more await. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of August 19th, 2013.
HTC One mini coming to AT&T August 23rd for $100 on contract
If you've been hoping to snag an HTC One mini since we first laid our eyes (and hands) upon the 4.3-inch device, now's your chance to do it... provided you're an AT&T customer or have no qualms with making the switch. You'll be able to grab the One mini starting next week, and at $100, it's set at a decidedly mid-tier price. To recap, the device offers a 720p display, 4MP UltraPixel camera, Android 4.2, 1,800mAh battery and 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 SoC with 1GB RAM. Press release and video can be found below the break.
Refresh Roundup: week of August 12th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 12th, 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 leaks of a smartphone that tips the scales with a 6-inch screen, an alternate ego to the oft-leaked Sony 'Honami' and the return of unlimited data to a certain AT&T MVNO. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of August 12th, 2013.
Verizon's HTC One starts shipping on August 22nd for $199 on contract
For those attached -- willingly or otherwise -- to Verizon, your time to snag an HTC One has come. Well, almost. The universally-hailed Android phone is headed to VZW's LTE airwaves on August 22nd, with an on-contract price of $199.99. Oh, and if you're just waking up from the underside of a rock, have a gander at our review before canceling all of your plans.
Sprint launching exclusive 'glamor red' HTC One on August 16th for $199
Sprint customers looking for a handset with panache may be happy to learn that the network is offering the "glamor red" version of the HTC One as a carrier exclusive. Launching tomorrow, August 16th, the device will set you back $199 on a two-year deal or with an eligible upgrade. Although, given HTC's newly-minted partnership with Robert Downey Jr, we kinda wish the company had gone all out with an Iron Man edition.
Daily Roundup: Toshiba Excite Write review, Xbox One unboxed, Google's eventual downfall, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Refresh Roundup: week of July 29th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
HTC One Max reportedly surfaces in photos with 5.9-inch display
Word of the HTC One Max surfaced in a leaked document from UK carrier O2 (although we've lovingly referred to it as the T6 for some time now) but now the phone finally seems to be making an appearance in the flesh. Taiwanese site ePrice has gotten its collective mitts on two photos of what's claimed to be the retooled flagship, which boasts a 5.9-inch 1080p display. Differences in the hardware don't exactly jump out at first blush, but the relative distance between the lower speaker grill and its buttons hint at a larger screen. While the One Mini's grate doesn't extend as far as the full-sized smartphone's, the grill on this jumbo device stretches past that of both handsets.Though this model also sports traditional China-specific tweaks such as dual SIM slots, the most notable changes include an upgrade to a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and a 3,200mAh battery. ePrice says an official One Max appearance is rumored for next month at IFA, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for invitations to special unveiling events.
Xbox One cloud servers offer equivalent to 600 percent AI processing boost, claims Forza 5 team
Microsoft already talked up how the cloud component of its Xbox One console will work, but now we're hearing of the benefits from the dev's side. The verdict is certainly positive so far, with Dan Greenawalt, creative director for Forza 5, extolling its virtues, citing it as a "tremendous opportunity" in a recent interview with OXM. His team has been using it to take care of a lot of the AI elements in the game -- such as its Drivatar system -- which he claims would usually take up about 10 - 20 percent of the console's processing power. By letting the cloud deal with it, however, it can spill out into much greater complexity, with Greenawalt claiming a boost equivalent to "600 percent" of the actual Xbox's brains. This, in turn, freeing up the 10 - 20 percent it would have used for something else. Bold statement, of course, but with the early signals looking good, this is one feature we're glad still made the cut.
The Daily Roundup for 07.30.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
