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HTC Sense 3.0 will only support Sensation, EVO 3D, Flyer and newer devices; older hardware left behind
Unfortunate news for anyone who saw HTC's Sense 3.0 UI and started dreaming about seeing it on their Desire HD, Incredible S or any other handset that doesn't ship with it preloaded. HTC has said that because of the hardware requirements of the fancier new Android skin, only the dual-core Sensation and EVO 3D smartphones and the 1.5GHz Flyer tablet will be benefiting from it for now. The company's expected to introduce more tablets in the summer and its inevitable march forward with smartphones will continue, but Sense 3.0 -- and those delectable multifunctional lock screens -- will remain the exclusive privilege of its highest-end devices. Update: Those older devices may be missing the boat, but they will at least get a set of floaties. HTC left a message on Twitter that the company is "working to incorporate other aspects" of Sense 3.0 that will come to older devices. Hopefully this includes that flash new weather app.
HTC Sensation confirmed for all UK carriers, ready for summer fiesta
As you've probably gathered from our HTC Sensation preview, Vodafone managed to nab a two-week head start (plus a cheeky premature leak) with this dual-core Android across Europe in mid-May. Unsurprisingly, fellow UK carriers were quick to announce that they'll also be picking up said phone afterwards. In fact, this time round all the big players are involved, with Everything Everywhere (Orange and T-Mobile UK) promising a June launch, Three mentioning a vague "summer" release, and O2 only saying it'll sell the Sensation at some point. Yes, you Brits better keep that kettle warm -- it'll be at least a few more weeks for you non-Vodafoners.
HTC Sensation versus Incredible S and Desire S... a family scuffle
We just so happened to have our review units of HTC's Incredible S and Desire S on hand during today's Sensation launch event, so what else to do with them than to throw them in with the new 4.3-incher and shoot some photos? The gallery below should give you a pretty good idea of the physical differences between HTC's trio of foremost Android devices for the European market. You won't be able to tell much about the difference a dual-core processor makes, but then what's life without a little mystery? %Gallery-120969%
HTC Sensation first video hands-on!
You saw the specs confirmed a little earlier today and you even got to glimpse HTC's new Sensation in the flesh. Now it's time to watch this 4.3-inch Android device strut its stuff on video. We've gotten our mitts on the Euro model and you can check out all the delicious visuals after the break. As we mentioned in our preview of this handset, the new lock screen is perhaps the biggest (it's certainly the most immediately apparent) change in the Sense UI that comes with the Sensation. HTC describes now describes it as "smart," because it can both serve you with live information, like weather and those all-important stock prices, and also lets you unlock straight into an app by dragging its link into an unlocking circle. Frankly, we used the functionality so much that we almost forgot how to unlock the phone "normally." It's something the Inq Cloud Touch and other lower-end Android devices have previously exhibited, and a feature we really, truly appreciate. Performance was, as you'd expect from a 1.2GHz dual-core machine, snappy all around, though we still caught some slight lag and insufficient frame rates when the Sensation was dealing with some of those yummy new 3D animations. The higher resolution (960 x 540) screen is a definite upgrade over the 800 x 480 standard that Android devices have been coalescing around and the 4.3-inch size seems like a perfect fit for it. Both the camera app and video playback in the HTC Watch app showed great speed and responsiveness to our input. Those are the things that will really harness the processing power of the Sensation. Physically, the Sensation somehow manages to feel more compact than its predecessor atop the European jumbo phone throne, the Desire HD. The two phones both have 4.3-inch screens, but the 16:9 screen ratio of the Sensation makes it narrower, while HTC's ingenuity has managed to make the new device marginally thinner too. All in all, a definite upgrade in ergonomics. Aluminum construction is present here as well, however the entire aluminum chunk -- which spans the middle portion of the back, separating two plastic parts (each of which has its own color, giving you a tri-color rear) -- is in the removable cover. This is unlike most of HTC's aluminum "unibody" phones, which make the aluminum piece part of the phone's framework. Hey, at least you get much easier access to what's under the back cover. Delve into the gallery below for more! %Gallery-120963%
HTC Sensation 4G official: 1.2GHz dual-core, qHD display, and Sense 3.0
We've known about the so-called HTC Pyramid for months, long before the Vodafone leak this morning. Now the long-rumored Android phone is official and coming to T-Mobile under the moniker HTC Sensation 4G. As expected, it matches many of the EVO 3D's specs, including a 4.3-inch (540 x 960) Super LCD screen, dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, and Android Gingerbread (2.3) with Sense 3.0. But it one ups the 3D handset by bumping the rear lens' resolution to 8 megapixels, throwing in a second LED flash, and speeding up the video frame rate to 30fps at max 1080p resolution. Speed-wise, this HSPA+ device promises download rates as fast as 14.4 Mbps. As for Sense, the Sensation also ushers in various tweaks to the company's UI, including customizable lock screens, 3D transitions, an improved weather app, and HTC Watch, the service introduced with the company's Flyer tablet that lets you download DVD-quality movies. Before hitting the states this summer, the Sensation will launch in the UK, Germany, and the rest of HTC's "key" European markets in mid-May, with Vodafone scoring a Europe-wide exclusive for "a couple of weeks." We can't wait to put the Sensation through its paces in a full review, but happily we already scored some hands-on time with a near-final unit. Continue below the break for some early thoughts, full specs, and close-up shots of this superphone in action. Update: We scored some hands-on time with a European model over at HTC's launch event. Check the video here! %Gallery-120883% %Gallery-120885%
Live from HTC's April 12th event!
Alright, so the cat may already be out of the bag (thank you, Vodafone!), but HTC still has a swanky London venue booked for today and the show, as they say, must go on. What's more, there's no reason to believe the 4.3-inch HTC Sensation will be the only thing announced at today's marquee event from the Taiwanese smartphone and tablet maker. More buddies for the Flyer, perhaps? Unlikely, but weirder things have happened. Join us after the break for a little bit of good old liveblog action.
HTC Sensation leaked by Vodafone: 4.3-inch qHD SLCD and 1.2GHz dual-core processor are go (video)
Would you look at that, HTC's latest worst kept secret is live on Vodafone UK's website. So here's the scoop: 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960 pixel) SLCD display, 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera augmented by an 8 megapixel shooter with dual-LED flash around back, a 1.2GHz (dual-core) processor, and 4GB of internal flash memory with an extra 8GB supplied on memory card. Stick around, we'll have hands-on with the latest Android Sensation from the HTC launch event later in the day. Update: Vodafone removed the pages but we've got a screenshot after the break. Better yet, we've also got a trio of videos uncovered by our friends over at Mobile Bulgaria showing updated elements of the Sense UI. [Thanks, Chris H.]
Official: HTC Sensation features a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU (video)
The HTC Sensation (aka, Pyramid) handset doesn't officially exist. But hey, if you're Qualcomm, why let a partner's own marketing plans interfere with your own need for self-promotion? What other motivation could have prompted the Tweet above from Qualcomm's German Twitter account? Stay tuned, we expect to learn a lot more about this not so mysterious handset during HTC's press event later today. Until then why not peek the video after the break for a little brush-up on Snapdragon's dual-core capabilities. [Thanks, Simeon]
HTC Pyramid to launch on April 12th under the name of HTC Sensation?
When HTC extended an invitation our way to come "see what's next" on April 12th in London, plenty of you were already guessing that its long-rumored 1.2GHz Pyramid device would seize that opportunity to make its debut. Now Pocket-lint has apparently confirmed those inklings, with word from an insider affirming the new Android smartphone's launch for that day and also adding that its retail name will be the HTC Sensation. HTC has already filed a claim to trademark that tandem of words, which lends an extra dash of credence to this revelation. Frankly, so long as all the mighty, EVO 3D-emulating specs we've been hearing about this device turn out to be true, we don't care if HTC calls it the Watermelon. Actual availability in stores is said to be expected "in the coming months," leaving a bit more waiting to be done whatever happens on April 12th. Ah well, they do say good things come to those who wait.
Researchers enable tactile feedback for e-readers using real paper, just like the olden days (video)
Brainiacs from Osaka University have created what they've called the Paranga -- a device that fulfills the lack of tactile feedback of page turns when using an e-reader. It's got a built in sensor that detects when the book is being bent and will rotate a roll of paper strips against your thumb. The force exerted against the device will control the speed of the paper roll. Although it's not accurate enough to turn one page at a time, the researches believe that if foil is used instead of paper, the voltage will be discharged as soon as a page is turned, ensuring single-page accuracy. If you want to see a video of the Paranga imitate page-turning, press play on the embed below the break.
HTC Flyer spec sheet leaks with Android 2.3, stylus and 7-inch screen?
Wondering what sort of goodies might be inside HTC's upcoming tablets? Norwegian tech site Amobil isn't -- they claim to have a pair of inside sources spoon-feeding them all the pertinent details. For the rumored HTC Flyer -- which may or may not be pictured at right -- that includes the same 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 chip you'll find in several high-end handsets, 1GB of RAM, as well as a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and a rear 5 megapixel imager, and a piddling 4GB of flash storage to hold all your apps (which sounds a little fishy to us). There's also allegedly 3G for data and Skype calls, an HDMI port, DLNA support and a bonafide stylus to write with, though it's not clear whether we're rumoring a fancy N-Trig display or simply a pack-in capacitive pen. Though Amobil's sources say the tablet will be sadly limited to Android 2.3 out of the gate, it will allegedly have a brand-new tablet version of HTC's Sense UI designed to provide a "desktop feel," which might be a nice pairing for the "HTC Sensation" trademark presently floating about the internet. If so, don't expect that UI to be limited to a single slate, though -- the last part of this oh-so-juicy rumor is that HTC's also supposedly got a 10-inch LTE tablet (perhaps the Scribe?) arriving in the second half of the year.
Toshiba brings texture to touch (video)
Reach out and touch whatever screen you're reading this on. What if, instead of feeling the glass or plastic beneath your finger, you could experience the texture of a brush, woodgrain, or even a stone? Well, Toshiba's working on just such a project, which operates on the basis of a film affixed to, say, a smartphone's touch panel -- electrical currents are sent through this layer, and your digits are shot up with the simulated sensation of touching those various surfaces. Senseg, the company behind this tech, has been around since 2008, but perhaps this recent prototype demo is a sign that things might actually start going places. It's not like there'll be a shortage of imaginative uses for such precise tactile feedback. Video after the break.
Bionic armed woman regains sense of touch
Although Matsushita and Activelink have rolled out a rehabilitating robotic suit aimed at giving handicapped individuals their ability to maneuver their own body parts once again, it appears that Claudia Mitchell has regained her sense of movement using a slightly different apparatus. Touted as wearing the "world's first" bionic arm controlled by thought alone, she now has the ability to carry out simple, albeit quite critical tasks again such as cutting up food. Doctors have re-routed the nerve endings in her arm to "a patch of skin on her chest," essentially enabling her prosthetic arm to respond to her thoughts concerning movement. Furthermore, a recent study of her wrist, hand, and elbow functions revealed that she could perform tasks "four times quicker than with a conventional prosthesis," and the team hopes to install "touch sensors" on the artificial hand in order to allow for tactile feedback in the future. Claudia seems to be understandably thrilled with the results thus far, as it even allows her to accomplish tasks such as putting on makeup and feeding herself -- but we're slightly disappointed that she apparently hasn't given a round of Wii Sports a go to build up those oh-so-crucial hand-eye coordination skills, but we're sure that challenge is just around the bend.[Via Digg]
UC Berkeley's disease-detecting E-Nose
The last time we checked in on electronic nose technology, hospitals were using the still-boutique devices for very specialized institutional work such as monitoring nasty bacteria outbreaks. Recent breakthroughs by a company called Nanomix, however, could make E-Noses a standard tool in every patient examination room, with UC Berkeley researchers using the company's tech to design cheap devices that can "sniff out" disease-laden molecules in samples a person's breath. Nanomix's "Sensation" detection platform uses multiple, configurable carbon nanotube-based sensors to instantly provide a reading from a puff or air, although the exact diseases that the battery-powered devices will be programmed to detect have not been announced. We do know that the first application of this tech will probably be for carbon dioxide detection, allowing emergency personnel to immediately determine the efficacy of breathing tubes used to stabilize patients on board an ambulance.
