senseui
Latest
Rogers rolls out fixes for 911 problems with Dream and Magic, cuts off data for non-upgraders
So Rogers and HTC have worked with the kind of hustle you don't normally see from carriers or manufacturers to fix a rather dangerous glitch in their branded versions of the Dream and Magic causing calls to 911 to fail with GPS enabled -- and needless to say, you're going to want to apply the upgrade on the double. Why? Well, the problem's so dangerous that Rogers has taken the unusual step of vowing to disable internet access altogether for anyone failing to apply the "mandatory" patch by 6AM today (but don't worry, you should get it back as soon as you've upgraded) which actually allows emergency calls to go through. For their troubles, affected customers will be credited one month's worth of data -- and Magic owners will be delighted to discover that their phones have magically received HTC's Sense UI as a result of this whole ordeal. All's well that ends well, right?
HTC 'Supersonic' to ring in WiMAX on Sprint, Android-style
Remember that mysterious HTC A9292 with WiMAX rumored for Sprint a few days back? Well, take a seat, folks -- we think we've got the lowdown on it here from a trusted source, and it's a bit of a monster: Codename is "Supersonic" -- a name we've heard at least once before. Feels a lot like you'd expect an Android-powered HD2 to feel thanks to a 4.3-inch non-AMOLED display and a svelte shell. (For reference, the HD2 is 11mm thick, but we don't have exact dimensions here.) It's got a kickstand on the back. This wouldn't be a first for HTC; the Imagio on Verizon has one, for example. Runs Android 2.1 with HTC's Sense UI. Our tipster saw it in white; production devices could be available in different colors, of course, but white seems like it'd be an intriguing choice for a phone of the HD2's size and shape. The phone's software stack is buggy enough right now to suggest that we're not looking at a release any time soon, but we don't have details on the projected launch window. It's fast -- Snapdragon fast, it seems, though our tipster can't confirm the processor under the hood. We know 2010's just begun, but between all this noise and the promise of a legitimate 4G radio on board, let's be real -- we're already looking at a very, very early contender for smartphone of the year. Let's not run into any major roadblocks between here and retail, alright, guys?
Leaked Sense ROM with landscape mode looks wider than it is tall
Landscape orientation: a bastion of width-lovers everywhere. Indeed, hearts have to be melting on news that the leaked T-Mobile USA-branded HD2 ROM -- which has somehow made it onto some Touch Pro2s thanks to xda-developers' usual black magic -- seems to have revealed a new landscape mode for Sense, the beautified WinMo skin formerly known as TouchFLO. Though this makes a ton of sense for devices like the Touch Pro2 that actually need to be used sideways when the keyboard's deployed, we think it'll find plenty of use on slates like the HD2, too. Won't it?
HTC Espresso's updated Sense UI shown off on video
We'd been itching for some video of the mysterious HTC Espresso's updated Sense UI ever since we saw those intriguing screenshots last week, and here we go: a leaked version of the ROM has been hacked onto a Hero and given a run-through. Overall, things seem to be slightly cleaner all around, and that new launcher bar at the bottom looks quite handy, but we're still not totally sold on those translucent app icon surrounds. CES is right around the corner (and MWC is right after that) so we're hoping to find out more soon -- check the video after the break for now. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC Espresso's revised Sense UI spotted?
Among the seemingly thousands of Android-powered HTC handsets rumored for the first half of 2010, little is known of the mysterious Espresso -- the codename was found in a 2.1 ROM and a sketchy report claims that it'll have a QWERTY keyboard for an MWC announcement, but other than that, we're in the dark. Anyhow, Italian site hdblog.it now claims to have some shots ripped off the Espresso's display, and at a glance, you can tell this isn't quite the Sense we're used to from the Hero. The bar along the bottom now features direct access to People -- a feature we'd already heard would be revised for HTC's next round of Android phones -- and app icons have apparently been graced with translucent surrounds that are... well, not exactly pretty. We've got to keep our opinions in check until we actually see a shipping ROM, of course, so hopefully those talks of an MWC unveiling in February pan out.
HTC debuts widgets for Sense-equipped Android phones
HTC was already in the Android software game by virtue of the fact that it drops a fully-customized UI and widget suite on some of its models, but this is new: they've migrated over to the Market. Now, what'd be insanely awesome here is if you could, say, buy Sense for $9.99 and install it on any Android device, but yeah, not so much -- what we've actually got here is a four-pack of free widgets that are compatible with the Hero and Droid Eris. Dice, Today in History, Tip Calculator, and Battery are each downloadable individually; none are particularly exciting or different than what's already available in the Market, but they've all got that famous HTC high style and the exclusivity of knowing that Motorola, Acer, Samsung, and Huawei riffraff can't use them. All four are available now.
Huge stash of HTC Android codenames found within 2.1 ROM
You know that leaked HTC Sense ROM with Android 2.1 underneath? Well, somebody did some digging and found a wild stack of HTC Android handset codenames buried within. It starts in the realm of the familiar, with mentions of Dragon, Passion, Dream and Hero, but then it starts to get a little wild. Here's the full list: Bahamas, Bravo, DesireC, Dragon, Dream, Espresso, Halo, HeroCT, HeroC, Hero, Huangshan, Incredible, Legend, Liberty, Memphis, Paradise, PassionC, Passion, Sapphire and Supersonic. Pretty wild, right? There's no telling what exactly this list implies, other than the fact that Passion and Dragon are indeed on the books, and that HTC's naming department can really let the superlatives fly, but we're sure all will be made clear over the next year or two.
HTC Hero gets a leaked Android 2.1 ROM with Sense
We just saw some leaked shots of a Hero running Android 2.1 with HTC Sense a couple days ago, and now it looks like you can get in on the action yourself, thanks to a leaked ROM now up on XDA-developers and AllDroid. Installation appears to be pretty straightforward, but there are some steps involved, so make sure you backup and set aside some time to get things right -- and let us know how it all goes in comments! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
DROID ERIS hands-on and unboxing!
Hey look, it's a Hero! We've got the brand new DROID ERIS for Verizon in hand, and it's not hard to see which particular family of phones it hails from. Still, Verizon has its own twist on the form factor, almost scoring a compromise between the "shiny" Sprint Hero and the more angular, matte GSM Hero. Confusingly, the capacitive touch buttons along the bottom of the ERIS' screen are a haphazard twist on the DROID's arrangement (though it's really Motorola that's the non-standard one here), but the phones don't look completely unrelated. In all the rounded, black matte body of the ERIS sort of "fades away" and you're just left with a nice, bright LCD -- it's not making a statement, which is sort of the statement. There's also an iPhone-style face proximity sensor for turning off the display during calls, and HTC has multitouch pinch-to-zoom on here, something Motorola hasn't seemed to manage. Sure it can't stack up to the DROID for aggressiveness or sheer specs, but it's got it's own sort of budget-friendly charm that's not overshadowed by the DROID's bombastic ways, and two out of three Engadget editors agree that the HTC keyboard beats the pants off the stock Android keyboard.
HTC's HD2 has landed at Engadget (hands-on)
That's right... the HD2 has landed. Actually, we took the phone over to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the other day, but didn't get a chance to show it off, so here we are. Sure, you've seen this guy in action in earlier videos... but it's still nice to get a look at this monster up close. We're still blown away by the fact that this is a Windows Mobile 6.5 device -- the skinning job that HTC has done here is nothing short of a miracle. So far we've found the phone to be snappy and responsive, but we're currently putting it through its paces. We'll have a full review shortly, but for now, feast your eyes on the photos below -- and start saving for that imminent US launch. %Gallery-77279%
Sense UI update for HTC Magic makes the scene in Taiwan
If our ability to guesstimate Chinese website contents based on sketchy machine translation software is correct, it looks like HTC Magic owners in Taiwan are finally getting that Sense UI update they've been teased with since mid-August. Further blurring the lines between the aforementioned handset and the Hero, it is unknown whether or not the update will ever come to carriers besides Chunghwa Telecom, or how long that could even take. One thing we are fairly certain of, however, is that phones "with Google" will probably remain without this update, into perpetuity. Sorry, myTouch! If you're one of the lucky few, hit that read link to get started. [Via Unwired View]
HTC You ad campaign unveiled
HTC's definitely been a major name amonst the gadget cognoscenti for a while now, but it looks like the company's gearing up to go mainstream -- this is the first print ad from the new HTC You campaign that's launching today. Considering HTC's recent slew of high-profile handset launches like the Hero, HD2, and Tilt2 and equally-promising upcoming products like the Dragon and Droid Eris, we'd say this marketing push hasn't come a moment too soon. As for the ad itself, while it's not exactly a knockdown punch, it certainly suggests that HTC sees Sense UI as its ace in the hole -- we'll see how that plays out as Android 2.0 phones like the Motorola Droid come out and make stock Android sexy again. Update: And the commercials have gone live on YouTube as well -- we gotta say, we're pretty into them. Check 'em after the break.
HTC You ad campaign unveiled (update: video!)
HTC's definitely been a major name amonst the gadget cognoscenti for a while now, but it looks like the company's gearing up to go mainstream -- this is the first print ad from the new HTC You campaign that's launching today. Considering HTC's recent slew of high-profile handset launches like the Hero, HD2, and Tilt2 and equally-promising upcoming products like the Dragon and Droid Eris, we'd say this marketing push hasn't come a moment too soon. As for the ad itself, while it's not exactly a knockdown punch, it certainly suggests that HTC sees Sense UI as its ace in the hole -- we'll see how that plays out as Android 2.0 phones like the Motorola Droid come out and make stock Android sexy again. Update: And the commercials have gone live on YouTube as well -- we gotta say, we're pretty into them. Check 'em after the break.
HTC HD2 hands-on and impressions... on video!
We had a chance to give HTC's newest darling device -- the Windows Mobile 6.5-sporting HD2 -- a more thorough hands-on today, and we wanted to share our impressions. Firstly, we must say that HTC has done perhaps its most ambitious skinning job ever here. So while this does run atop Windows Mobile 6.5, you rarely see the OS poking through the gorgeous new Sense user interface the company has created. If you're used to TouchFLO 3D (or Sense on Android), this should seem old hat to you, but keep in mind there are some major changes here that dramatically affect the Windows Mobile experience. As you probably already know, the Snapdragon-based device sports a 1GHz MSM8250 CPU, a massive, 800 x 480 capacitive display (with multitouch functionality thanks to more tinkering from HTC), a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flashes, a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM tuner, and GPS chip on-board. We were frankly blown away with how slick this phone is. Mind you, WM 6.5 still shows its not-so-fresh colors here and there, but the general experience of using the device is handled mainly through the Sense interface, and it blows the hinges off of any other Windows phone experience we've had. Ever. From the lag-free gestures which get you around the device, to image pinching and zooming with that aforementioned multitouch, the hesitation-free jumps in and out of applications, and typing on the sprawling, HTC-ified onscreen keyboard, using the HD2 is a joy. There's no getting around the fact that the phone is still very much anchored to Windows Mobile, but what HTC has done here is nothing short of a revelation. Why Robbie Bach didn't bring this up on stage today at Microsoft's open house event is anyone's guess -- though we have to imagine that when your OS is this heavily gutted (HTC has even completely removed stock apps like calendar and contacts and replaced them with its own versions, and the company had to hand-roll the capacitive / multitouch interfacing), it might not be the best example of what you've done. We'll be waiting with bated breath till we get more hands-on time with this phone, but until then, we can all enjoy some lengthy video of the device in action... so check it out after the break. Update: Second video is up!
Vodafone to launch HTC Tattoo in October
This next item is sure to please HTC fanboys and Anglophiles alike: according to some well-crafted PR, Vodafone has confirmed that it will be launching the HTC Tattoo sometime next month. Indeed, if Android, resistive touchscreen, and FM Radio aren't enough to blow your mind, wait'll you hear this next bit of news: this one is available in black -- a UK exclusive! Maybe not worth moving overseas for, but possibly worth pre-registering for? If you think so, hit the read link and get started. Show full PR text VODAFONE UK ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE HTC TATTOO Following last week's announcement of the Nokia E72, LG GM750 and Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X2, Vodafone UK will be ranging another innovative smartphone exclusive. The new Android-powered HTC Tattoo is a smartphone which will keep you entertained and up to date wherever you are. The HTC Tattoo, available exclusively in black on Vodafone UK, lets you customise your own mobile experience using the latest HTC Sense technology. It delivers lots of the features of the enormously successful HTC Magic at an affordable price, for example, you can create shortcuts to your favourite internet sites, social networks, games, widgets and applications – and there's an amazing opportunity to personalise your phone further with thousands more applications and widgets available for download in the simple to use Android Market. Android also gives you quick and easy access to popular Google services such as Google Maps, Google Mail and Google Search as well as favourites like YouTube. Take your favourite snaps with the 3.2 megapixel camera with sharp focus, and view them on the HTC Tattoo's high resolution screen or upload them to your social network via the handset's superfast internet connection. And you are able to alter the look of your phone further with the unique covers that you can design yourself and purchase, or simply choose one from popular cover designs available. Key features of the exclusive black HTC Tattoo include: 3.2MP Camera Android technology FM Radio and MP3 player 2.8" Touchscreen Unique personalised covers Available in October, customers can pre-register for the Vodafone exclusive HTC Tattoo here: http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/htc-tattoo
HTC Hero for Sprint hands-on and impressions
When we first caught wind of HTC's Hero coming to Sprint, we were more than a little hopeful that the issues we experienced with the European version would be alleviated. If you'll recall, we had a bit of a love-hate affair going on with the chinny, wine-drinking iteration of the Android-powered phone due to a seeming lack of horsepower required to push HTC's totally amazing Sense UI. In the last few weeks, we've heard lots of chatter about the forthcoming Hero update and the wonders it would do for the speed of this phone... but unfortunately there's no such luck in the US, CDMA version of this device.So, the point here is we were planning on doing a whole new review to showcase the differences between the old and new version of the Hero, but there really aren't any besides the obvious physical changes. Sprint has added some great new apps, like its visual voicemail, which works like a charm (oh by the way Coleen, you got that job -- maybe you should give them your new number too), and Sprint Navigation, though it's also muddied up the mix by including the yawn-maker NASCAR app. Of course, this phone provides a full-on 3G experience, unlike the European version (for obvious reasons), and Sprint's network seems as snappy as ever -- general web browsing was a noticeably more enjoyable experience, for instance.Here is what we can say about the phone: the industrial design of this version versus the older model is a marked improvement, chucking that awkward chin shape for a proper bottom half, and rearranging the hard buttons so that you're not constantly getting your hands cramped up. We also have to mention the trackball, which is the most comfortable we've ever used. While the performance is still not where we think it should be, the Hero is an awesome addition to Sprint's growing line of serious contenders in the smartphone game. If that new update is all it's supposed to be (and if Sprint is expedient in bringing it to market), many of our complaints should be quelled -- and this will be the killer device we know it can be.Update: To commenters asking for a longer review, or asking about discrepancies in our findings versus other sites -- we can only report on what we observed. In our eyes, there is nothing significantly different or improved about the Sprint version to warrant a second review. There are some very minor differences in camera quality, and obviously the network performance is better (since it's not EDGE), but a full-length review did not seem necessary (you'll note many of our contemporaries also have short-form reviews). While reports may differ (especially those stating that this phone has the updated ROM we've heard about), we're still seeing the same kind of sluggishness and slowdown we experienced with the European version. What we said in the original Hero review very much applies to the Sprint version, and we suggest you take a peek.
HTC Hero firmware update peps up the Sense Experience to something usable
Good news for HTC Hero early adopters: HTC has a new firmware update out now for the device, and it considerably speeds up the interface if the multitude of reports to be found on the internet can be believed. Seeing as this was the number one gripe with the overall excellent UI, we're incredibly glad HTC has gotten work on this, and we'll be spending some more time with the device to return our newly tinted impressions. There's a video after the break demonstrating changes, and most actions seems quite a bit quicker and smoother, all the way down to opening and closing the apps menu, and sliding between home screens. The update doesn't really include much else in the way of features, but since it's addressing the main pain point of the phone, we sure don't mind -- and neither will Sprint users, who we suppose will be getting this newly improved interface right out of the gate. [Via Gizmodo]
Speedy new HTC Hero firmware starts to pop around the world
End users of HTC's Hero are now getting official access to the major new firmware build that's been floating around lately, with the company's Danish site being among the first to offer it to downloaders official stamped as version 2.73.405.5 (for comparison, UK visitors are still left out in the cold as of this writing). The big deal here is speed -- the new build stamps out many lag-related concerns buyers had at the phone's initial release, and we've heard (and seen) that the new code is nothing short of magic. Unfortunately, US residents still don't have a good reason to expect to find this on their local HTC support site yet -- Sprint won't be dropping the Hero until early next month, at which point we'd certainly hope the latest and greatest speed improvements would've already been incorporated -- but Europeans hesitant to give the Hero a shot might want to give it another look with the new goods installed. [Thanks, Frederik C.]
iPhone graced with HTC's Sense UI theme, beauty ensues
Sure, Taiwanese HTC Magic owners might be happy today, being promised Hero's Sense UI via official channels, but thanks to the hard work from Redmond Pie deviantART member Justflikwalk, this very stylish skin has jumped species and landed on the iPhone. A jailbreak is required, but once past that hurdle, you'll get a new home page with the ever-so-classy time and weather widget -- which isn't always 73 degrees and sunny, we might add -- a quick launcher for apps / contacts, and of course some modified icons. All pertinent files for the theme and step-by-step instructions are available via the read. Care to gaze upon the awesomeness using the power of moving pictures? Video after the break. [Thanks, David]
HTC to offer Sense upgrade for Magic in October, might be free? (update: free, only coming to Taiwan so far)
The spec gap between the Magic and the Hero is mighty small -- other than the entirely revamped Sense UI, the Hero's 5 megapixel camera is about the only thing the newer model has over the original, physical design notwithstanding. That gap is on the fast track to getting even smaller, too, now that HTC has issued a press release detailing a Sense upgrade for the Magic (assuming you haven't already nabbed it off xda-developers, that is). It looks like current owners will get hooked up some time in October for NT$1,500, which works out to about $46; what we don't know, though, is which Magics will be eligible for the upgrade. Just like HTC's WinMo wares, we're guessing that subsidized units are going to be at the mercy of their carriers, which means that T-Mobile, Rogers, and Vodafone customers (among others) should take a somewhat pessimistic view of this announcement until they've heard otherwise. Hey, we're just looking out for your mental health here. [Thanks, Steve G.] Update: Depending on how you interpret the press release, HTC could be saying that the upgrade is valued at NT$1,500, but will actually be free. We're working to get a clarification. Update 2: Alright, we've gotten the skinny on this straight from HTC. The update will be free -- thing is, it's only coming to Taiwan's Chunghwa so far. The fate of Magics on other carriers remains unknown, but we do know that so-called "with Google" versions will definitely be left out (that includes you, myTouch 3G).
