HTC Sense

Given that the original HTC One (M7) was available in various colors, it only seems likely that its successor will also be offered in a variety of shades. Notorious Twitter leaker @evleaks has leaked a picture of the HTC One (M8) in a new red color. The device will reportedly be a Verizon exclusive, as evident by the Verizon and 4G LTE branding on the back.

The back of the device is entirely red, with the exception of the branding, camera, and a few black accents. Unlike the red Nexus 5, the front of the device is also red, aside from a small black bezel around the display.

Other than the new red color, the device has the same Sense 6 overlay, Duo Camera, BoomSound speakers, and unibody design. We wouldn’t expect to wait too long for an official announcement from Verizon and/or HTC.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivOspWGlMdk

Rumors of HTC’s upcoming flagship have been around for a while now, especially now that Samsung’s Galaxy S5 has been announced. HTC has an event scheduled for March 25th, but that hasn’t stopped numerous pictures of the device from being leaked, including a clear press shot of the device in gold. Now, a kid from Schaumburg, IL has posted an exhaustive 12-minute hands-on video with the device, nearly three weeks ahead of the phone’s official unveil.

The video doesn’t show a lot that we didn’t already know. We do get to see the latest version of HTC Sense in great detail. The kid calls it Sense 6.6, which doesn’t seem very logical, as it is expected to be Sense 6.0. The video also shows the welcomed addition of a microSD card. Most notably, there are now two rear cameras, as expected, while the power button has been moved to the top right and the headphone jack to the bottom. The camera interface has also been greatly simplified with a focus on speed. There are six shooting modes, as well, including: Camera, Video, Selfie, Zoe, 360 Panorama, and Dual Capture.

HTC is set to officially unveil the device on March 25th, but in the meantime, checkout the video up above and let us know if you notice anything neat. Full gallery of images below:

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Sprint just hit the airwaves with a short press release confirming the arrival of the HTC One Max for this Friday, November 15th. The device will hit Sprint shelves for $249.99 with new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement or $25.00 per month with Sprint’s One Up early upgrade plan. The One Max features a 5.9″ 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, LTE, Android 4.3 with HTC Sense, 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory.
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The photographic qualities leave a lot to be desired, but if the Chinese forum Baidu is to be believed, this is the casing for HTC’s successor to the HTC One, codenamed the M8 (the HTC One was codenamed M7).

The hole above the camera is believed to be for a fingerprint sensor, already found in the HTC One Max. The rumor mill says the specs will be a Snapdragon 800 CPU with 3GB of RAM. Generally-reliable source @evleaks says it will be the first handset to run Sense 6.0 … 
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HTC’s take on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 – the HTC One Max – has finally been officially announced by HTC after long-running rumors.

HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced the HTC One max, a super-sized smartphone that brings the award-winning design, functionality and performance of the HTC One to fans of larger handsets. A new Fingerprint Scan feature takes convenience to a new level while acclaimed features including HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC Zoe™ and HTC BoomSound™, combined with the new HTC Sense 5.5, which are all enhanced to continue to deliver the best overall smartphone experience, now on a larger screen.

Most of the specs are as per the rumors we’ve reported over the last few months, including the almost non-existent bezel, 5.9″ full HD1080p display, 3300mAH battery, (optional) capacitive stylus and fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone, of course, but also has a neat feature where you can assign a different app to each finger, switching on the device with that app loaded.

The CPU is, however, less powerful than rumored. Everyone had been expecting a Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2.3GHz, but instead the Max has the same 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 chip as the phone on which it’s based, the HTC One … 
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One of the biggest changes HTC introduced with its Sense 5.0 software was BlinkFeed, which the company touted as a “personal live stream right on the home screen.” The feature was either loved or hated by many customers and reviewers, and it looks like HTC will be accommodating those who hate it with the upcoming Sense 5.5 update. Android Revolution HD has gotten ahold of several supposed screenshots of HTC’s Sense 5.5 update and if they are to be believed, there will now be a toggle on the homescreen to turn BlinkFeed on or off.

Also believed to be coming in Sense 5.5 are some new camera features. The leaked screenshots show two new shooting modes: Panorama+ and Dual Capture. It’s not entirely clear what these two modes will offer, but I imagine that Dual Capture will allow you to take pictures with the front and rear facing shooters at the same time, similar to what Samsung already offers.

Aside from those changes, Sense 5.5 doesn’t appear to be all that different from 5.0, with the task switcher showing bigger preview windows and some new emojis being available.

HTC is expected to release the HTC One Max next week, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sense 5.5 come along with it. 
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HTC’s former VP of Product Design Thomas Chien (photo: HTC blog)

Taiwanese company HTC has not been having a happy time of late. Senior departures, including its COO; a halving of market share since 2011; former UK execs setting up a rival company; disappointing Q2 financials; and the possibility of the first ever loss in the company’s history in Q3.

But the latest saga in the company’s troubles read more like the plot of a soap opera than real-life. First, several of HTC’s former lead designers were arrested last week on suspicion of fraudulent expenses claims and leaking of trade secrets. Now Engadget reports that one of those arrested, ex-VP of Product Design Thomas Chien, may have been involved in a conspiracy with a Chinese municipal government to use both the trade secrets are purloined cash to create a rival smartphone company in China … 
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HTC’s rumored upcoming flagship device, the 4.7-inch ‘M7’, was looking quite iPhone-like in the last set of alleged leaked renders. Today, we get images of the device from a couple of other sources that show HTC might be experimenting with various designs ahead of the product’s launch.

The first set of images, above, come from AndroidPolice, and they show off Sense 5.0 with rearranged home and multitasking buttons. We also get a look at the backside of the device that oddly shows a different Beats audio logo and flash position than the rendered images (below) posted by HTCSource yesterday. It’s of course possible that we’re looking at a prototype of the device in the photos above, and perhaps the renders are closer to what the finished device will look like. Hopefully we actually get eyes on the device next month a Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
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While many of the devices on the list have rumored or leaked release dates already, BGR claimed to have Verizon’s summer/fall roadmap that details flagship smartphones being launched later this year.

According to the report, Verizon Wireless will offer Samsung’s highly anticipated and much rumored Galaxy S3, which the company confirmed yesterday will pack its new 1.4GHz Exynos 4 quad-core processor. The report does not give a release date, but it speculated a summer release based on the roadmap.

Also apparently on the roadmap are multiple Motorola RAZR devices and a new 5-inch HTC device that appears to be a Galaxy Note competitor…

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I’ve had my HTC One S review unit for a week and can say that what I found before still stands. Without a doubt (O.K., one little one), this is the phone to get if you are on T-Mobile. In fact, there are few phones available from any carriers that can stand with this device. Here’s why:

• The screen is beautiful. The not too big, not too small, 4.3-inch diagonally 540-by-960 display is not the monster that most high-end Androids tout today, but it is well big enough for just about anything you could throw at it. It is bright, vibrant and stands its ground to direct sunlight. Pixels are not discernable in normal use.
• The phone is thin, light, and strong. At under 8mm thin, you will not find a thinner phone anywhere. At the same time, it has a beautiful unibody aluminum construction. It feels great in the hand and is relatively unnoticeable in the pocket.
• Sense 4.0, while still an overlay, is an improvement from HTC. I really liked the camera software, as well as the some of the little weather, Stock, Sense Widgets, etc. I also like T-MobileTV, which broadcasts some good live and other content over the mobile network or Wi-Fi.
• The experience is polished all around. Fast processor, ample battery time and great Beats sound.

To make the deal sweeter, T-Mobile started trade-ins today, which means you could get the One S free. Get the HTC One S for $199 on a two-year plan now.

Related articles

• HTC One S landing on T-Mobile April 25 for $199 (9to5google.com)
• Review: T-Mobile’s HTC One – 2012 is a whole new ballgame (9to5google.com)

You can either love or hate HTC’s Sense user interface. HTC includes Sense on its Android devices as a skin that goes on top of stock Android. Sense provides UI enhancements and widgets. Some customers like it, and many hate it — like me. However, that is not going to stop HTC from including it in its future phones.

The good folks over at Android Central did a little snooping this weekend, and were able to get their hands on the new Sense 4.0. Sense 4.0 is rumored to be announced with the quad-core HTC Endeavor at Mobile World Conference in a few weeks.

If you want to check out the new Sense 4.0 on your device, you can give it a download. If you are not up for the challenge, we also posted screenshots after the break (via Android Central):

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Engadget has leaked the specs of a new handset from HTC called the Zeta (rendered above). The HTC Zeta is rumored to pack a 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 720p 4.5-inch display, 8-megapixel rear camera (1080p HD), and 1.3-megapixel front camera. With specifications optimized for power, the HTC Zeta makes itself favorable over its previously leaked brethren the HTC Edge.

The 2.5 GHz S4 processor will be manufactured by Qualcomm, a competitor to Nvidia’s Tegra 3 that is finding its way into devices by next year. This device is sure to be a speed demon.

Engadget doesn’t say which version of Android the Zeta will run, but with the Ice Cream Sandwich source code released yesterday, we’re hoping the device will see ICS on launch day if not shortly after. HTC’s custom Sense UI will also most likely earn a spot on the Zeta. There is no word on pricing or availability, but Q1 or early Q2 of 2012 sounds about right.

I’ve been playing with the EVO Design 4G for the better part of a month now, after showing off the hardware and software quickly in October. Today, we’re back with our full review of the device to answer a few questions. Is this the premier mid-range Android device on Sprint? Does it live up to its EVO name? Is this the world phone you’re looking for? But first, let’s go over some specs.

The Design 4G is packing Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)  HTC Sense, a 1.2 GHz processor, 4-inch qHD display, 5-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-camera, Wi-Fi, and World Phone capabilities. So how does this hardware hold up with the software? Head on after the break for our full review.

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Sprint has announced the fifth device in their EVO lineup this morning: the EVO Design 4G. The EVO Design 4G is a world-phone available for $99 October 23rd, and actually has a pretty nice spec list under its belt.  Specs for the device include Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), HTC Sense, 1.2 GHz processor, 4-inch qHD display, 5-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-camera, Wi-Fi, and World Phone capabilities. Pretty cheap for a nice device.

It is no secret that HTC is doubling down on software. One example: Recently, their chairwoman Cher Wang contemplated an operating system of their own. HTC also has Sense, an Android user interface skin, and the company has expanded into a cloud-based delivery service for music, television shows and Hollywood entertainment on the go. The latest addition to their arsenal includes cloud-storage service Dropbox, which teamed up with the Taiwanese handset maker to offer folks with select HTC smartphones a bonus three gigabytes of free storage. This is on top of the two gigabytes free storage Dropbox has always had in store for new sign-ups, resulting in five gigabytes of free storage for HTC handset owners. Plus, convincing five friends to sign up for a Dropbox account raises the free limit to a maximum of ten gigabytes of free cloud storage.

Given Dropbox’s popularity, many people will no doubt take advantage of this promotion. Using Dropbox, users can effortlessly sync their files across desktop and mobile devices, regardless of the platform. The service takes care of file system differences between the platforms, resolving conflicts and keeping platform-specific file meta data intact. This promotion is valid from October, Pocket-lint reports. It requires a new HTC handset with the Sense 3.5 software or later, which currently includes only the Rhyme and Sensation XE smartphones.

As of April 2011, more than 25 million people saved a cool 200 million files daily on Dropbox. Eagle-eyed readers could observe that computer maker Hewlett-Packard used to bundle its PlayBook tablet with a 50GB of free cloud storage on Box.net, until they shuttered webOS.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97REawPREH4]

We got a chance to take a look at the new MyTouch Slide last week and came away both impressed and yet slightly let down.

On one hand this is a rocket fast phone with a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor that is in both the Sensation and the EVO 3D but in a much smaller package.  The screen size and resolution have also been pared down to more traditional standards (3.7-inch and 480×800 pixels) but it is still a great display with great angles.  Being a ‘Slide’, it has a slide-out keyboard which is very nice to the touch – but only 4 rows.  The phone is awfully thin for a slider and perhaps the thinnest slide keyboard device out there.

The show stopper however is the shooter. The Slide has the “most advanced” 8-Megapixel camera on the market with its hard (0 lag) shutter, f/2.2 lens, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor which can record 1080P video.  It also has three new technologies:

• SweepShot™: for capturing panoramic shots by sweeping across an entire scene in a single
motion
• ClearShot™ HDR: for capturing objects in bright settings so your photos are not affected by
high-contrast lighting
• BurstShot™: for capturing multiple photos in a quick burst so you don’t miss the perfect
photo

This phone is on par with a mid-range point and shoot camera, yet it has all of the GPS/social/internet features fo a smartphone.  Both video and still were as good as any phone I’ve seen.  While pictures and movies look amazing on the little 3.7-inch screen, it will be interesting to see how those pictures translate to the bigger screen (TVs) and paper.

If your smartphone wishlist starts with best camera out there, this is your phone.

There’s just one thing…
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