HTC

Digitimes is not a source noted for its hit-rate, but its claim that Samsung, HTC and Apple are all considering liquid-cooled phones isn’t quite as far-fetched as it sounds: NEC has already launched one.

Smartphone players such as Apple, Samsung Electronics and High Tech Computer (HTC) have started showing interest in adopting ultra-thin heat pipes for their smartphones and are expected to release heat pipe-adopted models in the fourth quarter, at the earliest, according to sources from cooling module player.

The NEC Medias X 06 E launched last month in Japan was nicknamed the ladyphone, as it was designed to appeal to women who apparently complained about the heat generated by smartphones. The phone itself was nothing special – a 1.7Ghz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 4.7-inch display – it is the cooling that made it stand out … 
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From 9to5Toys.com:

Today only, Amazon is offering the lowest price ever for what many consider the best Android smartphone you can buy.  New AT&T and Sprint customers can get a HTC One for just $80, old customers renewing a previous contract can get one for just $100.  This is the first major, advertised sale we have seen on the AT&T version of this popular smart phone.

The HTC One is hailed for its gorgeous all aluminum design which is carved out from a solid block.  A process that apparently takes more than 3 hours.  The display is big and beautiful at 4.7 inches and a resolution of  1080p.  Further specs include a 1.7GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB or 64GB.  We weren’t shy in our recommendation of the HTC One:

should you buy it?

Yes. This handset definitely stands out among all the Android devices on the market. The One is beautifully crafted, and it offers a stunning screen with snappy horsepower, although its camera and battery life might not be the best in the world. It’s a perfect device for iOS lovers looking to test the Android waters.

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We’ve heard quite a bit about a smaller, low-cost HTC One variant. Originally referred to as the M4, images and specs of the HTC One Mini have been leaked before, seemingly confirming the device’s existence. The main questions now surround the release of the smartphone.

Bloomberg on Wednesday published a report claiming it has heard detailed information about the HTC One Mini from “two people briefed on the plans who asked not to be identified because details aren’t public”. The report mentions that the device will have a 4.3-inch display with a lower resolution than the original HTC One, as well as a “less powerful” Qualcomm CPU. The sources go on to claim that the One Mini will go on sale “by August.”

The new model features a 4.3-inch screen, compared with 4.7 inches for the original version, and will go on sale by August, according to two people briefed on the plans who asked not to be identified because details aren’t public. The device will probably have a less-powerful Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) processor and lower-resolution screen than the flagship, said one of the people.

Earlier reports had far more specific specifications, claiming a 720p 4.3-inch display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 4MP UltraPixel camera.

Miniature versions of flagship devices have become a common trend this year, with Samsung having recently announced the Galaxy S4 Mini.

Samsung has received criticism for the amount of storage its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone allows users to access out of the box, but CNET reports that Samsung may be considering ways it could optimize the operating system and free up more space for users.

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone runs a custom variant of Android, which allows the company to include features not on other Android phones including Google’s own Nexus phones, but the feature-heavy OS comes at the cost of using half the capacity on a 16GB device.

We’re quite fond of the software featured on the Galaxy S4 as it allows it to stand out from other comparable smartphones, and the Galaxy S4 allows users to add to its storage with microSD cards which you can buy for less than 10 bucks in many cases, something the Apple iPhone and HTC One compromise on for design.

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BGR this morning said that AT&T wasn’t happy with the HTC First, the phone with the Facebook Home built in.

BGR has confirmed that HTC and Facebook’s little experiment is nearing its end. BGR has learned from a trusted source that sales of the HTC First have been shockingly bad. So bad, in fact, that AT&T has already decided to discontinue the phone.

Business Insider hears the same.  The chatter likely increased after AT&T dropped the price of the First to essentially Free last week.  An AT&T spokesperson just told us:

“As mentioned previously, we do pricing promotions all the time and have made no decisions on future plans.”

Clearly there is wiggle room on both sides here but no one can say that Facebook’s venture has been successful so far.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TkKJR38nEgE

You may not want an HTC First Facebook Android phone but your mom probably does. So AT&T and 9to5Google are giving you a chance to win one with no contract or obligations (You can also get one ON CONTRACT for $1).

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and AT&T is celebrating moms with a fun, shareable video e-card for a special edition of the popular “It’s Not Complicated” campaign. In a new rendition of the commercial that will air Friday through Sunday, mediator Beck Bennett strays from his usual, “what’s better, bigger or smaller?” and instead asks, “who gives the best hugs?” to a unanimous response – mom does! The video e-card can be personalized, offering consumers a simple Mother’s Day themed e-card video, with Beck and the kids, to share with mom via social media (Twitter, Facebook, email). Make your own personalized version of the “It’s Not Complicated, Moms are the Best” video e-card at ATTMothersDay.com.   

You know the rules: To enter, simply follow @9to5Google and retweet this post telling us why your mom would love an HTC First Facebook phone.

We’ll pick the winner on Mother’s Day.

Update: We have a winner!

https://twitter.com/antwonw/status/333672048553508865

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Research firm Canalys is out today with its latest report tracking worldwide smart mobile device shipments for Q1 with Android accounting for almost 60% of smart mobile devices shipped by OS. That’s compared to a 19.3% share for Apple and approximately 18.1% for Microsoft. Keep in mind Canalys’s report also includes notebooks, in addition to tablets and smartphones, which account for the majority of Microsoft’s share. When looking at tablets alone, Apple continued its lead with 46.4% share in the quarter, although Canalys warned Apple “lost share to its Android-based rivals for the third consecutive quarter.”

‘Spearheaded by Google and Amazon, the commoditization of the tablet market has happened far quicker than that of the wider PC market,’ said Canalys Senior Analyst, Tim Coulling. ‘Profit margins are being squeezed and vendors without a low cost structure will find it hard to compete. A solid range of must-have accessories and a software and services strategy are vital as vendors will increasingly need to make revenue around their devices.’

When it comes to smartphones, the report has Android at roughly 75.6% of shipments with around 32% of those shipments coming from Samsung. We know Apple sold around 37 million iPhones in the quarter but, as always, we warn that the stats from Canalys don’t include shipped vs sold data. 
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If you love the HTC One but are not so keen on its price-tag, HTC may have the solution in the form of a lower-cost variant currently code-named the M4 (the HTC One was code-named M7).

Phone Arena says the handset is almost identical in appearance to the HTC One, but smaller, using cheaper materials and with a lower-spec – a similar approach to that taken by Samsung with its S III mini version of its then flagship S III. Or perhaps in the previous generation – where the HTC One S was the mini version of the One X.

M4 reportedly steps down the processing power, to just a dual core CPU, and storage is just 16GB, but RAM is still a healthy 2GB, and the camera also contains HTC’s lauded (but somewhat controversial) UltraPixel technology. With less powerful components come less stringent power needs, and in this case, HTC has allegedly opted for a 1700mAh, non-removable battery.

The handset is said to have a 4.3-inch 720p display, LTE and is expected to run Jelly Bean 4.2, a step up from the One’s 4.1.

That’s the S4 sandwiched between the HTC One and the iPhone 5

I’ve been playing with Samsung’s Galaxy S4 (no, I won’t write S 4) for the better part of a week and, not to spoil the whole review: I love it.  It is better in every way than the S3 hardware-wise, and Samsung even has some good software on this phone, particularly in the camera field. I’ve never been a fan of Samsung’s software.

It is what is on the inside that counts, right?

This phone will do extremely well in the market and will keep up the fight against the almighty iPhone 5 and HTC One (which we reviewed earlier this month and loved). In the Apple world, this S4 is called an ‘S update’ – where the outward design is mostly the same but a lot of changes have taken place under the hood.

Below I’ll drill down exactly what that means.
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The delayed HTC One, HTC’s flagship phone originally due to have been launched a month ago, has finally launched. It’s intended to compete with the Samsung Galaxy S4, and HTC had hoped to beat Samsung to market before a shortage of camera components forced a delay.

The all-metal unibody handset with Snapdragon 1.7Ghz processor, LTE, NFC, 1080×1920 display and full 1080p HD video recording is available from AT&T, Sprint, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Walmart, Target, Amazon.com, Costco, Car Toys, Sam’s Club, HSN.com, and HTC.com. The 32Gb model starts at $199 on a two-year contract …
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From 9to5Toys.com:

Tiger Direct slashes the price of the original 1080P smartphone, the Droid DNA. We reviewed the DNA and loved loved loved its amazing 5-inch 1080P display.

Facebook Home doesn’t seem to have wowed early adopters, with TNW pointing to the fact that by far the most common rating of the app in user reviews on Google Play is just one star out of five …
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[protected-iframe id=”c1495e2064c0efed73811e0d72a9b37e-22427743-39900168″ info=”http://www.funnyordie.com/embed/d332bf23d3″ width=”704″ height=”451″ frameborder=”0″]

Funny bit from the makers of the Steve Jobs biopic.

YouTube version below
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Last week, Facebook announced two new products to expand their reach in the mobile market: Facebook Home, a downloadable Facebook-intergrated skin for Android phones and the HTC Facebook First, the first official hardware by the company. The First is scheduled to be released April 12th for $99 exclusively through AT&T. Naturally, the First comes pre-loaded with Facebook Home.

Facebook Home is a downloadable launcher for Android phones only, and a few of its key features such as Chat Heads are getting much praise by reviewers. On the other hand, the First is being criticized for its lack-luster hardware such as the mediocre 5MP camera and lack of a dedicated shutter button.

If you want to read all about Facebook’s new duo of software and hardware, below is a round-up of some of the reviews from around the web…

Engadget:

The HTC First is compelling for two reasons. For Facebook fans, it’s now easier to maintain social connections with friends and family. For the tech-savvy crowd who has little interest in the service, the phone is a stock Android 4.1 device that comes with AT&T LTE, which is still something of a rarity. Including this opt-out was a smart move on Facebook’s part, because it’s difficult to recommend that consumers sign two-year contracts on an unproven product that depends so heavily on their engagement with Facebook. Worst case, it’s a decent mid-range phone for $99 on contract (or $450 without any commitment).
Facebook Home isn’t perfect, nor will it convince many non-Facebookers to start Liking and commenting with reckless abandon. But it’s aesthetically pleasing, and surprisingly polished for a 1.0 product.

CNET:
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I’ve been really excited to get my hands on the HTC One.

The world is chock-full of low-end — and high-end —  Android phones that are plastic and hard to distinguish from one another. So, as an iPhone user primarily, I liked the One’s obvious iPhone 5-like accents—which is seemingly A-O.K. by Apple, at least as evidenced by the global settlement and 10-year licensing deal reached with HTC last year—and entirely aluminum construction.

HTC’s flagship phone in 2012, the One X, earned critical acclaim from reviewers across the blogosphere, but the Samsung Galaxy S III and iPhone 4S overshadowed its launch. Now, one year later, HTC is up to bat again with the HTC One, but this time around, it faces nearly the same challenges in the Galaxy S 4 and iPhone 5.

Check out the full review below to see how the HTC One measures up.

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The HTC One is a gorgeous phone — even without the Lumia-esque colors, it’s still one one of the most attractive handsets on the market. It should really be no surprise, then, that HTC plans to expand the current color palette of, um, two, to encompass a brighter range of hues. This is the red version of that device — you may remember HTC accidentally posted a similar render when the One was first announced.

We would expect a slew of differently-colored Ones to hit the market as a way to keep the phone fresh; check out this post for some possible color schemes, although a two-tone design seems unlikely. For the best looking One, you’ll still need to shell out for some Colorware action.

HTC’s profits dropped 98% year-on-year, reports Bloomberg, with first-quarter results of just $2.8 million. HTC had been planning to launch the HTC One last month, but shortage of camera components forced a delay, with the handset now expected to launch later this month.

The choice of HTC for the first ‘Facebook phone’ and anticipated profits from the delayed HTC One may explain the relatively small hit to the company’s share price.

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

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is live on stage in Menlo Park, Calif., and he just unveiled his company’s new home on Android: called “Home”.

Facebook clarified that it’s not building a phone directly, nor is it building an operating system, instead the company unveiled “Home”. Home is for Android devices, and it is literally the home screen and “soul of your phone,” as Zuckerberg explained. Home is also “family of apps.”

9to5Google posted the first look at “Home” yesterday, but Facebook just gave a quick run down as to what the interface can really do.  For instance: Cover feed, a window that replaces the lock screen and home screen, allows users to navigate by flipping through, double tapping, etc.

Users can double-tap to “Like” a post and comment right from the home screen, and they can tap their own face and swipe to get to apps. Users can also swipe up to see their favorite apps in the launcher. There’s even a screen containing all apps, so they can drag their favorite apps to the launcher. Meanwhile, notifications come from people and not apps. Each notification has a person’s face, and users can collect all notifications in a stack and either swipe or save them.

Facebook also announced a new messaging service called “Chat heads” that works with both Facebook messages and SMS. A chat head appears with in the upper right, where users can tap on them, move them, or stack them. Tapping will bring up messages.

Facebook will launch Home via Google Play on April 12, with download availability coming for tablets in a few months. Facebook will maintain Home “just like the regular Facebook app,” and it promises to issue updates at least once a month with new features.

Only a few devices are ready for launch, including: the HTC One X, One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and eventually the HTC One and the Galaxy S4. There’s even a “Facebook Home Program” for phone manufacturers, and HTC, AT&T, Samsung, Sony, etc., have all signed up.

Zuckerberg just handed the stage over to HTC executives to unveil the first device that will officially run the platform— the HTC First. More details on Home are in the press release and videos below.

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