Following the revelation that Android 6.0 Marshmallow is currently running on just 0.3 percent of devices, the update appears to have started rolling out to at least one more device this evening. According to a handful of postings on the XDA Developer forums, the Google Play Edition HTC One M8 has started receiving Android 6.0.
Samsung released its earnings guidance for Q1 2015 earlier this evening, and now HTC has done the same. Reuters reports that HTC expects a net profit of $11.6 million for the first quarter of 2015 off of revenue of $1.3 billion. While these numbers are down slightly when compared to Q4 of 2014, they are up significantly from the year ago quarter.
Verizon this evening has revealed that it is starting to rollout Android 5.0 Lollipop to its HTC One M8 variant. The update packs all of the features we’ve come to know and love with Android 5.0, as well as a few new tweaks and enhancements exclusive to the M8 on Verizon.
Update: It appears that Android Lollipop is also hitting the US Cellular Moto X (2014) today as well.
According to various reports from Android users around the internet today, the Android 5.0 Lollipop update is finally making its way to some of the most important 2014 flagships on some carriers. Specifically, today marks the day the update seems to be landing on the AT&T LG G3 and T-Mobile has confirmed that the update is also today hitting its HTC One (M8).
The update has been very slowly rolling out over the course of the last few months, starting off in December with Google’s own Nexus devices. Most recently, the update started rolling out to the Sprint Galaxy S5, that same device on Verizon, and Google’s own cellular models of the Nexus 7.
It looks like the update is going to clock in somewhere in the realm of 400 to 600 MB in download size, depending on which device and carrier you’re using. Be sure to let us know if you have an AT&T LG G3 or a T-Mobile HTC One (M8) and you’re seeing the update.
The rollout of Android Lollipop to flagship devices is still happening more than 2 months after the update started rolling out OTA to Nexus devices, and now it appears that it’s going to be dragged out even longer—at least for HTC. The Taiwanese company set a 90 day goal for the release of Lollipop to carrier versions of the HTC One (M8) and (M7), but it doesn’t look like it’s going to meet that goal.
According to Mo Versi, the company’s Vice President of Product Management:
In the spirit of continued transparency, I wanted to share a quick update on where we’re at with our Android Lollipop rollout process. We’ve been working hard in the labs with Google and our carrier partners ever since the code release and are making great progress so far, but if you’ve been following the progress of this rollout you will know that Google has had to address several issues with this release. We’ve been diligently working to fix some of them on our end and incorporating Google’s fixes as quickly as possible, but despite everyone’s best efforts some carrier versions of the HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) will not meet our 90 day goal, which is February 1st. While we are committed to delivering within this time period, we are even more committed to ensuring these updates result in an even better experience with your device because that is what the updates are intended to do.
The update has already rolled out to the Google Play, Unlocked, and Developer Editions of the One (M8). But updates for carrier versions of the device, which HTC promised in November would be getting Lollipop within 90 days, seem to have caught some snags. The company is “making great progross,” but it appears that Google has had to address “several” issues with this release.
We have the Android Lollipop code. We'll be updating the HTC One (M8) & (M7) within 90 days from today. #HTCAdvantage pic.twitter.com/VJ0wB1jQbm
— HTC (@htc) November 4, 2014
Google has been killing of Google Play Edition devices left and right over the past year and today, the final one has been given the axe. As noticeable on the homepage of the Play Store, the Google Play Edition HTC One M8 is no longer available for purchase. The device was listed at $699 and released last year.
Back in November, we saw a handful of screenshots from an HTC One M8 leak, showing what was believed to be Android 5.0 Lollipop and HTC Sense 6.0 running on the device. This weekend, notorious HTC leaker LlabTooFeR has revealed even more images of the Android 5.0 + Sense 6.0 combination.
It’s been one year in the making, but it’s finally time to take a step back and look at what we’ve been given this year in mobile technology. Smartphones have come a long way over the last year. With all of the launches we’ve seen, it’s time to put together the top 5 smartphones currently available…
Update: Versi has also now confirmed that the One M7 Google Play Edition’s update will begin to rollout, as well.
After a few weeks of delays and last-minute issues with Google, HTC this evening has announced that it will begin rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop to the Google Play Edition HTC One M8 tomorrow. In a post on Twitter, HTC’s VP of Product Management Mo Versi confirmed that the update will begin to rollout tomorrow, December 5th at 12PM PT/3PM ET.
We’re getting very close to HTC’s upcoming October 8th event, but that doesn’t mean the company will stop posting teasers for the products it plans to announce. We’re already well aware of the GoPro-like REcamera the company plans to unveil, and we’ve also heard whispers of a new One (M8) variant with improved camera capabilities. This afternoon, HTC posted a teaser GIF on Twitter, saying “Don’t adjust your screen. Just focus on the date.”
For the third quarter, HTC has announced that it earned $21 million in profit on revenue of $1.37 billion. Although this is a huge improvement over the hundred million dollar loss they reported in the year-ago quarter, the company remains in a shaky financial situation. Most of the return to profitability is accounted for by a drastic cost-cutting policy rather than increases in device sales.
Sales actually fell 8% in September year-on-year, following a 33% fall in July and a 10% improvement in August. Apple and Samsung remain fierce competition for the Taiwanese company, despite good hardware advancements in the HTC One M8.
Earlier this week it was revealed that if you bend your iPhone 6 Plus, it will bend. This shocking news took the world by storm, but left some people wondering if other phones would also flex under pressure. To answer the question, YouTuber Unbox Therapy attempted to repeat his earlier experiment with iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, HTC One M8, newest Moto X, and Nokia Lumia.
After applying roughly the same force to each of these handsets, he discovered that the iPhone 6 Plus was in fact more flexible than the rest. The Moto X ended up coming out top of the pack, with next to no flexibility at all. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 was also found to be much less “bendy” than the larger model, though it did get a very small curve with enough force.
You can check out the video of all five phones being tested below:
Looks like HTC has gone on the defense with Apple and the announcement of the iPhone 6. As mentioned in a tweet by HTC, “Bigger screen. Better performance. Elegant design. Welcome to the party #iPhone6.” The tweet showcases that simple message and a photo of the HTC One M8 next to a pixelated photo of Apple’s new iPhone 6.
HTC and Google have just teamed up, yet again, to offer 100GB of free Drive storage to users. When the HTC One M8 originally launched earlier this year, Google gave 50GB of Drive storage to its users. Now, anyone who purchases a One M8, Desire 816, Desire 610, One Remix, or One Max can redeem 100GB of Drive storage for free, double the original amount.
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Back in May, HTC officially unveiled the “beautifully compact” One Mini 2 phone, but with sparse details on United States availability. Early rumors pointed to the device launching in the United States on Verizon, but rebranded as the HTC One Remix. Today, Big Red seemingly confirmed the One Remix by inadvertently uploading a promo video for it to its YouTube channel. The video has since been set to private, but not without some quick eyes catching what it talked about.
HTC, which started losing money last October, has kept its promise to return to the black in Q2 this year according to unaudited figures revealed in a brief statement.
Unaudited quarterly revenue was NT$65.06 billion and net profit before tax was NT$2.76 billion. Operating profit was NT$2.43 billion, and net profit after tax was NT$2.26 billion
The company said in February that it planned to follow Samsung’s lead in making handsets across all price-points, stating that it had “missed a huge chunk of the mid-tier market.” Revealing further losses in April, the company said that it expected to return to profit in Q2 thanks to both new mid-range phones like the Desire 816 and its well-regarded flagship One M8 …
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