Unwired View » HTC

Virgin UK launches 4 Android phones: HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy Portal, Xperia X10 and LG InTouch Max

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:49:38 +0000

Virgin Mobile UK has announced no less than four new Android smartphones from HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG.

Two handsets are already available: the LG InTouch Max GW620 (free with an 18-month contract of at least £22 per month) and the Samsung Galaxy Portal – which is actually the soon-to-get Android-2.1 Galaxy Spica i5700. The Galaxy Portal is also free with a £22 18-month contract).

In April, Virgin UK will start selling the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 “on a range of compelling tariffs”.

More importantly, Virgin plans to offer the HTC Desire (also starting April).

The Desire is HTC’s flagship Android smartphone for 2010, featuring Android 2.1, a 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED multi-touch display, HTC Sense UI, optical trackpad, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm headset jack, 5MP autofocus camera, and 1GHz Snapdragon processor.

Like the Xperia X10, the HTC Desire will be available at Virgin UK “on a range of compelling tariffs.”

Via Press release

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HTC suggests Apple is wrong in its patent infringement claims

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:12:36 +0000

HTC has issued a press release in response to Apple’s suit filed more than two weeks ago.

Apple then said that HTC infringed 20 patents “related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.” Well, HTC has now announced that it “disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself” – which obviously means the Taiwanese company believes Apple’s claims are far fetched.

We can’t guess how things will turn out in the Apple-HTC patent war, but HTC is pretty confident Apple has nothing against it, and will continue to “embrace competition” through its own innovations.

The company reminded us of some of its accomplishments throughout the years:

1998 – first Windows PDA
June 2002 – first Windows Phone (the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition by HTC – pictured below)
October 2005 – first 3G CDMA EVDO smartphone
June 2007 – first gesture-based smartphone (the HTC Touch?)
October 2008 – first Google Android smartphone (the HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1)
November 2008 – first 4G WIMAX smartphone (the HTC MAX 4G)

HTC also talked about its Sense UI, which is “fundamentally based on listening and observing how people live and communicate,” and not on Apple patents, as the Cupertino company may want us to believe.

Via Press release

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Sprint announces the Google Nexus One, might unveil the HTC Supersonic at CTIA

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:36:53 +0000

In a surprising (or not?) announcement today, Sprint said that Google would launch a version of the Nexus One Android 2.1 smartphone compatible with its 3G Mobile Broadband Network. Most probably, the CDMA / EV-DO Sprint-bound Nexus One will be similar to the one Verizon will get.

The announcement comes only one day after the Nexus One for AT&T and Rogers was launched.

Unfortunately, Sprint didn’t say when exactly its customers will be able to buy the Nexus One, and neither for what price – although it did say that these details will be unveiled “soon”.

So there you have it, Google’s first smartphone will be available soon on all four major US mobile operators.

Like the versions for T-Mobile and AT&T, Sprint’s Nexus One will probably be sold only via Google’s online store.

Before this to happen, Sprint is likely to officially announce its first WiMAX / 4G smartphone – the HTC Supersonic. The Wall Street Journal has it that Sprint and HTC will unveil the Supersonic at CTIA Wireless 2010 (23 – 25 March). Most likely, this will be North America’s first commercially available 4G phone.

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HTC Desire to have a silver version, too

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:05:32 +0000

Announced during MWC 2010 only in a black version, the HTC Desire actually has a silver version as well.

The silver HTC Desire has recently appeared over at the XDA forums, and it obviously looks good.

Previously known as HTC Bravo, the Desire has features similar to the ones of the Google Nexus One: 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 5MP autofocus camera with flash.

Here are some photos of the silver HTC Desire (next to the black one), as well as a video:

The HTC Desire should be available in Europe starting April – and it might also be released in the US by AT&T.

Via SlashPhone

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Google Nexus One available with AT&T and Rogers 3G, shipping to Canada

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:11:51 +0000

Google has just announced a new version of its Nexus One Android 2.1 smartphone, which comes with support for 850/1900/2100 MHz 3G bands – meaning that it’s fully compatible with the 3G networks of AT&T and Rogers Wireless.

And speaking of Rogers, the Nexus One can now be shipped to Canada from Google’s online store to those interested in buying it (it will obviously work with any Rogers SIM card).

Unlike the version for T-Mobile, the Google Nexus One for AT&T and Rogers is offered only unlocked, free of contract, for $529.

This being said, it will probably not be long until Google finally launches a Verizon-compatible Nexus One, too.

Via Google

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Confirmed: HTC HD2 won’t be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 series

David Gonzales — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:10:30 +0000

For some, one of the biggest show-stoppers of MWC 2010 was a photo of the HTC HD2 smartphone running what looked like Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Series OS. Not a full day after this first leaked to the Web, Microsoft mentioned the HTC HD2 in the same sentence as Windows Phone 7 Series in a tweet on their official windows phone Twitter account.

Some had their hopes up, some were doubtful. Today, Microsoft clears up any lingering thoughts about this issue by making the following statement: “[The HTC HD2] is not compliant with the Windows Phone 7 Series hardware specifications.”

Yes, it’s bad news alright, especially for those looking forward to running Windows Phone 7 Series on their HTC HD2 handsets.

If it’s any consolation, there are going to be new handsets that are compliant with the Windows Phone 7 Series hardware specifications. But of course, none of these will ever be an HTC HD2, so your only choice might be to spring for a new one if you want to run the new mobile operating system from Microsoft.

Unless someone finds a way to forcefully make Windows Phone 7 Series run on current handsets, that is.

Via Engadget

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HTC Touch Pro3 coming this summer?

Ilinca Nita — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:48:55 +0000

There’s not a lot of verified info on this one, but it looks like a HTC Touch Pro3 could be released this summer (or in September the latest).

According to someone who claims to have talked with the main distributor for HTC in Europe, the Touch Pro3 is “much smaller and thinner” than the Touch Pro2.

Unfortunately, there are no photos of the HTC Touch Pro3 yet, and its features have not been disclosed. WMPoweruser says that the Touch Pro3 might be the HTC Tera (pictured below), which has a 3 inch WQVGA display, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.2MP camera and a 600MHz processor.

I don’t think the Touch Pro3 will have such a low-res display (WQVGA), so it’s probably not the HTC Tera after all. Also, if the smartphone is introduced this summer, it will most likely not run Windows Phone 7 Series, but Windows Mobile 6.5 (or 6.5.3). However, unlike the HTC HD2, the Touch Pro3 might be upgradeable to WP7.

Via Techie buzz

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Google Nexus One shows up at Vodafone UK’s website

Ilinca Nita — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:22:33 +0000

Last time we’ve heard about Vodafone UK’s Google Nexus One, the smartphone was scheduled for an April release.

However, it looks like Voda’s British customers might be able to buy the Nexus One starting this month, as the handset has just appeared on the carrier’s official website. Of course, the Nexus One isn’t yet available, it’s “coming soon” – but it could be launched before the end of March.

You can register for updates here.

Vodafone UK still hasn’t announced the price of Nexus One. It’s said that the smartphone would cost €150 in Germany, with a Vodafone contract agreement for two years.

Another Android 2.1 smartphone that’s coming soon to Vodafone UK is the HTC Legend.

As for the Nexus One for Verizon, there’s still no word on when it will be available.

Via Omio

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More HTC Incredible photos, Verizon logo visible

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:58:33 +0000

It’s almost incredible how more and more photos of the HTC Incredible are showing up, and yet Verizon still hasn’t announced the smartphone.

Anyway, along with the new photos came interesting details about the features of HTC Incredible.

Reportedly, the smartphone measures 117.5 x 58.5 x 11.9 mm (it’s almost like the Nexus One) and comes with an 8MP camera and 512MB of RAM. For some reason, the Snapdragon processor that powers the Incredible seems to be underclocked to 768MHz – however, Android 2.1 and Sense UI are running “blazing fast” on the device.

Verizon’s logo can bee seen on the Incredible’s back cover (which, if removed, unveils a full-red interior):

The HTC Incredible should be available at Verizon starting April or May. No word yet on its price, but the largest US carrier will probably sell the smartphone for around $200 on contract.

Via Android Forums, Engadget

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Android 2.1 upgrade coming to HTC Tattoo?

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:10:48 +0000

I had the impression that Android 2.1 is reserved only for high-end and mid-end smartphones, but it looks like this is not true.

HTC Tattoo (the company’s most affordable Android handset to date) will apparently be upgraded to Android 2.1 soon.

According to FrAndroid, HTC has confirmed that they’re working to integrate its Sense UI with Android 2.1 on the Tattoo. This will “take time”, but the upgrade will come eventually.

On a related note, maybe you’re interested in watching a video of the Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 running Android 2.1 (an official upgrade for the Spica should come soon, too):

Via Android Community

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HTC Smart to be launched in India with a $1 million marketing budget

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:35:16 +0000

HTC’s first Brew-based phone, the HTC Smart, should be available in India starting the last week of March.

Reportedly, HTC plans to invest about $1 million for the Smart’s launch in India, which means it wants to sell a large number of units there.

Announced by HTC as a device that should bridge the gap between touch-enabled featurephones and smartphones, the HTC Smart uses the Sense UI on top of the Brew OS – so it will have some features that HTC’s Android and Windows Mobile smartphones have.

The Smart comes with a 2.8 inch QVGA display, HSDPA, accelerometer, Bluetooth, push email, stereo FM radio, 3.5mm headset jack, 3.2MP camera, 256MB of RAM, 256MB of ROM and MicroSD card support. The handset will be priced at under 10,000 INR ($220) in India.

Starting April, the HTC Smart will also be available in Europe, first via O2.

Via Cellpassion

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HTC HD2 appears on T-Mobile USA’s website, might be released on March 23

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:28:37 +0000

HTC HD2, one of the new smartphones that T-Mobile USA is launching this spring (alongside the Motorola Cliq XT and Nokia Nuron) is now featured on the carrier’s official website as “coming soon”.

T-Mo doesn’t say just how soon is that, but, according to MobiTV (which provides one of the apps that will be preloaded on the device), the HD2 should be available as soon as March 23.

As for the price of HTC HD2, it’s said that T-Mobile will sell the handset for $200 with a 2-yr contract agreement, or $450 free of contract.

In case you don’t know yet, T-Mobile USA’s HTC HD2 runs Windows Mobile 6.5 (and it will probably not be upgraded to Windows Phone 7 Series) and features a 4.3 inch WVGA touchscreen display, Sense UI, GPS, Wi-Fi, 5MP camera, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 1GB of ROM.

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Sprint’s HTC Supersonic shows up on video

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:31:10 +0000

We still don’t know when Sprint is going to launch (or at least announce) the HTC Supersonic (which could be the carrier’s first 4G / WiMAX smartphone), but the handset has recently appeared on video

Unfortunately, the video is short and blurry – but at least we can see that the HTC Supersonic has a camera with dual LED flash, and also a white back cover (although this might be just a pre-production unit).

The Supersonic should also feature a 4.3 inch WVGA touchscreen display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and 1GB of internal memory. The smartphone probably runs Android 2.1.

According to previous rumors, Sprint could launch its first WiMAX handset as soon as this summer. Let’s wait and see if it’s the HTC Supersonic or another device – maybe one made by Palm?

Via Android Mobile OS

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HTC Incredible for Verizon appears in new photos; might be delayed

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:48:43 +0000

Let’s leave those Microsoft Project Pink phones aside and concentrate our attention a bit on another unannounced smartphone that’s coming soon to Verizon: the HTC Incredible.

Unlike Microsoft’s handsets, which run an unidentified OS that resemble Windows Phone 7, the HTC Incredible runs Android 2.1. The smartphone has just appeared in new leaked photos, which show it next to the old T-Mobile G1 aka HTC Dream.

Obviously, the Incredible looks much better than the Dream, and it looks even better with those red accents on the sides:

The features of HTC Incredible should include a WVGA touchscreen display, optical mouse, Sense UI and a camera with dual LED flash.

Phandroid says the HTC Incredible could be launched on March 23, but it may also be delayed until May. I wonder if the Nexus One will be ready for Verizon before the Incredible…

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Apple sues HTC, says 20 iPhone patents are infringed

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:00:58 +0000

Not long after countersuing Nokia, Apple has now announced that it’s also suing HTC for the same reason – patent infringement.

The Cupertino-based company implies that HTC infringes no less than 20 patents “related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.” No further details were provided, but this might have something to do with multi-touch technology.

Apple filed the suit with the ITC (the U.S. International Trade Commission) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours,” declared Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

HTC has recently introduced quite a few smartphones that can be marketed as iPhone rivals – including the Google Nexus One and the not yet available HTC Desire (both running Android 2.1). I doubt Apple will win any suit against HTC, but let’s wait and see what happens.

And, if you want to read more about the iPhone multi-touch patents, we did an overview of them back when iPhone was introduced: Apple’s iPhone. Is it really well protected by patents?

Via Apple

Apple’s iPhone. Is it really well protected by patents?

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T-Mobile’s HTC HD2, Motorola Cliq XT and Nokia Nuron priced?

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:36:49 +0000

We already know that the HTC HD2, Motorola Cliq XT and Nokia Nuron are all coming soon to T-Mobile USA, but the carrier didn’t announce their prices.

Well, TmoNews says the handsets could be prices as following: the HTC HD2 will be $199.99 with a contract agreement for two years, or $449.99 free of contract; the Motorola Cliq XT will cost $129.99 on contract, or $329.99 without any agreement; the Nokia Nuron will be cheaper – $69.99 with contract, or $179.99 without.

The on contract prices involve some rebates, although it looks like if you buy the HTC HD2 or the Motorola Cliq XT with a data plan there will be no rebates required.

Reportedly, T-Mobile USA will launch all three new handsets this month.

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HTC Legend priced on Vodafone UK, free on select contracts

Ilinca Nita — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:33:20 +0000

Officially unveiled during MWC 2010 (alongside HTC Desire and HTC HD Mini) the HTC Legend should be available across Europe starting April.

Vodafone is the first carrier that will offer the Legend on contract in the UK. Voda plans to sell the new Android 2.1 smartphone for £1.99 with a 2-yr contract agreement of at least £25 (about $37) per month, or for free with more expensive contracts.

The HTC Legend is made out of “a single aluminum block” and features a 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive multi-touch display, accelerometer, optical trackpad, HSPA, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm headset jack, and a 5MP camera with autofocus and LED flash.

April is probably the month when Vodafone will also introduce the Google Nexus One in the UK.

Back to the HTC Legend, the smartphone might also be released in the US via Sprint, as HTC Hero2.

Via Pocket-lint

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HTC Incredible shows up in Verizon’s inventory system?

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:01:05 +0000

Earlier this month, we saw the unannounced HTC Incredible, which is supposedly headed to Verizon Wireless as the carrier’s firs Android 2.1 smartphone made by HTC.

Now it looks like the HTC Incredible is already in Verizon’s inventory system, and BerryScoop has a screenshot to prove it.

Unfortunately, the release date of Incredible is still a mystery for now, but let’s hope Verizon will announce the handset soon.

The features of HTC Incredible should include: Sense UI, WVGA touchscreen display, optical trackpad, 1GHz processor, 256MB of RAM, and a photo camera with dual LED flash. The Incredible will probably be Verizon’s response to AT&T’s HTC Desire, which should be launched in May or June.

Via Mobile Crunch

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HTC Desire coming to AT&T, HTC Hero2 (Legend) coming to Sprint?

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:23:36 +0000

The recently announced HTC Desire and HTC Legend – HTC’s newest Android smartphones – might be released in North America soon.

Apparently, AT&T will carry the HTC Desire as some sort of alternative to the Nexus One (which currently doesn’t have support for AT&T’s 3G frequencies).

According to BGR, AT&T will sell the HTC Desire starting May or June, possibly with minor changes to the casing. No word yet on pricing, but the Desire is a high-end smartphone (Android 2.1, AMOLED WVGA display, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU), so it will probably be offered for around $200 on contract.

As for the HTC Legend, Sprint might launch a CDMA version of it as HTC Hero2.

Like Sprint’s first Hero, the Hero2 will have a modified design. Its release date is not known at the moment, but let’s hope all this will be confirmed soon.

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Sprint WiMAX (4G) phone coming this summer (HTC Supersonic?)

Ilinca Nita — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:28:46 +0000

We’ve been hearing about Sprint’s 2010 WiMAX phones since October last year, and it looks like the third largest US carrier might launch its first WiMAX handset in June the latest.

According to Forbes, Sprint confirmed that a WiMAX phone will be available in the first half of the year, but it didn’t unveil further details (like the device’s price or manufacturer).

Most probably, the handset is the HTC Supersonic A9292 (pictured below), which should feature Android 2.1, 4.3 inch WVGA touchscreen display, 5MP camera and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor.

At the moment, Sprint offers WiMAX services in 27 US markets. By the end of 2010, the carrier plans to expand the 4G network (with the help of Clearwire, of course) in markets like New York, Boston, Washington and San Francisco, to cover up to 120 million people.

Via Engadget

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#MWC10 HTC Desire, Legend and HD Mini hands-on videos

Staska — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:19:38 +0000

HTC is one of the most interesting companies in the smartphone biz. So whenever a new announcement from them is coming, we can expect something interesting to write about. Be it a new user interface for Windows Mobile or Android, the first Android phone ever, the first Google phone ever etc;

And while nothing as groundbreaking was announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, HTC had some worthy additions to its smartphone line-up.

As you already know, there were 3 handsets, 2 of them, HTC Legend and Desire, running Android, and HTC HD Mini, with windows Mobile 6.5.3.

HTC Legend is the successor of HTC Hero, and looks the part. It’s got a faster CPU (600 MHz instead of 528 MHz), more memory, Android 2.1 OS with Sense UI and single cast aluminum frame for a body.

HTC Desire is the most powerful HTC Android handset, running on 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. It’s basically the same phone as Google Nexus On, only with HTC’s Sense UI tacked on top of Android.

With HTC HD Mini, the name says it all. It’s a smaller, more compact version of the popular HTC HD 2 Windows Mobile handset.

Here’s a hands-on video overview of the HTC Legend, Desire and HD mini:

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#MWC10: HTC Smart coming to O2 UK, Ireland and Germany in April

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:30:18 +0000

HTC Smart – the Taiwanese company’s first phone based on Qualcomm’s Brew platform – will be available in several European countries starting April, offered by Telefonica / O2.

The HTC Smart will be launched by O2 in the UK, Ireland and Germany, as an “easy-to-use, affordable smartphone.”

Like some of HTC’s Android and Windows Mobile devices, the Smart comes with HTC Sense – which, combined with the Brew OS, offers a customizable mobile experience to users.

The features of HTC Smart include: 2.8 inch QVGA touchscreen display, accelerometer, HSDPA, 3.5mm headset jack, 3.2MP camera, 256MB ROM and RAM, and a 300 MHz processor.

After being launched by O2, the HTC Smart will also be available across Europe directly from HTC, as well as from Telecom Italia and Netcom (in Norway). The handset’s price was not announced.

Via Press release

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Microsoft: something involving HTC HD2 and Windows Phone 7 may be announced soon

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:09:10 +0000

That photo of the HTC HD2 allegedly running Windows Phone 7 Series caused mixed reactions – including damn funny posts – across the Web. I already said the image might be fake, and it probably is.

But does this mean the HD2 will be forever deprived of running Windows Phone 7?

Well, here’s what Microsoft says via the official Windows Phone Twitter account:

“To everyone asking about HD2 & Windows Phone 7 Series; nothing announced yet but there may be info coming next month.”

So, by the looks of it, Microsoft is semi-promising Windows Phone 7 for the HTC HD2 – unless it wants to tell us something else, but at the moment I can’t think of any other way to interpret the tweet (if anyone has suggestions, please do tell).

And now to paraphrase the aforementioned funny post: the tipster (Microsoft, in our case) seems pretty convincing, albeit somewhat elusive by using the term “may”, but let’s let time be the judge of this.

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#MWC10: HTC HD2 caught running Windows Phone 7 Series?

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:27:03 +0000

There’s no way to confirm this at the moment, but it looks like the HTC HD2 was spotted running Microsoft’s latest and greatest Windows Phone 7 Series.

The HD2 can certainly support Windows Phone 7 Series, since it has a 1GHz CPU, a WVGA capacitive display and so on.

There’s only one photo with the HD2 running Windows Phone 7 – it appeared over at WinMo.nl. It could be fake, of course – but then again, this is not the first time we’re hearing the HTC HD2 might be upgraded to the newest version of Windows Mobile.

Reportedly, Windows Phone 7 Series runs faster than WM 6.5 on the HD2. Also, WP 7 seems to be multilingual “out of the box.”

OK, so even if Microsoft and HTC won’t officially release a WP 7 update for the HD2 (which will soon be launched by T-Mobile USA), there might still be unofficial ROMs to provide the update.

Until this happens, in the improbable case you haven’t seen what Windows Phone 7 Series looks like, you can do it here.

Via WMPoweruser

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#MWC10: T-Mobile USA’s HTC HD2 will feature Blockbuster app, MobiTV and more

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:35:55 +0000

We already know that T-Mobile USA’s HTC HD2 is different from the European HD2 (it has 1GB of ROM and more RAM), and now T-Mobile has announced that the smartphone will come with even more unique features.

More exactly, the HTC HD2 will have “a complete entertainment package”, including:

MobiTV mobile application (for live and on-demand TV directly on the phone, including channels like MTV, Comedy Central and NBC); BLOCKBUSTER on Demand application; Barnes & Noble eReader application (providing access to more than 1 million eBooks, magazines and newspapers); Gogo Inflight Internet service (“up to six months of free in-flight Wi-Fi access on their device, with Internet access on 2,500 daily flights in the continental US and growing”).

The HD2 will also have Paramount Pictures’ “Transformers” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” movies pre-loaded on a memory card.

Unfortunately, T-Mobile USA has still not announced when exactly the HD2 will be available for purchase, but it should happen this spring (possibly starting March).

Via Press release

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#MWC10: HTC Desire (Bravo), Legend and HD mini officially announced

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:25:33 +0000

HTC has just unveiled its first products at MWC 2010 – three new smartphones: two based on Android and one based on Windows Mobile (not Windows Phone 7 Series, unfortunately).

The smartphones are: HTC Desire (previously known as Bravo), HTC Legend and HTC HD mini.

As its name suggests, the HTC Desire is, indeed, a handset that you will desire after seeing it and checking its features out. The Desire runs Android 2.1 and is presented by HTC as “the richest way to visually experience news, friends, photos, favorite places and whatever else is important on a mobile phone.”

The new handset features HTC Sense, a 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA touchscreen display, HSPA, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, optical joystick, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, 3.5mm headset jack, and a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash and HD video recording. As you can see, the Desire is pretty much a Google Nexus One with a different design and without Google’s branding.

HTC Desire / Bravo will be available across Europe and Asia starting early Q2 2010. Telstra will offer it in Australia. No word yet if it’s headed to Verizon, as rumored, but HTC should make a CDMA version of it for this to happen.

Moving on, the HTC Legend is (as we’ve already seen) the successor of HTC Hero.

Like the HTC Desire, the Legend has an optical joystick and Android 2.1 with HTC Sense. Its case is “machined from a single aluminum block into a seamless compact frame.” The handset features: 3.2 inch HVGA touchscreen display, HSPA, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 600MHz processor, 384MB RAM, 512MB ROM , 3.5mm headset jack, and a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash.

HTC Legend will be first available in Europe via Vodafone (customized “with pre-loaded Vodafone 360 Internet services”), starting April.

Finally, we have the HTC HD mini – we told you it’s coming at MWC.

The HD mini is a more affordable HTC HD2, featuring Windows Mobile 6.5.3, a new version of HTC Sense, 3.2 inch touchscreen display with 320 x 480 pixels, HSDPA, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm headset jack, 5MP autofocus camera, 384MB RAM, 512MB ROM, and a 600MHz CPU.

Major European and Asian markets will get the HTC HD mini starting April. Its price was not announced, but it shouldn’t be a high one.

Via HTC

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HTC HD Mini (Photon) leaked before the official announcement

Ilinca Nita — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:03:46 +0000

The first day of MWC 2010 is pretty much over now, and HTC didn’t make any announcement. But worry not — the Taiwanese company will probably unveil the HTC HD Mini (aka HTC Photon) tomorrow.

Until tomorrow comes, however, it seems that the HD Mini has already appeared in an image – which does look like an official HTC rendering.

Spotted over at MoDaCo, the alleged HTC HD Mini image shows a smartphone that resembles the previously-leaked Photon, so I’m almost sure that this is what the real HD Mini looks like.

The rumored features of HTC HD Mini include: HSPA connectivity, 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 5MP camera, 3.5mm headset jack, 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 CPU, and Windows Mobile (possibly version 6.5.3). Now let’s hope the smartphone’s price won’t be high.

Via PhoneArena

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HTC Photon to be announced as HTC HD Mini at MWC?

Ilinca Nita — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:45:44 +0000

Remember the HTC Photon, appeared in that leaked HTC roadmap alongside HTC Bravo, HTC Legend and others?

Well, HTC might announce the Photon at MWC, under a different name: HTC HD Mini.

It looks like the HTC HD Mini will come with Windows Mobile 6.5 (although I assume it’s actually WM 6.5.3), and not with Windows Mobile 7 – which should be announced at MWC as well.

The features of HTC HD Mini include: 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display, HSPA, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, 3.5mm headset jack, 5MP camera and a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 CPU.

As previously reported, the HTC Photon / HD Mini should be available starting April. Until then, let’s hope HTC will unveil the Legend and the Bravo at MWC, too.

Via Sina, WMPoweruser

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HTC Legend gets semi-official in the Netherlands (via KPN)

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:32:21 +0000

KPN, the Netherlands’ largest mobile carrier, has recently confirmed the existence of HTC Legend – a new Android smartphone first seen in December 2009.

The Legend appears as coming soon on KPN’s official website, and it looks like it will be available starting March.

As previously reported, the features of HTC Legend include: 3.2 inch HVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, HSPA connectivity, GPS, Wi-Fi, optical mouse, 3.5mm headset jack, 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM, 5MP camera, and a 600MHz processor. Hopefully, the smartphone will come with Android 2.1 onboard.

The price of HTC Legend is currently not known.

Via Tweakers.net

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Verizon’s HTC Incredible with Android 2.1 appears in photos, video

Ilinca Nita — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:54:08 +0000

HTC Incredible is a new Android 2.1 smartphone (like the Google Nexus One) that should be launched by Verizon sometime later this year – and it could be the next best thing since the Motorola Droid.

Unlike the Droid, the HTC Incredible doesn’t have a hardware keyboard, but it does have some really nice features, like a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a WVGA touchscreen display (3.5 or 3.7 inches, maybe AMOLED), and an optical mouse. There’s also 256MB of RAM, and a photo camera with dual LED flash. HTC’s Sense UI is featured, too.

Here’s what the HTC Incredible looks like (video included after the photos):

No word yet on the price of HTC Incredible, and neither on the date when Verizon plans to announce it.

Via PocketNow

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Samsung plans to overtake HTC in smartphone sales this year

Ilinca Nita — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:13:39 +0000

We already know that Samsung hopes to sell 270 million phones this year, 100 million of which may be touchscreen devices.

But Samsung’s ambitions don’t stop here. The South Korean company also plans to increase smartphone production and overtake HTC – currently the world’s fourth largest smartphone maker (after Nokia, RIM and Apple).

At the moment, Samsung is the world’s fifth smartphone manufacturer with a 3% market share. The company intends to sell about 18 million smartphones by the end of 2010 – up from 6 million in 2009.

Most of this year’s Samsung smartphones will be based on Android, although handsets with Windows Mobile and the company’s own Bada OS will also be introduced.

(Samsung M100s – the latest Samsung Android smartphone)

HTC is a smartphone maker by default (although it recently announced its first featurephone, the Brew-based HTC Smart), so it will be hard for Samsung to take its place in the smartphone market – especially since HTC will (probably) also increase Android handset production.

Via KoreaTimes

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T-Mobile myTouch2 / myTouch Slide (HTC Espresso) photos leaked

Ilinca Nita — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:01:03 +0000

T-Mobile USA will soon have a new myTouch Android smartphone, namely the T-Mobile myTouch Slide (or myTouch2 – it’s not clear yet what the handset’s official name is).

The folks over at Droid Developer have it that the myTouch2 / myTouch Slide is actually the HTC Espresso – one of the phones included in HTC’s 2010 line-up.

The big difference between the myTouch2 / myTouch Slide and the original T-Mobile myTouch (aka HTC Magic) is that the former comes with a sliding QWERTY keyboard. There’s also an optical trackpad instead of a trackball.

Some of the specs the T-Mobile myTouch2 / myTouch Slide comes with include:

320 x 480 pixels touchscreen display
3.5mm headset jack
ARM11 processor
Photo camera with LED flash
MicroSD card slot (accessible without removing the battery / back cover)
1,300 mAh battery

The T-Mobile myTouch2 / myTouch Slide should be available starting May 17, in three color versions (black, white and red). The phone’s price is not known at the moment.

Via TmoNews

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HTC Bravo shows its Android UI in new hands-on photo

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:09:48 +0000

The same day when images of Sprint’s HTC Supersonic popped up on the Web, a new photo of the HTC Bravo has appeared, too – a hands-on photo, to be precise.

As previously reported, the HTC Bravo kind of resembles the Google Nexus One, although it has more hardware buttons and the trackball has been replaced with an optical trackpad.

Apparently, the features of HTC Bravo include a 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA multi-touch display, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, 512MB of RAM, 5MP camera with HD video recording, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 1GHz processor, and Android 2.1.

HTC Bravo should be available starting March, and T-Mobile UK might be among the first carriers to sell it.

Komorkomania says that the new Bravo photo was sent by a reader alongside some info about the HTC Legend (nothing we didn’t know already, save for the fact that the Legend seems to have an aluminum case and a camera lens cover) – so both devices will probably be announced pretty soon.

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Sprint’s HTC Supersonic WiMAX Android phone in clear photos

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:03:00 +0000

Remember the HTC A9292, rumored to hit Sprint as one of its first WiMAX phones? The A9292 might be the HTC Supersonic, recently appeared in two images – a live photo and a rendering.

Reportedly, the HTC Supersonic is an Android 2.1 smartphone that has features similar to the ones of the Windows Mobile-based HTC HD2: 4.3 inch WVGA touchscreen display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of internal memory (like T-Mobile’s HD2), and a 5MP autofocus camera.

A notable difference (besides the different OS) is that the Supersonic has an OLED display, instead of a TFT one.

Here’s what the HTC Supersonic looks like:

It’s said that Sprint will launch the HTC Supersonic in March this year. Pricing details are not known at the moment.

Via Androphones, YouHTC.ru

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HTC Obsession / Diamond3 photos show up, might be fake though

Ilinca Nita — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:14:09 +0000

From all the info we’ve gathered until know about the HTC Obsession / Diamond3, we know that it’s supposed to be a high-end Windows Mobile 7 smartphone that will be released sometime later this year.

However, some renderings have appeared today, and GSM Help Desk says that they might show the HTC Obsession. The problem is that the device appearing in said renderings doesn’t look like a Windows Mobile smartphone at all, but like an Android one.

The way I see it, there are three possibilities here: the renderings are fake; the renderings show another unannounced, unknown HTC device; the renderings show the HTC Obsession’s Android version, because HTC may have decided to make a Windows Mobile and an Android version of it (marking the first time when the company would have an Android and a WM version of the same phone).

Admittedly, that Android-ish interface looks like a bad Photoshop job, but it’s not the first time when bad renderings turn out to be pretty close to the real phone. Now if only some live photos of the Obsession would show up…

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T-Mobile USA’s HTC HD2 has 1GB of ROM, more RAM; might get WM7

Ilinca Nita — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:39:29 +0000

T-Mobile USA’s subscribers will be able to buy the HTC HD2 much later than many European and Asian users, but their wait won’t be in vain – it looks like they’ll have the best HD2 made by HTC until now.

According to the smartphone’s official page found at HTC USA’s website, T-Mobile’s HD2 will come with 1GB of ROM and 576MB of RAM – instead of 512MB of ROM and 448MB of RAM like the original version. Even more, the US version of the HD2 will be offered with a 16GB card in the box, and not with a 2GB one like the European/Asian version.

The handset’s other features seem to remain unchanged (4.3 inch touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixels, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 5MP camera with flash and so on). However, although at launch T-Mo’s HD2 will run Windows Mobile 6.5, the smartphone might be upgraded to Windows Mobile 7 when this becomes available – especially since it will have the required 1GB of ROM specified in that leaked WM7 Chassis 1.

The HD2 should be available at T-Mobile USA starting this spring. Its price is not known at the moment, but I guess it will be of $200 or more on contract.

Via WMPoweruser

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HTC Bravo appears in live photo, T-Mobile UK to launch it soon

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:48:03 +0000

HTC Bravo, the high-end Android smartphone that resembles the Google Nexus One in many ways, has appeared (for the first time) in a live photo.

Unlike the Nexus One, which features a traditional trackball, the Bravo comes with a rather weird optical trackpad.

Other than that, the unannounced device has Nexus-like features, including a 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA and a 5MP photo camera. There’s also multi-touch, which isn’t enabled for the Nexus One.

It’s said that T-Mobile UK will be ready to launch the HTC Bravo in late March (at about the same time with the Xperia X10 and not long after the LG InTouch Max GW620). The smartphone should be offered for free to customers who choose 2-yr plans of at least €35 per month.

Via Omio

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HTC Magic with QWERTY keyboard in the making?

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:10:27 +0000

Launched in the spring of 2009, the HTC Magic might soon get a successor that features a full QWERTY keyboard.

We don’t have any photo of the new smartphone, but there’s a user agent profile over at HTC, which mentions the existence of a QWERTY keyboard for the Magic.

We know that Google plans to launch more phones under the Nexus brand, and at least one of them will have a physical keyboard. Sure, that’s probably the high-end Motorola Shadow, but if Google wants to introduce a more affordable Nexus, the QWERTY Magic might be an ideal candidate for that.

Sold in more than 1 million units until now, the original HTC Magic features a HVGA touchscreen display, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, digital compass and a 3.2MP camera. Most of these features will probably be found in the QWERTY Magic, too – assuming that the handset does exist.

Via CellPassion

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Nokia wins patent dispute with IPCom in the UK

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:11:00 +0000

The UK High Court has recently ruled in favor of Nokia in a patent dispute with German company IPCom – which sued Nokia and HTC a few years ago over alleged patent infringements.

IPCom still believes that Nokia is infringing some of its patents in the UK, so it will appeal the ruling.

In December last year, IPCom won suits against both Nokia and HTC, as a German court declared that the two phone makers are using patent technologies held by IPCom. This led to IPCom’s request to ban Nokia and HTC phones in Germany. However, the request is still pending final decisions.

IPCom currently holds about 160 patent families, some of which are related to GSM, GPRS and UMTS technologies. The company bought them from Bosch, one of Germany’s largest corporations, which created its mobile telephony patent portfolio between mid 1980’s and 2000.

Via Reuters

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T-Mobile and Eric Clapton launch the myTouch 3G Fender Edition

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:07:59 +0000

Announced in October last year, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Fender Edition is now finally ready for launch.

The customized Android smartphone will be on sale starting January 20, and T-Mobile USA has teamed up with legendary guitarist Eric Clapton to promote it and appear in commercials that will air on national TV.

Featuring “a Fender guitar sunburst-finish inspired design”, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Fender Edition has a 3.5mm headset jack and a 16GB MicroSD card in the box, and it will come preloaded with Eric Clapton hit songs like “Wonderful Tonight,” “Layla,” “Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart” and “My Father’s Eyes.” Songs from Avril Lavigne, Wyclef Jean and Brad Paisley will be included, too.

The new phone will also come with applications like Guitar: Solo and Musical Light, as well as with a customized multimedia sync solution from doubleTwist, which “offers a sleek, intuitive interface for syncing and managing music and other media” with a Mac or a Windows PC.

The myTouch 3G Fender runs Android 1.6, but it should be upgraded to Android 2.1 sometime this spring.

Like the original myTouch, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Fender will cost $179.99 with a 2-yr contract agreement.

Via Press release

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HTC Bravo may be launched in March

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:26:50 +0000

First appeared in December last year (without being officially announced), the high-end HTC Bravo might hit the market sooner than expected.

According to 3 Sweden’s Facebook page, the Swedish carrier could launch the HTC Bravo in March. Knowing this, other European markets will probably have the Bravo at about the same time.

The features of HTC Bravo are pretty much similar to the ones of Google’s Nexus One (which is also manufactured by HTC), including: a 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display, Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU at 1GHz, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 5MP camera with autofocus, and Android 2.0 or 2.1.

The price of HTC Bravo is still unknown, but it shouldn’t be too different from the price of the Nexus One ($530 free of contract).

Via Swedroid, Engadget

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Only 20,000 Google Nexus Ones sold in the first week?

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:53:23 +0000

Although some analysts predicted sales of 5 to 6 million units for the Nexus One until the end of 2010, it looks like Google’s first phone is not quite the success the company would have wanted it to be.

According to Mobile-ent.biz, which relies on data gathered by app analytics firm Flurry, only about 20,000 Nexus One phones were sold in the first week since launch (January 5 – January 12). Compared to the first week sales of Motorola Droid (250,000 units) and of Apple’s iPhone 3GS (more than 1.5 million units), this is obviously a low number.

The Nexus One is currently available only in the US, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore, and you can get it only online, directly from Google. The number of sales should be higher after the smartphone will be available in more countries and for more carriers (like Verizon and Vodafone), but I still don’t think there will be 5 million Nexus Ones sold by the end of the year.

Eldar Murtazin points out in a comment to this article that Google will sell other 4 or 5 different Nexus Android phones this year via its online shop, so the company probably doesn’t want to sell millions of Nexus Ones anyway.

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Google to sell 5 to 6 million Nexus One phones this year?

Ilinca Nita — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:21:24 +0000

We don’t know how many Google Nexus One superphones have been sold until now (almost one week after launch), but the handset certainly has what it takes to become a commercial hit – since Google itself is selling and advertising it.

Barclays Capital analyst Doug Anmuth believes that Google might sell 5 to 6 million Nexus One units in 2010 only, which would make the handset the best-selling Android device until now.

And while 5 to 6 million units is still far from the Apple iPhone’s projected sales for 2010 (more than 30 million units), it’s definitely an impressive number – it’s about half the projected phone sales of Motorola and Sony Ericsson for this year.

Knowing that the Nexus One costs $530 free of contract, Google might cash in at least $2.5 billion – if it will indeed sell 5 million phones. Of course, Google’s net profit would be just a (small) part of the $2.5 billion, and it would also be shared with HTC (which actually builds the smartphone).

With the Nexus Two sort of confirmed by Andy Rubin, it looks like Google and its Android OS are on a roll. It should be interesting to see which mobile OSes will be hit harder by Android. iPhone OS? Maybe, a bit. Symbian? Probably. Windows Mobile? Most certainly, especially if Microsoft will delay Windows Mobile 7 to 2011.

Via Android Guys

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Google Nexus One plagued with 3G issues?

Ilinca Nita — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:38:39 +0000

Available for purchase as of January 5 (only in the US, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong at the moment), Google’s Android superphone, the Nexus One, seems to have some problems with 3G reception.

There’s a long thread over at the Google support forums, where some of the new Nexus One owners are reporting 3G connectivity issues in the US.

It looks like the HTC-made smartphone gets a weak 3G signal from time to time, and even switches to EDGE, while other T-Mobile phones have good reception.

Here’s what the first Nexus One users to report the problem has to say:

“I switched from a Moto Cliq, where I had 3-4 bars of 3G in my house constantly, to a Nexus One. I now either get 1 or no bars of 3G. I made sure that always use 2G was disabled, and I can’t seem to figure out what the problem is.”

Another (ex-BlackBerry) user continues:

“I upgraded from a Blackberry Pearl to the Nexus One. I cannot get any 3G service as of yet. Don’t know what the problem is. T-mobile and HTC support weren’t able to help.”

And another users says:

“I’m having this same problem. My G1 has 3G with full strength, but sitting right next to it my Nexus has 1 bar of 3G and keeps switching to Edge. If I let it sit for a while it may go up to 3 bars of signal strength but as soon as I start trying to use it the signal strength drops back down to one bar. I called T-mobile to make sure that I didn’t need to activate the phone or something to get 3G service. They said my account looked fine and that they couldn’t give me any more support since I had a Nexus One, that I had to call HTC. So I called HTC and they said that your 3G service is a T-mobile issue and they couldn’t help me. The fact that my G1 works perfectly sitting right next to the Nexus though makes me think it really is a problem with the phone.”

Ok, so it might be a problem related just to T-Mobile’s 3G (the carrier uses the not-so-common 1700MHz frequency). Until now, no one from the UK, Singapore or Hong Kong reported any issues with Nexus One’s 3G performance. But if someone will, then there’s certainly something not right with Google’s first phone. Let’s hope HTC and the big G will look into the matter and see what exactly is going on.

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#CES 2010: Brew-based HTC Smart (Touch.B / Rome) gets official

Ilinca Nita — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:23:39 +0000

Surprisingly or not, HTC has just unveiled the HTC Smart – its first phone based on the recently-announced Qualcomm Brew Mobile Platform.

Previously known as HTC Touch.B and HTC Rome, the Smart reportedly comes to “define a new category of smartphones for the masses” – so it’s not really a dumbphone, after all.

The Smart combines Qualcomm’s Brew platform with HTC’s Sense UI (which includes features like Stay Close, Make It Mine and Discover the Unexpected) to deliver an “intuitive user experience.”

As you can see in the photos below, design-wise, the new device has a lot in common with the Windows Mobile 6.5 HTC Touch2.

Here are the main specs of HTC Smart:

2.8 inch QVGA touchscreen display
GSM and HSDPA connectivity
Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
3.5mm headset jack
3MP camera with flash
HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0)
300 MHz processor
256MB ROM and 256MB RAM
MicroSD card support
1100 mAh battery
104 x 55 x 12.8 mm
108 grams

Apparently, Wi-Fi and GPS are both missing.

HTC Smart will be commercially available starting this spring – only in Europe and Asia, unfortunately. The handset’s price was not announced by HTC, but the company mentioned that it would be an “affordable smartphone”.

So there you have it – if you don’t like Windows Mobile but want a Touch2-like handset, the Smart will most probably be perfect for you. Of course, that’s assuming that the Brew and Sense combination is as intuitive as HTC says it is.

Via Press release

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Vodafone to launch the Google Nexus One in the next few weeks

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:03:51 +0000

Yesterday, when Google finally announced the Nexus One, the Mountain View giant mentioned that the new Android smartphone would be available “in the near future” via both Verizon (in the US) and Vodafone (in Europe).

Well, it looks like that near future is really near for Vodafone, which will reportedly have the Nexus One within the next few weeks – first in the UK and then in France, Germany, Spain and other European countries.

The Nexus One’s official price from Vodafone was not announced. However, we’ve previously heard that SFR (joint-venture between Vivendi and Vodafone) will offer the smartphone for under €200 in France – so the price in other European markets will probably be similar.

Interestingly, a Vodafone spokesperson said that the carrier might launch the Nexus One in non-European countries, too. India, maybe?

Another interesting piece of info is that an O2 UK spokeswoman declared that the carrier has “no current announcement to make about supporting the Google Nexus One, but we will continue to review and refresh our product range to ensure we meet the demands of our customers.”

Via Google / AFP

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AT&T announces five Android phones from HTC, Motorola and Dell

Ilinca Nita — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:34:57 +0000

The same day when it announced the availability of Nokia’s Ovi Store for its customers, AT&T has also unveiled plans to launch no less than five new Android smartphones throughout 2010 (during the first half of the year) – and no, the Google Nexus One isn’t among them, unfortunately.

Currently the only majors US carrier that doesn’t have any Android handsets in its line-up, AT&T will work with HTC, Motorola and Dell for launching the five devices.

One of AT&T’s upcoming Android smartphones is the Dell Mini 3 – already available in China and Latin America as Dell Mini 3i, and approved by the FCC to work on AT&T’s 3G bands. The folks over at Dell have confirmed the release of Mini 3 via AT&T, although they don’t say when exactly it will be available, or for what price.

AT&T’s other Android smartphones include a Motorola one “powered by MOTOBLUR, with a unique form factor and an AT&T exclusive” (could it be the Motorola Backflip / Enzo?), and a HTC one – also an AT&T exclusive. Details about them are not available at the moment.

AT&T has already prepared a webpage on its website, dedicated to Android. You can find it here. Well, what can I say… It’s good to see AT&T finally getting with the times and embracing Android.

The second largest US carrier has also announced “an agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development for mid-range Quick Messaging Devices using BREW Mobile Platform”, and a new AT&T SDK. Apparently, HTC, LG and Pantech will launch Brew phones for AT&T this year and in early 2011.

Via Press release

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HTC-made Google Nexus One officially announced, buy one today

Ilinca Nita — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:03:39 +0000

As expected (and probably hoped by many), today Google has officially announced the Nexus One – the company’s first mobile phone.

Google calls the Nexus One a “superphone” and the “next step in Android evolution.” The handset is, as previously rumored, manufactured by HTC.

Most (if not all) of the rumored Nexus One specs and features have been confirmed: 3.7 inch AMOLED display with 480 x 800 pixels, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, trackball that includes a multi-colored notification LED, GPS, Wi-Fi, light and proximity sensors, compass, accelerometer, enhanced news and weather widgets, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm headset jack, 5MP autofocus camera with flash.

If you live in the US, you can buy the Google Nexus One starting today, online, via Google’s website – it costs $180 with a T-Mobile contract agreement, and $530 unlocked. The big news is that Verizon and Vodafone will also sell the Nexus One, starting the spring of 2010 (their prices have not been announced). Update: according to this Google press release, you can buy the Nexus One as of today not only in the US, but also in the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Google Nexus One runs Android 2.1 and includes all the Android apps that the Motorola Dorid has. Another interesting thing: the metal bezel on the back of the phone can be personalized (engraved), but it’s not clear yet where and for how much you’ll be able to do that.

More details specs:

Video captured at 720×480 pixels at 20fps or higher, depending on lighting condition
512MB Flash
512MB RAM
4GB MicroSD card included (supports card sup to 32GB)
1400 mAh battery
Talk time: up to 10 hours on 2G, up to 7 hours on 3G
Standby time: up to 290 hours on 2G; up to 250 hours on 3G
Internet use: up to 5 hours on 3G; up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: up to 7 hours
Audio playback: up to 20 hours
Height: 119mm
Width: 59.8mm
Depth: 11.5mm
Weight: 130 grams with battery

Also present at the Google event, HTC’s CEO Peter Chou mentioned that the Nexus One is HTC’s seventh Android smartphone (if you consider the US-bound Hero and the original Hero to be two different handsets).

Some live images from the Google Nexus One event (via Engadget and Gizmodo):

We’ll bring more details soon.

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The first Google Nexus One review shows up

Ilinca Nita — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:36:42 +0000

Google’s Nexus One Android smartphone is, of course, not yet officially announced, but the first review of it has already appeared on the Web.

Sure enough, we’ve seen many leaked photos, videos and previews of the handset, but this is the first time when an actual review is published (at the NexusOne blog) – although it’s missing some important parts.

As you’ve probably heard before, the Google Nexus One is thinner than the iPhone and you have to actually touch it and hold it in your hands to see that it feels “incredible”.

Also incredible is the Nexus One’s 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display when it comes to image quality and crispness. Unfortunately, for some reason Google didn’t include multitouch into this phone.

The Nexus One comes with 10 Live Wallpapers – which you can choose to put on the homescreen. They don’t actually do anything useful, but they’re animated and that’s why they’re cool. Even with an animated wallpaper, the phone is very fast – thanks to the 1GHz Snapdragon processor and the 512MB of RAM.

The handset obviously features a 3.5mm headset jack. It was tested with several headsets, and it looks like “the sound quality is on par with the iPhone” – thus “average.” The Nexus One’s speaker (located on the back) is also “pretty good.”

The Nexus One’s battery is on par with the iPhone’s – it died after 12 hours of heavy usage.

According to the reviewer, the 5MP camera featured by the Google Nexus One is not as good as the iPhone 3GS’ camera, because it doesn’t use “natural colors” and you “have to play around with the settings more to get the perfect picture”.

Even so, the Google Nexus One is probably the best Android smartphone until now. And speaking of which, here’s a benchmark test with the Nexus One vs. Motorola Droid (graphics, CPU, Memory and Filesystem):

A downside of the Nexus One would be the fact that the Android Market still hasn’t got great games – like the App Store has. Anyway, I’m sure that there will soon be lots of iPhone-like games for Android, especially after more awesome hardware like the Nexus One has will be launched.

There are many other nice things included in the Nexus one, like the voice to text option, proximity sensor, and the Car Home app – read about them in the full review found at the NexusOne blog.

And remember, Google is hosting an Android event tomorrow, January 5, 2010, and it’s likely that it will officially announce the Nexus One then.

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HTC to launch tablets based on Android, Chrome OS?

Ilinca Nita — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:54:59 +0000

It looks like 2010 will be a really busy year for HTC. In addition to launching many new Android and Windows Mobile smartphones, and making the Nexus One for Google, the Taiwanese company may also unveil several touch tablets.

According to SmartHouse, one of the HTC tablets will use Google’s Chrome OS, while another one is based on Android.

It’s said that the HTC Android tablet will be unveiled at a private show during CES 2010 (January 7 – 10), featuring a “new Qualcomm processor” and “new software from Adobe”.

(HTC Max 4G; it’s not a tablet, but it has a design that resembles one)

If HTC indeed launches touch tablets this year, they’ll be competing with Apple’s tablet, reportedly called iSlate and rumored to be unveiled this month.

Via SlashGear

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