Thanks for listening: HTC to concentrate on a small number of high-end smartphones for 2012

News

  • January 26, 2012 at 1:48 pm

0

HTC EVO 3D mural video

HTC launched so many devices during 2011 that we’ve lost count. Even trying to cover each and every release from a tech blog’s perspective has become an impossible task, so we can’t imagine how the average person can keep track. As an example, HTC had launched three different variations of the Sensation (Sensation, Sensation XE and Sensation XL) in a space of just a few months.

When we were tackling the company’s Q4 2011 results, we went to HTC’s defense, and we suggested that the company should focus on a limited number of devices, following the lead of the most successful smartphone manufacturer, Apple. We’re glad HTC is now coming on the same page.
continue reading

HTC is still brilliant

EditorialsNews

  • January 6, 2012 at 7:01 am

0

HTC logo close-up on the HTC Sensation

So HTC posted its unaudited revenues for Q4 2011, showing a small 2.5 percent fall compared to the same quarter in 2010. The main culprit for this fall was the month of November, with revenues down 19.6 percent.

That’s unusual for HTC, which has been seeing consistent revenue growth for a while. It does however make sense. HTC is big in the Android camp, and at the end of October we saw the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (which we’ve reviewed here) as Google’s launch device for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy Nexus in fact started shipping in November.

However, tech blogs love big titles, so today we’ve been seeing posts in the lines of HTC losing its steam or even that this could be the beginning of the end for HTC, all of which are far from the truth. First of all bear in mind that HTC’s whole year 2011 revenues grew by an insane 67%.
continue reading

HTC Flyer 7-inch tablet now retailing for £200 (deals)

News

  • December 28, 2011 at 5:42 am

0

HTC Flyer with digital pen

HTC’s Flyer is quite a capable 7-inch Android tablet. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz processor, weighs 420 grams (14.82 oz) and comes with a digital pen for creativity on the go. The Flyer has recently been updated to Android Honeycomb, and together with today’s price cuts, it has become quite a bargain.

The 16GB Wi-Fi only HTC Flyer now retails for £200 in the UK; you can grab one either from Amazon UK (make sure it’s directly from Amazon) or Dixons. The 32GB 3G/Wi-Fi version is showing as £250 from Dixons, but we are having issues accessing the item’s website, maybe it’s a temporary problem.
continue reading

HTC Flyer now receiving Android Honeycomb update

News

  • December 5, 2011 at 12:54 pm

0

HTC Flyer Android tablet drawing

As much as we wanted to love HTC’s 7-inch stylus-friendly Android tablet, we couldn’t get past the fact that it was still running Android Gingerbread, and not a tablet optimized version of the OS. Thankfully for those who have put their faith in the HTC Flyer, the company has just started rolling out an over-the-air update to Android Honeycomb 3.2. The update, which is over 200MB, is initially targeted for the 32GB 3G version of the Flyer. HTC has confirmed that the 16GB Wi-Fi only version will be getting the update soon.

Of-course Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has already been officially launched, nevertheless, Honeycomb is a major step for tablets and we are sure users will love the upgraded functionality. Since Honeycomb operates with on-screen buttons, the tablet’s fixed touch buttons become inoperable once the update is applied, but the stylus continues to function as before.

If you have an HTC Flyer, be sure to connect to a nearby Wi-Fi access point and check for software updates.
continue reading

HTC Rezound 2,750mAh extended battery, worth it if you can live with the thickness

News

  • November 16, 2011 at 3:57 am

0

HTC Rezound extended battery and back cover

We’ve covered all these before, you get a brand new shiny smartphone with a large gorgeous display, like the HTC Rezound’s 4.3-inch 1280×720 retina display, and of course you don’t want to put it down. You browse the net and your social networks, you play a quick game, and by mid-day you realize that the battery is down. You then have to choose between being tethered to a wall outlet all the time, stop using your device as much, or get an extended or external battery.

Marchello from Htcpedia chose the latter for his HTC Rezound, and we would too. The Rezound comes with a ridiculously small 1,620mAh battery for such a large device. Thankfully HTC offers a 2,750mAh extended battery, but that comes with two caveats. First, you have to shell out around $50 for the extended battery and second, it’s so large that the battery comes with an extended cover to accommodate the larger battery. The extended battery makes the Rezound quite thick, at around 3/4 of an inch, but also lets you go through a whole day of use without having to worry about recharging your phone.
continue reading

HTC Edge 4.7-inch Android smartphone leaked, could be world’s first quad-core phone

News

  • November 7, 2011 at 1:57 pm

0

HTC Edge leaked picture

Dual-core smartphones are so yesterday, when you can have quad-core wonders that is. And here we have our first rumor of a new HTC device the Edge, which is said to run on an Nvidia Tegra 3 1.5GHz 1.3GHz quad-core processor. So if you were getting comfy with the idea of having the latest and greatest Android smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, HTC Rezound or Motorola Droid RAZR, know that their reign will end soon (well not until early 2012 at least).

So the HTC Edge is said to have a 720p HD 4.7-inch display, an 8-megapixel 28mm f/2.2 lens with rear backlit sensor camera, 1GB of RAM and measure only 10mm thick. It’s supposed to have 32GB of storage and Bluetooth 4.0, though no word on an LTE or HSPA+ radio. Sounds like a dream, huh?

Of course no word whether it will ship with Android Ice Cream Sandwich, though since HTC is already upgrading a host of smartphones to ICS in early-2012, we would consider it a done deal.

The HTC Edge is expected to arrive in early to mid-2012, if the rumors are right that is.
continue reading

HTC confirms Vivid, Sensation, Rezound, EVO 3D and others to get Android Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades in early 2012

News

  • November 7, 2011 at 6:13 am

0

HTC Sensation

Aren’t software upgrades a wonderful thing? One day your smartphone is sporting a lowly Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, and the next, it receives a free update to the shiny, new, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). If you don’t know why you would want ICS on your phone, check out our Android basics column, and our complete guide of all the new features and improvements in ICS.

With all that on the table, it’s pretty normal that any current Android user, would want to get the Android 4.0 update, while HTC had been quiet on its update schedule since ICS was revealed.

Well, the company has now confirmed its upgrade plans on the company’s Facebook page. Obviously HTC’s latest handsets will be getting the upgrade, with the HTC Vivid, HTC Rezound and the HTC Sensation, Sensation XL and Sensation XE all getting Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012. The HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G and HTC Amaze 4G are also getting ICS. HTC will continue to assess its current line for upgradability, so don’t despair if your device isn’t included in this first wave of upgrades.

There is also no mention of any of the company’s tablets, like the Flyer or the Jetsream yet.

You can find HTC’s statement after the break.
continue reading

How to: Convert the HTC Sensation or Sensation 4G to a Sensation XE

Guides

  • November 5, 2011 at 2:14 pm

0

Convert the HTC Sensation to a Sensation XE

You’ve recently got a shiny new HTC Sensation or Sensation 4G and there goes HTC tweaking it and releasing the Sensation XE. Well, you can actually convert the Sensation (4G) to a Sensation XE by investing half an hour of your time, and flexing your rooting skills. The hardware in the two handsets is essentially the same, as we’ve seen in our initial coverage, the XE simply has the same dual-core processor running at its default 1.5GHz speed (against 1.2GHz for the original), includes a custom Beats by Dr. Dre sound profile and a bigger battery.

You can get the improvements by installing a custom ROM, Android Revolution HD, for the Sensation, which among other things, allows the processor to run at 1.51GHz as a default, includes the Beats audio profile and a tweaked Adreno 200 graphics configuration to boot. Only thing missing is the bigger battery, but you can grab a tried and test 1900mAh Anker one from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

A word to the wise here, rooting your smartphone is risky, you could end up with a dead device and/or invalidate your warranty. Use the instructions below at your own risk.

Upgrading your Sensation or Sensation 4G to a Sensation XE involves, three steps. First, you must unlock the bootloader (from S-ON to S-OFF) so that you can install custom ROMs. Then, you have to install ClockworkMod recovery, which you will use to install custom ROMs, and finally, flash the Android Revolution HD ROM. Charge your Sensation and head after the break for the full instructions.
continue reading

Android heroes: Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. HTC Rezound vs. Motorola Droid RAZR

News

  • November 3, 2011 at 6:10 pm

0

Android heroes: Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs. HTC Rezound vs. Motorola Droid RAZR

Three major Android manufacturers, Samsung, HTC and Motorola, have all recently announced their big-screened flagship handsets, just in time for the holiday season. Now that everybody’s cards are on the table, we take another look, comparing the 4.65-inch Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich bearing Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the rugged and super-slim 4.3-inch Motorola Droid RAZR and the Beats Audio sporting and retina busting 720p 4.3-inch HTC Rezound. If you are an Android fan, it’s never been harder to choose a new smartphone, hopefully our handy comparison, which is after the break, will help you make up your mind.
continue reading

HTC Rezound 4.3-inch 720p HD screen Android smartphone announced for Verizon Wireless 4G LTE (pictures, specs, video)

News

  • November 3, 2011 at 3:12 pm

0

HTC Rezound 4.3-inch 720p HD screen Android smartphone with Beats by Dr. Dre

The HTC Rezound (a.k.a. HTC Vigor) is finally official. HTC has announced its new flagship Android smartphone, heading to Verizon Wireless’ speedy 4G LTE network, at a press event in New York. As it was previously rumored, the Rezound sports a 4.3-inch screen at a 1280×720 HD resolution, that’s a retina display worthy pixel density. It will run on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8660 processor with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It’s a Beats branded device, and comes with a matching set of Beats by Dr. Dre earbuds and a Beats sound profile that will make you music sound oh-so sweet.

The device will obviously come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC’s Sense 3.5 at launch, with an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update coming early next year. The HTC Rezound will be offered coming Novermber 14th for $299.99 on a two-year commitment.

The Rezound comes with an 8-megapixel f/2.2 28mm wide-angle lens back camera with dual LED flash and a 2-megapixel front camera and will be capable of shooting 1080p video. You will also be able to charge the 1620mAh battery (oh why doesn’t HTC include bigger batteries) wirelessly on the optional dock. The HTC Rezound measures 129 x 65.5 x 13.65 mm.

You might want to check out how the Rezound holds up to the rest of the Android heroes, the Motorola RAZR and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, in our concise comparison.

More pictures and full specs after the break.
continue reading

Verizon bound HTC Rezound (a.k.a. Vigor) pre-production model shown-off in hands-on video

News

  • October 31, 2011 at 1:43 pm

0

HTC Rezound hands-on

We’re expecting HTC and Verizon to announce the HTC Rezound (a.k.a. HTC Vigor) any day now. A lucky tester, has made a video of a pre-production model of the Rezound and has, of-course, posted it for all of us to see. The 4.3-inch, red-themed, Android smartphone shown-off here, carries both the Verzion and 4G LTE logos. The tester confirms all the specs that we originally reported. That is, that the HTC Rezound will run on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, feature a retina busting 1280×720 HD resolution, have 1GB of RAM with an 8MP back and 2MP front cameras. It’s running Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and HTC’s Sense 3.5.

The Rezound is going head-to-head with some pretty heavy competition from Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus and Motorola’s RAZR, all of which are also expected to appear on Verizon. You might wanna check our nifty comparison of the three handsets, if you are on the fence on a new Android smartphone. Oh and the video is after the break.
continue reading

HTC Vigor a.k.a. Rezound a.k.a. DROID Incredible HD could be announced November 3rd

News

  • October 26, 2011 at 8:05 am

0

HTC Vigor / Rezound front and back

HTC has been sitting on the bench watching while both Samsung and Motorola announced their big contenders for the Android crown, the Galaxy Nexus and the RAZR. It’s now time for HTC to strike back; the company has sent out invites for a New York event on Thursday November 3rd. Now all bets are on an announcement of the company’s long rumored HTC Vigor (a.k.a. Rezound a.k.a. DROID Incredible HD).

The Vigor is expected to be a 4.3-inch 720p and 1.5GHz dual-core processor beast. You can check out our comparison with the other two competing handsets here. Based on earlier rumors, the HTC Vigor (or DROID Incredible HD) should be available on Verizon starting November 10, joining the iPhone 4S, Droid RAZR and Galaxy Nexus in the carrier’s holiday lineup. The full rumored specs are after the break.
continue reading

The big boys of Android: Galaxy Nexus (Prime) vs. HTC Vigor (Rezound) vs. Motorola Droid RAZR (Spyder); what we know and specs

News

  • October 17, 2011 at 5:28 pm

0

Android flagship phones: Galaxy Nexus (Prime), Motorola Droid RAZR (Spyder) and HTC Vigor (Rezound)

Three of the major Android manufacturers are each getting geared-up to release their new flagship handsets, all are large-screened, feature-rich, LTE Android smartphones.

Motorola and Samsung have events scheduled for tomorrow and HTC’s official announcement shouldn’t be far off. In anticipation of the announcements, we though of doing a recap, for all of you Android fans out there who like to live on the high-end. Here is what we know so far, though take everything we mention with a grain of salt as they are based on leaks and rumors.
continue reading