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

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  • November 7, 2011 at 6:13 am

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

Guides

  • November 5, 2011 at 2:14 pm

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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.
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HTC Sensation XE is official with 1.5GHz processor bump, bigger battery and Beats audio

News

  • September 14, 2011 at 5:48 am

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HTC Sensation XE smartphoneThe rumored special edition of the HTC Sensation just became official. The HTC Sensation XE will be the first handset from the company bearing the fruits of its partnership with Beats Electronics. The handset features a new red and black design (if that’s your thing) and will come together with a pair of matching Beats by Dr. Dre earphones.

When the in-ear headphones are connected, the handset switches to a custom Beats by Dr. Dre sound profile, which, HTC claims delivers audio tuned specifically for them. The Sensation XE features a higher clocked CPU, with the processor running at 1.5GHz (instead of 1.2GHz for the original Sensation). Most important, for us, is the inclusion of a higher capacity, 1730mAh battery. Hopefully the Sensation XE will be able to last a whole day with one charge; while hopefully, original Sensation owners will be able to buy it for their handset as well.

We’d also like to get the Sensation XE in our hands to test if HTC has fixed the infamous death-grip issue on the refreshed handset.

The smartphone will be available in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia in late September. Full PR after the break.
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HTC Sensation Special Edition with bigger battery, 1.5GHz clock-rate and Beats by Dr. Dre

News

  • August 31, 2011 at 4:19 pm

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HTC Sensation music app

HTC is getting ready to release a special edition of its Sensation smartphone. The new version of the HTC Sensation will come with a set of Beats by Dr. Dre earphones and feature technology that will supposedly work with the headset to optimize sound quality. HTC had announced its partnership with Beats Electronics earlier this month and this will be the fruits of their labor.

The bigger news, in our opinion, is that the HTC Sensation Special Edition will run the Snapdragon Qualcomm 8260 dual-core processor at a higher clock-rate of 1.5GHz (instead of 1.2GHz). While the biggest relief for all will be the higher capacity 1,730mAh battery up from 1,520mAh. The Sensation definitely needed a boost in terms of battery life and users have been resorting to third-party OEM batteries claiming to offer higher capacity. Hopefully the new battery will be available to all HTC Sensation owners, not just for the Special Edition, although you already know many ways of keeping you phone charged on the go.
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