Verizon's HTC One (M7) to get Android 4.4.3 this week, One (M8) update due next week

Exciting news, HTC One owners on Verizon! Tonight I’ve got a double-whammy of update goodness for you.
Mo Versi, HTC’s VP of Product Management, has announced that the Android 4.4.3 update for the Verizon version of the One (M7) will begin rolling out this week. The update will include Extreme Power Saving mode and, as we’ve seen with HTC’s previous 4.4.3 updates, it’ll also pack all of the security fixes found in Android 4.4.4.
Right about now, I bet you Verizon HTC One (M8) users are wondering “What about me?” Don’t fret, because Versi says that your update “is on track for next week.”
So there you go, Verizon HTC One folk. It’s not yet known exactly which days your updates will begin rolling out on, but HTC has been pretty good about keeping to its update schedules in the past, so you One (M7) owners are likely to get your taste of 4.4.3 before the week is through.
Via @moversi (1), (2)

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Rumor: HTC Preparing To Launch Two Wearables Devices Next Month

By the time we hit the holidays, we’ll be swimming in so many wearables that we won’t know what to do with ourselves. As the first two Android Wear smartwatches launched earlier this summer, we’re due for a following from Motorola with the Moto 360 here soon as it’s believed to be getting shown off next week. Samsung launched the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo earlier this year in the Spring, and they just unveiled their new smartwatch the Gear S, which was supposed to be shown off at IFA next week as well. LG is also set to launch their new Android Wear smartwatch the G Watch R, which they unveiled recently, and ASUS as well as many others are set to lift the curtain on their wearables.
HTC is included in this grouping of OEMs attempting to get their wearables to market, and the most recent rumor is that HTC is not going to be launching just one wearable next month, but two wearable devices for us to ponder throwing our money at. Smartwatches and wearables are still trying to find their footing in the eye of mass consumers, and perhaps something we see from HTC will be one of the devices to accomplish the task of grabbing the attention of the mainstream market. The news of the rumor comes from Upleaks, a lesser known tipster who leaks tidbits about our favorite electronics via Twitter.
There aren’t a whole lot of details in Upleaks Tweets, but he does seem to mention a few pieces of information that are worth paying attention to. He mentions the alleged names(model numbers?)of the two HTC smartwatches, referring to the HTC CWZ smartwatch, powered by none other than Android Wear according to Upleaks, which he states is coming to multiple regions including the U.S. sometime in September. He also mentions in another tweet, the HTC WWY smartwatch coming in September, which he later follows up with a tweet stating that it might actually be more of a fitness tracker like Samsung did with the Gear Fit. Whether or not any of this information turns out to be true or not remains to be confirmed, but we won’t have to wait long to figure any of that out as IFA is just around the corner and only days away.

This entry was posted in Android Smartwatch News.

SOURCE: Upleaks

VIA: Techno Buffalo

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HTC One E8 makes US debut on Sprint

If the HTC One M8 is too rich for your blood on Sprint, its plastic-bodied sibling with half the storage is now available from the pin drop network. Meant for Asia and Eastern Europe, the HTC One E8 is now available in the USA, but just through Sprint. The E8 brings nearly the same specs and experience as the M8, though in a less expensive form.
The HTC One E8 has the same processor, speakers, RAM, battery, 5-inch 1080p display, and more as its metallic M8 brother. But that plastic shell also only has one camera opening on the rear, this time housing a 13-megapixel shooter versus the M8's twin-sensor 4-megapixel Duo Camera. Inside the E8 only comes with 16GB of storage, but as it too sports a microSD expansion slot, you don't have to be hurting for storage.
The E8 is retailing full price from Sprint for $499.99 in white or gray, though you can get it for $0 down and $20.84/month for 24 months through Sprint Easy Pay, or $99.99 upfront for a 2-year contract. Compare that to the M8, where you get a metal body, double the storage, and a crazy-but-compromised camera setup for $649.99 retail, $27.09 monthly, or $199.99 on contract.
Sprint's been on a roll with the interesting phone releases recently. First the stunning Sharp Aquos Crystal with its minimal bezels, then just this morning a report that they might carry a new flagship Sony smartphone, and now the E8. These are phones that aren't typically carried in the US, and we have to wonder if Japanese Softbank's ownership of Sprint is influencing the devices they can import.
What do you think?

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HTC Desire 510 goes official with mid-range specs and LTE

HTC announced the Desire 510 smartphone. The newcomer combines mid-range specs and LTE connectivity.

HTC Desire 510 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU. There’s a gig of RAM and 8GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded via microSD card slot.
The device’s display is a 4.7” FWVGA unit. Its main camera is a 5MP unit, coupled with front-facing VGA snapper. HTC Desire 510 boots Sense-d Android 4.4 KitKat.
Measures of the Desire 510 are 139.9 x 69.8 x 9.99 mm, while its weight tips the scale at 158 grams. A 2,100mAh battery powers the device.
The handset will make its way to regions in Europe, Asia, as well as some carriers in the United States. The price of the handset is expected to be highly affordable.
Source

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Leak shows the HTC Nexus tablet powered by a 64-bit Tegra K1 processor

We have been getting quite a bit of info about the upcoming Nexus X, but not as many leaks regarding the HTC-built Nexus tablet. We know that it exists, and the rumors say it will be an 8.9-inch display with the same resolution of the Nexus 10 (2560x1600). There have also been rumors that it would feature a 64-bit Tegra processor, and that appears to be accurate.

A new CPU-Z report has leaked that shows what is said to be processor info for the upcoming HTC Nexus tablet. CPU-Z reports are impossible to fake, and TKTech has proven to be a reliable leaker. We have checked on the report and are assured it is accurate. It shows a device that is powered by a Tegra K1 clocked at 2.5GHz, with the ridiculous 192-core Kepler GPU. This is a serious SoC, and the Nexus tablet has been rumored in the past to be the first device with this Tegra chip.

Tegra has said said that this chip is 1.5 times more efficient than other mobile GPUs, meaning that the power won't sacrifice battery life. The chip has been shown to be capable of running the Unreal Engine 4, fully support DirectX 11, and OpenGL 4.4. That is to say, this chip can do more than Android can (Android L only adds support up to OpenGL 3.1). And, the chip shown is the K1 Denver, which is 64-bit and murders benchmarks. That's not a bad option for the new Nexus tablet. 

source: TKTechNews

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HTC One M8 is the last chance saloon for Windows Phone

Opinion: Could HTC give Windows Phone the push it needs to compete with Android and iOS or is already too far behind?

Whichever way you slice it, this week will prove pivotal in the history of Windows Phone.

If Microsoft’s mobile operating system ever realises its huge potential, finds a way to resonate with mobile users and truly become the third major operating system, this week will go down as the turning point.

If it continues to drag along, picking up another per cent users each year (at best), people will look back at August 2014 and say, “well, Windows Phone, you gave it your best shot.”

This inciting incident I’m referring to is, of course, the arrival of a fully-specced HTC One M8 variant running the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system.

Thanks to an assist from HTC, Microsoft can put its best foot forward on a device widely regarded as the finest piece of mobile hardware on the market.  

 

This launch has levelled the playing field. It gives the firm the chance to say, “this is what we’ve got, and it’s pretty damn great.” Until now, consumers have been denied the opportunity to truly compare the Windows Phone and Android experiences on a single device, due to Nokia’s reluctance to embrace Android, and manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola, LG and HTC giving WP a wide berth in recent years.

With the HTC One M8, it finally becomes a straight choice between the platforms.

If the launch proves successful, it can be a catalyst for much greater adoption of Windows Phone. It will convince other major manufacturers they need to reignite the enthusiasm for Windows Phone that drained away so soon after it arrived in the scene five years ago.

Back then the OS was basically a proof of concept, a vision of what it could become. In the years that followed, it has improved immeasurably with its (don’t call it Metro) Metro UI now underpinning the experience across Microsoft’s desktop, mobile and gaming platforms. 

Once a barren wasteland, the Windows Phone app store has been also boosted by recent high profile launches like Instagram, Vine, Uber and BBM. The big boys are finally taking it seriously and it seems the days of developers overlooking Windows Phone are over.

Windows Phone has never been better equipped to take the fight to iOS and Android and HTC’s flagship device is the perfect vessel for success.

However, you get the feeling it’s now or never; do or die time for Microsoft.

The software giant has spent years turning Windows Phone into a competitive and credible operating system. We can’t keep talking about potential. It’s had long enough to prove its worth.

SEE ALSO: HTC One M8 vs iPhone 5S


If this crucial release proves a commercial flop, it may be time to just admit that, regardless of its critical merits, people just don’t want it.

From a personal perspective, I like Windows Phone. I always have. However, I’m nowhere near close to ditching iOS for it.

Many people appear to feel the same way. It’s rare you hear people say ‘Windows Phone is terrible,’ because it’s not. Microsoft has just failed to give enough users enough of a reason to say ‘the hell with it’ and toss aside their inhibitions.

If the revitalised app catalogue and superb user experience sat within a brilliant handset like the HTC One M8 fails to convince consumers to jump aboard, it’s difficult to imagine what will.

For the sake of improving choice and competitiveness and ending the iOS and Android mobile duopoly, we should all hope it succeeds.
 source trustedview

 

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In 2008, HTC introduced the T-Mobile G1, a device which went down in history as the first Android smartphone. Later, in 2012, HTC brought us the wonder of 1080p resolution smartphone screens with the Butterfly, better known as the HTC Droid DNA. And in 2014, HTC may officially introduce the first 64-bit Android smartphone - the HTC Desire 820. Last week, the company teased it with an abstract image, and we pondered the possibility of the phone utilizing one of Qualcomm's fresh-out-of-the-oven Snapdragon 610 and 615 64-bit chipsets.

It looks like we may have been on the right track, as it didn't take too long for HTC to almost confirm the Desire 820's 64 bit-ness in another teaser image. Not just that, but Qualcomm itself joined the party by acknowledging the device as the first smartphone to use its octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC.

The Snapdragon 615 processor itself is a upper mid-range CPU that utilizes four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1GHz. Its visual crunching partner of choice is the Adreno 405 graphics unit. Eventually, the Snapdragon 615 will be succeeded by the Snapdragon 810, which will make use of Qualcomm's powerful Adreno 430 GPU and is designed for 2015's flagship Android devices. A glorious time to be alive, isn't it?

The HTC Desire 820 should be formally announced at September's IFA expo in Berlin, two weeks from now, and you can be sure that we'll be there to meet it in person!

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First 64-bit Android smartphone gets semi-confirmed - the HTC Desire 820

Posted: 25 Aug 2014, 09:33, by Luis D.

Tags: HTC+ Android+ Processors+

In 2008, HTC introduced the T-Mobile G1, a device which went down in history as the first Android smartphone. Later, in 2012, HTC brought us the wonder of 1080p resolution smartphone screens with the Butterfly, better known as the HTC Droid DNA. And in 2014, HTC may officially introduce the first 64-bit Android smartphone - the HTC Desire 820. Last week, the company teased it with an abstract image, and we pondered the possibility of the phone utilizing one of Qualcomm's fresh-out-of-the-oven Snapdragon 610 and 615 64-bit chipsets.

It looks like we may have been on the right track, as it didn't take too long for HTC to almost confirm the Desire 820's 64 bit-ness in another teaser image. Not just that, but Qualcomm itself joined the party by acknowledging the device as the first smartphone to use its octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC.

The Snapdragon 615 processor itself is a upper mid-range CPU that utilizes four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1GHz. Its visual crunching partner of choice is the Adreno 405 graphics unit. Eventually, the Snapdragon 615 will be succeeded by the Snapdragon 810, which will make use of Qualcomm's powerful Adreno 430 GPU and is designed for 2015's flagship Android devices. A glorious time to be alive, isn't it?

The HTC Desire 820 should be formally announced at September's IFA expo in Berlin, two weeks from now, and you can be sure that we'll be there to meet it in person!

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HTC Desire 820 smartphones

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via G For Games (thanks for the tip!)

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Android fragmentation report shows Samsung is still top dog

The guys at OpenSignal thrive on smartphone statistics and once agin they took the time to plot Android fragmentation. It was a mammoth undertaking as the dominant smartphone platform has splintered in many different ways.
First off is that Android devices are made by a myriad of manufacturers. Samsung was by far the biggest with 43% market share and 12 of the 13 most popular devices. Despite the domination, the company's market share has actually slipped, last year it had 47.5% of the market.

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