HTC

HTC Desire S gets Gingerbread 2.3.5 and Sense 3.0

We first met the HTC Desire S at MWC in Barcelona, back in February earlier this year. As the natural successor to the HTC Desire. We saw performance improvements in terms of a better GPU, bigger amounts of RAM and ROM, and faster connectivity, but that aside, the step up wasn't as dramatic as we'd have liked.

Once it launched, the Desire S came running Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 and HTC's Sense 2.1 UI out of the box. The latest development however is that the next update for the Desire S, has started rolling out without so much as a whisper. 

Users in the UK are reporting that they've noticed the update innocuously popping up on their devices since the last day of September.

As with any ROM update, when you get the all important notification isn't exactly set in stone. The update appears to be coming to users in the UK with stock Desire S ROMs, so carrier specific variations will, as usual take a little longer.

With this update, not only does your S get a boost from Gingerbread 2.3.3 to 2.3.5, but Sense UI moves up to 3.0 which means key updates like the interactive lock screens, new animations, an updated launcher as well as a host of new widgets, the latest version of the Android Market and access to HTC's Watch service. Users are also reporting better GPS performance.

Back in May, at Google I/O, it was said that Android devices, at least from a group of selected manufacturers and carriers, would receive full support for at least 18 months after a device's launch. In this instance, it seems HTC are most certainly making good on that promise. We've had no word on carrier locked ROMs and when the update will spread overseas, but if you notice anything, let us know.

HTC Explorer Budget-Friendly Android Handset Released

Another day, another leaked image of a HTC Android phone. The latest handset to be leaked prior to its official launch, is to be called the HTC Explorer.

Yesterday the Taiwanese company finally unveiled the female-specific HTC Rhyme following similar leaks in the previous week. The HTC Explorer, or the Pico as it has also been called, has already been seen in rather inelegant and blurry pictures but what we have here looks very much like official renders from HTC itself.

 

The handset itself features a small 3.2in screen with a HVGA resolution, a 600MHz processor, a five megapixel camera, and 384MB of RAM.

It will obviously be targeted at the budget end of the market but will still come with Android Gingerbread, skinned with the latest version of Sense (3.5). It is set to arrive in both blue and black and looks like it could take over from the Wildfire S in the HTC Android handset line-up.

HTC are hosting an event here in London early next month when we expect to see a variety of handsets including the Explorer and the oddly-named HTC Runnymede.

We’ll be covering the event live so stay tuned for all the latest news from the busy Taiwanese company.

HTC Amaze 4G

So how does HTC's Amaze 4G stack up to its European counterpart, the Sensation XE? Pretty well actually. The 4.3-inch qHD smartphone also features Qualcomm's 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU, but bumps the RAM from 768MB to 1GB. It's also HTC's first NFC toting device and joins T-Mobile'sGalaxy S II as the other 42Mbps HSPA+ -capable handset on Magenta's network. More noteworthy is its trick eight megapixel shooter, which features the same backside-illuminated sensor, f2.2 wide-angle optics and 1080p video recording capability as the myTouch 4G Slide. Similarly, the Amaze 4G hangs on to quite a bit of that phone's camera software, including a new composite mode that automagically creates one stellar image out of five less than fabulous snapshots. We also liked the addition of two physical camera buttons, one for stills and the other for video. First impressions of the Sense-laden, Gingerbread smartphone? It's very much like a Sensation on steroids, with a definite T-Mobile flavor. Take a look at our gallery and hit the break for our hands-on video from Mobilize 2011.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

HTC Amaze 4G hands-on

An older post : HTC Raider 4G

Telstra has revealed it will sell an LTE-capable Android phone early in 2012 that will run on its new "4G" network. The HTC Raider 4G (or the HTC Holiday) may not be called as such in Australia, but the Telstra-exclusive device will be the first LTE-capable smartphone to be sold in Australia.

Read more about the HTC Raider 4G, and check out the full details about Telstra's commercial launch of 4G in Australia.

Whether or not Telstra and HTC will call the phone the Raider 4G in Australia is unknown. At the moment, South Korea is the only country to launch the phone under that name. However, a similar variant of the Android device is rumoured to be called the HTC Holiday for AT&T customers in the US. AT&T's LTE network runs on the 700MHz spectrum though, whereas Telstra's new 4G network uses the 1700MHz band.

What's more important than the Holiday/Raider 4G's official name is its specifications. The Android phone has a large 4.5in qHD touchscreen (540x960 pixels), a 1.5GHz dual core processor (1.2GHz on the US version), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory and an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash. It currently runs the Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" platform, though given its early 2012 release, we expect the Raider 4G to be sporting the latest Ice Cream Sandwich (likely to be 2.4) version of Android. This new version of Android is expected to launch before the end of this year.

In a brief hands-on with the phone at a private Telstra media briefing, we can also reveal the HTC Raider 4G/Holiday has an attractive gloss black finish on the front and a silver battery cover on the rear. In a nice design touch, the back of the HTC Raider 4G tapers inwards towards the edge of the phone, making it comfortable to hold.

There are no official specs for the Raider 4G's dimensions or weight, but we can confirm the phone feels pretty light given its footprint. It's also fairly thin: it won't rival the ultra-slim Samsung Galaxy S II, but its definitely thinner and lighter than chunky behemoths like the HTC EVO 3D.

Telstra commercially launched its newly branded "4G" Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in late September. Its best described as an LTE enablement of the Next G network. Though the 4G network will deliver faster uplink and downlink speeds and higher latency (meaning faster mobile Internet speeds), it will also reduce the strain on Telstra's Next G network.

In addition to the HTC Raider 4G/Holiday, Telstra has promised LTE tablets in first half of 2012, but provided no further details aside from saying most device manufacturers "have committed" to LTE.

Below is a video presentation of the HTC Raider 4G from South Korea.

The ladies phone - HTC Rhyme goes official...

HTC has finally announced Rhyme. It's a mid-range Android handset targeting the female smartphone users out there. The gadget was previously rumored as HTC Bliss and leaked numerous times inpictures, specs, spy shots, etc.

Despite the lack of surprise about it, the Rhyme still looks pretty sweet. It is based on the Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon (MSM8655 for Verizon) featuring a 1GHz single-core Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU and 768MB RAM. HTC Rhyme utilizes a 3.7-inch WVGA display and has 5 megapixel snapper with 720p camcorder, 4GB internal storage, 8GB pre-installed microSD card and the usual connectivity package.

    
HTC Rhyme

HTC Rhyme runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and comes with the latest Sense UI 3.5 on top of it. There is also the HTC Watch service for on-demand Hollywood movies streaming.

The most interesting part about the Rhyme is its retail package. It comes with a docking station, a "sports armband", a Bluetooth headset and a "Charm cable" that has a small cube, which lights up for incoming calls and messages. There is also a nice in-ear wired headset with music controls. All the accessories will come in the Rhyme color. The Verizon's Rhyme will come in "lavender", but we already saw a silver version too.

There is nothing mentioned about the previously rumored pouch. We guess it might be a market-dependent thing.

Update: HTC's event just ended, check out our hands-on impressions.

   
HTC Rhyme hands-on photos

The HTC Rhyme is hitting Verizon's network on September 29. Europe and Asian markets are going to get it in October. There is nothing on the price yet, but it shouldn’t be too expensive.

HTC Sensation XE takes the lead with 1.5GHz dual-core monster

HTC just announced the Sensation XE - the new monster gathering everything the company has to offer in a single shell. You get a 4.3-inch qHD S-LCD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel snapper, Beats Audio and the latest Android and Sense software.

The HTC Sensation XE is based on the same Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon chipset as the HTC Sensation, but has its dual-core CPU clocked at the much more impressive 1.5GHz. There's no change to the available ram (768 MB) or the GPU (Adreno 220), though. You also get the same software package - Android 2.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense 3.5 UI on top.

 
HTC Sensation XE

The HTC Sensation XE is the first smartphone to carry the Beats Audio logo in the Taiwanese company lineup. It will come with new Beats headset and some of the Beats audio magic under the hood, which should bring a dramatic improvement in the sonic experience.

  
HTC Sensation XE

Camera-wise the Sensation XE can offer 8 megapixel stills and 1080p video recording. There's also a dual LED flash and a front-facing VGA camera on board.

The HTC Sensation XE is pretty well set in terms of connectivity as well - quad-band GSM, dual-band 3G with HSPA support, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and FM radio. You also get a 3.5mm audio jack, an MHL-enabled microUSB port and a microSD card slot.

   
HTC Sensation XE

Just have in mind that the Sensation XE isn't the rumored Runnymede. Runnymede is supposed to come with a single-core processor, 4.7" WVGA screen and different design, so HTC has another large-screen'd device in the works that should be unveiled soon. We are hoping to see that one on the HTC event next, scheduled for next week.

HTC Sensation XE is expected in Q4 this year, but we've got no information on its pricing just yet.

Faster HTC Sensation with Beats tech on its way, specs inside

A new HTC Sensation is on its way with a faster Qualcomm 8260 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, internal storage has been upgraded to 4 gigs and finally it will have a beefier battery by some good 210 mAh (1.730 mAh in total).

The HTC Sensation with Beats by Dr. Dre audio technology will also ship with complimentary special edition headphones with remote control for faster music selection.

Here's a chart with more detailed specs on the new HTC Sensation.

The expected price for the device will be about $847, which is a bargain considering that a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones cost around $119.

There's no information on availability yet but we expect the device to be announced today at one of HTC's global events.

HTC Vigor reveals itself through couple of leaked images

The HTC Vigor that was previously leaked through benchmark scores has surfaced again and this time through a decent pair of pictures, showing the entire front and rear side.

From the looks of it the phone does look a bit similar to the HTC Incredible S, particularly from the back. Then again, all HTC phones look similar these days. On the front is a large touchscreen rumored to be 4.3-inch in size and having a resolution of 1280 x 720, if the benchmark results that leaked last time are to be believed. There is also a front video call camera on the top right and on the top left is what looks like could be the Verizon logo, being edited out. The touch sensitive buttons below the display don’t seem like they rotate the way they do on the Incredible S.

On the back see the camera lens of what could most likely be an 8 megapixel sensor with dual LED flash, surrounded by the tell-tale Verizon red ring. You can see the Vigor name clearly written on the sticker below but as with the first image it seems the DROID name has been edited out again. You can see the loudspeaker slot below along with a sign that says that the phone will have the HTC Sense UI.

On the hardware front the Vigor is expected to have a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with Adreno 220 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal memory and running on Android 2.3.4. It is also said to have the Beats Audio, the result of the recent alliance between HTC and the Beats by Dre brand.

All the signs suggest this is another one of the phones from Verizon’s DROID family but there could also be a GSM version, the Incredible HD, if you will. This is all we know for now though. More as it is discovered.

Official picture WP7 Mango running HTC Omega leaks

As we reported three days ago, HTC is hosting an event on September 1st (a day before the IFA kicks off in Berlin). HTC is supposed to announce the WP7 Mango-based Eternity and Omega on this event.

Today we have an official picture of HTC Omega. The smartphone looks like most other HTC handsets and has a white/silver paintjob.

HTC Eternity

HTC Omega is rumored to feature a 3.8-inch SLCD WVGA display, an 8 megapixel snapper with LED flash plus a 720p camcorder and should be based on Qualcomm's MSM8255 Snapdragon core with a 1.5GHz processor and 512MB RAM. As the rumors has it, the Omega might be just a codename and it's retail name may be HTC Radar.

September 1st is just around the corner when all the details about Omega and its high-end sibling Eternity will be cleared.

HTC Bliss

The current Rumor Land resident - the HTC Bliss has come out of the closet for a couple of new snapshots in the wild. This is the first time we get to see the device sporting a blur-free real-life look following the previous leak but we can only see the hardware exterior and none of that Sense 3.5 UI we're so hoping to check out.

The Bliss was previously only seen on blurry spy shots and on a mock up but we do have an idea what punch it will pack under its hood. It will have a single Qualcomm MSM7x30 800MHz processor with the Adreno 205 GPU and Android Gingerbread 2.3. The display was of unknown resolution and size but judging by the side-to-side picture with the Desire S we can safely assume it has the same 3.7-incher at the front. The resolution might be HVGA or WVGA.

As for the HTC Sense UI 3.5 we're itching to find out more. We could get a taste of it soon when one of HTC's events kicks in on September 1st in London.

The HTC Bliss is rumored to be a female-oriented device although it doesn't show by the pictures above. The previous leak showed it in cyan flavor so we could see it in different skins.