HTC has unveiled a new model in its range of Desire devices, that will apparently be released in Taiwan in the coming months. The Desire L has a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 display with a resolution of 800x480, Beats audio processing, and a design that takes a lot of cues from phones like the Desire X and One S.
The HTC Desire C prematurely spoiled by Vodafone Portugal is now official. The entry-level Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) handset offers users similar styling to the HTC One X and Beats Audio processing for between $200 and $250 off-contract. The Wildfire S successor will be powered by a 600MHz processor and will also offer NFC capabilities.
Sky's Go app has now gone live for Android users (free, Android Market), letting users of some Android phones with a Sky TV subscription access 22 live TV channels from the provider. The app can only be used in the UK or Ireland and will stream content over a 3G or Wi-Fi connection. Users can register up to two devices and watch TV simultaneously on both.
HTC had to backtrack on upgrade promises Thursday with a follow-up posting delaying most. Only the Sensation, Sensation 4G, and Sensation XE will get the new OS by the end of March. The Sensation XL would come soon afterwards, but the Amaze 4G, Desire HD, Desire S, Evo 3D, Evo Design 4G, Incredible S, Rezound, and Vivid would only get updates "later this year."
Telus' Optik IPTV service got much more control over non-traditional viewing on Tuesday. Optik TV for Xbox 360 takes advantage of the fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update to use the console as the set-top box, including for remote DVR viewing if there's a traditional DVR on the same network. The support includes full Kinect motion control.
The Wi-Fi security flaw present in some Android-powered HTC smartphones has been acknowledged by the manufacturer on its support page. When connected to Wi-Fi networks, hackers can take advantage of the flaw to gain security access credentials. The flaw was discovered by researchers Chris Hessing and Bret Jordan and would allow the details to be sent to a remote server on the Internet.
HTC has added six phones to its list of phones which support the vendor's bootloader unlock tool. With it, savvy users and developers can load a modified version of the Android OS firmware that gives them the interface or app control they wanted. The smartphones added to the compatibility list for the tool include the Aria, ChaCha and its Status counterpart, the Desire Z and its T-Mobile G2 equivalent, and the Droid Incredible.
HTC has finally made an Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) update available for its Desire smartphone. The company warns that it is a development version only and is advising general users against downloading it. The release also so far isn't compatible with Desire phones sold in North America, South Korea, and Japan, as well as phones sold in Germany by Telecom Deutschland.
HTC updated Desire owners Friday with news that the upgrade to Android 2.3 was moving faster than expected. Tests had "gone well" and would see the OS upgrade come before the end of July. HTC was quiet on which carrier models would get it first.
Skype after prolonged delays at last enabled video calling in its Android app (Android Market). The update allows two-way calls on certain devices with front cameras and will talk to any other Skype platform, including iOS devices as well as Macs and Windows PCs. It also touts a much easier interface with better access to contacts, account info, and a new mood menu to share status independently of any call.
The planned upgrade to Android 2.3 for the HTC Desire has been an "on again/off-again" story. Now the Gingerbread update appears to be back on again, as Australian wireless carrier Telstra has scheduled the software update for the Desire in August.
HTC in a fresh statement said that it would have to make compromises to fit the Desire's upgrade to Android 2.3. Memory was still a problem and would push the company to "cut select apps" to make it fit. The phone builder didn't say which but implied it would be pruning some of the less vital HTC Sense apps rather than anything from Google.
Sony gave its fledgling Qriocity music service a big though partial boost Wednesday by launching an Android app (free, Android Market). Its service gives both Internet radio and on-demand song or album streaming much as on the electronics giant's Blu-ray players, TVs, and the PS3. Listeners get all the sub-features, such as artist bios, PC sync, and personalized channels.
HTC in a Facebook update backpedaled on its earlier statement that it wouldn't upgrade the Desire to Android 2.3. The company said no more beyond that it was "going to bring Gingerbread" (Android 2.3) to the year-and-a-half-old smartphone. It didn't say how it planned to accomplish the feat or whether there would be any sacrifices.
HTC has finally admitted that it no longer plans to bring Android 2.3 to the company's Desire handset. In a Facebook post, a representative claimed engineering teams have been working to bring Gingerbread to the Desire "without compromising the HTC Sense Experience." The problems were blamed on insufficient memory, incapable of effectively running both Gingerbread and Sense concurrently.
HTC in a pair of updates on Twitter said that only some of its new Sense 3.0 interface would work on older phones. Only its newest and fastest devices, like the Evo 3D, Evo View 4G, Flyer, and Sensation, will get the fully customized home and lock screens. HTC was planning on including those features in the new version of Sense that would work on the older devices.
HTC on Friday said it had a banner first quarter of 2011 after its profit tripled compared to a year ago. Its net profit grew about three times to $513 million. The company declined to say how many phones it had actually shipped, but it had predicted in January that it would deliver 8.5 million devices between then and the end of March.
An HTC spokesperson recently told SlashGear that the Desire HD, Desire Z, Desire and Incredible S will get a software update to Android 2.3 this spring. The Desire is the oldest handset, and this latest news should be good for owners, as the device was earlier said to get the update later than the spring and after the Desire S launches.
The HTC Desire S, just launched at the World Mobile Congress is already up for pre-order on the Amazon UK website. According to the posting the phone will be released on April 18 in the UK market. The new device is powered by a 1GHz single-core, but second generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and will ship with Android 2.4.
Among the slew of new devices launched by HTC today as part of their World Mobile Congress presentation were revamped versions of the HTC Incredible, Wildfire and Desire, which have now been given the “S” treatment. The new HTC Desire S and Incredible S are HTC’s flagship Android devices, while the HTC Wildfire S is its entry-level variant. Both the new Desire S and Incredible S are now powered by a second-generation 1Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 system-on-a-chip (SoC) paired with an Adreno 205 GPU.
What's likely to become the HTC Desire 2 has been seen in a leak from Taiwan. The recently seen flagship is now known to match up with earlier renders and cosmetically resembles a smaller Desire HD or Thunderbolt, including a front camera. The Mobile01 poster didn't show it running but said it was using Android 2.2.1 with Sense, hinting that HTC might not be ready with 2.3.
The HTC Desire 2 smartphone has been uncovered in Vodafone Germany's inventory system. The Android phone seen by HTCInside could be the new flagship device leaked earlier and shown below. The handset's most obvious improvement on HTC's most popular Android phone would be the addition of a front-facing camera.
GPS device maker TomTom and smartphone producer HTC have announced on Wednesday a collaboration that will bring the former's mapping software to HTC hardware. As such, the HTC Locations app will be preloaded onto smartphones throughout Europe and Asia. It is already and initially available on the Desire HD and Desire Z.
HTC today switched on HTCSense.com, its online service for its smartphone owners. The service closely follows the path set by Apple's MobileMe, as embers can locate their phone and remotely wipe it if they suspect it's been stolen or permanently lost. It builds on the formula by using two-way interaction, such as checking messages remotely or using Android 2.2's "intent" support to push mapping directions directly to a phone.
The HTC Legend and Desire will soon be available in Europe in black and white, respectively. The new models are due later in October and the official color names are phantom black and brilliant white. This marks the first time a white Desire will be sold, or an all-black Legend. HTC said major European carriers will sell the handsets, but did not specify names.
T-Mobile lived up to a last-minute note and started taking preorders for the G2. Current subscribers can order the phone online or at retail up until October 4 to guarantee they will get the Android slider on the October 6 launch for the wider public. The phone costs $200 on a contract or $500 without.
An escaped T-Mobile memo tonight has given away that T-Mobile will start taking preorders for the G2 on Friday, September 24. The TmoNews scoop has the network taking preorders online, in stores and through upgrades from tomorrow through to October 4. As inadvertently confirmed earlier, the actual launch will take place two days later, on October 6.
Some clues in the form of leaked MMS XML templates may reveal what HTC will unveil at a press conference scheduled for September 15 in London. According to TheUnwired, it may bring out the Desire HD and Desire Z smartphones. The new leaks confirm that both will share an 800x480 resolution for their touchscreens and that the HD will be a touch-only device.
US Cellular has acted on its promise to ship the HTC Desire smartphone on Friday. The carrier is the first in the US to offer the Android 2.1-powered device, which sports a 3.7-inch, 800x480 LCD touchscreen (versus the AMOLED of early versions) along with a five-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash.
With a slew of HTC handsets getting Android 2.2 in the coming days, including the Evo 4G today, the latest news has the HTC Desire getting the software update tomorrow, July 31. HTC said the update will begin appearing in European Desires, and will include the latest edition of Sense UI as well. Desires will now support capturing 720p resolution videos, HTC's App Share widget and HTC Caller ID.
T-Mobile UK has reduced pricing for its version of the HTC Desire in response to the release of the iPhone 4. There are two new contracts for the Desire, with the first composed of 100 minutes, 100 text messages and 3GB of data for the equivalent of $30 per month. At this level, the phone needs to be purchased for $55. The other plan consists of 600 minutes, 500 texts and 3GB of data for $38 per month and a $76 purchase price.
