HTC has created an upgraded version of one of its handsets for Taiwan. The One S Special Edition has a new white case, and comes with Android Jelly Bean preloaded onto its 64GB of storage space, though other specifications reveal it to have most of the same internals as a normal One S.
HTC has revealed its schedule for updating some of its handsets to Jelly Bean later this year. Previously, the company confirmed that part of its One series of handsets will receive the Android 4.1 update, with some software changes found in the newly announced One X+ also being included in the release.
A web page from Australian provider Telstra indicates that HTC is preparing and update for its One XL and One S smartphones. It would be Android 4.1, though no dates are yet available, with the idea being that the provider has received the software and is now testing it. Exactly how long the carrier will take to approve and/or modify the software remains to be seen.
HTC has posted yet another weak quarterly result (pdf) with profits down nearly 58 percent compared to the same period last year. It follows a precipitous plunge in profit of 70 percent that it recorded in Q1 this year, after Samsung’s Galaxy S II overshadowed its 2011 product range. Worryingly for HTC, its new and critically well-received One-series line-up seems to have done little to turn the company around in the face of the Samsung onslaught led by the Galaxy S II and S III.
The specs of an upcoming handset, the HTC Ville C, have been spotted by BriefMobile. They reveal a version of the HTC One S (shown) that is reported to be less costly, mainly thanks to its Snapdragon S3 processor rather than the S4 in the One S. It's being billed as ultra-slim, though exactly how thin isn't known.
T-Mobile as promised has started selling the HTC One S. The first HTC One series phone in the US comes only in Gradient Blue and costs $200 on a contract, albeit only after a $50 rebate. Buyers can opt for it $600 contract-free.
HTC has forecast a 55 percent jump in revenue for the second quarter of 2012. The upbeat outlook hints at a strong consumer response to its new line of One-series smartphones. The news is a positive sign that it has regained a competitive footing as it seeks to regain lost ground to Samsung and Apple over the past two quarters.
The coming months will see the arrival of at least one HTC smartphone on Virgin Mobile Canada, with the carrier's website now sporting a page advertising the coming of the HTC One S. Meanwhile, the HTC Evo 4G LTE may show up on Sprint's network in mid-May.
Verizon itself inadvertently confirmed the new Droid Incredible through a product page (since pulled) on its own Droid Does website. Now known to be called the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, the phone is now known to be a heavily modified take on the One S. While the shrink to a four-inch LCD and an underclocked 1.2GHz Snapdragon were known, it should have the dedicated ImageSense processing chip of the One series to get the burst shooting and faster response times.
HTC's Freqs event in Seattle on Thursday saw it reveal a handful of surprise details that also saw it weigh in on phone technology. Product strategy VP Bjorn Kilburn revealed that customers in a study, when pressed, preferred having a thinner phone over getting more battery life. Battery life was still an issue, but it had led to phones like the 0.31-inch One S instead of a planned thicker phone with a 3,000mAh battery pack.
HTC's market challenges have seen it lose more than half of its share of online usage, Chitika found in a new study. Its traffic on Chitika's relatively large ad network has dropped 60 percent in the space of five months, down to 7.3 percent of the total in March. While only representative of Chitika's share, it contrasted with Apple's gain in the same space of time, where it leapt from 46.8 percent in October to 76.9 percent in March.
Spotify on Thursday addressed complaints over its Android app with a new preview version of its remake. The new version is completely remade and designed explicitly to support Android 4.0 phones like the Galaxy Nexus or One X. The UI change brings swipe-based navigation columns, extra-large artist artwork, and a Facebook-style slide-out menu.
T-Mobile on Wednesdya officially launched the HTC One S. The middle tier of HTC's reborn Android line is due April 25 and will cost $200 on a two-year contract, or $600 contract-free. The phone's signature durable-yet-soft micro arc oxidation will be available on at least one model, which T-Mobile badges as Gradient Blue.
Google gave the Chrome for Android beta a major update (Google Play) Tuesday that filled in key gaps in the otherwise advanced browser. Like the stock Android 4.0 browser, Chrome can now ask for the desktop version of a page if the mobile version is either undesirable or doesn't work. Address a feature that's been on iOS devices for years, Google now lets users add bookmarks as shortcuts on the Android home screen.
HTC has promised an "immediate fix" for a number of One S handsets that have reportedly suffered damage to the unique coating material. Posts on XDA-Developers show several handsets bearing their aluminum base metal in certain areas, rather than the layer of "microarc oxidization."
T-Mobile erased suspicions of an upcoming HTC One S launch Wednesday by sending invitations to the media for an introductory event on April 18. The evening event will include music from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and is explicitly intended to give hands-on time with the T-Mobile version of the Android 4.0 headliner. Internal leaks have had the phone shipping exactly a week later, on April 25.
Google has posted a Chrome 19 beta that answers a common call for fast access to tabs across devices. Signing in on the same Google account both on a desktop and an Android device running Chrome for Android will give either device access to whatever tabs happen to be open on that device at that moment. The approach makes it easy to continue reading an article from an Android phone or to check directions that were just on the desktop.
HTC's One S got clues it was much closer to release after leaks of internal staff training. Material passed on to TmoNews have it selling the phone on April 25, which is likely "Final" barring a delay. The copies mostly recap features, but also position the One S as one of if not the most important phone T-Mobile will have for the spring.
The HTC One Sfor T-Mobile has surfaced undergoing benchmark testing and the results are impressive. Its dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (Krait) processor shows a result that it is more than twice as fast as the Samsung dual-core Exynos processor at the heart of the Galaxy Nexus in its Quadrant score. Where the Galaxy Nexus scores around 2,000 on the benchmark, the HTC One S pushes past 4,000 giving it the crown, alongside its similarly powered sibling, the HTC One X.
HTC in an interview Friday said it won't pack in Beats Audio's earbuds or other headphones with at least some of its smartphones from now on. Product executive Martin Fichter briefed CNET that, while the on-device Beats Audio processing would stay, ordinary headphones at most would come in the box with models like the Evo 4G LTE and One series. Customers weren't buying for the headphones and thus didn't justify the extra cost.
HTC’s Q1 2012 unaudited results are in (pdf) and they don’t make pleasant reading. The company has revealed that its profits have slumped a massive 70 percent year-over-year on revenues down 35 percent. The result continues a downward trend that started in the second half of 2011 as the once leading Android smartphone vendor bled sales, largely due to the popularity of Samsung’s 2011 Galaxy line-up.
Later this month, Dropbox plans on launching a promotion giving HTC phone owners with devices that include the HTC Sense 4.0 app 23GB of online storage free for two years. Some industrious individuals found a work around that would let anybody, whether or not they owned such a phone, to leverage the deal. Dropbox has now issued an advisory that it is on to the scheme, and anybody who signed up for the storage in this manner will soon find themselves without it.
HTC triggered parallels with Apple's well-known iPhone 4 prototype leak in the past week after it shut down French site HTC-Hub. The phone designer claimed that the news outlet had bought a stolen One S prototype and had allegedly refused to hand it over after multiple attempts to get in contact. The company went so far as to turn to the President of Paris' Tribunal de Grande Instance (superior court) to order seizure under claims that it "must protect its intellectual property."
Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible 4G may be closer to hiting the market. Android Central has posted an internal advisory letting its employees know that pricing for the phone, also called the ADR 6410, will be updated on its MAP (minimum advertised price) system prior to the launch date. Specifics of the actual pricing and availability weren't posted.
HTC's One S and One X have gone on sale early in Europe. Dual discoveries stemming from BestBoyZ and The Unwired have shown that Germany's Media Markt is carrying either Android 4.0 phone days ahead of the official April 2 date. The sales are cleared by HTC, although prices are slightly higher for the One S at 519 euros (normally 499) and lower for the One X at 579 euros (instead of 599).
The leak mid-Thursday. An online document from TmoNews has the One S appearing on April 22. The Sunday release is unusual, and could just refer to availability starting that coming week, but suggested T-Mobile might be the first with an HTC One series in the country.
HTC on Thursday set out the first launches of the One X, One S, and One V outside of Taiwan. Austria, Germany, and Switzerland will all get the Android 4.0 centerpiece phones on April 2. Prices for the One X, One S, and One V will come in at 599 euros (719 Swiss francs), 499 euros (599 francs), and 299 euros (349 francs).
The FCC has just approved a handset it calls the HTC PJ40110, which is widely expected to be the One S meant for T-Mobile. The model number for the global version of the One S is PJ40100, which is close to the one tested. It sports an AWS 3G radio and supports the same 850/1900 3G bands as AT&T.
HTC has introduced a wireless streaming adapter, the Media Link HD, and a car stereo accessory that are designed to work with the company's latest smartphones. The device, which received a quick mention at HTC's press conference at Mobile World Congress, enables users to stream video directly from their handset to a TV or other display without using an HDMI cable.
Some companies are focusing solely on flagship devices this week at Mobile World Congress, but HTC has introduced a trio of devices that run the gamut from entry-level to top-tier. The One S fits directly in the middle of the series, bringing a midrange set of hardware features and a midsize build that fits between the flagship One X and the smaller One V.
The first photos of what is said to be the HTC One X smartphone have been shared online by online. While they differ slightly from the image that surfaced yesterday of allegedly the same phone, the overall shape and design is fairly close. The source also confirmed from a tipster that the phone will have a 4.7-inch touchscreen, eight-megapixel camera, and a microSIM card slot.
The first image of the upcoming HTC One X smartphone has now been shared online by PocketNow. The phone, previously known as the Endeavor and Edge, will be a flagship device, said to be sporting a quad-core Tegra 3 chip and large, 4.7-inch HD touchscreen. It should ship with Android 4.0 onboard and be one of the first to have HTC's Sense 4.0 skin.
HTC has dropped hint that it officially may be announcing five new devices at its Mobile World Congress event on Sunday. The phone maker has popped the silhouette of a handset on its Facebook wall with the number five emblazoned across its screen. Below, HTC offers the cryptic message that "this Sunday you’ll discover something fast."
HTC's One X and One S could be joined by two more phones in a more streamlined lineup if leaks bear results. The One V described by Pocket-lint would be the final name of the Primo and amount to a drop-in replacement for the Rhyme, albeit without the single-gender bias. It would keep the 3.7-inch display, a five-megapixel camera, and a 1GHz processor that would still be just fast enough to record 720p video.
HTC's future Tegra 3-powered smartphone may soon shed its Endeavor codename for the final One X moniker, PocketNow believes. Its original codename was Edge, and the phone was expected to launch as the Supreme. A subcontractor is said to have reserved a Danish domain name htc-one-x.dk.
