Category: HTC

HTC Desire 500 Available Online for 21490 INR

HTC has finally launched its latest smartphone in India, the Desire 500 is now available for 21490 INR in India. The HTC Desire 500 will be available in stores starting wednesday.

The HTC Desire 500 is powered by a Quad-Core 1.2 GHz processor along wth a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset. The device has a 1 GB of RAM along with a 4 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable via Micro SD. Desire 500 sports a a 4.3 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The device features a 8 MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.6 MP front facing camera. HTC Desire 500 is capable of recording at 720p and also features Beats Audio.

The Desire 500 is packed with a 1800 mAh battery, the device runs on Android 4.2 with Sense 5.0. The phone measures 131.8 x 66.9 x 9.9mm and weighs 123 grams

[via]

October 9, 2013
HTC One Max Leaks With US Carrier Verizon’s Branding

A fresh batch of leaked photos depict the still unannounced HTC One Max yet again, and this time it comes with US telecom carrier Verizon’s logo.

The two photographs, which appeared on Android Central’s forum, show the super-sized Max with a Verizon logo on the front. The person who posted them, Jeremy Kessous, claims that his friend works for Verizon and therefore has had access to the new phone.

The Verizon employee who took the photos also says that the oversized smartphone has a fingerprint scanner and a removable back cover to get to the battery and other goodies. It’s been rumored that the HTC One Max would have a fingerprint sensor, and we keep hearing more confirmations that it indeed does have one.

Rumored features include a Snapdragon 800 processor, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, a large 3,300mAh battery, 2GB of RAM and a big 5.9-inch screen with a full 1080p resolution.

Of course, all availability and pricing details of the One Max are still up in the air, so we’ll have to wait for HTC to finally reveal the device to the world, all in its own sweet time.

We’re hoping HTC’s supply chain issues have been sorted by now as the company hasn’t had a great 2013 so far.

October 7, 2013
Microsoft and HTC in Talks to Put Windows on Android Phones

After buying Nokia’s windows devices, the Lumia range and services business, it seems that Microsoft is now planning to grow the windows phone market.

As reported by Bloomberg, Microsoft is talking to HTC about adding its Windows operating system to HTC’s Android-based smartphones at little or no cost, people with knowledge of the matter said, evidence of the software maker’s struggle to gain ground in the mobile market.

The report also claims Microsoft operating systems chief Terry Myerson discussed lowering the license fee or dropping it entirely as an incentive. The sources is not clear on whether the devices might run both operating systems at once, or let users choose just one. Terry Myerson was planning to visit Asia this month and meet with senior executives at Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC to discuss his proposal, as per the source.

October 4, 2013
HTC Butterfly 2 Images Leaked, New Colors and Bigger Display

The HTC Butterfly 2 shows a glimpse with the recent images online, the leaked pictures of the device shows three colors white, blue and black.

The images also show the device to be tall which can mean a bigger display, if rumors are to be believed this alleged device could come with a 5.2-inch screen and the HTC Butterfly 2 will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

HTC launched an upgrade to its original Butterfly, called the Butterfly S and now rumors suggest the next device will be known as the Butterfly 2. The HTC Butterfly 2 is expected to be available by January 2014. However, while you wait for this device to come up soon, you can watch are unboxing for the HTC Butterfly S by clicking here.

October 1, 2013
HTC Desire 500 Dual SIM With 4.3 Inch Screen Now Listed Online

The HTC Desire 500 is listed online in few websites but is still not listed in the company’s website for India. However, the HTC Desire 500 is available for pre-order on Snapdeal, website notes that the device will be released in the first week of October. The HTC Desire 500 has also been listed on Flipkart and shows coming soon.

The HTC Desire 500 has a Quad-Core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor along with a 1 GB of RAM and comes with a 4 GB of inbuilt storage which can be expanded to 64 GB via Micro SD. The device features a 4.3 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. HTC Desire 500 sports a 8 MP(BSI Sensor) main camera with LED flash and has a 1.6 MP(BSI Sensor) secondary camera. The device is also capable of 720p video capture.

The dimensions of the phone are 131.8 x 66.9 x9.9 mm and the device weighs 123 grams. The Desire 500 comes with a 1800 mAh battery and runs on Android 4.2 with Sense 5.0 and BlikFeed.

September 30, 2013
Report : Beats Audio To Buy Out Remaining HTC Stake For $265 Million

Reports are coming in that HTC is indeed about to sell its stake back to Beats. In 2010, HTC owned 50 percent of Beats, before selling half last year for $150 million. The remaining 25 percent has increased in price considerably since then, as the new deal will close at $265 million.

It seems that Beats has already taken on a new partner in the form of Carlyle Group, which is said to be investing $500 million into Beat’s expansion efforts.

“We are confident that Beats will continue to drive innovation and growth in the premium audio accessory market, particularly as the proliferation of smart phones and tablets stimulate increased consumption of digital media,” Sandra Horbach, a managing director at Carlyle, said in a statement.

Now that the partnership is ending, Beats is free to continue down the path of pushing its Beats audio technology into other products including in-car dashes, HP computers and – of course- its premium headphone line. For HTC, it means a pretty hefty cash infusion that can help the company can (hopefully) use to further facilitate growth and recovery after years of struggle.

Founded in 2006 by rapper Dr. Dre and Iovine, chairman of music label Interscope, Beats has come to dominate the market for pricey headphones. According to the NPD Group, Beats has grabbed more than 60 percent of the U.S. market for headphones costing more than $100. Its signature headsets retail for between $200 and $400.

September 28, 2013
HTC One Gets Android 4.3 Update Along With Improved Low-Light Camera Performance

The owners of the HTC One should now have access to an Android 4.3 update, the update is available globally throughout all HTC One phones. Not in India, but if anyone of you have a carrier-issued HTC One (on contract) the Android update will still be available but after 30th of September.

This update for the HTC One not only brought the device to the latest version of Android but also improved the camera performance, according to Android Highlights, improvements include a battery charging percentage indicator, improved low-light camera performance, Sense 5 enhancements and increased stability in the overall device.

You can check the update option to see if your device is eligible yet. However, the Android 4.3 update for Samsung’s S3 and Note 2 is still not in the picture.

September 28, 2013
HTC Facing One Mini Casing Shortage

The HTC One mini was announced earlier this year, but it seems that HTC might be running into some issues with regards to the production of the casings for the handset, which some believe has led to poor third quarter sales for the company.

According to Reuters, HTC is facing a One Mini casing shortage – reportedly linked to “design difficulties. HTC experienced a similar issue with the full-sized HTC One earlier this year. Back in March, the company couldn’t procure enough camera sensors and metal frames for the device, which ended up launching later than expected. That delay meant HTC couldn’t get a sales jump on the then-upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4.

If you’re thinking that HTC has to ship millions of One Mini units, and that’s why it can’t produce enough of them, it’s not: some analysts estimate that only around 200,000 units are being shipped monthly.

The third quarter of the year ends next week, with the report expected in October, so we’ll see just how bad of a time HTC is actually having.

[Via]

September 24, 2013
HTC Butterfly S Unboxing and Initial Review

A revamp of the HTC Butterfly, the new HTC Butterfly S builds along the same design strategy but adding features from HTC’s popular HTC ONE.

Curved to fit in the hand the new HTC Butterfly S has been splashed with a metallic finish making it resemble a “car paint job”. The color options for the handset are also not limited to two like last year, this year they include a white, a metal grey and a glossy red.

The HTC Butterfly S is packed with a lot of exciting elements including a 3200 mAh battery, a Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600 chipset with a Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 CPU and the Adreno 320 GPU. The front has a beautiful IPS LCD 3 display of a 5 inch size and a full HD 1920 x1080p resolution and a layer of Gorilla Glass 3. The design and the materials used in the construction of the HTC Butterfly S show to a great extent what the thought process of the company is when they are building a handset. The HTC Butterfly S is not only functional but looks really good.

The new HTC Sense 5.0 on top of Android 4.2.2 improves on the Blinkfeed experience as well as the Camera features, including enhanced ZOE file management amang many other improvements.

September 20, 2013
HTC Butterfly gets Android 4.2.2 upgrade

The HTC Butterfly is ready to get the Android 4.2.2 update according to the company. The phone was released in late January in India, is now getting the firmware update along with the updated HTC Sense 5.0 UI.

The sense 5.0 will bring the BlinkFeed homescreen, first seen on the HTC One. The company confirmed the news on Twitter, saying, “Upgrade to the BlinkFeed on your HTC Butterfly! Android 4.2.2 is out now. Announcements for other handsets to come soon.” Which further hints that other devices can get update soon.

The Android 4.2.2 and HTC Sense 5.0 UI update will also add some other features, like a new gallery layout, new camera apps, automatic video highlights and improved battery endurance.

September 20, 2013
Rumour : HTC One Max Will Rival iPhone 5S With Fingerprint Sensor

The HTC One Max is coming — this is known — but whether it will have a few features to differentiate it from the growing line of jumbo Android devices remains to be seen.

In a recently-leaked photo, the HTC One Max appears to have a fingerprint reader around back, underneath the UltraPixel camera sensor. It’s unclear whether it will perform similarly to that of the iPhone 5s, or even the Motorola Atrix, which debuted in 2011, but that it is becoming a trend is clear.

In the midst of Apple unveiling it’s iPhone 5S, which features a fingerprint scanner, the stakes are suddenly higher for several competitor manufactures for whom fingerprint scanner rumors have circulated for months. Notably, many other rumored fingerprint scanners appear to be in different locations on their devices. The fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5S can be found superimposed into the power button on the device, while the supposed fingerprint scanner on the HTC One is located on the back panel.

Based on rumors, HTC One Max will feature a 5.9-inch full HD display sporting a resolution of 1080 x 1920, quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset with a clock speed of 2.3GHz, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with a microSD card slot, a massive 3,300 mAh battery and an UltraPixel camera on the back. On the software side, the purported HTC One Max will run Android 4.3 out of the box.

[Via]

September 17, 2013
HTC Corp. (US) Confirms Job Cuts

HTC Corp. has terminated more than two dozen jobs at its U.S. offices on Friday. The company said in a statement that the cuts were a decisive action by HTC Corp (US) to streamline and optimize our organization and improve efficiencies after several years of aggressive growth.

The specific number is not given, but as per source familiar with the situation said that about 30 positions were eliminated. It seems that the company is doing everything that is required to boost up the growth, as the company’s ‘Here’s The Change’ promotional campaign is also to its peak.

The official statement given by the company:

Today’s reduction in force is a decisive action by HTC Corp (US) to streamline and optimize our organization and improve efficiencies after several years of aggressive growth. Realigning its human resources against key strategic initiatives will help HTC more effectively advance into a new stage of growth and innovation. This is a hard decision that has direct impact on people who have contributed to the growth HTC has experienced the past several years. However, to achieve our long-term goals as a business and return maximum value to our shareholders, this is a necessary step to drive ongoing innovation, ensure our ability to create strong products like the HTC One, and forge strong customer relationships that solidify our future. HTC is proud of its employees and has a track record of hiring the best and brightest; we continue to hire in strategic areas and encourage impacted employees to apply for open positions that are a fit for their skills.

September 16, 2013
HTC One Makes an Appearance in Gold

We recently witnessed Apple unveil the new iPhone 5s in a new Gold color variant, earlier this week. It now appears that another flagship smartphone is all set to join the Gold league that was kicked off by Apple.

HTC’s flagship, the Full HD screen phone has been spotted in a Gold colour. The leaked images have been posted by the Chinese forum Weibo. The leaked images show the front and rear chassis of the HTC One Gold model. However, the parts from the rear panel are missing in the images. The site does not reveal any additional details related to the alleged HTC One Gold variant.

Originally the HTC One was launched in two colour variants, Black and Silver. Soon, the company showcased a ‘Glamour Red’ version of the device. The Glamour Red variant of HTC One was offered initially in the UK.

Recently, HTC announced a new colour option for the HTC One, dubbed as Vivid Blue which joined the three existing colour options – Black, Silver and Red. Recently, it was announced that the HTC One will get Android 4.3 by the end of September.

[via]

September 13, 2013
HTC BoomBass : A Bluetooth Subwoofer With NFC

With its dual front-facing speakers, the HTC One smartphone already provides some of the best noise you’ll get from a phone. If that’s not quite enough for you then check out the BoomBass.

The HTC BoomBass is a little device that measures 64mm³ but can supercharge the sound coming from your aluminium-shod phone.

It’s a rubberised unit, with the bottom layer a natty orange/red colour, sitting underneath a grey section. The lower area actually slides out to provide a dock for your HTC One, finally giving a proper area to watch your visualisations and sing along with the lyrics if you’re that way inclined.

It does as its name suggests and only delivers the low bass frequencies to help give a better overall sound when used in conjunction with the aforementioned dual speakers.

It has a built-in battery, so won’t drain your phone’s, and has been designed to slide out so that the phone can be popped on top, making it a sort of mini dock.

Pairing is simple enough, achieved via NFC, and the low frequencies are sent from your phone to the BoomBass using Bluetooth 3.0.

Supplying a discrete subwoofer and nothing more is a bit interesting, since HTC already has the Beats Pill accessory which works well. Pricing and availability are yet to be revealed.

[toggle title=”Press Release”]Boosting the bass for HTC One
In the HTC One, HTC redefined the smartphone sound experience with HTC BoomSound and has now raised the bar again with the introduction of a new accessory for the HTC One family. HTC BoomBass, a compact, Bluetooth-enabled subwoofer with a dedicated amplifier, provides clearer, more powerful bass when combined with the HTC Onefamily’s BoomSound. The subwoofer enables HTC BoomSound’s speakers to produce enhanced quality of lower range frequencies so, no matter what music you’re playing or video you’re watching, you are guaranteed immense and exceptional sound that can travel with you.[/toggle]

Featured image via TheNextWeb.

September 3, 2013
HTC Zara is HTC ‘Desire 601’

HTC Zara, the mid-range smartphone that has been in the rumor mills for some time, has again been spotted, but this time is said to hold the Desire 601 Moniker.

Earlier, evleaks revealed the design of the device under its codename HTC Zara. The leaked image showed the front and rear panel of the yet to be announced mid-range smartphone, alongside its specifications. The HTC Zara is said to have a 4.5-inch qHD screen (960×540 pixels), a dual-core 1.2Ghz Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, an UltraPixel camera, a 2100 mAh battery. Android 4.3 with sense 5.5.

Now, evleaks with a recent tweet has claimed that the HTC Zara will be officially called as HTC Desire 601. Which makes this device as the successor to the already available HTC Desire 600 a dual-SIM smartphone available for 25,500(approx.).

While this device is said to be a budget device, keeping in mind the price of the Desire 600 this seems a little difficult to fit in the category of budget devices. However, pricing and availability is not yet disclosed.

[via]

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