As expected, HTC announced its lineup of Windows Phone 8 handsets at its New York event this morning. Dubbed the “Windows Phone 8S by HTC” and the “Windows Phone 8X by HTC,” these devices are designed to go up against the impressive offering from Nokia and Samsung. Best of all, HTC provided attendees with a firmer launch window – November – and promised that both devices will be available on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as more than 150 mobile operators in over 50 countries.
T-Mobile will reportedly join the HTC One X family this fall with the release of the HTC One X+, a modified version of the AT&T and Sprint’s handset. Most of the details surrounding the device are under wraps, but the going rumor is that the One X+’s mathematical suffix comes from NVIDIA’s Tegra 3+ 1.7GHz quad-core processor. The Tegra 3+ has had some issues running on LTE networks, but T-Mobile doesn’t have to worry about that problem at this point.
The device is almost certain to include a great camera and Beats Audio technology – hallmarks of the One series. The OS, however, is up for debate. Some sources claim that it will run a stock version of Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” – in other words, no HTC Sense or Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” – while others believe that it will come with Jelly Bean and a modified version of Sense. Either way, it should be a great device.
[TmoNews via Pocketables]
Windows Phone 8 has only been official for a single day, but information about the first wave of handsets from Huawei and HTC has already begun to surface. Huawei, a newcomer to Windows Phone, has decided to get ahead of the curve and announce an unnamed Windows Phone 8 handset carrying the company’s Ascend branding. It will, of course, be a “best-in-class smartphone.” The device will initially launch in the US, Europe, and China, with other markets to follow later on.
On the flipside, the specs for three of HTC’s third-generation Windows Phone handsets have already been leaked. The HTC “Rio” is somewhat similar to existing Windows Phone 7.5 devices, thanks to its 4-inch WVGA display, 5MP camera with 720p video, 512MB of RAM, and 14.4Mbps HSPA network speeds. It will, however, include a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8227) processor. The HTC “Accord” is a step up, sporting a 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD 2, 8MP camera with 1080p, 1GB of RAM, and 42Mbps HSPA+ network speeds. It will also be one of the first devices to include NFC and a dual-core processor (which The Verge’s sources believe could be a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260A). Finally, the HTC “Zenith” improves upon the “Accord” with a 4.7-inch screen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. The first two devices are expected to be available in October, followed by the release of the “Zenith” during the fourth quarter of 2012.
Ah, the joys of patent disputes—more like the terrors. But reason has won out—at least for now—with HTC being allowed to once again import Android devices, probably most importantly the HTC One X on AT&T. The One X will be back on shelves this Sunday.
If you will harken back to mid-April, you will recall Apple winning a patent dispute ruling against HTC, banning it from importing any of its Android smartphones. The ban went into effect on April 19, and by mid-May the One X was running out of stock nationwide. While I’m sure there will still be supply issues, HTC’s flagship will be back on sale in AT&T’s retail stores this Sunday, April 10. Availability at other locations has not been specifically announced.
The Samsung Focus 2 is now available on AT&T for $49.99, prompting some retail stores to lower the price of the high-end HTC Titan II to $149.99. Unfortunately, the Titan II’s lower pricing isn’t available everywhere, and AT&T’s website still displays the $199.99 price tag.
Announced just two weeks ago–but rumored for much, much longer–the Focus 2 is Samsung’s first Windows Phone to feature 4G LTE. The phone tries to find a balance between specs and pricing, sporting a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 5MP camera which is supposedly much better than the one on the original Focus, 8GB of internal memory, and a front-facing VGA camera. The white body with silver highlights is also very stylish. If a two-year contract isn’t your thing, you can pick up the device for $399.99.
With the release of the Samsung Focus 2, all three of Windows Phone’s biggest partners have a 4G LTE-equipped device on the market.
When Windows Phone first launched in the US in November 2010, customers had the option of choosing between one of three devices: the Samsung Focus, the HTC Surround, and the LG Quantum. The Focus was clearly the favorite, but just how popular was it?
In Episode 83 of the Platform Biased podcast, Microsoft Studios’ Dan Smith reveals the sales breakdown for the first generation Windows Phone handsets. Unsurprisingly, the Focus was the clear frontrunner. The device accounted for around 90% of Windows Phones sold, followed by the Quantum at about 8% and the Surround at approximately 2%.
The stats are revealed just after the 30 minute mark, but the rest of the discussion is fascinating as well, especially if you’re interested in how Windows Phone games are tested. Microsoft can take any phone off of the shelf, flash it with special firmware allowing it to access the internal Xbox LIVE service known as PartnerNet, and then side-load the game’s XAP. Smith also praised the Focus’ hardware, which can still run anything Microsoft’s testers throw at it.
Update: As one of our readers pointed out, it should be noted that these figures apply solely to AT&T’s initial offering. The Dell Venue Pro and T-Mobile’s HTC HD7 aren’t included either, and CDMA carriers Sprint and Verizon didn’t offer devices until much later. We’re not sure why Smith didn’t include the other devices/carriers in the breakdown, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they only accounted for a small portion of the overall sales.
Normally we try to avoid rumors here, mostly due to the fact that they often turn up as busts. But every once in a while, a leak comes along that is so solid it’s virtually unavoidable. For an extremely brief amount of time recently, typing in www.droiddoes.com/droidincredible4g would take you to a product page for the rumored—but unannounced—HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE for Verizon. Verizon and HTC have both failed to provide us with an announcement or confirmation of any kind, but considering that this is from the official Droid portal, I think it’s safe to say that we will be seeing it out soon.
No release date was given, but a “buy it now” button was prominently featured, so it is reasonable to expect it soon. Pricing was set at $299.99—Verizon’s highest on-contract smartphone price point—and the specs provided point to a kissing cousin of the top of HTC’s One line. The screen is a 4-inch qHD Super LCD beauty, most likely covered in Gorilla Glass. The dual-core processor clocks in at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM is onboard, as are 8GB of internal storage, an 8MP camera—likely the high-end hardware from the One series—and the usual remaining assembly of accoutrements. HTC’s Sense 4.0 was listed, so obviously this is a Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phone, albeit with heavy HTC customizations.
Personally, from what I’ve seen, I’d prefer a HTC One X. But that, sadly, cannot be had on Verizon’s LTE, so what is a guy to do? Hope that this phone does share camera and processor types with the One X, and scrounge for a way to pay for it, that’s what! Though I’m not sure if it’s enough to dethrone Big Red’s LTE kings, the Nexus and the RAZR MAXX.
[BGR]
The HTC One X—one phone to rule them all…or something like that. When HTC announced its One line, I thought it was a good move, but when HTC detailed the One X, I thought it was a great move. And now the great move is coming to a store near you. Starting May 6—that’s 17 days, for those of us who are counting—US customers will be able to pick one up, loaded with AT&T LTE, HSPA+, Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), and one heck of a processor for only $199.99.
I say “only” $199.99—that’s on-contract, by the way, the off-contract version is likely to set your wallet on fire, as per usual—because this phone will quite possibly be the highest-performing smartphone on the market, and last I checked—about 10 seconds ago—the DROID RAZR MAXX and Samsung Galaxy Nexus both price out at $399.99 from Verizon, along with the Galaxy Note on AT&T. And while those phones have similar specs, only one of them has ICS, so yes, “only” $199.99.
By now you’re likely familiar with the details on the One X, and that they are pretty much all awesome. First you have the love-it or hate-it Sense 4.0 and Beats Audio, followed up with a crazy-fast 1.5Ghz dual-core processor from Qualcomm, 32GB of memory, 1GB of RAM, and of course the glorious Corning Gorilla Glass-covered, 720p, 4.7-inch screen.
Also worthy of note is the camera, which is awesome to say the least. The One X’s 8MP camera is the first camera in an Android phone to really rival stand-alone digital cameras. Pre-orders will commence three days hence on April 22, and you can go online or in-store for more info.
The EVO 4G LTE, which is kissing cousins with the top end of HTC’s One lineup, is an awesome behemoth of an Android 4.0 ICS device, set to go on preorder May 7 for $199.99. If you know much anything about me, you know I’m a devoted Motorola follower, having owned nothing else. For the record, I have played with many others, but always come back to my favorite. This is the first phone from another manufacturer to make me actually seriously want it, and it even has a built-in kickstand, no media dock needed!
The EVO 4G LTE starts with a bang with its 4.7-inch HD screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an awesome 8MP camera—more on that later—and a 2000mAh battery. It finishes with an even bigger bang—HD Voice. HD Voice is an industry first, making this a network announcement, not just a phone announcement.
HD Voice is a new technology being rolled out with Sprint’s Network Vision plan, and includes dual microphones on the devices themselves, special encoders, and special decoders. When all of this is partnered with Sprint’s newfangled wireless technologies, the result is an awesome conversational experience. What’s that you say? Use a smartphone as a phone? Crazy talk, I know!
The usual and obvious high-end goodies all come standard, such as LTE—duh—Sense 4.0, and NFC, including Google Wallet and Android Beam. Think I forgot about the camera? Think again. The 8MP camera is designed to be just as good as any 8MP non-SLR camera on the market. The camera has an incredible 2.0 f-stop—by comparison Cannon’s $179.99 A4000 IS has an f-stop of f/3.2—as well as several other HTC enhancements, like concurrent video recording and still photos. For more pictures, videos, and specifications than you could ever need, hit up the source links—they’re all good.
[Sprint | 2 via Good and EVO | 2]
The Nokia Lumia 900 isn’t the only Windows Phone hitting AT&T on April 8th. Microsoft and its partners have announced that the HTC Titan II will also hit AT&T’s 4G LTE network on the very same day for $199.99 with a two-year contract.
The Titan II sports a massive 4.7-inch WVGA display, 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor, and 1.3MP front-facing camera. The real selling point, however, is the device’s 16MP camera, the largest on AT&T. It’s not 41MP, but HTC is obviously positioning the Titan II as the high-end Windows Phone.
Unfortunately, we can’t help but be concerned by the release date and price tag. The Titan II is a great device, but the timing couldn’t be worse. It shares its launch date with the Lumia 900, a device backed by a $90 million marketing campaign and hero status on AT&T. What’s more, at $99, the Lumia 900 is just half the cost of the Titan II. The 4.7-inch screen and 16MP camera are certainly worthy of the $199.99 retail price, but we sincerely hope the HTC Titan II doesn’t get overshadowed by the strong competition.
The beautiful Nokia Lumia 900 is manufactured from a single-piece injection-molded polycarbonate shell and features a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack Display (CBD), 1.4GHz processor, 16GB of internal memory, 512MB of RAM, and a 1830mAh battery. Performance-wise, it can best nearly every device on the market. The 8MP Carl Zeiss camera takes fantastic photos, and the quality of the 1MP front-facing camera is astounding. The intuitive Windows Phone OS, support for AT&T’s 4G LTE network, and $99 price tag are just icing on the cake.
The Motorola DROID RAZR was easily one of the best Android phones of 2011. It was one of the first seriously thin phones and it had the best specifications, durability, and styling to come out of Motorola in a long time. Now, with the introduction of the MAXX variant, it's almost irresistible, even to those currently locked into a contract. With Verizon’s 4G LTE, a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 3300mAh battery pumping out over 21 hours of talk time, the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX is ecstasy wrapped in Kevlar.
