Hasta La Gadget!

This week has certainly been one for unofficial HTC One announcements – today’s comes in at 5-inches or more with a smaller cousin in the works as well. While earlier today the HTC One was suggested to be coming in a so-called “Google Edition” with exclusive aim for Verizon, this afternoon there’s word that two MORE HTC One relatives are in the mix. The first of these is the HTC One’s larger relative, while the second is one we’ve heard of before: the HTC M4.

The larger of these two devices is said by people familiar with the matter speaking with Pocket Lint to be an HTC One clone, made by HTC, with a slightly larger display. It’s suggested that this device will be a response to the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and its own 5-inch display in a chassis similar in size to the Galaxy S III.

This larger HTC One model will likely have a body that’s similar in thickness to the HTC One standard model with height and width closer to that of the HTC J Butterfly – aka the DROID DNA. This would also be a good candidate for which device will eventually make its way to Verizon in their eventual replacement of the DROID DNA amongst their HTC smartphone ranks.

The second tip is a renewed interest by HTC in releasing what would essentially be a boosted-power HTC First. This device is said to be code-named HTC M4 and will have camera and speaker technology similar to that of the HTC One, but in a 4.3-inch display form factor.

Sound like a couple of beasts you might be up for checking out? Is it a good idea for HTC to spread the HTC One brand once again, or do you think they should stick to One, as it were?

HTC One’s big brother tipped with 5+ inch screen is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nokia is attempted to have the HTC One banned from sale in the US, hunting a block on imports over multiple allegations of patent infringement. The ITC legal attack sees six patents join the 44 Nokia has already claimed infringement of by HTC, and includes how internal components are arranged in a unibody device, how signal-to-noise ratio is handled in speech and data, and several elements to do with Google’s Android OS.

For instance, Nokia claims HTC infringes its patent on the video encoding/decoding with Android’s VP8 codec, something FOSS Patents suggests might even force Google to look instead to H.264 which may be more legally palatable. H.264 would involve royalties, but at least avoid wholesale import bans of the sort which Nokia is chasing.

“We began actions against HTC in 2012 to end the unauthorized use of our proprietary innovations and technologies” Nokia said in a statement on the newly added patent action. “Since then, despite the German courts confirming infringements of Nokia patents in HTC products, HTC has shown no intention to end its practices; instead it has tried to shift responsibility to its suppliers. We have therefore taken these further steps to hold HTC accountable for its actions.”

Last month, Nokia alleged that the high-amplitude microphone HTC used in the One breached an exclusivity agreement the Finnish firm has with supplier STMicroelectronics. However, despite Nokia’s claims, HTC protested its own ignorance about the existing deal the component maker had, arguing that the injunction did not impact the One.

Back in March, meanwhile, HTC was hit with a German injunction over power saving technologies used by its Qualcomm chipset. The company opted to disable the feature – which it said was “trivial and contributes only a negligible reduction in power-consumption” – as “a precaution against any attempt by Nokia to extend the scope of the judgment unfairly.”

Meanwhile, a second suit filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of California San Diego covers three patents which Nokia also alleges infringement on, by the HTC One and HTC First “Facebook Phone” as well as eight others.

We’ve asked HTC for a comment and will update when we know more.

VIA: AllThingsD; FOSS Patents; ZDNet

Nokia seeks HTC One US import ban with new patent attack is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As this week’s hope for an HTC One from Verizon is dashed by none other than Jennifer Lopez, fans of the device turn to a developer of ROMs for the manufacturer. In a bit of a cryptic announcement by the developer known only as LLabTooFeR, confirmed HTC addict and insider here and there, it would appear that “it will be announced later” is all that we’ll be getting.

This developer has been accurate with leaks in the past and has provided the public access to RUU files galore – almost as if he (or she) works with HTC in some way or another. It’s important to take any anonymous source’s words with a grain of salt, but in this case, there’s little reason to doubt it.

The only thing you, as a consumer, should be worried about at this moment is if the Verizon HTC One will be prepared in time for it to be marketable. There’s always the chance that a device is made – and even announced – then pulled from release. Case in point: the HTC First.

This device was announced for release internationally, is currently available for sale with AT&T, but has been pulled from possible release for sale in the UK. At the moment, the idea is that developers with Facebook are improving the software before it gets a push, but it’s more likely that the device simply hasn’t been selling well enough to warrant another market chance.

The HTC One for Verizon, on the other hand – that’s a good bet. With all the interest we, as a publication, have seen in the possibility of this phone being released, it’s gotten to the point where it seems like it would be foolish not to release this device on this carrier. And we want it, too – bring it!

Verizon HTC One tipped for “later” by HTC ROM creator is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

HTC has sold approximately five million of its HTC One flagship smartphones, an executive at the company has confirmed, with demand for the phone still apparently outstripping supply. The sales statistics – which HTC is yet to officially endorse – come amid concerns that the company is losing key executives and struggling to raise the profile of the One against the Samsung Galaxy S 4. Despite the fears, an unnamed HTC executive tells the WSJ, sales have in fact been strong.

As HTC has complained about before, it’s getting sufficient stock that is primarily holding the One back, the executive continues. “Orders are pretty good so far and are still more than what we can supply” the source suggests. “This is partly due to the shortage of components. When the issue is resolved next month, we will have a better idea if it’s doing really well or not.”

Production is set to double this month HTC has already claimed, and April sales figures showed a reassuring upward turn, believed to be primarily down to One performance. The phone was originally intended to release in eighty countries by the end of Q1 2013, but issues sourcing components for the “UltraPixel” camera, among other things, saw that limited to just a handful of locations.

That hasn’t stopped HTC from making bold predictions for Q2. Revenue for the current quarter is expected to reach around NT$70bn ($2.4bn), the company has said, an increase of almost a billion US dollars.

Still, the 5m figure pales somewhat compared to Samsung’s sales figures for its Galaxy S 4. Earlier today, Samsung confirmed that 10m of the latest Galaxy flagships had been sold – though it’s worth noting that Samsung’s numbers count sales to operators and retailers, not to end-users – in the first month of the device’s availability.

Meanwhile, the other phone HTC had high hopes for, the HTC First, has not seen the success expected. Sales are said to have underwhelmed, and sources have even claimed that the First – which runs Facebook Home, a replacement Android launcher focused on information from the social network – was scuppered by Facebook itself, after a last-minute change in strategy that saw the launcher released free in the Google Play market in the same week that the smartphone arrived on AT&T.

5m HTC One sales tips exec with demand still exceeding supply is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rumor has it that HTC One Android 4.2.2 software update is going to be released in the next two or three weeks.

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo.