Hasta La Gadget!

There’s a certain amount of joy associated with receiving the latest firmware updates for your device. Android 4.4.2 KitKat currently happens to be the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, and so far it has only been released for a few devices such as the Moto G and the Google Play Edition LG G Pad 8.3. A well known Android developer and HTC insider @LlabTooFer has tweeted that international variants of various HTC devices are going to receive the Android 4.4.2 update by next month. These devices include HTC One, dual-SIM variant of the One, One Max and the One Mini.

The U.S. variant of HTC One is expected to receive Android 4.4.2 update later this month, Sense 5.5 user interface is going to be bundled with said update. Apparently HTC Sense 6 will not be bundled with Android 4.4.2, according to @LlabTooFer, existing devices won’t receive Sense 6 until Autumn. It is also claimed that no further updates are going to be rolled out for the international variant of HTC One X, which is already 18 months old. As far as Sense 6 is concerned, the HTC One’s successor is believed to come with it and Android 4.4.2 pre-installed. No word as yet on when HTC is planning to unveil the successor to last year’s flagship smartphone.

Various HTC Devices Expected To Receive Android 4.4.2 Update By Next Month original content from Ubergizmo.

HTC hasn’t had a good year, despite releasing a number of products in 2013 that received a lot of praise. It happens to be in a precarious financial situation, with the company reporting its first ever quarterly loss in the previous quarter. It narrowly missed reporting a similar loss in the fourth quarter, however revenues and profits have fallen below the Street’s expectations. HTC has lost almost three-quarter of its market value in the last two years and its on for another rough year if its 2014 lineup, whenever its revealed, doesn’t manage to turn things around.

In its fourth quarter results HTC reported revenue of NT$42.9 billion which translate to roughly $1.4 billion, managing a net profit of only NT$310 million or roughly $10.3 million. It may seem insignificant to the NT$2.97 billion or $99.9 million net loss reported in the previous quarter. Even though it has reported a profit, this doesn’t signal the return of HTC. Reuters says that a one-time profit of $85 million, received after unloading its shares in Beats Audio, has been factored into fourth quarter calculations, which evidently did little to spread green on its balance sheets. Seems like the rather expensive ad campaign it ran, featuring Robert Downey Jr., has had little impact on its fortunes. Lets wait and see what 2014 has in store for the ailing Taiwanese manufacturer.

HTC’s Fourth Quarter Results Fall Below Expectations original content from Ubergizmo.

The HTC EVO 4G LTE was released back in the first half of 2012, making the handset more than a year old now, but the good news for those who are still holding onto the device is that HTC has not forgotten about you guys and has announced that the handset will be receiving its Android 4.3 Jelly  Bean update come mid-February 2014. This was confirmed by HTC’s Jason Mackenzie on Twitter in response to a question posed by a user. According to Mackenzie, the update is expected to be sent to Sprint for testing come mid-January and they are expecting that it will be released mid-February, assuming all goes well. However we have seen updates pulled and delayed for unknown reasons, so it’s best not to get your hopes up just yet.

Granted Android 4.3 is considered “old” given that Android 4.4 KitKat has already been released, with many Android users enjoying the latest update in its official glory or unofficial glory in the form of a custom ROM, but we suppose it’s better than nothing, right? No word on whether HTC plans on updating the EVO 4G LTE to Android 4.4 KitKat, but for now we’ll take what we can get. For those wondering why it takes so long for an update to be released, HTC has recently posted an infographic detailing the update process for those who might be curious.

Android 4.3 For HTC EVO 4G LTE To Arrive Mid-February original content from Ubergizmo.

Nokia has been taking on HTC for patent infringement in a number of countries. It was able to get an injunction against the Taiwanese manufacturer in the UK and even went after the company in France as well as Germany. Last week it won an injunction against HTC in Germany which covers all Android devices that use USB ports for connecting to a PC, though HTC had the option to appeal. A similar country-wide injunction has been handed down today which also includes all Android devices made by HTC.

The Munich I Regional Court found that the company’s Android devices infringe on Nokia’s EP1148681 patent titled “method for transferring resource information,” as the devices let users connect two HTC devices over Bluetooth or NFC and transfer resource information, such as a URL. If Nokia wants to enforce this injunction it has to post a $550 million bond, which would mean that HTC devices will be taken off the shelves in Germany and recalled from commercial users. The court requires that the bond be submitted before the injunction is enforced so that in case HTC appeals and wins in the appeals court and then demands compensation for wrongful enforcement, the money already resides with the court.

German Court Hands Down Patent Injunction Against All HTC Android Devices original content from Ubergizmo.

This year we saw the trend of fingerprint scanners in smartphones pick up. It was rumored for months that the iPhone 5s would come with a fingerprint scanner, and it did. Then the HTC One Max was unveiled, which also had a similar scanner, albeit on the back. Even Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 was rumored to have it, but that didn’t pan out. Rumor has it that a number of flagship smartphones in 2014 will come with fingerprint scanner and the folks at Digitimes are hearing from “industry sources” that both HTC and LG are planning to use sapphire for home buttons of 2014 flagship devices.

Apparently the HTC One 2 and the LG G3 will come with sapphire home buttons, thus allowing both manufacturers to bundle fingerprint scanners. It has already been rumored that LG’s 2014 flagship is going to have the scanner. HTC already released one device touting said scanner this year, it seems likely that the company will introduce it into next year’s flagship as well. Both smartphones, the HTC One 2 and the LG G3, are expected to be launched earlier than originally planned in 2014. So far the companies haven’t confirmed anything about their smartphone plans for next year, perhaps things might be a bit more clear around the time when the Mobile World Congress is about to kick off.

HTC And LG Expected To Use Sapphire In Next Year’s Flagship Smartphones original content from Ubergizmo.