Two flagship Android phones on AT&T are in line for some software attention, beginning with the carrier pushing out the camera and touchless controls update to the Moto X from today. The firmware, which was released to T-Mobile Moto X owners back in September, improves auto-white balance and color accuracy, as well as exposure particularly […]
Rumors continue to suggest that the HTC One Max smartphone will be unveiled on October 17. Ahead of that rumored launch, new details have surfaced about the smartphone. This isn’t the first time details and specifications for the smartphone have been leaked, another rumor suggested the One Max will launch in China first. Some new […]
According to our report earlier, word has it that Microsoft is so eager to more manufacturers on board the Windows Phone bandwagon that at least as far as HTC is concerned, they are willing to either cut or eliminate the costs of the Windows Phone licensing fee to make it an attractive offer. HTC as it stands has not released a new Windows Phone handset for a while now and does not appear to have any plans to do so, but according to the folks at Android Central, their source has told them that HTC has been looking at the idea of creating a device that will dual boot both Android and Windows Phone at the same time.
HTC is said to be exploring how much a device like that could cost, but it is unclear as to whether this is merely an idea or if it has progressed to creating actual working prototypes. Of course while this idea will benefit the end user by giving them two options to choose from in a single device, we doubt either Google or Microsoft will be too thrilled about sharing a single device, Google, for example, might refuse to certify it thus blocking access to Google’s portfolio of services, and Microsoft might not enjoy piggybacking on Android either, which would be a huge marketing nightmare for them. Take it with a grain of salt for now, but what do you guys think of a dual-booting handset? Yay or nay?
HTC Might Be Thinking About A Windows Phone/Android Dual-Booting Phone original content from Ubergizmo. 
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When it comes to Nokia phones, Nokia’s name does pop up quite a bit, although to be fair there are manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC who should be taken into account as well. So far both companies have been relatively quiet on the Windows Phone front, and now according to a report from Bloomberg, Microsoft is in discussions with HTC about putting more Windows Phone handsets out there. Unlike Android, building a Windows Phone will require the company to pay Microsoft a licensing fee to use the software, but the report claims that Microsoft is willing to cut or eliminate the licensing fee altogether to make the deal more attractive.
While HTC has yet to confirm this, one of their sources claims that the Taiwanese company has no plans to make a new Windows Phone handset at the moment, and has no plans to release anymore in the future, which might explain why Microsoft is making this deal as attractive as possible. Given HTC’s recent financial woes where they recorded an operating loss of $101 million, not to mention the Microsoft-Nokia deal that will take place, making a new Windows Phone hardly seems like a priority for HTC at the moment.
Microsoft Eager To Cut/Eliminate Windows Phone Licensing Fees For HTC original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Microsoft has reached out to HTC to see if the company would be interested in adding Windows as a second OS to its Android handsets, a new report by Bloomberg claims. It isn’t clear exactly how the two operating systems would share the handset, in terms of allowing dual-booting or making a user choose a default at device setup, but it’s a sign Redmond may be thinking about pulling out all the stops to get people using its mobile OS.
These talks are in very early stages, according to Bloomberg’s sources, and there’s a possibility that Microsoft may even reduce or eliminate its licensing fee for Windows Phone to make it more attractive to HTC. HTC seems to be a target because it’s a former partner that has already built both Windows and Android hardware (though it doesn’t seem to be too keen on delivering more on the Windows Phone side). Microsoft’s head of Operating Systems Terry Myerson is said to be heading to Taiwan to discuss the arrangement in further detail with HTC, says Bloomberg.
There are a couple of reasons this makes sense, including some information TechCrunch has heard about Microsoft and its organizational sentiment towards Android. First, HTC has been one of Microsoft’s few hardware partners for Windows Phone, and that relationship is likely strained given the Nokia hardware division purchase. Second, HTC is in a bad way in terms of continuing poor financial performance, and in terms of device sales, so it’s probably very willing to consider unorthodox models to help it gain some unique appeal for users.
As to what we’ve heard about internal feelings on Android at Microsoft, a source suggests that there are contingents of younger engineers at the company who pushed hard to have Android/Windows dual-booting on Surface tablet devices, so there’s a willingness to experiment with things very much like this HTC dual-OS smartphone. Those ideas, TechCrunch has been told, came from younger elements within Microsoft’s mobile engineering team, and were not embraced by the older, more established elements of senior management.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is leaving within the next year, he announced back in August, and there have been other big executive shifts at the company lately, too, including the departure of Xbox head Don Mattrick and Windows lead Steven Sinofsky. This may have changed the culture enough at Microsoft to allow some of the more radical new ideas to gain better purchase, which could result in an HTC device that lets users choose not one, but two mobile operating systems with one device buy.
It is no secret that HTC is not doing well for themselves, which is odd given that their phones like the HTC One are actually pretty decent and comparable compared to other high-end smartphones from Sony and Samsung, but we guess given the reputation and the weight behind Samsung, it is not surprising that HTC got overshadowed in the process. To that end it has been recently announced by HTC that the company has posted their first operating loss of over $101 million. This is the company’s first operating lost in their history although hopefully we will be able to see them recover in the next quarter.
HTC actually did warn investors that they could be facing a loss, especially when there were reports of HTC facing some shortages with HTC One Mini casings which would mean that the company would not be able to produce and sell as many units as they would like. According to the breakdown, HTC enjoyed a total revenue of $1.6 billion, and suffered an operating loss of $119.4 million before taxes. This saw the company’s earnings per share after tax take a dip of $0.12. Will HTC recover? Only time will tell, but according to the rumors, the Taiwanese company is working on a new OS that will target the Chinese market specifically, so hopefully that will be able to turn things around.
HTC Posts Operating Loss Of $101 Million original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Owners of the unlocked HTC One have already received the update to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but now it’s time for the smartphone’s US carrier variants to get the goods. HTC USA took to Twitter today to announce that the 4.3 rollout is starting for Sprint customers now, with AT&T and T-Mobile set to get the update later in mid-October and Verizon by the end of the month. The latest version of Jelly Bean, for those who need a refresher, brings improved low-light camera performance, a battery charging percentage indicator and the usual bug fixes. Have an HTC One on Sprint? Let us know if you’ve received the latest software — and what you think — in the comments.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, HTC, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile
Via: Android Beat
Source: HTC USA (Twitter)
Samsung has come under fire this week for allegedly inflating the benchmark scores for the Galaxy Note 3 among other Android devices, but — shocker — the company is not alone in enhancing scores. AnandTech just published a report that shows ASUS, HTC and other companies using the same “benchmark detect” function to artificially bump up the numbers. According to the site, virtually all OEMs run a CPU optimization on at least one of their devices, save for Apple, Google’s Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 and Motorola’s latest crop of phones. Dishonesty aside, though, what’s the big to-do about these inflated scores? AnandTech found that companies notched less than a 10-percent performance boost in AnTuTu and Vellamo. And when’s the last time you based your smartphone purchase on benchmark scores alone, anyway?
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, ASUS, Google
Via: 9 to 5 Google
Source: AnandTech
Samsung has been blamed before for fudging the Galaxy S4
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There has been an endless string of rumors about the HTC One Max. The Taiwanese manufacturer’s new phablet, which takes design cues from the HTC One, hasn’t been officially announced as yet. It appears that now it is no longer a matter of if HTC will announce this device, its a matter of when it actually gets around to doing it. Rumors suggest that the official announcement may take place on either October 15th or October 17th. Nothing has been confirmed as yet, though the company has received approval from Taiwan’s NCC, which means that it can sell the phablet in its home country.
Furthermore, HTC China’s official Weibo account today posted a purported HTC One Max picture which was leaked a few days ago. Can one take it as an indication of things to come? Maybe. HTC is yet to say anything about the announcement of this much rumored device. As per recent rumors, the device might have a 5.9 inch full 1080p HD display, an Ultrapixel rear camera, a fingerprint scanner on the back, a 3,200 mAh battery and Android 4.3. It was said a few weeks back that perhaps HTC One Max won’t come with the Snapdragon 800 as originally intended, the processor it is expected to tout is the Snapdragon S4 Pro.
HTC One Max Gets Approval From Taiwan’s NCC, Shows Up Once Again original content from Ubergizmo. 
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