Hasta La Gadget!

If there’s an award for the meatiest leak of the year, then this would make a fitting nomination. The above photo (reformatted for this page) was tweeted earlier today by France-based Dahny El Perro, who claims the blue device in the top right corner is an upcoming Nokia Lumia 1030. While it’s hard to tell the physical features from the blurred shot, the wider spacing around the Windows Phone soft keys suggests this might be a larger device than the existing Lumia 920. More interestingly, its screenshot features an extra tile column, which is a feature rumored to be part of the Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update, according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley.

Next up we have what appears to be the rumored 6.44-inch, 1080p Sony “Togari,” whose front panel was first spotted way back in January. Alas, there’s little to see here, but we were quickly distracted by the much smaller HTC device next to it. Many have simply dismissed this as the One, though if you look close enough you should notice the subtle differences: the frame is white all around the phone, and the speaker grills are shorter. Indeed, this device matches @evleaks’ earlier render of the 4.3-inch M4, thus making this leak its first real-life appearance. But of course, there’s also a good chance that this is merely a very clever hoax involving three unannounced devices, not to mention that the Twitter account is also super fresh, so we won’t be placing any bets just yet.

Update: WPCentral’s sources say Nokia currently does not have plans for this type of over-sized phone, and they’ve confirmed that this image is inaccurate. Upon further research and analysis, we’re leaning towards believing this is indeed an elaborate hoax.

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Via: Blog Of Mobile (Japanese)

Source: Dahny el Perro (Twitter)

HTC is currently sailing through a patch of rough seas, and it seems as though the company is starting to rethink its tablet strategy. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, HTC was planning to put together a 12-inch Windows RT tablet for release later this year before scrapping it due to cost and anemic overall demand for Windows RT.

That’s not to say that the beleaguered Taiwanese OEM is ditching Windows RT completely — there’s reportedly still a 7-inch RT tablet in the works, as well as another Android tablet. Bloomberg’s unnamed source goes on to note that demand for RT-powered tablets in general has been lackluster, so it made sense for HTC to pick its battles more carefully. After all, recent (albeit unconfirmed) Surface RT sales figures from back in March purport that Microsoft had only sold about a million units at the time — for a device meant to be the RT flagship, such numbers probably weighed heavily into the machinations of OEMs considering entering the RT fray.

Long time HTC watchers will know that focusing on a smaller number of quality devices is a tablet tactic the company has leaned on before. HTC’s recent history with tablets has been, well, pretty spotty. It’s first notable Android tablet in 2011 relied heavily on a smart stylus (a formula that Samsung would later turn into a winner) and just didn’t sell all that well, and its larger-screened followup saw similarly poor sales in the U.S. thanks to its incredibly high price tag — $699 with a contract. Clearly, things had to change.

HTC UK chief Phil Roberson said early last year that the company would be dialing back its focus on tablets, and true to his word HTC company spent much of 2012 trying to perfect its smartphone formula while facing ever-stiffer competition from rivals Samsung and Apple. Arguably the OEM has finally managed to hit its stride with the widely acclaimed One smartphone, but a single well-received device almost certainly won’t be enough to turn things around alone. It’s tough to say just how much of an impact a small Windows RT tablet will have on HTC’s flagging fortunes (I’m guessing it won’t move the needle much), but the company could use any boost it can get at this point. A quick look at HTC’s recently released fiscal Q1 2013 financials reveals a business that has definitely seen better days — it reported a mere $2.8 million in unaudited net income, down drastically from the year-ago quarter.

HTC has reportedly axed plans to launch a 12-inch tablet running Windows RT, sources claim, after deciding demand for the slate would be insufficient, though a smaller version is still said to be on the roadmap. The unnamed 12-inch tablet was sidelined over fears that it would be too expensive, Bloomberg reports, with the components required adding up to too great a bill-of-materials to allow a competitive street price.

Meanwhile, the underlying consumer interest in Windows RT has also spooked HTC, the sources familiar with the company’s tablet plans suggests. Microsoft is yet to release sales figures for machines running the platform – which modifies Windows 8 to work on ARM-based processors, rather than the x86 chips more commonly associated with the OS – though figures from IDC suggest less than a quarter of a million were sold in Q1 this year.

HTC seemingly has some lingering interest in Windows RT, however, since it is believed to have a smaller slate running the OS in the pipeline. The 7-inch tablet isn’t due until later in 2013, and will run RT on a chipset from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon stable, just as the 12-inch variant was supposedly going to.

The company will hedge its bets, however, by also offering an Android tablet at roughly the same time as the RT variant. Also expected to be 7-inches in size, the second slate will echo HTC’s split in smartphones, with part of its range running Android while the rest uses Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.

Even if Windows RT’s lackluster success wasn’t sufficient to sink the large tablet plan, research into the appeal of different form-factor sizes indicates HTC is right to leave the 12-inch segment alone. According to recent predictions, even by 2017 11-inch or above models are only expected to comprise around 6-percent of total tablet sales.

Tablets aren’t the only bigger-screen push HTC is believed to be planning. The company is also tipped to be working on a “phablet”, larger than the HTC One, and potentially headed to Verizon.

HTC reportedly scraps 12″ Windows RT tablet plans (but 7″ still on the way) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Unlike companies such as Samsung, which have the freedom to throw products against the wall only to see whether they stick, HTC is forced to be more calculated with its efforts. With this in mind, Bloomberg now reports that HTC has canceled its plan for a 12-inch Windows RT tablet, which was previously rumored to be in the works alongside a smaller 7-inch Windows RT slate. Sources spoke to Bloomberg on anonymity, but suggested the decision was made based on concern that the 12-inch tablet would be too expensive to generate considerable demand. Coinciding with the launch of the 7-inch RT tablet — which is now pegged for September or October — Bloomberg sources also suggest that HTC will launch a similar 7-inch Android tablet in the same time frame. Talk about hedging one’s bets.

Filed under: Tablets, HTC

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Source: Bloomberg

If the HTC One is just too small for your needs, perhaps the latest rumor will perk you up: a 5.9-inch HTC device code-named the T6 is purportedly in development. Notable leakster @evleaks has dug up a few details about this handset, and — if true — this is going to be one heck of a refresh to the company’s premier lineup. Here’s what we’ve heard so far: it’s consistent with the One’s general look, sports a 1080p display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset (MSM8974), BoomSound, an OIS-equipped UltraPixel camera, 2GB RAM and a 3,300mAh battery. The T6 will supposedly feature a dedicated pen / stylus as well as a biometric fingerprint scanner around the back. Curiously, it’s also reported that the T6 will have a microSD slot — an addition that would be inconsistent with HTC’s current design strategy — and will run on Android Key Lime Pie. The latter rumor seems unlikely, given the high chance that 4.3 will be a Jelly Bean release, but we suppose anything can happen between now and late summer / early fall (the T6’s supposed launch timeframe). That said, all of the above rumors are making us very excited — and hopeful — for what HTC is cooking up, provided it still fits comfortably in our hands.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC

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Source: TheUnlockr