Hasta La Gadget!

To say that the launch of Isis has felt drawn out would be a mild understatement. The alliance first signaled its intentions two years ago, detailed its first markets one year ago and faced a last-minute delay. All the ducks are finally in a row, however, and residents of both Austin as well as Salt Lake City can tap to pay (or score discounts) at the “hundreds” of locations that accept NFC-based purchases through American Express, Capital One, Chase and Isis’ own cash card. Launch day brings app- and SIM-enabled access for nine devices spread rather unevenly across AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon: only the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is confirmed working for Verizon subscribers, while the rest are divided more equally between multiple Samsung Galaxies and HTC devices like the Amaze 4G and One X. Over 20 phones should be Isis-aware before the end of the year. It’s a potentially strong start to one of the few truly cross-network mobile payment systems in the US, but we see a long road ahead before Isis gives Google Wallet some jitters — there’s legions of banks, cities and stores needed before Isis is widespread, and we’re not counting on that ever-elusive universal hardware support.

Continue reading Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile

Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For those who might be a little bit confused when it comes to the HTC One X, here is the skinny on it – the international version of this particular smartphone will be accompanied by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, but one thing that is sorely missing from it would be the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system update. However, all of that is going to change in the future as courtesy of the HTC One X+’s recent release which is said to roll out with Android 4.1.1 on board, the folks over at XDA have managed to churn out custom ROMs that are made available for the different variants of the Tegra 3 HTC One X with Android 4.1 at the forefront.

Folks who have performed the update on their respective HTC One X have sung nothing but praises for the device, claiming that it has made the smartphone “blazing fast”, while offering a speedier app launcher as well as smoother home screen transitions. Just be careful with such unsanctioned, unofficial updates if you are not quite sure what to do, as you might end up bricking your device.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update coming to HTC One X this October?, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update headed for HTC One XL and One S,

What do you do if you’ve been selling what’s arguably the best superphone on the US market and the competition is heating up? Make it better, of course, and that’s exactly what HTC’s done with the One X+ for AT&T. This is the same improved handset we recently played with in the UK, but unlike AT&T’s One X — which dropped the global model’s quad-core Tegra 3 with 32GB of storage in favor of a dual-core Snapdragon S4 with only 16GB of flash for the sake of LTE — AT&T’s One X+ gives you the best of both worlds: NVIDIA’s 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3 AP37 SoC combined with Qualcomm’s MDM9215m GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+/LTE radio plus 32 or 64GB of built-in storage.

Gone are the white and grey hues — you can have your One X+ any color you want as long as it’s flat black. Whereas the UK version of HTC’s new flagship incorporates red accents around the camera and in the Beats logo, the US model is completely black. The rest of the specs match the global version — you’ll find the same gorgeous 4.7-inch 720p Super LCD 2 display with Gorilla Glass 2, same impressive eight megapixel f/2.0 autofocus BSI rear camera with flash, same 1GB of DDR2 RAM, along with the updated 2100mAh sealed battery and 1.6MP BSI front-facing shooter capable of 720p video. Jelly Bean and Sense 4+ are on the menu as well, with snappier-than-ever performance.

Put AT&T’s One X and One X+ side-by-side, and other than the color difference you’d be hard-pressed to tell them apart. The carrier’s logo is slightly different, but that’s about it — even the docking pins in the back line up perfectly. Other improvements common with the global model include Amplified Sound for clearer sound from the speaker, Sightseeing mode which lets the power button launch the camera and Auto Portrait mode which helps you take better self-portraits. There’s still no word on pricing or availability but we invite you to feast your eyes on the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.

Continue reading HTC One X+ for AT&T hands-on: Tegra 3, LTE and Jelly Bean together at last (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, AT&T

HTC One X+ for AT&T hands-on: Tegra 3, LTE and Jelly Bean together at last (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was just yesterday that HTC officially announced the One X+, finally putting an end to the rumors and speculation. At that time the announcement was for European and South Asian markets but if you’re in the US and you were wondering when you will get the phone, you’re in luck as AT&T has announced that they will be the ones to carry the device. This is despite earlier rumors that suggested that T-Mobile would carry the device as well – that is still a possibility but for now, AT&T would be your go-to carrier.

AT&T also revealed that apart from the HTC One X+, they will be carrying the HTC One VX and the HTC Windows Phone 8X. The One VX is a device we haven’t heard of yet but apparently it is a phone designed for the low-end market with a 4.5” Gorilla Glass display and a 5MP camera. No word on pricing or availability, with AT&T just saying that it these new devices will be “coming soon”.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC One X on AT&T drops to $99, AT&T’s HTC One X rumored to have its price reduced to $99,

Good news folks, if the HTC One X+ has been a phone you’ve had your eye on, well you’re in luck as HTC has officially announced the handset. This is after the rumors and leaked photos, but we guess it is now official. For those wondering about its specs, the rumors had it right and you can expect to see the HTC One X+ come with NVIDIA’s Tegra-3 quad-core processor clocked at a speedy 1.7GHz. It will also come with a slightly larger battery at 2,100mAh and will feature more storage at 64GB, a 4.7” display and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean preinstalled with HTC’s Sense 4+ UI on board.

The HTC One X+ will also come with Beats Audio integration and what HTC is calling “Tap and Go” which lets users connect to Beats speakers simply by tapping the devices together. The camera will remain the same at 8MP with an aperture of f/2.0 although HTC has revealed a new feature – Self Portrait mode which according to the Taiwanese company, can “intuitively” detect the subject’s face “at various angles and applying subtle enhancements to skin and eyes”, along with a Sightseeing mode which lets users bypass the lock screen and launch the camera app straightaway. Not the most revolutionary features but we’re sure there will be users who will appreciate it anyway. The HTC One X+ will be launching in Europe and South Asia in October and November respectively, with a North America release expected to be announced later on. [Product page]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC One X and One S to receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update later this month, More HTC One X+ photos surface,