Hasta La Gadget!

Consider this Microsoft’s ultimate blessing, or merely a way to guarantee household name recognition. Whatever the case, the company’s next-gen Apollo OS is not only powering HTC’s newest mobile movement, it’s also the headliner. That’s right, as clunky as it may initially seem, Windows Phone 8X is the official moniker of the OEM’s brightly hued flagship series, an alphabetical denomination that puts it on premium standing with the One X line. And thanks to the loosened spec restraints made possible by WP8, this modern-minded, unibodied beaut reps a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 Super LCD 2 display with Gorilla Glass 2 coating, dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor buffered by 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, WiFi a/b/g/n, NFC and an integrated 1,800mAh Li-ion battery. There’s also quadband radio support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, HSPA/WCDMA (850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz) and, of course, LTE for stateside carriers.

Though the 8X may share the same boldly colored, polycarbonate construction of its live-tiled Lumia frenemies, it also stands apart with the inclusion of two HTC-specific features: Beats Audio, replete with a built-in amplifier, and ImageChip for continuous shooting. And speaking of optics, this device’s dual camera setup packs the combined punch of a 2.1-megapixel front-facer with 88-degree ultra-wide-angle lens and an 8-megapixel rear module with an f/2.0 lens accompanied by a single LED flash — both capable of 1080p video capture.

While the veil of mystery surrounding this latest tech industry collaboration may have just lifted, you’ll still have to wait a bit before it heads to retail. After all, Microsoft’s planning its own WP8 coming out party for late October — a reveal that should finally give us a full look at the smartphone UI formerly known as Metro. With a ship date set for sometime this November, the 8X will be available in four distinct colors – California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow — on over 150 carriers worldwide. No word on final pricing as of yet. So, until then, sate yourself with this first taste. Official PR after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 8X by HTC: 4.3-inch 720p display, LTE, dual-core S4, available this November

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Windows Phone 8X by HTC: 4.3-inch 720p display, LTE, dual-core S4, available this November originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Windows Phone 8 era is swinging into full effect. Nokia’s big launch event was only a few short weeks ago, now HTC is enjoying its time in the spotlight with two handsets of its own. The Windows Phone 8S makes no mystery of its platform choice and, like the One S, indicates its midrange status with a simple alphabetic suffix. This four-inch phone will be shipping with HSPA on board. Unfortunately there’s no word on an LTE edition of this rather handsome device. Spec-wise, the WVGA screen leaves us a little wanting, but we appreciate the combination of Super LCD and Gorilla Glass, which should make for a contrasty and scratch resistant panel. Under the hood is a dual-core S4 clocked at 1GHz, which is hardly a speed demon by todays standards, but should be enough to keep Microsoft’s streamlined OS humming along nicely. The CPU is augmented by 512MB of RAM, which isn’t any beefier than most Mango phones prepping for retirement.

A paltry 4GB of storage is baked in, but thankfully HTC saw fit to include a microSD slot for expansion. Those rather modest internals should help the handset make the most of the 1,700 mAh battery at least. Sadly, the Taiwanese manufacturer decided to skip a front-facing cam on its entry level device and the sensor around back is only 5MP and limited to 720p video capture. At 10.28mm thick the 8S isn’t the sleekest handset, but the tapered edges make look quite a bit thinner than that measurement would indicate. There’s no denying the appeal of the two-tone polycarbonate bodies, regardless of comparative girth, which feature soft touch finishes in veritable rainbow of options. Pricing has yet to be announced, but you can expect the 8S to hit shelves in early November on a number of carriers. Full PR awaits after the break.

Continue reading HTC announces Windows Phone 8S: a mid-range Microsoft handset for the fashion conscious

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

HTC announces Windows Phone 8S: a mid-range Microsoft handset for the fashion conscious originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC isn’t betraying too much with its event invite, but we’ve got our suspicions about what the Taiwanese company has up its sleeve. Maybe there will even be a few surprises in store for us, who knows? That’s why we had to accept HTC’s invite and will be there live, in person to experience the reveal ourselves. Since you can’t be there (and we wouldn’t want you to be square), join us tomorrow morning at 11am ET and follow along in the liveblog right here — we’ll know you’re with us in spirit.

Update: How about that: the company just whittled down the possibilities through an official teaser on its Facebook page. All we see is the corner of a Windows Phone, the event date and a promise that it’s a day “when beautiful hardware meets stunning software.” It doesn’t take much sleuthing to deduce that this is HTC’s turn at a Windows Phone 8 device launch, and that we may well see devices like the 8X when the New York City gathering gets started.

Jon Fingas contributed to this post.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

We’re liveblogging HTC’s big reveal tomorrow at 11am ET! (update: teaser) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Sprint’s iDEN network is getting the axe in favor of a new CDMA setup, AT&T will soon be sprucing up its near absent push-to-talk services. Targeting a November release with plans starting around $30, Ma Bell’s enhanced PTT will be compatible with smartphones running Android 2.3+, BlackBerry 7, Windows Phone 8 and even Java-powered feature phones. In addition to playing nice with a variety of mobile platforms, this new service will also work across laptops, tablets and smart cars.

Continue reading AT&T ready to battle Sprint for push-to-talk supremacy starting in November

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

AT&T ready to battle Sprint for push-to-talk supremacy starting in November originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 8 may not have a firm release date, but reports are flooding in that it’s just been released to manufacturers (RTM) so they can work on their side of the equation: hardware production. According to LiveSino, pictures posted to Chinese social network Sina Weibo show members of the Windows Phone team signing a banner marking the milestone. In particular, Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Phone Division, was caught penning his name alongside others. ZDNet’s own sources corroborate that Ballmer and Co. have deemed the operating system fit to ship. With manufacturers seemingly taken care of, developers will be able to get their mitts on the WP8 software development kit in roughly two weeks.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Microsoft employees ‘sign off’ on Windows Phone 8 RTM originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 22:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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