Aug 14

HTC Holiday prototype shows up on Craigslist, gives us reason to celebrate (update: AT&T-bound)

Posted in: att, dual-core, DualCore, HTC, leaked, leaks, prototype, Today's Chili
This isn’t something you see up for sale on Craigslist every day, but what you see here may very well be a true-blue HTC Holiday. According to the XDA thread, the person responsible for the pictures noticed the device was being sold on the famous classified site, purchased it, and splattered the images online as evidence. Certainly, the resemblance to the render we saw in May is uncanny (minus the unfortunately cracked screen), and if the specs stay true to what was rumored at the time, we can expect to enjoy a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM on a 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540) display — all confirmed by the screenshots — as well as Android 2.3.4 and dual cameras consisting of an 8MP rear and 1.3MP front. The smartphone was rumored to be heading to AT&T’s lineup, though no branding could be found. Either way, this particular dream machine is destined to turn more than a few heads. Check out the gallery below for a few more angles.

Gallery: HTC Holiday leaked shots

[Thanks, Michael]

Update: The “myATT” logo in the bottom right of the Holiday’s app menu is a pretty obvious indicator that it is, indeed, on its way to AT&T — so at least it’s going through the testing rounds right now, and we’ll see if it gets the final approval to get pushed to stores.

HTC Holiday prototype shows up on Craigslist, gives us reason to celebrate (update: AT&T-bound) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Aug 2011 20:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceXDA-Developers  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Aug 12

HTC Bliss stops by the FCC dressed in Verizon red (update)

Posted in: Android, bluetooth, cdma, gingerbread, HTC, mobile, phone, Phones, smartphone, Smartphones, Today's Chili, verizon, vzw, wifi

Looking for a little FCC Friday rapture? HTC’s rumored “women only” smartphone, the Bliss, just passed through the Commission’s gates for a bit of strut and tell. Sporting the model number PI46110, the handset seems destined for a Big Red debut with CDMA 850MHz / 1900MHz bands, WiFi and Bluetooth on-board. The carrier looks to be continuing its recent trend of global-capable phones, as the device also packs a GSM 900MHz radio. While we weren’t able to dig out any concrete dimensions for the phone, we’d err on the side of a 4-inch or below display, considering VZW’s past dalliances with gender-specific marketing — no, we haven’t forgotten those Pre Plus ads. If that leaked roadmap is any indication, you ladies can expect to see this stylish (we assume) Android 2.3 accessory hit on September 29th.

Update: A Verizon mailer has popped up over at xda-developers, and while the camera placement certainly seems to conflict, some folks are suggesting that what’s shown there (and after the break) might just be the first legitimate shot of the Bliss. Here’s hoping, right? Thanks, Liam!

HTC Bliss stops by the FCC dressed in Verizon red (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Aug 11

HTC Buys Beats: All Your Bass Are Belong To Them

Posted in: audio, business, HP, HTC, Music, Phones, Smartphones, tablets, Today's Chili, top

HTC just shouted to the world that it has made a massive investment in Beats By Dre to the tune of $300M. Here’s what it means for everyone involved—especially you. More »

No Comments | Tags: ,
Aug 11

Beats Electronics’ Jimmy Iovine: ‘we have got to get to the phone’

Posted in: audio, breaking news, headphones, HTC, Today's Chili
The HTC teleconference announcing its $300 million partnership with Beats Electronics just wrapped, and we were able to grab a few tidbits that weren’t so clearly evident in last night’s press release. The largest questions HTC CEO Peter Chou and Beats head honcho Jimmy Iovine fielded were focused on the effects of the purchase and why it happened. Neither Chou nor Iovine shared many specifics, but we learned that the two companies will be deeply committed in a “special” and “exclusive” relationship, which Iovine referred to as a “marriage.” In discussing the possible deal, he mentioned that Beats felt a need of urgency to penetrate the mobile marketplace and were bent on making it happen with HTC: “we have GOT to get to the phone…this marriage expedites that process.” Computer and phone companies alike are realizing that they need to upgrade the (currently subpar) audio experience in their products, he said, and we should expect to see many of these businesses launching stellar improvements in sound quality over the next three months.

In answer to what HTC is looking for in terms of ROI, Chou discussed the desire to have more differentiation in the market, in terms of the branding and technology the purchase will bring to its products; he also told us that the investment will generate several hundred millions of dollars in return beginning later this year. Rather than solely focusing on headsets, HTC plans to integrate the Beats tech completely into the product portfolio. Exactly how extensive that consolidation will be remains a mystery for now; since the effects of this deal will come to fruition sometime this fall, however, we doubt we’ll have to wait terribly long to find out.

Beats Electronics’ Jimmy Iovine: ‘we have got to get to the phone’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Aug 11

Dre Sells Out to HTC for $300 Million

Posted in: headphones, HTC, Media Players, Today's Chili

chou dre iovine

Iovine, Chou and Dre. Two of these men just got a lot richer. Photo HTC/Christopher Polk

Cellphone and tablet maker HTC has bought half of the headphone company Beats by Dre. HTC has purportedly paid $300 million for a 51% share of the company. New products integrating “Beats technology” will begin to appear this fall.

And apart from that, we know very little. The almost 500-word long press release rambles on with only a few nuggets of information hidden within the corporate mutterings. It looks like HTC is really only buying Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s brand to be slapped on its cellphones to attract the youth market. The press release all but admits this:

Bringing these two great brands together will create superior mobile music and sound experiences while accelerating HTC’s entry into the youth and accessories markets globally.

Cynicism aside, that may be a very lucrative market. I see way more people on the streets than I would expect wearing the overpriced Monster-manufactured headphones. Given that the cheapest Beats cans go for €180 ($256) over here in Spain, it would seem that the “youth” market has a lot of money to spend.

My best guess is that we’ll see Beats-branded handsets with upmarket headphones, kind of like Sony Ericsson’s Walkman-branded phones, only cool.

HTC and Beats by Dr. Dre Set to Introduce New Era in Mobile Audio [PR Newswire]

See Also:


No Comments
Aug 11

HTC Mazaa’s awarded in dev contest, winners promptly splay (and auction) them to world

Posted in: contest, developer, developers, HTC, mango, Microsoft, qualcomm, smartphone, Smartphones, snapdragon, Today's Chili, windows phone, WindowsPhone, Wp7
What would you do if you’d won an unannounced smartphone that sported Windows Phone Mango? Naturally, we hope you’d first send us the dirt, but what if you were a college student and knew the weekend was rapidly approaching? Undergrad winners of Microsoft’s WPAppitUp competition are facing this smartphone / cheap beer conundrum, as they’re now holding HTC Mazaas as prizes, yet many are selling them for cash instead.

If you’d like to adopt an orphan, the phones come with Qualcomm’s MSM8655 SoC — the same as the Thunderbolt and Droid Incredible 2 — which supports (but may not feature) dual mode GSM / CDMA for world roaming. A 1GHz Scorpion CPU and the Adreno 205 GPU are in the mix, and while the over-sized earpiece seems to indicate that this is the same 12-megapixel monster previously shown off by Eldar Murtazin, one of the contest winners, Heedeok Lee, informed us that the camera is actually of 5 megapixel resolution only. Frankly, it’s unclear whether the Mazaa is heading for retail shelves at all, but if you’re wanting an early taste of Mango, you should consider befriending a thirsty student developer.

Gallery: HTC Mazaa

HTC Mazaa’s awarded in dev contest, winners promptly splay (and auction) them to world originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Windows Phone Sauce  |  sourcexda-developers, @heedeok (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Aug 10

HTC to buy a chunk of Beats Electronics, keep Dr. Dre in a lab with a pen and a pad

Posted in: HTC, Today's Chili

HTC’s been making money hand over fist lately, and it looks like all that cash is burning a hole in its pocket. First, the Taiwanese company bought cloud services firm Dashwire and now it’s looking to buy the lion’s share of Beats Electronics. For a cool $300 million, HTC plans to up the ante in mobile audio with the expertise of Dr. Dre baked into its future handsets. The deal is set to become final later this year, and we’ll see phones packing the big red ‘b’ this autumn. Feel free to peep the PR while you wait for ’em to drop.

Continue reading HTC to buy a chunk of Beats Electronics, keep Dr. Dre in a lab with a pen and a pad

HTC to buy a chunk of Beats Electronics, keep Dr. Dre in a lab with a pen and a pad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Aug 10

T-Mobile myTouch 4G designer Donn Koh unveils the process, how he brings the heat

Posted in: Android, Google, HTC, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili

Have you ever wanted a look inside the mind of a mobile handset designer? Of course you do, and so do we, for that matter. Donn Koh, lead designer of smartphones like Sprint’s Evo 4G and T-Mobile’s myTouch 4G, has in-depth breakdowns of the design process on his personal website for our perusal. Going into detail about how the team managed to raise the bar while still including all the required elements, Koh also speaks about the goals for creating a dock for the myTouch 4G that would allow the phone itself to be the main attraction. Check out the source for the full rundown, and peep another sweet design shot after the break — especially if you enjoy well-designed, well thought out tech.

Continue reading T-Mobile myTouch 4G designer Donn Koh unveils the process, how he brings the heat

T-Mobile myTouch 4G designer Donn Koh unveils the process, how he brings the heat originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central  |  sourceDonn Koh Studio  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Aug 09

myTouch 4G Slide Review: An Actually Awesome Camera Phone

Posted in: Android, cellphones, HTC, Phones, review, Smartphones, t-mobile, Today's Chili, top

The problem with Android phones—a problem, anyway—is that for all the talk of choice, they can be remarkably undifferent. They lack a reason to exist. The myTouch 4G Slide has one, though: to be the best cameraphone you can buy. More »

No Comments | Tags: ,
Aug 08

Leakster names Sprint’s latest: Samsung Epic 4G Touch, HTC EVO Design 4G, and Motorola Admiral

Posted in: 4G, galaxy s ii, GalaxySIi, HTC, leak, leaked, leaks, motorola, samsung, Sprint, Today's Chili, WiMAX
We love starting the week with a good leak, and thanks to an anonymous tipster, we’re swimming in a flood of juicy names. First, it appears the Samsung Within is getting a new alias, and without delaying your anticipation, let us re-introduce you to Sprint’s upcoming Galaxy S II handset: the Epic 4G Touch. As the moniker suggests, the QWERTY keyboard is likely sliding away, though lovers of physical buttons might find solace with the mysterious Epic 2. If your ideal smartphone combines qHD resolution with HTC Sense — and eschews the 3D display and dual-core CPU — the Kingdom is one step closer to reality, and it’ll be known as the EVO Design 4G. Finally, a new Motorola will arrive at the Now Network, and it’s been christened the Admiral. Unlike its peers, it’s lacking the “4G” nomenclature, meaning it’s avoiding the upper echelons of Sprint’s stable… and hopefully sporting longer battery life, too.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Leakster names Sprint’s latest: Samsung Epic 4G Touch, HTC EVO Design 4G, and Motorola Admiral originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: