Category: Mobile

As Facebook’s (FB) upcoming press conference draws near, a render of one of the first smartphones expected to feature Facebook’s new enhanced Android software has leaked. “Evleaks,” who is known to publish authentic photos of unreleased handsets before they are announced, posted an image of the “HTC First” from his Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon with no additional details. The new HTC (2498) handset is expected to be unveiled during Facebook’s press conference on Thursday, where the company will showcase its new “Facebook Home” software that replaces several stock Android apps with new apps tied into Facebook’s services. Earlier reports suggest that the HTC First is a mid-range handset with a 4.3-inch 720p display, a dual-core Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The leaked image can be seen below.

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The next generation of mobile graphics will be able to deliver better performance than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, according to NVIDIA’s (NVDA) SVP of content and technology Tony Tamasi. Speaking to Bit-tech, the executive noted that current gaming systems are “barely more powerful” than mobile devices and he believes that upcoming smartphones and tablets powered by NVIDIA chipsets will finally begin to outperform traditional gaming consoles.

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If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber who’s been accessing the carrier’s HSPA+ network with an unlocked iPhone 5, don’t worry about having to buy a whole new device to use its recently launched LTE network. TmoNews reports that T-Mobile will push out an update to its unlocked iPhone 5 subscribers on April 5th that will give the device access to the AWS spectrum bands used for T-Mobile’s LTE services. Of course, since T-Mobile’s LTE network is only live in seven markets right now, you’ll probably still be relying on HSPA+ connectivity even after installing the update this week. TmoNews also says that the update will also give unlocked iPhone 5 users access to Visual Voicemail “among other features.”

Apple is looking to start production of a new iPhone of “similar” design to the current one during the second quarter of 2013, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. The production ramp-up is designed to set the stage for a summer launch of a new flagship iPhone, the report claims, which agrees with information we’ve heard from our own sources recently.

John reported last Thursday that Apple’s manufacturing partners were preparing for a June 2013 launch of the so-called iPhone 5S, a device that retains the design of the iPhone 5 but adds better specs under the hood. This report from the WSJ, paired with analyst claims of a similar timeline for an iPhone product refresh, seem to now all be pointing to a new device in early summer. Apple holds its annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference around the same time, so if we’re going to see a public event detailing the new device, that’d be when to look for it.

The WSJ report today also claims that Apple continues to work on a lower-cost iPhone, destined for a launch as early as the second half of 2013. The shell casing is said to be different from the top-end iPhone, which is what we’ve heard before, and the new report also says Apple is looking into different case colors with its less expensive design, another tidbit shared by various analysts.

While it isn’t surprising that Apple would be working on a new iPhone, the timeline for launch is a bit different from what we’d expect now that Apple has released the past couple of devices in the fall instead of the summer. Still, when you start to see multiple sources come together in agreement on information like this, it’s usually a good indication that there’s solid info behind the rumors.

A new report claims that two unlikely partners may team up to acquire the world’s second-largest mobile carrier. According to the Financial Times, Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) are working on a breakup bid for European carrier Vodafone (VOD) that would value the company at $245 billion, a 40% premium over its current valuation of $115. The deal would see Verizon take control of the 45% stake Vodafone currently owns in Verizon Wireless, while Vodafone’s business outside of the U.S. would go to AT&T. Earlier reports suggested that Verizon and Vodafone were actively discussing ways to resolve their relationship in the form of a merger or possibly a full or partial buyout.

Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Note phablet lineup is about to see some serious new competition… from Samsung. According to a report from SamMobile, which has a good track record when reporting details about unannounced Samsung products, the South Korean vendor is developing two new supersized smartphones that will launch later this year. Unlike its current phablets, however, these new handsets will fall under Samsung’s popular Galaxy brand and therefore may not include some of the Notes’ more appealing features, such as S Pen stylus support. The Galaxy Mega 5.8 is rumored to feature a 5.8-inch display and it will reportedly launch in late May or early June. Then, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 will seemingly follow in mid to late June with a comically large 6.3-inch touchscreen.

Which is odder: That Amazon, the Kindle company, hired a guy named Kindel to head up a new stealth mobile development project? Or that Amazon hired a Windows phone guy to head a mobile project?

That’s what’s happened.  As Geekwire reported on Monday — and yes it dispensed with the April Fool’s aspect – Charlie Kindel, who helped build Windows 7 Phone and then left Microsoft for a startup in 2011, is now at Amazon “working on something wonderful,” according to his LinkedIn profile

His current job description:

“I’m building a new team going after a totally new area for Amazon. I’m hiring cloud and mobile developers and testers, program managers, and product managers.”

There’s been other evidence that Amazon, which fields the Kindle reader lineup, is also getting more mobility-focused in its Amazon Web Services group. It’s building a new development group in Palo Alto, Calif. to build client side applications and folks also expect AWS to expose more of its existing technology services (as well as future offerings) in a Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS).

There have been rumors for months that Amazon is building its own smart phone. And, as GigaOM’s mobile maven Kevin Tofel put it: If Amazon is doing a phone and just pulled Kindel into it it’ll be hard for the company to get anything out by summer, which has been a rumored release target. If they do get something out by then, Kindel will have had very little, if any, input into what they’ve done.

One thing’s for certain, a couple months down the road we’ll start seeing lots of Amazon mobile services news posted on the AWS blog.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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The new king of Android smartphones is set to begin rolling out in just two weeks, according to a new leak. SamMobile has a solid track record when issuing leaked details about Samsung (005930) devices, and the blog on Tuesday published what it claims to be a Galaxy S 4 shipping schedule for the first markets set to receive the new flagship smartphone.

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HTC’s great aluminum hope, the HTC One, will be available on AT&T beginning April 19, with pre-orders starting April 4. The smartphone will cost $199.99 with a two-year agreement for the 32GB variety, with a 64GB version for $299.99 on a two-year contract, a U.S. launch exclusive for AT&T. Pre-orders for the phone start at 1 P.M. Central Time on April 4, if you’re marking your calendars.

The HTC One has faced delays in getting to market in North America, with production issues around the camera accounting for early problems reaching mass production status, according to HTC marketing chief Benjamin Ho. Despite any early troubles, the new HTC flagship will make it to market faster than its chief rival, the Samsung Galaxy S4, which becomes available for pre-order on AT&T April 16, with no word yet on when exactly it will ship.

HTC had originally planned to launch the One across North America by the end of March, but its new shipping timeframe still gives it a bit of a first-mover advantage over Samsung. Still, it has a lot of ground to make up from the much more popular Android device-maker. Early reviewers seem more impressed by the HTC hardware, which features an all-aluminum enclosure, vs. the usual plastic cases many Android OEMs opt for, but this is still a pivotal launch for the Taiwanese company. HTC CEO Peter Chou has even confirmed it’ll be his last stand, with the exec saying he’ll step down if the One isn’t a success.

And now Sprint has also chimed in, announcing that it will be kicking off pre-orders for the HTC One April 5, with the phone shipping April 19. AT&T has the exclusive on the $299.99 64GB version at launch, as mentioned, but Sprint shoppers will pay the same $199.99 on a two-year agreement for the 32GB variety.

AT&T (T) on Tuesday announced that it will launch the HTC One on April 19th and pricing will start at $199.99. The carrier will sell two different versions of HTC’s (2498) new flagship smartphone, a 32GB version for $199.99 and a 64 GB model that will cost $299.99 with a two-year contract, and preorder availability will begin on April 4th. Key specs include a quad-core 1.7GHz processor, a 4.7-inch full HD display, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. BGR reviewed the HTC One earlier this week and said it was the best Android smartphone we’ve ever tested. AT&T’s full press release follows below.

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It has been widely reported that Amazon (AMZN) may be working on a Kindle smartphone that is expected to debut later this year. Adding more fuel to the fire, the company has hired Charlie Kindel, a former general manager at Microsoft (MSFT) who headed the development of Windows Phone’s app platform and developer experience. Little is known about Kindel’s new role at Amazon, although he revealed that he will be a director of “something secret.”

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AT&T (T) is planning to follow in T-Mobile’s footsteps by deploying HD Voice technology over its LTE network by the end of the year. Per AllThingsD, AT&T senior VP Kris Rinne said that “HD Voice is part of our voice over LTE strategy” and that the company would have it up and running sometime in 2013. HD Voice, which T-Mobile said would be available on its recently launched LTE network, is a type of voice technology that aims to deliver clearer voice calls and eliminate most background noise by using an algorithm that significantly increases the number of voice frequencies transmitted.

What could be more annoying than overly intrusive mobile ads that take up excessive space on your display? How about intrusive mobile ads that are capable of talking to you. AllThingsD reports that speech recognition software company Nuance Communications (NUAN), which is best known for its Dragon NaturallySpeaking software, is announcing a new initiative aimed at bringing Siri-style voice recognition technology to mobile ads. According to AllThingsD, Nuance is conducting the venture with several “advertising agencies, ad networks and publishers” to determine whether “ads that feature voice interaction might prove more engaging and effective than traditional banner ads.”

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The past year hasn’t been a pleasant one for Taiwanese handset maker HTC (2498), which despite producing critically acclaimed smartphones continues to struggle against the competition. Consumers have turned toward devices from Apple (AAPL), Samsung (005930) and LG (066570), among others in recent months, forcing HTC to make changes to its marketing strategy. The company’s flagship HTC One smartphone will compete directly with Samsung’s Galaxy S4 when both devices launch towards the end of the month. In an effort to win back consumers, HTC will be offering goodies to early adopters of its latest flagship smartphone.

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Earlier rumors have suggested that Samsung (005930) is preparing to launch a smaller version of its Galaxy S4 smartphone called the Galaxy S4 mini that is expected to be available in black or white and in a dual-SIM or single-SIM model. The dual-SIM option will reportedly be equipped with a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1.6GHz dual-core Exynos 5210 processor, an 8-megapixel camera and run Android 4.2.2, while the single-SIM model could feature a quad-core processor. According to SamMobile, the company may announce the mid-range handset sometime this week in the aftermath of several high-profile leaks. Samsung will reportedly release the Galaxy S4 mini by the end of May or early June.

After some delays, Nokia’s (NOK) Lumia 520 and Lumia 620 budget models have debuted in key Asian markets and they have clearly eclipsed the supposed flagship phone, the Lumia 920. Recent discussions with two United Kingdom operators reflect an emerging consensus that the Lumia 920 is fading fast in Europe, while the low-end Lumia 520 is sparking a lot of early interest. India’s most popular e-commerce website Flipkart reflects the same phenomenon: The new Lumia 520 and 620 models hog 2 of the top 5 spots, while the Lumia 920 has vanished just months after its debut.

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Customers eagerly awaiting the arrival of the HTC One in the United States may not have to wait much longer. According to a leaked document published by Engadget, the company’s latest flagship smartphone will reportedly be available for preorder on April 5th from AT&T (T). The carrier will offer the HTC One in a 32GB model option for $249.99 with a new two-year agreement and an exclusive 64GB model for $299.99. The smartphone is equipped with a 4.7-inch full HD 1080p display, a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and a 4.3-“ultrapixel” rear camera. HTC (2498) previously confirmed that the handset would be released at the end of the month. BGR recently reviewed the HTC One and called it the best Android smartphone in the world.

If you think that having a large smartphone screen makes you more likely to consume more data, think again. According to a report from Flurry Analytics, smartphones around the size of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone experience the most regular usage among users. Devices with screen sizes between 3.5-inches and 4.9-inches were found to account for 69% of data usage, compared to smaller smartphones such as BlackBerrys (BBRY) at 16% and larger screen handsets, commonly referred to as “phablets,” at 2% of usage. When the data was broken down further, it was discovered that phablets only account for 7% of data on all Android devices, compared to 70% from normal sized devices. The research firm suggests that larger-screened phones are a fad, however with more companies releasing devices with 5-inch or higher displays, usage could increase in the coming years. A second image follows below.

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We started hearing word last week that Facebook’s (FB) new “home” for Android will be preloaded software that will essentially let Facebook take over your smartphone’s home screen with your friends’ status updates, pictures and more. Android Police has got hold of a system dump containing a pre-release version of Facebook’s new Android overlay that the site says looks like HTC’s (2498) Sense skin after being “attacked by a mutant Facebook app.” Android Police couldn’t get too many details on how the app will look in its final form because the leaked pre-release build requires an employee account and password to access. The site does say, however, that it looks like everything in the new software “seems to be focused on the Facebook app” and that it doesn’t look like Facebook is building its own Amazon-style Android skin.

HTC’s (2498) new smartphone comes at an important time. As good, thoughtful and purposeful as HTC’s products are, the company hasn’t been doing as well as it used to. Samsung’s (005930) been on a roll, and Apple (AAPL) is Apple. The latest flagship smartphone from HTC is the One, and it is a complete reset. It features a beautiful aluminum case, much lighter HTC Sense interface, and a load of innovative features that aren’t available on other smartphones. It’s a bag of tricks in a magician’s hat. So how does the HTC One stack up against the latest and greatest from the company’s competitors? Read on to learn more. 

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