Mysterious HTC Zara to arrive alongside HTC One Max?

As Samsung prepares for the release of its Note 3, HTC is also getting ready to unleash two new devices of its own. The first of the handsets is known as the HTC One Max and is designed to compete directly against the Note series. The second is a previously unheard of handset by the name of Zara.

We’ll start by talking about the One Max, which we already know a great deal about.

For starters, the phone will feature a premium metal-body design similar to the HTC One. The handset is also said to have a 5.9-inch FullHD display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, UltraPixel camera and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

What about the HTC Zara? The latest report from China Times suggests that the handset will arrive in September alongside the One Max. Unlike the One Max, the HTC Zara trades in the premium metal body for a plastic design that is probably more akin to Samsung devices.

Unfortunately, beyond its plastic shell, next to nothing is known about the Zara. We can’t say what markets it is being aimed at, its pricing or even what kind of hardware or screen size the phone might possess.

What we do know is that September is shaping up to be an interesting month. Not only will we see Samsung’s latest Note, but now we have two interesting HTC devices to look forward to as well.

With HTC’s push towards higher-end metal bodies, would you still consider a plastic-bodied HTC handset if the specs were right for the money?

Source: Android Authority

HTC One is actually easy to open with a special tool, says HTC lead designer

Back in March, iFixit went to work on taking the HTC One apart to give us all a better look at the phone’s insides and determine how easy (or hard) the phone would be to repair. The verdict? Just 1/10 – with 1 being ultra hard and 10 being easy as pie.

The reason for the low score is that the HTC One is very hard to open without damaging the rear case. The good news is that the phone might be hard for everyday users to take apart, but HTC does have a special method for prying open the handset in the event that the phone needs servicing under warranty.

According to HTC’s senior manager of the One design team, Justin Huang:

“During the development [of the One], there was another team inside HTC who looked at the repair process.“ “So every phone sent to HTC, they have a special tool to disassemble the back cover, to let us have the ability to access all the components inside.”

In other words, you might not be able to self-repair or send it in to a third party for cheap and easy repairs, but at least you can rest assured that you can send it in directly to HTC. Unfortunately for those looking to get their phones repaired cheaply, this isn’t exactly great news.

On the plus side, if a tool like this really does exist, it is probably just a matter of time before a Chinese knock-off tool becomes available online. What do you think, does the HTC One’s low repairability score matter to you or not?

Source: Android Authority

HTC One stock Android edition could be “announced within two weeks”

A launch of a HTC One stock Android edition in the U.S. is “imminent”, according to sources quoted by the same writer that mentioned the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition before its release.

Normally, this could be treated like yet another HTC One stock Android rumor, but this time the information comes from Geek.com's Russell Holly, a man known for not being a fan of baseless rumors, and, most importantly, the man that broke the news about the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition being launched at Google I/O.

Quoting “multiple sources,” Holly says that the “senseless” edition of the HTC One will be a reality very soon – it should be announced sometime during the next two weeks. The possible release date of the device, which would be running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, is said to be at some point during the summer.

The HTC One stock edition would be available in the U.S. at the beginning, which makes Holly think that it's possible for Google to sell it itself, through the Google Play Store.

The reason for HTC's decision to make the device available would be that, while the HTC One is clearly a very good handset, with encouraging sales (despite delays that even caused the company to apologize to users by sending them Play Store gift cards), HTC was impressed by the way the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition has been welcomed with.

While this is all as unofficial as can be, since the announcement is said to arrive “within the next two weeks,” we won't have to wait too long in order to get a confirmation (or not). On the other hand, this report seems to shed a totally new light on HTC employee Leigh Momii's tweet, posted after the Samsung Galaxy S4 running vanilla Android was announced.

While HTC has denied preparing an HTC One running stock Android, it might have changed its mind since. Or it could have just decided to wait a while longer before making the announcement.

Would you want to buy an HTC One running stock Android or would you prefer the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition?

Source: Android Authority

AT&T to Discontinue 'Facebook Phone' HTC First?

AT&T is planning to discontinue the HTC First, better known as the "Facebook Phone," reports BGR. Released on April 12, the HTC First was touted as the first device to come with Facebook Home preinstalled, a feature that has not enticed buyers to purchase the phone.

When contacted, an AT&T spokesperson gave MacRumors the following statement in regards to BGR's report: "As mentioned previously, we do pricing promotions all the time and have made no decisions on future plans." 

The Facebook Home software, which can be installed on a number of Android devices, has also proven to be unpopular with Android users. The app has a two star rating in the Google Play store and has seen just a million downloads since it was released last month...

Read the full story here. Source: Mac Rumours

The HTC First is Official

HTC has officially unveiled the HTC First at today’s Facebook Home announcement. The company says this is the best social experience you’ll find, with Facebook’s new Home experience pre-loaded and optimized onto the phone right out of the box. It’s clearly aimed at the younger crowd, but more clearly the Facebook fanatic.

Just as we saw leaked earlier this week, the device will come in multiple colors, including red, light blue, white and black, covering a nice little spectrum for users who want more choices. HTC First will be available on April 12 for $99. Right now, neither HTC or Facebook has talked up specs, so we’ll look out for those to hit soon.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Facebook Phone Coming on Thursday With New Android App

Backing up the Wall Street Journal’s report from last week, Android Police has allegedly received a complete system dump of Facebook’s upcoming BlinkFeed-like Android software. Basically, the social network’s new home on Android will act as your constant connection to your News Feed, always there when you unlock your device. It sounds and looks like theWSJ’s sources were spot on.

The prospect of a Facebook phone built, planned and commissioned by Mark Zuckerberg always seemed like a strange proposition, but it’s been one of those rumors that just won’t die. However, with much of Facebook’s userbase going mobile, the company has very candidly announced its intention to focus on the mobile market. An actual (probably cheap) Facebook phone will definitely appeal to the younger first-time teenage buyer, and further encourage use in the mobile space.

The file Android Police acquired doesn’t allow for much digging because they couldn’t login, but it did unveil what kind of device the ROM is designed for. HTC’s oft-leaked Myst device, which appears to be heading to AT&T, is name dropped with a 4.3-inch 720p display, a 5-megapixel camera, 1GB of RAM and a dual-core MSM8960 chip. Those specs aren’t revolutionary, but the biggest spec will likely be price; we’d expect it to fall below $100.

The Facebook Home aspect is essentially a specially designed app, and it sounds like the plan is to make it available in the Google Play store. “Imagine if the regular Facebook appmutated an extra ‘home screen’ limb,” Android Police explained. The app itself will boot as soon as your phone starts, with other Android permissions such as changing Wi-Fi, changing system settings and more. If that app exists, though, there needs to be a reason for consumers to buy the phone instead of simply downloading it on the phone of their choice.

Since Android Police couldn’t login, the site couldn’t take the actual experience itself for a spin. An actual physical mid-range Facebook device appears to be on the way, though, with a tweaked Facebook app and not an outright Android skin.

Facebook has an event planned for Thursday, April 4, so we’ll find out more information then. For a more in-depth look at the full Facebook Home and a breakdown of the file, head on over to the source.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Black HTC One leaks ahead of Tuesday's launch

Another day, another HTC One leak. This time we get a look at the handset in black, courtesy of Unwired View.

Design-wise, it looks identical to the silver model we already spied. The images on the screen are different too, with this one listing New York as the home city, whereas the silver one had London. HTC will hold events in both London and New York on Tuesday, so expect to see the phone launched then.

HTC has opted for a two-button layout below the screen, while most handsets that runAndroid 4.1 Jelly Bean -- like the Nexus 4 -- have three. Or maybe the HTC logo could double as a button.

HTC has punted out numerous teasers concerning the One. Here are the videos spliced together in a 20-second clip, viaPhone Arena.

[Source: CNET- Read the full story here]

HTC promises 'new sound and camera experience in 2013'

Normally I avoid infographics like the plague. They're basically free advertising, and baby needs a new pair of shoes. But HTC just published one on a "Brief history of photography." And tucked down at the bottom is the following line:

HTC kicks off a new sound and camera experience in 2013

That's very much in the same ballpark as the supposed "ultrapixel" sensor Pocket-Lint reported will be used in HTC's next round of phones.

Only a couple weeks until HTC's Feb. 19 events in New York and London, folks. We're getting close.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

HTC 'M7' parts caught on video

With the recent emergence of certain leaked photos, we've slowly been able to piece together a picture of HTC's upcoming 'M7' handset. And the successor to the One X has cropped up on camera again today, disassembled, in the form couple of leaked component parts. ETrade Supply got hold of what seems to be the back case and front housing of the phone, which looks a little smaller than the similarly-designed Droid DNA. That suggests we might be dealing with a 4.7-inch screen, as has been rumored in recent months.

Also of note is the second front-facing speaker down below, which roughly matches a render that leaked out a couple of weeks ago. And there's what seems to be a dedicated camera button on the right edge, below the volume rocker, an unusual sight on an HTC Android phone.

Without the front glass in place -- not to mention functioning innards -- it's difficult to get an overall impression of the phone. But it looks like we're dealing with a handset that shares much in common with the DNA and its international cousin, the HTC Butterfly. The edges are squared off, in stark contrast to the curved One X and One S, and there's a slight hump to the back, like the DNA and Windows Phone 8X.

There's no way of knowing whether this is a finalized HTC design or merely a prototype, but the parts shown in today's video certainly tick all the boxes we were expecting from a 2013 HTC flagship. The 'M7' is e

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Bloomberg: HTC will introduce 7-inch and 12-inch Windows RT tablets in 2013

Well, it looks like Microsoft has changed its tune about HTC's "experience" when it comes to churning out tablets. Today, Bloomberg reports that the Taiwan-based manufacturer will introduce 7-inch and 12-inch tablets that are based on Qualcomm chips with Windows RT. This news directly contradicts a previous report that suggested HTC would be excluded from the Windows tablet world. If the stars align, we can expect each of these devices to hit the market in Q3 of 2013, although pricing remains up in the air. Curiously, the 7-inch iteration is also said to make phone calls, which sounds eerily similar to the the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. One thing you won't find, however, are Windows 8-based tablets from HTC, which the company is said to have abandoned due to high costs. Sources speculate that HTC's entry into the fray is based on Microsoft's desire for more manufacturers and greater diversity in the tablet lineup. No doubt that a miniature RT device will accomplish just that.

[Source: Engadget]

HTC opens store-within-a-store in Germany, hopes it's your One-stop shop

Electronics giants who want to compete for retail attention but can't always justify a full presence have a common trick: open a mini store. Apple did it, Microsoft did it, and Samsung virtually based the Galaxy S III launch on it. HTC is next at bat. While it has its own stores in Asia and parts of Europe, the smartphone designer is trying out a store-within-a-store at the giant Saturn-Markt shop in Hamburg, Germany. Swing by and you can buy or test a device like the One X+ or Windows Phone 8X alongside accessories -- including Beats headphones, naturally -- with dedicated staff to help. HTC didn't immediately have details of larger plans when we reached out, but there's talk at MyDrivers of further such stores as well as seminars that would help make sense out of Sense. There's no guarantee that HTC will benefit from carving out its own retail space in what's often considered hostile territory; even so, the move can't hurt when the company is fighting for relevancy.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple and HTC reach global patent dispute settlement, agree to ten-year licensing agreement

Apple and HTC have announced that the two companies have reached a global settlement regarding the two firm’s multiple patent infringement lawsuits. The agreement is on a global-scale and includes a ten-year licensing agreement. All current lawsuits have been dismissed.

TAIPEI, Taiwan and CUPERTINO, California—November 10, 2012—HTC and Apple® have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.” Peter Chou, HTC’s CEO, said “HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation.”

[Source: 9to5Mac - Click here to read the full story]