As usual with tech events, we already know what we’re going to see today as Facebook unveils its new ‘home on Android’. Facebook Home is set to be an Android launcher with, as you’d expect, a ton of Facebook, and the HTC First, a mid-range Android 4.1 device in a range of colours, is set to bring the launcher to consumers as the closest we’ll get to a legitimate ‘Facebook phone’. Mark Zuckerberg may have some surprises, though, so join our liveblog below to get the latest news as it happens.
@evleaks has a near-perfect record for when it comes to unveiling devices before their manufacturers, having seen devices from Nokia, Huawei, HTC and others pass through its Twitter feed before anywhere else. Today, the leakmeister has turned to 9to5Google to unveil screenshots of Facebook Home, the Android launcher that the company is set to unveil tomorrow alongside a mid-range device called the HTC First. Formerly known as the Myst, the device will feature a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU and a 720p display straight from last year’s flagships, but the big story is, as rumoured, Facebook Home. The launcher is expected to be available for all Android devices and, as shown in the screenshots in the gallery below, it still provides access to Google Play’s app library and deeper integration with Facebook’s services, including Messenger and Instagram. Not much left remains to be seen, but we will be liveblogging the event at Facebook’s HQ tomorrow evening as it plots to quietly take over the Android ecosystem.
Source 9to5Google
For years, rumours of a full-on Facebook phone, like a more intense HTC ChaCha/Status or Salsa, have been rife, and the ever-reliable @evleaks told us that a new HTC phone with even more Facebook integration would be on its way to us in spring with mid-range specs. Now, the social behemoth has released an invite for next Thursday inviting press to see its ‘new home on Android’, and TechCrunch sources confirm that this means the Myst #UL is coming with a forked build of Android 4.1, plastered with Facebook. We’ll be liveblogging the event – Facebook’s third of the year at its Menlo Park, CA headquarters – and bringing you all the latest news as it happens, so stay tuned.
Via TechCrunch
HTC is due to show off its latest creation today, and there’s not much about the One (formerly known as M7) that we don’t already know. It looks like a hybrid mutation of a BlackBerry Z10, iPhone 5 and Sony Xperia P, and HTC’s maligned Sense skin seems more reminiscent of Windows Phone with its latest iteration. Hell, we even know that HTC’s going crazy with the button placements on the new phone, but that doesn’t mean that the Taiwanese firm won’t have a few surprises up its sleeves, so we will be liveblogging the launch proceedings via an interesting new platform (Google Docs) and myself (if I get home in time), Rowan and possibly Neil will be bringing you all the news as it happens. Will HTC’s latest be the One to make you feel that way? Join us in a few minutes to find out!
All times are in GMT
This event has now ended.
15:04 Looks like the event is about to start soon! There appears to be a very WP8-esque animation on the stage projection.
15:06 This phone has been leaked like crazy. It looks a bit like a cross between the iPhone 5, the Z10 and the Droid DNA. The highlight has to have been a slightly (read: very) drunk Peter Chou shouting HTC ONE! repeatedly to a crowd of HTC employees a bit like Ballmer.
15:09 The music is ramping up. Very electronic-y.
15:14 Is this thing on? Hey world.
Hey!
15:15 Unlike The Verge, our liveblog isn’t sponsored by BlackBerry. Prepare for total impartiality/terrible jokes/analysis.
15:17 The London event is causing tremendous delays. We should be under way shortly.
15:17: Apparently, there are a lot of unofficial hands-ons going on while people are waiting. It looks like a lot of HTC employees already have their Ones.
15:18: And Jason MacKenzie is on stage in New York!
15:19: “HTC saw a massive opportunity to bring new excitement back to the smartphone.” – Jason MacKenzie
15:20: The HTC One!
15:21 HTC jumping straight into things. Here is a picture of the familiar guy.
15:22 Dual stereo speakers and dual capacitive buttons with the odd placement that HTC seems to wish to pioneer.
15:23 “The new Sense brings a clean and modern design”
15:23 New “Blink Feed” feature, replacing apps and widgets with information that is important to you. Partnering up with a lot of people apparently.
15:24 BlinkFeed seems to be built-in Flipboard. It’s even a bit like Flipboard’s tablet app with its tiled UI.
15:25 HTC has 1,400 content partners. Wow.
15:26 The Verge just broke their embargo. Dual speakers on the front are known as “BoomSound”. Oh dear, HTC.
15:26 Ed Erhart from ESPN is on stage talking about how sports fans love their content on their phones etc.
15:26 The London event is finally beginning.
15:27 The processor is a quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600, and the camera is the rumoured 4.3MP UltraPixel thing that works somehow. Also Sense 5.
15:27: A clearer image from Engadget! They describe the phone as very thin, and very well made.
15:28 It appears to be a good UI for people who love new content in their faces. If you can avoid it being bloated by Facebook and Twitter, I think I’d adapt to it.
15:30 Also, it’s a 4.7” 1080p display at 468ppi. If you like pixels, this phone is for you.
“Neil Thomas, Pixel Density Enthusiast”
15:32 People at the event are saying the screen is incredibly bright. We believe it is Super LCD 3.
15:32 Also the BOOMSOUND is LOUD. LOUDER THAN BOOM.
15:33 Press shot!
15:33 HTC’s new music player pulls in lyrics from the internet (think Shazam’s LiveLyrics) and it has 2 microphones to record better audio.
15:34 It also has an IR blaster, if anyone cares. Also 802.11ac.
15:35 It will be on all UK networks (duh) and Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T. Verizon will probably get DROID plastered all over it with dumb bloatware.
15:36 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (with 64GB SKU in some regions), GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0 and…………..2300mAh battery. Don’t forget GLONASS.
15:37 Apparently good low light too – could this be a PureView killer?
15:38 “We’ve developed our own technology, called the UltraPixel camera. 300 percent more light, ghostless HDR, HDR video.”
15:39 There’s also a camera feature called HTC Zoe. Zoes are short video clips (think Vines).
15:40 It will be interesting to see how well this stacks up with the Galaxy S4 that is rumored for March 14th.
Of course we will be liveblogging that too. And the PlayStation thing tomorrow.
15:41 Your Zoes can have Instagram-esque filters! The world is saved!
15:42 Here are a few quotes from the Engadget hands-on.
“Look a little closer and the attention to detail is staggering — this is a product that stands shoulder to shoulder with the iPhone 5 in terms of materials and build quality.”
“HTC even sourced custom-grade aluminum that’s harder than what’s found on the iPhone 5.”
“In front are two aluminum bands (top and bottom) separated by a vast sheet of Gorilla Glass 2 covering a gorgeous 4.7-inch 1080p (468 dpi) Super LCD 3 display.”
Apparently it takes 200 minutes to machine just one shell.
15:44 “We’ve leveraged our breakthroughs in technology to integrate the antenna within the phone’s aluminum, allowing us to create gapless devices from a single block of aluminum.”
15:46 IT HAS CHAMFERED EDGES.
15:46 It also has Optical Image Stabilization, Nokia style.
15:47 The One will ship worldwide in late March. No RIM-style same-day launch magic here. 😦 Also no Verizon. So yay, no home button logos.
15:47 “HTC is launching a new trade in program where customers that preorder can turn in their current phone to get up to $100 off of a One.” I could actually do this – but I love my Nexus.
15:48 And, as with last year’s 8X event, HTC’s done in an hour. Thanks for joining us! Remember to give us feedback on this new liveblogging style we’re trying.
15:49 Be sure to join us at 4 PM GMT for the Ubuntu event! Also, join us at [placeholder o’clock] tomorrow as we meet the future of PlayStation!
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 launch event was headlined by the appearance of Jessica Alba, but otherwise very little unknown information surfaced about the operating system or the devices it would appear upon. One smidgen of news that did emerge, however, was that a Samsung device, depicted by a lonely silhouette and named the Ativ Odyssey, was in the pipeline for a December release on Verizon in the US. Of course December came and went without a release, but CES gave Samsung the opportunity to show the 4″ Windows Phone 8 device to the world. Now, a press release has stated that the phone will be available sooner rather than later, with stores set to receive the Ativ Odyssey and Valentine’s Day editions of the Nokia Lumia 822 and Motorola Droid Razr M tomorrow (January 24th).
The Odyssey joins the Lumia 822 and HTC 8X in Verizon’s lineup of LTE Windows Phones, and its microSD slot and 2100mAh battery should win it some fans, although the 800 x 480 screen resolution and 5MP camera show that it is pitched towards the lower end of the market. As with almost all other Windows Phone 8 devices, the package comes powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip accompanied by 1GB of RAM, and it will be available for $49.99 with a new 2 year contract, while whispers of a European launch remain unconfirmed but not impossible.
Via Engadget
Source Verizon Wireless
In a blog entry posted today, Windows Phone corporate vice president Terry Myerson confirmed Microsoft’s plans for Windows Phone 7.8, the update that the company has remained quiet about since its announcement at the Windows Phone 8 event in June. Serving to sweeten the blow for existing Windows Phone 7.x device owners that are unable to update their devices to the latest version of the operating system, 7.8 will bring new Start screen options including resizeable tiles and 20 theme colours, and users can also opt to have new password options and the daily Bing picture as their lock screen wallpaper. While developers are unlikely to target 7.x for app releases due to SDK changes for 8, Myerson promises that Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Star Wars will soon join Draw Something and Words With Friends in the expanding Windows Phone Store for 7.x. The update is currently said to be in testing with OEM and carrier partners, and Microsoft hope for a smooth rollout of the update in early 2013.
Source Windows Phone Blog
When HTC unveiled the One family at MWC earlier this year, the simplified line-up was meant to represent a new beginning for the Taiwanese firm. One range of phones for the entire world was supposed to be the result of a shift of focus from quantity to quality, and overall they impressed us. When we reviewed the One X back in August, we concluded that it was a stunning phone and confidently pointed towards a bright future for HTC. Sense aside, HTC could be in a position to become market leaders. But then things changed.
Surrendering to the wills of various carrier partners, mostly in the United States, HTC’s production lines began to churn out even more devices. Since that impressive MWC launch in February, no fewer than 10 Android devices have been launched by the company in various parts of the world, many of which did not bear the One family name. The most recent of these – and the company’s new European Android flagship – is the One X+ which, at first glance, looks no different to the original One X. How does it fare against its latest rivals, and, with new devices just around the corner at CES and MWC after the turn of the new year, is it worth your money? Read on to find out.
Following the launch of their LTE network in 11 UK cities on Tuesday, EE has premiered their first TV commercial featuring Hollywood star Kevin Bacon. Entitled ‘How Bacon Rolls‘, the spot features Bacon speaking about his industry connections and how the use of EE’s services can help customers become as well-connected as Bacon himself. Further commercials featuring the actor reprising some of his most famous roles are set to follow, but for now you can see the 2 minute spot below. See if you can spot the HTC One S – a phone that EE is not offering with 4G LTE connectivity – being used by an EE customer in the advert.
Source @EE
At an event back in June, Microsoft offered a ‘sneak peek’ at some new features of Windows Phone 8, with the new start screen being the star of the show. While we weren’t told about devices, the past couple of months have given us announcement events from Samsung, Nokia and Microsoft’s new best friend HTC, but all parties have remained pretty silent when it comes to the full extent of Windows Phone 8’s new features. That’s all set to change today, as Microsoft is hosting an event in San Francisco to show off their new mobile operating system to the world – and we might even hear about Windows Phone 7.8 for existing customers too. We will be liveblogging the whole thing right here, so stick with us to find out what’s up Microsoft’s sleeve.
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16:37 Google’s just dumped a whole load of Nexus news. Bear with us as we filter through it.
16:45 If you want to watch along with us, Microsoft has a stream for you.
16:48 A little over 10 minutes to go now.
16:56 It’s almost time!
16:57 The pre-stream music is actually horrible.
17:01 The announcer kindly asks everyone to turn their devices to off or silent. Not very blogger-friendly.
17:02 Here’s a table of phones.
17:04 And we’re off! Joe Belfiore is talking about why he loves his Windows Phone.
17:05 Big cheers from the Windows Phone fans in the room.
17:05 He’s talking about the successes of Windows 8, Surface and the San Francisco Giants.
17:06 Before he talks about the product, he’s going to talk about what’s happened in the last few months.
17:07 191 countries can now access the WP Store.
17:08 120,000 apps already available for 7.x devices.
17:09 Belfiore’s taking jabs at the iPhone 5’s ‘revolutionary’ fifth row of icons.
17:10 After recapping the core inspirations of WP, a video has come on soundtracked by Jonsi’s wonderful Go Do, showing off the individuality and stuff.
17:13 Let’s talk about live tiles.
17:14 Apps ‘light up the phone’. Live apps can integrate into the wallet and other hubs in WP8.
17:15 There is a new lock screen powered by ‘live apps’.
17:15 Photos, notifications and other stuff can appear.
17:16 Microsoft have partnered with Facebook to make an app that supports the lockscreen, showing various photos from your past.
17:17 Text on the lockscreen can also be customised.
17:18 New apps include Twitter, Draw Something, ESPN, Angry Birds Space and Groupon.
17:18 A new version of Skype is the highlight, based on the fantastic Windows 8 app.
17:18 It is integrated naturally into the phone experience and will run in the background.
17:19 Soon Windows Phone will have 92% of the top mobile apps, including Temple Run and Urbanspoon.
17:20 Lots of Unity games will be arriving with the new native code support.
17:21 Pandora is coming with a year of complimentary ad-free music.
17:22 SDK stuff coming tomorrow at /build.
17:23 The Data Sense feature keeps you under your data limits.
17:24 IE10 compresses sites to use less data.
17:25 Data Sense can track down WiFi hotspots on a map.
17:26 As you approach your limits, it changes how the phone behaves with data.
17:27 45% more web browsing on the same data plan with Data Sense.
17:28 The first carrier to support Data Sense will be Verizon with the Lumia 822 and HTC 8X.
17:29 Belfiore’s moving onto ‘child mode’.
17:29 We have a video of children pleading to play on a phone.
17:30 “Kid’s Corner essentially creates a separate place on your phone that’s for kids…All things that you pick is for them.”
17:30 Here are Joe’s children to demonsterate.
17:31 Alexander, 9, is going to play Battleships.
17:32 One of his children just called him ‘mommy’. Awkward.
17:33 This demo isn’t going too well.
17:34 If you don’t have kids, you can just disable the feature.
17:35 Now there’s an advert for it featuring Jessica Alba.
17:36 And here is Jessica Alba. Rapturous applause for her.
17:37 Twitter has just erupted with techies talking about Jessica Alba. This is unusual.
17:38 Apparently her daughter once tweeted to 4 million people. Kid’s Corner stops that.
17:39 She’s now talking about what she loves about Windows Phone. It’s the same-old personal stuff.
17:41 Now Jessica’s talking about her new company – The Honest Company.
17:43 The people hub now has a feature called Rooms.
17:44 They seem similar to groups.
https://twitter.com/jrvolpe/status/26297318248981708917:46 You can share Rooms with iPhone users, including calendars and such.
17:47 On a related note, the Lumia 920 will be in UK stores on November 2nd, with the 820 coming 5 days later.
17:48 Now Joe is talking about SkyDrive stuff.
17:52 Xbox Music will also be available on Windows Phone 8.
17:52 Playlists and song choices sync across the cloud.
17:53 All of your content is with you wherever you are.
17:54 Joe’s walking off now, but Ballmer is in a new advert.
17:55 BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLMER!
17:55 He’s talking about the successes of the weekend again.
17:56 “We’re bringing phones into the family with Windows Phone 8.”
17:56 “We set out to reinvent the smartphone…that could be personal for each of us.”
17:58 Steve is talking about personalisation and the connection to Windows 8.
18:00 He said developers. Get ready
18:00 Now he’s talking about the killer hardware, starting with the Nokia Lumia 920.
18:01 Next is the Samsung Ativ S.
18:02 And now the Windows Phone 8X by HTC, Microsoft’s flagship.
18:03 All three and more will go on sale in Europe this weekend, while in the US phones will follow soon after.
18:04 Verizon will carry the 8X ($199), Lumia 822 ($49) and Ativ Odyssey (exclusive in December).
18:05 T-Mobile will have the Lumia 810 ($99) and 8X ($149).
18:06 AT&T will have the 8X, Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 exclusively. Pricing is to be confirmed.
18:07 Microsoft stores will sell all US phones in November.
18:07 “You won’t be able to turn on the TV or open a magazine without seeing a Windows ad.”
18:08 “Windows Phone is the best phone for Windows.”
18:10 Jessica, Joe and Steve are out to wrap things up. Also the stream has died.
18:10 And that’s all folks. We’ll be off to get some hands-on time this weekend, and (hopefully) bring you some news on how Microsoft plans to treat its existing customers.
18:11 See you next time! Thanks for joining us.
This summer I reviewed the HTC One X, a phone that came preloaded with Android 4.0.1 and HTC’s comparatively lighter but nevertheless bloated Sense 4 skin. You might recall I went on a bit of a rant about it, with the problem being that it lagged. A new operating system on a top of the line phone should not be stuttering on the homescreen. Now, to coincide with the release of the One X+, HTC has come up with an answer. The new Sense 4+ skin is layered on top of that buttery Android 4.1 goodness, also known as Jelly Bean, but does it fix the inherent problems its predecessor had? Read on to find out.
HTC really has fixed a lot with the new version of Sense. Most noticeably, the stuttering has been eradicated completely and utterly. I’m not completely sure whether this is down to the new Jelly Bean’s Project Butter or simply HTC’s optimisations, but it really doesn’t matter. Whatever they’ve done, it makes the phone a joy to use. Expandable notifications have been introduced too, bringing all sorts of new functionality to your pull down shade. The only problem with these is the slightly awkward two finger pinch gesture to open them up – something that is not present in stock Android. The keyboard is really a lot better than it used to be, nixing the pointless arrow keys at the bottom and adding altogether better feedback and responsiveness. My biggest annoyance with the One X has also been fixed – the menu button situation. It used to be that the One X did not have a hardware menu button, with a software version popping on screen as and when it was needed, wasting about a tenth of the screen real estate. With this update, TC has added the option in settings to reassign the multitasking button to menu. Holding down this button with this setting enabled will take you to recent apps, giving back the screen that was taken. Google Now, Android’s answer to Siri, has also been added, with a long press of the home button propelling you straight into the new voice search feature. While I don’t want to go as far as to compare it with Siri as they both perform different functions, I have to say the retrieval of data is snappier and the voice is not nearly as robotic.
There isn’t really much that has become worse in Sense 4+. After all, it is an update: something supposed to make something else better, unless you are Apple.
There is a lot in this section, and while there is not as much as there used to be, the list of negative aspects of Sense only reinforce my desire to see stock Android being shipped on more than one phone a year. The first thing is the icons, which remain childish and displeasing to the eye. Compared to the polished look of iOS, Windows Phone and post-ICS stock Android, you realise how far behind such skins remain, and a little customisation with an icon pack goes a long way aesthetically. I still feel that the greens and whites of Sense clash with the deep blues and Tron-like lighting of Holo clash horribly, however certain elements appear pleasant and muted. Another thing that hasn’t been fixed is the lockscreen shortcuts, still default to the ones you have placed in your dock.
Overall, I think Sense 4+ is a great upgrade over Sense 4, making Sense a decent skin once again. It makes it smoother, faster, slicker and better looking while also tying in new functionality that you won’t necessarily find in a stock Android build. If you are a user of one of HTC’s One series phones, I urge you to upgrade to keep your sanity and enjoy the butter.
Digixav 