Tablets. Macs. Phablets. Cylinders. Live tiles. Windows RT jokes. Tim Cook. Elop talking Microkia. Fingerprints. Polycarbonate. Aloomineeum. PureView. Fingerprints. Peripherals. Accessories. Beaches. Numbers. Gradients. Screen sizes. Phil Schiller being arrogant.
Most of all, the return of our snark-tastic liveblogs. See you at 8am BST/3am ET/12am PT for Nokia World and 6pm/1pm/10am for Apple’s iPad/Mac event!
Samsung keynotes, especially ones laden with Jason Bradbury and his increasingly dreadful glasses, always make me lose the will to live, so here’s stuff that I’m trying to not pay attention to but can’t avoid. Continue reading →
We know what we’re going to see, with Galaxy and Ativ stuff having already been leaked and, in some cases, announced, but that’s not going to take away our liveblogging fun. Henry and I will be providing our usual dose of snark and sarcasm along with the news from Samsung’s London event, so join us for a magical journey (if IFA 2012 is anything to go by).
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.
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!
It’s been a long time coming, but today is the day that RIM steps into the future as they prepare to unveil their new – and heavily delayed – BlackBerry 10 platform and devices. Rumour has it that we will see two devices today – one with RIM’s iconic QWERTY keyboard and one with just touch input – and further leaks suggest that we could even see devices on store shelves within the next 24 hours. Whether or not this turns out to be the case, RIM’s New York launch event starts at 10am ET/3pm GMT, and we will be blogging it live on this very page. Join us then to find out what RIM’s been working on.
All times are in GMT
This event has now finished
14:58 Let’s go!
15:00 Things seem a bit late starting, but the live stream is available here.
15:01 The apps seem to be popping up already. Here’s evidence.
15:04 According to TechnoBuffalo, the Z10 is already in Phones4U. We’ll be hunting it down tomorrow.
15:06 Things are kicking off! They flashed up the already-announced software stuff and now a broadcasting guy is showing global launches.
15:08 Now they’re showing business people (including EE’s Olaf Swantee) talking about what they love about BB10.
15:09 What seems evident is that carriers and businessmen love BB10, but will consumers?
15:10 I love rhetoric questions.
15:10 Alec Saunders, VP of Developer Relations (and this guy) says there are no devs in Antarctica. I need to prove him wrong.
15:13 “Honk if you want BlackBerry 10!” says this guy.
15:13 Now there’s a guy who made a song called No Sleep ‘Til BlackBerry 10. I kid you not.
15:14 Now random guy is talking to CrackBerry Kevin, the guy who said he wouldn’t cut his hair until the launch.
15:15 THEY ARE CUTTING KEVIN’S PONYTAIL.
15:16 Here’s Thorsten Heins, sounding German.
15:18 “Innovation is at the heart of RIM. Now finally, here we are!” Thorsten gets applause.
15:19 They keep saying BlackBerry 10 is here, but they’re not actually doing anything.
15:20 Are you hyper-connected socially? BB10 is for you!
15:21 It is ‘built to keep you moving’.
15:23 We can confirm Thorsten did just say ‘internet of things’.
15:23 Thorsten’s thanking the QNX guys, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis.
15:26 RIM is killing the RIM name. RIM is now BlackBerry, making the BlackBerry. Finally they are making sense.
https://twitter.com/reckless/status/296640579809452032 https://twitter.com/jwherrman/status/29664072226479718415:28 BlackBerry’s new stock symbols are BBRY and BB.
15:29 NEW PHONES. Z10 and Q10.
15:29 The Z10 has a 356ppi 1280 x 768 4.2″ screen with a textured surface for comfort.
15:31 The Q10 has a physical keyboard. That’s literally it.
15:32 It does, however, have a glass weave cover. Nobody knows what that is, but it sounds weavy.
15:34 Some guy called Vivek is showing off the Flow multitasking and Peek notifications while watching a video of a German car.
15:37 Vivek and Thorsten are making vacation jokes in the Hub (the one with the notifications).
15:38 BB10 can link contacts together automagically, just like every other platform in the world.
15:38 Thorsten is literally clapping louder than the entire audience.
15:40 The new prediction-heavy keyboard looks cool, and is modelled on the BB QWERTY.
15:41 The default email signature seems to be “Sent from my new BlackBerry Z10”. UGH. I WILL NOT READ YOUR EMAILS WITH THAT KIND OF ADVERNATURE.
15:43 Balance lets you have work and personal profiles. Thorsten’s talking about the boring business security stuff.
15:56 We’re back! WordPress decided to do some server maintenance. Here’s what we missed.
https://twitter.com/Xavdog/status/29664685873287577615:56 And camera stuff, new third party apps (70k total) and Story Maker. STORIES.
15:58 The review embargo has been lifted. Here’s Joshua Topolsky’s.
16:02 Over 1k top apps are on BB10. Massive punch aimed at Microsoft.
16:03 There’s Rdio, SoundHound, EA, social stuff and other stuff, but no sign of Spotify. Dealbreaker for many.
https://twitter.com/jesusdiaz/status/29664967541352038516:06 You can also get movies, TV and music from BlackBerry World.
16:07 Insert generically intensely soundtracked content advertising video here.
16:08 All four US carriers are getting these. Insert Thorsten clap.
16:09 The Z10 is available tomorrow in the UK in basically every store. I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow.
16:10 Chemistry, that is. Might find the phone after.
16:10 Another big announcement from Thorsten is impending!
16:11 “We’ve created a new positiion at BlackBerry. A Global Creative Director!
16:12 It’s Alicia Keys.
https://twitter.com/LaughingStoic/status/29665215499798937616:15 Thorsten Heins is officially freakishly tall. Either that or all his employees are diminutive.
16:16 Alicia wants to “bridge the gap between the work phone and the play phone”.
16:17 Her job is to persuade Neil Gaiman to use BB10. There’s a video on it.
https://twitter.com/MikeIsaac/status/29665301550559232116:20 It seems Alicia is starting in the office on Monday. Nice few days off.
16:20 Thorsten’s wrapping things up, so I will too. Thanks for joining us!
16:21 The press get a Q&A session, but I get to go and eat some crisps now. I’ll be getting some hands-on time tomorrow.
16:21 See you next time!
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.
All times are in GMT
Please refresh your browser for the latest updates
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.
As Microsoft prepares to unleash Windows 8 upon the world tomorrow, a number of launch events are scheduled around the world, but the largest of them all takes place in New York this afternoon. We’re expecting to hear news of Surface and Windows, while numerous new high-profile applications for the Windows Store are likely to be unveiled. For all the news as it happens, join us right here for all the news as it happens.
All times are in BST
This event is now finished
15:30 Let’s do this.
15:40 While we wait for things to kick off, why not watch our Windows 8 overview?
16:08 Just a few minutes to go now…
16:09 Plenty of time to get some beef Hula Hoops.
16:16 We should be live now. If you want to watch along with us then the kind folks at Microsoft have provided a stream.
16:19 Starting with a video: The World Is Ready.
16:21 Steven Sinofsky is up, talking about building on the success of Windows 7.
16:22 They’ve sold over 670,000,000 licenses.
16:23 2PB of data added to SkyDrive every month.
16:24 Now talking about the advances in technology since Windows 95 came out.
16:25 Windows 8 is reimagined for the next billion users.
16:26 Windows 8 will be available at 12:01am tomorrow in every time zone.
16:27 8 was built on the foundations of 7.
16:28 Cold boots on new PCs in 10 seconds.
16:29 1,240,000 hours of testing in 190 countries.
16:30 Designed for touch and to be alive with the activity that matters most.
16:31 1,000 devices have already been certified for Windows 8.
16:32 There will be new Ultrabooks today, with some sporting touch screens.
16:33 Moving on to the Windows Store, officially opening today.
16:34 Hundreds of new apps every day, with the rate increasing each day.
16:35 231 markets for the store. Largest app selection at opening of any app store.
16:36 Now we have Windows Retweet RT, featuring Office 2013.
16:37 Windows RT currently supports over 420,000,000 peripherals, including mice, keyboards and printers.
16:38 Now there’s an advert featuring Best Coast and guitars.
16:39 Mike Angiulo and Julie Larson-Green on stage to demonstrate.
16:41 They’re just taking a look at the core. I think we did that better, but they’re not doing too badly.
16:44 The desktop is now even better. Run it side by side with Store apps.
16:45 Now talking about SkyDrive and Windows Phone.
16:47 They’re showing off the HTC 8X, a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 (with stylus!) and an Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook.
16:49 Touch notebooks start at just $499/£400.
16:51 “So many apps.”
16:52 Showing off Hulu with snapped email. Into the Wikipedia app (via Store) with the video still playing. Search is universal.
16:53 Julie’s using Urbanspoon now. Sharing is easy, and now exploring NY with Bing Travel.
16:55 Jetpack Joyride is available on Windows 8. Goodbye productivity.
16:56 Now they have the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, Dell XPS tablet and Samsung Ativ Tab.
16:57 Swapping now to the Asus Vivo Tab RT and Microsoft’s own Surface which gets a rapturous applause.
16:59 Ballmer alert.
17:00 He’s looking intense and talking about the benefits of a Microsoft account.
17:01 Biggest Windows ever with ARM and tablets included.
17:05 New Office “works great with a stylus”.
17:06 Great support from media outlets for apps. IE10 sites can be pinned.
17:07 MSN is the first site to be designed for Windows 8 and IE10.
17:08 SkyDrive is great for documents, while Outlook and the new Skype app are great for communication.
17:09 Rich entertainment experience with the Xbox brand, including free streaming music.
17:10 “Windows uniquely gives [businesses] the tools they need.”
17:11 Similarities to Windows Phone are positive – with live tiles, Microsoft Accounts and SkyDrive. More on that on Monday.
17:11 He said developers. Be warned.
17:12 Ballmer on 670,000,000 Windows 7 PCs: “That’s a very large number, even in the world of very large numbers.”
17:13 “Windows 8 PCs really are the best PCs ever.”
17:14 “Windows 8 brings together the best of worlds: PC and tablet; work and play.”
17:15 And that’s a wrap.
17:15 A whole load of uniformed people went on stage, music started playing and the lights dimmed. I can’t be the only one that was scared of a dance there.
17:15 And that’s all folks! We’ll be back on Monday for the Windows Phone and Android events!
17:16 Thanks for joining us!
Another month brings another Apple event, and this time we expect to see a whole plethora of new and updated devices, spearheaded by the iPad Mini. Rumoured to have a 7.85″ 1024 x 768 display and a design similar to that of the new iPod Touch, this device looks set to sport a low price tag to take on the Nexus 7 and company. Rumour also has it that the existing iPad will receive a minor update with a Lightning connector and 4G in more territories (such as with EE in the UK) and the Mac family will get minor updates across the board, with the highlight being a 13″ Retina MacBook Pro. We also expect to hear a bit more about iTunes 11 tonight, but whatever happens we will be around to liveblog proceedings on this very page. Enjoy!
Digixav 
