There isn’t much to be said about a few in-the-flesh images leaked about a device we’ve all heard of other than the confirmation of a few things. To start, it looks identical to renders seen in the past, and the images depicted in HTC’s handset line-up which was leaked back in early December.
This is the so-called HTC Incredible running on Verizon. It has a Snapdragon CPU with 256RAM and a bold and beautiful screen a la the Nexus One. Interestingly, it has two rear LED flashes and appears to be clad in a red backplate which reminds me of butterscotch pudding although a video, now unavailable, shows it is really red.
Click through for a UI shot. Also, can I just say that I am more in love with Android every time I see it? It just seems fresh.
Since we all know that Android runs a modified version of Linux, you’d think that the creator of Linux, Linus Torvalds, would absolutely love Android handsets. Nope. As a matter of fact, the man hates cell phones. Torvalds says that he got the G1 when it came out but rarely used it because of his distaste for the distracting gadget. So why does he call the Nexus One a winner?
Patience is a virtue, but as tech fanatics who lap up the latest in hardware and software, we’ve not enirely familiar with that concept. So when we heard that it could take up to a few days for the Nexus One Android OTA update, it was a little disheartening. We want it now! And thanks to some clever folks over at Android Forums, we can get it right this moment. It just takes some simple tinkering and you should be good to go.
When Google announced the Nexus One at an event early last month, one journalist asked, “Why doesn’t this have multi-touch? When is it going to get multi-touch?” Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering at Google, said, “It’s something we’re looking into. It’s just a software thing right now.” Well, today our prayers have been answered via an over-the-air update for the Nexus One. It also has some critical updates and fixes, too.
When the Google Nexus One was announced early last month, Android fans went giddy with excitement, especially since there is an option to buy it unlocked. The only downside was that if you wanted 3G service, you were limited to T-Mobile’s decent, but smaller network. AT&T users are still out of luck and limited to EDGE speeds on the handset, but according to documents filed at the FCC, the Nexus One will support the 3G bands used in North America. That means AT&T, Rogers, Bell and Telus customers can enjoy the Nexus One in all its glory (whenever the Canadians manage to get their hands on the device).
If you’re at the point where you’re about to break down and accept suffering with EDGE, hold out just a little longer. We all knew it would be inevitable, but a Nexus One with WCDMA I, II and V (2100, 1900 and 850 respectively) should be coming sooner than later.
We told you the Google phone was confirmed. And now some Googler’s seem to be confirming it, too. There is a lot of chatter on Twitter about Google employees with HTC-built unlocked Google Phones running Android 2.1. And the devices look to be coming out in January.
We noticed a Twitter message from a Google Program Manager, who writes “Stuck in mass of traffic leaving work post last all hands of 2009. ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It’s beautiful.”
Another guy, Jason Howell, says he had his hands on the device, which he says is made by HTC and is running Android 2.1: “The new Google Phone runs on HTC hardware. I saw it w/ Android 2.1. Homescreen has new visual enhancements like animated desktop wallpaper.”
“Supposedly, Google employees were given tons of these phones today. unlocked,” he adds.
If HTC’s trying to keep their device releases top-secret, they’re not doin’ a very good job. While individual leaks seem to be rare, they seem to be making a habit out of bundling up all their upcoming releases into one big presentation, which in turn leaks all over the internet. It happened right at the beginning of 2009 and, sure enough, it looks like the first half of 2010 has already been locked down and leaked out.
If this is the future of “dumbphones,” then sign me up. I love my Android, but the plain install I’ve got lacks panache. This HTC Touch.B is running on Qualcomm’s Brew platform, so it’s going to be missing all those apps and such, but it’s nice to see a featurephone not bogged down by an ugly D-pad-based UI.
[via WMPowerUser and Engadget]
If you’re the owner of an HTC Hero, you’re probably pretty tired of waiting for the update treatment. While other handsets have been bumped up to Android v1.6 and others have hit the shelves with v2.0, you’re still stuck way back at v1.5. Well, the time to upgrade has come – as long as you’re down to do some hackery, that is.
The always incredible guys over at XDADevelopers have managed to get their hands on the 2.1 ROM, work out the kinks, and now have it up and running on all Hero’s that come looking for an upgrade. The process is a bit intense (Step 2 tells you to flash the radio, for example – know how to do that off the top of your head? Cause I sure don’t), but most of the steps can be worked out by spending a few minutes looking around XDADev. Don’t dive in until you’re ready – but once you are, it’s probably worth the jump.
[Thanks Dave!]
HTC Hero owners, we feel your pain. Just months ago, you had the hottest Android device in existence. While it’s still one damned-slick piece of mobile on the hardware front, the software — now two builds behind — is beginning to show its age. You wouldn’t believe how many requests I get in the tips line asking if we’ve got any details on when the Hero’s getting the update treatment.
We still don’t know when, but it looks like we’ve now got a good idea of what the next Hero update will be: Android 2.1.
The HTC-built DROID ERIS will go on sale tomorrow at Verizon stores for $99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year contract agreement. Equipped with HTC’s “Sense” user interface, the ERIS “offers customers the opportunity to customize a seven-panel wide home screen with a wide variety of widgets designed to bring the most important information to the surface.” On sale tomorrow at Verizon’s retail stores and website.
mocoNews ran an interesting article this morning about the massive marketing campaign HTC is plotting.
Apparently, the Taiwanese mobile handset maker is about to launch a multi-million dollar advertising campaign over the next 6 months with the aim of becoming a household name in the United States. The company’s Executive Director of Marketing, Steven Seto, formerly head of Starbucks’ global brand strategy, tells mocoNews that the campaign is designed to put the HTC brand will be in front of 95 percent of adult cellphone owners in the U.S.
Chalk this one up as a rumor, but it’s looking like Droid is going to be an army, rather then a lone warrior. There’s been some rumblings that at least other handset manufacturers are creating their own Droids as well.
HTC, formerly known as High Tech Computer Corporation, has become quite a household name over the past couple years, what with all its high profile WinMo and Android-powered phones saturating the global mobilesphere.
It comes as no surprise, then, that HTC has decided to update its company catchphrase from the old ‘ HTC Innovation’ to a new, better representation of its quick rise to the top: HTC Quietly Brilliant. That’s right folks. HTC. Quietly. Brilliant. Bam.
What do you get when you mix HTC, Android, and Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon mobile processor together? No, it’s not the amazing (recycled from an old Snapdragon post) image above…but it’s close. According to the rumor mill, this mythical combination will yield…the HTC Dragon.
We’ve seen a few different Android devices that seem to be VZW-bound over the last few weeks, but Verizon hasn’t said anything about the handsets or platform until now. The company has a webcast scheduled for later today but released a preemptive press release that outlines the basics.
Verizon and Google have formed a strategic partnership that will “leverage the Verizon Wireless network and the best of the Android open platform to deliver leading-edge mobile applications, services and devices.” Apparently the new dream team has plans that involve co-developing several Android-based devices that will come pre-loaded with innovative applications from not only Verizon, but also 3rd-party developers. Read More
Phandroid just found a mention on the Sprint Android Dev Network for the HTC Hero, everyone’s favorite Android phone. Don’t get that excited just yet. The phone won’t be officially on the network until late October and probably won’t be for sale until December.
Announcing the HTC Hero, which will be the first Android device running on the Sprint network.
By the end of September, the Sprint developer program will deploy an Android development section that will highlight some resources, value added services applicable to all android developers. FYI, you start developing now by downloading the Android 1.5 SDK
Register to attend our upcoming 2009 Open Developer Conference, where Sprint and our ecosystem partners including HTC will be talking Android:
- Technical overview sessions on Oct 26
- Android hands on coding labs the evening of Oct 26
Oh, BTW we have some BIG announcements coming by the end of the month that will be of great interest to all android developers…we promise it won’t disappoint.
I do believe this is a first: not only has someone at Vietnamese mobile site Tinh Té managed to get their hands on an HTC Click before it’s even official, but it looks like they’ve had it for long enough to laser etch a bunch of crazy crap onto the back. Fortunately for us, they’re not just sitting around basking in the exclusive warmth of their unreleased phone. Instead, they were nice enough to give the Click a 5-minute video rundown.
Last time we saw the HTC Hero grace the labs of the FCC with its presence, it was swimming chin deep in GSM 850/1900Mhz territory – otherwise known as AT&T’s turf. Things got interesting when, just a few weeks later, a product page for a Sprint-branded HTC Hero popped up. Sprint and AT&T use two totally different radio technologies; where was this one’s FCC entry?
Just lagging behind a bit, it seems. EngadgetMobile just spotted the Hero floating around the labs for a second time, this time with mentions of CDMA plastered all over it. It’s absolutely undeniable now: be on the look out for a Sprint HTC Hero – and soon, we hope.
