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HTC First UK Release Delayed Indefinitely

The HTC First really isn’t a bad phone. It’s a totally decent, affordable handset with some nice features. But it’s sold well below expectations, even with the price slashed to $0.99 (with contract). The downfall of the First is Facebook Home, Zuckerberg and Co’s Facebook centric launcher, which comes pre-installed on the device. The rumors of AT&T’s cancellation of the First haven’t proved to be true (yet).  But now it looks like the HTC First is hitting another wall, as its UK release has been pushed back with no new Read more

HTC One is the First HTC Pro Certified Device in U.S.

HTC has announced that the HTC One is the first Smartphone to be HTC Pro certified in the United States. Titled “The Award Winning HTC One Is Enterprise Ready,” HTC’s press release listed the features included in the One. The certification means the device meets security and encryption standards that make it a good enterprise solution for companies with security concerns. The HTC One meets the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 and offers 256-bit encryption as well as a host of other security features. These features were touted in the press Read more

Samsung Galaxy Admire 2 and Galaxy Discover joining Galaxy S4 at Cricket

Cricket is not only adding the Samsung Galaxy S4 to its portfolio, but also two other Android smartphones made by the Korean company – Galaxy Admire 2 and Galaxy Discover. The former is already available through US Cellular which is selling it under the name of Galaxy Axiom. It’s an Android 4.1 device with a 4-inch WVGA screen, dual-core processor, LTE connectivity and 5-megapixel camera on the back. As for the Galaxy Discover, we’re talking about an entry-level smartphone that sports a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 3-megapixel camera, while Android 4.0 Read more

Samsung selling 4 GALAXY S4 units per second; New color versions coming in the summer

Samsung has officially announced that its Galaxy S4 has reached the 10 million units sold milestone, adding that the phone is estimated to be selling at a rate of four units per second. Yup, it sets a new record for the Korean company, generating sales quicker than any of its predecessors. In comparison, sales of the GALAXY S III reached the 10-million mark 50 days after its launch in 2012, while the GALAXY S II took five months and the GALAXY S seven months to reach the same milestone. But Read more

Mid-range HTC Desire 600 with dual-SIM and quad-core CPU unveiled

HTC announced a new mid-range device, Desire 600, which promises to offer quite a bang for the buck. Unfortunately, price was not announced (all we have is “affordable price tag”) but we do have the full specs sheet: it will pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, dual-SIM capability, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.6-megapixel front-facing one and 8GB of internal storage (no microSD card slot?). In addition, there’s HTC BoomSound, which includes dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers as well as studio-quality sound with Beats Read more

Samsung Galaxy Win launching in India as Galaxy Grand Quattro

Samsung Galaxy Win is coming to India. However, interested folks won’t be able to buy it under that name; rather the Korean company renamed it to Galaxy Grand Quattro. We’re not sure why the name change was needed but what do we know. Anyway, Samsung suggests MSRP of Rs. 17,290 (about $312) though some retailers are offering it for less – around Rs. 16,000 ($289). Specs wise, the Galaxy Win/Grand Quattro comes with a 4.7-inch WVGA screen, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 5-megapixel camera on the back, 8GB of internal memory, 2,000mAh Read more

KDDI’s HTC One variant rocks a microSD memory card slot

So, the Chinese won’t be the only one getting the HTC One variant with a microSD card slot. Japan’s KDDI announced a similar device calling it HTC J One (model number HTL22) that also comes with support for microSD cards (of up to 64GB). Rest of the phone’s hardware is pretty much unchanged though we guess there are some tweaks here in there to accommodate for the ever-demanding Japanese mobile market. For instance, there’s the Infrared port on the HTC J One, since that thing is apparently a nice-to-have feature Read more

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 Available On Amazon For $179

Verizon customers have been given the short end of the stick lately. Not only have they been waiting patiently for the HTC One to come to the carrier, they are the last in the line of the major U.S. carriers to receive the Samsung Galaxy S4. And after today’s “big announcement” from Verizon, customers of the carrier need a little cheering up. Here’s some news that should take that bad taste out of Verizon customer’s mouths; the Galaxy S4 is available on Amazon for the low price of $179 with Read more

Ian Kersey

Ingress 1.26 Update Brings Improved Notifications, Support for Jarvis Virus

Google has released an update for its awesome augmented reality game Ingress today. The new update brings the game up to version 1.26. Here’s what is new in the update: Portal health and faction control info on Portal Keys in the Inventory carousel. Android Notifications for “Portal under attack,” “Portal neutralized,” and “@” messages. Support for Jarvis Virus and ADA Refactor objects. New Recharge visual animation. Bug fixes This update brings some pretty great features with it. Seeing the faction and health of a particular Portal Key in the inventory Read more

Ian Kersey

Apple Vs. Samsung: Apple Says Google Now Violates Siri Patents

Apple has been mum about any new product developments over the last few months, but the company is certainly not rolling over to the likes of Samsung in its ongoing patent infringement battle. Interestingly, Apple is now claiming that Samsung is violating Siri patents, via an amendment in its current court case. Apple is claiming that Samsung is infringing on patents 8,086,604 and 6,846,959, which detail a “universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system,” a.k.a. Siri, by using Google’s Google Now technology in their devices. Apple is also claiming Read more

Ian Kersey

LG Announces Optimus GJ – Waterproof Optimus G Coming to Taiwan

Sure, the Kyocera Hydro Edge and XTRM are all fine and dandy, but LG just announced the Optimus GJ. What’s so special about this GJ, you ask? Well, take the already-awesome LG Optimus G – Now make it waterproof. The LG Optimus GJ rocks many of the same specifications you’d find on the existing Optimus G, like a beautiful 4.7 inch display, 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM, and 13 megapixel camera, just to name a few. Most water-resistant/proof devices have largely been on the low-end of the market. This changed Read more