Corroborating recent reports, T-Mobile has quietly announced that it has completed internal testing of the Android 4.0 update for HTC's Sensation 4G. The carrier already confirmed that the device would eventually receive the upgrade, however the release timing has now been narrowed to "very soon."
HTC in an interview Friday said it won't pack in Beats Audio's earbuds or other headphones with at least some of its smartphones from now on. Product executive Martin Fichter briefed CNET that, while the on-device Beats Audio processing would stay, ordinary headphones at most would come in the box with models like the Evo 4G LTE and One series. Customers weren't buying for the headphones and thus didn't justify the extra cost.
Canadian wireless carrier Bell appears to have established an Android 4.0 update timetable for several of its handsets. A alleged internal memo posted by Mobilesyrup suggests the carrier has set June as a target for Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 and HTC's Sensation and Raider smartphones.
HTC has announced that its Sensation 4G and Sensation XL smartphones are the next to receive updates to Android 4.0. The company already committed to upgrading a long list of handsets, however the release timing has been slow to emerge.
Last week, Chinese chip-maker MediaTek launched a new mobile chipset that melded a 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor and a PowerVR SGX5 GPU. The MT6575 has the potential to be used for entry-level smartphones running Android 4.0. Although not quite at that performance level, the chip has shown up in three handsets destined for the Chinese market.
Sky's Go app has now gone live for Android users (free, Android Market), letting users of some Android phones with a Sky TV subscription access 22 live TV channels from the provider. The app can only be used in the UK or Ireland and will stream content over a 3G or Wi-Fi connection. Users can register up to two devices and watch TV simultaneously on both.
HTC's One X and One S could be joined by two more phones in a more streamlined lineup if leaks bear results. The One V described by Pocket-lint would be the final name of the Primo and amount to a drop-in replacement for the Rhyme, albeit without the single-gender bias. It would keep the 3.7-inch display, a five-megapixel camera, and a 1GHz processor that would still be just fast enough to record 720p video.
HTC will bring what it calls an "early access preview" of Android 4.0 and related updates to its Sensation and Sensation XE phones in Europe. According to The Verge, the customization will differ from previous versions of Sense, and initially be offered only to those enrolled in its Elevate beta program. The update is promised to be coming to the handsets in the coming days.
HTC had to backtrack on upgrade promises Thursday with a follow-up posting delaying most. Only the Sensation, Sensation 4G, and Sensation XE will get the new OS by the end of March. The Sensation XL would come soon afterwards, but the Amaze 4G, Desire HD, Desire S, Evo 3D, Evo Design 4G, Incredible S, Rezound, and Vivid would only get updates "later this year."
The Wi-Fi security flaw present in some Android-powered HTC smartphones has been acknowledged by the manufacturer on its support page. When connected to Wi-Fi networks, hackers can take advantage of the flaw to gain security access credentials. The flaw was discovered by researchers Chris Hessing and Bret Jordan and would allow the details to be sent to a remote server on the Internet.
HTC Netherlands has made the unusual decision to finish the Sensation's life with a special version with an early upgrade. The new version will come in Ice White like the Sensation XL but is also HTC's first phone to ship with Android 4.0. The software will give it Face Unlock, the bottom favorites tray, and faster browsing, among other upgrades.
HTC's UK head Phil Roberson in an interview Thursday made clear that HTC was scaling back its strategy of flooding the market with devices. The executive argued to Mobile Magazine that HTC had "tried to do too much" in 2011 and oversaturated the field with devices. This year would be about making "something special," or having fewer but more distinctive devices.
Owners unhappy with the selection of hardware in HTC's bootloader unlocking program have developed their own unofficial solution. HTC Super Tool on the XDA-Developers forums both unlocks the bootloader and roots devices whether or not they're part of HTC's plans. Along with the Evo and Sensation models, it also unlocks the T-Mobile G2, Inspire 4G, and multiple myTouch models.
XDA Developer forum member Robocik has successfully ported a custom ROM onto the HTC Sensation XE that combines Android 4.0 and HTC's Sense 3.5. He shared his work on the forum and thanked Capychimp for help. The build starts from Android 4.0.1 brings with it all the unique features, such as Face Unlock and Movie Studio.
HTC on Tuesday was confirmed to have sued Citi Global Markets for allegedly misrepresenting the company's already dim outlook. Deputy chief prosecutor Huang Mou-hsin told Reuters that the smartphone designer had quietly sued in August for allegedly breaking a stock transaction law after HTC's share price collapsed. Its price has been cut to a third of its April value, down to the equivalent of just over $13.
HTC stated Wednesday that it had no plans to further drop its low fall outlook. In spite of a steep November drop, which was down 30 percent month-to-month and 20 percent year-over-year, it still saw revenue down 23 percent from earlier estimates, or roughly the same as a year ago. The company's share price has plunged 40 percent in just over a month over jitters that HTC had stopped growing.
HTC acted as a possible bellwether for Android on Wednesday after it cut its outlook further beyond earlier predictions. The company in a filing lowered its revenue estimate by 23 percent to give it the same $3.4 billion in revenue as a year ago. It also now predicted the first sequential slowdown in sales in roughly two years.
HTC outlined some of its Android plans on Monday that included both the courtroom and its products. In a far-ranging briefing, the company's CEO Peter Chou told Reuters his company was "open-minded" to the prospect of buying patents to escalate its fight with Apple. There weren't any specific plans, he said.
HTC on Monday expanded its free 5GB Dropbox plan to come with "all" its Android phones. The Facebook update revealed that all its future Android phones will come preloaded with the Dropbox app and qualify for the 5GB free plan. It had previously focused on the Rhyme and hadn't said it would preload the app.
HTC in an update Friday gave an early sign of its plans to upgrade phones to Android 4.0. While vague, it set out to upgrade "as many HTC devices as possible". More details would come in the weeks ahead, the company wrote.
HTC's special London event saw it roll out its largest-ever Android phone. The Sensation XL, previously nicknamed the Runnymede, has the same 4.7-inch, 480x800 LCD and 1.5GHz, single-core Snapdragon as its Windows Phone equivalent the Titan but has a much heavier focus on music. It takes on the Beats audio processing from the smaller but faster Sensation XE and comes with the same urBeats in-ear headphones, which kick in a special audio profile when plugged in.
When HTC launches its new smartphone, code-named Runnymede, it will most likely not be called the Bass, as many had expected. Pocketnow now reports that the phone, which will be sold in packages offering Beats Audio accessories, will bear the name Sensation XL. The phone, which the company has still not officially announced, is most likely to have its formal debut at an upcoming HTC media event pegged for October 7.
T-Mobile is dropping the prices on all its smartphones for one day only, this coming Saturday, September 24. The "Yes, Every Smartphone Is on Sale, Sale" will apply to the purchase any smartphone, tablet or mobile broadband device for a down payment of $100 or less on any of the company’s Unlimited Value plans with 2GB or higher of data. The deals, after mail-in rebates, requires a two-year contract and will only be in T-Mobile's stores.
HTC's Radar and Sensation XE will be hitting UK shelves on October 1. Retailer Phones4u is boasting that it will be the first in Britain to be offering the smartphones. The Sensation XE is an update to HTC's popular Sensation smartphone, which the company hopes will compete effectively against Apple's forthcoming iPhone 5.
HTC unveiled a rare early revamp of a core smartphone on Wednesday in anticipation of a heated battle with the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S II LTE. The Sensation XE upgrades in raw speed, from a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon to 1.5GHz, bit is also the first phone to take advantage of the HTC stake in Beats Audio. Its software has been tuned to improve the audio experience, and it ships with a pair of custom-designed Beats in-ear headphones and microphone remote that automatically switch to a unique audio profile when plugged in.
HTC's American president Martin Fichter touched on his earlier interview with a rare follow-up elaborating on his position. He claimed that he not only didn't see HTC setting out to make an "iPhone killer" but that he actively discouraged the idea in the office. The goal was not to replace Apple but to target those people who didn't fit in Apple's world.
HTC signaled plans for a pair of likely US-bound phones on Wednesday through escaped official documents. One Beats audio processing. CNET heard that, along with better output, it would come with a higher-end set of in-ear headphones with an in-line remote.
The HTC Sensation 4G at T-Mobile has began receiving an over-the-air update to Android 2.3.4. The carrier's support page reveals improvements to battery life and software stability, among other changes. All handsets on the carrier are expected to be updated by September 18.
HTC has already expanded its bootloader unlock page to include its second device, the Evo 3D. Sprint's version of the dual-core phone can now go through the web process to derestrict its firmware and have the option of installing the firmware they like. No timeframe yet exists for when the international Evo 3D would get the same treatment or if it's necessary.
HTC as it has been promising for weeks has started up its official bootloader unlock program. The over-the-web process derestricts the firmware and lets owners of Android phones load firmware of their own choosing without having to use a workaround or other special tricks. The option is currently limited to the European version of the Sensation but will include the Evo 3D and T-Mobile's Sensation 4G.
After publicly committing to unlock Android bootloaders, HTC has finally announced further details surrounding the process. After installing the Android SDK on a computer and connecting the handset to retrieve a device identifier token, users will be able to take advantage of a web-based utility to receive an unlock key via e-mail.
Fresh checks by Baird & Co. analyst Will Power suggests that Apple and Samsung dominate carrier recommendations in the US. At AT&T and Verizon, the iPhone was consistently a popular choice from staff and the top pick at AT&T. Samsung's Droid Charge was the top pick at Verizon among a general trend towards 4G Android phones.
HTC late Sunday in a Facebook update more fully fleshed out its promise to unlock Android bootloaders. The Sensation will get an update to support unlocking in August and will be joined by phones based on its design, such as T-Mobile's Sensation 4G and Sprint's Evo 3D. Those phones should have the actual opportunity to unlock in early September.
Bell gained the distinction of being the first if not only Canadian carrier to get the HTC Sensation 4G. Its version will be much like the international version of the 1.2GHz, dual-core Android 2.3 phone but switch over to Bell's HSPA frequencies, also shared with most Canadian carriers and AT&T, and carry 14.4Mbps. The carrier is pushing its Mobile TV app for live streaming but also plans to carry HTC's Watch movie store.
The HTC Sensation smartphone that is billed to arrive at T-Mobile is now likely coming to AT&T. The indication comes in the form of an FCC approval that showed this particular handset to have GSM 850 and 1900 bands and WCDMA II and V bands onboard. These are the same ones used by Bell, Rogers, Telus, Koodoo and Fido in Canada as well, meaning the handset would work at these carriers as well.
The HTC Sensation could be the latest phone to face the once-thought rare issue of a "death grip." Tests conducted by NordicHardware (video below) with a signal measuring app and regular audio apps showed the phone rapidly losing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signal, even just by putting it on a flat palm. Access can drop by as much as 20 to 30 dBm and noticeably bog down connection speeds.
T-Mobile on Tuesday night confirmed ship dates for the HTCSensation 4G. Its version of the Android 2.3 smartphone would reach carrier stores on June 15 and could be in Walmart stores as early as June 12. The device will come in at $200 on contract.
A newly uncovered T-Mobile roadmap has filled in much of T-Mobile's remaining device lineup for 2011. July is expected to be the most important month and would include the BlackBerry Touch (Monza) on July 27 along with the HTC Marvel (Wildfire S) and myTouch 4G Slide (HTC Doubleshot). The recently uncovered Samsung Hercules 42Mbps dual-core phone was tentatively scheduled for September 26 based on This is my next's copy.
The HTC Sensation 4G due to arrive at T-Mobile will do so on June 8, according to a newly leaked web page from the carrier. The leak, courtesy of TmoNews, is in line with an earlier online indication of the same date. A wider release of the handset at retail stores is expected to come slightly later, on June 12.
HTC's upcoming Sensation smartphone will continue the company's tradition of having a locked bootloader, AndroidPolice found. This means the Android phone won't easily support custom ROMs or recovery software, if at all. This is a disappointment to the developer/hacker community, as the Sensation will be one of the most powerful handsets with both a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor and HSPA+ 3G.
Samsung claimed unprecedented genuine demand for the Galaxy S II on Sunday night. The electronics giant said it had picked up three million pre-orders worldwide for its dual-core Android phone by the end of April, when it went on sale in Korea. Orders were expected to only go up as the phone reached global scale and peaked at 120 countries.
UK provider Vodafone has listed the dual-core HTC Sensation handset on its website. The carrier promises to deliver pre-orders by May 19, with those who opt for a minimum £35 ($58) per month plan getting the handset free. Highlight features of the phone include its dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor and its 4.3-inch, 540x960 display.
HTC on Friday reported one of its best quarters ever and set relatively high expectations. The company's profit almost tripled from year-to-year to reach the equivalent of $510 million. Phone shipments themselves were a record high at 9.7 million on the back of its continued strong Android lineup.
The HTC Sensation could be out as early as June 8, according to a Google web ad, pictured below. While this could be a European launch date, the device was confirmed for T-Mobile in the US. An unconfirmed June ship date for the device has been appearing on the web for the US release as well.
HTC's just-unveiled Sensation has already been pitted against the Galaxy S II in early, pre-release benchmarks that might suggest trouble for the newer phone. A Smartbench test from TomPDA has the Sensation, under its Pyramid codename, scoring at most 1,898 under the productivity tests and 1,642 for graphics. The Galaxy S II's own Samsung-made Exynos chip brings it to respective scores of 3,732 and 2,431.
ROM files for HTC's upcoming Sensation handset, previously referred to as the Pyramid, have reportedly leaked, just two days after the device's formal unveiling at a special event in London. The ROM is said to be taken from a model headed for Asian markets, though it includes the Sense 3.0 overlay that is expected to be featured in all regions.
HTC as expected used its London event on Tuesday to unveil a new flagship Android phone, the Sensation. It packs the same dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor as the Evo 3D we tried last month as well as the 4.3-inch, 540x960 display, but with a more conventional design. HTC is using a regular 2D display and packs a single eight-megapixel, 1080p-capable camera on the back instead of the two five-megapixel cameras used to make 3D movies on the Sprint-specific phone.
The HTC Sensation, previously known as the Pyramid, has been leaked ahead of its official unveiling by UK’s Vodafone. As anticipated, the phone centers on a high quality, high resolution 4.3-inch qHD 540x960 S-LCD display. It is also confirmed as HTC’s first dual-core smartphone, featuring a new Snapdragon 1.2GHz processor while it comes with 4GB of internal storage plus 8GB of storage provided by the supplied memory card. It is also equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash.
HTC's Pyramid flagship phone will show up at its April 12 event but with a name change, a source said Wednesday. It would be relabeled the Sensation, at least for the UK, and would ship sometime within the next few months. Pocket-lint in scoring the leak didn't identify a firm release date or carriers.
HTC has filed for a trademark that may be an indication of the custom interface for the Flyer, Scribe and possibly one more Android tablet. An EU trademark for "HTC Sensation" makes reference to it being for "user interface software" and "telecommunications services" for mobile devices of various kinds, including computers and phones. The name clearly recalls HTC's usual Sense UI from its phones and suggests an expansion.
