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Apr

[Update: Pre-Orders Live] AT&T Announces Official Availability Of HTC One: $199 For 32GB, Confirms 64GB Exclusive For $299, Launches April 19th

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in AT&T, HTC, News, One

Last Updated: April 19th, 2013

Update: Pre-orders for the One have gone live on the AT&T website - you can get either the 32 or 64GB version, as long as you want Glacial Silver.

After some misinformation was spread yesterday (and not just the April Fools' kind) about the price of the HTC One, AT&T has stepped forward to clarify some things. The 32GB model will sell for $199 with a two year contract. Additionally, for the storage hungry, the carrier will have the exclusive on the 64GB model at launch, which will cost $299. There is no word on when other carriers might get a 64GB variant as well, but we imagine it will at least be a few months.

Apr

AT&T Clarifies Galaxy S4 Prices: 32GB Version Will Cost $249, 16GB Will Be Available For $199

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Samsung

Just a week ago, AT&T filled us in on its pricing plans for the Galaxy S 4, stating that the 32GB device would retail for $249 with a two year commitment. While that is technically true, what the carrier neglected to mention was that it would also carry a 16GB model for $199, bringing the entry-level price for this phone in line with nearly every other major handset on the market.

That being said, if you're a nut for extra storage and you're debating between this and the HTC One, you'll pay more for the extra geebees with Samsung. HTC's handset will also start at $199, but that's for the 32GB model.

Apr

[APK Teardown Exclusive] The HTC Myst Facebook Phone - The Facebook App Is Now A Launcher, Looks Like They're Planning A Play Store Release, Too

Posted by Ron Amadeo in APK Teardown, Exclusives, HTC, News

We've managed to score a system dump of the Facebook phone! There's nothing in it that's too earthshattering, and you could probably guess most of the features, but, since we've got it, we might as well take a look at it.

[This is not an April Fool's joke. I promise.]

Now, this being Facebook, nothing really works unless you sign in. The problem is, all of this is pre-release, so it's set up to only work for Facebook employee accounts. Everything is basically packing unintentional always-on DRM, so screenshots are going to be a little sparse. This is all it will do right now:

Build.Prop Specs

The build.prop file will give us a basic idea of the phone this ROM is meant for, so let's take a look.

Mar

Google Launches Open Patent Pledge, Promising Free Use Of Patents For People Who Don't Sue

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, Legal, News

Google has announced a new initiative today that might, if we're lucky, slowly lead to some meaningful changes in how patent litigation is approached. Or, alternatively, make it easier to highlight the jerks who are ruining it for everyone. The Open Patent Non-Assertion (OPN) Pledge gives would-be inventors a pool of patents that Google promises to never sue anyone over, "unless first attacked." That last part is where eyebrows go up, though.

First, some context: there are 10 patents in the mix, which already isn't a lot. The company says more will be added over time. For these ten patents, Google is ensuring that any company, group, or developer working on open source software may use the technology without worry of being sued by the search giant.

Mar

HTC Ditches 'Quietly Brilliant' Tagline For Something Louder, Doubles Marketing Budget With Extra Emphasis On Digital

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in HTC, News

It's no secret around these parts that we find HTC's advertising to be a little lackluster. Which is a shame because its hardware is not. For what it's worth, the company's CEO agrees and plans to ditch the "quietly brilliant" slogan for the One and instead shoot for the themes of "bold," "authentic," and "playful." Which, by a strange coincidence, also happen to be Peter Chou's list of the top three traits he's looking for in a woman on his OK Cupid profile*.

The "bold" theme, as HTC's media chief Ben Ho explained (any good marketing campaign has to be explained, you know), refers to how the company will market itself.

Mar

HTC Announces Global Availability Of HTC One: UK, Germany, Taiwan Next Week, Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific By End Of April

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in HTC, News, One

Rumblings of delays aside, we've been waiting to hear more concrete information about the arrival of the new HTC One. Well, today we got something closer to solid facts. According to the company itself, the new flagship phone should launch in the UK, Germany, and Taiwan next week. Dates may vary by local carriers, but it won't be too long of a wait.

As for the rest of the world, more countries in Europe, as well as the North American and Asia-Pacific regions should see the handset land 'before the end of April.' No specific dates are given, nor any carrier information, but we already know that in the U.S.

Mar

This New Nexus 10 Ad Featuring A Couple Preparing For Their New Baby Is Exactly What Good Marketing Should Be

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News, Nexus 10

I am vaguely aware of the iPad. I know that my Galaxy has Google stuff in it and my nerdy friend tells me about his Next Us that is cool. I am the target audience for this new ad for the Nexus 10. Why? Because my friend who reads tech blogs already knows about it and doesn't need to be convinced. I do. And you know what? It's doing a pretty good job of convincing me.

Here is what I've learned watching this video: the Nexus 10 can be shared with my family, is used to post photos online, can read books, watch movies, coordinate calendars, have video chats, and has voice commands.

Mar

HTC Extends $100 Trade-Up Program Through April 26th Following Rumored Launch Delays

Posted by Liam Spradlin in News, One

Last Updated: March 25th, 2013

Last month, HTC announced a smartphone trade-up program, offering potential customers the chance to trade in their old cell phone for a $100 prepaid VISA card or the value of the phone (whichever is greater) after buying a new HTC One. The decision was a good one, especially for a phone that – while technically great – is badly in need of some effective marketing.

The deal was set to expire March 31st, but HTC has decided to extend the offer all the way up to April 26th. Here's what HTC had to say in our correspondence:

HTC is thrilled with the positive response we have received to our $100 trade-up offer, and as such we are extending the offer for customers who purchase The new HTC One by 4/26 and trade in their old device by 5/31.

Mar

HTC Announces One Developer Edition For The US

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, HTC, News, One

In a post to its official blog today, HTC asked developers "what could better than the HTC One," quickly following up with the answer: the same phone. Okay, not quite the same phone – this one is shipped with SIM and bootloader unlocked.

Positioning the device as "a modern platform to build and test your apps," HTC reminds potential buyers of the One's Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB RAM, 64GB on-board storage, HTC's open APIs for low-energy Bluetooth, Infrared, and "more," along with its dual speakers and microphones.

For those wondering, the developer edition will support the following frequencies:

HSPA/WCDMA 850/1900/2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
LTE 700/850/AWS/1900 MHz

^{Unfortunately, the real Developer Edition won't come with a see-through back}

HTC says the Developer Edition of the new flagship will be available in limited quantities to US customers "when the HTC One is released in the United States," costing interested parties $649 a pop.

Mar

Samsung Vs. HTC Advertising Smackdown (Or: This Is Why The Galaxy Brand Is Killing The One Series)

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Editorials, News

We've mentioned a couple of times on this site that when it comes to the battle of HTC versus Samsung, advertising is of paramount importance. Why? Because people who don't read blogs with names like 'Gizmondo,' 'Android Cops,' or 'The Precipice' have no idea what makes the Galaxy S IV better than the HTC One or vice versa. In fact, more often than not, the average Joe looking to buy a new item in a field he has no expertise in has just one question: what's a good brand?

Marketing is the art of getting people to know and trust your brand.