24
Nov
1

[Exclusive] How To: Unlock The Droid DNA's Bootloader

Posted by in Development, DROID DNA, News

When the Droid DNA was first announced, we were all surprised to find that the bootloader was unlockable at HTCdev.com. Because of this, the device actually got root, recovery, and custom kernel days before the official release. Unfortunately, by the time the device became available in retail channels, Verizon pulled the plug  and it was no longer unlocked through official means.

Thankfully, there's another way (isn't there always?). The softmod below will effectively change the carrier information, allowing it to once again be unlocked via HTC's official tool.

Before we get started, special thanks to Sean Beaupre, who stepped in at the last minute and made this release possible.

21
Nov
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DROID DNA Review: Love It Or Hate It, This Is Verizon's Best DROID Yet

Posted by in DROID DNA, Phone Reviews, Verizon Wireless
Last Updated: November 23rd, 2012

The latest and greatest from Verizon and HTC's ongoing DROID partnership marks something of a shift in strategy for the two companies. In the past, if you wanted an HTC "DROID," your options were basically limited to the Incredible brand, which has become decidedly, well, less incredible over time. And while the Incredible started out as a top-of-the-heap smartphone back in 2010, it too was quickly eclipsed by bigger, better phones. Verizon's approach to HTC from basically day one has been "the DROID phone that costs less than some other DROID phone we throw a lot more marketing money behind."

There's nothing so wrong about that, but it hasn't exactly helped HTC grow its reputation on America's largest wireless carrier.

21
Nov
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The DROID DNA Is Available Today

Posted by in DROID DNA, News, Verizon Wireless

Just a quick reminder, the HTC DROID DNA is available starting today (November 21st) at a Verizon near you. HTC's latest addition to the DROID lineup is packing a 5" 1080p display, quad-core Snapdragon S4 pro processor, 2GB of RAM, LTE, NFC, and various other adjectives. And at $199 on a two-year agreement (less if you head to Wirefly), it's not a bad deal. Our review will be going up today, so be on the lookout.

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By the way, Verizon decided having the phone unlockable via the HTC Dev site wasn't something they were so hot on, so you can't do that anymore.

16
Nov
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DROID DNA Battery Life Impressions: It's Not Nearly As Bad As You Think (With Stats, Methodology)

Posted by in DROID DNA, News, Phone Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Since its announcement, many internet comments (and tech bloggers, frankly) have lambasted the 2020mAh battery inside the DROID DNA as obviously being too small. A 5", 1080p display, quad-core processor, and LTE - with a 2020mAh battery? HTC must be nuts. Well, it turns out, they actually aren't nuts and actually do know how to make a phone that doesn't die after half a day off the charging cable teat. Surprising, I know. And despite what you may be hearing elsewhere (I won't name names), my experience with the DNA's longevity has been quite positive. I got a lot of requests for an in-depth look at battery life on the DNA when I posted my initial impressions, so here's what I came up with.

15
Nov
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International Version Of DROID DNA Pops Up In Press Shot Leak - The HTC Deluxe

Posted by in DROID DNA, HTC, Leaks, News

Anonymous leaker of all things phone, evleaks, took the lid off a press render of an upcoming HTC device, which evleaks calls the Deluxe (this is likely just the codename, not the official release branding). Deluxe is a word we've heard before, if it sounds familiar: Verizon's DROID DNA was widely reported as being named the "DROID DLX" before the DNA name started popping up, so that gives Deluxe yet more credence, minus the silly Verizon spelling (yuck).

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You'll probably also recognize this phone as a dead ringer for the Japanese market HTC J Butterfly, unveiled last month, though without HTC's Japan-specific UI overlay.

15
Nov
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Initial Impressions Of The DROID DNA: This Could Be The DROID You're Looking For

Posted by in DROID DNA, News, Phone Reviews, Verizon Wireless

The DROID DNA is, without a doubt, the most exciting HTC phone to come to Verizon since the original Incredible. And I can already tell you that it doesn't disappoint - this is a serious effort from HTC, whose US handset sales have dropped sharply in the last year. It could be the phone that catapults them back into relevance.

After spending a short amount of time with it, I'm going to try and give you my first-blush reaction to this spec sheet titan. (The full review should be coming some time next week.)

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The Display: Not the jaw-dropper we were expecting.

15
Nov
1

HTC Droid DNA Gets Root, Custom Recovery, And Modified Kernel Ahead Of Official Release

Posted by in Development, DROID DNA, News

That sure didn't take long. Just two days after the official announcement - and still a few days away from retail availability - the Droid DNA has already been rooted and gotten some goodies from famed Android modder/hacker dsb9938. Apparently the DNA is unlockable using HTC's official bootloader unlock tool, which allows a custom kernel to be flashed. The first available kernel has only been slightly modified to allow root in adb connections - a requisite in order to flash the custom recovery and root the device.

After going through the unlock process, the kernel is flashable via fasboot. With that out of the way, you're free to flash the recovery (ported to the DNA by developer Utkanos), which is also flashed with fastboot.

14
Nov
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[Deal Alert] Pre-Order The DROID DNA From Wirefly For $50 Less Than Verizon (New Contracts And Upgrades)

Posted by in Deals, DROID DNA, Verizon Wireless

If you're looking for the latest and greatest on Verizon, chances are you're curious about the DROID DNA. While we'll have our review up some time in the next week, if you can't wait, pre-orders are live on Verizon right now. But paying full price on a new, on-contract phone? That's for chumps, am I right?

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Luckily, Wirefly also has the DNA up for pre-order - $150 on a new subscriber agreement or upgrade. That's 50 bucks less than Verizon. And considering this phone is insanely powerful, that's a pretty great price. As a reminder, the DNA is packing a 5" 1080p display - the first ever on a widely-sold smartphone, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, and Verizon's 4G LTE.

13
Nov
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Hands on With The HTC DROID DNA: So Many Pixels!

Posted by in DROID DNA, HTC, News

Greetings from New York! I’m here at HTC’s event checking out the DROID DNA.

The DNA’s claim to fame (besides the ridiculous name) is that it has, literally, the best display ever made for a phone. This thing is packing a 1920x1080 resolution on a five inch screen. That's pixel density of 440ppi! The display is a SuperLCD 3 panel, which makes it a generation better than the previous Best Screen Ever, the HTC One X display.

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So how does it look in person? Simply amazing. You don't see pixels anymore, just a smooth, perfect image. Color reproduction is accurate and beautiful, and it has an 80 degree viewing angle.

13
Nov
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HTC DROID DNA Official: 5" Of Eye-Melting 1080p, Headed To Verizon On November 21st

Posted by in DROID DNA, News, Verizon Wireless

Update: Here's a snapshot of that ridiculous 1080p display in action. Be sure to check out Ron's hands-on with the phone, in which he describes said eye-melting resolution.

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Our own Ron Amadeo is live on the ground at the DROID DNA unveiling, but the not-quite-a-phablet phone has just been officially announced by Verizon. As expected, the DROID DNA's specifications (similar to the J Butterfly) basically position it as arguably the most lust-worthy Android phone on the market (in the US). Well, as long as you ignore the amount of internal storage, that is.

  • 5" 1080p S-LCD3 display (1920x1080, 440DPI) with Gorilla Glass 2
  • 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor
  • 2GB RAM / 16GB internal storage (11GB usable)
  • Android 4.1.1 with Sense 4+
  • 8MP f2.0 rear camera / 2.1MP ultra-wide angle front facing camera
  • 2020mAh battery (yikes)
  • Bluetooth 4.0 with apt-X
  • NFC
  • Wireless charging
  • New 2.55v built-in headphone amplifier (should provide significant audio quality gains)

The DNA is slated to launch on November 21st, for $200 on a 2-year agreement ($600 off contract).

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