17
Feb
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How terribly boring were the last 2 months with regards to picking yourself up a new Android handset? We've seen hundreds of exciting announcements but practically no products to actually buy - end of December and January always seem to be those kinds of months. However, things are picking up, and one of the first new devices on the market fresh out of the oven is the HTC Inspire 4G for AT&T.

The device will cost you $99.99 + tax from AT&T, but on Amazon, where it just went live, it is available for $59.99 to new customers (including family plans) and $69.99 to those upgrading.

16
Feb
HTC Flyer

Yesterday at Mobile World Congress, HTC lifted the veil on their first entry into the tablet market: The HTC Flyer. It's a 7 inch tablet, reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy Tab released last fall. The Flyer runs Android 2.4 on a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and comes with HSPA+ (4G/3G+) capabilities for high-speed data usage.

HTC reported that we should expect it to be available in Q2 2011 but had nothing to say about pricing. Thanks to Amazon.de we now have an idea of what the cost will be for HTC's first tablet, with the product page showing a price of €669 (roughly $906 US!).

16
Feb
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HTC Nexus One, the predecessor to the Gingerbread-sporting Samsung Nexus S, has been teased with the Android 2.3 over-the-air upgrade ever since Gingerbread was released. At the time, we anxiously waited for the upgrade that seemed to be imminent, but weeks flew by without any news. Then, Google said it was coming "in the next few weeks," but months slowly churned, and thousands of Nexus Ones owners are still GBreadless.

How many times can you cry wolf before people stop listening to you? I don't know, but I hope this is the last time - Mobile Crunch reports that multiple sources, including Googlers on location at MWC in Barcelona, claim the 2.3 OTA is coming to our precious N1s by the week's end or early next week at the latest.

15
Feb
thunderbolt_wirefly_thumb

Last week our friends at WireFly unboxed the HTC Thunderbolt, but spent little time actually using the device. They left us with a few tantalizing tidbits though, saying "this phone cranks," and promising a full video review, as well as head-to-head comparisons with the iPhone 4 and the EVO 4G. Yesterday, the last of the three videos went up - let's take a look.

Video Review

The review video is just over 8 minutes long. The first few minutes are spent running through the system, and from the 4:10 mark onwards, they run some benchmarks and compare the scores to other devices.

15
Feb
2011-02-15 05h05_36
Last Updated: February 16th, 2011

To say the expectations were high for HTC's MWC press conference would be a drastic understatement, especially since the company didn't really announce anything new at CES. So were those expectations met? Personally, I'd have to say "no," but read on to discover the complete specifications of each of their six new devices and decide for yourself.

Update: Now with official HTC videos.

Update #2: Here is the spec sheet from HTC with all the official specs.

Incredible S, Desire S, and Wildfire S

mwc2011htcdesireszz 11x09152289 mwc2011htcwildfires-1297735031

Frankly, HTC's first three announcements - the Incredible S, Desire S, and Wildfire S - are utterly boring devices.

12
Feb
HTC_Inspire_4G

Yesterday afternoon I unboxed an HTC Inspire 4G, the first Sense UI-equipped smartphone I've used. And let me say right now: I'm impressed. The interface has very little lag, is quite nice to look at, and very informative on the Inspire's large 4.3" LCD display. Anyway, I'll just direct you to my video hands-on:

Our full review of the Inspire 4G will be making its way to you next week, so be on the lookout.

12
Feb
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The gang at AndIRC - lead by Jamzelle and TheEndGame7 - has already managed to completely root the HTC Thunderbolt, and with Koush's help, has ClockworkMod Recovery up and running on the device. Apparently, it was a surprisingly easy task in just about every way.

The team started with a pre-production, unbranded Thunderbolt running a January 3rd ROM. What they found was that the phone had a bootloader with S-OFF, although they note that it's not an engineering bootloader, and that it's likely a different one than production models will ship with. Even more surprisingly, the phone had no write protection.

11
Feb
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If one thing can put an end to rumors, it's the official Best Buy weekly ad - the one you get in print from the store. Unfortunately, this time, all the rumors turned out to be correct. Namely:

  • As rumored, Motorola XOOM is indeed going to cost $799 and will require a 1-month data package to unlock WiFi. February 24th remains the go-live date. Anyone still up for picking it up? Oh, and the same spelling errors are still present (/sigh).
  • HTC Thunderbolt's regular, off-contract price is also confirmed at $749.99, just like we told you yesterday. Bummer. 2-year contract price is still $249.99.
11
Feb
gals2

Last night, PocketNow landed their hands on some official spec sheet leaks from UK retailer Expansys, and the specs don't disappoint. Let's take a look:

  • Samsung Galaxy S 2
  • 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core CPU (Qualcomm 8260 SnapDragon), Adreno 205 GPU
  • 4.3" 800x480 SAMOLED Plus
  • 8MP Camera around back (with LED flash and 1080p video recording), 2MP in front
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 16 GB internal storage, microSD card support
  • HTC Desire HD2
    • 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core CPU (Qualcomm 8260 SnapDragon), Adreno 205 GPU
    • 960x540 3.3" (typo? should it be 4.3"?) SLCD
    • 8MP in back with LED flash and 1080p video
    • 512MB RAM
    • 8 GB internal storage, microSD support
    • Sense UI 3.0
  • HTC Desire 2
    • 1 Ghz CPU (Qualcomm 8250 SnapDragon), Adreno 200 GPU
    • 3.7" 800x480 SLCD
    • 5MP rear camera (LED flash and 720p video), 2MP front
    • 512 MB RAM
    • 4 GB internal storage, microSD support
  • HTC Wildfire 2
    • 600 Mhz CPU (Qualcomm MSM7227), Adreno 200 GPU
    • 3.2" 480x420 TFT
    • 5 MP rear camera (LED flash, 480p video)
    • 384 MB RAM
    • Unspecified internal memory, microSD card support

    All in all, some respectable specs from the Galaxy S 2 and DHD2, some run-of-the-mill specs for the Desire 2 (nearly identical CPU as the EVO), and some downright embarrassing kit on the Wildfire 2 (it won't even be able to run Flash).

    10
    Feb
    IMG_8096_wm_thumb1 (1)

    First it was a mystery. Then it was the 14th of February. After that, it was indeterminately postponed. And now, Android Central is reporting that the Thunderbolt will finally launch on February 24th.

    This lines up perfectly with Droid Life's earlier speculations, though of course, it's always possible that Verizon will push the date back yet again. Because, you know, it's not like anyone is eagerly awaiting the carrier's first 4G phone or anything.

    Update: Things are looking even more certain now: BGR has also been told that the Thunderbolt will be released on the 24th.