Pocketables

Will HTC's future phones be PlayStation certified?

So, you love to play games on your phone and the PS3 is your favorite console, but the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play just didn't hit your technical sweet tooth, huh? 

No problem! If a new report is to be believed, you won't have to decide between the Play and not tying your phone into the PlayStation Network. That new report details that HTC may start producing PlayStation-certified phones in 2012, thereby removing Sony's distinction as the only manufacturer to offer such a thing. 

By offering PlayStation certification on other manufacturers' devices, we could see a lot more support for the PSN mobile platform. That basically means more games from Sony because more people can play them. 

On the flip side, this was a big selling point for Sony; a phone that can also play games would appease to the gaming crowd, which is a pretty large crowd, to say the least. 

Of course, this is just a rumor. I honestly don't know how I feel about it, either. Like I said, Sony would be losing a major selling point for its own devices, but in turn, would be upping the members for its PlayStation Network. 

Choices. What are your thoughts on this?

[Good and EVO]

HTC Ville poses for the video camera, shows off hardware and software

 

HTC has already stated that its going to cut down on the amount of devices it releases and focus on quality products this year, and I am fairly certain that they company has already started with that philosophy. The video above shows off the HTC Ville, a high-end smartphone coming at some point this year.

The smartphone manufacturer managed to pack quite a few quality specs inside the small 8mm chassis. For instance, the Ville will sport a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and an 8MP camera on the back. The screen is of the 4.3-inch variety with qHD (960 x 540) resolution.

The Ville should be shown off at Mobile World Congress, which is just a month away. Honestly though, I'd be more excited if this phone had a quad-core processor in it. Still, judging by the video, it looks to be pretty decent, anyway. 

[HTC-Hub via GottaBeMobile]

HTC to slow down on releases and focus on amazing hardware

If you were to walk into any carrier's brick-and-mortar store, chances are that you'd see a multitude of different devices from any one manufacturer inside. Samsung has the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II devices competing for the top spot, and HTC has all of its great phones, too. But according to HTC's UK Chief Phil Roberson, the manufacturer doesn't want to do that anymore.

"We have to get back to focusing on what made us great – amazing hardware and a great customer experience. We ended 2011 with far more products than we started out with. We tried to do too much. So 2012 is about giving our customers something special. We need to make sure we do not go so far down the line that we segment our products by launching lots of different SKUs."

Roberson also stated that HTC will be focusing on smartphones this year, but it also won't be stepping entirely out of the tablet market, either. But given the company's plan to release a few amazing devices a year, it's probably better to pour all its resources into smartphones. 

I've always loved HTC's devices, but I do think that 2011 was its messiest year in terms of device SKUs. I would accept one or two phones per carrier from the company; however, having low-, mid-, and high-end smartphones alongside its featurephone offerings on AT&T is pretty indicative of a company that doesn't communicate very well on the inside. I understand the need for product diversity, but that's a bit too much. At most, how about a mid- and a high-end smartphone per carrier, with one or two carriers having a featurephone? 

[Mobile Today]

HTC announcing quad-core phones at Mobile World Congress in February, not CES?

I'm writing this post on a 2010 13-inch MacBook Pro. It's got a dual-core processor, clocked at 2.4GHz, along with an integrated NVIDIA GPU. It gets the job done, but I'm starting to feel a little bit of buyer's remorse since many of today's phones are now creeping awfully close to the power that my Mac has. 

HTC will be releasing the first quad-core phones this year, but unfortunately, we'll have to wait a little longer for the announcements. The Taiwanese phone manufacturer has allegedly decided to keep its high-performance handsets under wraps for about another month and unveil the lineup at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. 

It shouldn't be a huge surprise, as these devices were originally slated for release sometime in Q2 of this year. And, honestly, I don't blame HTC for taking a little extra time for the release of these phones; CES is focused on a much more diverse set of electronics, and MWC (Mobile World Congress) is dedicated to just mobile tech. Plus, the extra time gives HTC a chance to tweak battery life and performance to be the perfect ratio to make the most people happy. 

[Digitimes]

HTC already done with workaround for Apple patent infringement

Just two days ago, the International Trade Commission sided with Apple in a patent infringement case, which resulted in the firm banning the import of certain HTC devices that did actually infringe. It was a small patent, though, and today, HTC announced that it has finished a workaround that will allow it to still import and sell its devices here.

Peter Chou, HTC's Chief Executive Officer, said that the patent that was infringed was for something that is rarely used, so it was actually quite simple to rid HTC's phones of it and for the company to continue to import and sell phones in the US. 

Apple has previously stated that it thinks "competition is healthy," but I have a feeling it doesn't want any competition. Android is a pretty big threat to iOS. So is HTC, and really, every other manufacturer that uses Android or WP7. Apple was obviously trying to destroy HTC, kind of like what it's trying to do with Samsung right now. 

I'm glad that HTC was able to fix what was "wrong." My biggest hope now is that Samsung can get itself away from Apple's ridiculous case, too. 

[Mac Rumors]

HTC Elite and LTE Windows Phone to launch on AT&T next year

Although the device you see above isn't a new HTC device, it's probably a good representation of one that you'll see in the near future. 

It will be called the HTC Congressional, and it will run on AT&T's network. The device will be based off of Ice Cream Sandwich, and will feature the same Beats Audio processing unit that you can find in the HTC Rezound. You can expect to see the Congressional appear sometime in the first half of April 2012. 

The next phone on HTC's Radar (pardon the pun) is an unnamed Windows Phone. While that in itself isn't big, what will be on the inside (and outside) of the phone is: it's going to be the first LTE Windows Phone, and it will measure at a massive 4.7-inches.

Unfortunately, that's all we know for now on both of the devices. I'm particularly excited about the Windows Phone; I'm in love with large screens and Windows Phone, so whatever this device is could be a match made in heaven for me when it comes around just after CES.

[SlashGear]

HTC Zeta to bring 2.5GHz quad-core processor and Ice Cream Sandwich [Updated]

HTC seems to be going all-out with its quad-core smartphone portfolio. Just last week I reported on the HTC Edge. Unlike the Edge, though, the Zeta that you see above seems to be HTC's flagship phone for 2012. 

While the Edge does indeed have a quad-core processor inside, it's only clocked at a (comparatively) measly 1.5GHz. The Zeta has the upper-hand in terms of CPU power: its quad-core processor is clocked at an insane 2.5GHz, a full GHz more than its little brother. The Zeta's other differentiator is the fact that it will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, unlike the Edge.

But other than those key points, the Zeta will be, in most aspects, the same device. But really, the beast of a processor and the promise of Ice Cream Sandwich definitely makes the Zeta a better buy. 

Hopefully, we'll see both phones sometime in the near future. My only concern with quad-core phones is the battery life, but by the time those processors are released, manufacturers should be packing bigger and better batteries to offset the thirst of quad-cores processors.

Update: The HTC Zeta is, unfortunately, just a concept.

[Engadget]

HTC Rezound Beats Audio technology works on stock audio, video apps only

Although I don't have an HTC Rezound, I still feel like I was ripped off in a way by this news. The HTC Rezound's Beats Audio technology will only work on Android's stock audio and video apps, and nothing else. 

When the Beats Audio technology starts doing its thing, a little headphone icon will appear in the notifications bar, just like it has in the screenshots above. However, if you're listening to Pandora or Spotify, those nifty red earbuds that are included with your new Verizon smartphone will cease to work wonders and simply become normal earbuds. Waste.

I think that the selling point for the Rezound is, in fact, Beats Audio. Not being able to take advantage of the technology everywhere is certainly a huge disappointment, and one that makes me feel that the Rezound isn't worth its $300 on-contract price anymore. 

Software updates can certainly change my mind, though, HTC. Let's hop to it, okay?

[GottaBeMobile]

HTC Edge packs quad-core processor, 720p HD display

Quad-core phones are coming. They might not arrive in our hands as quickly as we'd like, but there's no doubt that eventually, dual-core chips will be ubiquitous across all low-end devices. 

This phone is the HTC Edge, the world's first quad-core phone. It's slated for arrival around Q2 of next year, so these are early leaks, but the final product shouldn't be too different from what you see above. 

Obviously, the biggest thing about the Edge is the 1.5GHz quad-core processor, but it's also touting some other impressive specs, as well. It will have a 4.7-inch display with 720p resolution, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, 32GB of internal storage, Bluetooth 4.0, and Beats Audio. 

There's also a possibility for the device to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, although if that doesn't happen, an update will hit soon after the release. Still, I'm sure this will destroy the competition with its incredible specs, even if it is only running Gingerbread. 

So, as a wrap-up, the HTC Edge packs some serious performance in a stunningly sexy package. Price and release date are yet to be announced, but I'm seriously excited about what this will bring to the competition. How about you?

[Pocketnow]

HTC Radar 4G is free at T-Mobile

There's one Windows Phone 7 phone that I'm particularly psyched about for the 2011 holiday season, and it's the HTC Radar 4G. It's being offered by T-Mobile, and it's gotta be the best deal for the carrier: it's free on contract if you order it online.

Not only does the Radar have a beautiful white body, but it also offers 4G speeds and some decent specs, including a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and a 3.8-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480.

T-Mobile might have a few decent WP7 phones in its arsenal, but the Radar 4G promises to be one of the most attractive devices there. It's got a fully-aluminum white body and 4G connectivity, so a lot of users who might've been waiting to jump on the always-growing Windows Phone bandwagon will probably jump on here. 

Now, how do you get the phone for free? Well, if you go to a T-Mobile deal page (linked below) and print off the $100 mail-in rebate, you'll be able to get the Radar for free. Of course, if even free isn't good enough for you, you can also trade in your working old phone for an extra $100; that's right, you could walk out of the store with an HTC Radar 4G and an extra $100. 

If you're looking for a great Windows Phone, my suggestion is to jump on this deal as soon as possible. 

[WPCentral | T-Mobile Deals Page]