HTC Windows Phone 8S Mobile Phone Review Icebreaker

Introduction
No one's had any reason to question HTC's commitment to Windows Phone. The Taiwanese have been on board since the heyday of PocketPCs, helping Redmond quickly man a nascent WP7 army. Now they're back in the thick of it for the next generation of the platform; this time with a smaller, more focused squad.

In the couple of the so-called signature WP8 devices, the HTC Windows Phone 8S is playing second fiddle to the 8X. The current flagship however, didn't quite convince us it had what it takes to put real pressure on competing platforms or stand up to the other big fish in the small pond that the Windows Phone market still is.
HTC Windows Phone 8S official photos

Fortunately, the HTC Windows Phone 8S has little of that to worry about. Not only is it the most affordable of WP8 smartphones, but it keeps a safe distance too from the Android heavyweights. We don't think that much pressure will be felt either from the iOS end. So anyone keen to try Microsoft's latest on a tight budget is seemingly already in the loop and the 8S has a chance of winning over some converts too.
 
Key features
    Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
    Dual-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
    4" 16M-color S-LCD capacitive touchscreen of 480 x 800 pixel resolution
    Scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 2 display
    5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 720p@30fps video recording
    Windows Phone 8 OS
    1GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm S4 chipset, 512MB of RAM
    Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
    GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
    Digital compass
    4GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot
    Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
    Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor
    Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
    microUSB port
    Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and EDR, file transfers
    Impressively deep and coherent SNS integration throughout the interface
    Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
    Data Sense
    HTC exclusive apps
    Beats audio enhancements

Main disadvantages
    Non user-replaceable battery
    App catalog falls short of Android and iOS
    No front-facing camera
    No FM radio
    No system-wide file manager
    No voice-guided navigation

Granted, the Windows Phone 8S by HTC (as the smartphone's official name goes) has the least capable hardware of all WP8 smartphones, but a dual-core Krait CPU device with the new-generation Adreno 305 GPU is not what we'd call underpowered. In fact, while the top dogs of its platform have to face Android rivals with double the computing power, this one is actually playing against equals.

It's a package that makes sense, never mind the hardware limitations. The lower screen resolution should be less strain on the GPU, while the microSD card slot makes up for the limited inbuilt storage. In theory, the HTC 8S should give the same solid smartphone experience as the high-end WP8 devices at a fraction of the price. Intriguing indeed. Let's see how the HTC Windows Phone 8S goes about it.

HTC Windows Phone 8S Mobile Phone Review Icebreaker

Introduction
No one's had any reason to question HTC's commitment to Windows Phone. The Taiwanese have been on board since the heyday of PocketPCs, helping Redmond quickly man a nascent WP7 army. Now they're back in the thick of it for the next generation of the platform; this time with a smaller, more focused squad.

In the couple of the so-called signature WP8 devices, the HTC Windows Phone 8S is playing second fiddle to the 8X. The current flagship however, didn't quite convince us it had what it takes to put real pressure on competing platforms or stand up to the other big fish in the small pond that the Windows Phone market still is.
HTC Windows Phone 8S official photos

Fortunately, the HTC Windows Phone 8S has little of that to worry about. Not only is it the most affordable of WP8 smartphones, but it keeps a safe distance too from the Android heavyweights. We don't think that much pressure will be felt either from the iOS end. So anyone keen to try Microsoft's latest on a tight budget is seemingly already in the loop and the 8S has a chance of winning over some converts too.
 
Key features
    Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
    Dual-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
    4" 16M-color S-LCD capacitive touchscreen of 480 x 800 pixel resolution
    Scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 2 display
    5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 720p@30fps video recording
    Windows Phone 8 OS
    1GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm S4 chipset, 512MB of RAM
    Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
    GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
    Digital compass
    4GB of inbuilt storage, microSD card slot
    Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
    Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor
    Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
    microUSB port
    Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and EDR, file transfers
    Impressively deep and coherent SNS integration throughout the interface
    Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
    Data Sense
    HTC exclusive apps
    Beats audio enhancements

Main disadvantages
    Non user-replaceable battery
    App catalog falls short of Android and iOS
    No front-facing camera
    No FM radio
    No system-wide file manager
    No voice-guided navigation

Granted, the Windows Phone 8S by HTC (as the smartphone's official name goes) has the least capable hardware of all WP8 smartphones, but a dual-core Krait CPU device with the new-generation Adreno 305 GPU is not what we'd call underpowered. In fact, while the top dogs of its platform have to face Android rivals with double the computing power, this one is actually playing against equals.

It's a package that makes sense, never mind the hardware limitations. The lower screen resolution should be less strain on the GPU, while the microSD card slot makes up for the limited inbuilt storage. In theory, the HTC 8S should give the same solid smartphone experience as the high-end WP8 devices at a fraction of the price. Intriguing indeed. Let's see how the HTC Windows Phone 8S goes about it.

HTC M7 upcoming flagship leaks, said to boast a 468ppi screen

After outing the HTC Butterfly/DNA last month, HTC is once again looking to make waves with a ultra high-res screen, except with a more compact size.

The latest bit of online gossip has it that the company's upcoming M7 flagship is set to feature a 4.7-inch 1080p display, which amounts to an unprecedented 468 ppi. The display panel will be of the SoLux variety, which is claimed to feature superior outdoor visibility, viewing angles, and color reproduction.


Inside, you'll find a quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage. The camera sensor will have 13MP resolution, while the lens will have a bright f/2.0 aperture capable of super slow-mo and video HDR in 1080p. The 2MP front-facer will also be capable of 1080p video.

In terms of connectivity, the M7 will support LTE up to 42Mbps, as well as the new 802.11 ac wireless standard. Beats audio enhancements are also included, and it will all be powered by a 2300mAh battery.

On the software side of things, the M7 will offer Android Jelly Bean out of box, coupled with HTC's updated Sense 5 UX.

As far as pricing and availability go, the M7 is supposedly set for a MWC unveiling, scheduled for late February of next year. The M7 is said to eventually become available on at least two major US carriers: Verizon and Sprint.
Source

HTC said to have dropped plans for a 5 inch WP8 smartphone

According to Bloomberg, HTC had plans for producing a large screen Windows Phone 8 smartphone, but has recently decided to abandon the project.

The reason for this turn of events is simple - Microsoft hasn't included support for resolutions higher than 1280x768 pixels in Windows Phone 8. As a result, HTC felt that a smartphone with a super large screen won't be competitive with the 1080p displays on the recent Android flagships.

The decision made by the company's CEO, Peter Chou, means that HTC, despite its best intentions, is going to have a 5+ inch smartphones only in the Android camp, while WP8 will be getting more compact devices.
Source | Via

Butterfly sells very well, HTC has to increase shipments

HTC became the first manufacturer to out a 5 inch FullHD-display wielding smartphone, and it seemed to have caught everyone by surprise, including themselves. While other companies are busy announcing 5" 1080p devices of their own, HTC is already running out of units to sell.


The Butterfly, which retails as the DROID DNA for Verizon in the US, was launched on HTC's homeland, Taiwan, yesterday. At the launch event, the president of HTC North Asia Jack Tong said the company will ship "a large number" of devices by the end of this month, due to the success of the HTC Butterfly J in Japan.

According to Tong, HTC will also be changing its marketing strategy in two key ways. The first involves having less flagship reboots (like the One X+), letting their high end models stay on the market longer.

The second includes creating more affordable devices, belonging to the $175 to $350 range, which HTC hopes will appeal to younger audiences and those looking to upgrade from a feature phone.

Here's hoping we'll also see the HTC Butterfly in Europe soon.
Source | Via

HTC One SV comes to Europe, UK and Germany first

HTC announced the Android 4.0-running One SV last month and now we learn the smartphone will be making its way to Europe.

The first countries to get the device are the UK and Germany and it will even have 4G LTE on select carriers like EE in the UK and Vodafone D2, Telekom, and Telefonica in Germany.


HTC One SV

The HTC One SV will come with a polycarbonate unibody in two colors - Pyrenees blue and Glacier white. It will sport a 4.3" Super LCD 2 of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels), 5 MP camera with bright (F/2.0) wideangle (28mm) lens and 1080p video recording. Among other key specs are the dual-core Krait processor, clocked at 1.2 GHz, 1 GB worth of RAM and the Beats Audio built-in amplifier.

The HTC One SV will become available in the UK and Germany in the coming weeks.

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