HTC to offer wider range of products in 2014
In addition to the flagship, look for mid-range and entry-level models from HTC
A new report out of Reauters today tells us that HTC will employ a different strategy for 2014, namely more phones.
The problem with us last year was we only concentrated on our flagship. We missed a huge chunk of the mid-tier market.
Whereas last year saw HTC focusing almost solely on the flagship line HTC One, this year should bring them back into the mainstream. HTC co-founder/chairwoman Cher Wang is optimistic about the future, particularly around the HTC One.
It’s worth pointing out that HTC is reversing a course it already reversed in the last two years. Remember all the various HTC models in 2010-2011? Remember all those versions of the Sensation? HTC said that was too much for them and they stripped down to one key model in 2013. Perhaps there’s a happy medium in there somewhere.
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Broadcom’s new chips could put fast LTE in your budget smartphone
While entry-level smartphones are getting to be quite good these days, few of them have fast LTE; many have to make do with either basic LTE or 3G. If Broadcom is successful with its just-revealed M320 and M340 system-on-chip designs, though, advanced 4G could soon be very affordable. The new chips respectively bundle dual- and quad-core processors with 150Mbps LTE radios, making it easier for small firms to ship cheap handsets (Broadcom expects sub-$300 pricing) with speedy internet access. They’re already integrated with Android 4.4 KitKat, too, so companies don’t always have to fuss over software support. Broadcom isn’t saying when phones with the new chips will reach the market, but it’s currently delivering sample units to “leading” manufacturers.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Source: Broadcom
Verizon-ready Nexus 7 tablet sneaks into stores
Verizon has repeatedly promised that it would officially support the Nexus 7 on its LTE network, only to fall short each time. However, it now seems that a launch really is close at hand — a Droid-Life tipster has revealed that a Big Red-approved Android tablet is making its way into Verizon stores, complete with the carrier’s logo on the box. While staffers can’t sell the Nexus 7 just yet, the arrival supports rumors that the device would be available on February 13th. It’s coming too late for anyone content to use the regular LTE model, but it could be handy as a last-minute Valentine’s gift for the tablet lover in your life.
Filed under: Tablets, ASUS, Google, Verizon
Source: Droid-Life
Google Play Newsstand gets a widget, adds mini view for easy reading
The idea behind a magazine or a newspaper is that you will actually sit down and read it — but if you only have time to glance at a few headlines, the latest update to Google Play Newsstand is for you. The content aggregator now features a “mini card” view that compresses each story down to just its headline, expanding to the full story only when tapped. A new widget offers truncated versions of the latest stories too, allowing users to click through a limited set of stories from their device’s home screen. The update also adds new organization features for magazines, additional language support, a smattering of bug fixes and the ability to translate foreign news sources instantly. It’s hardly a visual overhaul, but the the update is certainly a no-brainer for the Google Play news junkie.
Flappy Bird faces imminent extinction
Flappy Bird went from obscurity to chart-topping success overnight, but that’s all coming to an end. After over 50 million downloads, developer Dong Nguyen said on Twitter that he’s going to take the incredibly tough game down tomorrow… and probably not for the reasons you’d expect.
It’s not because of any legal pressure. It’s not because he sold for some hefty sum. It’s not even because he’s tired of making games. Nguyen said Flappy Bird will cease to be simply because he just “cannot take this anymore”. What exactly he means by that is unclear, but going off an earlier tweet it looks like Nguyen has grown weary of all the attention he’s been getting lately. Who could blame him for shunning the spotlight? He created the app in just a few days in 2013 and it languished before exploding in popularity a few weeks back.
The suddenness of the move prompted some to wonder if this is actually some strange publicity stunt. After all, Nguyen told The Verge just a few days ago that he was mulling over a Flappy Bird sequel, and an official Windows Phone version was in the works. Oh, and it’s a little hard to fathom a one-man app studio walking away from $50,000 in daily ad revenue.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Twitter
Google’s Field Trip app adds ratings to its recreational recommendations
Google knows that not everything in Field Trip will reach the high watermark of creepy areas around New York, but it hopes that the app’s latest update will make cool spots easier to find wherever you are. The search giant’s Niantic Labs has added a rating system on Android and iOS and is enabling the community to possibly cull banal info from the mobile point-of-interest database. The five-star rankings should offer more granularity than the previous thumbs-ups/thumbs-down system, and soon enough the cards with the highest average score could be all you see. If your city is inherently boring though, there’s nothing Mountain View can do about that.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, GPS, Mobile, Google
Via: Field Trip (Google+)
Source: Google Play, iTunes
Tim Cook: ‘Android is Like Europe’, Many Different Things Under One Name
Apple CEO Tim Cook compared Android to Europe in his wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal yesterday, saying that the PC and mobile platform wars couldn’t be compared. Cook said that Android is made up of many different things under one banner, as opposed to Windows which was one uniform platform.
Cook’s statement was in response to a question asking if the mobile device market will ultimately follow the PC market, where Apple remains a comparatively niche player compared to the dominance of Windows.
He said that the examining the PC and mobile markets as a direct comparison doesn’t work, largely because one of the historical differences between the Mac and Windows was the lack of availability for applications on the Mac, while iOS has a very strong developer base.
“There was a vast, vast difference in the number of applications that were available for the Macintosh”, Cook said. And, over the years, the gap continued to grow because the Mac lost some key applications.
However, on mobile devices, Apple has more than one million applications with half of those specifically optimized for the iPad. On Android, Cook says, there are only 1,000 apps optimized for tablets. He says the lack of properly optimized apps is one of the reasons “why the experience on Android tablets is so crappy”.
The other thing is that Windows pretty much was one thing. Android is like Europe. Europe was a name that somebody came up with for Americans who didn’t understand that Europe was a lot of countries that weren’t like U.S. states. They were very different. Android is many things. How many people who use a Kindle know that they’re using Android? And you see what Samsung is doing by putting more and more software on top. I think it’s night and day. The compare is so off.
Cook also noted that he doesn’t view the PC market a a monolith because he works at Apple — he joined the company from Compaq and said he understands the PC world “at that time because [he] was in it”. He continued, “if you really talk to the people who went through it… I don’t think any of them would tell you it’s the same” as the mobile device market today.
Elsewhere in the interview Cook revealed that Apple has repurchased $14 billion in stock over the past two weeks, and that the company is open to making large acquisitions if it makes sense. He also reiterated that Apple is working on “some really great stuff” in new product categories, an assertion that Apple executives have made numerous times over the past few months, and that Apple is spending an enormous amount of time and money on the “Macs of the future”.
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The Moto G lands on US Cellular for $99 sans contract
The Moto G is the best cheap Android phone you can get your hands on, and now you’ve got another way to nab one. US Cellular today confirmed what a blurry screenshot told us yesterday: the 8GB model will hit store shelves on February 10. Just can’t wait? Those with itchy trigger fingers can order one online now for $99, just like you can at Verizon.
It’s almost the same Moto G we fell for in our review, albeit with Android 4.4 KitKat instead of the Jelly Bean build the phone first shipped with. Just remember that you won’t be able to hop on the carrier’s LTE network – despite a solid spec sheet, the G (sadly) lacks LTE support. You can’t unlock the thing since it’s technically Motorola’s CDMA variant, but hey: a good deal’s a good deal.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: US Cellular
Verizon’s HTC One is finally getting a taste of KitKat
Well, that was quick. Just a few hours after an HTC product manager tweeted the good news, Verizon Wireless customers have found that the much-anticipated KitKat update is landing on their HTC Ones. Start mashing that software update button if you haven’t already, friends.
In addition to Android 4.4.2, the update also packs a handful of performance improvements and HTC’s Sense 5.5 UI. Fans of the HTC One Max are already familiar with HTC’s new Sense tweaks — BlinkFeed is more easily customizable, the Gallery and Music apps have gotten a facelift, and there’s a new Do Not Disturb mode for those private moments — but it’s nice to see them trickle down onto a slightly smaller handset. For those of you keeping score, Sprint earlier this week became the first major US carrier to update the One with KitKat. That leaves just AT&T and T-Mobile to push through the update, but sadly, there’s still no word on when they’ll follow through.
Filed under: Mobile
Via: Droid-Life
Source: Twitter
Steve Wozniak thinks Apple should build an Android smartphone
Yes, folks, this is real life. In an interview with Wired, at the Apps World North America conference, Steve Wozniak revealed his belief that Apple should create a phone using Google’s Android operating system. According to him, “There’s nothing that would keep Apple out of the Android market as a secondary phone market.” “We could play in two arenas at the same time.” As Wired’s Mat Honan notes, the idea of such a handset wouldn’t be technically impossible, but anyone who’s familiar with the Apple of today knows that the chances of this actually happening are slim to none.
“We [Apple] could compete very well. People like the precious looks of stylings and manufacturing that we do in our product compared to the other Android offerings,” Wozniak stated during the interview. Of course, this isn’t the first time (and very likely won’t be the last) in which the great, legendary Woz has spoken openly about his thoughts on Apple- and Android-related affairs — still, it’s always interesting to hear his perspective on the tech industry. Steve also spoke to Wired about the film Her, Moore’s Law and even why he thinks the Cupertino company has yet to release a smartwatch or TV. You can check out the full interview right here.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Wired
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