White HTC EVO 4G leaves the Best Buy nest, migrates to Sprint stores
Once a Best Buy exclusive, the white version of HTC’s still-badass EVO 4G is finally making its way into actual Sprint retail locations, the carrier’s website, and other third party stores for the same $199 on contract after $100 mail-in rebate as usual. Gives us a good opportunity to levy the same complaint we’d levied before — that the front of the phone should be white, not just the back — but hey, at least passers-by will know you’re stylin’ when you’ve got it held to your face.
HTC HD2 runs Windows Phone 7 (video)
HTC HD2 owners have been trying to shoehorn Windows Phone 7 onto their hapless devices practically since day one, but it looks like a port won’t make it into the wild before the platform’s formal US launch. That doesn’t mean you should give up hope, however, because one variant seems to be at least partway done, winding its merry way from boot through the splash screen and deep into the speedy UI in a far more convincing video demo than the last one that hit our inbox. Though no apps are actually demonstrated nor so much as a basic phone call (pretty please?), multitouch pinch-to-zoom appears to work just fine, and we’ve little doubt any remaining quirks will be worked out in due time — if not nearly as soon as new HTC HD7 owners migrating from the HD2 might have liked. Video after the break.
Dell's Stage UI headed to Streak, also unofficially works on EVO 4G (video)
The first time the words “Stage UI” passed our lips, they were in relation to the Dell Thunder leak, but now we’re hearing that Dell’s custom Android user interface will actually appear alongside Android 2.2 when the update finally arrives on the five-inch Streak. We’ve just learned that’s going to happen this winter in Japan when the Streak launches on SoftBank at the very least, as both are advertised for early December there, but we expect we’ll see the updated OS even sooner in the US and Europe for obvious reasons. What’s more, an unofficial build of Froyo that leaked out for the Streak last month has since been found to have Stage UI on board. StreakSmart‘s got a video of a custom ROM running a series of Dell-specific widgets on the Streak, and sister site Good and Evo managed to trick the very same software to run on a rooted HTC EVO 4G. You can see examples of both on video after the break, but here’s the basic idea behind the UI — giant panes of contacts, apps and shortcuts that fill an entire screen each, but leave your app drawer accessible at a swipe. If you’re feeling daring, you can try the ROM for yourself at our more coverage link. Just be careful flashing that new baseband, eh?
HTC Desire Z review
There aren’t that many Android devices that offer a physical QWERTY keyboard. The HTC Desire Z squares up against the Motorola Milestone 2 nicely, leaving other devices to mainly scrap it out for the mid-range dollars. Even with the Desire Z taking a position towards the top of the scale, it would be easy to knock it after a glance at the spec sheet.
Indeed, we highlighted that it had an 800MHz processor rather than the more common 1GHz processor in our First Look of the HTC Desire Z. But let’s do it justice – this is a second generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and as such, it is decidedly more efficient than 800MHz models of old – in fact, it will offer better performance than many older chipsets clocked at a higher processor speeds. Read more 
Samsung Continuum vs. DROID X, DROID 2, Incredible, Fascinate
We just posted the “Top Things to Know” for the Samsung Continuum over at Android Life, but we also have this sheet which shows how the device compares to the rest of Verizon’s lineup of top Android phones including the entire Droid family. Wondered how its “Ticker” matches up against the Droid X, D2, or Incredible? What about the Fascinate? Here you go.
HTC Desire HD vs HTC Desire
While there’s no doubt that one is a more up to date and spec-wise superior handset, the question is: how much better is it? Sitting there with cash in hand, is it worth shelling out the extra on the HTC Desire HD or is the experience just as good on the straight Desire? Would you be best off going cheap and biding your time for the next upgrade instead? With the current market difference around £100, AIVAnet investigates.
Form Factor
- HTC Desire :119 x 60 x 11.9mm; 135g
- HTC Desire HD :123 x 68 x 11.8 mm, 164g Read more
HTC HD7 gets microSD transplant after hidden card reader discovered
With no iFixit teardown of HTC’s HD7 in sight, the::unwired took matters into their own hands and opened up the 4.3-inch Windows Phone 7 device to see if, like the Samsung Focus, it had a hidden memory card slot. Perhaps unsurprisingly it does, with HTC having used a Class 2 8GB microSD to give the HD7 its chunk of internal storage. Even better, they were able to swap it out for a different card, and have Windows Phone 7 recognize it.
HTC Surround review
Of all the Windows Phone 7 launch devices, AT&T’s HTC Surround is likely the most curious. It’s a landscape slider built on the same basic internals as the rest of its platform siblings, but there’s no keyboard under that screen — the quarter-inch slide reveals an aluminum speaker bar and integrated kickstand, which combine to create a tiny little stereo system of sorts. Mix in Windows Phone 7’s heavy Zune integration, add in a dash of Dolby Mobile and SRS Wow “virtual surround” audio processing, and top it all off with 16GB of internal memory, and you have what might be the ultimate phone for on-the-go media consumption. But does the Surround live up to all that promise? Read on to find out! Read more
HTC 7 Mozart review
Out of all the Windows Phone 7 launch partners, HTC’s obviously been the most hard-working kid in Mr. Ballmer’s sculpture class. So here’s the question: which of the five launch devices is the Taiwanese company’s best work? Well, there’s no such thing as a perfect phone, but we dare say the 7 Mozart’s the most stylish out of the lot. Not convinced? Flip the phone around and you’ll see its two main selling points: its aluminum unibody construction (as applied on the Nexus One and Legend), and its 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash (as opposed to 5 megapixels with LED flash on the other WP7 devices). Will these goodies suffice to win WP7 fanatics over? Join us after the break to find out. Read more
HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7 on sale today on Orange UK
We knew Windows Phone 7 was scheduled to land first internationally, but it’s always a treat to hear the particulars. Orange UK has just (re)revealed that it’ll be the exclusive carrier of HTC’s 7 Mozart across the pond, and it’ll be joined by Samsung’s Omnia 7 as both go on sale tomorrow morning in Orange’s Oxford Street shop — fittingly, at 7am local time. Naturally, the carrier is going to blow out the launch, with each customer buying a WP7 handset to receive a complimentary Bluetooth headset… while supplies last, anyway. You’ll also get a stockpile of Orange applications and services (like it or not), and we’re told that each phone will be offered for zilch with a fresh contract starting at £35 per month (7 Mozart) / £40 per month (Omnia 7). Jealous, North America?
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