Rumours

What’s Nexus for Android?

The simple answer is the HTC Nexus One which will be released, unlike the rest of the Android handsets on the market, directly under the Google brand name. 

Front View Powered Off

So what do we already know? Well not a huge amount to be perfectly honest but we do know the it will be released on the Android 2.1 software release along with some nice new 3D elements for the app tray, more home screens and a new “preview all” home screens grid at the bottom of the home screen.

New Menu Style & Grid View of Home Screens

From the pictures alone we can see that the it works on T-Mobile (the Rumoured Partner) and that it has WiFi (which is kinda obvious).

Home Landing Screen

The design is very much like a number of the latest HTC Handsets with the flush buttons on the LCD although for me it has the downside of having no QWERTY in there. From the back I’m not 100% sure if it’s a self portrait mirror or a flash, let’s hope and pray that it’s the latter.

Nexus One Back (Includes Free Post-It)

Only time will tell but the rumours estimate a release in the early part of 2010.

Posted by: John McKenzie

[source]

New HTC devices leaked

This week a selection of HTC devices have been leaked from their 2010 roadmap.

HTC

Now, although this information has not been confirmed or released by HTC themselves we are fairly confident that the info is accurate judging by previous leaks.

What is interesting is that there are more Android devices than Windows Mobile. Is this a sign of things to come I wonder?

Below are the leaked devices. As always the names and spec may change in time but it looks like we are in for a great 2010 in terms of HTC handsets.

As soon as we hear of any more developments we will be sure to update so keep your eyes peeled.

Posted by: James

Google Android 2.1 Rom with Hidden Secrets?

We all know that HTC kick-started the Android generation way back on the 23rd of September 2008 with the release of the HTC Dream (latterly known as the T-Mobile G1) but did you know that deep within the murky depths of the 2.1 Rom for Android lay the codenames for existing and upcoming HTC Handsets? Probably not I guess is the answer.

It looks like HTC are planning a barrage of Android handsets that are already known to us and a number that are completely new for the 2.1 (Flan) Rom.

The known handsets are:

• HTC Dream = T-Mobile G1
• HTC Hero = Hero
• HTC HeroC = Sprint CDMA Hero
• HTC DesireC = Verizon Droid Eris
• HTC Sapphire = Magic or T-Mobile myTouch 3G
• HTC Memphis which was supposed to go to AT&T but never passed the starting line

Some of the “Brand New” codenames are:

• Bahamas
• Bravo
• Dragon 
• Espresso
• Halo
• HeroCT
• Huangshan
• Incredible
• Legend
• Liberty 
• Paradise
• PassionC
• Passion
• Sapphire
• Supersonic

From what we are lead to believe “Dragon” & “PassionC” are rumoured to be HTC’s 2nd generation handsets set for the Verizon or Sprint network in the holiday period but the part that really sticks out for me is the mention of the non C (CDMA) version of passion which would suggest (based on the past) that there will be a GSM version of this handset.

I’ve always been one for rumours and very few (if any) that I have ever posted here have turned out not to come true so, with names like Supersonic, Incredible & Legend sitting in there and the fact that I’m a self confessed Android Geek I personally cannot wait to see what HTC have lined up.

[source]

Posted by: John (I’ve been in Hiding) McKenzie

HTC HD2 Stylus, Extended Battery and Car Kit

You may have seen on a few other sites that HTC will make a capacitive stylus available for the HTC HD2, presumably for the Asian markets where handwriting recognition is more popular than in Europe or the USA, this sounds quite plausible as we have seen styli for the iPhone on sale in the US recently.

We’ve heard that there will also be a dedicated car kit available for the HD2 which we assume will nicely make use of the car kit option in the settings menu on the HD2.

Another point that you may have also heard elsewhere is that there will be an official extended battery for the HTC HD2 and what you may not have heard elsewhere is that said battery, and larger battery cover will include a ‘kick-stand’ that will allow you to stand the HD2 on a desk or table in landscape mode which is a really cool idea. However, we’ve been told that the HD2 will not fit in the official car kit with the extended battery which is a bit of a shame, but I guess if you have a car kit you will have the HD2 on charge more often than not.

We’re trying to get official confirmation from HTC and get some pictures of these accessories and we’ll share them with you as soon as we get them!

Don’t forget to have a look at our full HTC HD2 review.

Posted by: Matt

HTC HD2 delayed?

Ok this one is very much an unconfirmed rumour but today I had an email from two different sources saying that they’ve been told that the HTC Touch HD2 is subject to some delays and will not launch on the 11th of November as expected.

Now, while it is possible that the HD2 has been delayed, other HTC handsets have been subject to launch delays in the past, I must emphasise that we have not had any official confirmation about the delay, in much the same way that there is no official launch date for the HD2 as yet.

If you have any news about the HTC HD2 that you would like to share with us then please do get in touch using either our contact page above or else via the forum.

Don’t worry, as soon as we have any HD2 news we’ll be sure to share it with you and likewise, as soon as we get our hands on the HD2 we’ll have an unboxing video and review for you.

EDIT: News just in from Devicewire. The due date for the HTC HD2 has not changed as far as they are aware, it should still be the 11th November. However, stock will be ridiculously low initially so you are urged to pre-order.

Additional stock will not arrive until 2 weeks after the original shipment and the the car kit wont be available till January 2010!

In terms of the positives, there is a 2GB memory card and a pouch case included with the handset.

Posted by: Matt

More HTC HD2 rumours

Ok, so many of you are emailing me with questions about the HTC HD2 and telling me what you’ve heard about its upcoming launch I thought I would condense the latest that we’ve heard in to one post.

Let’s start with what we are hearing from the retailers. Both Clove Technology and Devicewire advise us that they have been told that the HD2 will start shipping on the 11th November. This will probably mean that they will have stock either on the 10th or 11th November for shipping to customers on the 11th November. These devices will of course be the SIM-free unlocked versions of the HD2 and will cost in the region of £500 at launch. See Below.

On to the networks then. Several emails from T-Mobile customers say that they’ve been told by various account managers that the HTC HD2 is will be in stock from the 5th November and will commence shipping on that date. I suspect that stock will be limited initially.

There are also various rumours about the HD2 availability on O2. The O2 Forums are full of discussion about the imminent launch. We’ve been told that we could see the device start shipping as early as the end of October to the first few days of November.

Personally, reading between all of the rumours, I suspect that the SIM-free and the network locked versions will be launched on the same day and that HTC will control when they can officially go on sale and I think that will be the 2nd week in November.

Now if you are particularly impatient (like me!) or just want to make sure that you will receive your new HTC HD2 on the day it’s launched then you can pre-order it from one of the companies below.

Clove Technology – HTC HD2 handset only price £504.85 inc VAT + delivery.

Super E Trader – HTC HD2 handset only price £499.99 inc VAT + delivery or £529.99 for a bundle with Case, Screen Protectors and 8GB Memory card.

Devicewire.com – HTC HD2 handset only price £499.99 inc VAT and free delivery.

eXpansys – HTC HD2 handset only price £499.99 inc VAT + delivery with £30 of eXpansys discount vouchers.

I suspect that there will be limited numbers of the HTC HD2 available initially so if you really want it on launch day I strongly suggest that you pre-order!

EDIT: Our extensive HTC HD2 review is now live on site.

Posted by: Matt

HTC HD2 – You may want to put this date in your diary!

Our good friends at Clove have told us of a rather special date we should all remember. Wednesday 11th November sees the release date of the HTC HD2!

HTC HD2

Fingers crossed HTC can deliver on time as this is one device I have been eager to get my hands on for a while now.

If you are not aware of the spec of the device here’s a quick rundown on the best bits:

• Windows Mobile 6.5
• Sense UI
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz Processor
• 480×800 Capacitive Display
• Multi Touch Support
• Accelerometer
• 448 MB Ram
• 512 MB Rom
• HSDPA
• Wi-Fi
• 5MP Camera with autofocus and LED Flash
• HTC Peep/HTC Footprints
• 3.5mm Headphone Jack

If you have not seen the size of the handset be warned, it’s a beast!

HD2 Dimensions

The HD2 is pretty much the same size as the Toshiba TG10 (although HD2 has a slightly bigger screen) which Orange have been selling here in the UK for a while now. The HD2, in my opinion, will run smoother than the TG01 which was launched with WinMo 6.1 but is eligible for the 6.5 rom upgrade.

If you are thinking of getting the HD2 then SuperEtrader have got a great deal on at the moment with some accessories thrown in for free. Click here to see the page.  Devicewire have also got the HD2 coming on the 11th. You get get it from them for ONLY £499.00!

As soon as we can get our hands on the HD2 we will have an unboxing video followed by the full review. Now, as I have a slight suspicion that the review may be quite popular we are offering followers of our forum the opportunity to send us there HD2 questions in advance. This way I can answer them in the review or if I cant answer I will “phone a friend”.

So please feel free to either post your questions here or alternatively you can post them under the HTC HD2 unboxing video coming soon.

Posted by: James

ETNA To Be A First For LG

LG are yet to dabble on the Android front but it looks like this may all be about to change.

Spotted at the IFA Trade Fair on a Vodafone stand, the Android Powered LG ETNA looks like very nice.

LG ETNA

Rumoured to be sporting a 5 Mega Pixel Camera and a 3 inch touch screen, this slide out QWERTY keyboard based phone looks rather nice.

One thing I did notice was the location of the Charge / Sync port which seems to be in typical LG fashion (on the side of the phone). I really wish LG would move this to the top or the bottom of the handset but on a positive note, it does look like this will be featuring the new standardised micro usb as apposed to the proprietary LG charger.

According to sources LG  have said that the phone will be released nearer Christmas in Germany.

Posted by: John

[source]

Nokia to enter the netbook market?

Nokia could be entering the word of the netbook!

No, I didn’t just make this up, honest! Here is an excerpt from the Economic Times –

With the market for converged devices growing, the world’s largest cell phone maker, Nokia, on Wednesday said it is exploring various

opportunities in this market and may enter the netbook segment.

"…the PC and the mobile will continue to come closer and merge. A lot of opportunity can be seen in this converged area.
We at Nokia is actively looking at this converged market…We are looking at the netbook market to see what kind of opportunity is there," Nokia Corp’s global CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo told reporters here.

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens!

Posted by: Emma

HTC Leo and HTC Whitestone rumours

Rumours of two new HTC handsets have surfaced on htcpedia.com – The HTC Leo and HTC Whitestone look a little like the HTC Touch HD the suspicion being that the HTC Leo will be a high-end slider with full QWERTY and the Whitestone simply touch screen.

The rumours go as far as to say that the HTC Leo will have a Snapdragon 1Ghz CPU , 4.3" 480×800 capacitive touch-screen, 512MB ROM and 320MB RAM, 8mp camera with autofocus, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, 3. 5mm Headphone Jack, G-Sensor, motion sensor and light sensor. While the HTC Whitestone will have GSM and CDMA/EVDO connectivity, Windows Mobile 6.1 (Not 6.5??), 3.6 inch WVGA display, 5MP camera, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM and a 528Mhz Qualcomm 7600 processor.

The HTC Leo and HTC Whitestone

Source – HTC Leo and HTC Whitestone (htcpedia.com)

Posted by: Matt