Tag: HTC One (M8)

By November 6, 2014 Read More →

HTC Confirms Android 5.0 for M7, M8

B1jghMACUAE4s3DGreat news for owners of HTC’s flagship devices, the HTC One M8 and last year’s HTC One M7. In a tweet HTC USA have confirmed that:

We have the Android Lollipop code. We’ll be updating the HTC One (M8) & (M7) within 90 days from today. #HTCAdvantage

Which means that we’ll see Lollipop on the M7 and M8 by the beginning of February 2015. This will be deployed as an over the air update starting with SIM free devices first. No precise details on the deployment to various carriers and how long we’ll have to wait here in the UK as yet but it’s certainly a step in the right direction!

Posted in: News, Phones
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By May 17, 2014 Read More →

HTC One mini 2 hands-on video

HTC One mini 2Just a few days ago HTC offcially announced the HTC One mini 2, successor to last year’s HTC One mini and little-brother to the HTC One (M8) released a couple of months ago.

As always, there had been a lot of leaks, speculation and rumours surrounding the mini 2 so much of the specification and design was alread ‘known’ but the full and official specification can be found below.

I’ve managed to get hold of an HTC One mini 2 and I’ve recorded an initial unboxing and hands-on video for you below. Covering the specification, hardware, side-by-side with the HTC One (M8) and a look at the user interface this is just a quick video for now, futher in-depth details and a review are to follow.

 

 

HTC One mini 2 specification:

SIZE: 137.43 x 65.04 x 10.6mm

WEIGHT: 137 grams

DISPLAY: 4.5 inch, HD 720p

 

CPU SPEED

  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400, 1.2GHz quad-core CPU

 

PLATFORM

  • Android™ 4.4 with HTC Sense™ 6
  • HTC BlinkFeed™

 

MEMORY

  • Total storage:  16GB
  • RAM: 1GB
  • Expansion card slot supports microSD™ memory card for up to 128GB additional storage (card not included)

 

NETWORK

2G/2.5G – GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

  • 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

 

3G – WCDMA:

  • 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps

 

 4G – LTE:

  • EMEA: Bands 3, 7, 8, 20
  • Asia: Bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 28

 

SIM

  • Nano SIM

 

SENSORS

  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor

 

CONNECTIVITY

  • 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
  • NFCii
  • Bluetooth® 4.0 with aptX™ enabled
  • Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz)
  • DLNA® for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer,
  • HTC Connect™
  • micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port

 

SOUND

  • HTC BoomSound™
  • Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
  • Sense Voice

 

CaMeRA

Rear camera

  • 13MP, BSI sensor with f/2.2 lens
  • 1080p Full HD video recording

 

Front camera

  • 5MP, BSI sensor
  • 1080p Full HD video recording

 

MULTIMEDIA

Audio supported formats:

  • Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .flac, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 10)
  • Recording: .aac

 

Video supported formats:

  • Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .mkv, .wmv (Windows Media Video 10), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
  • Recording: .mp4

 

Location

  • Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
  • Digital compass

 

BATTERY

  • Capacity: 2100 mAh

 

By May 1, 2014 Read More →

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One (M8) benchmark (video)

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One (M8)Although it’s quite a controversial topic, then benchmark performance of new devices always attracts a lot of interest.

At the moment, the two top Android phones are the HTC One (M8) and the Samsung Galaxy S5. In theory, the Galaxy S5 should be ahead of the M8, in terms of performance at least. The S5 has a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU whereas the M8 has a 2.3GHz quad-core CPU. Both run the Qualcomm 801 chipset and have 2GB RAM but the extra clock speed that the S5 has should definitely give it the edge.

There have been lots of Tweets and blog posts elsewhere questioning the performance of the Galaxy S5 and comments like “What’s up with the Galaxy S5 performance ?” seem not to be uncommon.

In the video below you can see me running a benchmark test on the Galaxy S5, side-by-side with the HTC One (M8). The results may surprise you…!

 

 

 

By April 26, 2014 Read More →

Five Reasons to Buy the HTC One (M8)

HTC M8The recently released HTC One M8 is already garnering attention in the smart phone industry, once again serving as a reliable alternative to the steeply priced more famous brands.

And although there are some concerns about the new HTC One, like its questionable quality of the camera or the not always perfect screen color reproduction, there are plenty of things to like about it as well, which should make the new HTC a popular choice once again.

Here are some of the best features of the new M8 that help it to hold ground in the very competitive smart phone market:

1.       BoomSound Speakers

The HTC One Boomsound Speakers are one of the hallmarks of the phone, separating it from the competition as the hands down best speaker system in any smart phone.

And since speakers play such a big role in the smart phone when watching videos, listening to music or gaming, this is definitely a big plus even over the big guns like Apple and Samsung.

2.       Camera Features

As mentioned before, the quality of the camera could sure use an improvement, but it still has plenty of terrific features that compensate.

The Duo Camera function allows for some unmatched editing features, and the Ufocus feature allows editing the focus of pictures that were already taken.

3.       Durable Construction and Design

The MTC One has always been renowned for its beautiful designs, and the new M8 is no different. The reliableand sturdy construction is yet another reason many people decide to go with the MTC.

4.       Battery Life

Unlike many other alternative smart phone brands, the TMC One M8 is showing great longevity in its battery life, lasting up to 48 hours with active usage, and even more in power saving mode.

5.       Motion Launch Gestures

We can’t leave the M8 without talking about its new groundbreaking Motion Launch Gestures feature – it’s a very convenient unlock feature that allows users to enter directly into the pre-determined features while unlocking.

Although for now it only allows the pre-set functions, hopefully with future updates custom apps will be available to launch with the system.

Author Bio

Christy Root is a contributing author for Prepaymania. She is one of the renowned technological products reviewer and voice for must buy gadgets. Christy has been quoted in various online and offline technology publications. To know more about her, follow her on Google+

Posted in: Editorial, Phones
Tags:
By March 31, 2014 Read More →

HTC One (M8) full hands-on video

M8_PerLeft_GunMetalWe’ve had our HTC One (M8) for a while now so thought iut was about time that we recorded a full hands-on video to show off some of the more important features and take a more detailed look at the hardware.

In the video below I’ll show you the hardware and discuss the specification before booting up and playing with the OS and user interface to look at some of the features that have changed in HTC Sense 6.0. I’ll also show you some of the elements that are part of the Duo Camera experience that features so heavily in HTC’s push of the HTC One (M8).

So what do we think of the HTC One (M8) so far? We’ll I’m really impressed with the design and build quality but that’s no surprise from and HTC device. Performance-wise the M8 is great and out-performs anything else that I’ve previously used. The camera is brilliant and the Duo Camera features allow for some really creative shots.

It’s a long video so I’m going to come back to some of the other features in another video soon…

 

 

HTC One (M8) specification:

 SIZE: 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm

WEIGHT: 160 grams

DISPLAY: 5.0 inch, Full HD 1080p

 

CPU SPEED

  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801, 2.3GHz quad-core CPU

 

PLATFORM

  • Android™ 4.4 with HTC Sense™ 6
  • HTC BlinkFeed™

 

MEMORY

  • Total storage:  16/32GB
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Expansion card slot supports microSD™ memory card for up to 128GB additional storage (card not included)

 

NETWORK

2G/2.5G – GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

  • 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

 

3G – WCDMA:

  • EMEA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps
  • Asia: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps
  • AT&T: 850/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps
  • Sprint: 850/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA up to 14.4 Mbps
  • Verizon: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 14.4 Mbps
  • TMUS: 850/AWS/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps    

 

CDMA:  

  • Sprint: 800/1900
  • Verizon: 800/1900  

  4G – LTE:

  • EMEA: 800/900/1800/2600 MHz
  • Asia: 700/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz
  • AT&T: 700/850/AWS/1800/1900/2600 MHz
  • Sprint: FDD 800/1900 MHz , TDD 2600 MHz
  • Verizon: 700/AWS/1800/2600 MHz
  • TMUS: 700/AWS MHz                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

SIM

  • Nano SIM

 

SENSORS

  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Gyro sensor
  • Barometer sensor

 

CONNECTIVITY

  • 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
  • NFC
  • Bluetooth® 4.0 with aptX™ enabled
  • Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
  • DLNA® for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer,
  • HTC Connect™
  • micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection  (Special cable required for HDMI connection.)
  • Support consumer infrared remote control

 

SOUND

  • HTC BoomSound™
  • Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
  • Sense Voice

 

CAMERA

Duo camera

  • Primary camera: HTC UltraPixel™ camera, BSI sensor, pixel size 2.0 um, sensor size 1/3”, f/2.0, 28mm lens
  • HTC ImageChip 2
  • 1080p Full HD video recording with HDR video
  • Secondary camera: capture depth information

 

Front camera

  • 5MP, f/2.0, BSI sensor, wide angle lens. with HDR capability, 1080p Full HD video recording
  • Gallery with UFocus™, Dimension Plus™, Seasons, Foregrounder, Image Match

 

MULTIMEDIA

Audio supported formats:

  • Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 10)
  • Recording: .aac

 

Video supported formats:

  • Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 10), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
  • Recording: .mp4

 

Location

  • Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
  • Digital compass

 

BATTERY

  • Capacity: 2600 mAh
  • Embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery
  • Talk time: Up to 20 hours for 3G
  • Standby time: Up to 496 hours for 3G
By March 29, 2014 Read More →

HTC One (M8) Benchmark video

Screenshot_2014-03-28-09-40-51With the launch of the HTC One (M8), many of you are asking questions about performance, in particular the speed of the new device and how this compares to its predecessor, the HTC One (M7).

The M8 has a Snapdragon 801 chipset and Quad-core CPU clocked at 2.3GHz (The Asian market gets a 2.5GHz version!), and 2GB of RAM. Clock-speed wise this is a decent step up from the 1.7GHz quad in the M7. 

So what does this clock speed jump equate to? In general usage the difference isn’t that noticeable but in intensive apps and games you’ll notice it more.

In the video below you’ll see an HTC One (M8) Benchmark compared to the HTC One (M7). The benchmark was run simultaneously to give some impression of the speed and how much quicker the M8 completed the test.

Interesting results in that the M8 has twice the score of the M7!

 

By March 25, 2014 Read More →

HTC One (M8) features and specification

HTC_One_M8_front_mainAfter months of speculation, rumours and leaks, HTC have just officially announced the successor to the 2013 Android phone of the year, the HTC One. The official name for the new flagship phone is HTC One (M8), using the internal M8 codename to distinguish it from last year’s model which now becomes known as the HTC One (M7).  This puts the rumours of the ‘All new HTC One’ and ‘HTC Two’ names firmly to bed, thank goodness!

True to form, HTC are cramming in a lot of innovation and new technology with the HTC One (M8) and it goes well beyond the dual rear cameras that seem to have become the focus of so much attention.

HTC’s focus has been firmly upon the design of the HTC One (M8) and this certainly shows. The aluminium body construction, that HTC say has taken them 12 years to perfect in terms of getting the antenna design right, now extends round the sides of the handset and right up to the edge of the 5-inch full-HD screen for a truly edgeless feel.

The Metal Grey version of the M8 has an honest metal finish with hairline striations one the back for that brushed metal finish that HTC say takes more than 120 polishing oils to get just right. If the metal look isn’t to your liking there will also be Arctic Silver and Amber Gold versions for you to choose instead.

Despite the increase to a 5-inch full HD display, the use thinner bezels and the menu buttons now being on screen means that the physical size of the HTC One (M8) is dramatically different to the M7, at 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm, it’s just 9mm larger and 17g heavier.  The screen has Gorilla Glass 3 to protect it and, like other models, has the LCD screen bonded to the back of it so there’s no air gap between the two. This leads to a huge improvement in the clarity of the display and almost insane viewing angles.

You can check out my HTC One (M8) first-look video too.

Motion Launch

Motion Launch is a new feature HTC have added to the the M8 and has both software and hardware elements. On the hardware side, HTC have created their own silicon co-processor to take care of sensory input. These sensors are in an ‘always-on’ state and the extremely power-efficient co-processor is able to continously monitor that input. This enables the user to use gestsures to interact with the phone even when it’s in sleep mode. So, for example, a double tap on the screen will wake it up and turn on the display while a swipe from one of the four sides of the screen will wake up with one of four functions.

Additionally, holding the M8 up in the landscape orientation and waking it up with the volume key launches straight in to the camera app and a second press of the volume key captures an image.

 

Duo Camera

The cameras on the HTC One (M8) have attracted a LOT of attention over the past few weeks as leaked images started to surface that appeared to show two rear facing cameras. This lead to a lot of theories. Was one ‘camera’ actually a fingerprint sensor? Could it take 3D photos? Would there be a 4MP ultrapixel camera and a 13/16MP ‘normal’ camera?

Finally we have the answer, HTC call them Duo Camera. Two rear facing cameras, one being the same 4.1 Ultrapixel unit that we see on the other HTC one devices but the other is of undisclosed resolution. The second camera is there purely to capture depth and spacial information when a photo is taken. The second camera cannot be used in its own right and there’s no option to switch.

The purpose of the Duo Camera feature is that every photo taken will have depth information recorded along with it. This them alows for some very cool after effects duting editing photos in the gallery. Photos can be re-forcused allowing you to focus on just one ‘layer’ of the photo. This might be a person in the foreground for a portrait picture with great bokeh or maybe you defocus the foreground objects to show of the scenery in a landscape to better effect.

There are many more effects available including desaturating the background, turning backgrounds in to sketches or cartoons and many more. There’s also a very cool 3D paralax effect called Dimension Plus that alows you to mode the phone and see different perspective in the images.

The depth information is recorded on every image and, unlike other cameras and phones that have attempted this, only one photo is taken rather than 5 or so at different focal lengths. Images are captured really quickly.

Some of the features we’ve previously seen in Zoe will be available in an HTC Zoe application that will be available from the Google Play Store later this year. This will allow users of older HTC phones and even non-htc phones to use some of the Zoe features or to collaborate with friends to create some awesome Zoe moments.

HTC_One_M8_sim HTC_One_M8_duo_cam 

We probably shouldn’t forget that front facing camera though. HTC have included a 5.0MP f2.0 front facing camera on the HTC One (M8) and it’s probably the best front-facing camera we’ve ever come across. Not only is it a very fast lens and sensor but it’s also wide-angle which is great for the ubiquitous ‘selfie’.

Both cameras benefit from Qualcomms Digital Image Processor which greatly improves and enhances the captured images without ruining them!

 

Dot View cases

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest and when you see the HTC’s Dot View cases for the HTC One (M8) for the first time there’s definitely a “why didn’t anyone think of this before?” moment.

HTC are lauching a range of accessories at the same time as the HTC One (M8) goes on sale and one of these accessories is the Dot View case. Not only doe the Dot View case protect both the back and the front of the M8, it also has magnets to turn on and off the display as the cover is opened. BUT, where the Dot View case is truly unique is in the front cover, there are thousands of tiny holes. These holes allow light through from the HTC One (M8) display and allow you to see just just enough in terms of notifications and alerts.

Futhermore, the phone will also react to touch input with the case closed. A double-tap will wake the phone and it’ll display the time and weather or any missed call alerts for example

HTC_One_M8_dot_viewHTC_One_M8_dot_view_open

 

 

Boomsound

Boomsound was a feature that HTC introduced with the first HTC One and it really was groundbreaking in terms of the impact. Two large, forward-facing stereo speakers coupled with a large audio amplifier made a dramatic difference. Not only were the speakers loud but the dynamic range was also amazing, the speakers sounding much larger than their physical size would otherwise suggest.

HTC have made enhancements to the Boomsound experience with the HTC One (M8). The accounstic chambers have been redesigned and there’s a new amplifier which has better control over the sound. The result is a 25% increase in the volume level and also a marked improvement in the audio range.

HTC_One_M8_front_cam

 

HTC Sense 6.0

With the HTC One (M8) comes the new version of HTC Sense. There are lost of changes here so we’re going to be covering this in a video shortly.

 

 

 

HTC One (M8) specification:

 SIZE: 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm

WEIGHT: 160 grams

DISPLAY: 5.0 inch, Full HD 1080p

 

CPU SPEED

  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801, 2.3GHz quad-core CPU

 

PLATFORM

  • Android™ 4.4 with HTC Sense™ 6
  • HTC BlinkFeed™

 

MEMORY

  • Total storage:  16/32GB
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Expansion card slot supports microSD™ memory card for up to 128GB additional storage (card not included)

 

NETWORK

2G/2.5G – GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

  • 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

 

3G – WCDMA:

  • EMEA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps
  • Asia: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps
  • AT&T: 850/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps
  • Sprint: 850/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA up to 14.4 Mbps
  • Verizon: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 14.4 Mbps
  • TMUS: 850/AWS/1900/2100 MHz with HSPA+ up to 42 Mbps    

 

CDMA:  

  • Sprint: 800/1900
  • Verizon: 800/1900  

  4G – LTE:

  • EMEA: 800/900/1800/2600 MHz
  • Asia: 700/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz
  • AT&T: 700/850/AWS/1800/1900/2600 MHz
  • Sprint: FDD 800/1900 MHz , TDD 2600 MHz
  • Verizon: 700/AWS/1800/2600 MHz
  • TMUS: 700/AWS MHz                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

SIM

  • Nano SIM

 

SENSORS

  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Gyro sensor
  • Barometer sensor

 

CONNECTIVITY

  • 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
  • NFC
  • Bluetooth® 4.0 with aptX™ enabled
  • Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
  • DLNA® for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer,
  • HTC Connect™
  • micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection  (Special cable required for HDMI connection.)
  • Support consumer infrared remote control

 

SOUND

  • HTC BoomSound™
  • Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
  • Sense Voice

 

CAMERA

Duo camera

  • Primary camera: HTC UltraPixel™ camera, BSI sensor, pixel size 2.0 um, sensor size 1/3”, f/2.0, 28mm lens
  • HTC ImageChip 2
  • 1080p Full HD video recording with HDR video
  • Secondary camera: capture depth information

 

Front camera

  • 5MP, f/2.0, BSI sensor, wide angle lens. with HDR capability, 1080p Full HD video recording
  • Gallery with UFocus™, Dimension Plus™, Seasons, Foregrounder, Image Match

 

MULTIMEDIA

Audio supported formats:

  • Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 10)
  • Recording: .aac

 

Video supported formats:

  • Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 10), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
  • Recording: .mp4

 

Location

  • Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
  • Digital compass

 

BATTERY

  • Capacity: 2600 mAh
  • Embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery
  • Talk time: Up to 20 hours for 3G
  • Standby time: Up to 496 hours for 3G
 

 

By March 25, 2014 Read More →

HTC One (M8) first look video

HTC_One_M8HTC’s new flagship “HTC One (M8)” saw its official annoucement and launch today during an event held here in London. We were lucky enough to get some hands-on time with the new HTC One (M8) a few days ago and recorded an initial first-look video that you can see below.

I’m hugely impressed with the new HTC One (M8) – last year’s model is now referred to as the HTC One (M7) – if you thought that last years model was well designed and engineered then you’re going to love the new one. The body is now around 90% aluminium, up from 70% previously. The boost in screen size, up to 5″ is a welcome change while the use of a slimmer bezel design and the change to on-screen menu buttons rather than off-screen capacitive buttons has enabled HTC to cram everything in to a phone that is not physically a lot bigger than the M7 model.

This video is a failry short one and I will be following this up with another series of videos looking at various features in more detail so keep an eye open for those over the next day or so but check out the HTC One (M8) features and HTC One (M8) press release posts for more.

 

 

By March 25, 2014 Read More →

HTC’s event today – We’re covering it…

AllNewHTCOne-LEAK-02-578-80HTC are holding a launch event here in London today and we’re going to see their new flagship phone, the HTC One (M8), for the first time – officially at least.

Gareth and I will be covering the event and we’ll start our coverage once we arrive at the venue at around 2PM this afternoon.

Be sure to follow our twitter and google+ updates and feel free to ask us any questions. We’ll have the full lowdown on the HTC One (M8) in pictures and video as soon we we can post it.

 

Posted in: News, Phones
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By March 23, 2014 Read More →

HTC tease the HTC One (M8) again

HTC One (M8) Dot ViewHTC have been teasing us again with tweets and Facebook posts about their press and launch event being held on the 25th March here in London. The posts include the hastag #‎HTCOneUp‬, so that’s certainly one to watch.

We now know that flagship phone to supersede the HTC One will officially be called the HTC One (M8) but there are no further official details available as yet, HTC will release full details on Tuesday and we’ll be covering the event both on here and in video that we’ll have online as soon as we can.

Keep checking back on the afternoon of the 25th March – it’ll be worth it, promise!

Posted in: News, Phones
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