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Unleash your inner geek with HTC

July 13^th marks international “Embrace Your Geekness Day” and the chance to celebrate that little bit of techy geekiness inside us all.  HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has put together the top “geek” facts on its game-changing HTC One so users can learn how to take advantage of the handset’s unique design, specification and features.

HTC One top “quirky facts:

· The phone weighs 143g – the same as around three lemons or a baked potato

· You would need to lay down more than 45 million HTC Ones to match the distance between London and New York, 65 million to reach Sydney from Shanghai, and 60 million from Tokyo  to Moscow

· The HTC One is made out of one sheet of metal (aluminium) – the most abundant metallic element in the Earth’s crust

· The handset has won 37 awards to date, way more Oscars than Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis put together

Posted by: James

The Nokia Lumia 1020 arrives

Today the Nokia Lumia 1020 was announced in New York notable for Nokia’s massive 41-megapixel sensor and optical image stabilisation (OIS) the likes of which we saw on the Nokia Pureview 808 last year. The Lumia 1020 is said to combine unmatched picture detail and quality with an effortless capture, edit and sharing features. Nokia Pro Camera takes over as the default camera app on the Lumia 1020.

A truly impressive addition to the Windows Phone 8 line, this could really be the device to make some noise. Have a read at some of the specs and take a gander at the video below. he 1020 will launch in the US first on 26 July. It will launch in Europe shortly after on an undisclosed date.

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast 205: MEGA

Gareth, Matt and Dan are here with another UK update on the mobile front. HTC suffer, Samsung enlarge, Three rule, Nokia release and HP update.

Featuring Gareth, Dan and Matt

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No more updates for HTC One S

A little more than a year ago we were singing the praises of a new smartphone, the HTC One S, the little brother of the popular HTC One X.

However, in worrying news from HTC we’ve now had confirmation that the HTC One S will not receive any further updates leaving it stuck on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.

This has incensed many HTC One S owners to the point that a petition has already been filed to get HTC to release Jelly Bean and Sense 5 for their beloved devices.

The word from HTC:

"We can confirm that the HTC One S will not receive further Android OS updates and will remain on the current version of Android and HTC Sense"

"We realise this news will be met with disappointment by some, but our customers should feel confident that we have designed the HTC One S to be optimised with our amazing camera and audio experiences."

This is extremely troubling news. HTC have always provided good support for ‘older’ devices and we hope that this is not the shape of things to come.

Posted by: Matt

[ Post Tags: tracyandmatt.co.uk,HTC One Series,Android 4.0,Ice Cream Sandwich,Unboxing,Video ]

Three announces new PAYG plans

Three have always been a good value for money network, especially where data use is concerned. However, today Three have announced a new Pay As You Go plan that could well be game changing. Not only are the rates extremely competitive but they are also much easier to understand.

• Simple rates and clear value of 3p a minute, 2p a text and 1p a MB.
• Flexibility that lets you pay only for what you use without the need to convert your credit.

Today, Three launches a new simplified Pay As You Go offer with rates that will allow customers to top up and get great value across voice, text and internet use, paying only for the services they choose to use.

In a market with a confusing 179 Pay As You Go combinations currently available, Three customers now have the flexibility to use their top up as they choose based on clear and simple basic rates of:

• 3p a minute
• 2p a text
• 1p a MB of internet

Customers will not be forced to pick one value option over another. Pay As you Go price plans typically push people to make value trade-offs and choose between weekend or weekday use, UK or international calls, and use of texts, calls or data. Three’s new approach puts an end to confusing tariffs and value trade-offs by bringing Pay As You Go back to its roots. There’s no need to convert your credit to a 30-day add-on to get the best value. Credit lasts until the last penny is spent.

As the network built for the internet, Three’s cost per MB provides significantly better value than competitors’ standard rates.

Thomas Malleschitz, marketing director at Three said: "The number of complex Pay As You Go tariffs, Add-ons and options available is mindboggling. Consumers are forced into choosing where they want best value – whether that’s calls, texts or internet. Our new rates strip things right back to basics with a simple, clear and transparent rate for calls, texts and internet use that offers clear value across the board. It’s important to us that our Pay As You Go customers can use our Ultrafast network to chat, text and enjoy the internet without making a trade-off on value. This is Pay as You Go in its purest form.”

Once customers top up, they can use credit for talking, texting and the internet, safe in the knowledge that if they send more emails than text one month they won’t be penalised for doing the things they love on their smartphone.

Existing Three Pay As You Go customers can also enjoy Three’s new rates without having to change their tariff and they will be able to use their remaining credit as they wish. “We’re not just saving this for our new customers,” added Malleschitz.

Posted by: Matt

Huawei doing a new tablet this a confused identity

It looks like Huawei didn’t want Sony, LG and Samung to be the only brands to carry a supersized, crazy phablet category device. On the same day that Sony announced their new Xperia Z Ultra 6.44-inch phablet, Huawei just announced a 7-inch phone called the MediaPad 7 Vogue. We will simply share the press release (with specs bolded).

Some will call it a phablet and others a straight up tablet, but lets not forget that 7″ tablets do frequently come with a 3G modem, an ear speaker at the top, a microphone at the bottom alongside the ability of make calls. This doesn’t enter the tablet into the phone arena.

EE adds 4G to 11 more towns

Everything Everywhere have been busy updating their 4G network and have enabled 4G coverage in a further 11 towns in the UK, bringing the total to 85.

• 4G arrives in Aldershot, Basildon, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Hitchin, Horsham, Leatherhead, Letchworth, Stevenage, Warrington and Weston-super-Mare
• EE now delivering superfast 4G mobile to businesses and consumers in 85 towns and cities across the UK
• 4G reaches more than 55% of the UK population, just eight months after launch

June 27, 2013 – EE, the UK’s most advanced digital communications company, today announced that 4G is available in 11 more towns across the UK. The superfast mobile network now covers 85 towns and cities across the UK.

Today, EE 4G is being switched on in Aldershot, Basildon, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Hitchin, Horsham, Leatherhead, Letchworth, Stevenage, Warrington and Weston-super-Mare as the rapid pace of the roll out continues. 4G from EE now covers the homes and businesses of more than 55% of the UK population.

Olaf Swantee, Chief Executive Officer, EE, said:

“Today’s launch sees us continue to extend the reach of superfast 4G mobile to more consumers and businesses across the UK, from Warrington to Weston-super-Mare. With double-speed 4G launching this summer, as well as Shared 4GEE plans and Pay-As-You-Go 4G Mobile Broadband, we continue to innovate and enable the best possible digital experience for our customers.”

EE 4G mobile customers have instant web access while on the move: can download large files quicker than ever, watch live TV on mobiles without buffering and play live multiplayer games on the go. Consumers and businesses have access to the UK’s widest range of 4G mobile handsets, tablets and dongles including iPhone 5, iPad mini, Huawei Mobile Wi-Fi, Blackberry Z10, HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, all available from EE stores and ee.co.uk.

Posted by: Matt

Who is the highest paid person at HTC? Iron Man of course!

It looks like shareholders of HTC took the decline of the company last year very seriously. According to a report at the Wall Street Journal, HTC Execs including the CEO Peter Chou all had pay reductions last year that amounted to a 50% drop. Here’s a quote with more of the details,

The embattled Taiwanese smartphone maker paid 31 executives a combined 660.5 million New Taiwan dollars (US$22 million) in salary, retirement pay, bonus and profit sharing last year, down 51% from NT$1.36 billion in 2011, according to the report.

The belt-tightening comes after a slide in HTC’s market share and earnings over the past two years amid product delays, unsuccessful marketing campaigns and growing competition from Samsung Electronics Co. and low-cost Chinese smartphone makers.

HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou and President of Engineering and Operations Fred Liu made less than NT$100 million each in total compensation last year for the first time in two years, while other high-level executives also moved to lower compensation brackets.

~ WSJ Meanwhile, it looks like the executives aren’t just banking on the HTC One to save them, they are trying to enlist the aid of Iron Man too! Seriously, HTC just signed Robert Downey Jr. to a $12 Million USD marketing agreement, in which he will assist them with a variety of television, print, and billboard advertising. There’s no word on if he will actually be in "Iron Man mode", but that seems unlikely. HTC would have to secure IP rights from Marvel to make that happen, so he will probably have to leave his repulsor beams at home.
Still, they are probably banking on the fact that people associate him with the character. In the long run, it could be a real adrenaline shot in the arm to HTC at a time when they need to keep the forward momentum going with the success of their HTC One.

Sauce: Phandroid

Posted by: Gareth

A good-bye to EU roaming charges?

It’s looking increasingly like using mobile service will likely be much cheaper soon when you roam around Europe. The European Union is planning to end mobile roaming charges next year. Here’s a quote with more of the details,

The group of 27 European Commissioners voted in Brussels on Tuesday to drive the package through in time for the European elections in May next year, to come into force as soon as 1 July 2014.
“They agreed that this time next year we will have got rid of these charges,” a Brussels source said Officials will draw up and publish detailed proposals in the next six weeks.
They expect the death of roaming charges to typically wipe 2pc off mobile operators’ revenues, after several years of tightening regulations designed to put an end to shockingly high bills for holiday makers and business travellers. They argue that operators will gain in the longer term by customers using their mobiles more abroad, particularly to access the internet.
The reforms are designed to encourage radical consolidation of European mobile network operators. A source familiar with the plans said the European Commission believes there are far too many companies offering services across the 27 member states and that the fragmentation is a barrier to badly-needed investment. Without upgrades, mobile networks will buckle under the pressure of the rapid growth in internet traffic, it is feared.
“There are around 100 operators in Europe and only four in the US,” the source said. “That’s not sustainable if we’re going to have a single market and investment. Europe has less 4G mobile broadband than Africa at the moment.”
“Consolidation is not the aim. The aim is a single market, but if it means we get fewer, stronger operators, that’s good.”
With no roaming fees, officials believe the single market will mean foreign operators will be able to compete for British customers, and vice-versa. They are likely to form airline style alliances that will lead to mergers, it is hoped.

While this move is designed to help reduce costs for European consumers, it is also meant to reduce the disparate, fragmented multiple carriers across Europe and foster more cooperation between them. Of course, with the ensuing consolidation, the EU needs to be careful they don’t end up with the same situation as there is in the U.S.. It can easily be argued that the U.S. doesn’t have enough consumer choice between carriers. Somehow there must be some happy middle ground. Perhaps this new move by the EU will find that perfect balance.

Source: Telegraph

HTC Desire 200

HTC have just made the rumoured HTC Desire 200 official.

The Desire 200 launches as a budget handset and has a Desire HD Mini look to it with a 3.5″ LCD screen offering a seemingly old-school 320×480 resolution. There’s a 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM which should be adequate for the entry level but the 4GB of built in storage will have many reaching for a MicroSD card, which fortunately the Desire 200 supports up to 32GB cards.

The fact that there is a removable battery will keep many happy in that the can have a stand by battery ready to swap when needed.

Full spec can be found below: