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Google Phone Buzz Encyclopedia – So much info in such a short time!

Chris Leckness — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:38:28 +0000

This rush of info about the Google phone that has been rumored for more than a year were fueled by a tweet. MobileCrunch reported that the following tweet was made and was followed up with a couple other tweets from Google employees that claimed that they received a “Google Phone”.

Rich posted a blurb about an email alert he got from the Wall Street Journal that confirmed a little more info about this mysterious phone.

“Google Inc. has designed a cellphone it plans to sell directly to consumers as soon as next year, according to people familiar with the matter.

The phone is called the Nexus One and is being manufactured for Google by HTC Corp., these people said. It runs Android, the operating system for mobile phones that Google developed, they added.”

Engadget says that Google has not made any statements that confirm what the Wall Street Journal article stated. In fact, the statement says it’s poorly sourced.

Google posted on its blog that it was experimenting with "eating its own dogfood" on the Android front by giving employees "around the globe" a device to test. There have been zero — zero — official statements about Google selling the device to retailers or directly to consumers. There is a Wall Street Journal article which claims that this is the strategy Google is headed in, but the post contains a number of poorly sourced and suspect facts, so we say take it with a major grain of salt. Other reports say "what if" and "could." That doesn’t make it so. As of right now, the only way to get this phone is to work for Google.

More and more info has come in over the last 2 days, some confirmed, some speculation, and some rumored.

(...) Read the rest of Google Phone Buzz Encyclopedia – So much info in such a short time! (1,066 words)

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Shocker : Vodafone to drop HD2 for iPhone?

Chris Leckness — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:21:54 +0000

UPDATE: The source of my article misunderstood. WM Experts found some additional info where Vodafone replied to concerns coming from the story….

We just wanted to update you all on the current situation with the HD2:

We haven’t recalled or stopped selling it, at the moment we have simply ran out of stock. When our next batch of stock arrives, this will be used to fulfill our outstanding back orders but we won’t be taking any additional orders via Telesales.

This has to be quite a shocker. The very best, most feature rich Windows Mobile phone being dumped by a company that embraced WinMo phones when they were unknown to most.

We’ve had official word from Vodafone on the fate of the HTC HD2 this afternoon, with a spokesman stating “We are not re-stocking the HTC HD2 for general consumer sales once current stock runs out. We have had a massive amount of interest in it, and our initial stock sold out quickly. Subsequent deliveries have been used to fulfil backorders, but we are not looking to re-stock the device.”

Explaining the move, our man at Vodafone said the HTC HD2 didn’t have a place in its line-up, purely because of other devices edging it out in the coming months. And, yes, the iPhone on Vodafone was mentioned.

This article is reading between the lines a little bit, but there is a lot to be learned between lines.

Source: Electricpig (via) Thanks Graham

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HTC HD2 – Official Camera Fix Released

Chris Leckness — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:57:21 +0000

Remember that goofy photo of a piece of paper I posted? Yes, the one that showed the pink tint in the center of the photos. Well, as expected, HTC has fixed it. HTC’s website has an update titled, “Update for HTC HD2 – Digital Picture Enhancement”. That’s the one!

This update for HTC HD2 delivers clear digital picture quality like never before. Living up to the name of “HD” this phone and its twin LED flash will take beautiful pictures for you to cherish your memories. Displayed in brilliant vibrant colors on its 4.3 inch screen, HTC HD2 camera will delight you.

I will download and test this fix this evening!

Source: HTC (via WPT)

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HTC Passion Real, Running Android 2.1 and T-Mobile Bound?

Zealot — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:52:51 +0000

A lot of rumors have been coming together this weekend concerning the HTC Passion/Dragon, rumored to be Google’s Android 2.1 flagship phone, similar to the way the Droid premiered Android 2.0. At the time the Droid was announced, there was much noise about the fact that Google has taken to holding the hand of a certain vendor for each Android release, helping them create a phone to best showcase the software, after having felt left down by the hardware side of the original Android phone, HTCs G-1. Google did this handholding thing with Moto (as Motorola themselves admitted with pride) in creating the droid for Android 2.0, and were rumored to be doing that with HTC for the next version of Android.

Soon after, rumors stated that the flagship HTC/Google collaboration was called the Passion or Dragon, and was the phone that Google brass were carrying around and testing. Next we learned that the Passion/Dragon was very much like the HD2 but running Android, and the version it was introducing would be 2.1.

Them it was rumored that the Passion was a figment and never really existed in the first place. Nothing to see here, go buy a Droid.

This weekend the Passion story was resurrected in a big way with a double headed rumor. First of all, Boy Genius reported on a list of HTC Android phones culled from a leaked Android 2.1 build. Included in the long list of code names, amongst such provocative gems as the “Incredible”, the “Espresso” and the “Huangshan”, were lo and behold the Passion, the PassionC (likely indicated a CDMA version) and the Dragon.

On the heels of that, TMOnews released word from a tipster that an Android phone called the Passion would be released on T-Mobile in the middle of January. The tipster also said this was the widely debated “Googlephone”, which is just plain silly since if we ever do see such a phone, the Google-orchestrated hype barrage will be Jobsian in proportion and start months in advance. However, the rumored T-Mobile release could very easily by the HTC Passion running Android 2.1.

Personally I think Google is shooting themselves in the foot releasing new Android versions so continuously, each with a new “must have” phone attached. Each one will inevitably cannibalize the sales of the one before, when they are being released with barely a month between them. The Droid has been enough of a hit where it could easily continue strong sales into the middle of 2010 or beyond…unless of course another Android flagship is launched in the meantime with a more recent version to become the new hotness.

Windows Mobile has been suffering badly from too much time between updates, while Android may be suffering from not enough time between new versions. Apple’s pace of a new full software version for the iPhone once a year seems sensible…now if only they didn’t always make their versions so dependant on having the newest hardware.

Be that as it may, if you are looking for the hottest Android phone on the market, you may want to hold off on that Droid purchase a couple weeks, and see if the Passion really does appear as rumored.

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HTC HD2 Video 1st Look Part 3 – Software Tour

Chris Leckness — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:24:17 +0000

Sorry for the delay on getting this out there. It’s rushed and I don’t feel as if I did the HTC HD2 justice, but it’s done. More will come later too.

You can check out my other HD2 coverage too:

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Get the HTC Droid Eris Andorid Powered Phone Free

Chris Leckness — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:54:09 +0000

If you are not already a Verizon customer, you can get the HTC Droid Eris absolutely free. That’s just the hardware though. You still have to get a voice plan and data plan. With Verizon’s Nationwide Select 900 plan and the unlimited data plan, my monthly bill would be almost $125.

Anyhow, this deal is at Letstalk.com and the Eris isn’t the only deal to be had. There are a couple phones that you get paid to take off their hands as well as a couple hot phones for cheap too. The Storm 2 is also free with a contract. All this relies on you not already being a customer though.

Back to the Droid Eris though, this is basically a rebranded HTC Hero like the one Marilyn reviewed recently. It’s running Andorid 1.5 has a 528mhz Qualcomm processor, has a 3.2” capacitive HVGA screen, 512MB ROM / 288MB RAM, a 5 megapixel camera, and even comes with an 8gb MicroSD card!

Let me remind you though, these great deals are usually only good for new customers and you have to sell your soul in the form of contracts to get them.

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HTC HD2 Video 1st Look – Initial Device Setup

Chris Leckness — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0000

The HD2 comes with a super setup utility that goes through setting up your mail, your Wi-Fi connections, your carrier, and even your social media sites. There is a tutorial on how to use the onscreen keyboard too. The device is really thorough and it would be a shame not to share that aspect with you too. Hit the break to see this 10 minute video. More videos are coming over the next few days too!

(...) Read the rest of HTC HD2 Video 1st Look – Initial Device Setup (7 words)

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HTC HD2 – Photo of a sheet of paper

Chris Leckness — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:41:30 +0000

One of the problems with the HD2 that has surfaced is a pinkish tint in the center of pictures taken with it’s camera. I don’t use cameras on my phones too often, but I did have a request to see if my demo is experiencing this issue. I took a photo of a piece of paper and here it is…

Both photos were taken with nothing changed on the HD2’s camera. The photo on the left was without my overhead and side lights on and the one on the right with them on.

The pinkish hue is present on both. This issue has already been addressed as a software issue and HTC is supposedly working on a patch to clear it up already. I can’t confirm this 1st hand, but that’s what the interwebz are telling us. I will know more about it after the holiday hopefully.

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HTC HD2 Video 1st Look – Unboxing and Hardware Tour

Chris Leckness — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:28:21 +0000

The HD2 has landed. We’ve finally got our fat, grubby mits on the holy grail of Windows Mobile for 2009. We have the HTC HD2 in hand and yours truly gets to give it the look over. I have passed on some stellar phones this past year to allow our other great guys and gals to get into the action, but Thanksgiving or not, I ain’t sharing this one. Sorry folks!

You’ve seen all the overseas unboxings, you’ve seen the long, exhaustive reviews, you’ve probably heard more about the HD2 than you actually care to hear, but you haven’t seen my video yet. Do you want to? Read on and I will share!

(...) Read the rest of HTC HD2 Video 1st Look – Unboxing and Hardware Tour (10 words)

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Mobilitysite’s HTC HD2 Photo Gallery

Chris Leckness — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:55:41 +0000

Ok, it’s finally here, the HTC HD2. I have the coveted HTC HD2 to review and the 1st teaser is some photos I took this evening. I will be uploading 2 videos today and they should be ready by Thursday evening. I will do a couple more showing off other aspects of the device after that too. For now, enjoy the photos. The HD2 is really, really nice. Until you’ve held one in your hand, you can’t know how nice.

(...) Read the rest of Mobilitysite’s HTC HD2 Photo Gallery (1 words)

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Get a $100 Check from HTC!

Chris Leckness — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:53:16 +0000

OK, if you want to upgrade your phone, HTC has the deal for you. From November 27^ththrough December 31^st, you can trade in your current smartphone in on the purchase of an HTC Tilt 2, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC Imagio, or HTC Ozone. If your smartphone is on the approved phone list, you can grab a $100 rebate check from HTC. The approved phone list is decent sized too!

The way it works is simple. Once the new phone is purchased, the customer can go to the appropriate site below and enter their specific promotional code. This will provide them with a mailing label, which they use to send their old smartphone, a copy of the UPC code from the new phone, and a copy of the invoice from the new phone. After that, they get a $100 check in the mail!

URLs with promo codes:

Verizon                www.htctradein.com/htc-smartphone

T-Mobile              www.htctradein.com/t-mobile

AT&T                    www.htctradein.com/att

List of eligible smartphones for trade-in:
http://www.htctradein.com/htc-smartphone/approved-phone-list.html

Thanks HTC, this is pretty nice of you. Is your smartphone still worth more than $100?

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Review: HTC Tilt2 from at&t

Stephen Borders — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:02:18 +0000

Having finished my time with the HTC Pure I have now turned my attention to the second device from at&t to sport Windows Mobile 6.5, the HTC Tilt2. After two weeks I must say I have enjoyed this device. Although it is not perfect, it is, in my opinion the perfect replacement for my aging Tilt. I didn’t feel this way about the Fuze because the keyboard was cramped, it felt blocky compare to the Tilt and it still had a 2.8 inch screen (although the resolution had been improved dramatically. The Tilt2 however has all the right hardware and software upgrades for me to make it a worthwhile purchase.This won’t be a comparison review as I feel many are doing these days, (well other than compare it to the original tilt), but a review of this device standing on it’s own from a person who still likes to use Windows Mobile. We’ll talk about the hardware and the software, the good and the bad what I like and dislike about it as a whole. So let’s get started – after the break

(...) Read the rest of Review: HTC Tilt2 from at&t (3,534 words)

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Gizmodo Reviews the HD2

Zealot — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:55:34 +0000

John Herrman at Gizmodo has released an overview of the HTC HD2. Needless to say he loved the hardware, but deeply hated the Windows Mobile software, even obscured as it is by HTC’s Sense GUI.

Despite the fact that to a great degree the review is used to once again make WinMo into Gizmodo’s personal software piñata (truly, the Gizmodo editors hate WinMo like it killed their dog), it makes several goodpoints about the physical features of the device, and Herrman really doesn’t even seem to mind the software overly much, in practice. The fact that it is Windows Mobile just seems to eat at him like a tick. One gets the clear feeling that if he just didn’t know it was Windows Mobile underneath the gloss, he would have actually liked the GUI.

In this review, Herrman’s hatred of WinMo is so overpowering he doesn’t even give reasons, just keeps repeating that the “tragic” part of the phone is that it runs Windows Mobile, end stop. He is actually taking a lot of flak for his bias in the comments, he was THAT over the top about it.

The review wasn’t ALL bile however. Regarding the power of the Snapdragon CPU which everyone was expecting to be such a highpoint of the device, Herrman says it doesn’t disappoint…

One of the benefits of Windows Mobile not having changed much in the last few years is that it’s easy to compare new hardware to old, and let’s be clear about the HD2: It’s unbelievably fast. Applications open almost instantly and close without the slightest hesitation, and over Wi-Fi, web pages render in Opera Mobile as if you’re browsing on a laptop, not a cellphone. (And hell, if you put your face close enough to this ridiculous screen, it’s easy to forget you’re not.)

But about that OS?

Every time you notice the absurd lengths to which HTC has gone to deny this phone is running Windows—they’ve even replaced the calendar and text messaging apps, for god’s sake—you find yourself asking the same question: Why even bother?

Of course I could list lots of reasons to bother…but opinions are opinion and biased reviews are just that. The undeniable fact we could likely agree on is that this seems to be one fantastic phone.

See the entire review HERE.

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HTC Officially Announces the Droid Eris – Nov 6th on Verizon $99

Stephen Borders — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:16:40 +0000

Well we knew it was coming but now it is official. HTC has announced dates and pricing for the Eris arriving on the Verizon Network. Is this the Droid you’ve been waiting for? Does $99 seem like the right price point? Click past the break for HTC’s statement and the press release.

This morning HTC is proud to introduce the DROID ERIS, an experience packed device priced to sell this holiday season. Utilizing HTC Sense, DROID ERIS engages its user by providing a richer and more intuitive experience. For example, a seven page home screen provides ample space to place the information that means the most to you at your fingertips. Additionally, the innovative contacts feature on HTC Sense allows you to view all communications, whether it is an email, text message, Facebook, or phone call, right from that person’s contact card. The DROID ERIS by HTC will be available in stores and online beginning November 6th for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

(...) Read the rest of HTC Officially Announces the Droid Eris – Nov 6th on Verizon $99 (424 words)

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The HTC Tilt2 from at&t First Impressions

Stephen Borders — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:06:12 +0000

Well I had to send the Pure back and I must say, other than not having a hardware keyboard it was one of the best Smartphones I have used. However to help get over it I now have in my possession the Tilt2 and I must say it is a wonderful piece of hardware. I will be doing a full review later, but I wanted to post some first impressions of the device. Although it is larger than my Tilt and much larger than the Pure it feels good in my hand and has the best slide out keyboard I have ever used. The large 3.6 inch screen is beautiful it is easy to read even outside. It is heavy but not too much so and it truly looks like a professional device. I am also enjoying the menu improvements of WM 6.5 although it does lag a bit here and there. So for you the readers, it there is anything you would like to know about the Tilt2, WM6.5 or a piece of software you would like to know if it runs on it, please post it in the comments.

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