"Widgets [on HTC phones] aren't widely used – weather, clock and music are the most used and after that, fewer than 10% of customers use any other widgets. "Most of you don't modify your home screens much. In fact, after the first month of use, approximately 80% of you don't change your home screens any more."]]>
. The battery is incredibly easy to remove and replace.
The display is now one of the first components out, making replacements a little faster. However, it is held in with a significant amount of adhesive and requires very careful and persistent prying and a considerable amount of heat to remove without cracking the glass or cutting cables.
Once you get the device open, several components are modular and fairly easy to replace, such as the cameras, headphone jack, vibrator motor, and speakers.
Replacing anything other than the battery requires first removing the display, risking extra damage on the way to a repair. 5/10 is the lowest iFixit has ever given a Samsung Galaxy (the S4 got 8/10). The HTC One M8 gets 2/10: "display assembly cannot be replaced without tunneling through the entire phone". ]]>
"Thanks for your email about the HTC One (M8). Benchmarking tests look to determine maximum performance of the CPU and GPU and, similar to the engine in a high-performance sports car, our engineers optimize in certain scenarios to produce the best possible performance. If someone would like to get around this benchmarking optimization there are ways to do so, but we think most often this will not be the case."You have to love how HTC is now turning it around: "If someone would like to get around this benchmarking optimisation..."]]>
Yesterday we gave you almost all the information of the upcoming flagship phone you need. We already know the second camera will be used for selective focus and 3D shooting. The phone's specifications are also out detailing the One will feature a 5" 1080p screen, Snapdragon 801 chipset, 4MP camera on the back and a 5MP front-facing camera. Wonder if the comprehensive leaks of this year's product - which we understand HTC isn't pleased about - come from outside contractors; HTC was said to have closed some of its production facilities last year to cut costs.]]>
how is a new marketing blitz going to change anything? The phones have excellent quality but are sold at a high price. This is a combination that does not work in a handset market where the growth in the luxury segment has evaporated. There is no marketing message that can solve that problem. You can add both Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Lawrence to those Robert Downey, Jr. ads and it won’t do HTC one bit of good. I would not be surprised if they tried, though.HTC has a call with analysts on Monday with its quarterly results and forecasts, and will also announce January revenues. ]]>Mentioning smartwatches and wearables as a gamechanger is probably the most desperate Hail Mary pass I have heard in years.
Three of HTC's materials suppliers were also indicted for allegedly helping HTC design executives make false expense claims of over NT$33m (US$1.1m).
In its indictment, the Taipei Prosecutors Office said Chien, who has been detained since 31 August, had stolen and leaked key icon designs to his would-be Chinese business partners in Beijing in June. The designs were for HTC's yet-to-be-unveiled smartphone interface. Prosecutors are claiming that all but one of the accused has confessed with a maximum jail sentence of 10 years; the report also says that two of them have been "forgiven" by the company. So how valuable were those designs exactly?]]>
These days crazy is that easy.
"Gramohorn smartphone trumpet" may win this year's multisyllabic headline challenge.]]>One of the three devices discussed by the two companies is at an advanced stage of development, according to one person, but another warned that the timeline for launch has been changed before and Amazon may yet decide not to release the device. HTC started out making phones for other people to brand... though it had a calamity earlier this year with the HTC First for Facebook.]]>
Equally enervating is the fact that you have to wake the One max from sleep before swiping to unlock it. The whole point of these fingerprint sensors is to speed up security processes, not make them more finicky, and that’s exactly where the HTC One max fails. And though you can enrol three different fingers to launch three different apps, that only works from the lockscreen - not anywhere else. Savov says the scanner is "clumsy, awkward, and comfortably in line with the long history of failed attempts at making this technology work."]]>
That will put a new smartphone with a fingerprint scanner on the market alongside Apple Inc.’s iPhone 5S.
The HTC One Max will be based on Google’s Android operating system. But it’s unclear what kind of applications its fingerprint sensor will have, or whether it could be used to authorise app purchases or other transactions as with the iPhone 5S.
While fingerprint sensors seem poised to become a growing trend, analysts say they are still limited in their usefulness for now. ]]>
The next conclusion to make is that the other 49 OEM partners, including Palm (NSDQ: PALM), Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Samsung, have sold 10 million phones all combined. The next year, HTC rode the Android wave and in 2011 had its biggest-ever revenues. Now it's slipping. Is Windows (Phone this time) going to be the solution?]]>
Only older HTC phone models were listed in the case. But the HTC One smartphone and other new devices use the same technology that would be banned if the commission decides in January to uphold its initial ruling, two people familiar with the matter said.
Nokia said it believed that the One also violated the Finnish company's patents and would be included under any ban. Things are going from bad to worse for HTC.]]>
The new flagship models being released recently in the local market include the Galaxy Note 3 from Samsung, the Xperia Z1 from Sony Mobile and the Optimus G2 from LG. All three models are targeting the high-end segment with a price tag of over NT$20,000 (US$676), noted the sources.
The competition will become keener at the end of 2013 when Apple begins to market its iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c smartphones in the local market, the sources added. Taiwan is HTC's home market. Samsung Taiwan reckons it can sell 1m Galaxy Notes there by the end of 2013. HTC is now under huge stress.]]>
The problems with the HTC One Mini, launched in mid-July, come partly from a casing shortage arising from design difficulties, one of the sources said.
Another source said consumer and telecom demand for the One Mini could not be met at the moment, even though analysts estimate that the company plans to ship only around 200,000 of the devices each month. Asymco's Law: a handset company that falls into loss will end up bought, closed or merged within 2.5 years of its first loss. Start your clocks. ]]>
In a notice published Monday, Judge Thomas Pender of the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) said HTC had infringed two of the three wireless patents-in-suit claimed by Nokia.
Nokia, which filed the complaint in May 2012, had asked the U.S. trade agency to impose a sales ban on certain HTC Android-based phones and tablets. A final ruling is scheduled for Jan. 23 next year after the judge's findings are reviewed by the six-member panel. Not standards-essential patents, so Nokia could get a trade ban - or HTC could figure out workarounds.]]>
The second devastating setback for HTC is the Microsoft acquisition of Nokia. The buzz in Helsinki this week is that Microsoft is going to implement major price cuts of Lumia models as it prepares to fight for market share in Asia and Europe. Microsoft must cut prices on Lumia models ruthlessly because it will lose the Windows platform support of Samsung and HTC now that it is competing directly against them.]]>
Before getting caught, the furthest that Chien got to was setting up his Xiaoyu (meaning "little jade") mobile phone design firm in Taiwan, as well as Yu ("jade") in mainland China ahead of collaborating with the Chengdu government. Chien and his two accomplices - ex-R&D director Wu Chien-hung and ex-design team senior manager Justin Huang - also used an external design firm to invoice HTC NT$20 million (about US$668,000, and twice as much as previously reported) between May and July for the One's design, when in fact the project was all done in-house. Selling secrets from a Taiwanese company to a Chinese mainland organisation would mark an enormous betrayal, if proven.]]>
The list at the time consisted of 13 phone vendors who either merged, were liquidated or acquired after this trigger point was reached. There were no examples of vendors who recovered. Since then two more vendors reached the threshold (Nokia and RIM) and a third will do so this quarter (HTC). One vendor (LG) may be recovering but Nokia has just been acquired and RIM has put itself up for sale. Some Japanese vendors like Panasonic have also called it quits since then. So the score so far is about 18 triggers, 15 exits and three pending. Only LG, owned by a bigger conglomerate, has escaped the black hole. It's not promising for HTC or BlackBerry.]]>
Taipei prosecutors confirmed that HTC vice president of product design Thomas Chien, research and development director Wu Chien-Hung and senior manager of design and innovation Justin Huang were arrested on Friday.
Chien and Chien-Hung remain in custody, while Huang was released on bail, prosecutors office spokesman Mou Hsin Huang said.
The executives were also accused of making false commission fee claims totaling around T$10 million ($334,200). No further details about the allegations were immediately available.]]>
Development of the smartphone operating system is being closely monitored by HTC's Chairwoman Cher Wang, who has been in discussions with Chinese government officials, said the people. The software involves deep integration with Chinese apps like the Twitter-like microblog Weibo and is slated to launch before the end of the year, they said.
…HTC's China-specific software would play into a wider Chinese government policy to encourage the development of a unique local software ecosystem to reduce reliance on Western companies. A key question: is it Android, or something else? Google strongarmed Acer over its plans last year to offer a forked Android phone in China.]]>
After disappointing sales of high-end Z10 and Q10, BlackBerry opted to price the Q5 value model above $400. After disappointing sales of the high-end HTC One, HTC opted to price the HTC One Mini at around $500. Samsung has a vibrant low-end range, but it also decided to price the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini at $500.
Taken together, these design and pricing decisions seem wildly optimistic. That there would be no room in the mid-range has been forecast for a couple of years. HTC and BlackBerry might be about to hit hard(er) times.]]>
While Sun is usually known for reliable insights, this particular piece of gossip was quickly shot down by HTC, including China head Ray Yam who allegedly responded to a text message inquiry from Mobile China Alliance's secretary. At yesterday's corporate family day event, Wang also assured her colleagues that HTC will not be sold, according to Taiwanese publication UDN. HTC might not get a choice. Its July revenues were down 39% year-on-year. A loss this quarter looks inevitable.]]>
If BlackBerry’s spring models are now facing the kind of flame-out HTC One is experiencing, the next winter is going to be exceptionally grim for the Canadian vendor.]]>
"We sold a bunch more when we lowered the price," he said in an interview on Monday. "We sold everything we had on that."
It's unclear how many HTC First phones AT&T had in its inventory, and the company wouldn't discuss the actual number. And even if AT&T has sold out of the phone, it is by no means a success. Worth a crouching ovation?]]>
"We joke that a product's not done until it's sealed in the box," a longtime HTC engineer says.
David Yoffie, a member of HTC's board and Mr. Chou's former professor at Harvard Business School, says the possibility of changing the company's chief executive has never been raised during a board meeting.
"The board has a lot of confidence in Peter, and share price is not going to drive decisions on the future of the chief executive," Mr. Yoffie says. The headline oversells it; the piece doesn't explain how HTC lost its way. (Subscription required.)]]>
But once the HTC Desire was welcomed by global consumers and telecom operators at the time, Samsung "strategically declined" to supply its AMOLED displays to the smartphone maker, Tong said at a local forum on mobile broadband.
"We found that key component supply can be used as a competitive weapon," he said. Wonder what proportion of HTC components now come from Samsung. (Via Androidbeat.)]]>
Where is this money going? Well, Samsung discloses a split in the 'sales and marketing' line - around 40% is advertising and the rest is 'sales promotion expenses' - a lot of which is sales commissions.
In Q4 2012 Samsung's budget was 13 times HTC's. Samsung hasn't disclosed the Q1 number yet, but if it dropped to, say, $2.5bn in Q1, the same proportionate shift as at the beginning of 2012, it would be about 19 times bigger]]>
"The case was set up last week after we received complaints," Fair Trade Commission spokesman Sun Lih-chyun told AFP.
He said the probe would look into allegations that Samsung engaged in false advertising and that if the allegations were upheld, Samsung and its local advertising agent could face a fine of up to Tw$25 million ($835,000).
Complaints emerged this month, with internet users alleging that Samsung, through its local agent, had hired students to write online articles attacking HTC and recommending Samsung cellphones, the United Evening News said…
in a statement on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SamsungTaiwan, Samsung Taiwan said it regretted "any inconvenience and confusion from the Internet event".
"Samsung Taiwan has halted all internet marketing such as posting articles on websites," it said.
Samsung was fined Tw$300,000 by the commission earlier this year for a misleading advertisement about the camera functions on Samsung's Galaxy Y Duos GT-S6102, according to Taiwan's state Central News Agency. Gosh.]]>
Now, this being Facebook, nothing really works unless you sign in. The problem is, all of this is pre-release, so it's set up to only work for Facebook employee accounts. Everything is basically packing unintentional always-on DRM, so screenshots are going to be a little sparse. Could this be HTC's revival - or just another phone with Facebook, like the one it released a couple of years ago? Seems though the app and launcher will also work on Samsung's Touchwiz; that means an app that would be front and centre on your phone.]]>
Where does that leave HTC? They have huge overhead costs, they can’t afford decent marketing, and they’re competing against Chinese players who know the market better than they do because they’re actually from China.]]>
The settlement requires HTC America to develop and release software patches to fix vulnerabilities found in millions of HTC devices. In addition, the settlement requires HTC America to establish a comprehensive security program designed to address security risks during the development of HTC devices and to undergo independent security assessments every other year for the next 20 years.
…the FTC’s complaint details several vulnerabilities found on HTC’s devices, including the insecure implementation of two logging applications - Carrier IQ and HTC Loggers - as well as programming flaws that would allow third-party applications to bypass Android’s permission-based security model. Tweaking Android makes it buggy, it seems.]]>
HTC has been beaten down for more than a year as it tries to turn heads away from the like of Samsung and Apple. If any phone can get people to pay attention, it has to be the HTC One. Then again, quality doesn't always win the war. We'll know by the middle of 2013 if the HTC One is the company's savior... or its last gasp.]]>
Although rumours have suggested the new smartphone will use a 13-megapixel sensor, sources familiar with the matter have told Pocket-lint that won't be the case. Well, not exactly.
The new camera will instead be made up of three 4.3-megapixel sensor layers combined to give a resulting single image. Three lots of 4.3 may add up to around 13-megapixels, but images from HTC's latest won't be output at that larger size.]]>
The telecom giant yesterday announced the results of a three-month pilot scheme, which saw it sell HTC One X+ handsets without the USB chargers they usually come with, but still with a detachable USB cable. Greener, and a little bit more profitable - and HTC needs everything it can get just now. But less clutter and waste is definitely welcome.]]>
"Consumers in Japan have been well known to be picky," Hsu said. "The sales of the HTC's newest smartphone model are the evidence that the company has made a breakthrough in design and technology to cater to the Japanese."...
"In the U.S. and Taiwan, HTC has also adopted the same strategy to attract customers. On the back of its improved production technology, in particular the high-definition panel, the model has been a hit," Hsu said.
The analyst said HTC could very likely achieve its sales target of NT$60bn for the fourth quarter, adding that this sales goal could even be topped on the back of the Butterfly model's current popularity. The "Butterfly" is HTC's "phablet" - its take on the Galaxy Note size. The iPhone 5 first went on sale in Japan on 21 September. As the story suggests, there are five phone selling better in the market, though there's no indication which ones. (Likely, Samsung and Sony.) Meanwhile, if HTC hits NT$60bn for the quarter, that means its revenues have shrunk by just 40% year-on-year. (Thanks @rquick for the link.)]]>
HTC has suspended development of a number of new models for 2013, reducing the visibility of its orders for handset components, the sources revealed. These are very difficult times for HTC with Android: it's caught between the jaws of Samsung on the top end and cheap Chinese "white box" handsets at the lower end.]]>
The Windows software doesn’t support resolutions as high as that on Google’s Android platform, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.
Chief executive officer Peter Chou’s decision to halt the project using Windows Phone 8 software leaves HTC with only Android for phones measuring larger than 5 inches diagonally, dealing a blow to Microsoft in its efforts to win share from Google and Apple. So this was going to be a "phone" larger than 5in, to compete with the Galaxy Note. Not in the generality of the smartphone space. A key question: at what size does Microsoft stop you using Windows Phone and insist on Windows 8? (Thanks @modelportfolio2003 for the link.)]]>
It's an enormously important issue for the broader smartphone patent wars. If all the Apple patents are included -including the "user experience" patents that the company has previously insisted it would not license - it could undermine the iPhone makers efforts to permanently ban the sale of products that copy its technology.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which could face such a sales ban following a crushing jury verdict against it in August, now plans to ask a U.S. judge to force Apple to turn over a copy of the HTC agreement, according to a court filing on Friday. The joint statement from Apple and HTC said "The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties." Key missing word: "all".]]>
The Taiwanese smartphone vendor's efforts to sell products in the United States and Europe had been adversely affected by the patent disputes and the European debt crisis, Chen added. ICT showed the sharpest decline of Taiwan's exports in October, falling by 36.1% to US$1.2bn. In other words, almost all was HTC.]]>
]]>
HTC's J Butterfly phone has a 5in (12.7cm) display offering an industry-leading 440 pixels per inch.
This offers 25-40% higher resolution - meaning more detail - than comparable devices from Samsung, Apple, Nokia and LG.
Sharp's new Aquos Pad tablet is the first to use its new Igzo technology which promises sharper images while using less power. (Thanks @pedgington for the link.)]]>
Gordon said it's unclear what strategy HTC might take in a possible return to tablets. He said the company could try to tackle the lower-end of the market, as Google has attempted with the Wi-Fi-only Nexus 7, or it could build a more powerful device that would cost more.
"We're very much not set on one strategy over another," he said. HTC's previous tablet entries have spanned the gamut: The company's Jetstream launched at $700 and its W-Fi-only Flyer device sold for $299 through Best Buy.]]>
Nokia is reportedly looking to initiate a patent war as the Finnish handset vendor has voiced a complaint, suspecting that HTC has copied the outer design of Nokia's Lumia 820 for its Windows Phone 8X, the sources noted.
HTC declined to comment on the speculated patent issue. But Fred Liu, president of engineering and operations at HTC, stated that he personally does not see the similarity between the Windows Phone 8X and Lumia 820 as suggested by some industry watchers.]]>
For the first eight months of 2012, revenues amounted to NT$207.87bn, decreasing 34.8% from a year earlier, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Expects to break that in September following Asian launches, but this does not look healthy for HTC. Those are very large decreases in revenue in this market.]]>
“Don’t let the processes, rules and norms to impact our important goals,” he wrote. “Of course we have to follow certain rules and criteria but don’t let small things kill the major goals.”
“The industry’s best rating” for HTC’s One X handset is evidence the company has the best products, Chou wrote. There are also strong products in the pipeline for this year and early next year, Chou wrote without naming them.]]>
HTC learned nothing of this episode — on the contrary, it has rushed to repeat LG’s mistakes with an eerie precision.
HTC is guilty of a great folly by refusing to learn from LG’s downfall. Kuittinen is an astute observer of this sector. Is it a Finnish trait?]]>
The rating company estimated HTC to have a 6.4% global smartphone market share in the second quarter of this year, compared with a 6.6% global market share in the fourth quarter of 2011 and an 11.4% share when the company was at its height. Andr... Samsung is winning!]]>
"We don't want to destroy our brand image," Mr. Chou said. "We insist on using better materials to make better products that offer premium experience. Many consumers like that."
Mr. Chou's comments come as many analysts are raising questions about HTC's strategy, with some of them saying that the company needs to rethink its pricing and offer less-costly phones. How many premium brands can exist at the top of each mobile OS? We know who's got the top spot on Android, and it isn't HTC.]]>
"The hope for HTC to return to its glory days is getting slimmer and slimmer," said Alex Hu, a vice president of Mega Securities' proprietary trading. "The best scenario is that it can be a regional player, but not a global leader anymore that can compete with Apple or Samsung," Hu said, adding he had sold all of his HTC stock.
HTC cut its second-quarter revenue target by 13.3 percent on Wednesday, citing lower-than-anticipated sales to Europe and delayed sales in the United States. Also shut out of Windows 8 tablets by Microsoft because it hasn't sold enough Windows Phones. Can't catch a break.]]>
However, the delay of just two weeks is unlikely to hurt sales significantly or cause a supply shortage in the US, said Roxy Wong, an analyst with Mirae Asset Securities.]]>
If you own one of the affected handsets, you may have already received the fix. If you do not, keep checking the HTC Support site for more information.]]>
HTC UK chief Phil Roberson (pictured) told Mobile the manufacturer will return to a strategy of launching a limited number of high-spec devices this year, with a focus on second quarter releases. He said: ‘We have to get back to focusing on what made us great – amazing hardware and a great customer experience. We ended 2011 with far more products than we started out with. We tried to do too much."One suspects Samsung will be a large obstacle to heroic ambition.]]>