HTC DROID DNA review: Is it the Ultimate DROID?

by Robert Nazarian on
tagged , ,

Earlier in the year, HTC redefined themselves with the One X and One S. While both phones landed in the U.S., for whatever reason Verizon Wireless didn’t offer either one. Instead they opted to take the One S, destroy it, and call it the DROID Incredible 4G LTE. The One X should have been the 3rd chapter in the DROID Incredible series, just like it was for Sprint’s EVO series. How was it possible that probably the best phone of the year wasn’t on Big Red? When the One X+ was announced a couple of months ago, I assumed that’s what Verizon was waiting for, but there was no indication. As a Verizon customer, I was severely disappointed and annoyed, but all good things come to those who wait. Apparently HTC and Verizon were readying the crème de la crème to finish off the year with a bang. Based on the J Butterfly, The DROID DNA appears to be the most cutting edge phone to date and promises to have the same quality of materials and camera that HTC has been known for. Is this the ultimate DROID? Hit the break to find out, but you can also check out my initial hands on review as well as our hands on at the launch event.

» Read the rest

Verizon Officially Unleashes HTC DROID DNA Smartphone, Finally Gives Customers Chance To Salivate Over The 1080p Display

by Roy Alugbue on
tagged , , , , , , ,

 

Rob Nazarian and I got a chance to see the special device in person during its launch last week and now friends, the time has come for all customers to finally get their hands on what is undoubtedly one of the hottest devices of 2012. Verizon is officially unleashing the HTC DROID DNA in both its stores and online today. The latest entry in Verizon’s DROID line features a quad-core processor, 2 gigs of RAM, Jelly Bean and of course the whopping, but gorgeous 1080p Super LCD3 display. Interested parties can snag the device either from their local Verizon store or order online for $199.99 on-contract or a not-too-bad $599.99 off-contract price.

Be sure to stay with us and be on the lookout for our detailed review of the device, but in the meantime– why not check out our hands-on in order to remind yourself of how awesome this puppy is?

source: Verizon Wireless

HTC’s Peter Chou is happy with Apple patent agreement, but says payout estimates are outrageous

by Robert Nazarian on
tagged , ,

Last week it was announced that HTC and Apple entered into a 10-year global patent agreement. Various media sites (including yours truly) reported that as part of that agreement, HTC would pay Apple $6 to $8 per Android phone, but chief executive Peter Chou is said those estimates are outrageous.

“I think that these estimates are baseless and very, very wrong. It is a outrageous number, but I’m not going to comment anything on a specific number. I believe we have a very, very happy settlement and a good ending,” said Chou at a KDDI Corp product launch in Tokyo.

Where these estimates came from, I don’t know because the details of the agreement were never released. Furthermore, HTC won’t change it fourth-quarter guidance number based on the agreement. This is good news because HTC is one of the better Android manufacturers, and I would hate to see them get stuck paying Apple ridiculously high rates per device.

source: reuters

Samsung wants to use HTC licensing deal to undercut Apple in patent suits

by Jared Peters on
tagged , , , ,

By now, most of us are aware of HTC’s licensing deal with Apple that’s speculated to pay out between $6 and $8 per HTC phone. Samsung wants to exactly what that licensing deal covered. Why, you ask? If Apple licensed it’s “user-experience patents” to HTC, it could completely change these patent wars. Before, Apple has refused to license those user-experience patents, but if they were licensed to HTC but not offered to Samsung, well… I’m sure you can imagine that doesn’t look too great in the courtroom. » Read the rest

HTC DROID DNA unboxing and initial hands on review [Video]

by Robert Nazarian on
tagged , ,

Earlier this year when HTC released the One X, many fans on Verizon wondered why it didn’t land on Big Red. Instead, all they got was the DROID Incredible 4G LTE, which wasn’t even a One S variant. Well patience is a virtue because HTC delivered in a major way. They said they wanted to make the ultimate DROID, and from my vantage point, they did and then some. The DROID DNA is a complete beast inside and out. It features a gorgeous 5-inch (1920 x 1080) Super LCD 3 display at 440 ppi. If that’s not enough to make your jaw drop, throw in a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera with ImageSense, 2.1MP front facing camera with an 88 degree wide angle lens, 16GB of internal storage, 2020mAh battery, NFC, 4G LTE with worldwide GSM capability, Beats Audio, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and you have what might be the finest phone on earth. Oh there’s still more because the design of this phone is absolutely superb in every way from the polycarbonate back to the Ferrari-like red finish along the sides. I will do a more thorough review in the coming days, but for now, check out my initial hands on video after the break.

» Read the rest

RadioShack to offer Desire C for $119.99 on prepaid wireless service

by Jared Peters on
tagged , , , ,

Not too long ago, RadioShack teamed up with Cricket to offer prepaid wireless service for their customers. The pricing is competitive, starting at $25 per month, but the device selection so far has been fairly lacking. Well, the ‘Shack at least looks like they’re making an effort to change that by offering the HTC Desire C, and low-end/mid-range phone at an attractive price point. $119.99 gets you a 3.5 inch HVGA screen, 5 megapixel camera, and Android 4.0 with Sense on top. It’s not going to make your Galaxy S III jealous, but for the pricing on the handset and the wireless plans, it makes an excellent entry level phone for consumers.

source: RadioShack

Sharp to capitalize on own large screen with Sharp Aquos SH930W, but early review not so great

by Jeff Causey on
tagged , , , ,

This week’s official announcement regarding the release of the DROID DNA from HTC continued a trend we have seen of manufacturers pushing the limits of screen size and resolution. The DROID DNA’s 5-inch 1080p display produced by Sharp is certainly an eye-catching feature of the new handset. Sharp appears to want to be able to get in the market with its own device sporting the top of the line LCD they produce, which is why they are working on a Sharp Aquos SH930W smartphone. » Read the rest

HTC DROID DNA already rooted ahead of next Tuesday’s launch

by Alexon Enfiedjian on
tagged , ,

It hasn’t even been released yet, but that hasn’t stopped the incredibly efficient developers over at XDA from rooting HTC’s new superphone, the DROID DNA for Verizon. The phone itself is quite the powerhouse, sporting a 5-inch 1080p HD display (the highest resolution display on a smartphone to date), a 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 APQ8064 Processor, a capacious 2020 mAh battery, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and basically every other incredible spec that an Android fan could ask for! Combine the awesome hardware with the great custom ROMs that developers will be pushing out thanks to the newly achieved root, and you have yourself quite the handset!

Surprisingly, you will be able to open the bootloader using the HTCDev tools, unless Verizon puts a stop to it with some sort of update. After that’s accomplished, you flash an unsecured kernel and ClockworkMod recovery via fastboot, and finally flash the root.zip file.

If you’re planning on picking up the DROID DNA when it comes out, make sure to head over to the source link to do some reading before you dive into the wonderful world of root!

Source: XDA

 

HTC DLX will become the HTC Deluxe globally

by Robert Nazarian on
tagged , ,

A month or so ago it seemed the HTC J Butterfly was going to be a very limited device, but it’s just too good to limit this bad boy. I finally got my hands on the DROID DNA, which is essentially the same phone, and I must tell you that this might just be the finest phone ever made. We also heard that it will be known as the DLX in other Asian markets, and now it seems as though it will actually be called the Deluxe globally at least according to @evleaks. I know that many of you in Europe were wondering if it was every going to arrive, and it looks like it will. Unfortunately we don’t have a time frame, but we are hopeful it will happen by year’s end. This is just too good of a phone to not share the love everywhere.

source @evleaks