The Verizon Droid DNA has a new update out that improves SIM card detection. We don’t have much more information other than “Verizon Wireless and HTC encourage you to download this update”. The update is 2.06.605.1 710RD and is available now.
That’s it folks, as there isn’t much more to add. Let us know if you have received this update and if it made things better or worse.
Source: Verizon Wireless
Do you remember last week when we told you about HTC’s disappointing Q1 earnings report? Well it looks like HTC may have pulled off the turnaround they were hoping for. J.P. Morgan Securities upgraded HTC’s stock to “neutral” from “underweight”. They also raised the target price from NT$160 to NT$330 due to the sales of their new Flagship Phone, the HTC One.
HTC needed to kick into high gear, and it appears they know that too. Over the last two weeks HTC’s supply issues “have significantly improved” according to Alvin Kwock, J.P. Morgan analyst.
It looks like consumers in Taiwan interested in grabbing a pink HTC Butterfly will get that opportunity according to Taiwanese website ePrice. Their site is reporting today that HTC is making a pink cherry powder colored HTC Butterfly available on April 30th. According to the site, pre-orders are now being accepted at both Yahoo! and PCHome. The pink version will be sold for NT$21,900 ($731 USD). This is slightly less than the red and white versions that have been released.
Last month we reported on rumors that HTC is working on a successor to the HTC Butterfly. The appearance of additional colors on the market is typically a sign that a manufacturer is ready to move on to their next version of a device and are content to drive sales of their previous generation device with new versions, like different colors.
source: ePrice
Sure HTC may be dealing with unprecedented shipping delays for its One smartphone, but that hasn’t stopped it from releasing the coveted source code for the anticipated device, as well as the DROID DNA smartphone to the general public. This means that all of you fiddlers and hooligans that like to “tweak” the device will finally have one of the major tools necessary to make the phone just a wee bit better. DROID DNA owners will no doubt be happy about this news, but here’s hoping that all One fans will be patient for just a little longer because hey— the wait will certainly be worth it.
source: HTC (Twitter)
Over the past 18 months or so, we have watched HTC’s financial deep dive as it keeps setting record-low quarterly profit numbers. HTC was banking on the HTC One leading a rebound for the company. That could still happen, but after delays, the HTC One was not able to ship in any meaningful numbers during the first quarter of 2013, leading to more disappointing financial results for HTC. According to HTC’s just released report, net income for the first quarter was NT$85 million ($2.84 million USD), a mere pittance compared to the NT$10.9 billion ($363 million USD) for the same period a year earlier. » Read the rest
HTC has already been pretty clear that they’re going to put their best marketing foot forward with the HTC One to help boost sales. We’ve seen some commercials for the One, but now we’re hearing that HTC’s marketing campaign will include “Live Experience Tours” in several cities in the US. These stops will include pop up shops to demonstrate the key features of the HTC One, like BlinkFeed, Zoe, and BoomSound. HTC wants to show you that the One is “everything your phone isn’t.” Very arrogant confident marketing slogan.
In addition to the showrooms for the One, BoomSound lounges will begin popping up in locations starting today. The showrooms won’t hit until April 11th, but they’ll be up for around three months, so you’ll have plenty of time to check it out. HTC is also planning a few tie-in shows to their BoomSound lounges and showrooms with some performances by popular artists in certain locations; Pharrell in New York, Grouplove in Chicago and Manchester Orchestra in Los Angeles. HTC is definitely pulling out all the stops to try to kick this phone off right.
Hopefully HTC will see some significant returns from a marketing blitz of this scale, because I’m sure it’s not cheap. Hit the break for the full press release. » Read the rest
HTC announced via their Twitter account last night that they would start taking pre-orders for the HTC One Developer Edition today. The Developer Edition comes with 64GB of memory, an unlocked SIM and bootloader, and comes in silver. The special edition version of the HTC One will be available for $649 and can only be purchased by customers with a US Zip Code. According to HTC’s site, the Developer Edition will be ready to ship on April 18th, the day before the new device is scheduled to be available from both AT&T and Sprint. If you are ready to try to grab one of these limited quantity versions of the HTC One, head over to their pre-order page at http://htconeprereg.com/brands/HTCPreReg/homebrands/index.htm. As a bonus, HTC is throwing in a free case and free shipping.
source: @HTCdev
In the U.S., the HTC First is an AT&T exclusive, but in the UK it’s going to be EE. No word on pricing or availability, but we are assuming it will become available soon after the U.S. April 12 launch.
The HTC First is the first and only phone to have the complete Facebook Home experience out of the box. Of course, people can still enjoy Facebook Home on other phones by downloading the app (starting April 12), but it will only be available on the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S 4, the One X, and the One X+, at least for now.
source: Slashgear
Earlier today Facebook announced their new “Facebook Home” launcher app that will be available for most Android devices and the HTC First, a new smartphone that will be loaded with Facebook’s new launcher out of the box. If you were not able to watch the live announcement while it was streaming, it is now available for review. In addition to getting more insight from Zuckerberg on Facebook’s reasoning for pursuing this path, the video includes lots of screencasts of the new features and functions of the launcher. Along with Zuckerberg and other Facebookers, Ralph De La Vega, President of AT&T Mobility, and Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, also make appearances to showcase the new HTC First smartphone. If you want to see how the Coverfeed or Chat Heads will work, hit the break to view the whole 40 minute video of the event. » Read the rest
As expected, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the HTC First Facebook phone today, but he also introduced a complete home replacement for many popular Android phones (and eventually tablets). It’s called Facebook Home, and according to Zuckerberg, “It sets the tone for your whole experience.”
Although the new launcher will work with all the apps that are installed on your phone, it changes the focal point to people as opposed to apps. The Coverfeed allows you to scroll through updates with large photos. You will be able to quickly see all the comments and respond inline. You will also find a notification pane that includes SMS messages and other important posts.