This weekend is the time that HTC fans have been waiting for. On Sunday in Barcelona, HTC will hold their press conference for Mobile World Congress and unveil their full lineup of 2012 devices. Today HTC posted an image of a generic phone with the number 5 and a message that read, “This Sunday you’ll [...]]]>

This weekend is the time that HTC fans have been waiting for. On Sunday in Barcelona, HTC will hold their press conference for Mobile World Congress and unveil their full lineup of 2012 devices. Today HTC posted an image of a generic phone with the number 5 and a message that read, “This Sunday you’ll discover something fast.”

We think the number 5 could represent the 5-cores inside the Tegra 3 processor that powers the HTC One X, or it could simply be that we are 5 days away from the event.

HTC says the show will begin at 8:30 PM Barcelona time, which is 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST in the United States. We don’t know if they are providing a live stream yet, but we will be sure to let you know if one is available.

What surprises do you think HTC has in store? Any guesses what the number 5 represents?

As promised, Asus has delivered a bootloader unlock tool for their popular Transformer Prime tablet. On a Facebook announcing the tool Asus said, “we pride ourselves on delivering the best experience for our fans and users throughout our products’ life cycles.”

I’ve owned the Transformer Prime since it was first released last year and I’ve [...]]]>

As promised, Asus has delivered a bootloader unlock tool for their popular Transformer Prime tablet. On a Facebook announcing the tool Asus said, “we pride ourselves on delivering the best experience for our fans and users throughout our products’ life cycles.”

I’ve owned the Transformer Prime since it was first released last year and I’ve been impressed with the software support from Asus. They have already delivered the major update to Android 4.0 and several other minor updates that included bug fixes and improved performance. Google has yet to update some of their own Nexus devices to the latest version of Android, so that just shows you the speed at which Asus is moving.

Before you unlock your Transformer Prime, make sure you read all the details. It only works with the Transformer Prime model TF201 and the device must already be running Android 4.0. They warn that once you activate the utility you will not be able to recover your ASUS product (“Original Product”) back to original locked condition and the Revised Product will no longer be covered under the warranty of the Original Product.

The average consumer doesn’t care about unlocking their bootloader, but it’s nice to see Asus provide this option to the hardcore crowd. Hopefully more manufacturers, like Motorola, will adopt this practice on future Android devices.

Verizon currently has the best lineup of Android smartphones, but that doesn’t mean the carrier will slow down with new releases. Kellen of Droid Life just reported that Verizon has two new mysterious phones coming up, the Droid Fighter and LG Cayman.

Both of these device names are new and we have little details [...]]]>

Verizon currently has the best lineup of Android smartphones, but that doesn’t mean the carrier will slow down with new releases. Kellen of Droid Life just reported that Verizon has two new mysterious phones coming up, the Droid Fighter and LG Cayman.

Both of these device names are new and we have little details to report. Most of us think Motorola when we hear Droid, but Verizon has also released Droid-branded phones with HTC and Samsung. We will have to wait and see, but the Droid Fighter could be the unnamed HTC device that looked like the Incredible 3 or it could be the rumored HTC Fireball.

When it comes to the LG Cayman, that device is anyone’s guess. Verizon just released the high-end LG Spectrum, but they have already marked it down to $99 online. This could be another high-end phone to replace it, or it could be one of LG’s new mainstream phones.

What kind of Android devices would you like to see on Verizon?

This unnamed HTC device appeared last year with looks similar to the Incredible series.

Rumors have been swirling lately about a pair of Android-powered glasses and this week Nick Bilton of the NY Times reports that Google will put them on sale to the public by the end of the year. The glasses are expected “to cost around the price of current smartphones” according to several Google employees familiar [...]]]>

Rumors have been swirling lately about a pair of Android-powered glasses and this week Nick Bilton of the NY Times reports that Google will put them on sale to the public by the end of the year. The glasses are expected “to cost around the price of current smartphones” according to several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named.

We have already seen smart glasses for the military from companies like Vuzix, but those retailed for around $5k and were not designed for the average consumer. If Google can truly price their glasses around $250 to $600, it will be real interesting to see how they are received by the public.

People familiar with the Google glasses say they look like a pair of Oakley Thumps and will include a small transparent screen that sits a few inches away from someone’s eye. It has previously been reported that there are a few buttons on the arms of the glasses, but they could be mistaken for normal glasses. They will also feature a data connection and include other sensors like an accelerometer and GPS.

Seth Weintraub of 9to5Google recently reported that Google’s glasses would feature a unique hands-free input method where users would tilt their head from side to side in order to control scrolling and clicks.

I already wear glasses, so I’d be interested to try out whatever Google is working on. I’m a little concerned by the integrated data connection (aka carrier contract), but hopefully there will also be a WiFi or Bluetooth version that just tethers to your mobile device.

Knowing what’s already been revealed, I’m curious how many of you would want to test these out. Participate in the poll below and then let us know what you think about Android-powered glasses in the comments below.

Mobile World Congress is just days away in Barcelona, and Android fans are already going crazy thinking about which devices might get unveiled. There are always surprises, but thanks to leaks and rumors, we have a pretty good idea of what will be announced. And when we surveyed the field early this month, HTC [...]]]>

Mobile World Congress is just days away in Barcelona, and Android fans are already going crazy thinking about which devices might get unveiled. There are always surprises, but thanks to leaks and rumors, we have a pretty good idea of what will be announced. And when we surveyed the field early this month, HTC appeared to have the strongest lineup.

I predicted that the HTC One X (aka Edge aka Endeavor) would be named the device of the show. Recent reports show that the greater web agrees. Social media number cruncher Anltyk has been tracking the MWC buzz on Twitter and found that HTC was the most talked about brand last week, overtaking the larger Samsung.

In the last week we learned about HTC’s new naming structure, which includes the One X, One S, One V and One XL. We don’t know what the letters stand for yet, but we have speculated that X is xtreme performance, S is slim, V is value, and XL is the xtra-large display for a tablet.

We also discovered the full HTC One X specs, got another glimpse at Sense UI 4.0, and heard rumors of a streaming Beats music service and possible PlayStation certification.

HTC recently experienced some slowdown last quarter, but they announced a new group within the company called HTC Studio that reports directly to CEO Peter Chou. This team will be tasked with developing “key products” that will help HTC regain their edge.

Overall, it looks like HTC is back on the right path to growth. I think the idea of fewer models will help HTC regain their focus and make sure that each product gets their best effort. HTC still has a strong following among the hardcore nerds (see our Android Bowl results), and I think many customers that left for Samsung would return if HTC produces a compelling device.

HTC’s press event takes place this Sunday, and we will be on hand to see if they can deliver. Do you think HTC will live up to the hype we all created?

LG will apparently be having quite the show next week in Barcelona. While just a few days ago we told you about the 5-inch LG Vu and the 4.3-inch LG Optimus LTE Tag, LG has yet another device up their sleeves, and this one comes with an extra dimension.

In case you couldn’t get [...]]]>

LG will apparently be having quite the show next week in Barcelona. While just a few days ago we told you about the 5-inch LG Vu and the 4.3-inch LG Optimus LTE Tag, LG has yet another device up their sleeves, and this one comes with an extra dimension.

In case you couldn’t get enough 3D in your life, LG will be unleashing the Optimus 3D Max onto the unsuspecting public at Mobile World Congress.  The Optimus 3D Max is a true follow-up to the Optimus 3D the company released last year, but with several improvements to 3D technology and multimedia consumption and a slightly redesigned body (for the better).

The improvement list for the Optimus 3D Max include:

• HD Converter so you can view HD content on a connected TV (via MHL connection)
• Out-focusing shot to improve picture quality using a combination of Range Finder (which triangulates the distance of your subject), and enhanced image processing
• Convert Google Earth, Google Maps, and other road views into 3D using an enhanced 3D converter
• 3D hard button on the device to easily switch between 3D and 2D mode. Probably not the same slider we’ve come to know and love with the HTC Evo 3D, but a standalone button.
• 3D-Style cubicle icons, which only makes me think back to the Samsung Behold II (shudder).

While most of the improvements focus around multimedia consumption, the spec sheet is on par with what we’ve come to expect from phones released in the past 6 months. The Optimus 3D Max will feature:

• 1.2 GHz OMAP 4430 dual-core processor
• 4.3-inch 3D WVGA display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2
• 8GB internal storage, 1GB RAM
• 5 megapixel dual-lens camera, capable of taking 3D images
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with an update to Android 4.0 on the horizon
• 1,520 mAh battery
• HSPA+ 21 mbps capable
• NFC with LTE’s Tag+ functionality

The fact that this device has HSPA+ connectivity suggests that it will only be found on AT&T or T-Mobile if this device makes its way to the US. AT&T is the likely suspect here, as Ma Bell offered the 3D-Capable LG Thrill 4G on its network.

Anyone out there excited for another 3D smartphone, or do you think 3D should be left to TV-sized devices (if at all)?

Gallery

Of course Verizon would have another nationwide outage the day after I gave them a glowing endorsement. This morning we started receiving multiple reports from all over that users were experiencing problems with their Verizon 4G LTE data connection. This problem was confirmed by VZBuzz who received a tip from a network technician [...]]]>

Of course Verizon would have another nationwide outage the day after I gave them a glowing endorsement. This morning we started receiving multiple reports from all over that users were experiencing problems with their Verizon 4G LTE data connection. This problem was confirmed by VZBuzz who received a tip from a network technician that failures were occuring.

Verizon has recently reported some growing pains as they add more devices to their expanding 4G LTE network. Recent downtimes include December 7th and December 28th.

Hopefully, service will be restored by the time you read this. In the last couple of Verizon outages, technicians had the issue resolved in a couple hours. Also, in previous outages, customers who complained to customer service received a small credit on their monthly bill.

We will update this story when we receive word that service is back to normal.

Update: Verizon says via Twitter that they are investigating the issue.

VZW is investigating customer issues in connecting to the 4GLTE data network. 3G data, voice and text services are operating reliably

— Verizon Wireless (@VZWnews) February 22, 2012

Tonight T-Mobile announced the release date and pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G that was previously unveiled at CES last month. Starting in late March, The Galaxy S Blaze 4G will retail for $149.99 with a 2-year contract, after a $50 mail in rebate (yuck).

“The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G is [...]]]>

Tonight T-Mobile announced the release date and pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G that was previously unveiled at CES last month. Starting in late March, The Galaxy S Blaze 4G will retail for $149.99 with a 2-year contract, after a $50 mail in rebate (yuck).

“The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G is loaded with rich features and services to keep consumers entertained and connected virtually anywhere they want to go,” said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president, marketing, T-Mobile USA. “Paired with T-Mobile’s fast 4G network and our unlimited data plans, we’re making it easy for consumers to enjoy the benefits of 4G experiences at a price they can afford.”

We thought this phone might be the successor to T-Mobile’s Galaxy S II variant, but after reviewing the specs it appears more like a Galaxy S II-lite.

Highlights of the Galaxy S Blaze 4G include:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 3.97-inch Super AMOLED display
• 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor
• 5 megapixel camera with 720p HD video recorder
• 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
• Support for 4G HSPA+ 42 Mbps

It’s nice to see T-Mobile offer a lower priced Galaxy S II, but we don’t think they went low enough. With an in-store price of $199, most customers will just opt for the Galaxy S II at $229. It would have been nice if T-Mobile could have sold this at $149 (without the rebate) or even better at $99.

We will wait to reserve judgement until we handle this phone, but I don’t think it’s going to make an appearance on our T-Mobiel buyer’s guide unless they lower the price.

We know pretty much everything there is to know about the specs of the HTC Ville (aka HTC One S) at this point, but our friends over at TmoNews have just secured the first bit of real evidence to support the rumor that HTC’s first Android 4.0 phone powered by a Snapdragon S4 chip [...]]]>

We know pretty much everything there is to know about the specs of the HTC Ville (aka HTC One S) at this point, but our friends over at TmoNews have just secured the first bit of real evidence to support the rumor that HTC’s first Android 4.0 phone powered by a Snapdragon S4 chip will be heading to T-Mobile stores in the US. An image of the latest T-Mobile accessory sheet lists six accessories for the HTC Ville, including a PowerSkin case, screen protector, leather sleeve, HDMI cable and a Bluetooth speaker dock from HTC.

Joining the HTC Ville on the accessory list is the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G and the Huawei Prism. You’ll have to forgive us for not being too excited for these other two devices. Until today, the Huawei Prism name was unknown and the Blaze 4G is simply another incarnation of the Samsung Galaxy S which will probably launch with Android 2.3 and a low-resolution display. Based on what we saw at CES, the Huawei Prism could turn out to be a variant of the Huawei Ascend P1 or the Ascend P1 S, but there is currently no evidence to back up that claim.

We only have a few days before HTC, Samsung, and Huawei take to the stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to announce their new lineup for the year. Personally, I have my sights set on the HTC Ville. What new phone unveiling are you looking forward to this weekend?