HTC has sold many different kinds of Android smartphones all around the world and Android consumers are hoping their device made the list of HTC smartphones to be upgraded to Android 4.0.  Today, the Taiwanese based company announced which phones would be upgraded to Android 4.0 and when, but the list is not as comprehensive as one might expect or hope.

To begin, four HTC Android 2.3 smartphones will be upgraded to Android 4.0 by the end of March with numerous others expected to receive an upgrade “later this year.”  The four devices that will receive Ice Cream Sandwich in a little over a month include the HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation 4G, HTC Sensation XE, and the HTC Sensation XL.

Slated to receive the update later this year include: Rezound, Vivid, Amaze 4G, Incredible S, Desire HD, Desire S, EVO Design 4G, and EVO 3D.  Unfortunately, there is no mention of the HTC Incredible 2 or the HTC Thunderbolt, which has certainly disappointed early adopters of those two devices.  However, I’m sure HTC is going to continue to explore options for devices not mentioned at this time.

It’s nice to see HTC be up front about which devices will receive ICS and when, but hopefully we will have more specific launch dates than “later this year” in the coming weeks.  If you would like to read the full report, then feel free to click the link below.

[HTC Facebook]

HTC reported its Q4 2011 earnings today, and revenues predictably took a dip. The company lowered expectations weeks ago and said it would report lower revenues, but no one knew to what extent. After seeing very strong quarters in Q2 and Q3 of last year, HTC fell to $101.42 billion NT last quarter. That was almost as low as what the company reported in Q4 2010.

Despite the late year decline, HTC is betting heavy on the devices that it will unveil at the upcoming Mobile World Congress. The first quarter of this year will likely be even more disappointing, but HTC expressed optimism that its next wave of phones will reignite the popularity that it enjoyed in the early half of 2011.

“Despite temporary weakness resulting from product cycle transition, HTC believes it has the ability to create a new wave of momentum through the upcoming product cycle. These margins are a temporary phenomenon and will normalized when [the] product cycle transition is over.” – HTC earnings statement.

The reason that sales declined was because the company got caught with its pants down during the holiday sales season. Apple had a phenomenal quarter thanks to the iPhone 4S, Samsung kept momentum going on the Galaxy S II series, and Motorola had a number of phones to offer. Meanwhile, HTC didn’t have anything new to compete with those phones. In the next product cycle, HTC will seek to deliver phones good enough to return the company to prominence. HTC was once the preferred phone maker of choice in the Android sect, but the brand lost some of its luster.

“We dropped the ball,” CFO Winston Yung is quoted as saying during HTC’s earnings call. Hardware design didn’t appeal to customers, so the company is expected to introduce thinner phones with better battery life and stronger specs. The rumored HTC Ville will be a big start, but users are likely to see a couple more high-powered phones unveiled at MWC. HTC has said it will focus on the higher end of the smartphone market and release fewer phones this year, so expect the company to come out swinging in Barcelona.

via Engadget, SlashGear

The HTC Ville has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks, with all the rumors and speculations pointing towards a MWC unveiling in February. However, the smartphone has already been spotted on the Internet, having the leading role in a hands-on video posted by the guys at HTC-Hub.com earlier today.

The Ville shown in the video is of course a prototype, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look kick-ass! Also, the image on the video is kind of blurry, but we were still able to tell that the smartphone runs Android 4.0 (yay!) and HTC Sense 4.0.

That’s a very interesting combo, if you ask me, and the tech specs under this smartphone’s hood make it that much more interesting. There’s a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 1 GB of RAM, which makes me think that it will support all the video games and apps you might want to run.

The 4.3-inch screen sported by the HTC Ville is rumored to come with a qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels, that is), and other expected features include an 8 MPx rear-facing camera capable of HD video recording, as well as a VGA front-facing webcam, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0.

As I already mentioned, the high-end handset might be unveiled at the 2012 MWC in Barcelona, but there’s no news (nor any rumors or speculations, for that matter) about the official release date and the pricing.

Take a look at the HTC Ville in the video below and don’t forget to hit us with a comment telling us your view on this future Android 4.0 smartphone from HTC.

After registering what was the first profit drop in two years in the fourth quarter of 2011, HTC bosses have announced that they are planning to rethink their strategy for 2012.

Peter Chou, the HTC CEO, has stated a few weeks back that he is welcoming competition, which could make his own company better and stronger, but that a few changes need to be made in the coming months.

On the same note, the HTC UK chief, Phil Roberson, has released a statement earlier today, saying that ‘’2012 is about giving our customers something special’’. Roberson admitted that HTC needs to reduce the number of products released and to focus on a few high-end devices that can drive the company forward.

The new approach has been described as a ‘’hero’’ approach by Phil Roberson, who says that a more ‘’rationalized’’ smartphone portfolio is much needed. The HTC UK chief has added that the risks of failure might increase by adopting such a strategy, because the ‘’margin for error increases and you have fewer products to fall back on’’.

Phil Roberson has hesitated to clearly state how many high-end smartphones will be released by HTC in the coming year, but has stated that the tablet output will be contained. Also, he didn’t give out any technical details about the coming products, but it’s pretty obvious that HTC will be bringing one or several quad-core handsets in Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress and then on the worldwide market.

All in all, we can say that the Taiwanese manufacturer will try to gain some momentum against competitors like Samsung or Apple with weapons familiar to the two latter companies, both of which are expected to release only one or a couple important products in the coming year. Will the HTC make it and recover from the Q4 2011 loss? What do you think?

Via MobileToday

The HTC EVO line of smartphones is not exactly the most popular right now, not running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and coming with mid-range technical specifications. However, for a limited time, Sprint is offering the entire EVO line at special prices, which might boost HTC’s sales considerably.

The cheapest of the bunch is the EVO 3D 4G in Plum, made available for 9.99 dollars with 2-year contract. This gadget sports a 4.3-inch 3D qHD touchscreen with 960 x 540 pixels resolution and features a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, as well as 1 GB of RAM, GPS, Bluetooth, Wireless, 3G and 4G connectivity.

The dual 5 MPx cameras are clearly the nicest and most original feature you get on the HTC EVO 3D, while the most important weak points are the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and the 1 GB internal storage space (even with the included 8 GB microSD card). All in all, though, for just ten bucks you get plenty, if you ask me.

If however plum is not your favorite color (I know mine isn’t), the HTC EVO 3D 4G in black is itself discounted and goes for 49.99 bucks with a two-year contract. The specs and features are the same.

The HTC EVO Design is the third smartphone on sale right now and goes for $39.99. For that kind of cash, you get a gadget with a 4-inch qHD touchscreen, a single core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm chipset, a 5 MPx rear-facing camera, a 1.3 MPx front-facing webcam, Bluetooth, Wireless, 3G and 4G connectivity.

The smartphone once again runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and comes with 4 GB of internal storage, as well as an included 8 GB microSD card.

Last, but not least, the HTC EVO Shift goes for 29.99 dollars right now, featuring extra functionality, with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, but not as much speed and power as its siblings. There’s only a 800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor under this smartphone’s hood, as well as 512 MB of RAM. Also, the EVO Shift ships with Android 2.2 Froyo, which is pretty bad, but the device is upgradeable to 2.3 Gingerbread, so all in all things are at least decent.

As I already mentioned, the sale is set to take place for a limited time, but the guys at Sprint are yet to announce an official end date. However, as they are insisting this is a special Valentine’s Day offer, the phones might only be discounted by mid-February.

Via AmazonWireless.com

I know, I know, the HTC Thunderbolt is not exactly on top of anyone’s shopping lists right now, as it’s pretty expensive and only runs that raggedy Android 2.2. But what would you say if you had the chance to get the 4.3-incher for free?

Of course you’re interested now, even thought you probably already suspect that you’ll have to tie yourself on a two-year contract to get this gadget for free. The offer comes from Verizon Wireless and is limited, being only available until January 26.

As you might or might not know, the Thunderbolt comes packing a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and features all the things you could need from a mid-range smartphone nowadays, including an 8 MPx rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash, a 1.3 MPx front-facing webcam, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS and Bluetooth 2.1.

While the design is clearly the most important ace up the Thunderbolt’s sleeve (it is sleek, isn’t it?), we should also mention that Verizon Wireless is selling the smartphone with 4G LTE connectivity. That’s a pretty nice feature to have nowadays, especially if you can get it for free.

Sure, the problem with the OS still stands, but hey, there’s still worse things than having Froyo with HTC Sense on top, aren’t there?

The 4.3-inch screen sported by the Thunderbolt is decent, while not unbelievably bright or capable, and comes with a 480 x 800 pixels resolution, while the battery should itself be satisfying, but not extraordinary.

All in all, there are definitely better options than the HTC Thunderbolt on today’s smartphone market, but are there any faster or stronger gadgets to be made available for free? I personally think not, so my advice is to hit the source link right now and to get in line for one of Verizon’s special discounted Thunderbolts!

Update: The HTC Thunderbolt from Verizon ships with Android 2.2, but updates immediately to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, as some of you stated in the comments below. Thank you for noticing and sorry for the inconvenience!

Verizon Wireless

A few days ago, an update was released to the HTC EVO 3D on Sprint and it removed two apps — namely HTC IQAgent and IQRD, both of which have been linked to Carrier IQ.  About a month ago, we reported that there was some chatter regarding Sprint contemplating removing Carrier IQ from its high-profile devices.  With the update from HTC happening just a few days ago, we can now confirm via HTC that Carrier IQ is being phased out across HTC devices on Sprint.

According to TheVerge, an HTC spokesperson had this to say:

HTC can confirm that we’re working with Sprint to provide maintenance releases that will remove Carrier IQ and provide security enhancements and bug fixes beginning in January.

If you own the HTC EVO 3D, then you can expect an update on your phone to remove the two applications in next couple of days.  It will be interesting to see which other HTC smartphones on Sprint receive the same update to remove the network diagnostics software, but also which other OEMs remove the app from their devices.

As of now, Sprint has not issued any statement suggesting which other devices will receive the same treatment, but at least Sprint is making clear progress on the issue at hand.

[TheVerge]

If you’re looking to pick up a solid Android smartphone on Verizon Wireless with 4G LTE connectivity, then you will definitely want to consider the HTC Rezound.  No, it may not be as sleek as the DROID RAZR or tightly integrated with Ice Cream Sandwich as the Galaxy Nexus, but it is a $100 cheaper than both of those devices.

Verizon Wireless recently slashed the price of the HTC Rezound down from $299 to $199 on a two year contract.  Considering the Rezound comes with a $100 pair of in-ear Beats earbuds, you’re getting a quality smartphone at a very nice price.  If you’re still on the fence with purchasing the HTC Rezound, then feel free to read through our review of the smartphone.

To recap the specs, the Rezound features a 4.3 inch 720p display, Android 2.3, 8MP rear facing camera, 2MP front facing camera, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, and 16GB of memory onboard.

[Verizon Wireless]

Coming out of the gate, the HTC Rezound had a tough battle. The Motorla Droid RAZR had already been released, and rumors of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus release date were in full swing. To make the Rezound stand out in this crowd, HTC partnered with Beats by Dre and added a few more of its trademark wine-red accents to make a sexy phone with a mass-marketable feature. I’ll breakdown whether the Rezound can stand up against the thin onslaught from the RAZR and Nexus, and if you should give it serious consideration.

Hardware

After handling the RAZR and buying the Nexus, the Rezound felt like brick. It’s almost double the size of the RAZR, and although I know HTC devices are generally bigger devices, I don’t know exactly why the Rezound had to be so big. With a device like the Thunderbolt, you could give HTC the benefit of the doubt. But if the RAZR can stick a dual-core processor, 8MP camera, and a 4G LTE radio inside its thin frame, you have to believe HTC fumbled with the Rezound’s design a bit.

Aside from the thickness, the Rezound is, of course, well-made. HTC added a rubber back cover with grip to the phone so it wouldn’t scrape and slide on a hard surface like almost every HTC phone has before it. Around the phone the Rezound comes almost bare with a headphone jack, volume rocker, power button, and, very fortunately, a look-a-like proprietary USB port (it tricked me when I first looked at the cable). My only real gripe about the physical hardware is I would like the volume rocker and power button to stick out of the phone more. It’s hard to find these buttons if you’re fumbling around with the phone and even harder to press them once you do find them. The buttons are a rubbery black which makes them hard to see unlike other HTC phones that have a gunmetal or shiny black finish to make them easier to see.

Screen/Camera

Beautiful. I wanted a 4.5″ screen, but HTC finally made a rock-solid display. The brightness, even when set to its highest, is more muted than my Nexus and blacks won’t blend into the background, but the pure 720p resolution of the screen makes apps and details look great without the pixelation of a Pentile display. I know a lot of people dislike anything above a 4.3″ screen, and I believe HTC lucked out somewhat in that the RAZR and Nexus are both big phones. A lot of people will be able to look at all three phones simultaneously and decide whether or not they can handle the bigger phones or opt for the only similarly-spec’d phone, the Rezound. I’ll also say that smudges are much more noticeable on the Rezound’s screen than either the Nexus or the RAZR.

Wow. The camera application on the Rezound is far and away the best I’ve used on a phone. With tons of features (panorama, action burst) and even more effects (dots may be the coolest effect ever), the Rezound has all these features conveniently located. The camera itself takes very quick pictures, and the pictures are gorgeous.

Software Performance

In a word – stale. HTC’s Sense UI overlay has gone through several iterations, all bringing improvements, but with the same look and style. If we look at Samsung’s Touchwiz, we see a marked improvement in speed, style, and enhancements. But Sense, aside from the lockscreen which is great, has the same look, feel, and flow that it has always had. While it does have speed improvements, it’s still the same curved dock at the bottom, the same personalization settings, and the same jerky app drawer. With the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) upgrade due the Rezound, I’ll be very intrigued to see how HTC will change the look and feel of Sense. I hope they freshen it up because it is the best of all the manufacturer overlays, but ICS looks beautiful on its own too.

I’m also pleased to report that the Verizon bloatware has been diminished a good bit. Instead of City ID or Tetris, you’re upgraded to Hot Pursuit and a barcode scanner. I genuinely enjoy HTC’s widgets, and I don’t really consider them bloatware, but with 3 e-mail apps bundled with the phone, it becomes a little extraneous. However, all of this didn’t seem to bog the phone down in the slightest as the Rezound is just as zippy as the RAZR when flying through screens or getting in and out of menus and apps. The battery life didn’t take much of a hit either. Without the LTE radio, I could see getting over a day of medium usage (but who wants to turn off LTE when you’re getting 20MB/s download?!).

App Performance

HTC makes really nice apps (the camera) and widgets (Friendstream), and I would recommend these almost as highly as third-party apps. For games and such, I put the Rezound up against my Nexus in speed and multi-tasking tests, and it fared pretty well. Like I said, neither Sense nor Verizon’s apps really slowed this phone down, and the Rezound was able to come away with a few wins against the Nexus.

My LTE speedtest showed consistently that the Rezound’s radio is better than the Nexus. I got at least a few MBs faster downloads than the Nexus almost every time. In multiple tests opening Angry Birds and Jelly Defense, both phones were neck and neck, but the Nexus edged the Rezound out 7/10 times. Finally, I wouldn’t worry about those intense games like Shadowgun or Heavy Gunner either. They work without lag or stutter, but I did miss the bigger screen for these types of games.

Final Thoughts

So what exactly makes the Rezound stand out? Sure, there’s Beats by Dre and the smallest notification light possible, but with the overbearing natures of the RAZR and Nexus, does the Rezound do anything they can’t? It’s thick body stands out, but aside from that, there are more compelling reasons to buy either the RAZR or Nexus. Maybe you want a smaller screen, HTC’s durable contruction or you even want Sense; but if a consumer is asked if they want a paper thin phone or ICS or neither, the consumer will usually choose either of the flashy features of the RAZR or Nexus, and I don’t have any compelling arguments against them.

However, the Rezound is another solid phone in HTC’s lineup, and you won’t regret this phone in the slightest (it will get ICS in the coming months). It has similar hardware as its competitors, and you know exactly what you’re getting with the hardware construction and Sense. Beats by Dre does sound great, much clearer than the competition, but it’s not as much of a game-changer as ICS or unimaginable thinness. For audiophiles or even Beats by Dre lovers, this is definitely the phone for you. With Verizon’s LTE and a shockingly fast 1.5 dual core processor, the Rezound is no slouch, and may be the best phone out, if you can stay away from the flash and style of the RAZR and Nexus.

You can get the Rezound at Verizon for $300 on contract, at Amazon for $150 on contract or at Wirefly for $150 on contract.

HTC has ended its two-year long streak of growth, reporting a dip in sales that for the first time since the company’s Android-powered phones propelled high profits. In the fourth quarter of 2011, HTC had NT$101,419 million, a decrease of 2.49% in comparison to the same period last year.

Since 2008, HTC has seen several quarters with record sales thanks to the company’s pole position among Android manufacturers. But the popularity of the iPhone 4S and increased competition from Samsung and other Android phone makers led to a decline in sales in the latter half of 2011.

Samsung had more reason to smile in its latest financial reports. The Korean manufacturer declared that its smartphone sales reached 35 million in Q4 2011, up from 28 million in Q3 2011. The record high performance pushed Samsung contribute to making Samsung the top smartphone maker in terms of volume, at least according to estimates published in Reuters.

So what explains these numbers? In HTC’s case, the company released some duds this year (Salsa in particular) and had a large, incredibly diverse line of products. But it lacked a massive global seller like Samsung’s range of Galaxy S II phones. Both companies produce devices running other operating systems – HTC on Windows Phone 7, Samsung on Bada – but they live and die by how well their Android phones perform.

HTC will look to re-spark its momentum by focusing on key high-end products that will better compete with Apple and Samsung. In November of 2011, CFO Winston Yung had this to say about the company’s upcoming plans:

“We will focus on the product next year, better and more competitive. Other than new LTE phones for the U.S. market, we have phones for the global market. We will launch some worldwide flagship products. We’re confident in them.”