HTC One M8 vs the Galaxy S5 vs the Xperia Z2 vs iPhone 5s

With the HTC One M8 officially announced, the list of flagship devices for many companies is now complete. The HTC One M8 sees only a few changes vs the previous generation and a lot of difference between the two main competition for this year the Galaxy S5 and the Xperia Z2. 

The HTC One M8 misses out on few things that the company could have simply added. 4K video recording is one thing that HTC should not have left out on, the other being a fingerprint sensor. The HTC One Max had it and naturally the M8 should have had it as well.

The HTC One M8 also misses out on being a water resistant device like the Z2 and now the S5. check out the full breakup of differences below

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5 Things you should know about the HTC One M8

HTC’s recently launched the new One aka M8, which could possibly be the sole reason that the company struck a profit this quarter. Despite its instant availability and fanfare around the launch, here are a few things that you really must know about the HTC One M8. (Especially if you didn’t already know them)

1. BUILD QUALITY :

Carving a phone structure out of a single block of metal is now really old news, and especially after Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPad, this process was repeated time and again. The HTC One M8 takes the candy bar form factor to the next level. The M8 has been punched out of a single sheet of metal alloy, that not only covers the back of the phone, but also curves around to the front. Anyone who has worked with metal would know what a difficult process this is, even with todays available technology. 

2. HARDWARE

Last year, when HTC launched the HTC One, they decided to stick it with an underpowered chipset, the Snapdragon 600, even though a better and more powerful snapdragon 800 was available. This time around however, HTC has thrown in the best of the lot, the Snapdragon 801 which puts it right up there with the competition. 

3. CAMERA

Even though it feels under-rated the M8 has possibly the most advanced camera on a Smartphone today. Sure you have the Lumia 1020 and the Xperia Z series phones with their high MP camera shots. The HTC One M8 takes the focus selection to another level al together. It’s excellent in low light and even though their software is relatively amateur the use of the hardware in the future may do wonders. The fact that the company has opened the dual camera API to developers means that the hardware may be put to excellent use in third party apps.

4. NEW SENSE

Although Sense 6.0 looks like a minor change on Sense 5.0 its a whole new world in there, the UI functionality has been improved, nifty shortcuts and good looking icons make a world of a difference. Quick launches from the lock screen make it really usable and exciting. Overall HTC has managed to give an exciting new look to something which used looked really bland to us, make it fast, responsive and more functional. 

5. AWESOME FIRST PARTY ACCESSORIES

HTC did it with the HTC One Max when they launched the extended battery case, they basically proved to us that they can make excellent accessories for their own devices. They have done it again with the HTC One M8 and the Dot View case. This case itself deserves an award for how simple and noble the idea behind it is. it gives protection and functionality to the phone. thanks to the touch sensitive design it gives you the ability to use the phone with the cover still on. Simply Genius!

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HTC Exec Hints At Tablet and Smartwatch

As The Next Web is reporting, we may just know what HTC might be looking to do next; release a tablet. Chou has been speaking to The Financial Times recently and he’s hinted that a tablet is on its way.

While few details are offered, Chairwoman Wang is quoted as saying, “when the [HTC] tablet comes out it will be something nice and disruptive.” But with strong competition from many of the major consumer electronics brands, HTC, as a smaller player with fewer marketing dollars to spend, could find its tablets facing issues similar to those affecting its smartphone business.

HTC have tested the tablet waters once before with the HTC Flyer, which didn’t prove to be too popular, on account of it shipping with Android 2.3 as Honeycomb tablets were appearing on the market. However, HTC made a well-built 7-inch tablet with true pen input. Many users of the Flyer held on to it as long as they could but,Samsung came along with the Galaxy Note and offered a clearly superior device to the Flyer.

Chou also revealed for the first time that HTC collaborated with Microsoft for a smartwatch in the past, but the project was eventually scrapped. As for when will HTC attempt a new move in this space, Chou commented that wearable tech is not mature enough, calling current devices “version one” or “gimmicks” that lack style. He then went on to say that the market is relatively young and hinted that HTC will be biding their time.

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HTC Desire 7060, 7088 and 709D Listed On Company's Website

After the global launch of its flagship device the HTC One Max, the company is also focusing on mid range devices. The HTC China’s official website shows a new range of HTC desire phones which includes the Desire 7060, Desire 7088 and the Desire 709D.

The smartphones have a 5 inch qHD displays with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. All the three devices are powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor along with Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset and Adreno 203 GPU. The devices have 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage which is expandable upto 64 GB, all devices sports a 8 MP rear camera along with a 2.1 MP front-facing camera. The devices measure measure 145.5 x 72 x 10.3 mm and is packed with a 2100 mAh battery.

All the devices runs on Android Jelly bean and Sense 5 from HTC. It is strange that three different phones have the same configurations but a different design, however it could be exclusively for different telecom providers in China. Availability of these phones is not out yet, as these might not be launched in all markets.

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HTC's New Infographic Hails 'Great Trios In History', Hints At The One Max

HTC has once again created an infographic that gives a hint of an upcoming device – possibly the heavily leaked 6-inch One Max that will join the One and the One mini. This time the graphic shows several popular trios in life and also brings their current “Here’s to Change”marketing strategy into play by breaking down HTC into various acronyms: Snap, Crackle and Pop (Hearing Tasty Cereal); Three Amigos (Hip Thrust Coordination) and Destiny’s Child (Hello Top of the Charts).

The One Max is expected to be unveiled next week and rumoured to come with a 6-inch 1080p display, a 1.7Ghz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, UltraPixel camera with a 2MP front-facing camera, running Android OS 4.3 with Sense 5.5. The One Max is also rumoured to include a finger-print sensor.

The company did something similar ahead of the launch of the HTC One Mini, offering up an infographic on little things that made a big impact.

Facing declining sales and increased competition, HTC has been trying to step up its marketing game, recently debuting an ad campaign starring Robert Downey Jr.

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HTC One Max Leaks Out With Specifications, Android 4.3 and Sense 5.5

The HTC One Max leaks out again, within this week we have seen many leaks hinting the HTC One Max. Just few days before we saw the images of the device with the branding of US telecom provider Verizon, and now what we have is leaked specifications that were shared by the editor of Nowhereelse.fr. The image shows some specifications that we are already aware of, like the same 5.9 inch full HD screen resolution and a 3200 mAh battery.

The new specifications that were listed, suggested that the One max will feature a quad-core 1.7 Ghz processor along with a Snapdragon 600 chipset. If rumors are to be believed the device will be packed with a 2 GB of RAM, 16/32/64 GB of inbuilt storage and the device will run on Android 4.3 along with Sense 5.5.

As mentioned, these are leaked specification the official news for the launch should not be away. Stay tuned!

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Microsoft and HTC in Talks to Put Windows on Android Phones

After buying Nokia’s windows devices, the Lumia range and services business, it seems that Microsoft is now planning to grow the windows phone market.

As reported by Bloomberg, Microsoft is talking to HTC about adding its Windows operating system to HTC’s Android-based smartphones at little or no cost, people with knowledge of the matter said, evidence of the software maker’s struggle to gain ground in the mobile market.

The report also claims Microsoft operating systems chief Terry Myerson discussed lowering the license fee or dropping it entirely as an incentive. The sources is not clear on whether the devices might run both operating systems at once, or let users choose just one. Terry Myerson was planning to visit Asia this month and meet with senior executives at Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC to discuss his proposal, as per the source.

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HTC One Mini Now Available Online for 37299 INR

HTC One did well in the market, considering that HTC brought up the HTC One Mini in the market. The device was announced back in July  and was available to some markets by then as well, whereas in India the device is now available online.

The HTC One mini is pretty much same in looks if compared to the HTC One, though the size and hardware are different. The HTC One mini sports a 4.3 inch HD display with a resolution of  1280 x 720 Pixels(341ppi), the HTC One Mini is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core CPU along with the Snapdragon 400 Chipset. The device comes up with 1 GB RAM and 16 GB of inbuilt storage, it also comes up with Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers. HTC One Mini has HTC’s UltraPixel Camera with BSI sensor, Pixel size 2.0 µm, Sensor size 1/3″ (0.85 cm) a dedicated HTC ImageChip 2 F2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens along with Smart Flash. The Front Camera is 1.6 MP with BSI sensor, the main camera does Full HD video(1080p) whereas the front camera does HD videos(720p). 

HTC One Mini has a 1800 mAh battery and runs on Android 4.2.2 along with HTC Sense 5. The device weighs 122 grams and the dimensions are 132 x 63.2 x 9.25 mm. The device is available on Flipkart but the company’s Indian website still says Coming Soon:

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Hi-Tech Gift Guide Guide : Smart Phones

The festival season is just around the corner and you want to spend some money on your loved ones. Here we bring you the recommended list of Smartphones that you can gift to your near and dear ones. 

1- Samsung Galaxy Star:

This is a basic phone from samsung which powered by a 1200 mAh battery and runs on a 1 GHz A5 chipset, along with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. The galaxy Star also has a 2 MP camera at the back and a 3 inch capacitive touchsrceen in the front along with Bluetooth 4.0. This budget device is available for about 4875 INR. You can check out the full specs .

2-Sony Xperia E:

The sony made Xperia E smartphone has a 3.5 inch screen and is powered by a 1 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, the phone also has a 3.2 MP camera and comes loaded with android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device is priced at 7799 INR.

3- Nokia Lumia 520:

This is a budget Windows phone available at a price of around 8650 INR, the device comes up with 4 inch screen size along with a 5 MP camera. The device also comes up with 7 GB of skydrive storage and runs in Windows phone 8 OS.

4- Micromax Canvas 2:

This device is one of the best sellers from micromax, it comes up with a 4.9 inch display along with a 8 MP rear and VGA front facing cameras. The canvas 2 runs on android 4.0 is powered by a 1 Ghz dual-core processor.

5- Samsung Galaxy Core:

This device has a 4.3 inch display and works on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, galaxy core is powered by 1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor and features a 5 MP main and VGA secondary Camera, the device is available for 13240 INR.

6- HTC One V

The HTC One V has a 3.7 inch screen and is powered by a 1 Ghz processor, the device has a 5 MP primary camera and is capable of doing HD videos. It is priced at 13990 INR.

 7- XOLO Play:

Xolo play is high on specification if compared to the same priced phones, as this phone comes with 4.7 inch HD screen, and is powered by 1.5 GHz NVIDIA Tegra Quad-Core along with a 12-core NVIDIA GeForce GPU. The Xolo Play also has an 8 MP Primary and 2 MP secondary Camera, the device runs on Android 4.1

8- Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro:

This Dual SIM device from samsung has a 1.2 GHz Cortex-A5, Quad Core processor, the device has a 5 MP primary and VGA Secondary camera. Grand Quattro is priced at 15499 INR.

 9- Nokia Lumia 720:

This Windows phone from Nokia has a 4.29 inch screen and is powered by a 1 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Processor. Lumia 720 has a 6.7 MP primary and 1.3 MP secondary camera. 

10- Sony Xperia SP:

The Xperia SP runs on Android 4.1 and comes with a 4.6 inch HD display. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor and has a 8 MP primary and VGA secondary Camera. Xperia SP is priced at 22490 INR.

11- Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8:

This device comes with a mega display of 5.8 inches and is powered by 1.4 GHz Dual Core Processor. The Mega 5.8 has a 8 MP primary and 2 MP secondary camera, the device runs on Android 4.2.2. 

12- BlackBerry Q5:

This Blackberry phone runs on BlackBerry OS 10.1 and has a 3.1 inch touch scren along with QWERTY keypad. Q5 has a 5 MP primary and 2 MP secondary Camera, the camera does full HD recording.

13- Samsung Galaxy Note 2:

This device is powered by 1.6 GHz Quad Core Cortex-A9 Processor, Note 2 has built in stylus support- S-pen. The device has a 8 MP primary and 2 MP secondary camera, the device is priced at 30,000 INR. 

This festive season you might also want to pamper yourself with a smartphone, gift yourself with these latest premium phones:

14- Samsung Galaxy S4:

The S4 is the latest edition in the Galaxy S series after the S3, the device is lighter and thinner than the predecessor. The Galaxy S4 comes with a 13 MP main camera, and has a Full HD screen, Dual video recording along with Hand gestures support. The device is priced at 39000 INR.

15- LG G2:

LG G2 is the latest flagship from the company, the device features a new layout of buttons at the back, which make it unique in terms of appearance. The device has a 5.2 inch screen and runs on Android 4.2.2. The G2 has a 13 MP primary camera along with 2.1 MP secondary camera.

16- Sony Xperia Z1:

Xperia Z1 is the latest flagship from sony, the device has an amazing 20.7 MP primary and 2 MP cameras. The 5 inched device is powered by 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad Core Processor. This is also completely Water resistant and dust proof, the only phone in the category with these features

17- Samsung Galaxy Note 3:

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Note 3 features a 5.7 inch full HD Super AMOLED screen. The device has a 13 MP primary camera and does full HD recording, Note 3 is powered by Octa Core Processor by Samsung(1.9 GHz Quad + 1.3 GHz Quad) and 3 GB RAM.

Stay tuned for more guides: Happy Gifting!

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HTC Butterfly 2 Images Leaked, New Colors and Bigger Display

The HTC Butterfly 2 shows a glimpse with the recent images online, the leaked pictures of the device shows three colors white, blue and black.

The images also show the device to be tall which can mean a bigger display, if rumors are to be believed this alleged device could come with a 5.2-inch screen and the HTC Butterfly 2 will feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

HTC launched an upgrade to its original Butterfly, called the Butterfly S and now rumors suggest the next device will be known as the Butterfly 2. The HTC Butterfly 2 is expected to be available by January 2014. However, while you wait for this device to come up soon

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HTC Desire 500 Dual SIM With 4.3 Inch Screen Now Listed Online

The HTC Desire 500 is listed online in few websites but is still not listed in the company’s website for India. However, the HTC Desire 500 is available for pre-order on Snapdeal, website notes that the device will be released in the first week of October. The HTC Desire 500 has also been listed on Flipkart and shows coming soon.

The HTC Desire 500 has a Quad-Core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor along with a 1 GB of RAM and comes with a 4 GB of inbuilt storage which can be expanded to 64 GB via Micro SD. The device features a 4.3 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. HTC Desire 500 sports a 8 MP(BSI Sensor) main camera with LED flash and has a 1.6 MP(BSI Sensor) secondary camera. The device is also capable of 720p video capture.

The dimensions of the phone are  131.8 x 66.9 x9.9 mm and the device weighs 123 grams. The Desire 500 comes with a  1800 mAh battery and runs on Android 4.2 with Sense 5.0 and BlikFeed.

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HTC One Gets Android 4.3 Update Along With Improved Low-Light Camera Performance

The owners of the HTC One should now have access to an Android 4.3 update, the update is available globally throughout all HTC One phones. Not in India, but if anyone of you have a carrier-issued HTC One (on contract) the Android update will still be available but after 30th of September.

This update for the HTC One not only brought the device to the latest version of Android but also improved the camera performance, according to Android Highlights, improvements include a battery charging percentage indicator, improved low-light camera performance, Sense 5 enhancements and increased stability in the overall device.

You can check the update option to see if your device is eligible yet. However, the Android 4.3 update for Samsung’s S3 and Note 2 is still not in the picture.

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Report : Beats Audio To Buy Out Remaining HTC Stake For $265 Million

Reports are coming in that HTC is indeed about to sell its stake back to Beats. In 2010, HTC owned 50 percent of Beats, before selling half last year for $150 million. The remaining 25 percent has increased in price considerably since then, as the new deal will close at $265 million.
It seems that Beats has already taken on a new partner in the form of Carlyle Group, which is said to be investing $500 million into Beat’s expansion efforts.

“We are confident that Beats will continue to drive innovation and growth in the premium audio accessory market, particularly as the proliferation of smart phones and tablets stimulate increased consumption of digital media,” Sandra Horbach, a managing director at Carlyle, said in a statement.

Now that the partnership is ending, Beats is free to continue down the path of pushing its Beats audio technology into other products including in-car dashes, HP computers and – of course- its premium headphone line. For HTC, it means a pretty hefty cash infusion that can help the company can (hopefully) use to further facilitate growth and recovery after years of struggle.
Founded in 2006 by rapper Dr. Dre and Iovine, chairman of music label Interscope, Beats has come to dominate the market for pricey headphones. According to the NPD Group, Beats has grabbed more than 60 percent of the U.S. market for headphones costing more than $100. Its signature headsets retail for between $200 and $400

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HTC Announces Desire 601 And Desire 300 Smartphones, Will Be Available Next Month

HTC today announced two new smartphones. An entry-level smartphone HTC Desire 300 and their much talked about ‘Zara’ which is HTC Desire 601.

Pricing details aren’t available for the handsets at this time, also we don’t have an actual launch date as of now. But we expect them to be available by next month.
HTC Desire 300

The Desire 300 is an entry level Android device with a 4.3-inch WVGA display. The device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4processor along with 512MB RAM.
Full specifications include:

    Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core 1 GHz processor
    4.3 inch WVGA display
    4GB integrated memory with microSD card slot
    512 MB RAM
    802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 with atpX
    5 megapixel camera with VGA front facing camera
    1650 mAh removable battery
    Dimensions of 134.1.78 x 66.23 x 10.12 mm and 120 grams

HTC Desire 601

The HTC Desire 601 looks to fit in between the HTC One and One Mini with a 4.5 inch qHD display, 5 megapixel camera that supports HTC Zoes and Video Highlights, BlinkFeed, and HTC BoomSound speakers.
Full specifications include:

    Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core 1.4 GHz processor
    4.5 inch qHD display
    8GB integrated memory with microSD card slot
    1GB RAM
    802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0
    5 megapixel camera with VGA front facing camera
    2100 mAh battery
    Dimensions of 134.5 x 66.7 x 9.88 mm and 130 grams

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