HTC One A9 officially presented

No more leaks and no more speculations. The newest HTC Android device - HTC One A9 was officially presented today, at the HTC #BeBrilliant Launch event. Although it's hard to predict the future of the One A9 by looking only at the hardware specification, the device itself is described by many as controversial due to middle-end Snapdragon 617 SoC and iPhonish design. Is it justified? I'd say - NO.

First of all I'm still using "old" HTC One M8 as my daily device. I've never had One M9 and being honest I never "really badly wanted" to have one. In my opinion M9 has a great hardware but the design is a step back to the M7 days. With the M8 it was different. I literally felt in love in that piece of metal uni-body art ever since I touched it for the first time. This love continues, even tho my M8 looks like after one year of a high mountains climbing trip. Surprisingly, even the "C" letter detached from the back and lost somewhere. So it's just "H" & "T" now. But I still love it.

With the One A9 I feel like I could possibly use it as my next Android device. Even if the hardware may seems worse than One M9 is equipped with, my general opinion in that matter is simple: if you can't see a real performance difference in a real life operations between two devices, go for the one with a better design.

In my opinion Snapdragon 617 SoC is more than enough to satisfy 99% of customers. It's enough to handle newest games and it should generate much less heat than infamous Snapdragon 810. That means it will also throttle less. With AMOLED display it should find new fans among Samsung users too.

"The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 617 processor with X8 LTE combines a fast and powerful octa-core CPU with integrated Snapdragon X8 LTE, full 1080p support, and dual-ISPs, designed to deliver the next high-end experiences." - link to Snapdragon 617 specs page.

The overall hardware specification doesn't look bad on the paper and I can't wait to see how One A9 behaves in real.

About the "almost iPhone design" argument - yes, it's true that it does look like an iPhone. Yes, it's true that HTC was first with such design. The question is - does it really matter? HTC One M9 design was unique and awful (sorry to say that). HTC One A9 design is not as unique, but it just looks good. It doesn't bring any innovation, but I'm sure it will find more supporters rather than the M9 design.

Unlike many of my friends I'm pleased with what HTC presented today. As a HTC One M8 owner the One A9 sounds like a nice upgrade option to me, the first good looking phone after the One M8.

You can find more details about the HTC One A9 on the official page - HTC One A9.

Do you have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) below this post!

For latest news follow Android Revolution HD on popular social platforms:

Introducing the HTC One M9+

The most anticipated phone after the HTC One M9 is finally here! Let's take a closer look at what HTC offers in the M9's "big brother":

Android 5.1: Unwrapping a new Lollipop update

It seems that Android 5.1 is finally out! The Android team just posted on their blog that new update is ready and it brings quite a lot of changes, including stability fixes, performance improvements and offers a few new features like support for multiple SIM cards, Device Protection and high definition (HD) voice on compatible phones. 

"Whether you want to share your phone with a family member or better manage your mobile costs, Android Lollipop 5.1 now lets you use more than one SIM card on a device with multiple SIM slots."

"With Device Protection, your lost or stolen device will remain locked until you sign in with your Google account - even if someone resets your device to factory settings. This feature will be available on most Android phones and tablets shipped with Android 5.1 in addition to Nexus 6 and Nexus 9."

"High Definition voice calling is now on your mobile phone. Get crystal clear calling with HD Voice between compatible Android 5.1 devices like the Nexus 6 on T-Mobile or Verizon."

"Android 5.1 Lollipop also provides enhancements such as the ability to join Wi-Fi networks and control of your paired Bluetooth devices directly from Quick Settings."

Source: Android Official Blog

Do you have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) below this post!

For latest news follow Android Revolution HD on popular social platforms:

HTC One M9 in all flavours! [Gallery]

If you didn't have a chance yet to see the official, high quality images of the newest HTC flagship - HTC One M9 here's the full gallery. Enjoy!

Utopia in Progress: HTC One M9, HTC Grip & HTC Vive

HTC aims to improve lives by empowering consumers through smart technology to build deeper, more meaningful connections with the things that matter most in their lives. HTC is also expanding its vision beyond the traditional smartphone and tablet space, to bring the award-winning design and category-shifting innovation to new markets.

HTC One M9 official specification

HTC One M9 is finally released! A great looking newest HTC high-end smartphone. Even if it's just an evolution in terms of the design, keep in mind that the HTC One M8 was multiple times rewarded for its design. So instead of making a complete change in this matter, HTC decided, once more, to keep the winning design and only make a few little changes. I believe this is a good move and the HTC One M9 will lead the leadership among other 2015 smartphones. Also, keep in mind that the whole hardware is way better - new SoC, improved camera, increased RAM memory and more! Details below!

Xposed for Android Lollipop is out!

The day we've been all waiting for since Android Lollipop landed on the HTC flag-ship devices! Xposed (so far Alpha version) for Android 5.0 is finally here!

HTC One M9 - What do we know so far?

The HTC One M9 launch day is just around the corner. We've heard a lot of rumours already and saw a different renders presenting the concepts of the incoming HTC flag-ship device. The question is - what do we really know so far?

HTC One M9 "Hima" design concept

Just few minutes ago Phone Designer posted on their Facebook page a new concepts of the incoming HTC high-end device - HTC One M9 "Hima". The authors warned that the concept is based on the current leaks and they can't promise the final product will look exactly the same.

My thoughts? Actually I really hope it will look exactly the same! Pictures are just stunning!

The clock is ticking... [HTC at MWC 2015]

Since few years every March means a lot of fascination and excitement in the Android world. March is a special month for thousands of Android users, especially those using devices from the ambitious and inventive Taiwan manufacturer - HTC.

HTC One M8 receives official Lollipop OTA update [WWE & T-Mobile]

If you were waiting for the official Lollipop OTA updates for your HTC One M8 – wait no more! Today HTC has started rolling out update for the .401 WWE (World Wide English) devices and - which is surprising - for the T-Mobile carrier in various European countries (f.g. 118 - PL, 111 - DE).

Android 5.0 Lollipop is available for the HTC One M8 since few days already - we wrote about it here: HTC One M7 & HTC One M8 Android Lollipop stock system dumps and here: HTC One M8 received Android 5.0.1 Lollipop with the HTC Sense 6 UI but since today the gates are open for owners of the unbranded WWE devices too! Previously OTA was available only for  the M8 Developer Edition variant.

OTA package for WWE devices is 782MB (4.16.401.10) and can be downloaded from here.

If you are looking for an optimized stock ROM with ROOT access just navigate to this thread and download latest Android Revolution HD for the HTC One M8.

Do you have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) below this post!

For latest news follow Android Revolution HD on popular social platforms:

HTC One M7 & HTC One M8 Android Lollipop stock system dumps

Android 5.0 "Lollipop" has been unveiled on June 25, 2014 and it’s the latest version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google. Only few months later the HTC One M7 - the best smartphone of the 2013 and the HTC One M8 - the best smartphone of the 2014 are already running Android Lollipop together with the most powerful Android custom UI - HTC Sense 6.0.

HTC’s Android Lollipop update roadmap

According to the HTC-Vietnam site, Android 5.0 Lollipop update with the HTC Sense UI on board is suppose to land on multiple HTC devices in 2015. Thanks to HTC's impressive update timing we can already enjoy Lollipop taste on the HTC One M7 and the HTC One M8 in both Sense and Google Play Edition flavours. Earlier in 2014 we already wrote about possible roadmap in this article: "HTC devices to receive Android 5.0 "Lollipop" update". Here are some fresh details:

HTC One M8 received Android 5.0.1 Lollipop with the HTC Sense 6 UI

The best smartphone of the 2014 – the HTC One M8 is already running Android 5.0.1 with the HTC Sense 6.0 interface. Thanks to the OTA update package from the 13th January HTC One M8 owners can already enjoy all the goodies that comes with one of the biggest Android platform update – Lollipop.

The UI is slightly refreshed, but it’s still HTC Sense 6.0 after all. However, HTC is already working on the HTC Sense 7 update that will become official together with the HTC One M9 premiere (if that’s the proper name).

Currently only the HTC One M8 Developer Edition is getting Lollipop OTA and it’s tagged as 4.16.1540.8. WWE Edition (.401) is around the corner too, and it should appear later this week. It will be tagged as 4.16.401.8. But don’t be disappointed, you can already have Android 5.0.1 Lollipop running on your device, even if it’s not the Developer Edition. Just head to this thread and install the latest Android Revolution HD 30.1 based on the 4.16.1540.8 update. It should work on most variants of the HTC One M8, except the U.S. models.

One of the biggest changes in Android 5.0 is ART (Android Runtime) - an application runtime environment used by the older Android mobile operating system. ART replaces Dalvik, which is the process virtual machine originally used by Android, and performs transformation of the application's bytecode into native instructions that are later executed by the device's runtime environment. ART brings improvements in performance, garbage collection, applications debugging and profiling. Among with a tones of security fixes and other major changes, Android 5.0 Lollipop also contains major new platform features for developers, with over 5,000 new APIs added for use by applications.

It's definitely one of the most important system update in the Android history. And since HTC One M8 is the best Android device up to date, it's a must have update for every HTC One M8 owner.

Android 5.0.1 Lollipop with the HTC Sense 6.0 for the HTC One M8 (4.16.1540.8) - link

Do you have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) below this post!

For latest news follow Android Revolution HD on popular social platforms:

HTC Google Play applications

It is now a common practice among different phone manufactures to re-distribute some of the system applications via Google Play store. Today we created a complete list of the HTC apps you can install on your HTC device. Keep in mind that to install and use some of them you might need to have a device running HTC Sense 6 launcher.

HTC devices to receive Android 5.0 "Lollipop" update

Since quite a long time HTC is doing a great job in terms of having its high-end devices up to date with the latest Android OS version. And it's not different this time! The newest Android 5.0 Lollipop will be soon available for a number of HTC devices, including:

To be honest I can't wait to see my HTC One M8 running Android five dot zero. What's more - together with the new Android OS, HTC will most likely present refreshed version of the HTC Sense interface - HTC Sense 7.0. On the other hand, after latest Android 4.4.4 update (with HTC Sense 6.0) I ask myself - can this be even better?! Oh yes, I'm sure HTC will give us something stunning again!

Do you have any questions or comments? Feel free to share! Also, if you like this article, please use media sharing buttons (Twitter, G+, Facebook) below this post!

For latest news follow Android Revolution HD on popular social platforms:

Source

HTC One M8 3.28.401.6 new firmware details

While the new OTA update for the HTC One M8 is still hot & fresh (HTC One M8 received Android 4.4.4 update with HTC EYE camera experience!) we decided to take a quick look at the new firmware package included in the 3.28.401.6 update. There are few interesting changes in there!

HTC One M8 received Android 4.4.4 update with HTC EYE camera experience!

While Samsung is still in love with Android 4.4.2 (Android version from 2013), HTC recently released Android 4.4.4 update for the HTC One M8. Even if the most recent software version up to date was Android 4.4.3 (still newer than Samsung), the number of changes in the new update is quite impressive. The new OTA update elevates the software version to 3.28.401.6 and apparently brings a lot of fixes, changes and improvements. Here are some of them spotted until now:

HTC decides to skip Android 4.4.4 update. OTA based on 4.4.3 + security fix coming soon

International version of the HTC One M8 is currently running Android 4.4.2 (1.54.401.10) but this will change very soon. According to the confirmed information, the new over-the-air (OTA) update with Android 4.4.3 will start rolling out late next week for the 0P6B10000 variant of the HTC One M8 with the following CID numbers: 

HTC__001, HTC__E11, HTC__102, HTC__203, HTC__405, HTC__Y13, HTC__304, HTC__A07, HTC__002, HTC__016, HTC__032, HTC__J15, HTC__M27, HTC__A48, HTC__K18.

Incoming Android 4.4.3 with HTC Sense 6.1 for the HTC One M8

HTC has been working hard to keep the HTC One M8 at the cutting edge. These days, one of the crucial strategy element in the war between smartphones companies is to keep their top devices bundled with the latest Android OS.