HTC M7 Rumored To Hit Three Major Carriers At Launch, Verizon Delayed

HTC’s launch partners for the M7 include T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. While we have seen evidence which suggests the HTC M7 is also heading to Verizon, our source claims that big red’s launch of the flagship Android device from HTC will be delayed. The reason for the delay is unknown, but Verizon is currently backing the HTC Droid DNA with a huge marketing campaign, so we doubt they would want to push it to the side to promote a device which isn’t much different from the DNA.

There are no new details available regarding the HTC M7′s retail availability in the U.S. market, but we’re hoping we won’t have to wait too long since the device is rumored to go on sale in Europe on March 8th. HTC’s February 19th press event is only two and a half weeks away, so we suspect we’ll be getting all of the official HTC M7 launch details then.

Source: HTC Source

Goodbye Chronus, It Was Nice Knowing You

cLock (formally Chronus) apk download link

Source: Google+

HTC EVO 4G LTE Receives OTA Update To 3.16.651.3

The HTC EVO 4G LTE is receiving an OTA update to 3.16.651.3. Which bring's some much needed bug fixes and other improvements to the device.

Weighing in at 44MB, users are reporting improvements to the proximity sensor, fixes to the camera shutter sound, and improved voice mail.

Here is the official changelog, as listed on the Sprint Community Forum:

• Proximity sensor improvements while on a call or listening to voicemail
• Ability to output audio/video to HDTV (and other external displays via MHL cable
• WiFi Connection improvements
• Bluetooth compatibility improvements
• Android process/application shutdown resolved

Source: Android Central

Google’s Project Glass Awaiting FCC Approval

The publication of these documents don’t tell us anything that we haven’t already known or assumed. We do know that WiFi 802.11b/g will be on board and Bluetooth 4.0 will be an alternate wireless data option, but that’s about it right now. The bone-conduction technology we heard about in a recent patent filing does seem to be on board, as well. We’re glad to see that this wasn't just a concept Google was dreaming up.

It seems the paperwork was filed a couple of months ago, so it’s obvious Google requested a temporary hold to make sure one of us know what it was up to. Once this device makes its way through all of the necessary steps for approval Google will be able to legally distribute the devices in the United States. Of course, the only folks getting their hands on these glasses anytime soon are the developers who pre-ordered the early preview units at last year’s Google I/O.

Phandroid plopped cash down for three of those if you don’t remember, though we’re still in the dark in regards to the arrival date. We’ll be waiting patiently for those details to roll in, but in the meantime we’re just happy to know that the device does look to be on track to be in the public’s hands in one way or another at some point this year.

Source: FCC

BlackBerry Announces BlackBerry 10 And New Devices

The Z10 is BlackBerry’s all-touch device featuring a 4.2-inch display with a 1280×768 resolution, equaling a pixel density of 356ppi. The phone carries a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU with 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, and 16GB or 32GB storage options. The Q10 has similar internal hardware, but features a full QWERTY keyboard and 3.1-inch display at 330ppi.

For BB10′s flagship handsets, the hardware seems a little light when compared to the latest Android devices. But BlackBerry is hoping to succeed not on hardware alone, but also on through their brand new software platform, which reinvents the BlackBerry ecosystem for the touchscreen era.

A new emphasis has been placed on multi-tasking via “BlackBerry Flow,” a system not unlike Android 4.x’s multi-tasking application launcher, and integration with social networks and other communications platforms looks to create a more robust experience while recapturing BlackBerry’s position as the leader in mobile messaging. Apps also look to play a bigger role than ever in the BlackBerry experience.

It’s a bold move forward for BlackBerry, but at first glance we still wonder if they have done enough. The new OS looks slick and contains some intriguing functionality, but nothing that transcends what we have seen from other mobile platforms. Same goes for the hardware. In short, this could be BB’s last hurrah. Android certainly shouldn’t feel threatened.

Source: Phandroid

Android 4.2.1 update Live For Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus

Sprint has begun pushing the Android 4.2.1 update for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, bringing the Ice Cream Sandwich flagship phone to the latest version of Jelly Bean. Major changes include an overhauled camera interface with Photo Sphere feature, a retooled notifications shade with quick settings, and lockscreen widgets.

The update brings the phone’s software version to L700GA02 and will rollout to all users over the coming weeks. Sprint says all users should have the update within 21 days.

Source: Sprint

How Siri Almost Became An Android Exclusive For Verizon

Details on the the history of Siri, including Steve Jobs' move to contact the company just three weeks after the independent app's launch, have surfaced over the last several years, but The Huffington Post has now published an extensive history of the technology and company that reveals a few other interesting details. 

The report outlines how Siri grew out of a Department of Defense project to integrate with 42 different web services to perform its virtual assistant services, many of which were discontinued when Apple scaled back the platform for inclusion in iOS. Apple has been relatively slow to build Siri's feature set back up, but has been making progress on the effort. 

Perhaps most interestingly, the report reveals that Siri was very nearly an Android exclusive for Verizon, but the deal was obviously broken when Steve Jobs and Apple moved quickly to acquire Siri.

In the fall of 2009, several months before Apple approached Siri, Verizon had signed a deal with the startup to make Siri a default app on all Android phones set to launch in the new year. When Apple swooped in to buy Siri, it insisted on making the assistant exclusive to Apple devices, and nixed the Verizon deal. In the process, it narrowly avoided seeing Siri become a selling point for smartphones powered by its biggest rival, Google. (Somewhere in the vaults of the wireless giant, there are unreleased commercials touting Siri as an Android add-on.)
The report goes on to discuss some of the challenges faced by Siri at Apple, including difficulties in negotiating partnerships with content providers, Apple's emphasis on broadening access to other countries and languages over pushing the technology forward for a smaller subset of users, and corporate politics that have resulted in the loss of some of Siri's biggest advocates at Apple. 

Siri is also facing strong competition from the Android platform of which it was almost a part. Google has moved quickly to develop its own virtual assistant capabilities in the form of Google Now, and many are looking for Apple to step up the pace of improvement with Siri in order to reestablish it in users' minds as a key advantage for Apple as it was touted at its 2011 launch on the iPhone 4S.


Source: MacRumors

Apple Seeds iOS 6.1 Beta 5 To Developers

 


Apple today pushed out the fifth beta of iOS 6.1 to developers. The release comes just two days before the fourth beta, which was seeded on December 17, is scheduled to expire.

No public release time frame for iOS 6.1 is known yet, but registered developers can download the latest beta via Apple's Developer page.


Apple Developer page link


Source: Apple Developer page

Could We See A 128GB iOS Device Soon

iOS 6.1 Beta 5 was released to developers yesterday and there is a reference to 128GB capacity devices in the SystemPartitionPadding key in the release manifest. This reference has apparently been absent from previous releases, so perhaps it is an indicator of things to come.

However, this is not conclusive in any way, shape or form. There have been hints in the past, and as we mentioned, we have not seen any devices or specs even approaching the subject. Having written that, seeing a 128GB iOS device seems highly unlikely to us, at least as far as the iPhone is concerned. 

Given the premium price-point of the iPhone, based on current pricing schemes, a subsidized 128GB iPhone would cost $500 and would list full retail for about $950. We do not expect that market research would return a favorable impression to that prospect.

Source: MacRumors

Amazon Buys Speech Recognition Firm Ivona

Amazon on Thursday announced it is buying Ivona, a firm specializing in text-to-speech technology.

The Poland-based Ivona's technology verbalizes written text messages. Amazon has been using Ivona's technology for its Kindle e-readers since 2009. Ivona also supplies "Explore By Touch" and "Voice Guide" navigation for Kindle Fire models. Explore By Touch gives readers an auditory cue when they swipe their fingers across the Kindle Fire's menu (for instance, the title of a book would be read aloud if it was swiped.) In Voice Guide, any action the customer performs on the device is read aloud. In Amazon's example, when you open a new book, it would say "The Hunger Games. Book opened." Both features are aimed at vision-impaired customers.

While the technology appears to be the exact opposite of Apple's Siri, Amazon's purchase might signal increased hands-free features that could be employed on a rumored Amazon phone.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Source: Mashables