HTC Unveils Revamped HTC One 152
adeelarshad82 writes "Earlier today, HTC unveiled a revamped version of its One smartphone. The new HTC One has a 4.7-inch full HD 1080p display which is powered by a 1.7-GHz, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and a customized version of Android. The new phone includes support for NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and DLNA for wireless streaming to a TV or computer. Measuring 5.4 by 2.7 by 0.36 inches, the phone weighs around 5 ounces. According to the specs, the phone will come with either 32 or 64GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, and it's backed by a non-removable 2300mAh battery. Unfortunately the phone doesn't include a memory card slot and has just two ports: a headphone jack and a MicroUSB that doubles as an MHL output for HDMI TVs. HTC One's 'UltraPixel' camera is nothing to sniff at either. HTC is trying to replace megapixels with 'ultrapixels,' cutting down the size of photos but using much larger individual pixels to sharply reduce noise and improve low-light performance. In a quick comparison with iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3, One's images were far clearer and brighter. The HTC One runs Android 4.1.2 with HTC's new Sense 5."
Customers Satisfied (Score:4, Interesting)
Getting one phone out on a lot of carriers is a good move, but lets see if they can keep up with updates. So far HTC phones have been some of the worst at getting updated.
Is the bootloader unlocked? Is S-off easy to obtain?
http://ondeviceresearch.com/blog/iphone-5-ranked-fifth-in-user-satisfaction%2C-behind-four-android-powered-devices#sthash.uPvDqYTk.O4PYwW2L.dpbs [ondeviceresearch.com] in the UK the HTC X is rated No 1 in smartphone satisfaction, so clearly they are doing something right. If you have concerns [ignoring you should provide the answers] perhaps your asking the wrong questions.
Infrared Remote Control (Score:4, Interesting)
The revamped one includes a Infrared remote control...and its not mentioned in the summary. I know those who had the n900 had this functionality, but Nokia hardware seems to have taken any advantages they have, and sacrificed it for Microsoft. So its nice to see this feature come back. Hopefully we are going to see some nice software to back this up.
Re:Hmmmm .... (Score:5, Interesting)
They made the sensor bigger for a given resolution.
That is a big image quality improvement.
I don't carry my camera everywhere with me. My smartphone is always with me.
Re:Non removable battery, no memory card slot. (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't mind the phones being a bit thicker. I want my replaceable batter (since it's one of the more likely to go wrong components), I want a keyboard (I always have found even "the best" touch screens a hassle), and a SD card slot would be really nice, though not a dealbreaker like the first two.
Then again, the phone manufacturers are go so far for thin and light, they ignore forget about battery life and reception, which are more important than any of the above IMO.
HTC should stop competing with Apple and Samsung (Score:5, Interesting)
If I were HTC, I would *let* Samsung take the flat-slab, single-button, iPhone clone handset market...and then concentrate on the niches. For example:
--HTC Universal: Every possible cellular frequency is supported, and shipped SIM unlocked. One handset that can roam freely between Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, plus European and Asian cellular systems, at full data speed.
--HTC Marathon: Twice as thick as an iPhone...with a 5,000mAh battery that can last two full days on a charge.
--HTC Pure: From Google's Github to your phone in 72 hours. Those pining for a Sense-free, timely update situation can have it in the Pure.
--HTC Click: My HTC Touch Pro2 had, hands down, the best keyboard on a mobile phone I've ever used. The Click is that handset with a new processor, more RAM and storage, and capacitive screen.
--HTC Tower: If you live or work too far away from a tower for a normal handset to get a signal, the Tower will ensure your call gets there.
--HTC Vault: For users with far too much data, this handset has 256GB of internal storage, and uses the same technology as a desktop SSD to ensure that data gets in and out as fast as possible.
--HTC Flick: Glass lenses and optical zoom increase the thickness of this handset that has a camera that outperforms even most dedicated point-and-shoot cameras from Canon and Nikon.
--HTC Simplicity: There's still a small dumbphone market, and the Jitterbug caters to users who want a phone that reliably makes phone calls and is easy to read. The Jitterbug can withstand a little competition.
--HTC Tinker: This handset is born to be hacked. No locked bootloader, no rooting required, and images for Android, Windows Phone 8, and Ubuntu are all available direct from the manufacturer.
There are plenty of niches where HTC can compete. They just have to stop trying to play the "lowest common denominator" card and trying to convince users to choose them over the Galaxy S3.
Re:A lesson for HTC (Score:5, Interesting)
I'll give you HTC's responses. Note I'm not endorsing them, just telling what they will say. My personal comments are included.
1) Allow users to remove / not load HTC Sense and opt for the pure Android experience. Sense is lovely, but sometimes I don't want to use up resources on it.
Sense is what differentiates our phones, all our apps are designed for it and would need modifications to fit in with the vanilla Android theme, our phones have industry leading performance etc.
Comment: Apparently future versions of Android (Key Lime Pie?) will allow manufacturers to more easily skin the OS and optionally allow users to turn the skin off.
2) Make your phones (more) hacker friendly.
Lots of work for 0.00001% of our users, and lots of headaches from the people who think they know what they are doing but don't and brick their phones instead. Seriously, Samsung went to the trouble of introducing a counter that tracks how many times you installed an unofficial ROM because people kept bricking their phones and returning them.
Comment: We are a niche market, but well served by Google and some really rather good Chinese phones.
3) Stop it with the non-removable batteries and lack of external SD card slots.
We make lots of money on battery replacement and charging £50 for an extra 8GB of storage.
Comment: Okay, they wouldn't use those words, but that's what it boils down to. The only option is to boycott I'm afraid. Speak through your wallet.
4) UPDATES for Android!
It does what it does when you buy it. If you want new stuff buy a new phone.
Comment: Again future versions of Android are supposed to improve this situation, and again the only solution is unfortunately to vote with your wallet.
You need the dev community to support your phones.
Those guys are a support nightmare for us. We really want them to leave us alone.