HTC Runnymede and Bliss Get Detailed in New Specs Leak, Beats Audio Inside

New leaks are drawing light to the many rumors circulating around two upcoming HTC handsets, the HTC Runnymede and the HTC Bliss The Bliss will feature a 3.7-inch WVGA display and 1GHz Qualcomm CPU. It features dual cameras on the front and rear, with the latter snapping at 5MP and the former featuring a VGA resolution. The specs are similar to what we would expect out of a high end device coming out sometime in 2010, but in 2011 they create a device on the upper end of the mid-range scale, totally serviceable and most likely at a fair price. It fits the mold that has been cast for the Bliss, a handset designed to be appealing to the fairer of the two sexes. A glowing “charm” indicator is ideal for dangling outside of a purse, alerting the user to calls, texts, and notifications while the handset remains muffled deep in the bottom of the bag. The Bliss is known to be outfitted with Android Gingerbread and a freshly updated version of HTC Sense.

On the other end of the spectrum is the HTC Runnymede, a phone which borrows heavily from the recently announced WP7 HTC Titan. It is similar in size with a gargantuan 4.7-inch display and waistline measuring only 9.9mm thick. Tucked inside you will find a single-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm chip. An 8MP camera is capable of 720p video capture. A big addition, as displayed prominently on the back of the handset in a newly-leaked promo shot, is the inclusion of Beats Audio.
HTC sure has a knack for covering every niche in the smartphone market, and with dual-core beasts like the HTC Vigor also in the lineup it looks like it could be another big holiday season for the Taiwanese manufacturer.
[via ThisIsMyNext, UnwiredView]

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STATS: Over half of all UK Android phones are made by HTC

Data analyst ComScore has released some new facts & figures covering the European smartphone scene, breaking down Android sales by hardware maker. It shows that in terms of Android use, HTC has an astonishing grip of the UK, with 51% of all Android users in the country owning an HTC device. Big win, that.
ComScore says a total of 6.3m people in the UK now use an Android phone, with 4.5m Android users in France and 4m in Germany. Here’s the Android manufacturer breakdown across five key EU territories:

Samsung owns France, though. Good to see the resurgent Sony Ericsson making up some ground with its ace 2011 models, too. You can read the full ComScore report into the current state of the European mobile scene here.
Link via Techradar.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray available now

If there’s one phone we’ve given a verbal bashing more than the HTC ChaCha this year, it’s the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray. The poor bastard.
To be fair, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray looks fine, but coming from a manufacturer that’s easily into double figures with its Android output this year alone, it’s just a little underwhelming. Sorry, Raymond.

Anyway, if you haven’t been put off by our incessant bullying, you can now grab the SIM free Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray from

Clove for £299.99. Play.com is a little more expensive at £329.99.

It’s also available from O2 on a variety of 18M and 24M contracts, from free to £79.99 up front. Of course, remember with O2 you have to throw on a “Data Allowance” bundle on top of the advertised tariff. Cheeky gits.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has a 3.3in display, 8.1MP camera, 1GHz processor, 1,500mAh battery, and runs Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) with Facebook Inside. It’s a mere 9.4mm thick.
Vodafone and Orange are expected to join the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray party later in the year.

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Android apps continue to gain popularity, catching up to Apple

There are plenty of smartphone users that will stick with what they like and there are some that want the most apps available.  For the latter, it might start to get a bit difficult to choose since Android apps are closing the gap with Apple apps.  App downloads are powering towards 5 billion by the end of 2011.  In the Asia-Pacific region, Android apps are set to take over Apple apps for the first time.  With increasing smartphone usage in the region and more smartphone users getting familiar with Android OS, the numbers are set to shoot through the roof.  This year, the region can expect to see an increase of 189 percent on the number of app downloads.
Experts expect mobile app downloads to reach the 14 billion mark over the next 5 years.  In this region, the research showed that revenues could climb to as much as $870+ million compared to only $300+ million last year, with those numbers climbing each year as more smartphones become available to the area.  Downloads from all app stores around the world is increasing as the demand for smartphones rises in areas of the world that were not able to get access to the phones over recent years.

Apps that add features to phones and allow users to complete tasks on the go are the most popular type of app.  Apple saw about 15 billion app downloads and the iTunes App Store is showing about 425,000 apps at this time.  Even though Android only listed about 1.8 billion apps download this year, it is actually about higher than Apple’s 1.5 billion.  That is a major increase from last year when the region saw 244 million Android apps downloaded compared to Apple’s 424 million apps over the same time period.

Android is set to take over Apple in more ways than one, but for now it is just in the app marketplace.  As Android devices gain in popularity and lower prices to lure more customers, the downloaded app numbers will continue to increase over the years.  The Asia-Pacific market is large and some say that Android could hit the 6 billion download mark by 2016 and that would be double what experts say Apple apps will be by the same year.  The Apple iPhone is still the most popular smartphone and has the highest in paid app revenue, which is set to climb to $800 million by 2016.

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Samsung Windows 8 tablet leaked

If the rumour mongers speaketh the truth then Microsoft's Build conference, which kicks off at 5pm UK time, will be heavily tablet based with reports suggesting that the software giant will give away a preview version of Windows 8 and thousands of Samsung tablets to developers at the expo.
And the tablet in question looks to already have been spotted, with blog Microsoft News publishing a picture of a some tablets in Samsung labelled boxes with the words "the build" displayed in the same font that Microsoft is using for the event.

The New York Times cites "two industry consultants who have been told about the plans" as its source for the Windows 8 tablet giveaway info.

Back in July Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said: "Windows 8 really does represent a true re-imagining of Windows PCs and the dawning of Windows slates."
In May he said: "As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors."
From the glimpses we've seen of Windows 8 so far, it's fairly obvious it has been built with mobile devices in mind. Compared to previous Windows iterations it boasts an extensively redesigned UI that tips its cap firmly in the direction of Windows Phone 7.
We'll be reporting all the news from the Build event, so be sure to check back later for all the updates.
Via: nytimes.com Via: microsoft-news.com

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Samsung Galaxy Y vs ZTE Skate

Samsung's Galaxy Y takes on ZTE's Skate this time around, as we aim to see which budget friendly Android smartphone packs the biggest punch

Smartphones are no longer devices reserved for the tech obsessed among us - they're part of most people's every day existence.
Whether it's checking your calendar to keep tabs on a birthday, or killing some time playing a game on your commute, your smartphone keeps you in touch, entertained and organised. And most people can't live without their shiny little box of tricks.
Thankfully this level of general acceptance has led to companies investing time and effort into producing high quality, low cost products, with the aim of allowing people on a budget to embrace the smartphone revolution without breaking the bank.
Two such devices are Samsung's Galaxy Y and ZTE's Skate. The question is - which one represents true value for money?

Screen
Samsung's Galaxy Y ships with a 3-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen that operates at a resolution of 240x320 pixels and displays 256K colours. While we weren't expecting one of Samsung's sterling AMOLED's in a budget conscious device, we were hoping for something a little more potent than what's on offer here.
The ZTE Skate comes with a bit more tech, in the shape of a 4.3-inch TFT touchscreen that operates at a resolution of 480x800, displays 16 million colours and offers an impressive pixel density of 217ppi.
Winner - ZTE Skate

Power
ZTE's Skate runs on an 800MHz single-core CPU, which is sufficient enough to run the OS without any major lag or hiccups but let's be honest, it won't set the world alight (nor is it intended to).
Similarly, the Galaxy Y runs on an 832MHz processor, which offers up a tiny bit more power but, again, don't expect miracles. These processors are intended for the distance, not a sprint.
The ZTE Skate comes with a fairly respectable 512MB RAM, though, which should give the device a more spritely feel when multi-tasking or opening up applications. Samsung's Galaxy Y features a so-far undisclosed amount of RAM, but we wouldn't bet our shirts on it rivalling the Skate in the memory stakes.
Both device's do, however, offer support for Micro SD cards up to 32GB in size, so you shouldn't be stuck for space to store your MP3s and photos.
Winner - ZTE Skate

Form and Build
Samsung Galaxy Y - 104 x 58 x 11.5 mm, 97.5g
ZTE Skate - 125.9 x 67.8 x 10.4 mm, 120g
The Galaxy Y is a neat, pocketable device that isn't heavy or unnecessarily ugly. It's constructed out of lightweight plastics and the level of craftsmanship on offer is vintage Samsung, which is to say, fine, but rather undistinguished.
The ZTE Skate is a larger, more premium looking (and feeling) device, which feels robust and well assembled, though, its extra bulk makes it a little cumbersome at times.
Winner - Draw

Software
Both devices run on version 2.3 of Google's popular Android OS.
The Samsung Galaxy Y features the company's nice UI overlay, TouchWiz, which gives it some nice additions such as widgets, apps and social networking integration.
The ZTE Skate also offers a tweaked UI, with custom widgets and apps and, surprisingly, it's quite intuitive and pleasing to use.
As you'd expect both devices also offer all the other trappings associated with Android, such as apps, games and huge customisation potential and in this respect both are light years ahead of other similarly low priced 'dumb' phones.
Winner - Draw

Camera
Budget conscious smartphones aren't usually known for their photographic prowess but the ZTE Skate does pack a pretty decent 5-megapixel camera, which also offers autofocus, LED flash and geo-tagging.
The Samsung Galaxy Y keeps to tradition with a bog-standard 2-megapixel offering that borders on awful.
Both devices capture video, the Galaxy Y at QVGA (15FPS), while the Skate's capabilities are unconfirmed.
We know these device's aren't going to be made or broken off the back of their photographic chops but if we're talking bang for buck the Skate takes the round, hands down, and the Galaxy Y looks pitiful in comparison.
Winner - ZTE Skate

Verdict
So it's a win for the Chinese-made ZTE Skate, almost with no contest.
If you're looking for a low priced smartphone that offers a decent level of performance you could do far worse than the Skate. Sure, it isn't one of the latest, greatest dual-core beasties, but it works and works well.
The Samsung Galaxy Y on the other hand, is underwhelming in almost every respect.

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Samsung Droid Charge Gingerbread Update Now Available

When Samsung released the Droid Charge 4G Android smartphone on Verizon’s LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile broadband network, the operating system employed out-of-the-box was Google’s 2.2 Froyo OS. This drew some raised eyebrows, since Samsung had other phones on the marketplace released in advance of the Droid Charge 4G which employed the upgraded Android operating system, Gingerbread 2.3.
Instant speculation was that there were some software bugs which would not integrate the Droid Charge 4G favorably with the improved Gingerbread operating system. That has been addressed, and the Google Android operating system beta upgrade from Froyo to Gingerbread is now available for all Samsung Droid Charge 4G owners
No big press release or announcement was made, and it is important to note that this Google operating system update is an upgrade, but it is not the final, finished Samsung update we have been expecting. However, any upgrade from the Froyo 2.2 OS which experienced several bugs and was not near as smooth as the Gingerbread OS is welcome. So for those Samsung Droid Charge owners out there anxious to get a taste of Gingerbread in your mouth, the download is ready, and when the finalized Gingerbread update is available for download, you will receive a notification on your handset.

With a wide array of second generation 4G handsets hitting the market, the first generation 4G Samsung Droid Charge Android smartphone has wisely been reduced to a one penny retail price with two-year activation by Verizon on their LTE network. Samsung’s acclaimed Super AMOLED Plus display technology is on board, and provides 480 x 800 resolution graphics on the 4.3 inch screen, and supports multitouch gestures. A light sensor and a proximity sensor are also integrated into the display technology.

A single core 1.0 GHz Hummingbird processor, 8 megapixel rear facing camcorder which provides video capture in 720P high definition, 1.3 front facing camera for video chat and video call access, microSD and microUSB slots and HDMI wired and DLNA wireless video out round out the Droid Charge feature set. Continuous talk time from a single battery charge on the Droid Charge is an above average 11 hours. The 4G smartphone average is 8 hours, so evidently the Samsung Droid Charge is appropriately named.

Samsung did not release a date for their final Gingerbread over the air update, but this beta version is available immediately for those Samsung Droid Charge owners with a Gingerbread sweet tooth.

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HTC Thunderbolt To Receive Android 2.3 Gingerbread in September

The HTC Thunderbolt was the first phone to arrive on Verizon’s 4G LTE (Long term evolution) mobile broadband network, and immediately posted record-breaking speeds, making the Thunderbolt and Verizon’s “LTE” household names for tech-loving smartphone shoppers. And while the HTC’s Thunderbolt was and still is a very fast phone, out-of-the-box the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system was sort of outmatched with the powerful HTC Thunderbolt’s speed and features.


Never fear, Gingerbread is here! Google has been partnering with smartphone manufacturers and wireless service providers and offering free over the air updates in the form of the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system recently, and the HTC Thunderbolt is the next phone to benefit from this free OS upgrade.
The exact dates for the Google operating system upgrade were not revealed, but generally companies roll out the upgrades in a staggered manner to ensure trouble-free downloads and to be able to quickly react to any customer input regarding any bugs or snafus.

If the HTC Thunderbolt 4G Gingerbread update is anything like the updates from Froyo to the Android 2.3 OS that have been taking place recently, Android’s 2.3.4 operating system version is the new software that will be rolled out. Verizon has confirmed that there is an operating system upgrade coming in the month of September, but would provide no more details. Usually, these updates are handled via a notification text to the user’s handset. Then the mobile handset operator simply has to follow a couple of prompts, all very non-technical, and the new software is downloaded.

If you own an HTC Thunderbolt 4G Android smartphone and you have not received a notification about an upgrade to the Gingerbread operating system by the middle of the month, check back here for more information, as we will be updating as soon as we receive any new info.  Buy the HTC Thunderbolt 4g starting at one penny.

The recent Android operating system upgrade to several first-generation 4G smartphones similar to the HTC Thunderbolt has resulted in smarter performance, which requires less power, thus translating to more talk and browser time on a single battery charge, as well as individual updates cater to the specific smartphone device.

The HTC Thunderbolt is currently offered at a retail price of one penny on Verizon’s 4G LTE network with a two year activation. The Thunderbolt employs a single core 1.0 GHz Snapdragon processor, and delivers 480 x 800 pixel resolution on its 4.3 inch capacitive touchscreen which supports multitouch gestures. Dual camcorders and full Adobe Flash media player support are also on board.

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Samsung files patent complaint against Apple in France

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Monday it had filed a complaint in France against its US rival Apple for infringement of three technology patents.
"The complaint focuses on three technology patents, and not on the design of the tablets," as was the case in a complaint filed in Germany that Apple won last week, a Samsung spokeswoman said.
The complaint was filed before a Paris district court in July and the first hearing is expected in December.
Last week a court in Duesseldorf banned Samsung from selling its latest Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in Germany, ruling it had copied Apple's iconic iPad.
Samsung has said it plans to appeal the decision.
In the Netherlands, a court in The Hague banned three Samsung telephone models on August 24 following an Apple suit. Samsung launched a counter-claim, due to be heard by the same court on September 26.
The two firms are also locked in legal battles in Australia, the United States and Asia. Samsung has responded to Apple's accusations by filing suits of its own in Seoul, asking for a ban on sales of the US firm's products in South Korea.
The tussle began in April when Apple filed a suit accusing Samsung of copying its smartphones and tablet computers. Samsung responded with a claim in Seoul alleging five patent infringements by Apple.
Samsung has said its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer has been selling well in France since it hit the market in mid-August.

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