AT&T sells over 200,000 Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders in 12 hours

Critics who said that the public might have less of a demand for the Apple iPhone 4S due to its relatively minor upgrades might be quieted, as AT&T has announced that it sold over 200,000 pre-orders for the smartphone in a mere 12 hours since the option went live for customers. The other U.S. carriers selling the iPhone, Sprint and Verizon Wireless, have not announced exact numbers of pre-orders, but a quick check on their availability online shows many options delayed or even sold out.
Apple's own website lists a 1 to 2 week wait for each model from all three carriers. AT&T's website says that ship times for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions are in the 14 to 21 day range, while Verizon Wireless says each model will ship on October 21, a week after the phone becomes available in stores. Those who are itching to get their pre-order in and want the phone next week might have the best luck with Sprint, though they will have to opt for the higher capacity models. Sprint says the 16GB version is sold out completely and is no longer taking pre-orders for it. The 32GB and 64GB are still listed with an October 14 ship date, so orders placed for those might be fulfilled next week. The 16GB model sells for $199 with a new two-year contract, while the 32GB and 64GB versions cost $299 and $399 respectively.
Following Apple's announcement of the iPhone 4S, many critics said that demand for the popular smartphone would wane because the exterior design is the same as the 15-month old iPhone 4. That apparently isn't the case, as can be seen from the high demand for pre-orders of the iPhone 4S. Apple's sales record for the iPhone was set last June for the iPhone 4 launch, and stands at 1.7 million units in three days. At the pace that the iPhone 4S is selling, there is a good chance that Apple could see a new sales record with the new model when it hits stores on October 14.

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HTC becomes the most valuable brand of Taiwan

After having spent a number of years in developing its brand value on the global stage, Taiwan based HTC Corp has recently become the biggest international brand of the island. HTC is said to be reaping the benefit from the efforts that it has put in through the years as it is currently valued at around $3.605 billion, which is the highest value among the largest 20 companies in the country. Propelled by the rapid growth in its brand recognition throughout the world, the brand value of HTC has increased by more than two times from its valuation of $1.37 billion last year when one of the biggest PC vendors of the world, Acer, topped the rankings with a value of $1.4 billion.
However, this year the value of HTC has surpassed even the combined totals of the second largest company Acer and the third largest, Asustek. Observers of the market have stated that it is very likely that HTC will make its way into the top 100 brands in the world this year. It is a very prevalent opinion across Taiwan that HTC, which spent just a couple of years building its brand name in the smartphone market of the world, has been a huge success along with being the best example of enterprises in Taiwan, especially to companies which aspire to make a global brand name for themselves from being low margin manufacturers. The HTC CEO, Peter Chou​, has stated that he is very proud of the recent achievements of his company and even amazed by them, saying that HTC owed this to its worldwide consumers.
He remembered that five years ago, the determination of the company to build itself into a global brand was considered very bold, as during those times most Taiwanese enterprises were reluctant in competing with established brands due to the costs and risks involved. Citing the success of his company, he even prompted other such companies based in Taiwan to develop their own brand names in terms of their competencies.
However, he also stressed, that this process can require a lot of patience and time, and it will very likely not be immediately successful. This year has been very good for HTC so far in terms of profits and it is well positioned to register a strong growth in its business for the third straight year.

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Google & T-Mobile file to support HTC in Apple lawsuit

T-Mobile and Google have both filed friends of the court briefs supporting HTC against Apple’s patent lawsuit. The two corporations are protecting interests in the Android platform and its manufacturers, as both of them are actively supporting Samsung in a similar case. The reasoning behind their support briefs is the public interest, and both claim that if Apple keeps HTC from selling competitive devices, various negative effects will be felt by American consumers.

The move mirrors amicus curiae briefs filed by both Verizon and T-Mobile last week in support of Samsung, which is also being sued by Apple in the United States and countries around the globe. Apple contests that both HTC and Samsung have violated their hardware and software design patents, and have filed injunctions to stop sales of devices competing with the iPhone and in some countries the iPad as well. Apple has already secured injunctions against Samsung in both Germany and Australia.
The reasoning behind Google’s brief raised eyebrows at FOSS Patents, a popular blog covering the legal aspects of free and open-source software. Google touted Android’s expansion of the mobile market into low-income ares and its effectiveness during natural disasters, as well as its use by important infrastructure such as the U.S. Army. Google claims that Apple is using the patent system as a means of creating a monopoly, and that their attempted injunction against HTC threatens competition.
Google also highlighted Android’s status as “the only open mobile computing platform.” Editorial note: say Google, Honeycomb came out more than six months ago – would you mind releasing the source code for this open mobile OS you’re so keen on?

T-Mobile basically repeated their support for Samsung, claiming HTC as a major business partner and that an injunction would cause irreparable damage to their future sales. T-Mobile called out Apple’s suggestion that companies supplement a lack of Android devices with “iOS for iPhone, Blackberry OS, and Microsoft Windows” as unreasonable. The company also said that an injunction against HTC would damage its continuing rollout of a 4G network.
So, will these supplementary briefs help HTC and Samsung? It’s hard to say. Patent cases like this end in a settlement more often than not, but it looks like Apple won’t be satisfied with anything less than a ban on Android devices from both major manufacturers. Apple’s refusal to settle in the Samsung Australian case indicates that the worldwide patent battle won’t be ending any time soon.

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Nexus Prime hits the FCC with AT&T and T-Mobile bands

What exclusive? Thanks to a forum tipster, we now know that the Samsung GT-I9250, which is thought to be the Nexus Prime, is passing through the FCC’s wireless certification process. What’s confusing about it is that this particular model features a GSM radio with wireless bands for both AT&T and T-Mobile. According to all the leaks and rumors heard thus far, the Nexus Prime was supposed to be a Verizon exclusive  – that was thought to be part of the reason the carrier was the only one in the United States to pass up on the Samsung Galaxy S II.

The device being examined by the Federal Communications Commission lacks any sort of CDMA radio, ruling out a universal model a la the recently-announced iPhone 4S. Unfortunately, it also lacks any HSPA+, aka “4G” bands, which is odd, since there’s already a 4G model of the Nexus S. A possible answer is that we’re talking about two separate phones, perhaps with different code names – Nexus Prime, Galaxy Nexus, Droid Prime and Droid Nexus have all been bandied about lately. At this point it’s difficult to say which carrier might get the phone first, or how long it might be exclusive to any carrier.
The only thing we can say with any certainty is that Samsung has a new high-profile Android phone in the works, with a release date nebulously set for “soon”. Samsung had planned to unveil the device at CTIA in San Diego next Tuesday, but due to the untimely passing of Steve Jobs, the announcement has been indefinitely postponed. Rumor has it that Samsung and Google may reschedule the Unbox event for October 27th, with a possible London venue.
[via Phandroid]
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HTC Jetstream hands-on video from SlashGear

Have you got an empty space in your backpack,but a wallet that’s full to bursting? Then HTC’s new Jetstream tablet might just be for you. It’s a solid offering of a Honeycomb tablet that’s tragically hamstrung by a $699.99 on contract starting price from AT&T.

Now HTC makes some incredibly solid phones and tablets. For my money (well, not my money, at least not in this case) they’re the best all-around manufacturer of Android devices bar none. And according to the initial impressions, that quality is all over the 10-inch Jetsteam, from its top-of-the-line specifications to its metal housing (not unlike its little brother the Flyer). In addition to the dual-core 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, this is the first tablet we’ve seen from any manufacturer with an 8 megapixel camera and 1080p recording. THe Jetstream in the first tablet we’ve seen that doesn’t trwat the camera like an afterthought.

Hands-on and Unboxing the HTC JetstreamOnce you get past that impressive fit and finish, there’s still a lot of high-end specs to consider. Other highlights include a massive 7300 mAh battery, a user-accessible MicroSD card slot, 32GB of internal storage and a “4G” HSPA+ wireless connection. Is all this worth the steep entry fee, not to mention a total life cost of ownership stretching past $1200 at the cheapest? That’s for you to decide. Check out device.ac’s HTC Jetstream page for an in-depth look under the hood.

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Samsung Stratosphere 4G LTE Slider hits Verizon October 13th

The Samsung Stratosphere comes to us as no surprise today. We’ve seen countless leaks of this mid-range QWERTY slider in the past. Spotted on some Verizon roadmaps, cleared the FCC last month, and full press shots have leaked a few times too. Verizon’s 4G LTE device range is about to get one more added soon, that being the Samsung Stratosphere.

While pricing and details have not been released, we now know the Samsung Stratosphere 4G LTE QWERTY Slider will hit Verizon Wireless on October 13th and should make for another great mid-range LTE option just like the Pantech Breakout

For those unfamiliar, the Stratosphere is basically a last generation Samsung Galaxy S (not a II). It features a 4.0″ AMOLED Display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1.0 Ghz single-core Samsung processor, 5 MP camera on the rear and the usual specs we’ve come to know from the Galaxy S line. The Stratosphere is basically the Samsung DROID Charge with a smaller display and a hardware keyboard, that should sum it up quite nicely.
The Samsung Stratosphere 4G LTE smartphone is no DROID Bionic, or the upcoming Nexus Prime, but it will be an awesome low priced mid-range smartphone for those wanting to jump into the LTE market. Stay tuned for official pricing and more.
[via Droid-life]

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Ice Cream Sandwich Google+ 2.0 and new Google Music 4.0 Apps revealed [Download]

Today we’ve seen plenty news regarding the Samsung Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich. It appears a few are out in the wild and the leaks are finally starting to flood in so prepare for a few crazy days. Obviously there will be tons of changes and new apps, features in Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich but a few that are already leaking have just hit the wires. We have a new Google+ application, version 2.0, with a few changes, then a brand new Google Music app too. More details and download links below.

First off it appears the new Google+ app comes pre-installed and is version 2.0. Recent updates changed Huddles to Messenger, and if this leak is accurate Google is changing it yet again to something called “Chord”. Personally I think messenger was fine and Chord will only confuse people, but what do I know right? We still may see another name come the official launch, but with it being version 2.0 this looks like a final build of some type. There are also numerous UI changes and you can see all of that and more at the source.
Next up we have a brand new Google Music application, this excited me even more. I love Google Music and now we are seeing a new and improved version 4.0.1 from the Ice Cream Sandwich leaks. Basically what we have is a revamped but similar user interface, a clean and simple look, much better controls, and an overall design looking very similar to ICS. It looks quite similar to version 3.0 but just overall cleaner and much more simple. The playing now tab on bottom seems smaller too, check out the picture.

Everything looks nice. I wont get into the details too much because all of this is just starting to hit the wires. Sadly the Nexus Prime CTIA event was canceled in respect to Steve Jobs, so we’ll all have to wait a little longer to get a full look at Ice Cream Sandwich, although I’m sure plenty of leaks are coming shortly so stay tuned to Android Community.
Google Music 4.0.1 download
Google + 2.0 Download

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HTC Sensation XL vs HTC Sensation XE vs HTC Sensation

The HTC Sensation, Sensation XE and Sensation XL - a triumvirate of Gigantosaurus-screened handsets poses a serious shopping dilemma as to which version to opt for. Each is an Android phone and each one described as a flagship handset by Peter Chou​ the his team from Taiwan.
With different processors, accessories, colour schemes and all sorts of other bits and bobs to choose from it's difficult to decide which to go for. It's even a bit of a challenge trying to work out which is which. As ever, Pocket-lint has done the difficult part for you and laid each one bear and clear for you to see against the the other. So, here to help out is the HTC Sensation XL vs HTC Sensation XE vs HTC Sensation. The words have lost all meaning.

Form Factor

1st: Sensation XL

132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9 mm, 163g

2nd: Sensation XE

126.1 x 63.2 x 11.3mm, 148g

3rd: Sensation

126.1 x 63.2 x 11.3mm, 148g

The good news from the off is that all three of these phones look and feel good when you’ve got them in your hand. Traditionally, that’s been the HTC way as long as the company has been knocking out Android smartphones. Each of these sensational devils is machined from a solid block of aluminium making them reassuringly heavy and just a bit lush.

The HTC Sensation and Sensation XE are more or less identical. Measurements-wise, they’re identicalc but you get the red Beats branding on the black back of the XE plus a ring of the same colour around the camera lens. It’s a matter of taste really but we reckon the majority of folk will prefer the limited edition look of the XE.

But the one that beats (pun, partially intended) them both is the HTC Sensation XL. On the stats side, it’s significantly thinner than the other two, making it seem more premium as well as allowing it to fit more snugly against the line of your clothing. On top of that, it also comes in a two-tone silver and white, and that makes it pretty tasty.

Display

Tie: Sensation

4.3-inch, 960x540, Super LCD, 256ppi

Tie: Sensation XE

4.3-inch, 960x540, Super LCD, 256ppi

Tie: Sensation XL

4.7-inch, 800x480px, LCD, 199ppi

It’s really impossible to sort this category out, and we had all three devices in front of us when we were thinking about it.
Ultimately, the big screen HTC Sensation XL is very impressive. 0.4 inches on the diagonal might not seem like much on paper but to behold there’s quite a staggering difference. The XL hits you in the face with its super-large display in a way which the other two just don’t and the lower resolution and pixel density don’t really come across. What does seem lacking is all down to the screen technology itself. While the XE and straight Sensation get the benefit of HTC’s Super LCD power, the XL doesn’t and, as a result, the last of the three here is just a little less impressive as far as colour punch goes; about 10 per cent less colourful if we had to try and put a figure to it. So, this one all comes down to what you’d prefer - a bigger hit or a more colourful one.

Engine Room

1st: Sensation XE

1.5GHz Snapdragon MSM8260

2nd: Sensation

1.2GHz Snapdragon MSM8260

3rd: Sensation XL

1.5GHz Snapdragon MSM8255

Why does the Sensation and its MSM8255 system-on-a-chip come bottom of the pile? Because it runs a single core processor rather than the dual-core units sitting in the Snapdragon set ups on the smaller two devices. Now, it’s arguable at the moment as to how much the Android software can really use a second core but if a touch of speed here and there combined with the promise of potential isn’t enough for you, then there’s always the graphics to consider.

The Snapdragon MSM8260 contains an Adreno 220 GPU rather then the Adreno 205 in the HTC Sensation XL. In real terms, what that means is that the XL is considerably out-striped on the graphics front. It’ll render HD videos and games more smoothly now but, more importantly, it'll still be good enough towards the end of your contract when developers have moved on to games that have really started to push your hardware to its limits. We're not so sure how well the Adreno 205 will be doing at the end of 24 months.

Oh, and for your records, all three phones come with 768MB of RAM.

Imaging

1st= Sensation

8MP rear, 0.3MP front, 1080p video capture

1st= Sensation XE

8MP rear, 0.3MP front, 1080p video capture

3rd: Sensation XL

8MP rear, 1.3MP front, 720p video

If you asked most people whether they’d prefer Full HD video recording or a little more resolution on the webcam, the answer, for most, will be the 1080p; not all, but most. The tricky part is that HTC has gone to some detail to describe the snapper on the XL in a way that the Taiwanese mobile maker just hasn’t with the other two.
The XL’s rear camera, with its very wide (for a mobile) f/2.2 aperture potential and back-illuminated sensor, both of which combine for better results in low light conditions, sounds like an excellent piece of kit but for quite how much of a difference it makes in terms of image quality, we’ll have to wait for the full HTC Sensation XL review. It's quite possible it will turn out with the best rear-facing camera of the lot.

Connectivity

1st= Sensation

Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering, HDMI-out

1st= Sensation XE

Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering, HDMI-out

3rd: Sensation XL

Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi tethering

It’s arguable if HDMI-out is quite so relevant these days as more and more devices become DLNA certified for you to stream you media to without wires. However, TVs tend to sit in our homes for a long time and there are probably more out there without Wi-Fi modules in them than with. So, the inability to hard wire the HTC Sensation XL to your TV and get all your HD content on the big screen is going to grate every now and then. Not so much a win for the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE but a loss for anyone that opts for the XL.

Battery Life

1st: Sensation XL

1600mAh, up to 710 mins talk time

2nd: Sensation XE:

1730mAh, 550 mins talk time

3rd: Sensation

1520mAh, up to 500 mins talk time

Thee Sensation XL offers quite a big advantage in terms of battery life over the straight HTC Sensation and Sensation XE depsite not having as big a battery pack as the last of the three. The difference is likely to be down to having a less power-hungry system-on-a-chip as well as having fewer pixels push and possibly to do with the nature of the screen technology as well. Whatever the reason, though, the result is that if you’re deeply concerned about not getting enough juice out of your handset, you might want to seriously consider the HTC Sensation XL over the others.

Software

1st: Sensation XL

Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread + Sense 3.5 + Beats

2nd: Sensation XE

Android 2.3.4 + Sense 3.0 + Beats

3rd: Sensation

Android 2.3.3 + Sense 3.0

We’re not going to sit here and tell you that the difference in secondary decimal places of Android versions is that important but having the latest issue of Sense as well as the Beats audio software and hardware additions is quite a bonus. Sense 3.5 has largely identical functionality to 3.0 but it’s a smoother fit and finish.

The Beats by Dr Dre​ tie-in means that your audio is going to sound better on both the XE and XL to the normal Sensation, particularly if you use the Beats branded headphones that come in the box.

Storage

1st: Sensation XL

16GB

2nd: Sensation XE

1GB + 8/16GB microSD in-box

3rd: Sensation

1GB + microSD

Yes, both the HTC Sensation and Sensation XE have larger storage potential thanks to the obvious addition of a microSD port but phone memory is both more useful and easy to manage on Android than anything removable. One of the problems is that you can’t store every app on microSD and, with just 1GB of internal to play with, it’s not going to take many stubborn developers before you fill up your quota on the two smaller screen devices.

Extras

1st: Sensation XL

iBeats/Beats Solo headphones

2nd: Sensation XE

iBeats in-ear headphones + 8/16GB microSD

3rd: Sensation

4GB microSD (if lucky)

The inclusion of the Beats in-ear headphones in the boxes of both the XE and XL phones is a good one. Pocket-lint would always normally advise leaving the free-with-the-phone headphones in the box that they came in but getting the pair approved by Dr Dre bundled means you don’t have to turf out another £60+ on top of your mobile purchase.
The super extra is if you choose to go with the limited edition white HTC Sensation XL which comes with the Beats Solo on-ear headphones as part of the package. For the record, the Solos, pound for pound, are possible the best quality Beats in the entire range. They also happen to be relatively portable.

Price

1st: Sensation

£385

2nd: Sensation XE

£500

3rd: Sensation XL

£unknown

No prices just yet for the HTC Sensation XL, so not a lot we can say about this round for the time being but expect this big screen phone to be pricier than both of the 4.3-inch models. The real shocker is how much extra you have to pay for the HTC Sensation XE now that the straight Sensation is old enough to have had a significant price drop. When you’re talking about some headphones and a touch more on the CPU clock, that’s quite a price hike.

Conclusion

1st HTC Sensation xl

2nd: HTC Sensation

3rd: HTC Sensation XE

It’s a horrible decision to have to make. You’d probably feel most proud brandishing an HTC Sensation XL about you as you go about your life but that terrible hollow insecurity that your phone’s a weakling on the inside might be a little too much for some people to bear.

If you’re more about browsing the web than watching videos or playing games, then the XL is probably still the best one to go for, so long as that missing Full HD video recording doesn’t bite too much. It’s stylish, it’s got a nice big screen, it’s super thin and the Beats inside mean your music listening gets a little kick too. There’s also the healthy whack of storage to enjoy

On the other hand, if you’re a keen video watcher and are into your imaging, you might prefer the straight Sensation. Sure it doesn’t have the Beats branding and headphones of the XE but that £115 margin would buy you a better quality pair than those iBeats anyway and probably wind you up with a better audio experience. And, if you happen to own your own decent headphones already, then it’s really no contest.

Oddly enough, it’s the only Sensation XE that we’d tell you to steer clear of at the time of writing. Despite still being a very good handset in its own right, for now, it just doesn’t offer enough to make you choose it over either of the other two.

When it really, really comes down to it, if money is not particularly an issue, then we’d have to say that the HTC Sensation XL is the one to go for. Yep, there’s no dual-core processor, yep, there’s only 720p HD video and, yes, there really ought to be more pixels than there are but we don’t reckon you’ll really notice that stuff too much. What you will notice is a good looking phone, with a really usable big screen, a nice fat internal flash drive, a super-smooth UI and that somehow doesn’t seem to run out of power when you really need it.

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Sprint will launch 15 LTE devices next year, including phones and tablets

Sprint has revealed that it will launch "at least" 15 new devices next year that support its upcoming 4G LTE network. The carrier promises that there will be smartphones, tablets, and mobile hotspot devices available.
The first LTE phones will be CDMA and LTE dual-mode, though Sprint says that mobile hotspot devices will offer CDMA, WiMAX, and LTE connectivity options. Both HTC and Motorola have confirmed that they will offer smartphones and tablets for Sprint's new network, and Motorola said that it expects to launch a CDMA-based push-to-talk phone for Sprint before the end of this year.

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