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'Facebook phone' skipping British release, EE spokesperson confirms It looks like the HTC First might never see the light of day in the UK, as a spokesperson for carrier partner EE has confirmed to Android Central that Facebook is holding off plans to bring the handset to British shores. "Facebook has decided to focus on adding new customisation features to Facebook Home over the coming months," the spokesperson said, "While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK, and so we will shortly be contacting those who registered their interest with us to let them know of this decision." Despite the decision to hold off the HTC First launch, the EE spokesperson said "we remain committed to bringing our customers the latest mobile experiences, and we will continue to build on our strong relationship with Facebook so as to offer customers new opportunities in the future." The HTC First went on sale in the U.S. on AT&T last month, but had its price dropped from $99 to 99 cents on contract amid widespread rumors of poor sales. If the First has performed as badly as is being reported, this might explain the decision to curtail wider launch plans. An HTC spokesperson declined to comment on the report.

We've seen the comparisons between the HTC One and the Galaxy S4, and we've read the reviews for both, also. Surely, that's all that we need to know, right? Questions still remain, like how the camera of the One stacks up in real world use. That's exactly the question that Android Central Forums member Bobbman asked: Hello all. ... Strongly considering the HTC One. Camera quality is really important to me. I have heard some mixed opinions about the camera. Was hopping you could help me based on the following criteria: How do photos look on large computer screen. Do not care about cropping or zooming in. Just want them to look good on large screen. The low light photos are they really good on a consistent basis? I looked at the photo thread and it seems a bit hit or miss. Does the video capture record sound well? Also have seen mixed opinions about this. Do photos print well on to a standard 4x6 print? Again not worried about cropping. Thanks for any input!!! It's a lengthy conversation already, but the past couple of days have focused on how to get the best pictures out of the One. Some of these tips will apply to just about any device, though. Head past the break for some highlights. read more

Samsung’s fabled flexible displays are one of the most hotly anticipated technological developments in recent memory, and today MobiLeaks has brought us a leaked concept showing off one such display. As you can see in the picture, this leak is a full render of a new Samsung 10″ tablet, and if thats not enough, the leak came with some specs too. The flexible screen is a full 1080p HD resolution (1920×1080 pixels) and has a front facing 3-megapixel camera. Inside is Samsung’s very own Exynos 5 Octa processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, an 8000 mAh battery and 16 or 32 GB storage options, expandable via a microSD card slot. As you can see in the photo, the device bends close to the bottom, revealing a built-in stand. Curiously, the point at which it bends doesn’t seem to be big enough to fit a comfortable QWERTY keyboard, leaving one to question what function Samsung has planned for that part of the screen. Also surprising is the lack of a rear camera, though the thinness of the top half of the tablet is probably to blame for that. The render definitely leads to a ton of speculation, mostly when can I buy one. Curiously, LG will also be debuting a flexible screen this week and may even get theirs to market before Samsung. Let us know in the comments what you think of the render, and if you’d be interested in owning this tablet. Via: Phone Arena Source: MobiLeaks Come comment on this article: Samsung tablet concept with flexible display leaks with specs Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!

How about a little bit of positive news for HTC today? According to the Wall Street Journal, HTC has already sold 5 million units of the HTC One flagship smartphone. While this is about half of what Samsung has done with the Galaxy S4, it’s a commendable figure nonetheless. “Orders are pretty good so far and are still more than what we can supply…This is partly due to the shortage of components. When the issue is resolved next month, we will have a better idea if it’s doing really well or not.” – unnamed HTC source HTC has been plagued with issues as of late; recent reports have the company shedding multiple high level executives. Assuming the word of mouth and favorable reviews are fueling the HTC One we might assume a bit of momentum could build and lead to a slight rebound. Wall Street Journal (subscription required) The post WSJ: 5 million HTC One sales so far appeared first on AndroidGuys.

At the time of ints conception, toll-free phone lines made a world of sense. Many businesses wanted to encourage phone sales, but hefty long distance charges created friction for the consumer. These businesses could ease that friction by purchasing an 800 number that would essentially transfer the long distance charge from the consumer to the business. That is to say, Ma Bell didn’t care how she got paid so long as she got paid. Toll-free numbers still exist today, though they really only serve the function of creating an easier-to-remember phone number (i.e., it’s easier to remember the seven digits after 800 or 888 or 877 than it is to remember an entire 10-digit phone number). Cell phones, with free long distance as a standard feature, started killing the usefulness of 800 numbers, and the switch from traditional copper wire landlines to VOIP services really put the nail in the coffin. New technology made the idea of toll-free obsolete. That is, at least as it pertains to voice calls. In general voice calls are a nonfactor for modern telecoms. You can look right to Verizon’s Share Everything plans as evidence. Every plan, even for feature phones, comes with unlimited voice. They’re not just handing that out, without an alternative tier, if voice is a valuable asset. Instead telecoms today focus on the one feature that can earn them billions: data. And as we’ve seen, the quest to squeeze more money out of us for the same data usage is in full effect. While Verizon’s and AT&T’s ploys to charge more for less data have prompted some users to simply fork over more money, many have chosen the alternative, which is to curb their data usage. So, as in the days when Ma Bell turned to big business to fund people’s increased use of long distance, so will Verizon target big businesses — namely big content businesses — to fund consumers’ rising data consumption habits. CFO Fran Shammo yesterday talked about the idea of businesses paying Verizon for data usage, allowing consumers to view that business’s content without depleting their data plans. “The content providers will be willing to pay for the content, if we don’t charge the consumer,” Shammo said. The topic of net neutrality, a fight that Verizon fights alone, came up, but Shammo rightly brushed it aside. “This is who pays for the delivery of the content,” he said, as opposed to carrier-driven content prioritization. Yes, allowing users to consume certain content without depleting their data plans can be considered prioritization. But to me it seems to be a minor point. What I’m wondering is… Where is this money coming from? Content companies doesn’t exactly have Scrooge McDuck money. While some content providers have found ways to be profitable even as advertising dollars have dwindled, others have gone through massive restructuring, including layoffs. Then again, the prior statements refer primarily to text-based content providers. No text-heavy publication would have to pay Verizon; that kind of content requires very little data. It’s streaming video where we see the opportunity. At the same time, a content provider has to be very sure that mobile video can truly rake in the dollars. They have all the same overhead costs as they do now, plus the money they’ll pay Verizon for the toll-free service. All in all they have to think that the revenues from more easily reaching Verizon’s customers will far outstrip the money they pay to Verizon. Otherwise such an arrangement doesn’t provide enough value to the content provider. (To be even more clear, the content provider has to find that the profits from serving video to Verizon customers who wouldn’t have viewed the content if charged for the data would outstrip the costs paid to Verizon for the toll-free service.) At a distance, it seems far-fetched. Then again, basically every media

HTC Desire 600, a dual-SIM device featuring a quad-core CPU, has been made official by the company. The device was spotted in benchmarks not too long ago, and now it’s finally a fact. If you were looking for a dual-SIM device with a good set of specifications, the HTC Desire 600 might be right up your alley. The smartphone features a Snapdragon 200 1.2 GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM memory, as well as a 4.5-inch Super LCD2 display at qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels). The internal memory is 8 GB, while the battery is a 1860mAh unit. As far as the camera goes, the device has an 8 megapixel shooter on its back, and there’s also a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, which should be quite useful for video calls. The best part of the device is that it borrows some of the HTC One‘s features, making it even more tempting. You get the BoomSound speakers and Beats Audio integration, for great music and videos, as well as BlinkFeed, the Flipboard-like app that brings you news from over 1400 sources straight to your homescreen. The HTC Desire 600, which seems very similar to the 606w that recently went through the approval process in China, runs Android Jelly Bean, according to the press release (version 4.1.2, tells us the benchmark result from the other day). The device is set to be available at the start of next month in Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, through operators and retailers. No word on price or availability in the rest of the world yet. Would you be tempted to buy the HTC Desire 600? Let us know in the comments. HTC Desire 600 dual sim boosts the acclaimed Desire series Quad-core processor, true dual SIM convenience and HTC BlinkFeed bring premium performance and versatility to the mid-range market HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has today unveiled the new HTC Desire 600 dual sim, the first mid-range handset to offer HTC’s latest Sense 5 experience; HTC BlinkFeed and HTC BoomSound, most recently launched as part of the award-winning HTC One. Taking full advantage of Android Jelly Bean, the new model also offers super-fast quad-core performance, while the advanced Video Highlights feature enables maximum creativity at a more affordable price tag. “People rely on their smartphones every day to be their news channel, email inbox, social network and music player,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The HTC Desire 600 dual sim combines speed and easy multitasking with the truly innovative HTC BlinkFeed home screen. The result is an affordable mid-range phone that sets the standard for its class, keeping the busiest user up-to-date at a glance and offering them the power and range of features to switch between work and play.” A smartphone designed to keep pace with life Sporting a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, the HTC Desire 600 dual sim is able to support even the busiest of lifestyles. Capable of high-speed multitasking, super-fast web browsing and graphic-intense gaming, it offers exceptional performance whatever the task. Dual SIM card holders give you the freedom of having two phones in one, making it easy to switch between multiple mobile accounts and keep you up to speed with all the elements of your world. Running the “dual active” system, the HTC Desire 600 dual sim allows you to have two SIM cards active all the times, enabling you to receive a call on one line, even if you are already using the other. HTC BlinkFeed: Your favourite content live on your home screen The HTC Desire 600 dual sim brings HTC’s acclaimed BlinkFeed to the Desire range. Transforming the home screen into a customisable stream of live information, HTC BlinkFeed is displayed on a stunning 4.5″, super LCD2 display and aggregates social streams and news, providing the freshest content at a glance. Drawing on local and global content from more than 1,400 media sources, BlinkFeed draws on more than 10,000 articles per day from some of the world’s leadin

So, how about that HTC M4 huh? HTC has announced today that they are making the HTC Desire 600, a mid-range phone that will be heading first to Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, and reports that there will be variants heading to China too. The Desire 600 will be the first phone outside of the HTC One to get all the lovely Sense 5 goodies such as BlinkFeed and BoomSound. Along with those bangin’ beats (which by the way come out of dual front-facing speakers like in the One) comes Jelly Bean Android, a quad-core 1.2 GHz CPU and a 4.5-inch super LCD2 screen, which actually looks a little cramped on the phone. Could be that red lining… And the Desire 600 will come with dual-SIM capabilities as is becoming quite commonplace in these regional phones. This is actually an interesting move as I thought HTC would have wanted to capitalize on the hype surrounding its HTC One’s wonderful design and follow up with the smaller form HTC M4 which was leaked at the beginning of this month. Regardless, the Desire 600 still looks pretty sleek, so we’ll see if it ever makes the jump elsewhere in the world. Would you consider the mid-range HTC Desire 600? Let us know what you think in the comments. Source: engadget

robertnelson/Flickr A report from a supplier of tablet components adds further credibility to rumors about a new Nexus 7 coming this summer. By now, the fact that a new version of the Nexus 7 is coming is almost confirmed. Many expected to see it at Google I/O, and were disappointed when Google called it a day without showing off any new hardware. But that doesn’t mean that a refresh of the popular Nexus 7 isn’t on its way. Most rumors suggest that the refreshed Nexus 7 would come in July, and today we have another report supporting this timeline. Elan Microelectronics, a Taiwanese supplier of integrated circuitry for touchscreen devices, is reported to have already begun shipping touchscreen controllers for the next generation of the Nexus 7. The caveat is that the source of this information are the notoriously hit-and-miss “industry sources” of Digitimes. Thanks to the order for Nexus 7 controllers, Elan is said to boast increased revenues in May and June. This tells us that the device itself is being manufactured in June, which goes nicely with the earlier reports about the release of the Nexus 7 in July. The device is said to be launching along a new version of Android, 4.3. In addition, a research note from an analyst revealed some of the supposed specifications of the tablet, which include a Snapdragon 600 processor and a 1920 by 1200 display, while the price will remain the same as the first generation. Bottom line, if you plan to buy a Nexus 7 this summer, you might want to wait until July.

In news that should surprise no one, 10 million Samsung Galaxy S4‘s have been sold in the first month since its launch. That is insanely fast. And that’s only in 110 of the 155 countries that the Galaxy S4 will be eventually available in. For the record, the Galaxy S3 took 50 days to match the same sales numbers and the Galaxy S2 only reached 10 million phones sold after 5 months. It’s not as if anybody ever doubted the ability of the Galaxy S4 to sell like hotcakes, but the actual quantifying of its sales is quite staggering. And frankly, when you can have ads with ambiguous meanings like this and still sell 10 million phones in its first month, really you can do no wrong. And for those of your tired of the Galaxy S4′s current colour palette, Samsung also mentions that they will be introducing new colours, namely Blue Arctic, Red Aurora, Purple Mirage and Brown Autumn. Pictures of Arctic Blue and Red Aurora below. Anybody surprised by these sales numbers? I’m just a little bit in awe… Source: Samsung Tomorrow

Number given to the Wall Street Journal by unnamed HTC executive HTC has sold approximately five million of its latest flagship smartphone, the HTC One, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The paper quotes an unnamed HTC executive saying the company had sold "around five million" HTC One devices since the launch around a month and a half ago. "Orders are pretty good so far and are still more than what we can supply. This is partly due to the shortage of components. When the issue is resolved next month, we will have a better idea if it's doing really well or not," the executive is quoted as saying, referring to supply issues with camera components for the phone. If accurate, the 5 million figure shows strong sales for the device the face of fierce competition from the likes of Apple and Samsung. By contrast, rival Samsung says it recently passed the 10 million units shipped mark for its new Galaxy S4, which went on sale around the world during the last week of April. HTC will be relying on sales of the One to remedy its current financial woes, and shifting five million units is certainly a significant step in the right direction. What's more, the news might also quell worries over the stream of high-profile figures who've recently left the company. Source: WSJ Online