HTC Promises Launch Of “Hero Product” In October

At HTC’s annual general meeting, HTC CEO and Chairwoman Cher Wang apologized to the company shareholders for HTC’s recent performance, as reported by Taipei Times. This apology comes a few days after HTC’s stock price dropped to a 12-year low of NT$98, while HTC’s highest was at April 1st 2011 at NT$1,300. The recent dismal performance was blamed on poor operational efficiency and overly conservative marketing strategy in the global market.

While we are not privy to the exact numbers which indicate “poor operational efficiency”, dwindling profits on the other hand should come as no surprise to anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock since the launch of HTC One M9.

Launched amidst direct competition from a redesigned Galaxy S6, the One M9 felt like a deja-vu product. That by itself is not a bad thing, but critics were quick to point out that the One M9 brought nothing new to the table whilst ignoring some major qualms against the previous iteration of HTC’s flagship, the One M8. To add salt to wounds, the One M9 was also at the heart of the one of biggest controversies of 2015, thanks to the heating issues caused by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810, which further aggravated shipment delays after launch . In view of disheartening sales, HTC also had to resort to cutting its component orders for the One M9 by 30%.

All of this together paints a rather poor picture, one of a company in distress. But in order to retain shareholder confidence, HTC’s CEO Cher Wang did promise a turnaround for the company in the second half of 2015. Wang revealed that the company plans to improve upon its core business segment of smartphones. This starts with the launch of a “Hero Product” in October and continues on with “significant improvements” in innovation and design for the next years flagship model.

Along with new releases, HTC will also aim to enhance its existing business models by improving the product mix strategy for smartphones, which could mean a greater choice on a wider price range. There will also be reduction in production costs thanks to improvements in production efficiency and optimizations of components supply chain.

Another notable announcement comes in the form of improvements in marketing strategies. HTC will not renew its contract with Robert Downey Jr after this year. On the face of it, this looks like good decision-making but it would have made more sense to discontinue contracts with the teams responsible for advertisements featuring twerking green trolls and antidepressant medication rather than the actor.

 

All in all, the first half of 2015 has been nothing short of a nightmare for HTC. But the management is positive that the company can come full circle and make up lost ground in the second half of 2015.

Even at the smartphone front, HTC is trying to tap again into India’s low budget sub-10k market, with the recent launch of the HTC Desire 326G. This product launch comes in close timing with the launch of a few China Specific models in its HTC One lineup. There is also the imminent public launch of the HTC Vive, HTC’s take on virtual reality, to look forward to.

We hope HTC does indeed work upon its past mistakes and improve upon its current form. The brand “HTC” remains one of the most influential in XDA’s history, and we hope they make a comeback comparable to the Galaxy S6.

What do you think of HTC’s latest game plan? Is it enough to survive in such a fiercely competitive market? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Read on for more coverage:

• The History of Flagships: Part III – HTC
• HTC: Phasing Out Or Phoenix?
• HTC M9 Benchmark Proves Snapdragon 810 Overheating
• HTC Utopia Coverage: One M9, Grip and Vive VR

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OnePlus One Bamboo Styleswap Cover Review

After months of waiting and anticipation for users, OnePlus finally launched the Bamboo Styleswap Cover for the OnePlus One in India on May 29th. Priced at Rs. 1,499 (~$24), the accessory is being sold at a price less than the rest of the world. But is it still worth buying?

 

Listing, Packaging & Delivery

The product listing for the Bamboo Styleswap Cover was scheduled to go live on Amazon.in on May 29th 2015 at 2pm IST, but it did not go online till 3pm. This did cause some confusion and sparked fears that the product was already sold out within a few minutes of launch, but that was not the case. Once the listing went live, everything sailed smoother.

Orders from Amazon.in which fall under the “Fulfilled By Amazon” guarantee are packed and delivered by Amazon itself. The Bamboo cover is “Fulfilled By Amazon”, so a certain level of quality with regards to delivery and packaging can be expected. The delivery of the Bamboo cover took place well within the promised timeframe. The Amazon packaging on the product was a waterproof bag with a layer of bubblewrap on the inside, so you can rest easy with the approaching monsoon season, at least as far as the delivery goes.

The actual product packaging is standard OnePlus style. The box follows the same minimalistic white background with the red OnePlus logo. Sliding out the box reveals the Bamboo Styleswap Cover.

Box Contents

The retail box contains the Bamboo Styleswap Cover, a matching Micro Sim card tray, a blue tool to help in installation and an instruction manual. The instructions are in Chinese as well as English, along with accompanying pictures. Unlike the international retail unit and what was mentioned in the OnePlus India Blog post (and later clarified), the unit received by me did not have a matching Nano Sim card tray. So, if you are a Nano Sim card user, you would still need a Nano-Sim-to-Micro-Sim adapter. For installation, you also need to remove the Sim Card tray using the tool given in the retail packaging of the OnePlus One phone as there is no tool for Sim removal provided with the case packaging. Not much of an issue by itself, but worth pointing out for future owners.

Installation

Getting to installation of the cover, it is certainly not an easy task. The back covers for the OnePlus One are not “hot-swappable” (for lack of a better term). You need to remove the Sim Card tray before trying to pry the existing cover off. The Instruction Manual recommends using the headphone jack to create a gap. This is done by half inserting the headphone pin into the jack and applying a bit of pressure at an angle to create a gap. Once a gap is created, use the included blue tool to pry the cover off from the top first, and then extend on to either side of the phone. Lastly, simply pull the cover downwards and away to completely remove it.

Even with fairly experienced hands, it took me 10 mins to successfully remove the existing phone cover without any damage. There is certainly scope for damaging your existing cover if you do things the wrong way, so be sure to follow along the Instruction Manual carefully and take your time with the procedure.

Snapping on the Bamboo Styleswap Cover was a cakewalk compared to removing the Original Cover and took all of 5 seconds to lock in place and be ready for use.

Look and Feel

The Bamboo Styleswap Cover is basically a plastic cover with a Bamboo overlay on the back panel. As a result, the sides are still plastic and give a different feel compared to the Bamboo back, unlike the Sandstone Black which had the same texture on the sides as well.

Being an official accessory, the cover has all the requisite cutouts for the micro-usb ports as well as the speaker holes. The cover also retains the NFC capabilities of the phone, and also does not affect the radio signal reception of the phone in any noticeable manner.

As far as the Bamboo texture goes, it feels great. It has slightly grainy vertical lines along the back resembling the ones in the actual Bamboo fibre. The vertical lines are not deep but are noticeable when you actively try and feel them by sliding your finger across the back panel.

Coming from the Sandstone Black cover, the Bamboo styleswap cover was a welcomed change. The Bamboo cover exudes a premium and unique feel from a distance, in comparison to the Sandstone Black cover which gave a premium feel only when someone held the phone. In the three days that I have used the Bamboo cover, it has elicited more questions and compliments from people than the Sandstone Black has in my month long usage of the OnePlus One. The Cover is prominently different than what the Indian market and public is used to, and it encourages people to ask questions about it and hold the phone to feel it for themselves.

With regards to grip, the Bamboo Styleswap cover features way smoother finish than the Sandstone Black. This can be a bad experience for those who prefer the rough feel and extreme grip that the Sandstone Black allows. However, once your hands get used to the smooth finish and Bamboo texture, the phone still remains grippable. The phone slides in and out of the pocket with better ease, but does not simply fall out (as compared to smooth glass phones like the Nexus 4).

There is another thing to note about the Bamboo Styleswap Cover. The cover is actually just a tad bit thicker on the main back panel as the Bamboo wood is overlaid on top of a plastic back shell. This actually helps the phone, especially in the camera area as the protruding camera lens now sits inside a recession created by the slightly thicker bulk. On the Sandstone Black cover, the entire camera exterior protrudes out of the cover, while on the Bamboo Styleswap cover, only the top 10% of the camera exterior is protruding so you can just feel the edge of the module exterior. I no longer need a case to get the confidence of putting down my phone with the screen up to avoid scratching the camera lens, as the lens no longer touches the surface upon placement.

One gripe I had with the Bamboo Styleswap cover, however, is the noticeable rattling of the power button. Unlike the buttons on the Sandstone Black cover, there is a noticeable gap between the power button and cutout in the case, leading to back-and-forth travelling movements when I place my finger. The clickability and responsiveness of the button is intact, but the travel is definitely there. This is not an issue with my installation of the cover as the volume buttons do not travel in a similar fashion. Removing and reinstalling the cover did not fix it, so future buyers do need to take note.

Conclusion

As a whole, the Bamboo Styleswap cover complements the OnePlus One. The phone itself is a beast on the inside, and the Bamboo cover gives it the touch of uniqueness on the outside. Apart from difficulty with installation and some power button travel, there is nothing else to complain about. Coupled with the fact that it is available in the Indian market at a very reasonable price of Rs. 1,499 ($25) with free shipping makes it a very good add on. If you like to turn heads and want people to ask you about your phone, this is something you should definitely buy. Know what you are expecting and you will not be disappointed with this one.

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Sony Announces Android 5.1 Update For the Xperia Line

Sony published a list of devices that will get an update to Android 5.1 Lollipop. Users of phones and tablets that got the official Android 5.0 already should not be worried as Lollipop will be bumped on those devices in July. The list contains no less than twenty devices that should get the OTA notification before August.

Here’s a list of supported models:

• Xperia Z4
• Xperia Z4 Tablet
• Xperia Z3+
• Xperia Z3+ Dual
• Xperia Z3 (Z3 Dual)
• Xperia Z3 Compact
• Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet
• Xperia Z2
• Xperia Z2 Tablet
• Xperia Z1
• Xperia Z1 Compact
• Xperia Z Ultra
• Xperia Z
• Xperia ZL
• Xperia ZR
• Xperia Tablet Z
• Xperia T2 Ultra (T2 Ultra Dual)
• Xperia C3 (Xperia C3 Dual)
• Xperia M2
• Xperia M2 Dual
• Xperia M2 Aqua

Xperia M4 Aqua, Xperia E4 and Xperia C4 are believed to get the Android 5.1 Lollipop too, but this should take place in August. The bad news is that phones like Xperia T3 and Xperia E3 will likely remain at Android 4.4 KitKat. There is no confirmation about update availability either at the Sony Blog or official product pages. Luckily enough there are some custom ROMs that can easily become daily drivers even without Sony’s blessing. Just unlock the bootloader, dive into your device forum and find something that fills the bill.

 

Is your device waiting for the update? Let us know in the comment section below!

 

 

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Chrome for Android Adds Native App Install Prompts

A few updates ago, Chrome for Android began allowing users to add a site’s web-app to their homescreen, and v44 brings a similar functionality for a site’s native app. Users visiting the website are prompted to install the app, with the description and permissions pages being displayed within the browser itself.

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Is Google Focusing Enough on Wear’s Future?

Android Wear is a platform that is not for everybody, at least not yet. As of now, smartwatches have not found a motive to enter the mainstream consumers’ lives. One could argue that the competition is making huge strides in this regard, but despite the pragmatic advances seen in the latest additions from all parties, smartwatches today are not much more than glorified notification glancers.

 

And I say this as the biggest Wear lover in the XDA Portal Team. I’ve purchased three Wear watches to date, but not without discounts. Without those, I probably wouldn’t have bought a single one. As they stand, Wear watches are useful, but hardly enough to justify paying over $200 for one if you are not a power users or would really benefit from having one. I fall in both camps, but because I am a little cheap, I still hesitated and only bought them on sales (got my Moto 360 for just $60!). I do believe that the best of Wear is yet to come…  whenever Google wants it to. Keep in mind that the following is mostly based on my personal opinions and worries, so take this feature as an editorial instead of our usual analysis.

 

As our team covered Google I/O, we could not help but be utterly disappointed at Google’s presentation on Wear. We had our hopes high – a little too high, perhaps – and we expected new software and hardware. The internet was already buzzing with predictions about a new Moto 360 being announced at the event, but to our surprise, nothing of the sort happened. Google spent a few minutes talking about their latest software version (which had its debut with the Urbane), and touted its capabilities. We didn’t hear anything substantial regarding the future of Wear, other than the fact that more watches were coming. This left a sour taste in our mouth, but most importantly got us to think about the platform.

The main keynote focused on Android M, the upcoming Brillo, Weave, and many improvements to all of their platforms. Wear saw no practical news. This is a problem, mainly because the smartwatch game should be picking up by now, and competition is getting tougher in this space. The Apple Watch did really well for being such an unnecessary gadget, Samsung’s Tizen smartwatches have been getting increasingly refined iteration after iteration and a new round watch is said to be coming, the Pebble Time is arriving after a successful Kickstarter campaign (again!) and the webOS in the Urbane LTE got very good reviews as well. None of this means that Wear is in trouble by default, but without a clear vision for the platform in crucial times, I am starting to fear that its potential might remained unexploited for longer than it should.

 

The latest 5.1 revision for Wear brought the much needed wrist gestures and Wi-Fi support (which helps with feature parity against the competition), but the update still hasn’t fully rolled out – particularly when it comes to the Moto 360, which is arguably Wear’s flagship. As the number of Wear watches grows bigger, the Google-centric rollouts seem to become more inconsistent. On April 20th, Google said that the update should be rolling out “in the next few weeks”, yet 6 weeks later, tens of thousands of users (meaning a significant chunk of Wear owners) don’t have the latest software. Google’s tight hold on Wear manifests itself in other worrying ways as well:

 

Android as a platform evolved rapidly, and this was partially because of the freedom it gave OEMs when it came to experimenting with software and hardware. We saw Android phones with all sorts of innovations in these regards, but as it stands, Wear’s closedness does not allow for key developments. A big aspect of smartwatches as a concept is health and fitness, but different kinds of monitoring sensors for other tasks could also be huge on the platform. While Android phone makers had freedom to put anything from screen projectors to UV light sensors on their phones, without being able to modify the base software the task becomes much harder on Wear. This halts the possible innovations that OEMs could bring to the table for the sake of consistency, but it does seem to go against Google’s “be together, not the same” mentality as the watches are ultimately the same in software UX.

 

What this means is that Google has wider control as to how the platform will evolve: we see this with Wi-Fi, for example, as Wear devices were capable of the function out of the box but did not get the feature enabled until this latest update. In this way, through software, Google can dictate the course of hardware advancements. And if Google does not take Wear the right way themselves, the platform could stumble and be left in the dust by its strong competition. By centralizing the evolution, Google also maximizes their responsibility and sacrifices possible innovations in a segment that should be highly innovating.  Holding Wear back from acquiring new software that could also accommodate new hardware is not the only thing that could be considered a misdirection by Google. The place where I see failed potential so far is Wear’s role in the Internet of Things.
If we are to control our appliances with our voice or touchscreens, doing so by operating a smartwatch is intuitively more convenient than doing so with a phone. After all, a watch is attached to our wrists at all times instead of laying on a table or inside a pocket. With Wear watches’ Wi-Fi capabilities, they could also act as a remote control independently of a phone. There are plenty of DIY smartwatch home-automation remote guides out there, and most achieve this through Tasker and similar means. The results can be impressive, and some even (rightfully call it) the “Holy Grail” for Home Automation. If home automation can be made easy from your watch with a hacked-together Tasker solution, imagine how amazing it could get if the functionality was natively tied to Google’s upcoming Project Brillo developments!

 

Now, there is no point in doomsaying or condemning the future of the platform because of this temporary slip. But as a fan of this technology, I want its future to be bright. The platform’s UX vision is already better than that of its main competitor, but as of now it still feels rather unfocused. There are many upcoming releases that we know of be – it through hints, teases or announcements – that could refresh the hype for Wear. The Tag Heuer collaboration should be a pricey yet interesting alternative, as it is claimed to be upgradeable. The Moto 360’s second iteration will allegedly focus on customization, and most likely improve upon every aspect of its predecessor. The recent Asus Zenwatch 2 announcement did not shock us with anything except its ridiculous bezels, though, so in a sense we feel that this was a missed opportunity. As far as hardware goes, we can expect some neat additional choices before the year is up.

 

I have no doubt that Google will neatly integrate Wear into their Internet of Things developments – this is a no-brainer, and if they don’t do it right, our power users and developers will find a way. The question is whether they’ll do it right away, and whether they do it right. ATAP’s Project Soli could being an innovative new way of inputting commands on smartwatches, and the upcoming Wear hardware is likely to surpass our expectations. But we know Google: they tease developments that generate hype, then underwhelm us with their releases; overtime these get improved and they get us to the original vision and promises. But as Google expands their ambitions in technology and incorporates more and more platforms to their Android suite, things seem get diluted.

 

Last year was admittedly not the predicted “Year of Smartwatches”, and with VR and IoT picking up, wearables in general seem to be losing the hype they had a few years back. Google will not abandon Wear, and we know that great things are coming. But it is a little worrying to not see a more consolidated focus on what could have an amazing synergy with the rest of their products. I love this platform and do not want to see it fall behind the competition. Hopefully Google will reveal progressive plans for their smartwatches – that is support for new hardware sensors, new great devices, better integration with their products and all the innovation that this space needs to stay relevant and break into the mainstream. For now, I am left waiting for the sweet update that they love to tout so much.

 

 

Where do you think Google is taking Wear, and where would you want them to take it? Sound off in the comments!

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See Through Phone W/ Iris – XDA App Review

We spend a lot of time on our smartphones. The older generation likes to joke that we are so focused on our phone, looking at it all the time that we are going to walk into a wall and break our nose. Well with the power of our phone and the rear facing camera, this hazard can be eliminated.

XDA Forum Member nyomidev offers up an app that uses your camera to show you what’s coming by overlaying your apps. In this video, XDA TV Producer TK reviews Iris. TK shows off the application and shares his thoughts, so check out this app review.

Be sure to check out other great XDA TV Videos

• Put a Pin In It with PinTasking – XDA App Review
• How to Tweak Your Kernel – XDA App Review
• System information Now w/ Castro – XDA App Review
• Launcher 10 for Your Enjoyment – XDA App Review
• Keep Those Services in Check – XDA App Review
• Profile Picture Editor – App Review

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T-Mobile Sony Xperia Z3 Receiving Lollipop Update

T-Mobile has announced that they are pushing out an OTA update to its Xperia Z3, bringing it up to Android 5.0.2 and including new features and enhancements. Once updated, build 23.1.C.0.385 will also add LTE Band 12 capability to the device, VoLTE improvements, and device stability.

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