The HTC Vivid 4G LTE phone is the latest LTE phone that launched this week on the AT&T network together with the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket. When you hold the HTC Vivid in your hand the first impression will be…wow this is a nice heavy and solid unit. But if you ever had the light weighted Samsung Galaxy S or S II series as your device you might think a little differently.

You might have been reading that this coming Sunday the new Windows Phones namely The Samsung Focus S, Samsung Flash and the HTC Titan will be available in the AT&T stores. But the day, which is this Monday November 7, 2011, Microsoft has a whole day planned in NYC to give Windows Phone a giant push. Besides an evening party hosted by Microsoft, there will be a Secret reveal at Herald square at Noon in which they bring Windows Phone to life in a big way. I have so my idea about this, what do you think?

If you don’t have the invite for that noon event at Herald Square you just might want to walk by around that time.

Earlier in the morning we are invited as well for a mini private backstage press event in which we will be meeting with Andy Lees, Joe Belfiore and other Windows Phone team members. Not sure exactly what we will hear there. But we will share what we are allowed to. Stay tuned on our experiences next week.

The image below is edited to just show you only the noon time at Herald square in which the Windows Phone Blog hints at.

The Mango update for all existing Windows Phones is getting closer. I can’t wait to update my Samsung Focus to the official Mango update. But now Samsung also announced that they will be launching two new Windows Phone with AT&T.

These two new phones are:

Samsung Focus S

The Samsung Focus™ S builds on the success of the award-winning and highest-selling Windows Phone in the U.S., the Samsung Focus™.

Featuring:

• a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display
• 1.4GHz processor
• 4G-capable speeds
• a thin profile at 8.55 millimeters at its thinnest point.
• It includes front facing 1.3-megapixel
• and a rear facing 8-megapixel cameras.

The Samsung Focus S will find its way into a lot of pockets this fall.

Samsung Focus Flash

Designed to hit the market packed with value, Samsung Focus™ Flash’s

• 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen
• As fast and lightweight as it is compact, it runs a 1.4 GHz processor
• 5-megapixel camera
• plus front facing camera.

Unfortunately we don’t have any more specifications, images  and dates yet from Samsung or AT&T.

Additionally, the Samsung Focus will receive the Windows Mango update this Fall.

AT&T announced that it will carry the HTC Titan as the new Windows Phone as well.

HTC Titan

Debuting as the largest screen in AT&T’s smartphone portfolio at

• 4.7 inches screen
• Running a 1.5 GHz processor
• 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash,

HTC TITAN will feed the senses.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t32kRNhn23k

As invites went around a couple of weeks ago for a special Windows Phone Event in NY City it becomes more clear that the specifics of the Mango update, possible named Windows Phone 7.5, will be revealed tomorrow.  Steve Ballmer mentioned over 500 new features for the Windows Phone operating system in this update.

As we reported earlier together with our sister site WP7.nl the Mango update will bring an extensive added experience and functionality in the Bing client on the devices. However Steve Ballmer is mentioning “over 500″ new features. I really hope Microsoft is giving these details to us and we will find out and know that Windows Phone is here to stay and will be a game changer in the mobile industry.

The Press conference will be tomorrow May 24th at 10.00 am EST and will be streamed live on the Microsoft Windows Phone News Center.

Besides information on the new features on Windows Phone 7 tomorrow might be day that carriers and manufacturers are presenting their new line of Windows Phone’s that will probably have the mango update pre-installed.

Stay tuned for specifics about the press conference tomorrow here  on MobilityMinded and our sister site WP7.nl

Until now it was not possible to connect to hidden networks on your Windows Phone 7, leaving a lot of disappointed users with no other choice to connect other than visible networks. The reasons to make a network hidden are obvious. What can’t be seen isn’t there. Although a lot of laptop or tablet users can connect to hidden networks without any problems, Windows Phone 7 users can’t even see those networks. Now HTC has developed a small app to let your HTC Windows Phone 7 connect to those hidden networks. At this moment it only can be found in the market for HTC users.

The app is free for MarketPlace users. Be sure to rate this app too !

After downloading the app from the Marketplace it will automatically appear in your list of apps. Just press the Hidden WiFi app and the program will start.
The app itself is pretty basic. The only thing you can do is add a hidden network. Please enter the name of the hidden network and press Confirm.

Now you can go to the WiFi settings and add this network. While creating these screenshots, I did not have access to a hidden WiFi network. As soon as I have access to one, I’ll update these screenshots.

You can find the app in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace. Please leave a message here or in the forum if this actually resolved your problem when connecting to hidden networks.

Today in London, HTC renews the definition of mobile entertainment by announcing the HTC Sensation. This pocket-sized entertainment center is the first device to feature HTC Watch, giving you on-the-go access to an entire library of the latest premium movies and TV shows. View purchased content on up to five HTC devices or on the HTC Sensation’s qHD 4.3-inch widescreen super LCD display with the highest resolution ever used on a HTC device: 540×960 pixels ! The touch screen surface is protected by a Gorilla Glass contoured screen that feels more natural as your finger glides across it. Additionally, an 8- megapixel camera which captures video at 1080p with new instant capture camera capabilities and dual-core Qualcomm^® Snapdragon^™ 1.2 GHz processor combines the power within the HTC Sensation’s sleek aluminum unibody design to provide a unique mobile experience. All this is powered by Android 2.3.3.

The HTC Sensation features everything you expect from a Smartphone: All means of connectivity, GPS, WiFi B/G/N, Bluetooth and a Micro-USB port with mobile high-definition video link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection and a broad range of sensors: Gyro sensor, G-Sensor, Digital compass, Proximity sensor and an Ambient light sensor. All these features in the Unibody design weigh not more than 148 gram !

The newest iteration of HTC Sense optimizes mobile fun and productivity by bringing sharper graphics, vibrant animations and new widgets to the HTC Sensation. With the introduction of a customizable lock screen experience where the user can also place widgets onto, the locked display is transformed into a window with the most important information on your device, allowing you to receive real-time updates with a glance at your screen. Save time by quickly navigating to the feature you’d like to use to make a phone call, send a text or update your status directly from your lock screen. Even in its most inactive state, the HTC Sensation allows you to customize your device to put what’s most important front and center.

HTC Sense

Next to the HTC Sensation’s premium design is the latest HTC Sense experience that gives you a lot of new features and enhancements, helping people have more fun and getting more done. For instance, HTC Sense introduces a customizable active lock screen experience that transforms the lock screen into a real-time window to the most important information and content, such as social updates, photos, weather or stock updates that are viewed by simply waking up the display. In addition, the new active lock screen becomes a customizable gateway, which lets people quickly jump to the most-used features, such as making a phone call, sending an email, taking a picture or anything else, with the same quick gesture usually used to unlock the phone. For instance, the camera can be launched right from the lock screen with a single motion, saving precious seconds when you’re trying to capture the action. Sharper graphics, vibrant animations and new widgets make HTC Sense look better than ever and, by continuing to focus on all of the aspects, both large and small, that make HTC Sense special, HTC introduces a more cinematic and immersive weather experience with stunning imagery and audible weather effects.

HTC Sense also makes it easy to have fun by enabling people to capture and share special moments. The HTC Sensation’s 8-megapixel camera doesn’t just shoot awesome photos — with the new instant capture feature, it lets people capture the moments they want without worrying about missing or keeping up with the action. The HTC Sensation also shoots full HD video in 1080p resolution, with full stereo sound up to 30 frames per second, giving you smooth video that is better than many other phones. With the new Video Trimmer tool, people can crop their clips to the perfect size for easy sharing with friends and family.HTC Watch

The HTC Sensation is a smartphone that is built from the ground up for a sophisticated, evolved multimedia experience. The 4.3-inch widescreen display means that users can watch movies like they were meant to be seen — in their full cinematic glory, with no cropping or letterboxing. The HTC Sensation is also the first smartphone to feature HTC Watch — an application and service that puts an entire library of the latest, premium movies and TV shows right at your fingertips, letting people discover the latest video content in an easy and visually engaging way. HTC Watch uses progressive download technology that makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for a huge file to finish downloading. HTC Watch offers the choice of renting or buying videos and, if purchased, lets you watch them on up to five different HTC devices.

I did review the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt last week. During this week I have been using this first LTE device from Verizon and did notice a quick power consumption on this device. There are many other reports from users and reviewers having the same problem.

LTE is not widely available yet, but the huge power consumption seems to be affecting users in the non-LTE covered area as well as in the LTE covered area. The HTC ThunderBolt has no settings for turning off the LTE signal on the device to see if this is the cause of the fast battery drainage.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an HTC ThundeBolt Extended Battery with the cover. The Extended Battery has a capacity of 2750 mAh which is almost double the size of the 1400 mAh battery that comes standard with the HTC ThunderBolt. The replacement cover will add double the thickness in on the middle part of the device but the cover is an official HTC  4G LTE branded cover.

The Verizon HTC ThunderBolt Extended Battery with Battery Cover cost $49.99.

Don’t forget to check out my earlier review of the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt.

The Verizon HTC ThunderBolt is available now for $249.99 with a 2 year contact with a required data plan package.

Comparising Video

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAtScTSXKPo

Verizon’s LTE network gives us the first LTE mobile phone, the HTC Thunderbolt. The form factor is similar to the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint and the HTC Inspire 4G from AT&T.  But the specifications of the HTC ThunderBolt beats the others.

The HTC ThunderBolt from Verizon will give you the LTE speeds if you are in and LTE covered area, if not you will be falling back on the huge 3G network from Verizon. I am one of those that is stuck between Boston and New York and my experiences are on the 3G Network instead. However next week I will be travelling to NY City and will get back with my experiences over the LTE network.

Even on the 3G network I experience fast speeds with data downloads and I am able to use the build-in Mobile Hotspot for my wifi only iPad with very good data download speeds. The 8MP camera is amazing and the camera menu allows me easy to make pictures with special effects and auto focus. Switching to the 2MP front camera can be done within the menu as well. The 2x LED flash and the 720p HD video recording makes this camera app very complete and powerful.

Built-in DLNA allows you to beam your media wirelessly to your flatscreen.

The device has an instant-boot feature, but I have seen reports that that can give some issues with other functionalities of the phone.

I downloaded skype and try to make a call, however the HTC ThunderBolt is on the 3G or LTE network Skype only allows me to make a call over the Wifi network and I wasn’t able to use the front camera, why??  Looks like the front camera will only work with Google talk if you use it, otherwise it will be a nice camera to use to take a photo booth picture. Yesterday I have been playing around with the phone for a while and noticed that the battery runs down very quickly. I have been looking in the settings if there is a possibility to turn off the LTE searching connection which might be the issue of the extreme fast battery drain. But I have no luck finding these settings. I guess I could pull out the Sim for that. Not my preferred choice though.

Technical Specifications

• Networks – LTE 700, CDMA EvDO revA
• Android 2.2 + HTC Sense
• 4.3″ WVGA TFT capacitive touch screen
• 8MP auto focus, 2x led flash camera
• 1.3 MP front facing camera
• 8 GB Internal memory with 768 Ram memory and preinstalled 32 GB micro SD
• Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1
• GPS
• 1400 mAh battery
• Dual Mics with noise canceling
• Surround sound
• Compass
• G-Sensor
• Proximity sensor
• Light sensor
• FM Radio
• kick stand
• 1GHz Qualcomm processor

Unboxing Video

The video below will show you the unboxing experience of the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPH3txRkIB8

HTC has delivered again to Verizon as they did with Sprint and AT&T the most powerful smartphone on these networks. The Verizon HTC ThunderBolt is available now for $249.99 with a 2 year contact with a required data plan package.

AT&T just launched it big campaign letting consumer know that their 4G network is the fastest and most reliable. The HTC Inspire 4gis their first phone promoted to their customers on the 4G network that also will have a build-in WiFi Hotspot application.

Since the loss of the exclusivity of the Apple iPhone AT&Tis working hard on giving their customers extra value. There was a promotion for an extra 1000 roll over minutes, some iPhone customers were allowed to switch back to the unlimited data plan again. And the upcoming iPhone 4 update would have the Wifi Hotspot application accessible. But you don’t have to wait for this because the HTC Inspire 4G has 4G data speeds capability and the WiFi Hotspot build-in already.

Other features on the HTC Inspire 4G included are: Entertainment HQ, HTC Sense, Built-in DLNA allows you to stream from your phone to your flat-screen, In-camera editing, and much more.

Technical Specifications

• Processor – Qualcomm® QSD8255, 1GHz Snapdragon
• Operating System – Android 2.2 (Froyo) with HTC Sense
• Internal Memory – 768MB/RAM 4GB/ROM
• Display – 4.3 inch WVGA resolution with pinch-to-zoom
• Network - HSPA+ 850/1900 MHz, GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• GPS – GPS/AGPS
• Camera – 8-megapixel color camera with auto focus and flash
• Connectivity - Bluetooth® 2.1, Wi-Fi® 802.11 b/g/n, 3.5mm stereo audio jack, Micro USB
• Battery – Rechargeable lithium-ion battery 1230 mAh
• Talk Time – Up to 360 minutes
• Standby Time – Up to 15.5 days
• Dimensions – 4.8” x 2.7” x .46 (LxWxT)
• Weight – 5.78 ounces (with battery)

The specifications of the HTC Inspire 4G speak for it self. This is really a fast, powerful Android Google phone.

Video

The HTC Inspire 4G is available at AT&T now for a wonderful price of $99.99 after rebates and with a 2 year contract. (Requires a minimum data service starting at $15/month. 2 year contract & new activation required.)

If you are not on the AT&T network you might want to consider the following HTC Google Android devices.

• Verizon - HTC Thunderbolt (coming Soon)
• Sprint – Evo Shift 4Gor Evo 4G
• T-Mobile – MyTouch 4G
• Europe – HTC Desire HD

We were lucky enough to get our hands on the HTC Evo Shift 4G  from Sprintfor a very short period. The Shift is the successor of the HTC Evo also from Sprint. The big difference besides running on a newer version of the Android Fryo 2.2 is the Slide Out keyboard.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G has an 800 Mhz processor and with the 4G connectivity on the Sprint’s network this device will be very fast and functional. The QWERTY Slide out keyboard gives consumers now the option to choose this device over the HTC Evo 4G. Many consumers still prefer the keyboard to be part of the hardware over the on-screen keyboards.

The HTC Sense groups all the communications you have with a contact together. These communications include E-mail, text and the Friend Stream for your social media networks.

The build-in WIFI Mobile Hotspot app will allow you to connect up to 8 devices. These 8 devices will take advantage of the powerful 4G network that your HTC Evo Shift is connected to.

Unboxing Video

The video below will give you a quick impression of this powerful HTC Evo Shift 4G by Sprint.

Technical Specifications

• Processor - Qualcomm MSM7630, 800 MHz, Sequans SQN 1210 (for WiMAX)
• Operating System - Android™ 2.2 (Froyo) with HTC Sense
• Internal Memory - ROM: 2 GB eMMC,RAM: 512 MB
• Display - 3.6″ inch 800×480 WVGA resolution 262K-color TFT LCD (OS support 16 bit colors) Capacitive multi-touch screen
• Network - CDMA2000 1x RTT/ 1x EVDO/ 1x EVDO rev. A (800/1900Mhz) WiMAX IEEE 802.16e Wave2 (mobile WiMAX) Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n compliant (for 2.4 GHz only) DL: 10+ Mbps (WiMax) 3.1 Mbps (CDMA) UL: 4 Mbps (Wimax) 1.8 Mbps (CDMA)
• GPS - GPS and AGPS
• Camera - 5 MP Color CMOS with auto focus
• Connectivity - Version 2.1 compliant with EDR Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11b/g/n compliant (for 2.4 GHz only) 3.5mm stereo audio jack, Standard 5 pins micro-USB
• Battery - Rechargeable lithium-ion battery 1500 mAh
• Talk Time - Up to 360 minutes or 6 hours
• Dimensions - 4.61 (L) x 2.32 (W) x .59 (T) inches
• Weight - Weight 166 g. with battery –5.85(oz); 134 g W/O battery –4.72(oz)

The HTC Evo Shift 4G is available at Sprint for $149 with a 2 year contract and mail-in rebate

HTC was honored to win the ‘2011 Device Manufacturer of the Year’ award at the prestigious GSMA Global Mobile awards at Mobile World Congress. HTC was voted the winner from a shortlist of three finalists which included Apple and Samsung.

Accepting the award, Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp. said, “This award also belongs to the tens of millions of customers around the world who enjoy our phones and inspire us each day to create new innovative experiences. To those people, to our partners around the world and to the HTC family, you have my sincere thanks and congratulations.”

Read the full press release below:

HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, has been honored this week with the highest industry honor as ‘Device Manufacturer of the Year’ by the GSMA at its Global Mobile Awards ceremony in Barcelona.  The award follows a year of global momentum for HTC, which saw the launch of a large portfolio of industry leading smartphones such as the HTC Desire. HTC was awarded from a list of three finalists that included Apple and Samsung.

“For HTC to be recognized by the industry in this way for the growth and success we have experienced in the last year is truly humbling.  Thousands of people at HTC work tirelessly to create the intuitive and deeply personal smartphone experiences for which we have become known. This award is a measure of their passion and dedication,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation.  “This award also belongs to the tens of millions of customers around the world who enjoy our phones and inspire us each day to create new innovative experiences. To those people, to our partners around the world and to the HTC family, you have my sincere thanks and congratulations.”

The GSMA judges commented, “this company (HTC) has built its market presence from nowhere, with fresh branding and marketing and a strong portfolio of devices across many platforms. In particular, it has proven an exceptionally popular and enduring phone manufacturer. With great communication and good customer service, this is a well-deserved award.”

HTC previously was awarded for the ‘Best Mobile Phone of 2010’ with the HTC Hero.

A committee of judges that include industry analysts and consultants, mobile operators, educators and other industry leaders determines the GSMA Awards.  For more information on the 2011 GSMA Global Mobile awards please visit – http://www.globalmobileawards.com

Today at Mobile World Congress 2011, HTC announced their first Android tablet called HTC Flyer. When I showed up at the HTC stand in Hall 1, I was kind of disappointed that I found the HTC Flyer behind glass, so I was unable to take any pictures of it close by. Later today I had a session together with several members of the dutch press with Mark Moons, Regional Director HTC Benelux, who showed us the new HTC Incredible S, HTC Desire S and Wildfire S. After that we all hoped for the new two Facebook phones ChaCha and Salsa and the HTC Flyer. Sadly Mark didn’t bring them, so apart from a brief introduction and a Q and A on both products, we left the building (where this morning’s press conference took place). Luck was on our side when we discovered inside the building some HTC people and one of them had both the HTC Flyer and the Facebook phones there.

To conclude this, we got the extended tour with the HTC Flyer and managed to take some pictures of it too. The circumstances were not ideal because of the bad lighting but I think the photos turned out quite well. Let’s have a look !

This picture show the Flyer in it’s full glory. You can see how the capacitive buttons on the bottom rotate when you turn the device. The buttons are now on the bottom in landscape mode, but in the picture below, you’ll see them on the bottom in portrait mode. At the top you’ll also notice the front camera.

In this picture you can also see Scribe in action in the application Scribble. When you tap with your pen on the screen, a screenshot is made and you can start writing on the screen. The pen indicator turns from red to green indicating the writing-mode. When you are done and saved or shared your document, the indicator returns to red again. More pictures on the indicator below:

One of the other things demonstrated was the use of the front camera. You can use it to create special effects to your picture. If you ever wanted a pixelated face, you need the app Snapbooth on a Flyer for that !

After the demonstration where we got an overview of all the apps which make the Flyer unique like Scribe, HTC Watch and apps for reading E-books, listening to music and all the other additions when you use the Sense interface. After this I could some pictures of the Flyer to compare it in size or show of it’s design aspects.

Only for a size comparison: This is the HTC Desire HD with it’s 4.3 inch screen next to the Flyer.

The back of the HTC Flyer where you can clearly see the camera, stereo loudspeakers and on the top right corner the 3,5 mm headphone jack and power button. You can also see the Unibody design here.

Here you can see the bottom where you can insert the charging cable and also the cable which enables you to connect it to any HDMI device.

This picture is a bit unsharp and it shows you the top of the Flyer. Power button and headphone jack.

I tried to capture the curves at the side of the device here. It is not clearly visible but there is a small curve on both sides, just to give you a little bit more grip when holding it on both sides. Reminds me of the G1 and Legend who also had a curve at the bottom of the device. Picture below shows the other side.

What I wanted to find out too, was if I can hold the Flyer comfortably with one hand and in fact, Yes I can ! Could be the ideal device for me…

Some more information: The pen will be included and a case which holds the Flyer and the pen will be there too when you one.
Suggested retailprice may be 699 euro incl VAT for the 32GB version with 3G. Maybe there will be other versions with Wifi and no 3G and/or smaller memory amounts but I guess we’ll have to wait for May to find that out.

In the last couple of months there were many rumors about the Facebook phone. Windows Phone 7 already has a great deep integration in their Peoples hub of the Facebook posts from your account. Soon Windows Phone 7 will have twitter integrated as well.

Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona HTC announced two new phones running on the android platform with deep integration of Facebook. The HTC Salsa and the HTC ChaCha have even a dedicated Facebook button.

Social media is becoming a big player in communications on mobile devices besides text messaging and e-mail.

As said before, Microsoft announced this week at the Mobile World Congress that Twitter will be deeply integrated as well in the new Windows Phone 7 update later this year. We can’t wait!!

Below is a short video of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the dozen of Facebook Phones coming out this year.

The last but absolutely not the least from Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona is the introduction of the HTC Desire S and HTC Wildfire S. Both of these new Android smartphones offers HTC users to choose a devices that fits your lifestyle and budget. HTC Sense and a new design are the key features of the successors of the HTC Desire and HTC Wildfire which were introduced in 2010.

HTC Desire S

The HTC is the successor of the popular HTC Desire. Just like the HTC Legend, the Desire HD and the newly introduced HTC Flyer tablet, the Desire S features a aluminum Unibody design. It is powered by a Qualcomm 8255 processor which we all know from several other HTC devices. The 3.7 inch SuperLCD has a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and has the same size as the original HTC Desire. As you have expected from HTC it features a 5 Megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash at the back and a front facing VGA camera for video chatting. The silver color gives the device a distinguished look.

HTC Wildfire S: compact and complete

Like it’s predecessor, the HTC Wildfire S is mostly compact but packed with new features. It has Facebook integration and all the apps you’ll ever need can be downloaded from the Android Market with one touch of a button.You can completely personalize the Home screen with all your favorite apps, widgets and content. The 3.2 inch display got an upgrade too. It is now half-VGA 320 x 480 where the previous Wildfire only had 320 x 240 pixels resolution. It is only 101.3 mm long and 59.4 mm wide. Like all the other new phones, it sports a 5 Megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash. If the internal memory is not enough to hold all your media files, just expand it with a microSD card. The Wildfire S now comes in three colors: black, white and purple.

Availability and price

The HTC Desire comes to a store near you in April 2011 for 469 euro and the Wildfire will be there one month later in May for 279 euro including VAT.

The third announcement of today from the Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona is the introduction of two specially designed social networking phones named HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa. Both devices combine the power of Facebook with the HTC Sense interface. A special Facebook button on both devices gives you direct access to the common features of the world’s biggest social network.

Facebook button

The Facebook-button on the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa gives you direct access to the most used Facebook functions. The button offers several options and lights up automatically when you can share content or send an update to your Facebook profile. You can update your status, upload a picture, share articles, check in to a location and all the other things you would like to do on Facebook. You can even share to which music you are listening to and share the track with your Facebook friends.

Both devices will feature the latest Android 2.3.3 version and the latest edition of HTC Sense. When someone calls you or you place an outgoing call, the latest updates, uploaded pictures and even the birthday (if this is present in their Facebook profile) of the person you are calling or calls you is shown on the display.

Both the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa offer many ways to personalize your device with the latest Facebook widgets. You can use Facebook chat and Messages to stay in contact with your friends. Facebook messages from your profile and conversations will be integrated now and appear automatically in your email inbox, next to your other conversations.

Mark Moons, Regional Director HTC Benelux: “The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa offer new options to use Facebook on your mobile device. There are over 500 million active Facebook users worldwide and for many people Facebook is synonym for social networking.”

HTC ChaCha: QWERTY and touch screen

The HTC ChaCha features a touch screen, a 3-row QWERTY keyboard with a fourth row of keyboard functions. It has two camera’s: A 5 Megapixel camera at the back with LED flash and auto focus and and a VGA front-facing camera. This enables you to take crystal clear pictures you can upload to your profile and the front-facing camera is is used for video chats with you friends. The 2.6 inch HVGA touch screen features a 480 x 320 pixel resolution.

HTC Salsa

The HTC Salsa offers the same Facebook integration like we have already seen on the ChaCha. It features the same set of camera’s: 5 Megapixel at the back and VGA at the front. The 3.4 inch touch screen has the same resolution as the ChaCha: 480 x 320 pixels. Apart from this, both devices will have a 600 MHz processor and 512 MB RAM and ROM. Only 120 grams of weight are shown on the scale for both devices. More specifications later…

Availability

The HTC ChaCha should be in stores by June, while the HTC Salsa should appear in stores one month later. The HTC ChaCha will be going for 299 euro, while the Salsa will cost you 369 euro’s. Both prices already include VAT.

Today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, HTC introduces the HTC Incredible S. A brand new Android powered smartphone with a 4 inch Super LCD display, DLNA, front camera for video calling and HTC’s familiar Sense interface.With the new Incredible S, HTC amazes us again with a groundbreaking design combined with a complete mobile experience.

Some specifications of the latest smartphone from HTC: 1 GHz. processor, 1.1 GB ROM and 768 MB RAM, dimensions: 120x64x117 mm, a weight of 135,5 grams, 4 inch Super LCD with 480 x 800 pixels resolution, DLNA, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, all the connectivity options you might need while on the road,  a 1.3 Megapixel front camera and a 8 Megapixel camera at the back with auto focus, dual led flash and 720p HD recording.

The HTC Incredible S is for sharing and more sharing. Video calling is made easy with the front camera. Crystal clear pictures taken with the 8 Megapixel camera can be uploaded at high speed to your social media networks. This is also the first HTC device with built-in DLNA. DLNA technology is used to share video’s, pictures and music with other DLNA capable devices like televisions or stereo sets.

Mark Moons, Regional Director HTC Benelux tells us: “The HTC Incredible S shows what can be accomplished when designers and developers work together and pushing the bar for designing new mobile devices higher and higher. This device completely suits the need for users to be always and everywhere online and share their lives with their friends”.

Availability and price

The Incredible S should be available in March 2011. The suggested retailprice is 519 euro including VAT. You might get it for a lower price when combining it with a mobile subscription.

Today at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona, HTC has unveiled their first Tablet with Scribe, Skype Video Chat and OnLive Gaming. This tablet combines HTC’s unique design with the familiar HTC Sense interface, which we all know from various HTC Android and Windows Mobile devices. This intuitive interface now combines touch and pen interaction. Another brand new service which debuts on the HTC Flyer is that HTC now works together with OnLive to give you the first cloud based gaming service on a tablet.

As you can see, the HTC Flyer features the same Unibody style which we all know from the HTC Legend and Desire HD. The Flyer has a 7 inch display, features a 1.5 GHz. processor and high speed wireless HSPA+. 32 GB of internal memory gives you enough space to store a lot of media files and if that is still not enough, just extend it with a MicroSD card. The dimensions are 195.4 x 122 x 13.2 mm and at a weight of 415 grams it is as light as a pocketbook. The huge 4000 mAh battery will keep the Flyer on standby time for up to 1470 hours and gives you a video playback time of up to 4 hours.

HTC Sense for tablet

The revolutionary interface of HTC Sense placed the user in the center of the whole experience and now the the Sense interface is extended to the HTC Flyer and gives you a 3D Home screen. A unique carousel of widgets shows the most important data in the visual center of the whole Sense experience. Support for Flash 10 and HTML 5 gives you the optimal browsing experience.

HTC Scribe

HTC Scribe is an awesome technology which comes very close to normal natural writing. A set of integrated digital ink innovations make it so much easier and more natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures or even to write on a web page or picture.

Another feature is Timemark. Timemark gives you the possibility to synchronize written notes with a recording from a meeting. Just pressing the word is enough to go the the exact point of that particular recording. Notes are also synchronized to the calender. When a reminder shows up on the screen you can start a new note or continue with the notes of the last meeting if it was a recurring meeting. If you are using Evernote, the Flyer is your perfect partner. It now syncs with Evernote, a market leading company for notes applications and services

Video calling with Skype Mobile

A 1.3 Megapixel front camera makes the HTC Flyer the first tablet which integrates Skype mobile and video calling. The form factor of the Flyer makes it easy communicate everywhere using Skype.

Mobile gaming

Mobile gaming steps up to a new level on the HTC Flyer with the integration of OnLive, a cloud based gaming service. OnLive makes it possible for everyone to game from home by giving the option to play games on your television without having to invest in expensive hard or software. By using wireless broadband OnLive can is brought to your television or right to your tablet. At launch several games like Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Lego Harry Potter will be available.

The HTC Flyer is coming to a store near you from May 2011.

As many sites have reported Microsoft will soon come with the first update for the Windows Phone 7 platform. The Microsoft Windows Phone site even has a special page announcing the upcoming updates. The info on this site is very limited besides the Copy and Paste function we all wanted. Using the Windows Phone 7 now as my main device I do miss some functions. Some little bugs that keep bugging me need some fixing as well. Take a look at our wish list and add yours to ours!

Take a look at our Windows Phone 7 update wish list and add your wishes in the comment below or in our new forums.

• Copy and Paste (we now that that is coming)
• Sync all office documents to Skydrive, not just the Notes.
• Able to edit original E-mail messages when forwarding or replying.
• Able to connect to an hidden WIFI network.
• Access to Mac addresses for WIFI to be able to connect on WIFI networks that use Mac filtering.
• Fix Bluetooth stack to work in all vehicles and headsets. Sound goes in and out. (Windows Phone Answers Thread)
• Filtered searches in the Marketplace. Like to just search for apps, not apps and music.
• Ringtones !!
• Notes need to sync when you open the Notes app within Office. Otherwise you make changes to a possible older version of the specific Note.
• Make my own hubs to organize my apps by functionality. Now I need to know the name of the app to find it back in the the alphabetical order listing.
• All Notebooks need to sync with Notes by default. The only way to open your own Notebook is to access this Notebook using your browser on the phone. At that point it will show up in the Notes app.
• Text messages back-up
• Syncing back updated in boxes to the cloud needs to be as instantaneous as the incoming emails. Many times I use the the fast way to triage my emails on the phone, but when I go back to my desktop I have to triage again.
• Maintain camera settings.
• Address bar in Internet Explorer while in landscape orientation.
• We want to able to create folders in Internet Explorer to organize your favorites better.
• We want to be able to Share video’s
• We want Twitter to be part of the sharing options.
• Since we have Facebook integrated, why not have Facebook  push notification (Add notification numbers to the Me tile)
• With the subscribed podcasts in the Zune app we want to be able to see the new episodes. Download or Stream them directly on your device.

Added upon Request:

• Add twitter feed to the People hub
• Add many languages for keyboard. (Try typing an email in another language that is not supported)
• Flash support in the browser
• Multitasking
• Have phone numbers listed in Text messages for a direct dail to sender

The list above are really functionalities needed within the operating system to make the Windows Phone 7 more functional, however the real functionality has to come from the quality apps.

If you are a Windows Phone 7 user or you want to be a Windows Phone 7 users please let us know what Microsoft needs to update, add or fix.

You can also let us know which apps are still missing in the MarketPlace. I f you don’t have a Windows Phone 7 and do not have the Zune Desktop installed you can browse the current MarketPlace apps at the  MarketPlaceBrowser site.

Introduction

The HTC 7 Trophy (codename: Spark) is one of the five ! HTC Windows Phones 7 devices which are now available in many countries around the world. Together with the HTC Surround, HTC HD7, HTC Mozart and the soon to be released HTC Pro 7, the Trophy features the latest Windows Phone 7 Operating System from Microsoft. All of these five devices have their own unique features, where the HTC 7 Trophy has a strong emphasis for XBOX and gaming.  It shows some similarities with the HTC Mozart, but has a slightly bigger screen (3,8 inch vs. 3,7 inch), a totally different housing (where the Mozart is made of a single piece of anodized aluminum) and has a smaller image sensor (5 MegaPixel vs. 8 MegaPixel).

Apart from this, all HTC Windows Phone 7 devices feature almost the same hardware setup, where the only difference is the screen size, type of device (bar or with keyboard) and the image sensors. Now let’s have a look at how the HTC 7 Trophy is powered and what’s in the box.

The Youtube video below shows you a first look at the HTC 7 Trophy !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euBiGGdP7Zc

]]> http://www.mobilityminded.com/10500/htc-7-trophy-windows-phone-7-review/feed 7 http://www.mobilityminded.com/10695/t-mobile-htc-mytouch-4g-review-unboxing http://www.mobilityminded.com/10695/t-mobile-htc-mytouch-4g-review-unboxing#comments Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:44:14 +0000 Johan van Mierlo http://www.mobilityminded.com/?p=10695

Last week T-Mobile launched their new HTC myTouch 4G Google Android phone. The video chat similar to AT&T Apple’s iPhone 4 Face Time is being heavenly promoted on this phone since it is not just over WIFI but also over 3G and 4G.

The T-Mobile HTC myTouch is the latest in the myTouch series that T-Mobile USA has launched and looking at the specifications this is definitely a device you need to look at if you are on the T-Mobile network. This week T-Mobile also launched the new HTC HD7 a Windows Phone 7.

Specifications

The T-Mobile HTC myTouch 4G will have as mentioned earlier the video chat over the celluar network. Other key features  of the myTouch 4G are HD Video, 4G and the “You’re a genius” functionality which lets you talk and Google listens. (Special Genius button)

The vibrant colors and the high resolution screen makes this phone a piece of eye-candy. We didn’t have much to give it a full review but we were able to manage to make unboxing video for you. The T-Mobile myTouch 4G goes for $199.99 with a 2 year contract or for $449.99 with no annual contract.

UnBoxing Video