One of the phones HTC is expected to unveil at Mobile World Congress next month has been spotted in the wild, with the prototype apparently snapped while its tester was flaunting it on the Taipei metro system. Engadget‘s tipster doesn’t have a name for the device, but it matches up with previously leaked renders believed to be HTC’s new range.
Exact specifications are in short supply, but there’s a front-facing camera next to the smartphone’s earpiece and a row of touch-sensitive buttons running underneath the display. Screen size is unclear, but it could well be a 3.7-inch replacement to the HTC Desire, announced at MWC 2010 and one of the devices we’re expecting to see replaced at this year’s show.
With Gingerbread freely distributed to the open-source masses, it probably won’t surprise you to hear there already a custom ROM for Google’s darling Nexus One. But what if we told you Android 2.3 is now available for the HTC HD2 as well? That’s right, the Windows Mobile 6.5 powerhouse can now snap off a sugary piece of the same Android code, and from what we hear in the XDA-developers forums, it works pretty decently, too. Like the Samsung Galaxy S we saw getting the green tie treatment this morning, the HTC HD2 and Nexus One don’t exactly have stable, fully functional builds, but as long as you know what you’re doing and don’t need petty luxuries like cameras, GPS receivers and official Google apps, you’ll probably be just fine. Find files and a modicum of instruction at our source links below.
Update: While these cookies are half-baked, unconfirmed and potentially dangerous to those not well versed in the art of Android hackery, we’re hearing that the HTC EVO 4G, original Motorola Droid and HTC Desire are now sporting early Gingerbread ROMs too. It seems the source code is relatively easy to compile for other phones, so with any luck there’ll be a compatible build for your device soon.
We’re still not ready to apply the label “Gaming 3.0″ here (or to anything, for that matter), but despite its boasts, GameString’s making a compelling case for cloud-based play time. We’ve already seen the company bring World of Warcraft to Google TV, but now the company’s showcasing its take on a challenge we’ve seen a few times before — streaming a playable version of WoW to a mobile phone. (Gotta get ‘em out of the house somehow.) The trick here is a streamlined UI overlay that makes for a every touch-friendly experience; there’s translucent “thumbstick” spots and larger buttons for spells. The setup in question here is its Adrenalin Host Server from approximately 80 kilometers away (geographically) and an HTC Desire running over a home network that’s 2Mbps down / 2Mbps up. And while there’s some notable lag and parts of the interface that’s still too tiny to really use, it’s still an Alpha build that seems functional for all but the most intense of moments. See it for yourself after the break.
It’s almost a given that HTC may have a little announcement for us next Monday, but chances are you’d like to let Windows Phone 7 settle in for a bit while you cling on to your trusty green bot. Assuming neither the Desire HD nor the troublesomeDesire Z / G2 tickled your fancy, you now have two more options for consideration: a “phantom black” Legend and a “brilliant white” Desire (as seen a few weeks ago). Patrons in Europe should be seeing these new handsets starting this month, but here’s a caveat: we’re told that rather than going 100 percent SLCD for the Desire, it’s actually a mix of both SLCD and AMOLED, so be sure to double-check with your store before handing over your hard-earned euros.
They might not be quite as exciting as the HTC Desire Z and HTC Desire HD, but that doesn’t mean the original Desire and HTC Legend have run out of appeal quite yet. HTC has officially confirmed the brilliant white Desire spotted last month together with an ominous looking “phantom black” version of the Legend which would go very well with your Darth Vader costume.
Beyond the different color schemes both handsets are functionality identical to their regular predecessors, which means Android 2.2 and HTC Sense, WiFi, UMTS/HSPA and 5-megapixel cameras. They’ll both go on sale via various European carriers starting this month.
If you’ve a taste for MeeGo and a Google Nexus One lying around – or, for that matter, a Dell Streak or an HTC Desire – then you’ll be pleased to hear that the open-source team over at the MeeGo Wiki are busy slapping the Intel/Nokia collaboration onto all manner of Android handsets. As you’d hope, much of the device functionality is working, so you could feasibly have a MeeGo smartphone long before Nokia get their act together.
The Nexus One port seems to be the most advanced right now, though the UI doesn’t take advantage of the hardware acceleration on offer and so is a little slower than you’re likely used to from Android. There are also a few errors, while although the touchscreen is working it does require rotating.
There’s more information on the various installations – and their current limitations – at xda-developers.
You’ve already seen it ported to the HTC HD2, and it looks like the recently-leaked HTC Desire HD ROM has now also made its way to two more likely candidates for a port: the Droid Incredible and original Desire. As you might expect, there are a few issues that you’ll likely want to consider before diving right in — there’s no camera support yet on either phone, for instance — but it does look like it otherwise reasonably stable for a beta, and it does bring some of the boot speed improvements seen on the Desire HD itself. Head on past the break for a quick video, and hit up the source links below for all the necessary details.
Update: We’re getting word that even the HTC EVO 4G’s in on the speedy-booting game now, with a Desire HD ROM as well as an original Desire build from MIUI. They’re apparently still half-baked like the other two, missing camera support, WiFi and 4G as well, but if you’ve been looking for an opportunity to tweak, hit up link number three below.
We knew it was coming to European carriers, and it’s already hit unlocked phones, but if your HTC Desire is bound and chained to T-Mobile UK, you’ll be getting a feature-filled Android 2.2 update any day now. The official T-Mobile UK forums announced the news, which has been corroborated by a number of tipsters who say they’ve already received the download, but if yours doesn’t appear, never fear, the frozen yogurt is just being dished out in small, slow-churned batches like usual. “The 2.2 firmware update (FroYo) will be available from today and will be sent over the air (OTA) direct to your phone over the coming weeks” is the official word, for those of you who prefer direct quotes.
Digg If you’ll recall, a little while back HTC waved its white flag amid AMOLED shortages and made the jump to the readily-available SLCD for its Desire and Nexus One handsets. As a quick recap, here’s what CEO Peter Chou said about the swap:
“The SLCD displays provide consumers with a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7 inch displays with some additional benefits including battery performance.”
So, just how “comparable” is the SLCD? To find out, we picked up both flavors of the Desire to perform some comparison tests. Let’s start off with the picture quality: what caught our attention straight away was how much sharper SLCD is, but alas, AMOLED is still in the lead for vibrancy and brightness. We dug a little deeper and learned that this has to do with the different pixel arrangements on the two types of panels — unlike traditional TFT LCD panels, AMOLED’s PenTile RGBG (red, green, blue, green, etc.) filter matrix utilizes just two subpixels per pixel instead of three in the same amount of space, thus allowing greater transmittance due to the larger red and blue subpixels. But obviously, the downside is that the pictures aren’t as sharp as the denser-packed SLCD. Read on for more!
It’s no HTC Desire HD, but we like the original HTC Desire enough to be pleased its finally arrived on US shores thanks to U.S. Cellular. The carrier is now offering the Android 2.1 smartphone for $199.95 after a mail-in rebate, complete with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, HTC Sense UI and 3.7-inch Super LCD display (rather than the AMOLED panels that are in such short supply).
There’s also an 8GB microSD card, 5-megapixel autofocus camera, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, along with Flash Lite support in the browser. HTC had tipped the Desire’s August US debut back in June, at the time only saying that a regional operator would be offering it. For more on the Desire, check out our full review of the European version.
