HTC M7 to be announced on February 19 ahead of MWC: Source

Everyone's eyeing HTC's second full-HD device that is expected to come out soon. How soon? Well, according to Twitter user @flapic, the HTC M7 could be launched at an event in London on February 19.

Until now, we were hoping to see the device at the Mobile World Congress scheduled to take place between February 25-28. But if HTC plans to launch it a week earlier at a separate event, it is likely to garner more attention.

The HTC M7 has been rumoured for quite a while now, with recent ones indicating the possible look and feel of the device. It's also been spotted running on the company's latest and yet-to-be-made official Sense 5.0 UI.


Earlier this month, leaked images of the smartphone showed the HTC M7 running Sense 5.0 and of what perhaps might be the new lockscreen. An earlier image posted by Pocketnow depicted that HTC may have gotten rid of the ring and introduced a swipe-based gesture instead to unlock the screen.

More recently, a render of the device surfaced online, which seemed to be a part of some animation clip instructing new owners on how to install the SIM card in their smartphone.

Earlier rumoured specifications of the device indicate a 4.7-inch full-HD display, making it an incredible 468ppi. Other alleged specs include a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 12-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel one in the front.

Initial rumours, however, were suggestive of a 5-inch full-HD display and a 13-megapixel camera. But seems like the Taiwanese manufacturer is keeping the 5-inch screen exclusive to its first 1080p device, the HTC Butterfly.

Speaking of the Butterfly, a White variant of the device is expected to go on sale Thursday in China and has already received 400,000 pre-orders within 24 hours, reports Unwired View via MIC Gadget. This version has been priced identical to the red and black variants already available in the country at 4,799 yuan.

The J Butterfly was launched in Japan in October last year and is the first full-HD smartphone of the world with the device sporting a huge 440ppi display. Other features of the HTC J Butterfly include 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.

The smartphone also comes with 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, Android 4.1, HTC Sense 4+ and 2020 mAh battery.Connectivity options include HDMI out, microUSB, Infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC.

The J Butterfly is a Japan specific model, while the international version of the device is simply called Butterfly. We're hoping for the device to reach Indian shores soon.

HTC One S Android 4.1 update begins rolling out in select markets

We've been hearing about the Jelly Bean update for the HTC One S since July this year. While theOne X received the update last month, the Taiwanese manufacturer seems to have kept up with its promise by beginning to roll out the Android 4.1 update for the One S. The update is available to select UK users of the device.

According to Android Central, the OTA update is rather large at 612.27MB and carries version number 3.16.401.8 and lists Android 4.1.1 as the software version. It brings along major Jelly Bean elements to the device along with a new version of HTC's Sense UI, Sense 4+.

The Sense 4+ UI available as part of the Jelly Bean update, has several new features like HTC Get Started, HTC Watch 2.0, changes to the Gallery app and views, tweaks with the Camera app and much more. As of now, Sense 4+ is available to HTC One X and HTC One S users post the update. The HTC One X+ comes with Sense 4+ straight out of the box.

Other features as part of the update include a fix for battery issues that users have been complaining about as well as accessing the power saver option from the Notification menu.

Apart from the One X and One S, HTC had also confirmed its plans to upgrade the One XL with Jelly Bean. Now that two of the three have received their updates, we hope to see One XL users to be part of the Android 4.1 fraternity soon.

As a reminder, Jelly Bean aka Android 4.1 brings several performance improvements including Project Butter, which aims to make the user interface smoother. It also comes with Google Now and updates to Android Beam functionality.

HTC rolls out Android 4.1 update for One X globally

HTC has started rolling out the Android 4.1 update for One X for users across the globe.

Users in India and other parts of Asia were among the first to receive the update over the weekend and Monday the update started popping up for users across other regions as well. If you have not already received the over-the-air update notification, you can try to manually check for an update by going to Settings > About > Software updates >Check now.

According to reports, the Android 4.1 update for HTC One X, which includes the HTC Sense 4+ UI, is being pushed out in two separate parts. The first file is around 1.5 MB in size, while the main Jelly Bean update is around 360 MB.

Back in July, HTC had announced plans to release Android 4.1 update for its One X and One S smartphones. While the Android 4.1 update for HTC One X is finally here, there's no sign of the HTC One S update.

HTC One X and One S smartphones where announced at this year's Mobile World Congress in February. The HTC One X comes with a 4.7-inch 1280x720 display and is powered by a  1.5 GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM. It features a 8-megapixel rear shooter with a 1.4-megapixel front camera. The phone comes with 32GB of non-expandable storage and a 1800 mAh non user-replaceable battery.

The HTC One S is powered by a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor with 1GB RAM and sports a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch display with qHD resolution and a pixel density of 256ppi. It runs on Android 4.0, has 1GB RAM and 16GB of in-built storage (non-expandable).There's an 8-megapixel autofocus camera at the rear with LED flash that can captures videos in 1080p at 30fps. There's a front facing VGA camera as well and a 1650mAh Li-Po battery.

HTC confirms Jelly Bean update for One X, One S

HTC has officially stated that it will be releasing the Android 4.1 update for its One X and One S smartphones. Company told technology blogEngadget that the recently announced Jelly Bean update will soon be rolled-out for all the variants of One X and One S.It has promised to give more details on these upgrades in the coming days.
"We know HTC fans are excited to get their hands on Google's latest version of Android. At this point in time, we can confirm that we have plans to upgrade our HTC One X, HTC One XL and HTC One S to Jelly Bean. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Jelly Bean," company said in a statement.
Both One X and One S were originally announced at Mobile World Congress and are powered by Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Jelly Bean aka Android 4.1 brings several performance improvements including Project Butter, which aims to make the user interface smoother. It also comes with Google Now and updates to Android Beam functionality. 

HTC M7 rumoured to feature 4.7-inch full-HD display

HTC M7 has been the subject a few leaks off late. Earlier, we saw reports speculating that the phone will feature a 5.0-inch full-HD display, a uni-body aluminium shell, Qualcomm APQ8064 quad-core processor and a 13-megapixel camera. A new report contradicts the screen size, while confirming almost everything else we've known.
Trusted Twitter user @evelaks is back with more details of the HTC M7. Quoting "a previously reliable source" he states that the HTC M7 will feature a 4.7-inch full-HD display, making it an incredible 468 PPI. He further claims that "this so-called SoLux display is said to offer a number of visual improvements over the previous generation Super LCD2, boosting viewing angles, outdoor visibility, and colour accuracy".

In line with some of the previous rumours, powering the HTC M7 is a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The cameras are 13-megapixel (rear) and 2-megapixel (front), both capable of recording full-HD video. The HTC M7 will reportedly boast of 2300mAh battery and run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Connectivity options in the HTC M7 reportedly include LTE and Wi-Fi with 802.11ac support, which (theoretically) boasts of speeds up to 3 times that of 802.11n.

HTC has been on a bit of a launch spree off-late, first unveiling the HTC One X+, a modest upgrade over its popular HTC One X (Review | Pictures) and more recently, the HTC Butterfly, the first smartphone in the world with a full-HD display.

HTC Butterfly goes global with its 5.0-inch, full-HD display

The first smartphone in the world with a full-HD display, HTC's J Butterfly, is set to come to international markets under the name HTC Butterfly.

The highlight of the HTC J Butterfly, which debuted in Japan in October, is its 5-inch Super LCD 3 1920x1080p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and a pixel density of 441 pixels-per-inch. Other features of the HTC J Butterfly include 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage (expandable by another 32GB). The smartphone also comes with 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with HTC Sense 4+ and a 2020mAh battery. Connectivity options include HDMI out, Micro-USB, Infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC.

The phone also released on Verizon in the United States with some modifications as the HTC DROID DNA.

There were rumours of the phone making it to Europe and other markets as the HTC Deluxe DLX, but those rumours can now be officially put to rest with HTC outing HTC Butterfly as the official moniker of the phone in international markets.

There's no word yet on the India pricing or availability yet, but we look forward to the phone's debut in the country.

HTC Butterfly technical specifications

• 5-inch Super LCD 3 1920x1080p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 (441 ppi)
• 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 6GB internal storage (expandable by another 32GB)
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 2-megapixel front camera
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with HTC Sense 4+
• 2020mAh battery
• HDMI out, Micro-USB, Infrared
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• 143 x 70.5 x 9.08 mm
• 140 gms with battery