What makes the HP Spectre X360 13 and Envy 13 great work and study companions?

907

Adaptability is key to being productive; anyone who expects you to deliver something – either at work or in college – would tell you that. We especially know that even more now given our current climate.

But sometimes, you’re not given the tools to work from home, or hunker down at a co-working space, or a Starbucks – so, when there’s a need to, it’s always good to be prepared to work or study from anywhere, at any time.

The HP Spectre X360 13 and Envy 13 are some of the best laptops you can get to make remote working or studying a breeze. One reason comes down to the 13-inch laptops’ thin an lightweight builds.

The Spectre X360 13 is 16.9mm thin and weighs a measly 1.3KG; meanwhile the Envy 13 is only 14.8mm in thickness and weighs around 1.2KG. They’re so thin that they fit in the smallest bags and are light enough that you can easily whip them out wherever you are.

Regardless of where you’ve hunkered down, it’s always important to communicate with your peers; and the best way to do so would be via a video conference call – at least that way nothing gets lost in translation. The HP Spectre X360 13 comes with a HP TrueVision HD IR Camera which is housed in an inconspicuous 2.2mm cutout, just above your display, to allow for more screen real-estate. The HP Envy 13 is equipped with a HP Wide Vision HD camera that has an 88-degree angle viewfinder that gets more subject into the frame, so more people can be in that team meeting or group discussion.

While it’s convenient to talk to your peers on the webcam, it’s also easy for hackers or passersby to invade on eavesdrop on your conversations – luckily HP equips both these laptops with a dedicated Webcam Kill Switch that lets you disable the camera with a flick of the switch. Tucked away on the side of your laptop is the toggle which is easy to reach; plus, you’ll feel an obvious bump when you’re looking for it so you can react disable your webcam as fast as possible if need be.

For added security, both laptops also come with a fingerprint reader – which you can use to unlock your laptop; meaning there’s no need to key in your password in the presence of strangers. Even if you work from home, it’s useful to keep children from logging in and getting access to important documents.

On top of that, the HP Spectre X360 13’s IR-enabled webcam lets you log in using facial recognition too in case your hands are full.

You got security and portability covered – the next aspect of a good companion laptop is a long-lasting battery. These laptops get you 22 hours of power, and can last you almost an entire day of regular usage. Leave it charge at the end of the day, and you’re all set for the next.

With the latest Intel Core 10
th
 Gen CPUs, you can always get that extra boost in performance should you need it; and you obviously lose battery life there. But both the Spectre X360 13 and Envy 13 ship with HP Fast Charge which can power your device up to 50% in just 45 minutes. That’s just enough time for you to grab lunch!

As you already know, the Spectre X360 13 and Envy 13 come with your choice of either a 10
th
-Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor. For graphics, the Envy 13 gets a powerful Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU, while the Spectre X360 13 gets Intel’s Iris Plus Graphics. With that, you’re able to do light photo and video editing, on top of some casual gaming to in case you want to kick back and relax just a bit.

Both laptops come with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM which is more than enough for a smooth multitasking experience. Plus, both laptops come with up to 512GB of PCIe NVMe SSD for storage – this allows programs to launch in no time at all. With crunch time on the horizon, there’s no time to waste on waiting for apps to load, or that file to open up.

To match the top-notch hardware and safety features, the Spectre X360 13 and Envy 13 also have classy aesthetics that fit both the business and classroom environment. The aluminium chassis doesn’t just give the laptops a premium look, but also makes them sturdy. With their gorgeous 13.3-inch FHD WLED displays and backlit keyboards, you’ll be able to stay productive longer regardless of where you are.

The Envy X360 13 has a flexible hinge which lets you bend the screen up to a 360-degree angle, and either use it as a tablet, or prop it up in tent mode for presentations or binging Netflix. Meanwhile, the Envy 13 is your more conventional laptop in that it doesn’t have the flexible hinge – this is great for those who like to keep things simple.

The Spectre X360 13 is now available in a stunning Poseidon Blue finish gold accents around the frame; while the Envy 13 is available in the classic Pale Gold and Natural Silver colourways should you want something premium-looking without being too jarring.

There you have it – the HP Spectre X360 13 and Envy 13 are both super compact laptops that not only look the part but pack the hardware to let you get your work done whether at work or in school.

On top of that, you also get Microsoft Office Home & Student pre-loaded for free (worth RM528) so you can get right to work as soon as you unbox your device. There’s also a list of other
HP PCs
 that come equipped with the software; this also includes devices that are powered by Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, as well as AMD Ryzen processors.

These are the reason why these laptops make the best work and study companions should you choose to work remotely; but being able to work or study from home or at a Starbucks is a privilege not many have – so it’s important to appreciate technology that helps connect people far and wide, while helping folks stay productive.

To purchase the HP Spectre X360 13 and Envy 13, visit HP’s official online store
here
, or contact any authorized retailers.

This article is sponsored by HP

10th Gen Intel Core
cpu
hp
hp envy 13
hp envy 13 malaysia price
hp laptop
HP Malaysia
HP Spectre x360 13
hp spectre x360 13 price
hp trueview
hp webcam
webcam kill switch


HP unveils the Chromebook 11 G4 but its affordability isn’t quite acceptable

464

HP has just released its latest entry level Chromebook in the US, the Chromebook 11 G4 will start from the price of $222, and since we mentioned the word ‘entry level’, you could pretty much imagine how the specs would be.

Under the hood, you’ll get a humble Intel Celeron N2840 quad-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 16GB flash storage and a 11.6-inch HD resolution (1366×768) display, you also get USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, a standard HDMI port and
dual
speakers
. According to reports, the company will provide a higher end model that comes with a better display and more storage.

While you might think that entry-level specs might actually sound pretty dated, the hardware power should still perform pretty well since Chrome OS do not require lots of power to be able to function properly, that 4GB of RAM could do some justice as well since most Chromebooks have only 2GB of RAM. And before we end here, users might actually want to consider the ASUS EeeBook X205 that comes with a better Atom processor and four times the storage of the Chromebook, it also runs full fledge
Windows
8
.
1

which totally makes owning the Chromebook 11 G4 really aimless.

chromebook
g4
google
hp


HP unveils the OMEN 15 and Pavilion Gaming gaming laptops with upgraded specs

805

In addition to its launch event, HP Malaysia also unveiled the OMEN 15 and the Pavilion Gaming — laptops made for gamers. The first difference you’ll notice between this two laptops is the colours.

The OMEN 15 is a gaming laptop made for pro gamers. With a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display, the laptop has a 144Hz refresh rate for that smooth gaming experience paired with anti-glare technology. Despite being a gaming laptop, the OMEN 15 has managed to escape the typical bulky design and is instead slim and weighs from 2.46kg.

The OMEN 15 now comes with up to a 9th generation Intel Core i9 9880H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics. Moreover, there are various storage configurations for the OMEN 15; you can choose up to 1TB 7200 rpm SATA coupled with 16GB PCIe NVMe Intel Optane Memory or up to 2TB 5400 rpm SATA paired with 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. To top it all off, the OMEN 15 supports dual channel memory of up to 32GB.

Port wise, the OMEN 15 has a media card reader, a Thunderbolt 3 port, a USB-C port, and three USB-A ports. It also has a Mini DisplayPort, a HDMI port and a RJ-45 port. Apart from that, the OMEN 15 sports dual speakers that are equipped with HP Audio Boost 2.0.

Moving on, we have the HP Pavilion Gaming laptop that are made for those who love gaming and still want a laptop that is suitable for work. Unlike the OMEN 15 that comes in Shadow Black, the Pavilion Gaming comes in Shadow Black and Acid Green accents.

The Pavilion Gaming also sports a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display with anti-glare properties, but instead of 144Hz, the laptop comes with a 60Hz refresh rate. It has ultra-thin bezels and also dual speakers combined with HP Audio Boost 1.0, in addition to a HP wide vision HD camera with integrated dual array digital microphone.

The laptop has up to a 9th generation Intel Core i7 9750H processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q graphics. Coupled with dual channel memory up to 32GB and a few storage options including up to 1TB 7200 rpm SATA with 16GB PCIe NVMe Intel Optane Memory and up to 2TB 5400 rpm SATA with 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, the Pavilion Gaming makes it a laptop that can be used for multiple purposes.

While the Pavilion Gaming doesn’t have as many ports as the OMEN 15, it still has a media card reader with one USB-C, two USB-A, one HDMI v.20 port, one RJ-45 port and one AC smart pin.

The HP OMEN 15 is priced from RM6,399 while the HP Pavilion Gaming is priced from RM2,979. While the latter is already available for purchase, the former will only be available July onwards.

hp
OMEN 15
Pavilion Gaming


HP will layoff 3,000 to 4,000 employees within the next three years

317

HP’s performance in the market ain’t living up to the company’s expectation. As such, HP has announced that it will be cutting 3,000 to 4,000 jobs over the next three years, on top of the 3,000 jobs that is expected to be axed by the end of fiscal year 2016.

Chief Executive for HP Dion Weisler has mentioned that the decision to cut more jobs comes as the company faces pressure and uncertainties from a volatile market. “Our core markets are challenged and macro economic conditions are in flux right now,” says Weisler. With the layoffs, HP has said that it expects to generate a gross annual run rate savings of USD200 million to USD300 million, beginning in the fiscal year 2020.

Part of the reason why HP has decided that layoffs were necessary to the company’s survival can be traced back to declining PC sales numbers. According to Gartner, worldwide PC shipments in Q3 has fallen by 5.7 percent. This marks the eighth consecutive quarter that PC shipment has declined, making it the longest duration of decline in the history of the PC industry.

Source:
Reuters

hp
layoff
pc
sales


HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation: unleashing creative possibilities with AMD Radeon™ PRO graphics

1.4K

Achieving your greatest creative work shouldn’t be limited by your computer’s performance, as every second of rendering time saved can be potentially translated into cost savings and more impressive work for your studio and clients.

All you need is the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation with powerful AMD Radeon™ PRO graphics go get started, this is a workstation that’s ready to take your next creative project to greater heights with its ability to customize to what you need.

Equipped with the AMD Radeon™ PRO W5700 workstation graphics with 8GB GDDR6 memory, the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation is capable of seamlessly render, design and multitask on intensive graphics, 3D renders, 3D CAD mockups or 3D animations at breakneck speeds, this is usually unachievable with typical gaming graphics, and it achieves that performance with an efficient power consumption of 113W on full load, while in idle the GPU will only consume a mere 37W, this is all thanks to the AMD RDNA architecture and the 7nm FinFET process.

The HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation is also ready for next generation graphics as it supports the PCIe Gen 4 standard, so no matter how complex your workflow gets, it is next-gen graphics upgrade ready so that your creative workflow will never need to slow down.

In addition, the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation features a tool-less design that gives you easy access to the device’s components and upgrade slots, so you don’t even need to spend time fiddling with screws when you need to upgrade your device.

In terms of expansion, the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation can be equipped with up to a staggering 128GB of DDR4 memory running at 3200MHz, while three hard drive bays and two M.2 slots with PCIe Gen 4 speeds allow you to expand storage up to 28TB.

Configurable with Windows 10 Pro or Linux operating systems, the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation gives creative users the required flexibility on their preferred operating system of choice.

Depending on your usage, the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation can be configured to include a large array of I/O ports should you require more connectivity, while the generous inputs of the AMD Radeon™ PRO W5700 makes this the perfect machine for VR content creation and push the limits of content creation.

With today’s hybrid working environment, there’s no need to worry if you can’t access to the HP Z2 G8 Tower all thanks to the HP Zcentral Remote Boost, which you can depend on to access the workstation from anywhere and on almost any device, instantly granting you to the workstation’s power while allowing you to seamlessly collaborate with dispersed teams on 3D models, BIM projects and more.

The HP ZCentral Remote Boost also ensures an encrypted connection with your co-workers, as it merely transfer pixels over the connection, you can be rest assured that whatever you do on your workstation remains on your workstation.

With thoughtful and future proof features, the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation with AMD Radeon™ PRO
 graphics is a guaranteed investment which you can depend on to deliver exceptional creative work, the HP Z2 G8 Tower workstation also retails at a great value from RM5,428, so get started and fuel up your creative workflow now by checking it out at
HP’s online store
.

This article is brought to you by HP Malaysia and AMD

amd
amd radeon pro
hp
hp workstation
hp z2 g8 tower


HP ZBook G7 and ENVY x360 creator laptops launched

454

HP has just launched three creator laptops in the country – the HP ZBook G7, and refreshed HP
ENVY
 x360.

HP ZBook G7

There are two variants in the line-up – the
ZBook
 G7 Studio and the
ZBook
 G7 Create; both devices are 15-inch machines and HP claims that they are the smallest of its class.

The
ZBook
 G7 Studio
 comes with your choice of a FHD IPS panel or a 4K version which also comes with touch support.

The laptop is built with aluminium, and it has a small frame that is 17.5mm thin and weighs below 1.81KG. There’s a vapor chamber that works with a three-sided venting design that help keep this thin, but powerful laptop cool during heavy workloads.

Speaking for powerful, this laptop can pack up to an Intel Core i9-10885H, or even an Intel Xeon W-10885M for more server applications. For graphics, your top pick would be an NVIDIA Quadro 5000 Max-Q with 16GB of VRAM. In terms of memory and storage, your options include up to 32GB of 2,933 DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe
NVMe
 SSD or 512GB of PCIe
NVMe
 SED SSD.

In terms of ports, you get two Thunderbolt ports, one USB 3.1 Type-A port, one HDMI port, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Moving on to the
G7 Create
, it differs from the G7 Studio in that it doesn’t offer an Intel Xeon chip, but you still get a Core-i9 option, and only up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super for graphics. For storage, you also get up to 4TB of
NVMe
 SSD capacity.

HP ENVY x360

The latest convertible
ENVY x360
 laptop now packs the newest AMD Ryzen 4000-sereis CPUs along with Radeon integrated graphics.

More specifically, it’s a Ryzen 5 4500U chip that you’ll be getting, on top of 8GB of on-board RAM and up to 512GB of PCIe
NVMe
 SSD storage.

The laptop comes with a 13.3-inch FHD touch-enable IPS panel, which is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass NBT.

In terms of ports, you get a SuperSpeed Type-C port with support for DP 1.4, two Type A ports and one headphone jack.

Price

The HP
ZBook
 G7 series laptops start from RM11,236, while the HP ENVY x360 2020 will set you back RM3,799. Visit HP’s website
here
 to
learn
 more about the laptops.

creator laptop
hp envy x360
hp zbook create
hp zbook g7
hp zbook studio
ryzen 4000


HPRT MT810 Portable Printer Review: perfect for students and mobile workers

5K

Have you ever been in a situation where you urgently need to print a document but your printer runs out of ink or you don’t have access to one, even worse, your newly bought expensive ink cartridge dries up after few months when you barely even used it.

HPRT MT810 Video Review

I’m sure most of you have been in that sticky situation and want a solution out of it, while a portable printer might have come across your mind but most of them in the market still requires you to invest in ink cartridges, a company called HPRT wants to resolve that hassle with its thermal-based MT810 printer, which is a portable and wireless printer that has worked wonders for me during the past two weeks.

HPRT might not be the first brand that comes in mind in terms of printers, that’s because the brand isn’t officially here in Malaysia but has established a long-time presence on Amazon as one of the leading portable printer brands, the MT810 unit I got has yet to go on sale and will be available on Indiegogo for crowdfunding, which you can score a 30% early bird discount if you sign up here.

The MT810 weighs around 600g and is the successor to the MT800, which the latter prints using a thermal ribbon on a regular A4 paper and requires manual paper feeding, the MT810 removes the need for a thermal ribbon and uses heat to print on thermal paper, which is similar to POS receipt printers that’s almost maintenance free, you will only need to spend on a roll of A4 thermal paper and they can be easily purchased for a very reasonable price.

Despite that, printing on thermal paper has its disadvantages as text and images can fade off after some time or when the paper is exposed to extreme heat, hence it isn’t too ideal if you want to print documents to be stored for long term, but great for printing school assignments and meeting agendas.

Printing quality isn’t the sharpest compared to inkjet printers, but it will suffice for basic printing

In my case, I have used it for printing sales quotations which we require customers to physically sign on them to confirm deals, which I will then scan these signed documents back in office and store them as soft copies as a backup, as I don’t expect text to be clear after a few years later when stored inside a ring file.

Like a receipt printer, loading paper on to the MT810 is effortless as you will need to push down two buttons on each side to open the lid, load up the A4 thermal paper roll by attaching two plastic holders on each side of the roll, align it properly, pull up the paper by half an inch and close the lid while holding the paper, and you are all set.

The MT810 supports printing wirelessly over Bluetooth, which I am very happy of as I don’t need to fiddle with WiFi connections in order to print wirelessly, you will need to download the printer’s app called HiPrint from the App Store or Google Play, tap the “+” button on the top right corner and choose the printer from the list of Bluetooth devices, then tap on the “Click to Start” button to select a document to print.

Once you have chosen your source of printing, you get to choose between A3, A4 and A5 sizes, which your document will be automatically resized, you can do various settings in the printing settings page such as sharpening text, page rotation and choosing pages you want to print, then you hit the big ‘Print’ button and the document will be parsed to the printer in less than 5 seconds if you are merely printing text, it may take a while to parse data to the printer if your document contains many images due to the limited bandwidth of Bluetooth, but thankfully doesn’t take terribly long to do so.

For wired printing, the MT810 features a USB-C port for both data and charging, it supports both Mac and PC which you will need to download and install the drivers from HPRT’s website, it is a one-time setup but I wished HPRT would include its drivers on Windows Update in the future when it comes to the PC.

(From left) Printing in A4, A3 (combine with two pieces of paper), and A5 size

Image quality from the printer is decent where text is sharp enough for reading, though it isn’t quite on par with a proper inkjet printer but it still gets the job done if you really need to print something urgently. Unlike a receipt printer, the MT810 doesn’t feature an auto-cutter and you will need to manually tear off paper which can cause jagged edges at the end of your document, and it becomes inconvenient when you want to print multiple pages and you will need to use a ruler or knife to manually make page breaks.

In terms of battery life, the HPRT MT810’s 2600mAh battery will last up to 26 hours when it is powered on and on standby, which I can assume that it will be able to print around 90 to 100 pages on a single charge based on that figure, though I never really got to fully drain the battery during my two week review period, the printer still has 75% of battery after printing 15 pages from 90% battery level.

Ultimately, the HPRT MT810 delivers the convenience of printing anywhere, anytime to mobile office workers and students very well, it isn’t exactly a lightweight device but has a compact footprint that will fit in most backpacks and briefcases, the fact that it supports printing over Bluetooth and not requiring to deal with ink cartridges is a saving grace when it comes to desperate times, however printing documents on a thermal paper still has its disadvantages over regular GSM paper, especially when it comes to clarity and durability, it also isn’t suitable for important documents such as legal agreements and application forms, it sure is a fun and useful printer to own if you know what to do with it.

The HPRT MT810 portable printer will be coming soon to Indiegogo, which you can score for $139.99 when you sign up for the campaign
here
, you may also join HPRT’s Facebook Community group
here
 to stand a chance to win home the HPRT MT810.

HPRT MT810 Portable Printer Review

A good maintenance free portable printer that conveniently prints on thermal paper, but unfortunately isn't an all purpose printer due to the type of paper it prints on.

KLGadgetGuy

HPRT MT810 Portable Printer

7

The Goods

No need to deal with drying ink cartridges

Battery powered and charges over USB-C

Works with PC, Mac, iOS and Android

Acceptable casual printing quality

The Bads

Thermal paper doesn't last

No auto tearing feature

 7.0

Average Score

best portable printer
hprt mobile printer
hprt mt810
hprt printer review
indiegogo


HP’s new 45-inch ultrawide monitor will make your computer recognize as two displays

6.7K

With hybrid working being an ongoing trend today, HP has introduced a series of productivity devices and one of the more interesting ones is the HP E45c G5 monitor, which the company claims it to be the world’s first 45-inch ultrawide dual QHD curved monitor.

As a matter of fact, the HP E45c G5 is aimed to help reduce complex multi monitor setups and offers the screen estate of two 24-inch QHD monitors in one single device, but it also includes a really smart split screen software trick that allows programs to operate independently on one side of the display.

Image Credit: DigitalTrends

By enabling the split screen control, your computer basically recognizes the display as two individual inputs which allows you to do different things such as a Zoom video call in full screen on one side and web browser on the other side.  Most interestingly, you can stack up another similar monitor to make it an even more productive multi-screen experience, which you no longer need to use four monitors if you desire a quad-screen setup.

In terms of specs, the HP E45c G5 features a resolution of 5120×1440 with a 1500R curvature, it has a reasonable 3ms GtG response time, 400 nits of brightness, 99% of sRGB color gamut and has AMD FreeSync support.

As for inputs, there’s two USB-C ports that offer up to 65W USB PD charging and DisplayPort 1.4 support, one HDMI 2.1 port, one DisplayPort 1.4, for USB-A ports and 1 RJ-45 port.

While this monitor is part of HP’s newly announced E-Series G5 monitors in CES 2023 which is set to go on sale this month, the HP E45c G5 still doesn’t have a release date let alone pricing at this time of writing.

CES 2023
hp
hp 45-inch ultrawide
hp e45c g5


HP’s new Envy AIO desktops comes built with Alexa and a Qi charger

368

We know that Alexa is making its way into Windows devices, and HP is one of the few people to adopt Alexa over Cortana as a smart assistant for their Windows All-in-One computers. That’s exactly what they did with their 34-inch Envy AIO computer that was just announced.

HP is not doing a half-hearted work by implementing Alexa, as the Envy AIO comes with far-field microphones and a blue light at its base that is similar to the light on the Amazon Echo. That same section houses soundbar that comes with four Bang & Olufsen speakers and two passive radiators coupled with HP Immersive Audio to provide loud and clear surround sound and smart audio. The speakers were built in a way that it blast sound at a 45-degree angle to create a cone of sound targeted at the user.

Specs wise, it comes with a 34-inch 21:9 WQHD display, 8th-generation Intel Core T-Series processors and up to a Nvidia GeForece GTX 1050 graphics card. Lastly, it comes with a Qi charger built into the base of the AIO, and it has a faux-dark ash wood grain finish that is very appealing.

There is a 24-inch version of the Envy AIO which will retail for $1,399, available at the end of May 2018. The 34-inch version will be available later in the year with pricing to follow.

alexa
all
desktop
envy
hp
in
one


HP’s new Spectre x360 13 has a privacy camera kill switch, priced at RM5,249 onwards

1.3K

HP recently unveiled the new HP Spectre x360 13 that has a new design that comes with a new Poseidon Blue colour in addition to the notebook getting a privacy camera kill switch.

The Spectre x360 13 is a 13.3-inch FHD IPS display and users can choose to opt for the HP Sure View display which is an integrated privacy screen that can be activated manually. It is equipped with Intel UHD Graphics 620, and it comes with 8GB RAM and either 256/512GB SSD. Other than that, the Spectre x360 13 has up to 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor, and HP claims that the notebook is able to last around 22 hours.

Image credit: HP

Besides that, the notebook comes with an angled USB-C port so that it’s more convenient in terms of cable management, and there will also be two USB-C ports, one USB-A port and one media card reader. The Spectre x360 13 is also equipped with a privacy camera kill switch that is a physical switch that can be switched on/off and there will also be a fingerprint reader for users to log into the notebook. Furthermore, the notebook comes with a full-size island-style backlit keyboard.

The HP Spectre x360 13 is now priced from RM5,249 and can be purchased at HP Online Store and authorised HP resellers in Malaysia, but there will be a special promotion on 12 December whereby users can get a certain amount of discount that has not been revealed by HP so if there’s no rush, it’s advised to wait till 12 December to get the HP Spectre x360 13 for a cheaper price.

hp
HP Spectre x360 13
Spectre x360


HP's Spectre x360 wil be available in Malaysia soon

328

Those looking for an ultrabook will now have yet another option to consider as HP’s Spectre x360 has finally arrived in Malaysia.

Sporting a new hinge design, the Spectre x360 measures 13.8mm thin and weighs just 1.295kg. On top of that, the Spectre x360 houses a 13.3″ FHD IPS display which provides great viewing experiences.

For specifications, the Spectre X360 is equipped with the new Intel Kaby Lake processors. The Spectre x360 comes in either i5 or i7 configurations, which is then paired with 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM, a 256GB SSD, two USB Type-C ports that are Thunderbolt 3-ready, one USB Type C Gen 1 port, and a battery that can last for up to 15 hours.

HP’s Spectre x360 ultrabook will be available soon. The i5 variant of the ultrabook will retail for RM4,999, while the i7 variant will go for RM5,999.

hp
intel
kabylake
processor
spectrex360
ultrabook


HP’s X-Hub flagship store: creating a whole new online and offline viewing experience

2.2K

HP

Inc. has announced the opening of its
Experience Hub
 (aka
X-Hub
) in Kuala Lumpur. The flagship store was created through a partnership with Malaysian tech retailer, Thunder Match Technology Sdn Bhd and aims to provide a seamless online-to-offline (O2O) experiential retail experience for its customers.

So, what’s the big deal about it?

Image Credit: HP

Well for starters, the X-Hub unifies the retail experience across the Southeast Asia region by connecting 82 online stores that are spread across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Phillipines (with Thailand and Vietnam to follow soon in March).

Customers can personally engage with a team of dedicated experts stationed at the X-Hub, known as HP Live Advisors, via live-time video calls or chats in your preferred language and even join livestreams on the latest HP products. All of this can be done at HP’s Virtual Showroom
here
.

Enough about online, what about offline?

Customers visiting the X-Hub’s physical store in Malaysia get to experience “Test Drive” stations that mimics scenarios that showcases how it would be like if you were to buy the product and use it.

Image Credit: HP

Image Credit: HP

The hub features a huge range of products for you to test out, such as:

Premium – High-end consumer devices

Gaming – Laptops, desktops, and monitors

Commercial – Business-grade devices

Print – Home and office printing

Image Credit: HP

Furthermore, customers can even grab a cup of coffee from the café located within the hub while accessing personalisation services — custom engraving, printing, and the repair drop off area.

Image Credit: HP

If you’re interested in taking a peek at HP’s X-Hub flagship store, you can visit them at Level 4 of
Pavilion Bukit Jalil
, Kuala Lumpur. Alternatively, you can talk to HP’s Live Advisors online
here
.

hp
HP Experience Hub
X-Hub


HTC 10 evo event set for November 22

292

HTC is gearing up for its HTC 10 evo launch event in home land Taiwan, but the handset isn’t exactly new. Just a week ago, the Taiwanese OEM unveiled a HTC Bolt exclusively with US major carrier Sprint. As it turns out, the HTC 10 evo is indeed the title that the HTC Bolt carries outside of the US. Here’s a refresher course on what to expect with the HTC 10 evo when it goes official.

The HTC 10 evo sports a 5.5-inch display upfront with a QHD resolution, protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. To recap, the controversial aspects of the phone begin with its processor. Underneath the hood of the HTC 10 evo lies a Snapdragon 810 processor, the same processor used in most flagships in 2015, also the same processor whereby its initial version encountered overheating issues. Alongside the SD810 are 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, expandable via micro SD.

The HTC 10 evo features a 16MP rear facing camera, coupled with a seflie shooter of 8 megapixels on the front side of the device. HTC decided to omit the headphone jack on the handset, the demise of which may cause woes among consumers and fans. Instead, the phone will come packed with a pair of USB Type-C headphones. Speaking of which, is the port for charging. The HTC 10 evo packs a 3,200mAh battery, and is HTC’s first ever phone with water and dust resistance, considering the fact that both the Bolt and the 10 evo are the same handsets. The phone has an IP57 rating, allowing submersion 1 metre deep in water for up to 30 minutes.

Last but not least, the HTC 10 evo should be running on Android Nougat like the HTC Bolt. Pricing hasn’t been unveiled so far but the handset isn’t going to come cheap since the HTC Bolt carries a price tag of $600 (RM2,643.30) stateside. Till then, we shall keep our eyes peeled till the November 22 launch date.

Source:
Phandroid

10
810
bolt
evo
headphone
htc
ip57
jack
resistance
snapdragon
sprint
water


HTC 10 might come in three variants

294

HTC has been teasing us and generating some hype, with extreme close ups and a promo video of the company’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the HTC One M10, or HTC 10 in short. With the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 already out, all eyes are on the Taiwanese OEM, whose event is on the 12th of April. Chinese site My Drivers has reports of three alleged versions of the HTC 10, instead of a single model.

Firstly, a mid range variant of the HTC 10, sporting a Snapdragon 652 SoC, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, priced at 3,799RMB (RM2,348.69), a Snapdragon 820 variant, with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage at 4,999RMB (RM3,090.57) and lastly, another variant of the same processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, coming at 5,888RMB (RM3,640.19).

The aforementioned prices have proved to be pretty costly, with the mid range model of the HTC 10 coming at a near premium price point. All variants are rumored to sport a 5.15-inch QHD display and the same 12MP camera of the Nexus 6P, with OIS. They will be powered by 3,000mAh batteries, and is said to run HTC Sense 8.0 on top of Android Marshmallow.

Further leaks from Chinese online shop Taobao show that the HTC 10 will be offered in two colors, the usual silver colored variant and a gun metal black alternative. What do you think about these leaks? How about the prices? Let us know your thoughts!

Source:
Taobao
,
My Drivers
  Via:
Android Authority

652
820
april
black
display
htc
launch
leak
m10
one
qhd
silver
snapdragon


HTC 10 offered in Japan with an additional color option, not Rose Gold

279

Many smartphone manufacturers have been succumbing to the peer pressure by the almight Apple, first with smartphones coming in gold colored options, and recently the infamous Rose Gold. Mostly imitated by Chinese OEM’s, that’s how the world works and most companies prefer to swim with the rising tide rather than going against it. For HTC, the company has been avoiding the golden trend, offering their smartphones in an attractive bold red color instead and it looks like the same wave applies to the new HTC 10.

Even the flagship handsets before the HTC 10 had their bodies painted red, namely the One M8 and One M7, mostly exclusive to the States though. But you have to admit that a bold red colored smartphone feels refreshing after coming across the slew of gold, Rose Gold (or Pink) colored devices out there. The downside to this red HTC 10 is this model will only be available to our friends residing in Japan, according to Taiwanese site ePrice.

Nevertheless, it’s still good to know that HTC mostly sides with the color red over gold. What do you think about this beauty in red? Anyone of you rocking a red phone? Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Sourcde:
ePrice

10
gold
htc
red
rose


HTC 10 officially announced, featuring RAW format, freestyle layout, and slimmer design

287

There had been quite a number of rumours and leaks on the HTC 10, and looks like most of it was on the dot, as HTC has confirmed today. Looking at the design of the HTC 10, we can see that HTC has taken a new approach to design, as they have replaced the smooth rounded curves seen in most of its flagship devices with bold contours and chamfered edges on what looks like a solid metal body, giving it a slimmer look and feel. How slim is it? Well, the HTC 10 is 145.9 x 71.9 x 9mm in dimensions, and weighs about 161g.

The HTC 10 sports a 5.2-inch Quad HD 2560 x 1440 Super LCD 5 display made of curved-edged Gorilla Glass. The volume rocker is on the right side with the power button just below, with the power button being of different texture so finding it without looking is much easier. Now, according to HTC, this time they’ve put the device under even more duress in order to create a build that can withstand everyday bumps and scratches. So what they did was put the device to over 168 hours of extreme temperature tests, ranging from a freezing -20’C to a scorching 60’C, plus over 10,000 drop, bend, scratch and corrosion tests. Must’ve been a sight to see.

On the inside, the HTC 10 sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, internal storage in 32GB and 64GB options, with extendable storage support up to 2TB with Flex Storage support. Just like the HTC M9, the HTC 10 features a fingerprint sensor on the front part of the device placed just below the screen, with capacitive buttons on its sides. Personally, I wish HTC would’ve changed the design of the fingerprint scanner/button-lookalike to look different from the ones found on this popular Korean brand of smartphones.

Let’s now talk camera. According to HTC, they believe this time they’ve delivered the best smartphone camera available in the market today. It is the world’s first optically stabilized, large aperture f/1.8 lens on both the front and rear camera, with new larger sensors, a new generation of UltraPixels, and faster laser autofocus for the main camera while the front camera offers wide angle lens and screen flash using UltraSelfie camera. One thing HTC offers with its HTC 10 camera that is pretty unique is the Pro Mode, with advanced functions such as shooting in RAW format.

If you are into recording videos with your smartphone, then check out HTC 10’s new offering as it allows you to record videos in 4K. On top of that, it records with 24-bit Hi-Res audio, which captures 256 times more detail than standard recordings with twice the frequency range.

Are you an audiophile? Then maybe the Hi-Res audio and Personal Audio Profile system on the HTC 10 might interest you. You can create a unique profile that is tuned to your personal preference and on top of that, this system dynamically adjusts specific sound frequencies to each ear, playing it how the music was originally intended to be heard. Fitted on the HTC 10 is its BoomSound HiFi edition speakers, as is usually seen in other HTC devices, however, HTC has re-engineered it for the HTC 10 with the same familiar separated tweeter and woofer design.

The HTC 10 is fitted with a 3,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 capabilities, featuring improved thermal management in order to charge the device up to 50% in just 30 minutes.

HTC has also reduced duplicative and bloatware (hurray), and integrated the best of HTC and Google to offer a better user experience. With HTC’s new Freestyle Layout, you can exercise your creativity for your desktop by dragging icons, stickers and widgets anywhere you like. You can layer them, group them, link stickers or remove all screen icons if you like – it is all up to you.

The HTC 10 will be available in two different Qualcomm Snapdragon processors to cater to different market needs. It will be available in the market in April 2016 in four different colours: Carbon Grey, Glacier Silver, Topaz Gold, and Camellia Red.

androidhtc
google
htc10
htc10malaysia
officialhtc


HTC 10 Review: An Obsessive Smartphone

323

I’ve been an avid HTC user for the past few years and probably used more HTC smartphones than any other smartphone brands, the HTC 10 is the eighth HTC smartphone I’ve used till date, this new flagship is the next most iconic smartphone that the company has ever released since the original HTC One, there may still be a familiar HTC design language, but what has truly changed this round lies under the hood. After a month with the HTC 10, its time to conclude how well the phone has fared as my daily driver.

HTC 10 Hardware Specifications

Processor:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Quad-Core 2.15GHz

RAM/Memory:
 4GB/32GB (expandable via MicroSD)

Display:
 5.2″ Quad HD Super LCD 5 with Corning Gorilla Glass 4

Camera:
 12-megapixel 1.55µm f/1.8 1/2.3″ sensor (Main)/5-megapixel f/1.8 23mm

Connectivity:
 WiFi 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX

Networks:
 4G LTE Cat 9/DC-HSPA+

Battery:
 3000mAh

Design and Hardware

When HTC released an ad saying that they are obsessed with their new flagship, they do tend to set everyone’s expectations high on their new flagship. Fortunately, the HTC 10 is an attractive looking device, not only it sports an entirely new front face, the metal unibody chassis now features an unusual thick chamfer that gives it a three dimensional feel, it almost feels that you are buying a piece of art rather than a smartphone. With the thick chamfer and curved back, this phone has the best ergonomics when it comes to using single-handedly, it is also less slippery than other metal smartphones I’ve used.

The volume rocker and power button is well positioned for my thumb’s reach and you will actually find it OK to use the phone with either hands. The HTC 10 has separate slots for the SIM and Micro SD card, unlike last year’s One M9 Plus, the phone doesn’t have dual SIM support, that’s really unfortunate considering most flagships sold here are supporting dual SIM as a standard feature. Furthermore, the HTC 10’s solid build isn’t IP-certified water and dust resistant, so please always remind yourself about that.

One of the things that you might have to start getting used to HTC phones is the Samsung-like home button which also serves as a fingerprint scanner, for one I like it to be a capacitive one so that I can unlock the phone with my finger without pressing it, I was always confused at times with the Back and Multitasking capacitive buttons in the beginning, while I wished HTC could have an option for me to swap them, I get used to it after some time.

Sound has always been HTC’s emphasis on every flagships since the One M7, the HTC 10 continues to deliver beautiful sound from its new Hi-Fi edition BoomSound speakers, I’m actually impressed with how HTC has still managed to cramp in two impressive loudspeakers with each of them having a teeter and subwoofer respectively, you find the soundstage to be different from the company’s front firing BoomSound speakers, but listening music on the phone’s loudspeakers is still very satisfying and better than any smartphones I’ve used this year. Also, I highly recommend that you try out the earphones provided in the package on the phone as it sounds gorgeous.

User Experience

Every time HTC releases a new flagship smartphone, I tend to get really excited about the phone’s software because it simply offers one of the most useful and snappiest experience out there. This round, HTC has taken a step further in removing its own proprietary system apps and uses Google’s solution, things such as Gallery has been replaced with Google Photos, Music is being replaced by Google Play Music and my once favourite HTC Calendar app has been replaced by Google Calendar. While I still miss those old HTC apps, they made a lot of sense in making this change as Google’s solution no longer feels shabby to make you want to use 3rd party solutions, which is why the user experience on the HTC 10 is so snappy despite having the usual HTC Sense usability that I have got used to.

Even though the HTC 10’s software is really nice, it is beginning to feel rather dated and there’s nothing to be excited about, to be fair you get a new Freestyle home screen where you can customise stickers to launch an app or perform an action, but sadly you will not be able to add any widgets on to it. Since HTC has begin to introduce fingerprint as a security feature on its flagship, there is no way that you can lock files stored on the phone and launch apps with a specific finger, it gives me no additional reason to use the hardware apart from unlocking the device, in fact the old HTC One Max has a more useful fingerprint scanner despite having poor hardware.

Camera

HTC hasn’t really been able to snap on a decent camera for its smartphones over the past few years, the HTC 10 has an all new Ultrapixel camera that finally takes higher resolution 12-megapixel stills with a huge 1.55 micron pixel and a f/1.8 aperture, there’s also OIS, phase detection and laser autofocus, this is the best camera that HTC has ever installed on a smartphone, while it is still no match for the Galaxy S7 in low light, the camera still manage to produce very minimal noise levels in pictures, color reproduction is accurate without looking to saturated as well.

Apart from that, the phone sports excellent video recording capability with great stabilisation and audio recording, don’t ever underestimate the front facing Ultraselfie camera though, it may only take 5-megapixel stills but its large f/1.8 aperture and OIS will ensure that videos look just as good as the main camera.

Benchmark, Battery Life and Network Quality

The HTC 10 produces impressive benchmark results and is easily one of the most powerful Android flagships out there, all thanks to the Snapdragon 820 SoC and Adreno 530 GPU, the phone should literally handle any resource demanding apps and games without much effort. Even though HTC claims that phone’s battery is able to deliver two days of juice, that will never ever happen even on an extremely lightweight usage, but the good news here is that it will still last you more than a day on a 2-3 hours on screen time.

htc
htc10
htcmalaysia


HTC 10 turns out to be semi water-resistant

320

The HTC 10 was launched just less than 48 hours ago, generating mixed reviews from fans, the bad side of the mix mostly revolving around its $699 (RM2,716.63) price point, which is a $100 (RM389) increase since the HTC One M8. The device however, does sport typical but impressive flagship specs like the rest of the competition. But then again, the HTC 10 loses out to the Galaxy S7 since it isn’t water resistant. But wait, it is somewhat water resistant, but barely.

A Twitter user shot out a question to HTC’s senior global online communications manager, Jeff Gordon about the HTC 10’s IP certification and was given a reply: IP53. Compared to the IP68 rating on the Samsung Galaxy S7, the HTC 10 is dwarfed by a class. But still, some form of protection is better than none at all. The IP53 rating means that the HTC 10 is protected from water sprays, specifically less than 60 degrees from a vertical angle, and the device only has a limited protection from dust ingress, telling us that it isn’t absolutely sealed tight. The Galaxy S7 on the other hand can be submerged more than a metre deep in water and is fully dust proof.

Just bear in mind that the HTC 10 would probably not survive tiny sprays of water, and based on its non-water-resistant history of flagships, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Will the IP53 rating of the HTC 10 make a difference for you?

Source:
Jeff Gordon (Twitter)

10
dust
galaxy
htc
ip53
ip68
resistant
s7
samsung
water


HTC Aero could get its official name as the HTC One A9

278

We all know that HTC has got to come out with a phone somehow for IFA 2015 this year and as time draws closer, we’ve come to know that the leaked
‘HTC Aero’
 device could be now known as the
HTC
One
 A9, which makes sense according to Twitter user @evleaks.

We reported last time that the
HTC One A9 would be getting a remarkable camera
while hardware performance won’t be part of the focus of the phone, however given that HTC has given the phone with the One moniker, the One A9 could still possess the same design language as the
One
M9
 this year, so do expect the same BoomSound speaker placement, probably a non-metal body design, but still a great overall hardware build from HTC. In terms of hardware specifications, we can have a wild guess that the company could include a Snapdragon 808 chip this time with 3GB of RAM, and probably a Full HD display will be still in place.

In other reports, the HTC Aero or
HTC
One

A9 has been reported to sport a similar design to Apple’s
iPhone
6
, which could disappoint some fans out there but hey, even the
iPhone 6

looks a little bit inspired from HTC devices so there’s absolutely nothing wrong even if the phone looks like one. IFA 2015 is happening in a few days time and we shall soon know HTC’s offering for the end of this year.

a9
htc
ifa
leaked
malaysia
one
rumors


HTC and KDDI announces the all new HTC J Butterfly

313

HTC makes really beautiful phones for the Japanese market which sometimes bear better hardware internals than its international flagships, the company has just announced together with KDDI in Japan their all new HTC J Butterfly smartphone.

The HTC J Butterfly brings back the IPX7 water resistant feature found on the original HTC Butterfly, which was then missing on the Butterfly S last year. Some hardware internals is similar to the One M8 like the Snapdragon 801 CPU, 2GB of RAM and a Full HD 5” SLCD 3 Display. The all new J Butterfly features 32GB of internal storage with MicroSD expansion, a 13 Megapixel Duo camera instead of HTC’s Duo Ultrapixel camera and a 5 Megapixel front facing camera. Surprisingly, HTC has shrunk the phone’s battery from 3200mAh to a lower 2700mAh capacity on this flagship. In addition, the Japanese are getting a pair of JBL High Performance in-earphones in the phone’s package and the device will also support HTC’s Dot View casing as well.

As HTC has mentioned before, the Butterfly series isn’t the company’s flagship line of products however we do find some plus points over the company’s One M8 – the 13 Megapixel camera and IPX7 water resistant feature. We are very sure that HTC will be introducing an international variant of the J Butterfly to the market soon, the One M8 has helped the company gained back some fortune and let’s hope the all new Butterfly will again bring HTC to greater heights this time. The all new HTC J Butterfly will be unveiled at HTC’s 2014 Tokyo Conference happening in August 14, 2014, are we going to see Nogizaka46 back to help HTC promote again? Please do.

Source:
KDDI 1
,
KDDI 2

Via:
Pocketnow


HTC and Sony has confirmed the devices that will receive Android Pie

322

Another year, a new version of Android has released and as we covered in a previous write-up, the new Android operating system is called Pie as it officially released to the public. Now, companies are in an arms race to bring the new OS to current generation Android devices.

Other than Huawei announcing that they are testing Android Pie on selected devices, HTC and Sony have recently commented that they are also bringing the new Android to their devices. In a recent Tweet, HTC has confirmed that the U11 life, U11, U11+ and the U12+ will be receiving Android Pie, but the timeframe will be announced at a later date. Sony, on the other hand, will be bringing Android Pie to their devices like the Xperia XZ2, Xperia XZ2 Compact, Xperia XZ2 Premium, Xperia XZ1, Xperia XZ1 Compact, and Xperia XZ Premium. There is a tip that the next flagship phone from the company will come with Android Pie out-of-the-box and is slated for a late 2018 release.

We're pleased as pie to confirm updates to Android Pie for the HTC U12+, U11+, U11, and U11 life (Android One). Timeframes for roll-out will be announced in due course.

We can't wait to know what you think of Google's freshest slice of Android!
pic.twitter.com/mPJePFegne

— HTC (@htc)
August 10, 2018

Google is working hard with phone manufacturers to bring the latest version of Android to their devices and companies like HMD Global, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus will announce their timelines soon.

android
htc
pie
sony
update


HTC announces April 12 virtual event

332

HTC is set to reveal its upcoming flagship smartphone a little over two weeks from now on April 12. This time however, the Taiwanese OEM will be unveiling the handset in a virtual event that is said to be only available online, meaning that everyone of us might just be getting the same experience of the smartphone’s launch, via a screen or maybe a VR headset.

Last year, OnePlus launched the OnePlus Two in a rather unconventional yet creative way, via virtual reality, claiming it to be the world’s first product launch in VR, and it seems that HTC will be heading that direction to launch the rumored “M10”. The M10 is tipped to pack a Snapdragon 820 underneath with 4GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch QHD display, the same 12MP camera like on the Nexus 6P and a 5MP selfie shooter.

So far, HTC has only revealed the specifc date and time of the launch, which will be at 8pm Malaysian time. Further details have yet to be disclosed by the company, Who knows? They’ll probably rollout an app specifically for the launch, like what OnePlus did for the OnePlus Two. Till then, stay tuned!

Source:
TechnoBuffalo

april
event
htc
launch
m10
one


HTC announces the Desire 820: 64-bit CPU and 8 Megapixel selfie camera

293

While we have seen flagships being announced at IFA 2014, HTC has announced its Desire 820, the first 64-bit Android smartphone that features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 Octa-Core CPU, the Desire 820 is apparently a mid-range smartphone despite of its capable processor. The company has also go all way in to improve selfie photography on the Desire 820 by introducing a superb 8 Megapixel front facing camera that comes with software features such as Live Make Up and Photo Booth, the main camera remains the same 13 Megapixel f/2.2 BSI sensor found on some of its other models like the One Mini 2, One E8 and the older Desire 816. The phone also features a nice color trim around its frame and the usual loud sounding BoomSound stereo speakers.

Other hardware specifications of the Desire 820 includes 2GB of RAM, 16GB Built-in storage expandable up to 128GB, 5.5-inch 720p resolution IPS display, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE and a 2600mAh battery. The Desire 820 also comes in a variety of colors as well and some of them being matte backcovers, so you aren’t left with those cheap glossy plastic material. HTC hasn’t released any pricing as of now and the device is expected to go on sale at the end of September.


HTC announces Viveport app store

319

During the world largest VR expo in Los Angeles – VRLA, Vive announced Viveport, an app store that features a wide range of VR experiences across education, design, art, social, video, music, sports, health, fashion, travel, news, shopping, creativity tools, and more. The Viveport store will be available in all Vive headsets, web browsers, and as a PC and mobile app.

Viveport is built to allow long-term engagement and monetisation for creators and developers as it will feature pay-to-download, in-app purchases, subscriptions and other revenue generating opportunities. On top of that, Vive will also roll out new platform features that supports content creation, distribution, and customer engagement. With this type of support, hopefully we will see more content to enjoy on the Vive.

According to Cher Wang, CEO of HTC, he said, “Our mission is to unleash human imagination from the limitations of reality, and Viveport will be an important cornerstone in democratising access to the world’s most diverse selection of immersive experiences.”

htcvive
viveport
vr


HTC Bolt launches internationally with a new name

337

The HTC Bolt finally goes official worldwide, carrying a different title as HTC tries to get back into the smartphone game. The company has launched the HTC 10 evo, which was previously exclusive to US major carrier Sprint recently. The HTC 10 evo is pretty much like the Bolt, only with one or two differences.

For starters, the HTC 10 evo sports a QHD display on the front, measuring at 5.5-inches. As mentioned on a couple of occasions before, the HTC 10 evo rocks an older generation Qualcomm chipset, the Snapdragon 810 clocked at 2.0GHz, coupled with 3GB of RAM. Unlike the HTC Bolt, the HTC 10 evo comes in two storage variants of 32GB and 64GB. The Bolt on the other hand is only offered in the 32GB variant.

Moving on, the HTC 10 evo has a 16MP rear camera with OIS. On the front side lies a selfie camera of 8 megapixels. To refresh your memory, the handset comes without a headphone jack, hence everything will go through its USB Type C port. Speaking of which, the phone comes with a pair of USB Type C earphones. Other specs include a 3,200mAh battery and water resistance. The HTC 10 evo has an IP57 certification, which on paper is claimed to be able to submerge in water up to 50 metres of depth and up to 30 minutes in terms of duration.

On top of the Gunmetal and Glacier Silver color options that is offered for the HTC Bolt, the HTC 10 evo has an extra color option – Pearl Gold. Pricing and availability for the handset has yet to be announced, but it shouldn’t take long. Thoughts?

Source:
HTC

10
810
bolt
evo
htc
resistant
snapdragon
water


HTC Bolt users can get free USB Type-C to headphone jack adapters

318

A handful of manufacturers have begun removing the much loved 3.5mm headphone jack from their devices such as laptops and smartphones. But we’re mostly talking about Apple, whose removal of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 has received quite some flak from different users and consumers. Unless you’re blindly a diehard Apple follower, you definitely had some form of disappointment over Apple’s decision.

Luckily for Apple, the iPhone 7 came with a lightning to headphone jack adapter, but that isn’t the case for the HTC Bolt. The latest smartphone by the Taiwanese manufacturer happens to omit the headphone jack as well. Although it comes with a set of USB-Type C headphones in the box, there isn’t any USB-Type C to headphone jack adapter available in the box for consumers. Fortunately, the company came to its senses and is currently rewarding users with the adapter available for free to be shipped to them. Consumers will have to go to the source link below and key in the purchase date, transaction number and MEID number in order to claim their “reward”.

Jeff Gordon, PR for HTC has stated that future units of the HTC Bolt will be shipped together with the adapter in the phone’s packaging, which is good news for future buyers. The omission of a headphone jack isn’t the only odd aspect of the HTC Bolt. The handset’s processor is the controversial Snapdragon 810 that faced overheating issues in some of last year’s flagships, so that’s another thing to note. Regardless, HTC would have done a better job by including the headphone adapter with the HTC Bolt from the very beginning. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
HTC

35mm
adapter
bolt
c
free
headphone
htc
jack
type
usb


HTC brings its U Series to Malaysia

391

We’ve had a sneak peek of HTC’s U Series at CES 2017 just last month, and now HTC has launched both the HTC U Play and HT U Ultra here in Malaysia. Gone is the old naming convention, now HTC has rebrand its flagships as a U series instead, to embody its new slogan “It’s all about U”.

The HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play sports a new type of design which is a little different from what we see in the market. The corners are curved gently and sports a unique way of reflecting light, giving it a holographic-type of colour, inspired by the shimmering reflection of the water surface.

HTC has also upgraded its HTC Sense UI to a new HTC Sense Companion that apparently learns, responds and listens to your lifestyle habits. The HTC Sense Companion is somewhat like a personal AI companion that has the ability to provide smart suggestions based on your lifestyle and external information. So, what it can do is recommend things like what you should wear for the day based on the weather, or remind you to charge at optimal times so your phone won’t run out of juice.

Using its voice recognition system, the HTC U series is able to unlock your device, take or reject incoming calls, snooze or dismiss an alarm, send messages and even start a hands-free navigation, as it works hand-in-hand with Google Now. Now, if you are an audiophile, you will appreciate HTC’s all-new HTC USonic earphones that actually adapts to your hearing pattern by analysing your inner ears with a sonic pulse to optimise the headset for you, giving you your music the way you like it. However, HTC has omitted the audio jack in its design of its U Series devices, so you need to use the same charging port or a Bluetooth headset to listen to music.

The HTC U Ultra features an always-on second screen located at the top of the device, that allows you the convenience to access what you use most – your favourite contacts, app shortcuts, event notifications and more, all accessible with a swipe and a tap.

What are the specs? Well, the HTC U Ultra is a 5.7-inch phablet that is fitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. As for the HTC U Play, it sports a smaller 5.2-inch display, and features a MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Both models of the U Series supports microSD storage up to 2TB with Flex Storage.

As for their camera capabilites, the HTC U Ultra has a 12MP HTC UltraPixel 2 rear camera, while the HTC U Play sports a 15MP HTC UltraPixel rear camera. Both devices features a 16MP UltraPixel front camera, although the HTC U Ultra has more features such as 4K video recording, Slow motion 120fps video recording, just to name a few.

The HTC U Ultra comes in Brilliant Black, Cosmetic Pink, and Sapphire Blue, and priced at RM2,999 while the HTC U Play comes in Black Oil and Iceberg White and priced at RM1,899. The HTC U Ultra will be available from early March onwards, while the HTC U Play from end of March onwards at all official retail outlets and partnered online stores.

Here’s a little hands-on video at the launch event.

htc
launch
malaysia
preview
price
review
uplay
useries
uultra


HTC Butterfly 2 launched in Malaysia, Nogizaka46 continues to rule the commercials

281

The wait is over, as HTC Malaysia introduces the long awaited HTC Butterfly 2 into the Malaysian market, the Butterfly line up has always been HTC’s real flagship, though it doesn’t feature a metal body like the
One M8
 but it certainly packs some different but still powerful hardware internals onboard.

The HTC Butterfly 2 brings back the IPx7-certified water resistant feature which is missing from last year’s Butterfly S, which has been a highlight feature of the original model. Hardware power maintains very much the same like the
One M8
 which includes the Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz Quad-Core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of Internal Storage with MicroSD expansion and 5” Full HD display. The only difference this time is that the Butterfly 2 features a 13 Megapixel f/2.0 BSI camera with a Duo camera similar to the
One M8
 and a larger battery at 2700mAh.

According to our post last time, the HTC Butterfly 2 comes with JBL earphones in the package and we’re not really sure if this is available in the Malaysian variant, the phone comes in Canvas White and Rouge Red at RM2,299 and is available now.

And yes…Nogizaka46 continues to rule in HTC Butterfly commercials.


HTC Butterfly 3 reported to have a 2K display and 13MP front camera

269

If we were given a chance to pick up one HTC device, it would be the Butterfly series which always offer better hardware upgrades than the company’s very own premium One flagship. @Upleaks is up to work again on leaking the technical details of the third generation HTC Butterfly smartphone, codenamed J Butterfly HTV31, the Butterfly 3 will sport a Snapdragon 810 1.9GHz Octa-Core CPU mated to 3GB RAM, a 5.1-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) display, a 20-megapixel main camera like the One M9 and a 13-megapixel front facing camera similar to the Desire EYE.

According to the leaks, the HTC Butterfly 3 will have the same duo camera setup like the company’s recent One M9+ and two-tone LED flash for more natural low light shots, there will be HTC’s BoomSound speakers with Dolby Audio enhancement and the phone should support the latest wireless standards and LTE.

HTC Butterfly 3 (J Butterfly HTV31) performance in CompuBench
https://t.co/Cmy0WmXdHK
 OMG Field Trial tester should observe the rule! LOL

— @upleaks (@upleaks)
April 24, 2015

HTC has always been giving its Butterfly smartphones the best effort despite not being positioned as the company’s flagship, the Butterfly 3 is expected to be announced globally around May this year and this could be the real deal for HTC fans.


HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang takes over CEO position from Peter Chou

316

I’ve anticipated this to happen one day, HTC is seriously in need of a leader to boost its sales and market presence, the heroine behind the company, Cher Wang, has decided to take over responsibilities from Peter Chou as CEO of the Taiwanese mobile company, Chou isn’t gone but he will be taking a new role at leading the company’s own Future Development Lab, which makes a lot of sense since he is very much an engineer rather than a marketer if you noticed his keynote – his presentation skill is terrible in my opinion.

Last year, Chou used to swear that if the One M8 fails to sell he will step down as CEO of the company, he was in fact really lucky that didn’t happen as the phone turned out to be a success, the One M8 also happens to bring the company back to profit due to its great smartphone design that appeals better than Samsung’s plastic
GALAXY S5
. I personally have respect for Peter as an engineer and it really is a good thing he decided to put his focus more on product innovation, which the company has slacked throughout the years. On the other hand, Cher’s entrepreneurship could actually bring the company’s fortune to the next level since she’ll be focusing on the company’s direction.

Now that we know this has happened, we could be seeing Peter Chou churning out a few stuffs from its lab in the next couple of months or maybe an even better flagship smartphone, please don’t call it the One M10, it just feels really weird.


HTC debuts artsy looking Desire 10 Pro and Desire Lifestyle

305

HTC has come a long way with its mid range Desire lineup of phones, and the Taiwanese manufacturer has introduced two new additions to the Desire series. With the HTC 10 not doing as well as expected in terms of sales, the company plans to bounce back from its struggling form with the attractive duo of Desire phones, the Desire 10 Pro and Desire 10 Lifestyle.

Based on their names themselves, it is rather clear that the Desire 10 Pro is the better spec-ed device than the Desire Lifestyle. The former sports a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display with Gorilla Glass protection and a 64-bit octa core MediaTek Helio P10 chipset underneath the hood. Two memory configurations are made available for the Desire 10 Pro, with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, or 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. Regardless, the onboard storage is expandable via micro SD. In the optics department, the phone features a 20MP rear camera with laser auto focus and f/2.2 aperture, along with a whopping 13MP selfie camera on the front, a pretty impressive camera package on paper. The Desire 10 Pro is equipped with HTC’s BoomSound profile and a rear fingerprint sensor, plus it packs a 3,000mAh and will support Quick Charge.

Moving a notch down, which isn’t entirely a bad thing, the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle features the same display size in Super LCD and Gorilla Glass protection, but with a 720p resolution. HTC opted for a Snapdragon processor in this handset, making it run on a Snapdragon 400 SoC. The Desire 10 Lifestyle too comes in two memory configurations – 2GB of RAM with 16GB of expandable storage and 3GB of RAM with 32GB of storage. The handset sports a standard mid range camera setup with a 13MP/5MP pair of rear and front facing cameras. Powering the Desire 10 Lifestyle is a 2,700mAh battery that also supports Quick Charge. Where the phone outshines the Desire 10 Pro is with its audio features. The Desire 10 Lifestyle features HTC’s BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition and Dolby Audio, to fit the Lifestyle branding.

The HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle is set to be released by the end of this month, while the better spec-ed Desire 10 Pro will have to wait till a November release. Prices have yet to be revealed but both Desire phones seem pretty promising for what they offer so far. What do you think?

Source:
HTC

10
desire
htc
lifestyle
pro


HTC Desire 610 Review: A mid-range smartphone that is surprisingly impressive

296

When flagship smartphones today are priced so affordably, many of us have ignored mid-range and entry level smartphones. Despite having companies like Xiaomi making every smartphone makers looking stupid with their superbly low price tag, there’s still one thing that consumers are still after – user experience. For now, let’s ignore about specs and pricing to take a look at HTC’s not-so-entry-level but mid-range smartphone, the
Desire 610
.

HTC
Desire 610
 Video Review

A low profile design that is still so attractive

The Desire family was once the flagship branding of the company before the One, although now it’s name isn’t as flashy as the One and being used for the company’s entry level and mid range phone models, HTC has never compromised build quality and its software experience, which is in the
case
 of the Desire 610. The device doesn’t have a metal body like the One M8, but it does have a high quality plastic body which doesn’t make it feel cheap, at least it only maintains the hyperglazed coating plastic back cover while the front and sides has a matte finishing applied to it.

In addition, the phone isn’t sexy with a thickness of 9.6mm but that isn’t totally a bad thing, thanks to the matte and rounded sides, the phone feels extremely comfortable to hold on hand and doesn’t slip off your hands esaily.

The
Desire 610
 have its own low profile unique design, it also looks simple but you can feel that it has been through some kind of refined engineering process, from its precise rounded corners to its BoomSound speaker grilles, the phone is really attractive if you try paying close attention to its details.

Attractive design meets modest hardware specifications

We talked about the phone’s design and now its time we look at its hardware specifications, and of course, you shouldn’t be expecting any high performance hardware on a device like this and the list goes like this:-

HTC
Desire 610
 Hardware Specifications

Processor:
 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Quad Core 1.2GHz

RAM/ROM:
 1GB/8GB (expandable via MicroSD)

Display:
 4.7″ qHD (960×540) LCD

Camera:
 8MP BSI (Main), 1.3MP FSI (Front)

Connectivity:
 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, BT 4.0 with apt-X, USB OTG

Features:
 HTC Sense 6, HTC BoomSound

Networks:
 LTE/DC-HSPA+

Battery:
 2040mAh

Most of the hardware above looks fine to us as a mid range device, except for the qHD resolution display which doesn’t looks good in today’s standards. However in real world usage, the display looks decent and it doesn’t feel pixelated as it should, viewing angles and touch response are also acceptable, the display lacks brightness for good outdoor visibility and is a fingerprint magnet.

HTC’s signature BoomSound speakers and audio enhancement software is also available on the device, though they don’t sound as refined as the One M8’s, they are still the loudest and clearest best pair of loudspeakers that you can find on a mid-range smartphone.

HTC Sense 6 and Android 4.4 KitKat

Trust us, you rarely find one proper mid range smartphone running on the most recent available version of Android today, theDesire 610 fortunately ships with Android 4.4 KitKat with the company’s Sense 6 launcher running on top. While we were reviewing the
HTC One M8
 back then, we loved Sense a lot for its snappy and responsive performance; as in the Desire 610’scase, Sense 6 managed to impress us again with its snappy performance without slowing down the device despite running on a lower end hardware, don’t compare it to the One M8, of course.

In the past iteration of HTC Sense, the company always have some major features stripped off its software experience on lower end devices, however in the Desire 610, HTC has retained most of the launcher’s great features like BlinkFeed and the fully featured camera app, Motion Gestures from the One M8 is missing which we don’t really mind. Most notably, HTC hasn’t tone down the visual effects of its default apps, making its user experience consistent across its line of Sense 6 devices.

HTC Sense is the thing that makes us forget everything about the Desire 610’s lower end hardware, coming from a power user perspective, the entire user experience doesn’t make you feel that you are using a mid range hardware, nor does it make the phone inferior to flagship smartphones, you just got to try and hold the phone, play around for some time and you’ll know what we mean over here.

Camera – it will surprise you

Despite being a mid-range smartphone, the Desire 610 has a pretty impressive 8 Megapixel BSI main shooter that takes still images with good color saturation and detail, we aren’t putting our expectations high this time and the phone manages to impress us. Take a look at the pictures down below and share with us your thoughts.

We are also satisfied with the front facing shooter, though it isn’t the best that we’ve seen but it doesn’t take grainy selfie shots.

We believe HTC has included the pair of great sensitive and noise reduction
microphones
 on the Desire 610, because the audio recording quality on our recorded videos sounded refined and focused, video quality is decent as well which you can find out in the clip down below.

The camera app has Zoe mode stripped off, but it didn’t really affect our imaging experience the app is still fully featured with most essential shooting modes and configurations available, it is also fast and responsive which you’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about.

Benchmarks, Battery Life and Network Quality

Similar to most Snapdragon 400 devices out there, the Desire 610 doesn’t get high scores in benchmarking apps and despite of that, the phone performs really well in everyday performance, app launch speeds are acceptable and switching between apps is a snap even though the phone only has a mere gigabyte of RAM. Again, you just have to use the phone to be impressed.

One of the most impressive things that HTC has ever done in its flagship One M8 is improved battery life with the same battery capacity as its predecessor. On the Desire 610, HTC has done an awesome job on the phone’s battery life despite having a miserable 2040mAh battery onboard, we used the phone for a lot of instant messaging, Facebook browsing and Spotify music streaming, all these stuffs squeezes out around 19 hours of usage which gets us easily through a full working day.

We have never been disappointed with HTC when it comes to network and call quality, the Desire 610 delivers that great competency again, which our callers reported crystal clear call quality that can also be found on the One M8, the phone is also very reliable in both Maxis HSPA+ and LTE networks.

The Desire 610 is almost on par with flagship devices, BUT…

Seriously, we never perceive the Desire 610 as a mid-range device during our review period, it isn’t as snappy as a Snapdragon 801 powered device but it manages to exceeds our expectations as a fast performing and reliable device despite having some ugly hardware under the hood.

The phone has impressed us in so many ways – the build quality, user experience, camera, battery life and network quality, even the phone’s low qHD resolution display managed to impress us and we don’t find the need of a 720p display to love the device.

Unfortunately, the HTC Desire 610 isn’t affordable at the price tag of RM999, which you’ll be able to buy higher end Chinese flagship smartphones that offer much better hardware internals on paper. Despite of that, we highly recommend the Desire 610to anyone who wants a polished and reliable smartphone experience.

Verdict

The HTC Desire 610 is a mid-range smartphone that sets itself differently from its competitors in hardware design and user experience, it doesn’t have the best hardware internals but offers reliability that many smartphone makers aren’t able to deliver.

The Good

+ Decent build quality

+ BoomSound speakers beats every other smartphones

+ Great BSI main camera

+ Apps ran smoothly despite having 1GB RAM

+ Decent battery life for 2040mAh of juice

+ Screen looks good despite being a qHD resolution

The Bad

– Expensive

– Display is a fingerprint magnet

– Limited 8GB storage

We give the HTC Desire 610 a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.


HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM is now available in Malaysia

273

While the HTC 10 is still making its way to the Malaysian market, the company did release a new phone today in the form of the HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM.

Measuring at 142g and 70.9mm thin, the HTC Desire 628 Dual SIM sports a dual-colour casing. Available in either Cobalt White and Sunset Blue, the phone comes with a soft matte that gives off a beautiful soft-touch feel as well as a glossy finish that gives it a sparkling and elegant look.

Looks isn’t the only thing the Desire 628 has as the phone is outfitted with enough power to do almost anything you want with it. For starters, the Desire 628 packs a 64-bit, octa-core 1.3GHz processor with 3GB of RAM. The phone comes with 32GB of internal storage, but a microSD card slot will allow you to expand it to a whopping 2TB. The phone also features a fast 5V/1.5A charging, allowing you to fully charge your phone within the space of an hour.

Other noteworthy parts of the Desire 628 includes the camera. For the rear, the phone sports a 13MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and BSI sensor, allowing you to capture Hi-Res photos and detailed 1080p videos at up to 30FPS. For the front, the phone comes with a 5MP camera that takes Voice Selfies and features Live Makeup. The Desire 628 also comes with the BoomSound audio profile, a feature that enhances every sound, taking your music films and games to the next level with clear vocals, deep bass and fine audio detail.

HTC’s Desire 628 Dual SIM is available from today and will retail for RM 799.

desire628dualsim
htc
smartphone


HTC Desire 650 Dual SIM gets price cut to RM619

284

Just a couple of days back, HTC brought its attractive looking Desire 650 smartphone to Malaysia. The handset featured an interesting design, with a 50/50 smooth and grooved texture on its back panel. It was already pretty affordable for an entry level smartphone at RM799, but it has since received a significant price drop, only a day after its unveiling here in Malaysia.

The HTC Desire 650 is only officially four days old in Malaysian shores, but has gotten nearly a quarter of its price slashed, a 22.6 percent reduction to be more precise. This means that the phone now costs only RM619 instead of the older RM799 price tag, which gives you more reasons to get hold of it.

To recap, the HTC Desire 650 has a 5-inch 720p display, a MediaTek MT6737t processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The phone sports a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie snapper, plus a 3,000mAh battery for its power needs. One thing to note is that the variant sold here in Malaysia is the dual SIM variant.

The price revision of the HTC Desire 650 is likely to be permanent, since there wasn’t any mention of a temporary discount or promotion by HTC. A RM180 price cut is definitely a significant one for a sub RM1,000 smartphone. What do you think?

650
cut
desire
dual
htc
malaysia
price
revise
sim


HTC Desire 816 Review: Huge and Powerful

307

Small phones are so yesterday when you can do so much more on a big screen today, when Steve Jobs once said nobody wants to buy a phone that is larger than 4-inches, a lot of us took that into our hearts but now, the trend has changed, people want larger displays because it means so much more useful to have a phone that is smart. Enter the
Desire 816
, HTC’s second largest Android handset to date after the flagship
HTC One
 Max, the design resembles the lower end Desire 610 a lot and it seems like the
iPhone 6 Plus
 got the design from it.

HTC Desire 816 Video Review

Unmistakably a HTC design; a design that looks good

Similar to the Desire 610 that we’ve reviewed previously, the
Desire 816
 uses the same glossy plastic back and rough sides. Because this is a huge device, HTC has placed the power button on the left of the device, which makes it very accessible for left handed users. Besides, you can’t miss the iconic Boomsound speakers on the device, the speaker grille is simple yet stylish in some ways that doesn’t make the phone too serious looking, which makes it an extremely fun device to have and kind of shows your personality depending on what color you choose from Blue, White and Red.

Our experience with the Desire 610 hasn’t let us down with it’s modest specs, and the Desire 816 has some upgraded hardware from its lower end sibling while having some welcoming updated specs sheet.

HTC Desire 816
 Hardware Specifications

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Quad Core 1.6GHz

RAM/ROM: 2GB/8GB (expandable via MicroSD)

Display: 5.5″ HD (1280×720) IPS Display

Camera: 13MP BSI f/2.2 Autofocus (Main), 5MP FSI Front Camera

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE

Features: HTC Sense 6, HTC Blinkfeed, HTC Zoe

Networks: LTE 2600/HSPA+ 42 Mbps

Battery: 2600mAh

Good software experience, could be better for a huge screen

The
Desire 816
 has a beautiful huge display that everybody will fall in love with despite possessing only a mere 720p HD resolution, the touch display is pretty responsive and precise which you won’t have any issues using it at all, it is one of the best touch screen that we’ve used in the mid-range smartphone segment.

As usual, HTC Sense 6 runs on the
Desire 816
 with Android 4.4 KitKat powering the phone, usual goodies such as HTC’s Blinkfeed news reading section is there and you will be simply awed by the snappy and consistent user experience throughout the phone’s default apps.

Despite being really functional, HTC Sense doesn’t offer any goodies for a huge display for the
Desire 816
, unlike some other competitors that are already offering multitasking split window or floating widgets, HTC simply left its Sense software as it should be, which makes it really meaningless to consider the phone if you want to do more with it.

We understand that this is a mid-range device but really, we expected more from the software experience given HTC’s expertise on creating beautiful user experiences.

Camera

Forget about having HTC’s Ultrapixel camera onboard, but hey, it is a 13
Megapixel camera
 this time so you aren’t getting a pretty decent camera onboard. Of course, we aren’t saying the more megapixels the better but seriously, the 13 Megapixel camera is simply kick ass at taking pictures in good lighting while low light photography is considerably acceptable for a mid-range device, the phone also takes Full HD resolution videos so there isn’t much compromises in the camera experience. The phone’s front facing camera is pretty much meant for selfies, which demonstrates a wide viewing angle and shoots well at 5 Megapixel resolution in good lighting conditions, definitely a great plus for a mid-range smartphone. Check out the camera samples down below.

HTC Desire 816
 Video Recording Sample

Benchmarks, Battery Life and Network Quality

The phone performs reliably in most situations, apps ran snappily and you certainly won’t see any sluggishness thanks to an ample 2GB RAM and the trustworthy Snapdragon 400 Quad-Core processor, benchmark scores simply doesn’t do justice for theDesire 816 but you may want to treat it as a reference.

HTC has impressed us again with the Desire 816’s battery, with some heavy amount of texting, web surfing and music streaming, the phone lasted us one great working day – Yes, we actually didn’t expect this much considering that the phone has a super huge display and less than 3000mAh of power.

The Desire 816 supports LTE network and it works well on Maxis LTE networks here with great LTE speeds, call quality is also exceptionally good which always HTC’s strength here, there’s fortunately no dropped calls as well.

A great product, software needs some improvement

HTC has been doing a great job for the Desire smartphone line ups, particularly with the Desire 816, it has a beautiful display, great cameras, awesome battery life and fantastic multimedia capabilities, you can’t find such a great combination of goodies on a mid-range smartphone.

Despite of that, HTC seriously needs to have Sense updated for huge displays, which we can’t find much added usability on it given that the company hasn’t had enough huge screen phones on its portfolio. Of course, we are definitely spoilt with what the Big S have on its phablets.

Verdict

It’s a huge device with a superb user experience, you’ll feel in love with the Desire 816 as if it is the flagship of mid-range
Androidsmartphones
.

The Good

+ Great and beautiful HD display
+ Fast and responsive
+ Simple, stylish and sturdy build quality
+ As always, BoomSound speakers
+ Best in class cameras for a mid-range smartphone
+ Respectable battery life

The Not so Good

– Price could be cheaper
– HTC Sense could be further enhanced for huge displays
– Right handed users won’t like the power button location
– Limited internal memory

We rate the
HTC Desire 816
 at 4 out of 5 stars.


HTC Desire 826 Dual SIM Unboxing and First Impressions

533

HTC has been launching a lot of handsets at one time, especially in Desire series and recently they just released their flagship phone –
HTC One
 M9+. Meanwhile, HTC released another new budget oriented phone which looks similar with HTC Desire 820 but with better looking but the HTC Desire 826 still have a pretty impressive hardware inside it. Will this HTC Desire 826 compete with other competitor phones like Xiaomi M4i or Xperia M4 Aqual Dual? This might not be the best phone you can get in the market, but still let’s take a closer look at the HTC Desire 826 Dual SIM.

The packaging on HTC Desire 826 retains the same design as the other Desire series box and this time this wouldn’t be a negative thing in my opinion. There are some highlights on what the phone has been offered, and the back is just specifications of the phone itself. Out of the box you will find the standard accessories – In-Ear earphones,
charger
 without cable, USB cable and some manuals. These accessories will be sufficient for you to start to use this phone.

On first impressions, the HTC Desire 826 Dual SIM feels very solid compared to others budget-oriented phone in the market. Unlike the flagship
HTC One
 M9+, it doesn’t have a capacitive home button nor fingerprint scanner at the front but it’s actually a good thing because there won’t accidently press that button. Besides that, it has a
black edge
 at the front of the phone and blue lagoon around the phone. At the back, it has a rubberized finish back cover and same goes to the side of the phone, however although its feel like rubber, it will extremely love your fingerprint on it.

This smartphone might be a mid-range smartphone from HTC, but they included HTC Sense 6 based on Android 5.0 Lollipop and the main difference between Sense 6 and Sen 5 UIs will be like power saver feature that comes in version 6.0 and you will also receive Google’s Material Design elements. Besides that, you receive an overhauled pull down the notification panel and the characteristic stacks of Lollipop’s notification cards. Apparently HTC also included a Themes application that lets you download themes and stuff like wallpapers, icon packs, ringtones, etc. I really hope that HTC will bring Sense 7 to the Desire 826 because with Sense 7 it can allow it to run full potential.

Similar to the
Desire EYE
, the HTC Desire 826 Dual SIM has a 13-megapixel f/2.2 main camera and a front-facing 13-megapixel f/2.0, and at the first look the camera software performs brusquely just like its previous budget-oriented phones. However, I’ll save the best experience till the end of the full review and I took a few camera samples for your viewing pleasure.

With an early verdict, this phone might not be the best you can get in the market, however it is still a pretty solid performing smartphone. The phone’s
Snapdragon 615
 processor and the front facing 13-megapixel camera is what makes this product really attractive. The phone doesn’t have heating issues after gaming for a few hours and the battery life seems pretty impressive, we shall be performing a lot more test on the phone prior to our full review.

The HTC Desire 826 retails at RM1,299 and is available at authorized resellers now.

60
826
android
desire
dual
first
htc
impression
lollipop
sense
sim
unboxing


HTC Desire EYE and Re Camera to be unveiled on December 5th

260

The year is almost coming to an end and we are definitely not done yet with this year’s smartphones, HTC Malaysia will be launching the Desire EYE and Re Camera on December 5, and by that means, you’ll be able to get it as a Christmas present on time, taking some great holiday selfies or even film yourself skiing off snow.

The HTC Desire EYE is a phone that’s packed with dual 13 Megapixel cameras, processing power is done by a Snapdragon 801 2.3GHz Quad-Core SoC with 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with MicroSD expansion up to 128GB. The phone will support LTE networks and is powered by a 2400mAh battery. There’s no BoomSound speakers this time however HTC has still included headphone amplifiers and best of all, the phone is IPX7 certified dust and water resistant.

HTC’s Re Camera is a more interesting product, it is a periscope shaped action camera that takes Full HD videos and 16 Megapixel of still shots, the Re is set to challenge GoPro products with its 146 degree wide angle lens, waterproof construction and will support both iOS and Android phones. Currently, the Re Camera is selling $200 in the US and we should be expecting a price tag of RM650 here which should give the GoPro Silver a good run for its money if we are merely judging on specs.

Therefore, don’t end your Christmas wishlists too early, the HTC Desire EYE and Re Camera are on their way.


HTC developed a smart bulb that detects if someone in the room is injured from falling

353

HTC has produced one of the better-looking smartphones we have seen and they are also pretty good phones. However, it would seem like they want to move over to everyday products we use around our homes but with some intelligence. They have developed a light bulb that can detect when a human has fallen in a room lit by the blub.

They achieved this based on parts from the HTC Vive, the bulb works by detecting if a person is sitting in a place for too long, the Sedentariness Reminder Function will be indicated to the person that sitting too long is not healthy. It is still unsure how the bulb will notify the person in the room, but the app can also detect if a person in the room has fallen and can’t get up and it will call an ambulance immediately.

It is a very interesting move by HTC to venture into smart appliances but it could also be thanks to Google who recently brought a big part of the company to help develop technologies for the tech giant.

htc
smart bulb


HTC dismisses selling off smartphone business rumor

290

A report by Chinese site MyDrivers not more than two days back has stated that HTC will be selling off its smartphone business due to its financial struggles that have worsened recently. Although the Taiwanese OEM has been rumored to give up on its smartphone sector for quite some time now, it appears that the company has absolutely no plans to sell its business off.

According to the folks at TechnoBuffalo, HTC has been said to respond to their email regarding the rumors surrounding the sell-off. The manufacturer been has claimed to “strongly deny this rumor”, which tells us that HTC still has hopes for its handsets to sell well in the future. This also dismisses rumors suggesting that HTC CEO Cher Wang has allegedly agreed with the plan for the business sell off.

HTC has suffered a $63 million loss during the third quarter of 2016, but the dismissal of the rumors suggests that the company will continue striving in the market for its products, and the sale of Google’s Pixel handsets is slated to be HTC’s saving grace as it is the manufacturer responsible for making the Pixel’s. On the other hand, HTC has hinted that it will focus more on the VR business in the future to come.

Source:
TechnoBuffalo

business
google
htc
pixel
rumor
sale
smartphone


HTC extends Desire lineup

294

HTC has added to its Desire collection, three new smartphones – the Desire 530, 630 and 825. These handsets sport a new design which is apparently inspired by “streetwear fashion”, a micro splash design on their rears. HTC claims that the micro splash design creates a unique pattern of dots on each device. Other that that, design-wise, the 2016’s Desire line are very much similar to last year’s.

First, the Desire 530. It sports low mid range specs by today’s standards. Sporting a Snapdragon 210 processor with 1.5GB of RAM. On the front is a sub par 5 inch 720p display. The device features a 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing shooter.

The Desire 630 looks pretty much like the 530, only featuring a slight bump in its specs. While it retains it 5 inch 720p display, it is powered by a Snapdragon 400 SoC with 2GB of RAM. Its rear facing camera has also received an upgrade to 13MP with the selfie camera remaining at 5MP.

You might think that the Desire 825 will be the highest end among the three, but that is not exactly true. It still retains the same processor, Snapdragon 400 though it features a slightly better 13MP rear facing camera in terms of aperture at f/2.2 compared to f/2.4. The 825 has also received a bump up in its display, however only in size. The Desire 825 sports a 5.5 inch screen, but with 720p resolution. Both the 630 and 825 feature Boom Sound and Dolby Audio.

What do you think about HTC’s new Desire lineup? Let us know your thoughts!

530
630
825
boomsound
desire
dolbyaudio
htc
microsplash


HTC halts Nougat software rollout for HTC 10 devices

287

Despite the arms race between various manufacturers to roll out their own versions of Google’s latest Android Nougat software, there has undoubtedly been some hiccups at different parts for some manufacturers. We’ve learnt that ZTE has delayed its Nougat software till sometime this quarter due to the software not meeting expectations and standards just yet. It looks like HTC has halted its Nougat rollout to its HTC 10 handset in Europe once again, and this time, it isn’t about bugs.

This happens to be a repeated act as the Taiwanese company did the same approximately two weeks ago. But this time round, the rollout has been “paused” in the EU region, according to a post on Twitter by Graham Wheeler, HTC’s Product and Service Director. Wheeler claimed that HTC is currently looking into a technical issue, hence the “pause” of the rollout in Europe.

We’re not too sure why the halt is only specific to Europe. Just earlier today, Wheeler has announced the Nougat rollout for the HTC 10 in the UK, Russia, the Middle East and Turkey, before announcing the “pause”. Unfortunately, the rollout will only be up and running in February next month, according to another Tweet by Wheeler. Tough luck for European HTC 10 users, don’t you think so?

Source:
Graham Wheeler (Twitter)

android
europe
halt
htc
nougat
pause
rollout
software
twitter
update


HTC has announce a price drop for the HTC U Ultra

322

When the HTC U Ultra released, it did not pickup much traction due to the high price point that came with the phone. Well, HTC Malaysia has heard its users and understood that a price revision had to be done, so as of today, HTC Malaysia has reduce the price of the HTC U Ultra from RM2,999 to RM2,599, a decent RM400 drop from the original price.

The reason of this change, as said by Country Manager of HTC Malaysia, Cheong Wah Tong was that, HTC Malaysia understands that many Malaysians are excited for the phone, but are discouraged by the price. They have adapted their business strategy to adapt and give the dedicated fans a chance to own the premium smart phone at a more attractive price. HTC is also going as far as to offer the HTC Re Camera and limited edition HTC Premiums for eligible customers who purchased the smartphone from 1st March 2017 to 13th April 2017 as a buyer appreciation program to thank early buyers of the phone.

They have also extended their promotion to customers that buy the phone from 14th April 2017 to 12th May 2017. To redeem these gifts, customers need to go to HTC Malaysia website and click on the HTC U Ultra Early Buyer Appreciation Program section, provide their details and proof of purchase and select to collect their gifts at a selected service center or have it delivered to their location. Those that have registered will receive their gifts from 12th May 2017 onwards.

htc
htc malaysia
u ultra


HTC has launched a Vive VR subscription service

320

The thing about virtual reality is that not only you need to have a very powerful PC to make things work well, but you also need content to make your investment worth it, which is why HTC has launched the Viveport Subscription, a monthly service that costs $6.99 and offers five VR apps for you to choose from, there are 50 VR apps at this point of time and you can rotate the apps every month, which makes it a rather interesting yet affordable solution.

This concept is rather similar to what NVIDIA is doing with its GeForce Now subscription, however Viveport doesn’t render the app so you’ll still need your gaming PC to power the apps, HTC is offering a one-month free trial for those who wants to try out the service, and you can already have access to apps like Fantastic Contraption, Everest VR, Richie’s Plank Experience and TheBlue. If you haven’t bought a Vive just yet, the company has also reduced the Vive’s price in its country of availability.

HTC’s decision to launch Viveport is in conjunction with the Vive’s first anniversary, and for that the company is also giving away Arcade Saga, a three-game package that would cost you $19.99 on Steam, that’s actually a pretty sweet move and will certainly attract some to invest the HTC Vive headset. Viveport will launch on March 5th, which is just two days away and if you are interested, click on the source link.

SOURCE:
Viveport
, VIA:
Engadget