Facebook Home, which was announced at the beginning of this month, hit Google Play on the 12th of April. Now, after nine days it has surpassed 500k downloads. But it will be interesting to know how many people hang on to it.

That number, although it sounds awesome, is not so big especially when we think about the number of Facebook users around the world. And in comparison, when Instagram was launched on Android it hit over 5 million downloads in just six days. Of course Home is just available on few devices including the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, HTC One X and One X+, and the HTC First. The numbers are expected to increase after Facebook expands compatibility in the future.

As you probably know, Google Play does not show the number of uninstalls. So far reviews about the new app have been mostly bad, with complaints about battery life getting killed faster, constant freezing of the home screen, and questions such as why anyone would be “on Facebook all of the time”? It seems many have already uninstalled it.

We do think that the new app will be a great experience, but for only those who are VERY dedicated to Facebook. Features such as the Chat Heads are very convenient, though the lack of folders and widget support is a bit disappointing.

Of course Facebook will be listening to feedback and reply with updates, but it seems that they should start work ASAP. What do you think about Facebook Home? Did you install it? And are you still using it? We wonder what the guys over at Apple are thinking right now.

The post Facebook Home Installed 500k Times, But How Many Times Has it Been Uninstalled? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

About a year ago, a judge ruled that HTC was in violation of an Apple patent due to just how closely their “tap system” works in comparison to Apple’s. With this system, you click on a number, text message, or whatever and it gives you a choice of what to do. After the ruling, HTC vowed to make a tweak that would get around this infringement in future Android devices.

It seems that they’ve made good on this promise, and the new system simply works by tapping on a number and it jumps into the dialer. Tapping on an email goes to your email program, etc. While they automatically do the job, you can change what the defaults are for loading through a special settings menu.

Honestly, this isn’t a bad idea, as long as you don’t accidentally hit it. Whenever I’ve hit a phone number in a webpage, I do want to call it- so this could be pretty useful. Still, it seems silly that Apple filed a suit that really does nothing, HTC just found a way around it, and ultimately only users that liked the old method will suffer from the change- it won’t financially hurt HTC and it wouldn’t gain anything for Apple.

The only way it seems to be hurting HTC is that the HTC One X and Evo 4G LTE are currently being held up at US customs while they are examined to insure they don’t infringe on any patents. Hopefully the new changes are enough to satisfy the agencies and that these phones can soon make their way into the hands of eager HTC users.

[ source ]

The post HTC Tweaks Phones to Avoid Apple Patents appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S3 is said to be coming with a quad core processor and is expected to be a powerhouse, but why wait anxiously for the handset if you already have a powerful smartphone to play with. No, we do not mean the HTC One X which reportedly is coming with a design flaw. We are talking about the Meizu MX Quad-core which, according to the company, is the world’s first smartphone to utilize the quad-core Exynos chip.

Powered by a Cortex-A9-based quad-core Samsung Exynos chip, the new handset will run Meizu-customized Ice Cream Sandwich (Flyme OS) and has a 4-inch 960 x 640 ASV display. The company claims that the device will feature 20% less CPU power consumption, and its CPU is 60% faster and GPU is 50% faster when compared to its dual core predecessor.

The battery will be a 1,700mAh one (bumped up from 1,600mAh), which will be tested when we get our hands on the device sometime soon. You will also get to play with an 8 MP BSI camera with an f/2.2 lens aperture, which means that you will be able to snap some good images in low light conditions.

There’s no microSD expansion, but the base model has 32GB of internal storage and it will cost the same as the current 16GB MX. When the device is released in June, it will have a price tag of US$480 in China and US$400 in Hong Kong, and the 64GB version will be yours for US$635 and US$530, respectively. Meanwhile, the original MX now costs ¥2,399 (US$380) and HK$2,599 (US$335).

So, anyone interested in the MX Quad-Core?

The post Do You Want The Samsung Galaxy S3 Or The New Meizu MX Quad-Core? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Apart from Android ICS and the quad-core power, one of the biggest reasons for getting the HTC One X is certainly the device’s camera with ImageSense technology. Its shooter boasts improved lens, sensor, software, and there’s also a new custom HTC ImageChip. But seeing is believing, right? So we have a new video here which compares the camera capabilities of the One X with that of the Sony Xperia S and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The One X’s camera is certainly impressive as it takes a photo in just 0.7 seconds and 4 photos per second in the burst mode (maximum of 99). As you might know, the camera on the Xperia S is quite good too, and the phone comes with a dedicated camera button and fast capture feature. That’s why the S wins during the sleep-to-snap test, as you will see in the clip. But for two other tests, the home-to-snap and burst mode tests, the One X is the clear winner.

Against the Galaxy Nexus, the One X wins in all the tests. And, as you will see below, the burst mode on the S and Nexus requires you to have kung-fu fingers.

Some cool things about ImageSense:

• Superfast Capture – HTC One dramatically reduces the time it takes to capture those key moments. In just 0.7 seconds you’re able to take a shot, and with a new superfast 0.2-seconds autofocus, continue to take nearly unlimited continuous shots simply by holding the shutter button.
• Good photos in adverse conditions – HTC One delivers dramatic enhancements in image capture quality even in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting. The f/2.0 lens on the HTC One X and HTC One S offers best-in-class performance, capturing 40 percent more light than the f/2.4 lenses available on other high-end phones. HTC One also includes HDR, a market-leading technology, for taking great photos even when there are varying levels of brightness.
• Video Pic (Concurrent Video/Still Capture) – With Video Pic you capture a photo and shoot video at the same time. Now, while you’re shooting HD video, all you have to do is tap the shutter button and it snaps a high-resolution still photo while the video continues to shoot. You are also able to capture a photo frame from a previously recorded video.
• Dropbox integrated with HTC Sense – HTC One gives you an easy way to save and share your photos and videos. HTC has integrated Dropbox into HTC Sense 4 enabling HTC One customers to get 25 gigabytes of free Dropbox space for two years. That’s enough to keep more than 10,000 high-quality photos. Dropbox is also integrated throughout HTC Sense 4, so it’s easy to edit, save and share your documents and other kinds of files.
• Sharing your photos and more – HTC One gives you a new way to share your photos and videos. When you plug in HTC’s wireless Media Link HD* accessory into your TV’s HDMI port, you can easily share your photos, videos, or anything else on your phone with your friends, family or colleagues regardless of the television’s brand as long as it has HDMI.

The post HTC One X Camera Shootout With The Best Android Smartphones (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Yesterday, we talked about a rumor about Sprint’s version of the HTC One X. And today, it’s about another device from the company’s One series, the HTC One S. The folks over at TmoNews appear to have got their hands on a web document which shows off the release date of the One S on T-Mobile’s network as April 22^nd.

As you can see in the above image, it’s written “sell the HTC One S on launch day”. Therefore if it’s the real thing, it might be meant for associates or retail employees. But the above said day is a Sunday, which is certainly an odd day for a phone to be launched. But the carrier has released mobile phones on Sundays in the past, so it’s not too odd.

The HTC One X and One V will reportedly be available in Asia on April 2^nd. So the rumored 22^nd of April launch date is a possibility and you might agree that T-Mobile could use a new flagship phone as soon as possible. The Galaxy S Blaze 4G is cool, but we believe that many customers will go after the pretty looking One S, which when launched will be one of the most powerful phones on T-Mobile.

Just a refresher, the One S boasts a 4.3-inch qHD AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and an 8-megapixel rear camera with the company’s highly praised F/2.0 lens.

The post HTC One S Is Headed to T-Mobile On April 22nd? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

We have heard a lot of rumors about Sprint’s version of the HTC One X, and many believe that the handset will be announced by HTC and the carrier at the event scheduled for April 4^th. Well, now it appears like that is exactly what’s going to happen. According to a new rumor, which comes to us via Android Central and if their anonymous insider is right, the One X will be released on the Sprint LTE network on June 6^th as the HTC EVO ONE.

The rumor suggests that the device will arrive with the following specs:

• 4.7 inch, 720p AMOLED screen
• 1.5 dual-core Krait processor
• 2650mah non-removal battery
• 16GB internal memory
• microSD card slot
• Android 4.0 with 4.0 sense
• 8-megapixel camera with 2.0 front-facing camera
• LTE
• Beats by Dre audio

The handset is also said to be black and red in color and come with a kickstand.  But since the device has a microSD card slot, larger battery and support for LTE, we don’t think it’s going to be very thin. That suggestion does not make sense.

But, as you might know, Sprint markets high-end HTC phones as EVO devices, and they also released the original EVO and EVO 3D in June. The timing makes sense, but we won’t have to wait too long to know if it does happen next week.

The post HTC One X May Come to Sprint as HTC EVO ONE on June 6th appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While HTC has plans to release their newly unveiled S4 powered One S (T-Mobile) and One X (AT&T version) within the next two months, Microsoft is reportedly busy testing a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, which is intended for Sprint’s network, with the dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset. The new info comes to us courtesy of the folks over at The Verge who were apparently tipped off by “sources familiar with the company’s plans”.

According to The Verge, at least one Windows Phone 8 handset will arrive later this year and the company is hoping that their device will exhibit impressive performance with the chip onboard as the S4 has been proven to be better than Samsung’s Galaxy S II (Exynos) and Motorola’s Droid 4 (TI OMAP) via many tests.

Reportedly, Sprint is interested in a Windows Phone 8 handset equipped with the chip and won’t be launching any new Windows phones before the introduction of WP8. The carrier has also contacted Nokia for sharing their LTE specifications.

But it is not known whether Microsoft will be checking out the quad-core Tegra 3 processor on the global version of the HTC One X. Although Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 has done remarkably well on previous tests, the latest benchmarks of the HTC One series show that the Tegra 3 is on par with S4 in processing power, and it actually is better when it comes to graphics performance.

The idea of multi-core processor support for future Windows Phones can never be pushed aside after this leak. And Qualcomm, when asked about the possibility of Windows Phone S4 devices, gave out answers that suggest they know about Microsoft’s tests.

We will keep you updated on the matter, so stay tuned.

The post Windows Phone 8 Dual-Core Smartphone For Sprint Being Tested? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

At the MWC 2012, HTC unveiled their new “One” series which includes the impressive One X handset. The only disappointment was that the device was announced to be an exclusive to AT&T in the US, but we have good news for you. According to the latest rumors, the device might be headed to other carriers as well.

Just in case you missed a few things earlier, the One X features a 720p 4.7-inch Super LCD2 display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0 UI. But AT&T’s version will only feature a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor due to an LTE compatibility issue.

A rumor, which comes from Evan Blass of Pocketnow, suggests that the device will hit Sprint equipped with the same dual-core Snapdragon S4 with integrated LTE. Apparently, Blass found out about an HTC Jewel handset (for Sprint) which has all the features of the One X. This new info is believable as Sprint is expected to release an LTE device sometime around the middle of 2012.

But that’s it about the Sprint device. What’s more interesting is the rumor about an upcoming T-Mobile One X. According to available info, T-Mobile’s version of the One X has also been planned and it will be included in the carrier’s family of “G” devices. Codenamed G4X, the device will feature the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor as there is no LTE compatibility trouble and it will be running stock ICS (what many users will prefer over Sense 4.0 UI). If this device is indeed coming, it will be the most attractive version of the One X in US soil.

It won’t be a surprise if the rumors turn out to be true as HTC will love their flagship handset to hit as many carriers as possible. And the T-Mobile One X can’t be pushed aside as we have seen other devices on T-Mobile from HTC without any customizations or skins.

But we haven’t got confirmation about anything. We will keep digging in for more info, so stay tuned for updates.

The post HTC One X With Stock Android 4.0 ICS Headed To T-Mobile? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The HTC One X certainly looks like it’s going to make things difficult for all the other phone manufacturers from around the world. And it appears like the other devices in the HTC One series are going to add to their agony. The HTC One Smay not be as beastly as the One X, but it has a really solid build and is really fast as well. And the One V is quite impressive for a low-end model.

Looking at the features, you will find a lot of similarities between the One S and the One X. Both runs the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with Sense 4.0 UI and are coming with ImageChip, free Dropbox space, HTC MediaLink, and 4G support. But let’s take a peek at what all things are different.

According to Gizmodo, the device has a fantastic build which feels good in the hands. The handset’s aluminum body has ceramic-like qualities via a multi-arc oxidation process. Although light, the handset feels really strong and is very thin at only 7.9mm. The device’s screen won’t be as impressive as the one on the One X. The 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display will have lower resolution than the One X’s 720p Super LCD2. But you will get to enjoy deeper blacks and vibrant colors on the Super AMOLED.

As we told you earlier, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor is what makes the One X a monster device. But Gizmodo’s Brent Rose found the One S’ dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor “extremely fast”. But we will be taking a closer look at it sometime soon and we will let you know all about it.

The One S has been slated to arrive within the next 60 days and will be launched on T-Mobile’s network first. We are expecting it to hit other networks as well. We will keep you updated on the device’s availability and price, so stay tuned.

The One V is a low-end device and it features a 3.7 WVGA Super LCD, and a single-core 1GHz processor. But it’s not that low end. The handset features the same image chip and optics as the other devices in the series, although the cam is only a 5MP one. But this ‘One’ also comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0. That’s a great addition into an entry-level device. Gizmodo says that the device’s aluminum frame feels solid and its performance, although slow when compared to the One S and X, was better than most low-end handsets out there.

The post MWC 2012: HTC One S appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Samsung is expected to come out with a lot of exciting products at MWC 2012. But their newly unveiled Galaxy Beam handset might not impress you when it comes to the specs, although it has one trick up its sleeve. The device features a built-in pico projector.

The new device is an updated version of Samsung’s Galaxy Beam which was shown off at the Mobile World Congress in 2010. And in case you are pondering, Samsung is not the only company which has dived into the idea of a projector in a phone. Have you heard about the LG eXpo projector phone?

The original Galaxy Beam was only slated for Singapore and it came with Android v2.1, a 3.7-inch screen, and a 9 lumens projector. The updated version runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and features a 4-inch 480×800 TFT display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of internal memory (there’s a microSD slot for cards of up to 32GB), a 5MP rear shooter, a 1.3MP front camera and a 2000mAh battery.

That’s no HTC One X, but those who are buying this device will be looking forward to playing with its 15 lumens projector. Although that is not enough to blind anyone, it is more than enough for projecting pictures, videos, and other media onto flat surfaces. And, according to Samsung, it can display images up to 50-inches wide.

Unfortunately, we haven’t got any hints regarding the price tag and availability of the Beam. We will keep you updated. The Beam is expected to be launched in a number of countries.

And yeah, almost forgot. According to the device’s landing page, the handset has 6GB of RAM. That’s most probably a typo, but maybe not, since it could take some serious memory to power a projector.

The post MWC 2012: Samsung Galaxy Beam Projector Phone Has “6GB RAM” appeared first on Mobile Magazine.