Google Wallet has already been available on a few smartphones and tablets, and now the search giant has announced more phones onto the list. From now on, users of Sprint’s HTC One, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S4 and US Cellular’s Note II will be able to use Google Wallet to purchase in store via NFC-based contactless payments.

You can download the app for free by heading to Google Play here.

Meanwhile, Google has also announced a way to make sending payments simple, which will be as easy as sending an email. They are integrating Google Wallet with Gmail, and sometime in the coming months US users over 18 years old will be able to send money through Gmail via a $ icon in the attachment options. “It’s free to send money if your bank account is linked to Google Wallet or using your Google Wallet Balance”, but you will be charged a flat fee of 2.9% per transaction for payments using your linked credit or debit card. Receiving money will always be free.

Check out the video below to know more about the upcoming service.

[Source]

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It has been talked about for a while that HTC is working on Windows tablets to be released sometime this year. According to a new rumor, the Taiwanese manufacturer is planning to release two tablets running Windows RT Blue in October.

First up is the smaller of the two, the HTC R7, which could be the first of a wave of small screen Windows tablets expected to be available in the coming months. The R7 apparently boasts a 7-inch full HD screen, a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, a 13 MP cam, 16GB of storage (and microSD slot), and it will be available as a Wi-Fi only version and as a model with LTE/HSPA+ support.

The R7’s bigger screened brother, the HTC R12, will reportedly feature a 12-inch display with a resolution of 2048×1536 (similar to the iPad’s Retina Display). It will come equipped with the same internal specs as the R7, though the R12 will add NFC and HDMI.

The rumor suggests that the devices will be launched on October 13^th. There’s currently no info regarding possible price tags, though we believe that they won’t come cheap looking at the specs. If the R7 is coming with the reported features, it is less likely to hit the market as a budget tablet to go against tablets like the Nexus 7. For that segment, “Clover Trail” tablets are expected to arrive sometime in the future.

[Source]

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Loving the HTC One’s design but wishing for a smaller, cheaper alternative? Your wish could soon come true.

A new report indicates that the long-rumored HTC M4, a cheaper HTC handset will follow the design language of the One, essentially making it a trimmed-down HTC One with a 4.3-inch screen. Outside of the smaller 720p display, other specs include a dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, LTE, 16GB storage, UltraPixel camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Keep in mind that we don’t know exactly what the HTC M4 will look like, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were at least a few readily noticeable changes in design between the HTC One and its cheaper brother.

Still, the idea seems to suggest that HTC is happy with the HTC One so far and looks to extend its success into its lower range products as well. Would you be interested in a mid-range HTC M4 handset, if the pricing is right?

[ source ]

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Of course, this comes with a massive caveat. The catch is that you’re not on the hook for only the $99. That’s just the up-front payment. After that, you’ll be paying monthly installments (of a yet to be determined amount) until you’ve effectively paid off the full price for the HTC One. Alternatively, you can pay the full retail price for the phone from the beginning, which should be in the $600 kind of range. By comparison, the iPhone 5 is also $99 sans contract with monthly installments of $20. The HTC One monthly installments should be comparable.

While it is refreshing to see one of the nation’s four major carriers adopt the no-contract model, it is going to be sad for all the people who have grown accustomed to carrier-subsidized devices. It’ll be interesting to see if this “uncarrier” approach will ultimately help or hurt T-Mobile’s bottom line, but they do have “Simple Choice” plans starting at $50 a month for unlimited talk, text and 500MB. Then again, if you’re tacking on the $20 monthly installment, your monthly bill suddenly balloons to $70 before taxes.

[Source]

The post T-Mobile Prices HTC One Smartphone at $99 with No Contract – Sort Of appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

HTC has been watching the popularity of smartphones in China very closely, and we can expect to see a number of low cost, Chinese-only Android phones from the Taiwanese phone maker over the coming year.

The first to launch are the HTC Desire Q and P, both of which are dual-core smartphones with 1GB RAM, 8 mega-pixel cameras, SD card readers and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The major difference between the two phones is that the Q offers users a low-cost 4-inch display, while the P has a larger 4.2-inch WVGA panel and a price tag of $365.

We honestly don’t think many Chinese phone fans will be too excited about the Desire Q and P, as local phone makers are producing quad-core , Full 1080, Android 4.2 handsets with 13 mega-pixel cameras for just $160. What do you think of these two ‘budget’ handsets?

[ Source ]

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Just last week we reported that the HTC One was making its way over to Verizon, it just would be late to the party. Unfortunately we spoke too soon – HTC now confirms that they aren’t bringing their only flagship of the year to Verizon.

HTC USA sent out the above tweet, making it clear that they don’t have any Verizon network plans, and encouraging Verizon users to give the HTC Droid DNA a try instead. While the Droid DNA isn’t a pushover, it isn’t nearly as capable or as sexy as the HTC One, nice try though HTC.

You have to wonder what caused this. After all, Verizon is pretty much the biggest U.S. Carrier, so why not push your flagship there? We may never know the official reason, but it likely either had to do with the other big carriers or with Verizon itself.

Perhaps Verizon felt that bringing out the HTC One would destroy sales and interest in the Droid DNA, or maybe other carriers like AT&T raised a fuss about how Verizon already got a 1080p smartphone from HTC and that it was best for other carriers that Big Red sit this one out.

Regardless of what led to the decision, it has to be more than a little disappointing for long-time HTC fans that happen to be locked into Verizon for whatever reason. Verizon HTC fans out there: what do you think of this announcement, will you go with the HTC Droid DNA, jump ship to another carrier or even consider jumping ship from HTC altogether? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

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Although the Galaxy S4 is pretty impressive, many including HTC believe that Samsung didn’t deliver this time around. If you are one among them and dreaming about holding an HTC One in the future, you should be happy to hear that HTC’s deal is still available. The HTC One $100 trade-in deal, which began last month, has been extended to the 26^th of April.

All you have to do is sign up with HTC here, and then send your old phone and your HTC One proof of purchase to HTC by May 31 and get a $100 Visa gift card (or the value of the device, whichever is greater).

The deal was first extended to April 4^th, and now to the above said date. According to HTC, the deal is being extended because of “overwhelming response” from fans, although there is also the possibility of a delay in the phone shipments or the company might also be worried about the arrival of the S4.

But do we really have to care for the reasons? There is a powerful phone available for $100 less, which is indeed a great deal. So, have you already signed up for the device?

The post HTC One $100 Cash Back Offer Extended Once Again appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

That’s good news for Verizon subscribers who want to get their hands on this flagship smartphone with all its Ultrapixel goodness, according to “a source familiar with the situation,” but it comes with a catch. While the exact date has not been formally revealed, we’re hearing that Verizon will be getting the HTC One some time after the other three major carriers launch it. Indeed, it’s sounding like Verizon will lag about a month or two behind. That’s enough time for current Verizon users who really want the HTC One to jump ship to someone else.

Even if that’s the case, this is still a win for HTC overall. It helps to create a more unified vision of the HTC brand in the eyes of the average consumer, since the flagship HTC One will be available through all four of the major carriers. Remember that this is the same struggle Samsung faced with the plethora of Galaxy variations before it convinced carriers to essentially all carry the same Galaxy S III last year. And look at where Samsung is now. It helps with unified branding and unified advertising efforts.

While this in itself probably isn’t enough to propel HTC above Samsung and Apple, it does seem like a step in the right direction… even if the Verizon crew end up being late to the One party.

[Source]

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HTC seems pretty happy with their Ultrapixel technology, and they should be. The advanced camera feature found on the HTC One has become one of the biggest selling points for the phone.

Although currently only available on the flagship HTC One, ultrapixel technology could appear in mid-range models in the future. It’s not uncommon for phone makers to filter their high-end features down through the ranges, and as head of HTC UK and Ireland, Phil Roberson said in a recent interview:

“If you look at what we did on the One V [the 2012 entry-level One series phone]; that had the same image chip as we had on the One X […] there is definitely the potential to take it into those spaces.”

With HTC only launching one flagship phone this year, how long will we have to wait to see a mid-range handset with an ultrapixel camera?

[ Source ]

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The HTC One has made a huge splash so far, but you have to wonder, will the HTC One begin the path to recovery and the start of a new era of popularity for HTC, or is the praise heading the phone’s way going to be short-lived? This is a good question.

There are quite a few other higher-end smartphones arriving in the not-too-distant future, many of which will run on the same Snapdragon 600 processor and feature better or the same specs all around. That means that HTC needs to win over consumers based on the marketing and hype they’ve generated so far.

All eyes are on Samsung right now, with the Samsung Galaxy S4 scheduled to make its first appearance in March. While the HTC One might stand out against the existing S3, the Galaxy S4 is going to be tough to beat.

We don’t know the exact specs of the Samsung Galaxy S4 (for obvious reasons), the chart directly below this sentence shows several of the specs are they are currently rumored for the device and compares them to the S3 (US version) and the HTC One.

The HTC One – Can it Compete?

When it comes to core features, you can see from the chart that the HTC One is clearly a step above what the Samsung Galaxy S3 brings to the table. That said, not everyone is going to love the unibody design that makes the HTC One’s battery non-removable and creates a phone without support for microSD. There are also some users that feel the HTC One looks to much like the Blackberry Z10. Though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The question is whether the HTC One has brought its ‘A game’ and can finally give Samsung a challenge. Based on rumors that HTC is buckling down and relying on the HTC One as their sole flagship for 2013, they certainly seem to have confidence in their new flagship.

The Galaxy S4 Could Put Them Back in the Same Rut

If the latest rumors are to be believed, Samsung will not be going the Exynos-route, instead relying on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600. As the chart shows, the Galaxy S4 is rated as faster than the One, though the rest of the features match pretty closely.

Where the HTC One could run into problems is that it doesn’t have universal carrier support in the US (no Verizon, at least for now), while the Galaxy S4 likely will. Also the S4 will probably stick with their tradition of non-removable batteries and microSD, something HTC is missing.

HTC often releases a promising looking handset ahead of the competition, only to be overshadowed later on by brands like Samsung. Still, there is a lot more promise for HTC’s current path with the HTC One than we’ve seen in the last few years.

Motorola X Phone Could Also Create Problems

The Motorola X Phone also needs to be considered here. For those that don’t know, Google looks to be aiming at a high-end X Phone for later this year, which will run on Android 5.0 and will essentially be a Nexus, though it sounds like it won’t actually use the branding.

Part of the reason for this is that rumors indicate Google is concerned that Samsung has become too big of a giant in the Android world and too much means it is easier to demand more from Google. The solution could be to bring out their own big guns with the X Phone — but this could also be really bad timing for the HTC One and could further overshadow the phone.

Summing it up..

The HTC One is a solid phone for existing HTC fans and those that don’t want to wait around for other major flagships to start showing up, since HTC One is getting ahead of the game with the release of their flagship.

Long-term though? That’s much harder to answer. I like HTC and I wish them the best, but the battle certainly looks uphill for HTC throughout 2013. Does that mean they can’t pull off a turn-around with the HTC One and work their way back to the top? Anything can happen if you can get execution (marketing and hype, a good release frame, etc) right.

What do you think, does the HTC One feature good enough specs and design to set it apart from devices like the Motorola X Phone and Samsung Galaxy S4? Do you agree that the HTC One will have a hard battle ahead or do you think that it will blow away the competition and drive HTC back up towards the top? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

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