desire

HTC Desire owners had a slight scare this week when HTC stated via its U.K. Facebook page that the popular smartphone would not get an Android 2.3 Gingerbread update.

Considering the Desire is barely a year old, the news came as a surprise to users, and, as one would imagine, the comments in the Facebook thread were not overly pleasant. Even U.K. wireless carrier Three was caught off guard by the statement and apologized to its subscribers.

HTC retracted the statement later and said the Desire will get a Gingerbread update, but it will need to "… Read more

Looks like there's been some lively debate going on inside HTC over the last 24 hours. It's been almost exactly one full rotation of the earth since the company announced--via its HTC UK page on Facebook-- that "we've been forced to accept there isn't enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire."

Then, just a short while ago this morning came another very terse post:

"Contrary to what we said earlier, we are going to bring Gingerbread to HTC Desire."

No … Read more

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

The U.S. State Department plans to announce new policies on Internet freedom

HTC unveils its first tablet, along with five new phones

Facebook launches an SMS version of its site for non-smartphones

Skype launches the Skype Mobile Partner Program for low-bandwidth Skype use in markets without reliable 3G

The FAA may consider repealing the ban on cell phone use during air travel

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers considers awarding the rights for the .gay domain

Japanese researchers are working on robot babies

In addition to going out on a limb with two Facebook-friendly phones, HTC also hedged its wilder bets this Mobile World Congress with updates to three of its more popular phones.

The HTC Incredible S, Wildfire S, and Desire S are all familiar designs that include the HTC Sense interface on top of an Android base.

The high-end HTC Incredible S sports a 4-inch WVGA Super LCD display and stereo surround sound to highlight its multimedia-friendliness. The 8-megapixel camera comes with dual flash, and there's a front-facing camera on board as well for video chats. DLNA support brings the … Read more

The first images of HTC's next handsets have made their way online ahead of next month's Mobile World Congress. Various leaks obtained by PocketNow reveal slightly varied takes on current Android designs. One image, which could be of the flagship model, closely resembles the Desire HD unveiled last September. A front-facing camera sits above what appears to be a screen measuring 4 inches diagonally.

A second, more compact, device features a traditional trackball and a 3.2-inch screen. The top right corner has what could be construed as a front-facing camera or ambient light sensor. Bearing a striking … Read more

Well, that didn't take long.

Earlier this morning, HTC revealed that it would bring its budget-friendly Android phone, the HTC Wildfire, to regional providers in North America in Q4, and now we have our first carrier announcement.

The Wildfire is available now from Alltel Wireless for just $29.99 with a two-year service agreement and mail-in rebate. Since it's more of an entry-level model, you won't get some of the higher-end features, such as a large, high-res touch screen, but you do get a 5-megapixel camera, Android 2.1 with HTC Sense, full wireless options, and social … Read more

In the last year, ambient light sensors have become a popular feature not only on computer monitors, but on HDTVs and smartphones as well.

The purported function of an ambient light sensor is to detect the amount of ambient light intersecting with the display's screen, and then either increase or decrease the display's brightness. If there's too much ambient light, the sensor adjusts the brightness upwards, and in a minimal ambient light situation, the brightness is decreased appropriately.

For monitors and HDTVs, an ambient light sensor can help save on power and the amount of strain on … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--We took advantage of HTC's presence at the fall CTIA show to get our first hands-on with the company's new Desire HD Android smartphone. HTC introduced the handset last month at a London press conference, and is now showing it off to the world.

In many ways, the Desire HD is a close relative of the Evo 4G, though minus the 4G service. It has the same basic shape, with a brilliant 4.3-inch display, and it feels about the same when held in the hand. The touch controls below the display are somewhat different, and the … Read more

HTC has flipped the switch on its new HTCSense.com Web site ahead of the launch of its new Desire handsets.

Designed to let users manage their Sense UI smartphone, the site provides you with the ability to locate a lost or misplaced phone using a map, as well as an option to turn the ringer up to full volume should you need to call the device. This will come in handy for those of us who tend to lose our phones in the cracks of a couch. If your phone is stolen, HTCSense.com will also let users remotely … Read more