HTC One is highly repairable with special secret tool, says lead designer

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Many folks who've torn down an HTC One agree that it's practically impossible to do so without damaging the body, hence iFixit's low repairability score of 1/10. That said, as we found out from HTC's Frequencies Asia event earlier today, there's apparently an elegant solution to this problem. This little surprise came from none other than Justin Huang, the man who personally sketched the phone's conceptual designs.

"During the development [of the One], there was another team inside HTC who looked at the repair process," said Huang, who's also the Senior Manager of the One's design team. "So every phone sent to HTC, they have a special tool to disassemble the back cover, to let us have the ability to access all the components inside."

Huang added that his folks can even put everything back together neatly, as you'd expect. But the problem is that only HTC has this tool, and our man wasn't keen on revealing the magic behind it. This is bad news for those who want to do a bit of DIY repair or modification -- especially with different colors.

"Don't try it," teased Huang with a smile. Fine, we'll just have to keep an eye out for this oh-so-precious kit in the Huaqiangbei markets. Or we can just tickle Peter Chou when we next see him.

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HTC Droid DNA vs. J Butterfly vs. Butterfly: fight!

HTC Droid DNA vs J Butterfly vs Butterfly fly!

HTC made quite an impression when it launched the Droid DNA with Verizon a couple of months ago, and we're happy to say that its Butterfly variants on the other side of the world -- namely Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), India and China -- have achieved similar success, with some areas struggling to keep up with the surprising demand. Still, if you're in the market to pick up one of these 5-inch quad-core beauties, it's worth noting the subtle physical and technical differences between them. At HTC's Frequencies event this week, we had the rare chance to get all four (yes, four!) models side by side, so read on for our detailed comparison.

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HTC shows off Cushnie et Ochs edition One X ahead of New York Fashion Week (update: not for sale!)

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In the last HTC Frequencies media summit, the company didn't shy away from the possibility of exploring different color options for its flagship devices, but never did we expect it to come out with such a simple yet eye-catching combination of black and white on the same body. Courtesy of Frequencies II today, what we're looking at here is an HTC One X (on AT&T) with a bit of love from fashion label Cushnie et Ochs: the design simply consists of a two-part chassis instead of a unibody shell, so we could just about feel the seam along the center of the backside. Other than that, this is a surprisingly attractive device, especially with the preloaded wallpaper that matches the shell colors -- we like the effect of it moving along horizontally as we swipe between home screens. There's no word yet on availability, but keen fashionists should see this pop up at Milk Studios during the New York Fashion Week in a few days.

Update: Bad news, folks: we've just had confirmation from HTC that this funky phone will not be available for purchase. Only certain celebrities will receive one as a gift.

Continue reading HTC shows off Cushnie et Ochs edition One X ahead of New York Fashion Week (update: not for sale!)

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HTC shows off Cushnie et Ochs edition One X ahead of New York Fashion Week (update: not for sale!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC shows off Cushnie et Ochs edition One X ahead of New York Fashion Week (update: not for sale!)

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In the last HTC Frequencies media summit, the company didn't shy away from the possibility of exploring different color options for its flagship devices, but never did we expect it to come out with such a simple yet eye-catching combination of black and white on the same body. Courtesy of Frequencies II today, what we're looking at here is an HTC One X (on AT&T) with a bit of love from fashion label Cushnie et Ochs: the design simply consists of a two-part chassis instead of a unibody shell, so we could just about feel the seam along the center of the backside. Other than that, this is a surprisingly attractive device, especially with the preloaded wallpaper that matches the shell colors -- we like the effect of it moving along horizontally as we swipe between home screens. There's no word yet on availability, but keen fashionists should see this pop up at Milk Studios during the New York Fashion Week in a few days.

Update: Bad news, folks: we've just had confirmation from HTC that this funky phone will not be available for purchase. Only certain celebrities will receive one as a gift.

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HTC shows off Cushnie et Ochs edition One X ahead of New York Fashion Week (update: not for sale!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC clears Sprint to run CDMA, 4G LTE on 800MHz iDEN airwaves

FCC clears Sprint to run CDMA, 4G LTE on 800MHz iDEN airwaves

Sprint might not have its 4G LTE network up and running to power your EVO 4G LTE, but it's already getting more headroom. The FCC has just tweaked the rules around the ESMR (Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio) spectrum to let Sprint, and the considerably more regional SouthernLINC Wireless, run their CDMA voice calls and LTE data on the 800MHz band they're currently using for their soon-to-end iDEN networks. In practice, the extra frequency access should be a tremendous help to at least Sprint, which hasn't had the low-level, indoors-friendly airspace that AT&T and Verizon enjoy with their 700MHz networks. Just don't expect your EVO or the rest of the initial Sprint LTE devices to take advantage any time soon, as you'll need to both get an 800MHz-ready phone as well as endure the long, long wait until Sprint switches on the extra LTE band in 2014.

FCC clears Sprint to run CDMA, 4G LTE on 800MHz iDEN airwaves originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 20:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MetroPCS and T-Mobile want Dish to give up half of its wireless spectrum, worry about AT&T and Verizon swooping in

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Dish Network might not start up its LTE-based 4G network until as late as 2016, but that hasn't stopped MetroPCS and T-Mobile from jointly telling the FCC that the would-be carrier needs to make some concessions for small carriers to rest easy. Both of the complaints have a common proposal that would see Dish give up 20MHz of its 40MHz space in the 2GHz range to prevent the satellite giant from using its abundant airwaves as part of a cash grab: MetroPCS and T-Mobile are worried Dish will just try for a "windfall" and sell the spectrum it doesn't need to AT&T or Verizon. While it's not asking for a sell-off, the Rural Cellular Association is still jittery about concentrations of power and wants the FCC to make Dish hit certain build-out targets, offer roaming at wholesale rates and require FCC approval for any roaming deal that would go to Big Blue or Big Red. The big carriers' advocacy group, the CTIA, is unsurprisingly against build-out demands as "unduly burdensome." FCC officials have been silent by comparison, although the agency has encouraged spreading spectrum around and proposed its own expansion requirements. You'll likely see smartphones with 2GHz frequencies at some point in the future -- it's just a matter of whether Dish or someone else slaps its logo on top.

MetroPCS and T-Mobile want Dish to give up half of its wireless spectrum, worry about AT&T and Verizon swooping in originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink FierceBroadbandWireless  |  sourceT-Mobile (PDF), MetroPCS (PDF), CTIA (PDF), RCA (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

HTC talks smartphone design: from inception to final product

At the Frequencies media summit in Seattle over the last two days, HTC walked us through the fine details on how its smartphones are developed, going from the boring rectangular ABS block to the more refined plastic mockups that are presented to carriers and focus groups -- the findings of which then shape the final product. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take photos of the One X mockups that were shown to us, but do read on to learn the general process of how an HTC phone goes from inception to the final product.

Continue reading HTC talks smartphone design: from inception to final product

HTC talks smartphone design: from inception to final product originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with HTC’s colorful One X cases

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We just got our hands on a couple of new cases that HTC's making specifically for its One X flagship. The colorful accessories -- which the company showcased at its Frequencies media event in Seattle -- are made of a flexible PTFE-like (polytetrafluoroethylene) material and are designed to both protect and enhance the appearance of the device. Different designs will be available, but we only got to see the one. Sadly, we have no info on pricing or availability at this time. Take a look at our gallery below.

Hands-on with HTC's colorful One X cases originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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