A summary of the HTC Mobile Word Congress 2012 Press Conference on 27th February 2012 at 4:00am SGT.

Peter Chou:
“You each have your own memory, interest and relationship that define who you are.”
“They’re key to how we live as people and go through our lives. Many of these moments are often captured by photos.”
“You want a phone… that makes you say, ‘Wow, this is the one!’”

Photo from The Verge - Do you see M1 and SingTel? Where's StarHub?

HTC One Series

• HTC’s new flagship phone line
• One phone, one camera
• HTC One will launch globally in starting from April 2012, 144 mobile operators, the largest HTC launch yet

HTC Sense 4

• Key changes – amazing camera and authentic sound
• Taking photos is the number 2 thing people use their phone, behind making a phone call
• ImageSense – “improves every part of the camera: the lens, the sensor, software, UI.”
• Video and still capture buttons are next to each other (no more mode switching) - ”Shoot photos, shoot video, don’t think about it, just do it!”
• 0.7 second startup time for camera app, 0.2 second autofocus
• “super-fast” burst mode – hold down the shutter button
• f/2.0 lens with 44% more light than f/2.4 lenses
• HTC One sensor has bigger pixels that collect more light than smaller pixels
• ImageSense gauges how far away the subject is and automatically adjusts the flash strength to give you perfect flash every time
• Better HDR and image correction than the iPhone 4S HDR
• Shoot video and photos at the same time -  while you’re shooting HD video all you have to do is tap the shutter button
• Take still pics of the video you already recorded
• Dropbox cloud storage service into Sense 4 – buy a HTC One, get 25GB for 2 years
• Media Link to share photos and videos on a TV
• Three-finger swipe up on the screen sends any photo or video you’re looking at on the phone to the nearest Media Link-connected TV
• Media Link supports dual-display or mirror mode
• Beats Audio Enhancements
• Beats-integrated experience in all music, any song, whether it is a local song or a stream on the internet
• Movies, games, anything that makes noise on your phone
• HTC Sync
• connect HTC One to your PC one time, wifi-sync enabled, sync wirelessly
• iTunes playlists and others will sync just fine
• HTC Music Hub
• Download your favorite music app into the HTC Music Hub, integrate and customize it.
• Wireless clip that plugs right into the car stereo
• hook up cars with HTC One device for internet radio

HTC One X (high-end)

• Nvidia quad-core Tegra 3
• Qualcomm Snapdragon LTE version with Qualcomm Snapdragon S4
• 4.7-inch Super LCD display, 720p resolution
• polycarbonate body - a consistent color throughout – rugged and light
• 3D Gorilla Glass – the glass “curves and flows over the edge” (sounds like what Nokia and Huawei are doing)

HTC One S (mid-range)

• Same as HTC One X except it’s made out of aluminum unibody and smaller
• Microarc oxidation - treatment to the aluminum in a plasma field, turn it into a ceramic, 4 times harder than a typical anodized part
• Scratch resitant finish
• Gradient anodized finish - color gradient across the length of the phone

HTC One V (low-end)

• top design of HTC to a broad audience
• simple, iconic, and approachable
• near identical to the HTC Legend design, with the chin

Huawei Mobile World Congress 2012 Press Conference - 26th February 2012 at 9:30am EST, 3:30pm CET (local time), 10:30pm SGT (Singapore)
What to expect: Huawei Ascent D quad
Links: Engadget

Sony Mobile World Congress 2012 Press Conference – 26th February 2012 at 1:00pm EST, 7:00pm CET (local time), 27th February 2012 2:00am SGT (Singapore)
What to expect: Sony Xperia U (Kumquat), Pepper
Links: Engadget, BGR, The Verge, Sony Live Streaming
Note: There seems to be a timing discrepancy. Some says 6pm CET, whereas the Sony blog says 7pm CET.

HTC Mobile World Congress 2012 Press Conference - 26th February 2012 at 2:30pm EST, 8:30pm CET (local time), 27th February 2012 3:30am SGT (Singapore)
What to expect: HTC One X, HTC One S, HTC One V, Android tablet
Links: Engadget, BGR, The Verge

Nokia Mobile World Congress 2012 Press Conference – 27th February 2012 at 2:30am EST, 8:30am CET (local time), 3:30pm SGT (Singapore)
What to expect: Nokia Lumia 610
Links: Nokia Live Streaming, BGR, The Verge

Asus Mobile World Congress 2012 Press Conference – 27th February 2012 at 5:00am EST, 11:00am CET (local time), 6:00pm SGT (Singapore)
What to expect: ASUS Padfone and Transformer tablet
Links:

The award winning Android powered HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio returns to pays homage to a white Christmas with a brand new look dressed in the season’s favorite classic white. At a suggested retail price of SGD$868, the HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio (White Edition) is designed to boost performance and battery life even further with the addition of a blazing fast 1.5 GHz dual core processor and an extended battery that enables you to listen, watch, speak and browse for even longer.

HTC Sensation XL with Beats Audio has a 4.7-inch screen, slim 9.9mm design and Beats Audio integration, featuring unique audio tuning by Beats that ensures customers will hear their music as the artist intended. A new lightweight urBeats headphones is included, with a microphone and the on-cable remote control allows customers to pause, advance or rewind, and to answer a call mid-track.

HTC Sensation XL with Beats Audio integrates HTC Watch (available end of Q4 2011), an application and service that puts an entire library of the latest premium movies and TV shows right at your fingertips. HTC Watch offers the choice of renting or buying videos, and, if purchased, lets customers watch them on up to five different HTC devices.

The HTC Sensation XL with Beats Audio comes with an 8MP camera, featuring an f/2.2, 28mm wide-angle lens with BSI sensor enhances low-light performance. In video mode, the HTC Sensation XL with Beats Audio enables customers to record a perfect moment with stunning clarity and incredible stereo sound.

The HTC Sensation XL with Beats Audio will be bundled with urBeats headset and will be available at all mobile operators and authorized resellers at a suggested retail price of SGD$908 by end Q4 2011.

Specifications after the break:

The iPhone 4S is going to be available in October, so is the Android Ice-cream Sandwich Nexus Prime. The new Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 will start rolling out with HTC Radar and Titan, together with Samsung Omnia W. All in the month of October/November time-frame. So, which phone will you buy?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

In HP’s recent conference call meeting just a few hours ago, they’ve announced they’ll cease to make anymore webOS devices due to the lack of demand and failure to meet HP’s financial targets and unit sell-through expectations. HP will be shutting down the entire webOS hardware business unit and will be looking to license webOS software to manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung.

In light of this new development, the future of webOS is uncertain and it might just disappear into the abyss.

Now, my rants after the break.

WHY!!!???!!! Android devices had very bad sales initially, and this is your first tablet launch, and several other new phone launches. It has only been 2 months since the HP TouchPad was released (few weeks for Singapore market) and you should have already known that the initial launch will take a loss. Why won’t you (HP) stick it out for the long run and see where webOS goes? Personally, I’m very bitter about HP taking a laissez-faire attitude with webOS. HP could easily have overtaken Android in the next year or 2, after it has solidified its branding and developer strategy across the world.

There are a few scenarios where webOS will be now that HP has divested its interest in webOS.

Scenario 1 – License webOS to Samsung

If HP successfully licenses webOS to Samsung, and Samsung sees value in webOS (which I hope they do), then we might see a complete shift in the Samsung + Android strategy due to the fact that Android is having too many problems on every single front – open-source licensing, patents infringements, version fragmentations, etc – just some of the several problems Android is currently having.

However, Samsung has too much invested in the Android ecosystem, and to start afresh will mean competing against already established ecosystem with their other competitors, namely HTC. Samsung might just do the same thing as what they’ve done with Windows Phone 7, which is just to slap it on one of their “cookie cutter” devices and sell it to test the waters without investing too much effort into webOS.

Scenario 2 – Open Source webOS

HP can give webOS to the open source community and let them run the entire project. However, it wouldn’t be in the best interest of HP, but it might just keep webOS alive for a longer period of time. Everyone I know who has used and developed webOS software are impressed with it, and the open source community might be able to take it to the next level – integrating it to every device on the planet, extending it to the enterprise space, mini web servers or application servers – with webOS who know what else it can do.

Scenario 3 – Sell webOS off

If HP couldn’t do what Palm tried to do, maybe someone else could. I truly believe in webOS and its well thought-out user experience (UX) and developer experience (DX) that it will become the next big thing, with properly investing time and efforts into branding, sales and marketing, consumer feedback, developer engagements, and evolving the webOS to greater heights. However, whoever buys it needs to be completely committed to webOS and is willing to do everything it takes to make it successful, which HP didn’t have the balls to do that. Maybe some Chinese company will buy it *ahem Lenovo ahem* and break new grounds into the mobile space.

Scenario 4 – Burying webOS

There comes a time when one must admit defeat, and bury a great technology into the ground. It’s sad, I know, but at least webOS tried so hard, and it could be time to give up. webOS will be missed, and I will mourn for it, as how I mourn for BeOS when it got buried.

What other scenarios do you think might happen to webOS in the next few months to come?

Built with the Gingerbread (2.3) version of Android™, HTC EVO 3D features HTC’s first qHD 3D 4.3-inch display and a powerful 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor. HTC EVO 3D also features dual 5 megapixel cameras, which can be used to capture both high-quality conventional and stunning 3D images and videos, opening up new frontiers for user-generated content, social networking and streaming video.

In short, the HTC EVO 3D is the same as the HTC Sensation with the addition of 3D dual rear-cameras and qHD 3D glass-free screen.

The HTC EVO 3D will be available in Singapore at all mobile operators (SingTel, M1, Starhub) and authorized retailers at a suggested retail price of SGD$895 at the end of August 2011 (estimated 26th August).

Additional key features of HTC EVO 3D include:

• 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat
• 3G Mobile Hotspot capability, supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously
• Android Market™ for access to more than 200,000 useful applications, widgets and games available for download to customize the experience
• Google mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Maps™, Google Calendar, Voice Actions, and YouTube™
• Corporate e-mail (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync^®), personal (POP and IMAP) e-mail and instant messaging
• 1GB Usable memory/1GB RAM
• microSD slot (supports up to 32GB memory card)
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n
• Stereo Bluetooth^®
• Integrated GPS
• 1730 mAh Lithium-ion battery

The HTC ChaCha is available in Singapore exclusively to SingTel customers from 14 June 2011. Powered by Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 technology, the HTC ChaCha is the first smartphone to feature a dedicated Facebook button for one‐touch access to the key functions of Facebook.

With a single press of the button, customers can update their status, upload photos, share websites, ‘Check In’ to a location and more. For example, customers can take a photograph of friends on their phone and upload it instantly toFacebook by simply pressing the button. Or they can share with their friends what song they are listeningto by pressing the button while listening to music on the phone; the music track is automatically identified and shared on Facebook. The button is context‐aware, pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook.

HTC ChaCha at a glance:

The most affordable social phone

The HTC ChaCha is available in stunning shades of Modern White, Phantom Black and Amethyst Purple exclusively from SingTel for $0 with 3G Flexi AMPed plans and selected iPlans. Customers who pre-ordered the HTC ChaCha from 14 June 2011 via www.singtelshop.com/chacha will receive a 4GB Android figurine thumbdrive (as seen below) upon purchase, while stocks last. The HTC ChaCha will be available at SingTel and SingTel exclusive retailers on 18 June 2011.

The HTC ChaCha will be launched at a suggested retail price (without contract) at SGD$438.

Half of 2011 is gone, and we take a look at the best of the best Android super phones out there in the market for the 1st half of 2011. All these phones (with the exception of LG Optimus 2X and Motorola Atrix) are running the latest and greatest Android 2.3 Gingerbread with their own unique customizations. There is a reason why these phones will only hold their place as the best in the 1st half of 2011, because in the 2nd half of 2011 before the year ends, we will see more powerful Android phones scheduled to be released using quad-cores, and running the new version of Android 4.0 Ice-cream Sandwich, providing a completely new super phone experience. And now, we have the best top 5 phones from the 5 Android super phones manufacturers (in no particular order):

• LG Optimus 2X
• Samsung GALAXY S II
• HTC Sensation
• Sony Ericsson Xperia arc
• Motorola Atrix

Here’s a table of comparison between the 5 devices:

I’m always asked which phone I’ll recommend to people, and which phone I’ll buy if I had the money. Well, if I’m looking for the best of the best of all Android phones, I’ll get the Samsung GALAXY S II which will be out in Singapore by the end of June 2011.

I highly recommend the Samsung GALAXY S II because it has the best all rounded specifications, together with the Super AMOLED Plus screen (which dramatically reduces battery usage) and large battery capacity of 1650 mAh, you’ll be able to use this phone the whole day without charging up (the biggest complaint against Android phones).

My only complaint about the Samsung GALAXY S II is that it’s way too thin for my hands (which isn’t such a bad thing for many people), and TouchWiz UI. In terms of customized UI, HTC Sensation has got the best so far with the new Sense UI 3.0 bringing “Active Lockscreen” into the picture, enabling the possibility of music controller on the lockscreen, one of the biggest requests from everyone who wants to use (or has used) Android. But hey, that’s software and it will eventually be on every Android phone soon (I hope).

What do you guys think of the Best Android Super Phones in 1H 2011? Which do you like?

HTC Sensation is HTC’s latest phone offering premium look and feel that is enhanced by its rounded edges, aluminum unibody construction. The touch screen surface is protected by a contoured screen that feels more natural as a finger is glided across it. The 4.3-inch qHD display delivers high-resolution widescreen viewing and gives the HTC Sensation slender proportions that feel natural in a person’s hand. At the heart of the HTC Sensation beats a powerful, 1.2-gigahertz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which enables gorgeous graphics and all-around fast performance.

The HTC Sensation is now available at all mobile operators and authorized retailers at a suggested retail price of SGD$838 (check out The PC Show 2011).

HTC Sensation from HTC at a glance:

More photos after the break:“HTC Sensation Launch”

From 08 Jun 2011 – Multimedia Powerhouse Party, HTC Sensation Launch, posted by Justin Ng on 6/09/2011 (130 items)

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