Beats Audio, the company behind the popular Beats by Dr. Dre line of over-ear and in-hear headphones, is reportedly planning to acquire subscription music service MOG. The deal was first reported by Business Insider and then reaffirmed by AllThingsD on Tuesday. Founded in 2005, MOG is a service similar to Spotify, Rhapsody and Microsoft’s Zune. It makes use of a freemium model and allows subscribers to stream unlimited music to a computer, tablet or smartphone. At last count, MOG touted more than 500,000 active users. Taiwan-based smartphone vendor HTC is the majority owner of Beats Audio and if the reports pan out, it is possible that the subscription music service will be incorporated into HTC’s Sense suite of software and services. The terms of the deal have not been reported.

Read [Business Insider] Read [AllThingsD]

HTC may launch a new tablet next year that it hopes will be distinct in a growing sea of Android tablets, Reuters recently reported. HTC already has a number of Android-powered tablets on the market including the 7-inch Flyer (EVO View 4G on Sprint) and the AT&T Jetstream 4G. “[The] tablet is a market we would like to try and test, to see whether we can make ourselves stand out and prevent a me-too product,” HTC CEO Peter Chou said in a recent media briefing. The company could make itself stand-out a bit by being the first to market with an Ice Cream Sandwich device, possibly pre-loaded with HTC’s unique Sense UI. Its Flyer Android tablet was loaded with HTC’s Sense user interface but it launched with an earlier version of Android that was designed for smartphones, not tablets. Chou was not specific on when the new tablet might make its debut.

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Sprint on Tuesday confirmed that it has released an over-the-air security update for several HTC smartphones. In a statement posted to Sprint’s community forum by company spokesman Mark Elliot, Sprint said HTC smartphones including the HTC EVO 4G, HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Shift 4G, HTC EVO Design 4G, HTC EVO View 4G and HTC Wildfire S will all begin receiving the update this evening. “Sprint worked closely with HTC after reports emerged of a potential issue that could allow malicious third-party apps to compromise data on Android devices made by HTC,” the statement said, noting that users of the aforementioned smartphone models should install the update promptly. Sprint’s full statement along with instructions on how to update HTC devices follows below.

HTC devices, including HTC EVO™ 4G, HTC EVO™ 3D, HTC EVO Shift™ 4G, HTC EVO Design 4G™, HTC EVO View 4G™ and HTC Wildfire S™, will receive over-the-air updates starting today. Customers can download the update manually right away by following the instructions below.

Sprint worked closely with HTC after reports emerged of a potential issue that could allow malicious third-party apps to compromise data on Android™ devices made by HTC.

Protecting customer privacy is a top priority at Sprint. Beginning today, HTC EVO™ 4G, HTC EVO™ 3D, HTC EVO Shift™ 4G, HTC EVO Design 4G™, HTC EVO View 4G™ and HTC Wildfire S™ customers will receive the over-the-air software update to address this situation. We urge all users to install the update promptly.

Update notifications will be sent to users in waves. The notification will let users know the update is available and provide the easy, over-the-air download instructions:

1. Users will receive a notification the software update is available for download.
2. Once users have downloaded the update, they will be prompted to install the update. Users will be notified that their devices will be disabled during the installation process. The phones will be ready to use once the process is complete.

Beginning today, customers can manually download the update by going to Settings >System updates > HTC software update > Check Now.

[Via BriefMobile]

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HTC has issued a new statement addressing concerns over a security flaw recently discovered on several of its Android-powered smartphones. The vulnerability could allow third-party apps to access and steal private data including SMS messages, contact data, system logs, location information and more. ”HTC takes claims related to the security of our products very seriously. In our ongoing investigation into this recent claim, we have concluded that while this HTC software itself does no harm to customers’ data, there is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application. A third party malware app exploiting this or any other vulnerability would potentially be acting in violation of civil and criminal laws.” HTC says that it has not yet received any reports of malware exploiting the security flaw, and it recommends using caution when installing or updating applications from untrusted sources until a patch is issued in the near future. HTC’s full statement follows below (emphasis added by HTC).

HTC takes claims related to the security of our products very seriously. In our ongoing investigation into this recent claim, we have concluded that while this HTC software itself does no harm to customers’ data, there is a vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by a malicious third-party application. A third party malware app exploiting this or any other vulnerability would potentially be acting in violation of civil and criminal laws. So far, we have not learned of any customers being affected in this way and would like to prevent it by making sure all customers are aware of this potential vulnerability.

HTC is working very diligently to quickly release a security update that will resolve the issue on affected devices. Following a short testing period by our carrier partners, the patch will be sent over-the-air to customers, who will be notified to download and install it. We urge all users to install the update promptly. During this time, as always, we strongly urge customers to use caution when downloading, using, installing and updating applications from untrusted sources.

A report was recently published by Android Police that suggests HTC’s Sense user interface has several major security flaws that provide HTC with access to SMS data, phone numbers, system logs, location information and much more. Worse, the flaw could potentially allow any third-party application to access the same private information without having permission from the user to do so. The security issue has been identified on the HTC ThunderBolt, EVO 4G and EVO 3D. “HTC takes our customers’ security very seriously, and we are working to investigate this claim as quickly as possible,” HTC said in a statement. “We will provide an update as soon as we’re able to determine the accuracy of the claim and what steps, if any, need to be taken.” HTC addressed a browser privacy issue in June and also commented on another report in early September which suggested the Sensation and EVO 3D were spying on users. HTC responded to the browser issue with a fix and said the “spying” allegations were a result of an HTC “opt-in” feature that allows HTC to collect data so that it can improve its phones. 

[Via Phone Scoop]

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HTC’s unreleased Sense 3.5 UI has been shown off extensively ahead of its formal introduction thanks to Chinese-language website XDA.cn. Expected to be unveiled alongside the upcoming HTC Vigor and Bliss Android smartphones, Sense 3.5 will seemingly offer some great enhancements to the UI including new animations, a new side-mounted dock and a tweaked unlock mechanism. We have repeatedly called HTC’s Sense overlay the best such offering among Android vendors and as such, it’s nice to see HTC make some solid improvements in its upcoming new version. The full 5-minute preview video follows below.

[Via Droid Life]

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HTC began pushing out the Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) update to the AT&T HTC Inspire 4G on Monday. Customers will receive notifications to update over-the-air or they can manually initiate the installation process by navigating to Home > Menu > Settings > AT&T Software Update > HTC Wi-Fi software update > Check now. The patch also includes an updated Sense application tray, new FriendStream features, fixes for minor bugs and an updated Quick Settings menu in the notifications shade. HTC says Inspire 4G users should notice an improved media experience and better power management as well.

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We’ve just been sent a shot of AT&T’s upcoming Facebook-centric device, the AT&T HTC Status. The device looks pretty identical to the European HTC ChaCha, save for the obvious AT&T branding. We exclusively reported the HTC Status would be the official name of the device here in the U.S., and now that it’s confirmed, we have to say, it’s one of the most logical names for a device we can think of in recent memory. One more shot of the Facebook phone that’s not a Facebook phone, after the break.

Sprint’s flagship EVO 3D hasn’t even made its way out of the womb yet and its successor is already official. HTC on Thursday unveiled the EVO 4G + in South Korea — odd, since “EVO” is a Sprint brand. The new superphone is essentially a Sensation in EVO’s clothing, and it features a 4.3-inch display, an 8-megapixel camera, HTC’s latest Sense UI and, of course, 4G WiBRO connectivity for the South Korean market. Expect that BRO to be MAX’d when the 4G + makes its way to U.S. shores, which might not be for a while unless Sprint doesn’t mind the EVO 3D sharing the spotlight with a 3D-less device. Of course the massively popular EVO 4G is getting a little gray up top these day, so a next-generation 4G + model would be more than welcome for those not interested in a third dimension on their smartphones. Hit the break for a third-party video of the EVO 4G + in action.

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The DROID Incredible 2 recently landed on Verizon Wireless, and it has some tough shoes to fill. When the original launched, it was BGR’s favorite Android phone to date despite stiff competition from the Motorola DROID, which launched at the same time. The DROID Incredible 2 packs some decent hardware, like a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p video, and more, but its specs — and data speeds — don’t match those of phones at the higher end of Verizon’s portfolio. Is the DROID Incredible 2 a worthy successor to the original or does it fall short? Read on to find out!

Hardware / Display

I remember reviewing the original Incredible and feeling a sense of loss the day I had to send it back. It had a unique race-car inspired design and HTC even had interchangeable red and white covers for the back panel that you could buy separately. The whole idea was that HTC was totally tweaking the industrial design of the phone to really get consumers turned on to the sexy designs possible with a mobile device. There’s less shock value with the Incredible 2. The red battery compartment is gone, the contours aren’t unique anymore, and the whole device feels too similar to the original to be exciting.

The phone feels excellent in the hand, though, and the soft-touch black finish provides good grip. The volume keys are in easy reach on the top left hand side, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top across from a power button, and the back is home to an 8-megapixel camera and a dual-LED flash. I love that the menu, home, search, and return buttons automatically rotate so that they’re displayed correctly in both landscape and portrait view. HTC should definitely carry that feature into other phones.

The most noticeable difference on the Incredible 2 is its larger 4-inch 800 x 480 resolution display. I like that it’s bigger than the original 3.7-inch screen on the first Incredible, which was a hair too small, but I’m disappointed that HTC ditched the AMOLED display panel. Text looks decent on the screen, but the colors don’t pop in the way they did on the original Incredible. The trade off is that the current display is much easier to view under direct sunlight, however.

I’ll discuss the rest of the hardware in various parts of this review, but here’s a quick rundown of the raw specs: the DROID Incredible is powered by a 1GHz processor — that’s the same clock speed as the original — and it has an 8-megapixel with a dual-LED flash, a 1,450 mAh battery, a 1.3-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chat, and a 16GB microSD card pre-installed.

Software

The Incredible 2 is powered by Android 2.2.1 (Froyo) with HTC’s custom Sense user interface running on top, and its 1GHz powered through it all just fine. Unfortunately, the phone is not loaded with HTC’s new revamped version of Sense, which will make its debut on the T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G any week now. I’ve always been a big fan of Sense. It’s one of my favorite Android user interfaces, but it’s hard to recommend software that’s already being replaced. The DROID Incredible 2 also runs Android 2.2 (Froyo), too, instead of the newer Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS.

Thankfully, there’s relatively little bloatware installed, save for V Cast Apps, V CAST Media, V CAST Music, V CAST Tones, and V CAST Videos. Verizon has pre-installed some other software, including 3G Mobile Hotspot, Blockbuster, Amazon Kindle, Lets Golf 2, NFS Shift, Skype Mobile, NFL Mobile, Slacker, and more, but those applications are often very popular Android apps, too, and I’m a big fan of many of them. The 3G Hotpsot application will allow you to share your 3G connection with other Wi-Fi enabled devices, and I used the Incredible 2 hotspot during an entire workday without any connection drops.

Calling / Data

Calls on the DROID Incredible 2 were solid, as is typically the case on Verizon’s phones in New York City. During a test call, the other party said I sounded “clear” while walking on the streets of New York City, and she said she couldn’t make out the background traffic. The speakerphone was a bit watery but the volume was sufficient. As far as data, the Incredible 2′s data speeds were just OK. I averaged 1.2Mbps on the downlink and 1Mbps up, which is good enough for a 3G phone but a far cry from Verizon’s brand new 4G LTE network which offers download speeds that are nearly 20 times that.

Camera

The Incredible 2 packs an 8-megapixel camera, just like the original, and can shoot 720p HD video. I was satisfied with the images I snapped — they look great on the phone itself and just as solid blown up on a computer screen. Unlike some newer phones, the Incredible 2 isn’t capable of auto-focusing while shooting video, though, which was a bit of a disappointment. Similarly, it lacks an HDMI-out port, so you won’t be able to show videos or photos on your bigscreen TV, another feature that’s supported by many other high-end devices.

Battery Life

During my few days of testing I didn’t have any problem getting through a full day of moderate use before the 1,450mAh battery ran out on the Incredible 2. Verizon rates it for 6.5 hours of usage, though, so you’ll want to bring a charger along if you’re planning to watch movies during a long plane ride or car trip.

Wrap-up

The DROID Incredible 2 is a good phone — there’s nothing inherently wrong with it — but I don’t think it brings the Incredible brand forward at all. In fact, there really isn’t anything “incredible” about it. The phone is very similar to the original, save for a larger screen and some small tweaks like a forward-facing camera, but at $199.99 it costs just as much as dual-core smartphones like the DROID X2, and it’s $50 shy of Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones that offer much, much, faster data speeds. Is it a solid follow-up to the original? No. In fact, I like the original better.

HTC’s a company that normally is first in the industry. Not so with the HTC Flyer. It’s HTC’s first Android tablet, but plenty of others, including Asus, LG, Motorola, Samsung, beat it to the market. The HTC Flyer just landed exclusively in Best Buy stores on May 22nd for $499. Sure, it’s packed with HTC’s Sense UI, a 1.5GHz processor, and can be purchased with a stylus accessory that allows you to use the Flyer as a notebook, but can it hold its own against more powerful Android Honeycomb tablets? I spent the last few days with HTC’s 7-inch tablet, and the full review is after the break.

Hardware

The HTC Flyer looks like a giant EVO or Inspire. It has the same aluminum unibody design which means it can feel a bit heavy at almost 15 ounces, but it’s obviously very sturdy. The backside has a white plastic area surrounding the tablet’s 5-megapixel camera, and there’s another removable hatch at the bottom where you can insert a microSD card. I wish HTC carried over its solid build to these two areas, as both appear that they would crack or snap easily under pressure.

The 7-inch display has a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution and text, images, and videos, looked sharp for the most part. Similarly, the screen was bright enough for viewing under sunlight, although I mostly found myself using the Flyer indoors. I love that there’s a small chin above and below the screen — when the tablet is placed down on a table, you can clearly see from the sides that the display won’t make any contact with the surface. This should help prevent scratches and other damage to the screen, though my mind goes back to the build quality of those two plastic pieces I mentioned and how they’ll hold up.

If you’re holding the tablet in portrait mode, there’s a power button on the top right of the device — next to a 3.5mm headphone jack — the volume buttons are on the upper right side, a microUSB charging port is on the bottom, and two speakers are on the back left. I love that HTC chose to go with a microUSB charging port, instead of a proprietary one; that means you can pack just one charger whenever you leave home. The back of the Flyer is home to a 5-megapixel camera, sans flash.

You know those three Android buttons for menu, home, and search, that are on every Android phone and tablet? HTC did something amazing with them. When the tablet is in portrait mode, those three buttons — as well as the stylus key — are on the bottom of the display. Tilt the Flyer into landscape mode, and they suddenly reappear below the screen. Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?

Lastly, the Flyer packs support for 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi networks — the 4G version is known as the EVO View 4G on Sprint — and I didn’t have any issues using it on my home network for extended periods of time.

Software

The HTC Flyer runs Android 2.3 with a flavor of HTC’s Sense user interface that was specifically designed for use on tablets. There are a few unique touches here and there, some of which we’ll see carried over in the next generation of Sense for smartphones, too. There are eight different home screen panels to customize, and I love that HTC has included newer, larger widgets for the weather, viewing photos, seeing your eBook library, viewing your contacts, and more. It’s easier to rotate around home screen panels now, too — the carousel now completes a full loop, which means you can jump from your far right home screen panel to the left one with just a quick flick. The 1.5GHz processor under the hood handles all of Sense’s eye candy with nary a struggle, save for the unlock mechanism, which, oddly, lagged at times.

My biggest issue with Sense on a tablet is the home screen in landscape mode. HTC wasted a ton of space here. I understand that it may have been necessary in order to display icons or widgets appropriately, but it feels like over half of the screen is taken up just showing the panels to the left and right of the current home screen. That’s space that could have been used for more widgets. You know Android users just love widgets.

The Flyer is free of bloatware since it’s a sans-carrier device. In fact, most owners will find all of the pre-installed software useful for one reason or another. There’s a Kid Mode option that’s powered by Zoodles for playing games that take advantage of the touchscreen, drawing and painting, reading kids books, sending email to family, and more. A Press Reader application can be used to subscribe to a number of global newspapers. I checked out an issue of The Washington Post and, while it’s far too hard to read zoomed out, I appreciated getting to see the current day’s articles after clicking them from a view of the full newspaper. Press Reader includes 7 free issues, too, so you can get a feel for whether or not a subscription is worth it.

We’re all used to the photos that Mac users take of themselves in Photo Booth on OS X, and the Flyer has a similar option. Using the front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, you can take photos of yourself with silly effects such as bulge, mirror, pucker, and others. It’s a fun, but mostly useless feature.

The Reader application, powered by Kobo, is decent. After reading a few pages of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland I was convinced reading an eBook on the Flyer is as good as the Galaxy Tab and other Android tablets I’ve used. I prefer reading with Kindle, however, as it’s easier to adjust the brightness on the fly.

Stylus

The Flyer supports a a stylus input system, which HTC has dubbed “HTC Scribe.” The stylus itself is an insanely expensive $80 accessory, and that’s a lot to swallow for access to new features that are natively supported on an already-not-inexpensive $500 tablet. These days I’m more apt to taking notes on my phone than writing them down on a a piece of paper. Admittedly, I was no different in college when I opted for writing on my hand. So why should I write on a tablet? Sure, the stylus works well, and I like that there are options to draw anywhere on the screen — yes even the home screen — and that the tablet will automatically take a screen shot and sync with Evernote. Ultimately, my handwriting is still as messy as it ever was (the reason why I don’t write with a pen in the first place), and it’s not worth the extra $80.Worse yet, there’s nowhere to actually attach the stylus to the Flyer. I’ve probably misplaced it handful of times in the couple days I have spent with the Flyer.

Camera

The Flyer’s 5 megapixel camera took decent photos, though I prefer the shots taken with Samsung’s most of the time. It’s also capable of recording 720p video, although it doesn’t come with HDMI-out cables in the box, which is mildly shocking given that even many high-end phones offer that accessory. Recorded video looked decent when I played it back on my computer screen, however it lacked continuous auto-focus. I’m also unsure why HTC chose to eliminate a flash option — there’s plenty of room — so low light shots didn’t come out very well. There’s a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front of the Flyer for video chats, and the quality was solid during a quick test call with a friend.

Battery Life

The Flyer offered up decent battery life, but it wasn’t on a par with the larger 8.9-inch or 10.1-inch tablets that pack in huge batteries capable of idling for days. I’ve been using the Flyer for a while, but since tablets’ battery cycles are much lengthier than smartphones, the verdict is still out on the Flyer’s battery performance. It’s been able to endure my rigorous testing just fine, and with normal usage it’ll likely hit 2 days on a single charge without any problem. I was able to get through about 7 hours of hardcore use just fine, which means you should have no trouble with music and light video playback on a longer flight.

Wrap-up

I love the HTC Flyer’s sturdy build, but I’m not a fan of the extra heft it adds to the device. People are split on tablet sizes, but I like the Flyer because that size delivers an excellent web browsing experience, eBook reading, and much more without having to fumble with the tablet too much. The Flyer offers a superior experience to the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, but it’s also more expensive. I prefer the 8.9-inch LG G-Slate and 10.1-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab overall — both offer better battery life,  dual-core processors for extra speed, and support for Honeycomb. My fear is that the HTC Flyer won’t advance much in terms of software, while other competing tablets loaded with Honeycomb will continue to offer more robust features as they’re updated to Android 3.1 and beyond. Similarly, I’m worried that the Android Market will begin populating with more compelling Honeycomb applications, and anyone using the Flyer won’t ever have access to them. The Stylus worked well, and it’s fun and useful, but I wouldn’t pay $80 for it and think it should have been included in the box. I have to say that I’m actually a bit disappointed that a company like HTC released a product like the Flyer. HTC is an innovative company, but there unfortunately just isn’t anything innovative about this tablet.

Best Buy announced on Thursday that it will be the exclusive retailer of the Wi-Fi HTC Flyer when it lands in stores and online on May 22nd. The Flyer is a 7-inch Android tablet with a 1.5GHz single core processor, a 4,000 mAh battery, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, HDMI-out, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a 5-megapixel camera, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats. It was originally announced during Mobile World Congress in February, where we had a chance to get up close for a hands-on. Best Buy has not yet revealed how much the tablet will cost but with the 22nd three short days away, we won’t have long to wait to find out. Hit the jump for the full announcement.

Wi-Fi HTC Flyer Tablet Launches May 22 Exclusively at Best Buy

Best Buy today announced that the Wi-Fi only version of the HTC Flyer™ tablet launches on May 22. All Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile standalone stores, as well as BestBuy.com, will have the tablet exclusively at launch. The HTC Flyer is a fast, portable, light-weight tablet that integrates the immersive and highly intuitive HTC Sense™ experience and enables content including videos, music, games and more to be easily accessed and enjoyed. The addition of the HTC Flyer to our tablet lineup gives Best Buy further opportunity to help connect customers with the mobile technology that best meets their needs.

We just got off the phone with a number of RadioShack locations, and each one has confirmed that the retailer is now quietly taking pre-orders for Sprint’s HTC EVO 3D. We were told that, interested users should rush to the store as pre-order quantities are very limited. Employees did not confirm when the EVO 3D would be available for pickup, although we suspect it won’t be a very long wait. Best Buy also began taking pre-orders earlier this month, but it too neglected to reveal when the phone would become available. We went hands-on with the EVO 3D during CTIA and were impressed by its glasses-free 3D display. We also loved the solid, albeit beefy, industrial design.

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Chinese blog 911Sniper has uncovered evidence of a new, HTC tablet with a 10-inch form factor. Being called the HTC Puccini, the Android 3.0.1 slate boasts a 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8660 processor, 1280 x 800 pixel WXGA resolution, HTC’s Sense experience, and an AT&T compatible LTE radio. The Puccini, should it come to market, would be a larger version of the company’s Flyer offering — complete with Scribe pen support. HTCSniper has a good track record when it comes to unearthing HTC hardware through ROM leaks, so we wouldn’t be too surprised to see this one get official in the near future. 

[Via Engadget]

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According to a purported internal screenshot obtained by TmoNews, T-Mobile may launch the HTC Sensation 4G on June 8th. We fell in love with the Sensation 4G in early April during our hands-on. It has a rock-solid aluminum uni-body design, is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, has a 4.3-inch 960 x 520 qHD display, 4GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p HD video, and runs Android Gingerbread with HTC’s latest and greatest Sense user interface. Pricing for the phone hasn’t been officially announced, but earlier rumors have suggested it will cost $200 with a new T-Mobile contract.

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