Wednesday 25 February 2015

App Spotlight: Draw Something New with DoodleDroid

Many of us use Bluetooth everyday to connect our smartphone with the car stereo, headset, or even a fitness app like FitBit. The growing number of apps and devices that use Bluetooth for communication opens up a world of opportunity for developers, especially those taking advantage of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
If you’re not familiar with BLE, it’s a subset of the Bluetooth 4.0 spec that uses a fraction of the power consumed by older Bluetooth-enabled devices. In a world where battery life is at a premium, BLE ensures communication between the smartphone and Bluetooth devices is simple, reliable, and efficient.
That’s why we’ve released a number BLE compatible devices, like the HTC One, HTC One X+, HTC Butterfly and Droid DNA, with an open API for developers interested in leveraging BLE in their apps. Some early examples of uses for BLE include the pedometers, heart rate monitors, and other sensory devices many of us use during our exercise and travel daily.
One of the most exciting features of the newly unveiled HTC One is its built in IR (Infrared) capabilities. Today HTCDev is excited to announce the addition of an IR API to the HTC OpenSense SDK.
This new partner API will be offered upon request to developers looking to leverage IR for potential apps on the new HTC One.
The first use for IR in the new HTC One is Sense TV. Part of Sense 5, Sense TV leverages the built in IR port on the device and allows you to control your TV and home entertainment center directly from phone. Additionally, Sense TV pulls together a TV guide based on the user’s geo-location during setup.
So when you’re traveling, the TV guide is updated with local content on the phone and you can start browsing and watching programs. Right out of the box, your new phone has all the capabilities of a universal TV remote and more.
This new API allows your phone to “learn” the key codes from your remote or other IR-capable device and then control it. With the expanding use of IR, your apps could easily adapt to new hardware such as printers, DSLR cameras, real estate lock boxes and many more.
And now we’re looking for developers interested in integrating with this new API. Got an app that you think would be well suited for the IR API? Fill out this form and we’ll send you more information! Be sure to note you’re interested in the IR API specifically and if you have a current app that might be a good fit (or if you just have a great idea)!

Last week, there was some buzz about a website that contained RUUs for HTC devices being taken down at the request of HTC. We’d like to take a minute to provide some background.
The issue with the site in question was NOT that it provided custom ROMs or RUUs. The site used HTC trademarks without a license from HTC. The domain name contained ‘HTC’ and it used HTC logos, making it appear to be an official HTC website. Like any other company, we must protect our trademarks and brand. We cannot risk being associated with, and held liable for, software that we don’t have any control over that’s put onto an HTC device through a third party.
HTC openly embraces the community that chooses to flash custom ROMs onto their devices. The HTC Unlock Bootloader tool on htcdev.com evidences this support. We think the custom ROM community is valuable to the overall health of the Android ecosystem, and we have no intention of abandoning them. We love the passion of this community, and we hope you continue to build with us, use HTC products, and give us honest and direct feedback.
Leigh Momii (LM): “The first thing I want to say is it’s amazing that you built DoodleDroid in your spare time while holding a full-time job! How did find the time?”
Eric Peterson (EP): “Half an hour at a time. Seriously, before becoming a parent, finding time to work on DoodleDroid was a snap. Now I get most of my work done on the bus during my commute.”
LM: “The bus? That’s great! Way to be efficient with your time I’m a big fan of DoodleDroid, it’s one of the best drawing apps out there on Google Play. What was your inspiration for creating this app?”
EP: “I always enjoyed drawing, and was interested in Mao Bi (Chinese Calligraphy). I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try to simulate a calligraphy brush. I usually have some sort of side project going just to keep myself entertained and learn something. At the time I had an old HP iPaq, which was perfect for starting out. It had a pen, and I was able to write code for it with the tools I was familiar with (C# in Visual Studio). The app was relatively simple, but it let me get familiar with designing motion based brush effects.

New API Released Just from HTC Desire

One of the great things about working at HTC is the privilege of attending announcements like the Windows Phone Developer Summit last week in San Francisco. Of course, from the developer perspective, we’re extremely excited about Windows Phone 8 and the opportunities it will bring to the smartphone market. As explained to HTC by Joe Belfiore last week, Microsoft is delivering a lot of highly sought after features to the platform, which will make a much richer experience for developers creating apps for the Windows Phone 8 platform; especially a shared core between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 as the center piece.
And this is only the beginning, as Windows Phone 8 and new devices are delivered later this year, we see a tremendous opportunity for the development community to either build new apps or extend existing solutions to this new platform.
Many of us use Bluetooth everyday to connect our smartphone with the car stereo, headset, or even a fitness app like FitBit. The growing number of apps and devices that use Bluetooth for communication opens up a world of opportunity for developers, especially those taking advantage of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
If you’re not familiar with BLE, it’s a subset of the Bluetooth 4.0 spec that uses a fraction of the power consumed by older Bluetooth-enabled devices. In a world where battery life is at a premium, BLE ensures communication between the smartphone and Bluetooth devices is simple, reliable, and efficient.
That’s why we’ve released a number BLE compatible devices, like the HTC One, HTC One X+, HTC Butterfly and Droid DNA, with an open API for developers interested in leveraging BLE in their apps. Some early examples of uses for BLE include the pedometers, heart rate monitors, and other sensory devices many of us use during our exercise and travel daily.
While we anticipate support for BLE in Android in the near future, today we’re calling all developers who have an idea for a BLE app or want to add BLE support to an existing app. Drop us a line or contact us through @htcdev and let’s start talking about how you can take advantage of BLE on HTC devices.
Hey Android developers! This is our first time at Mobile World Congress and we are thrilled to have met so many enthusiastic developers throughout this week, especially in-person at our presentation.
Your excitement keeps us going and we are overwhelmed by your feedback about the HTC OpenSense SDK, and of course HTC One! And now we have some great news that will definitely peak your interest!
This week at Mobile World Congress, during the HTC Developer Preview, we unveiled a new set of APIs that allow you to plug into some of the best features on the latest HTC Sense devices. This new set of developer tools includes:

HTC Enhancer API
Lockscreen API
Mobile Device Management API
And soon a HTC MediaLink HD API

Yep, that means even more possibilities to differentiate your apps, without fragmentation, when they are running on an HTC device. These new APIs really leverage some of the best new features of HTC Sense. You can enhance the audio experience of your app with Beats Audio, integrate access to your app from the HTC lock screen, or perhaps enable your app to take advantage of dual screen capabilities using Wireless HDMI to your TV. All of this is made possible by opening up these APIs as part of the HTC OpenSense SDK for developers.
In addition, we have some great ways to get apps that are integrated with these new APIs featured on various HTC channels, such as HTC HUB. HTC HUB allows users to download relevant content that makes their device more useful and their lives more efficient, organized, and entertaining. Most importantly for you, HTC Hub allows you to get better market reach, better visibility, and more downloads.
The HTC OpenSense SDK will be updated in the coming weeks, in the meantime, check out our new Application Showcase. Here you can get a sampling of the possibilities when you review some of the best apps already integrated with OpenSense APIs. Shout out to our good friends at Catch, DocuSign, Fuzebox, Orbotix, and Wyse! We love you guys!!!
Oh, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@htcdev) for the latest updates from HTCDev. Give us a holler

Smart IR Remote Using HTC One API from Color Tiger

Our smartphones are a daily source of news and entertainment. Whether we’re listening to business or tech news, comedy, sports or entertainment, we want our favorite content to be delivered seamlessly to our devices. Enter Stitcher Radio.
One of the featured apps in HTC Get Started, Stitcher delivers your latest news and podcasts directly to your phone every day. I recently spent some time with Beth Murphy, Chief Marketing Officer of Stitcher, to learn more about how Stitcher introduces the world of talk radio to our smartphones

Leigh Momii (LM): What is Stitcher?
Beth Murphy (BM): Stitcher is an app in the Google Play store that streams the latest in news, sports, talk, and entertainment radio, from over 15,000 radio shows and podcasts, to your smartphone. Further, we’ve been able to integrate Stitcher with Ford, GM, Mercedes and BMW vehicles to make it easier to access the content you want from wherever you are.

LM: Stitcher recently re-launched the Android version. Can you talk about the Android re-launch, how that went and what your vision is for the Android version of Stitcher?
BM: Stitcher has had been on Android since 2009 – but early this year we launched a brand-new Android app, rebuilt from the ground up. We wanted to create a content discovery and listening experience optimized to take full advantage of the Android native UI, featuring more intuitive navigation, browsing and discovery features. This holistic approach included:

Complete Interaction and Visual Redesign now makes navigation easier by using Android’s Action Bar.

Improved Performance and Stability to deliver a smooth listening experience.

Smart Station makes it easy to discover new shows by making recommendations based on your listening activity.

Improved Browsing experience let’s you review your list of recommendations without interrupting the listening experience.

Rich Notifications makes it easy to control playback, pausing and tracking without unlocking your phone for customers running Jelly Bean.

LM: One of the first things I notice about Stitcher is the great design of the app. At HTC, beautiful design is something we value. Can you talk a bit about how you went about re-designing the Android app.
BM: We used the new Google Design Guidelines as a starting point, with the intent of creating a beautiful and functional Android app that takes advantage of “holo” UI principles. As Google and their partners continue to improve user interface principles for Android, Stitcher will be working in lockstep to give listeners an even more fluid experience.

LM: The latest Stitcher update on Android includes HTC Media Link HD integration. What was involved in integrating?
BM: We know that while a lot of Stitcher listening happens on the go (commuting, exercising, traveling), there are also many listeners who use Stitcher at home. We saw integrating with the Media Link as a chance to give listeners on HTC devices the ability to seamlessly play on demand radio right from their TVs.

The Media Link integration was pretty seamless. Using the Media Link HD API (part of the HTC OpenSense SDK), we were able to synchronize our custom playback controls with the Media Link playback state and provide the user with a good experience – the user is able to navigate around the app, and use our in-app mini-player and our rich notification to control the content playing with Media Link. Currently, users are able to send content to their Media Link receiver and control playback, but in the future we hope to take advantage of some of the more advanced features offered by MediaLink HD.

We’ve already shared how Sense TV brings an interactive TV guide and universal remote control to your HTC One. But that isn’t all, the HTC One’s infrared (IR) blaster is also open to developers for integration into their own amazing apps.
A great example of this is the “Smart IR Remote for HTC One” app from Color Tiger, a Palo Alto-based development company. Where HTC’s Sense TV focuses on simplicity and controlling your entertainment system, Color Tiger’s Smart IR Remote is a sophisticated tool for power-users who want the most flexibility from their IR remote.
I spent some time chatting with the developers from Color Tiger on their new app:

What is the Smart IR Remote?

Sergiu Dogaru: Smart IR Remote is an app built solely to replace the multitude of remotes in everyone’s house with only one remote, available as an app on something that’s already always in your hands: your phone. And because it’s running on such a marvelous piece of hardware, we are trying to make it much more than just a remote replacement. You can now make your phone do multiple remote actions with the touch of a single button (like turning on all your devices at once), but buttons of multiple remotes on a single screen and arrange them to your liking, and even let your phone mute your TV or Home Theater when your phone rings!

What gave you the idea for the app?

Sergiu: When we first found out that the HTC One will include an IR Blaster, we just knew that this is going to be big. The idea simply popped into our heads, and we knew we had to do it. So we started working on it, a little over a month before the HTC One would officially be available for people in the stores, so they would be able to use our app from the first minute. And we did.

What was the most difficult part of developing the app?

Sergiu: Well, we can certainly say that integrating the HTC Sense SDK with IR support was the easiest. As for the most difficult, there isn’t something in particular we would say it was difficult.
We’ve been doing Android for 5 years, so now the only real challenge was building a product that’s powerful and customizable, while still being simple and really easy to use. That kind of balance is really hard to achieve, and no matter how close your app gets to it, there’s always room for better, so we’re working on that!

What was involved in using the IR API? What was your experience like?

Sergiu: Since the HTC One is a feature-complete phone when it comes to the IR, and HTC provides us access to all the features, we’ve tried to make best use of every capability in the phone. Integrating the SDK was extremely easy (it literally took us only 15 minutes), and we can honestly say it’s one of the easiest android SDKs we’ve ever integrated in our apps.
On top of all these, we’d like to say that we believe that building Smart IR Remote for the HTC One was one of the best ideas we’ve had in a long time, and we’re really happy with the results. We only wish more people knew about it!

Sound like the solution to your remote needs? Download the Smart IR Remote for HTC One today.
The IR Blaster API is just one of the many features of the HTC One you can integrate into your application. Learn more about enhancing your app with features from our HTC OpenSense SDK on our HTCdev site.

HTC EYE Experience: Designed for Users

HTC EYE Experience: Designed for you

It’s not just about the hardware though. The HTC EYE Experience takes mobile imaging software into a new league with unique features guaranteed to make you look your best.
Taking video chat and conference calls to a new level of quality and performance, the HTC EYE Experience’s face tracking keeps you perfectly framed at all times. And because staying in touch means more than just talking to a single person, up to four people in the same room can also be tracked comfortably, with each face cropped and positioned on the screen for maximum clarity. So enjoy the freedom and flexibility of services like Skype without worrying about exactly where you or your friends are standing, as the camera will follow everyone.
The HTC EYE Experience opens up a new world of creative opportunity, thanks to the new Split Capture function. Combining simultaneous photos and videos taken on the front and back cameras into one split-screen image or video, this creates a new selfie experience, allowing you to document your journey and your reaction without relying on thumbnail views.
Crop-Me-In places you at the heart of the action by cropping you from the image or video taken with the front-facing camera and positioning it within the scene captured by the main camera, opening the door to more extreme, exciting selfies and videos.
Voice Selfie removes the need for awkward hand contortions by enabling you to trigger the shutter release with a simple command. Simply “say cheese” as soon as you’ve struck the perfect pose or trigger the video recording with “action” or “rolling” commands.
Popular additions to the HTC Desire 820 are also included in the HTC EYE Experience such as face fusion technology, allowing you to merge your face with that of a friend or celebrity for a completely original look and Live Makeup, where you can set the desired level of skin smoothing and preview the effect in real-time before the image is captured.
The HTC EYE Experience features will roll out to the following models in the coming months: HTC One (M7), HTC One (M8), HTC One E8, HTC One mini, HTC One mini 2, HTC One max, HTC Desire 816, HTC Desire 820 and HTC Butterfly 2. Learn more about HTC EYE Experience and its features, here.

Zoe: Life as you experience it

With the new Zoe collaborative video-editing app it’s easy to remix your photos and videos into stylish highlight reels, with beautiful themes and soundtracks that can be shared. Allowing friends to remix their content with yours, Zoe creates the ultimate highlight video for you to enjoy and share through your favorite social networks.
In August, we launched Zoe (beta). With Zoe 1.0, we bring flexibility to the community, enabling short, medium and long Zoes that can be made up of just a couple of still images, or an entire series of video clips, with its new content engine (coming later this year), making it easy to present small numbers of clips or even individual images in an interesting, visually stunning way.
Integrating fully with RE, Zoe video highlights are automatically generated and ready to share. There is no need to edit, no need to sync to your computer, just simply upload them with a single touch.
Zoe is a free app available on Android now, and coming on iOS later this year.

We’ve already shared how Sense TV brings an interactive TV guide and universal remote control to your HTC One. But that isn’t all, the HTC One’s infrared (IR) blaster is also open to developers for integration into their own amazing apps.
A great example of this is the “Smart IR Remote for HTC One” app from Color Tiger, a Palo Alto-based development company. Where HTC’s Sense TV focuses on simplicity and controlling your entertainment system, Color Tiger’s Smart IR Remote is a sophisticated tool for power-users who want the most flexibility from their IR remote.
I spent some time chatting with the developers from Color Tiger on their new app:

What is the Smart IR Remote?

What gave you the idea for the app?

What was the most difficult part of developing the app?

What was involved in using the IR API? What was your experience like?

Double Exposure – Photography Innovations Designed to Help You Step Out from Behind the Camera

Want to keep that holiday cheer around a bit longer? Perhaps green and red are your favorite colors. Or the look of pine brings back fond memories of hunting for the perfect tree. If you’re a fan of the holidays, we have a special surprise for you.
Download this free “deconstructed wreath” wallpaper for your HTC, and enjoy the colors of the holiday on your phone!

To save this image as your phone wallpaper, view this post on your HTC device, open the image in your browser and click “save.” This will save the image to the Gallery on your phone. You can also click on this image to view the hi-res version. From there, go to the “Settings” menu and select the “Personalize” section. Tap “Home screen wallpaper” at the top of the list and choose “Gallery.”
Want to keep your fall color around a little longer? Maybe the closest thing you have to leaves are on palm trees. Or perhaps winter just came a little early and stole all the fall colors before you captured the perfect photo. Either way, if you can’t get enough autumn, we have just the thing to spruce up your season.
Download this free fall wallpaper taken with an HTC One (M8) and enjoy a crisp autumn day straight from your phone!

To save this image as your phone wallpaper, view this post on your HTC device, open the image in your browser and click “save.” This will save the image to the Gallery on your phone. You can also click on this image to view the hi-res version.
From there, go to the “Settings” menu and select the “Personalize” section. Tap “Home screen wallpaper” at the top of the list and choose “Gallery.”
Here at HTC, we are committed to designing products that change the way you think about and use technology every day. From the dawn of touchscreen wireless PDAs to the HTC One of today, we have changed the way that you stay in touch with the people, information, and content you care about. Today, we’re doing it again.
Welcome to a new era of innovation. We are thrilled to introduce a suite of products designed to push the boundaries in imaging and how you use mobile photography with RE, a remarkable little camera; the HTC Desire EYE, a category-shifting phone; the HTC EYE Experience, enhanced imaging software coming to your HTC; and the evolution of Zoe, a collaborative video editing community.
“Back in 1997, we allowed people to leave their laptops at home in favour of powerful, pocket-sized smartphone computing,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “Today we are taking a similar leap forward. Combining incredible hardware with unrivalled software, HTC is reinventing the way we think about imaging. We are taking you out from behind the viewfinder and putting you back where you belong, at the heart of the action.”
All of these products were designed to help you capture and share the moments that matter most to you, without the hardware or clunky software getting in the way.
Step out from behind the camera and live life in full view with RE, HTC’s newest photography innovation. RE is a small handheld camera that allows you to capture and fully experience every moment, through video and photography, without the hassle and awkwardness of grabbing your phone or camera and missing the moment because you were too busy capturing it.
RE was made to fit comfortably in your hand and features a built-in grip sensor that instantly activates the camera on pick up, eliminating the need for a power button. Its single shutter button allows one-tap to capture photos and a longer press for video recording for seamless switching between modes.
Featuring a high-resolution, 16MP CMOS sensor, Full HD (1080p) video recording, 146 degree wide-angle lens and slow-motion and time lapse recording, RE captures moments like you have never seen before. The RE app features a remote live viewfinder that lets you set up the perfect shot and watch the live action on the screen of your mobile device, or switch to album and playback view to flick through the shots and videos already stored on the camera. Because life’s adventures are limitless, the app will also back everything up to your phone or the cloud automatically so you never need to worry about running out of space and missing a shot again.
This year has seen the evolution of the HTC Desire family. Today, we unveil our new, top-of-the-range Desire model, the HTC Desire EYE. Featuring the best front-facing camera available on the market today and software that puts you at the center and looking your best, the HTC Desire EYE is the phone for capturing big and small moments in perfect clarity.
Sporting market-leading 13MP front and rear cameras for detailed image quality that allows you to zoom, crop and print without compromise, the HTC Desire EYE is fully equipped for those who love to take great photos, videos and selfies. BSI sensors capture crisp photos, even in low-light conditions, and intelligent dual-LED flash on both cameras provides flattering, natural tones when ambient light levels drop further.
Featuring HTC’s new EYE Experience and Zoe, with a Qualcomm® Snapdragon 801 processor and high-speed 4G connectivity, editing and sharing your best shots will also be smooth and effortless, wherever you are.
The HTC Desire EYE will be available through mobile operators and major retailers across EMEA, Asia and the US starting in October.

Questioning Answering

Following our report on the ‘Future of Football,’ we looked back in time and recruited digital archaeologist, Jim Boulton, to find more about how we collect memorabilia now versus a few decades ago – and how the selfie craze has impacted all of us.
For those not familiar with what a digital archaeologist is, can you explain in few words what you do?
I document the early years of digital culture. We tend to see the digital world as something disposable; we are not very good at documenting or archiving it, and if we do, it is usually in a medium that quickly becomes obsolete. So, what I do is rescue these pieces of digital history and try to restore them to their days of glory – not only the software but also the hardware. So if I am showing a website from 1992, I’d try to show it on a computer from that time too.
What do you want to achieve as a digital archaeologist? What is the your ultimate goal?
That’s a tough question. I am just trying to do my bit, really. Ultimately, what I want to do is to get the message out there and show the importance of our digital history.
‘Digital archaeology’ debuted at Internet Week in NYC in 2011 and became one of the central events, attracting over 12,000 visitors. Why do you think people are so interested in this topic?
I think it’s because it affects everybody. I was quite surprised by the type of people that attended, to be honest. I expected people working in the industry to attend but academics, librarians, and all sorts of other people were interested in seeing it too.
What kind of websites did you curate for this show?
I chose over 80 websites from the 1990s, mostly about website design over e-commerce, and I showed them in a machine of that time. I would have either a magazine, a mobile phone, camera or any other gadget from that year to create a time capsule.
Smartphones have become a key part in our lives, but why do people lately have an increasing urge to document their daily lives?
I believe it comes down to the fact that the person that we find most interesting is ourselves. We have always been interested in documenting our own lives and now smartphones have given us a convenient and easy to do it. Technology now allow fans to be part of the memory, it is almost like a digital diary. And that means we are also part of the conversation. It’s almost a fundamental need to talk about ourselves.

This has also impacted our football experiences. Your report on Digital Memorabilia investigates how technology impacts on the way football fans collect, store, and share their football experiences. The research discovered some interesting facts, like how digital football memorabilia is on the rise. How has football memorabilia changed though history, and particularly in the 21st century?
Initially, people collected football memorabilia around matches; things like a program or a scarf. They would create their collections in an individual way and would look at them and spark memories but nowadays it is about bringing people together with the same interest and sparking conversations. So instead of connecting you to a club, it is connecting you to other fans.
Another thing that I found is we have an intimate relationship with our phones, much like we have with our football club. ‘Belonging to a place’ is a human psychological need – connectivity and being part of something bigger than yourself is what makes teams and clubs so powerful.
In the report there is a unsurprising reference to the ‘death of the autograph’ versus the selfie as the ultimate match day memento. What do you reckon has triggered this change in the way we collect memorabilia?
Before working with HTC I did a lot of research on social networks and the web, and not that much about collecting and the implications of technology on it. One of the things I discovered is that the autograph first emerged in the 16th century as a personal introduction to get a job or meet another person but it developed on to something to show who you are connected to.
With selfies we have now reached a new level – self esteem – which is about having a sense of self worth and communicating a status to people. This is what a smartphone has allowed us to do.
Going back to your expertise, ‘Digital Archaeology’ is a pretty new discipline. How many people are currently working on this around the world, and do you see it evolving in the near future?
There are quite a lot of people doing this at the moment. A lot of libraries, museums, and galleries have people interested in this topic, and as a result they are starting to get into the field of digital arts. I am one of the only people stupid enough to want to show not only the software but the hardware to give a real experience of what it was like at the time.
Where do you see technology going at the moment?
I am a guy that looks back more than I look forward but I think we are moving more towards closed networks like Facebook. I am hoping in a few years time we revert from solo pockets of content to a more open Internet.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

It’s a Wrap – HTC at Mobile World Congress 2015

Change makers come as two kinds of people: those that wake up, ready to change the world and knowing exactly how they’re going to do it; and those that wake up, believing that they can change the world, but aren’t sure how to do it. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which kind of person you are, but what change you help create.
With HTC Power To Give, you can change the world through your smartphone while you sleep. It’s incredibly easy, here’s how:

Download the Power To Give app from the Google play store.
Connect your smartphone to a charger when you go to bed. PTG only operates when your phone is being charged and is about 85% battery life.
Overnight, your phone will join an enormous secure computing grid. When it does, it donates a small proportion of its unused processing power. This grid helps power research projects around the world by compiling and aggregating the scientific research data needed to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges in bio-medicine, physics, and astronomy.

Think about it this way—while you sleep, your phone could help researchers find cures for Alzheimer’s and AIDs. Or it could help find a long-term solution for 2.6 million people who struggle each day to find clean water. Or it could help to eradicate world hunger and malnutrition in some the world’s poorest regions
You can help the cause that matters the most to you. By downloading HTC Power To Give and plugging in your smartphone, you can be part of the future.

I want to start by saying THANK YOU—a big fat ‘Thank you’ to everyone who attended and supported us throughout Mobile World Congress 2014. It was a frantic few days, and definitely an unforgettable experience. There are few stories that did clearly stand out during these days, here are some our favourite moments of #HTCinBCN.

HTC One takes home Global Mobile Award for Best Smartphone

The week started off with a bang when a panel of more than 175 independent industry experts from the media and mobile analyst communities choosing the HTC One as “one of the most advanced smartphones throughout 2013,” reinforcing the HTC’s unrivalled design and innovation leadership.

Peter Chou unveils the new HTC Desire 816

“The HTC Desire 816 marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the mid-tier,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC while onstage at MWC.
This year’s MWC saw the first edition of the all-new look of the HTC Desire family that comes fully loaded with HTC’s iconic dual-frontal speakers, HTC BoomSound™, HTC BlinkFeed™, and a spacious 5.5-inch screen and two powerful cameras including a 13MP camera with HTC Zoe™. In terms of design, the HTC Desire™ 816 distils elements of the internationally-acclaimed design DNA of HTC’s flagship HTC One® family, with a vibrant, modern colour palate and quality materials that give the HTC Desire range its own familiar, yet distinctive flavour.
The response to the new HTC One 816 has been exceptional, leading us to win four more awards in the past week alone!

Tech Radar: Commended Award for the HTC Desire 816
Know Your Mobile: Best in Show for HTC Desire 816
Android Authority: Best Mid-Range Phone for HTC Desire 816
Laptop Magazine: Best Budget Phone for HTC Desire 816

HTC Power To Give

What if you could now change the world with your smartphone? HTC is at the forefront of using mobile innovation to drive social change, that’s why we created HTC Power To Give. We worked with Dr. David Anderson of the University of California-Berkeley to adapt the BOINC program, the world’s largest volunteer computing initiative, and create this app.
By harnessing unused processing power to advance global research projects, HTC Power To Give has the potential to help answer some of the world’s biggest questions. Plus, it gives you a way to contribute to human needs in a diversity of fields such as biomedicine, physics and astronomy and use your HTC phone to be part of a voluntary computing program when you are not actively using your phone.
Download the Power To Give app now.

HTC’s Design Tour in Barcelona

Design is, and always has been, at the heart of everything we do. Great design isn’t just about beauty; it combines form and function in one seamless package. To celebrate the release of our new research, ‘Good Design Makes You Happy,’ we invited design experts from all over Europe to experience Barcelona through the HTC One. From iconic locations to 3D-printing factories we visited some of the most peculiar design venues in Catalonian capital. See some of these images below.
Through the scientific research that we conducted, we measured emotional reactions to everyday objects. According to this research functional and beautiful designed objects have the power to make you happy while functional, but ugly objects produce a negative reaction. This is why we pay so much attention to design – both on the outside and the inside—and why the HTC One embodies this philosophy, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed phones of 2013.
And of course, we cannot forget the mysterious motorist that saved Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, from being stuck in a traffic jam for hours and miss his important meeting at MWC.

Feed All About It: New Research Shows Just How Addicted we are to the News

Members of HTC elevate are on occasion given the opportunity to be involved in unforgettable experiences that pave the way for the future of HTC. Last Tuesday, 20 lucky HTC elevate members were invited to London for the European launch of the HTC One (M8) – a phone which is likely to become the best smartphone of 2014. I was one of those lucky members, and what an incredible event it was!
Making the train journey down to London from Hull, East Yorkshire, UK was both exciting and nerve-wracking for me, thinking about what was to come and waiting in anticipation for what HTC was going to show us. The build-up on Twitter kept me busy along the way, with the buzz growing hour-by-hour from other HTC fans that were also travelling to the capital – some to the launch itself and others to the select locations where the new device was going to go on sale immediately after the announcement.
Upon arrival at the event and registration, we were met by a huge room draped with HTC logos and designs with sneak previews of what we were going to be shown. Hundreds of photographers and journalists filled the rows behind us; with me and my fellow elevate members being given VIP seats on the front row! We were moments away from seeing what HTC were about to unveil.
Phil Blair, President of EMEA, welcomed the expectant crowd before Cher Wang, Chairwoman, talked about HTC’s history of designing game-changing devices and how successful last year’s HTC One flagship was. It was a fantastic feeling being just metres away from someone who has had such a huge influence on setting up HTC as a company and getting it to where it is today. This is the point we’d all been waiting for – the unveiling of the HTC’s new flagship phone. The excitement was unbearable as Cher held up the device on stage following a teaser video showing off the metallic feel and structure. The HTC One (M8) was here!
Scott Croyle, SVP & Head of Design and User Experience at HTC, then took the stage and showed us all the exciting new features of the device including the new Sense 6, improved BoomSound, the Duo Camera and the 90% aluminium body. For me, this was very exciting – this is the person you see online in all the HTC videos explaining how the designs were created and how the masterpieces are made – and I was sitting in the front row, hearing him talk about HTC’s new flagship.
Following the launch, we were given the opportunity to try out the HTC One (M8) and its new features with demonstrations from HTC experts and special sound-proof rooms to discover just how great the new BoomSound is. I was given the chance to experience the HTC One (M8) during the afternoon, and had lots of practice on the new Duo Camera and its new focussing features. I was really impressed with how well the features worked and how easy they were to pick up, having not used the device previously.

Playing with UFocus and Foregrounder effects on the M8′s Duo Camera.

Following lots of playing and trialling, the day came to an end with the 20 elevate members gathered to celebrate at a nearby restaurant. We discussed the launch, our favourite moments, and the best bits about the new phone – a great evening to relax and reflect on the experience HTC offered us throughout the day and to look forward to the HTC One (M8) becoming the best smartphone of the year.
Having had the chance to feel the device and explore its new tricks, I’ve got a long list of favourite features. Have you had the opportunity to get your hands on the HTC One (M8) yet, and what do you like most?

Editor’s note: Want to know what it was like at the event in London? Watch the video below featuring comedian, Chris Parker:

Last year, we launched the HTC One family of smartphones, giving you breakthroughs in design, sound, camera, and changed how you stay connected. Since then, both you and industry leaders have recognized the HTC One as one of the most-recommended and top-reviewed smartphones. And its legacy continues as the HTC One was named the Best Smartphone of the year by GSMA and won the 2013 Engadget Readers’ Choice Smartphone of the Year.
Our passion is to create design that is iconic and premium; seamless, inside and out; design that people will love and appreciate.
Today, we unveiled a new phone carved out of everything that you love the most about the HTC One.We took the best phone in the world, the HTC One M7, and made it better. Introducing the HTC One (M8)—the best just got better.
Feel it, see it, experience it. The HTC One (M8) is available online and in select stores today, with wider availability coming soon.

Back in the early twentieth century when a headline would break, newsies would stand at street corners and shout: “Read all about it!” Now when a story breaks, we turn to feeds on Twitter and Facebook instead of street corners. We look for a condensed, eye-catching snippet of what’s going on in the world, and if the story catches our eye, we’ll dig deeper and seek out the facts behind the headline. We live in a world consumed by news, with over half of us (52%) “information snacking” on a daily basis through our smartphones.
The rise of social media and smartphone usage has changed the way that we digest news. But is this new form of consumption putting us at risk of information overload or is all of this ‘information snacking’ good for us?

How we Read News Today & in the Future

We saw the trends and wanted to learn the answers, so we commissioned independent research company, ICM Research, to interview 10,000 people in ten markets¹ as part of a global study² into the behavior around news consumption—how it’s changed in recent years, how they feel about the changes, and what news consumption might look like in the future. The full global report, Feed All About It, is available today.
What did they tell us about how we consume the news?

We’re waking up to it – almost half (42%) of the 10,000 participants admitted to checking the news within an hour of waking up, with over a third (38%) also checking the news within an hour of going to bed.
We’re addicted to it – almost two-thirds (63%) admit to a greater overall need to be the “first to know” about global news.
We have it all - 65% agree that they have a more rounded viewpoint on the news because they have access to multiple sources of information and opinions.
We know it all - 72% of us feel more knowledgeable about what is going on in the world because news is more accessible.

“I now read the news daily on my smartphone and being able to access it so quickly and easily, anytime, anywhere I go has made me much more interested in it.” – female, age 22, Australia
How do they think news consumption will change in the future?

Story over source – over half (55%) are more interested in the news story itself rather than its source.
The generation gap – 50% of over-55s were found to be loyal to traditional news outlets compared to only 34% of under-25s.
News becomes social – almost half (45%) of under-25s are less likely to differentiate between a news story and a social media post.

“Instead of reading newspaper, Facebook status updated me with the latest news and I will tend to research online…” – male, age 26, Australia

Suffering from Information Overload? Try Checking the News through HTC BlinkFeed

This lack of differentiation towards sources of news, coupled with our constant need to be informed, is impacting how consume news today and how we will consume news in the future. News will need to be even more social, tailored to personal interests, and delivered along with other content such as weather updates, calendar reminders, or status updates.³ Aggregators such as HTC BlinkFeed, Facebook’s Paper app, The Huffington Post, and Upworthy, will grow in popularity as the desire to stay on top of ‘news’ in all its guises continues.
Yves Le Jan, Director of Content and Services at HTC, said, “At HTC we developed an innovative solution in HTC BlinkFeed,⁴ in response to the explosion of digital news sources. We wanted our customers to be able to keep up with the news from around the world, alongside their social networks, at a glance and in a way that was simple, accessible and easy to digest.
“We knew that delivering up-to-date content was vital to the creation of HTC BlinkFeed, so this study has confirmed what we already believe to be true—that bite-sized news with the choice to delve deeper into a story, is leading to a better informed global nation. This realization is why the aggregated news content available on our smartphones through HTC BlinkFeed is so important to us, and reinforces the HTC One’s position as one of the most critically acclaimed phones of 2013. Over the coming year we will be making even greater enhancements to HTC BlinkFeed, which will bring more social and news updates live to user’s home screens.”

Only at Selfridges: HTC One Skatepark

Innovation is the driving influence of HTC. It inspires everything we do, and it starts at the very top. CNBC recently published a list of the “First 25” most influential leaders since 1989, and our very own founder and co-chair, Cher Wang, made the noteworthy list.
Seeing Cher’s name on the list was more of an affirmation to us than a surprise. Cher’s visionary talents have guided and influenced our company from inception as an OEM manufacturer to a branded technology corporation. Her unique, creative approach to the high-tech world continues to pioneer the mobile industry.
“Imagine not only smartphone,” Cher recently discussed during an internal team meeting, “but a truly smart life enabled by ubiquitous intelligence – smart home, smart city, smart world and smart universe. We are only scratching the surface of mobile technology right now and HTC is in a really exciting place.”
CNBC’s list is comprised of what they title “Rebels, Leaders, and Icons.” The First 25 is a list of the men and women who have “had the most transformative effect on commerce, finance, markets, human behavior and global culture over the past 25 years.” From co-founding a global high-tech company to her worldwide philanthropic work, Cher is the textbook definition of the “First 25.”
“Humility comes before honor,” Cher says. “We need to stay grounded, humble ourselves and realize that we don’t know everything. Observe, listen, and never stop learning.”
Cher’s open-minded approach to innovation has guided the way for multiple design awards, numerous first-in-class innovations, and unprecedented customer satisfaction here at HTC. She directly inspires our entire company to push boundaries, embrace change, and take risks. Can you imagine what changes the next 25 years will bring?
To celebrate the release of the new HTC One (M8), we teamed up with Selfridges to transform the Old Selfridges Hotel, an abandoned hotel right in the heart of London, into the UK’s largest undercover skate landscape; the perfect environment to put our new smartphone to the test.

Only at Selfridges: HTC One Skatepark

POSTED 2 APR 2014 | BY BIANCA SPADA

To celebrate the release of the new HTC One (M8), we teamed up with Selfridges to transform the Old Selfridges Hotel, an abandoned hotel right in the heart of London, into the UK’s largest undercover skate landscape; the perfect environment to put our new smartphone to the test.

HTC SKATEPARK IN NUMBERS

The HTC One Skatepark took 11 specialists more than 270 hours to make components and a another 1,320 hours to build on-site using 53,000 screw fixings, 731 sheets of plywood, and 3,935 metres of timber.

WIN EXCLUSIVE PRIZES

Head to the HTC One Skatepark and take a photo with one of the HTC One M8s on-site. From there, edit your photo using one of the stunning photo effects that are available in the M8. Then, share your photo on Twitter from the @HTCOneSkatePark Twitter handle that’s already pre-installed on the demo phone. In your tweet, mention your own Twitter username to be entered for the chance of winning one of our daily prizes; from pair of Vans and Adidas trainers to limited edition skateboards designed by the HTC One (M8) creative team.Terms and Conditions apply.
for details
Opening times:

Monday – Friday: 12:00 – 21:00
Saturday: 10:00 – 21:00 (beginners only 10:00 – 12:00)
Sunday: 12:00 – 18:00

WHAT’S ON

Beginners Skateboard lessons:

Saturday 29 March: 10:00 – 11:00 and 11:00 – 12:00
Sunday 30 March: 12:00 – 13:00 and 13:00 – 14:00
Saturday 05 April: 10:00 – 11:00 and 11:00 – 12:00
Sunday 06 April: 10:00 – 11:00 and 11:00 – 12:00
Saturday 12 April: 12:00 – 13:00 and 13:00 – 14:00
Sunday 13 April: 10:00 – 11:00 and 11:00 – 12:00
Saturday 19 April: 12:00 – 13:00 and 13:00 – 14:00

Special events:

Thursday 3 April – 18:00 – 21:00 – Girls night hosted by Cooler magazine (skatepark closed to male public from 18:00 / open to girls only)
Wednesday 16 April – 13:00 – 18:00 – Under 18 Best trick event hosted by Kingpin and Sidewalk magazine (skatepark open to the public)

To Increase the Battery Timing of Your HTC

We’ve all had the same nightmare. You’re on your way to a big meeting, and you’re expecting a big call. You check your phone.
“Your battery is getting low,” reads a warning. You’ve left your charger at home and you start to feel a bit nervous. Don’t panic. Simply turn on “Extreme Power Saving” mode to conserve your phone’s remaining power.
Extreme Power Saving Mode gives you more standby time by limiting your phone’s use to its most basic functions. Introduced in the HTC One (M8)*, the mode can be automatically activated when your battery falls beneath a certain level as well.
To turn it on, click Settings > Power, and then tap the “Extreme power saving mode” switch. You can also activate the mode in “Quick Settings” by swiping down from the status bar using two fingers.
Aside from letting you use only the very basic apps (Phone, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Calculator), the mode also cuts off the data connection when the screen is inactive, conserves CPU usage, decreases screen brightness, and disables phone vibration to boost the remaining power. If you need to access another app not on the tray, just tap “Exit”.
For now, you can go to your meeting with confidence that your phone won’t die on you before your important call. Another problem solved through HTC innovation!

More power-boosting settings

Customize your phone’s battery usage with personalized power options.
Here are some additional options on your phone:

Power saver: A different mode than Extreme power saving that allows you to choose which battery-draining features you want to adjust, such as screen brightness and data connection.

Sleep mode: Turn off data connections during long periods of inactivity by enabling sleep mode. Your HTC phone “learns” your regular sleep times based on your usage patterns. You can also manually set the sleep mode’s activation time.

Usage: Find out which apps and tools use the most battery power, and adjust which ones you want to disable.

Show battery level: Choose to display remaining battery power on your phone’s status bar and monitor your remaining power in real-time.

Fast boot: This setting makes the startup and shutdown process a breeze. Disable it to extend battery power when your phone is in sleep mode.

We’ve built additional power features based on our user’s high-performance needs. Customizing your phone’s remaining power extends your battery life to achieve more. With so many customizable power usage options, what tips could you share to extend your phone’s battery life?
*Feature included as Sense 6 upgrade. Certain restrictions apply. See your local carrier for complete details.

Technology is changing the game, as well as the way we enjoy it. It has been an exciting second year as the Official Global Smartphone of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. From day one, our mission has been to change the way you experience football and take it to a whole new digital and mobile level. With this in mind—and some creative help—we used the technology we have at hand through our mobile devices to give you a 360° football experience that goes beyond the stadium, both online and offline.

First Half

Through HTChangeTheGame, we gave you a central place within Facebook to find out more information about the next game and a place to win exclusive prizes. Last season, over 50,000 people took part and we gave away hundreds of tickets for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches, as well as multiple HTC One’s and HTC One (M8)s, UEFA merchandise, and other prizes.
On top of that, we gave you the opportunity to become our HTC Fan Photographer for a day: an unforgettable pre-match experience that gives you exclusive, pitch-side access during warm-ups, the anthem, and kick-off, as well as a new HTC smartphone to capture the best photos and HTC Zoes of your once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Second Half

2014 saw the birth of the HTC FootballFeed app, the first official UEFA app in partnership with HTC. HTC FootballFeed gives you access to the latest news, up-to-the-minute UEFA-powered statistics, insights, and exclusive content from every match, club, and football player.
Since February 2014, HTC FootballFeed has been downloaded over 130,000 times and received 4.7 out of 5 stars from users in the Google Play Store. Check it out now here, if you haven’t downloaded yet.

Extra Time

To add to the fun, we looked into the relationship between football and technology and we created a series of infographics with unique insights and stats never before revealed. How is football going to be in 150 years? Who’s the smallest player in the league? How many tweets are sent on an average match? You will find out all the answers here, here and here.
We know, we know – that’s plenty of content in the World Wide Web. Fear not, we also created the HTC UEFA Hub where you will find all the content mentioned above plus more!
But enough about us, let’s get down to the most important event of the year, the UEFA Champions League Final.

The Final

The football madness started at the Champions Festival, described by some as the “Disneyland for football fans,” where the HTC Star Photo attracted millions of fans, among them few football legends like Christian Karembeu.
Talking about legends, we came down to the UEFA “Legends Match” where some of the biggest stars of the game faced each other in a friendly 40-minute match. We were lucky enough to have a chat with the one-and-only Luis Figo and get his autograph on the HTC One (M8). If you want to get your hands on this precious HTC One (M8), keep an eye on this blog as we’ll be letting you know how you can win it soon!

Introducing the HTC One (E8): Meet the Shape of Innovation

Even though we’re still in the early phases of this release, we invite you to check our software updates page for the latest news, changes, and updates.
At this moment, we are in the Pre-Evaluation Phase, or before we even enter Phase 0, of the software update process. While Google has announced some high level features, they have not yet provided the official software to OEMs or Chipset manufacturers to begin work on release software. The software update timeline will begin once we receive the final software from Google and device updates will vary based on device, region, and carrier.
We can’t wait to see what the L release will bring to your HTC devices!
UPDATE: 4 November 2014: HTC has received final Android Lollipop code from Google and the clock starts now! HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) will be updated within 90 days from today. More product updates to be announced soon!
Summer is here! It’s time to change up the wallpaper on your smartphone. We teamed up with some of our favorite photographers and they gave us a little view into their daily lives through travel and inspiration, providing you with five wallpapers to freshen up your look up for those summer days.
All of these wallpapers were taken with their HTC One (M8). To install one of these gorgeous wallpapers on your phone, view this post on your mobile device, open the image in your favorite browser and click “save.” This will save the image to the Gallery on your phone.
Then, go to the “Settings” menu and select the “Personalize” section. To change your home screen wallpaper on your HTC One (M8), tap “Home screen wallpaper” at the top of the list and choose “Gallery.” Here’s more information on how to personalize your HTC.
We caught up with Symon Whitehorn, the mastermind behind the UltraPixel technology and HTC’s director of photography, to teach us a trick or two with the new Duo Camera of the HTC One (M8). Symon took mobile photography to a whole new level when he visited the HTC One Skate Park in London last month, before heading back to sunny San Francisco, to talk us through his favorite features in the phone.
Yes, the best just got better!
Built for the fashion-conscious, the HTC One (E8) features a design aesthetic that redefines functional style. Its dual curve, ergonomic shape naturally fits in the hand no matter how it’s held.
“The HTC One (M8) sets a new smartphone standard and now we’re taking it in another exciting direction,” reports HTC’s CEO Peter Chou. “Combining style and substance, the HTC One (E8) represents the incredible experience people expect from an HTC One device with a look and feel that’s unlike anything else out there today. If you’re looking for the best flagship smartphone experience, but want to stand out from the crowd, this is the phone for you.”
The E8 represents a slight departure from other HTC One family smartphones while retaining their sleek, ergonomic design and striking appearance. Constructed of a polycarbonate unibody frame, the E8 comes in four colors: Polar White, Electric Crimson, Maldives Blue, and Misty Gray.
When it comes to performance features, the HTC One (E8) doesn’t disappoint. It packs many of the same experiences as its predecessor, the HTC One M8:

Motion Launch™: Intuitive gesture response that gives you control to shortcuts without turning on your phone. Answer incoming call by raising your E8 to your ear, or activate your camera mode by picking up your phone and tapping the volume rocker.

HTC BoomSound™: Our legendary dual front-facing stereo speakers with built-in amps and balancing software that auto corrects bass-to-treble levels for true-to-life sound.

The HTC One (E8) brings a few new things of its own, too:

Dual Curve Design: An ergonomic masterpiece, the E8 fits naturally in your hand in virtually any position.

Selfie Perfection: Complementing its 13MP main camera is a 5MP front facing wide-angle camera, complete with a screen side countdown timer so you won’t miss a pose. Built-in Touch Up software balances skin tones while retaining your genuine look. With the HTC One (E8)’s generous 5” display as your selfie viewfinder, every side will be your good side!

Dual SIM card holders: Access multiple mobile accounts and switch on the go. With 16GB of onboard memory and expandable SD storage capacity, you’ll have plenty of room for photos, apps, games, and more. The Dual SIM version of the HTC One (E8) will be available in select regions only.

With its own line of stylish Dot View™ cases, a 2,600 mAh battery and HTC Sense 6 features, the HTC One (E8) is a perfect match for those ready to embrace bold change matched with fashion-forward innovation. It’s slated for an early June release in select markets, so stay tuned!
From the original HTC One’s 4.7” screen size and chamfered edges, to the HTC One (M8)’s wraparound edges and 5” display, we’ve continued to push the boundaries of design innovation. With the dual curves of the HTC One (E8), what do you think our next smartphone design should be?

How to Create Animated GIFs on the HTC One (M8)

GIFs, what? The web is exploding with animated GIFs, and there’s good reason for it. These short animations are fun and easy to share. And now that you can embed and play GIFs natively on Twitter, the limits of creating and sharing your GIFs are limitless. Here’s how to use your HTC One (M8) to create your first animated GIF.

The Idea

Start with a simple idea, such as a quick scene or a facial expression. Think in terms of the frames – or the series of photos – you need.
For example, let’s capture funny faces. Find someone who’s up for wacky poses. If you want to push yourself a little bit further, set up a smartphone tripod and prepare some props.

Camera settings

Launch the Camera app. You should be in “Camera” mode with “Auto” scene selected. Now, tap the menu button and then the settings button > “Continuous shooting.” Be sure that “Continuous shooting” is selected and “Limit to 20 frames” is OFF.
(Note: You can also create GIFs with just 20 frames or the burst shots you capture using the Zoe camera mode, but you’ll have fewer frames to work with.)

Action!

Ready to shoot?

Our Commitment to Android L Release from Google

At HTC, our customers come first. That’s why the HTC Advantage pledge includes software updates for all of our devices for up to two years after their launch date. We are also one of the quickest to incorporate new Android updates into devices, and are also the most transparent OEM when it comes to keeping customers updated about rollout progress. We take pride in being an industry leader when it comes to keeping our devices current, and we’re dedicated to providing our customers with the best smartphone experience in the world.
Our approach will be the same with the Android L release from Google. This release promises to bring new features and tools to Android and we are excited to bring it to you and your HTC. As part of our HTC Advantage commitment globally, we pledge to update all of our HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) smartphones within 90 days of receiving final software from Google.

Press and hold the camera button and do all actions you need in less than 99 frames. Don’t worry if your hand is showing in a few frames or if your star is in between poses. You can delete some frames anyway.
When you see “Saving photos” on the viewfinder screen, it means you’ve reached the maximum number of frames for continuous shooting. You’re then prompted to choose your best shot. Press the back button to keep all your frames for now.
Open the Gallery app and view your batch photo in full screen. Tap the screen to see the options for editing, sharing, or deleting. Tap “Edit” > “GIF Creator.” You can choose to trim your GIF to the length you want, and then tap “Next.” Tap “Frames,” select the unwanted frames to delete, and then tap “Done.”
Other GIF options include filters, speed, and looping. Experiment with these settings and choose which one suits your animation. Tap “Save,” choose an image quality (GIF files will have the three overlapping frames icon), and share them to your social networks like Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, and Reddit.
It’s the GIF that keeps on giffing!
At HTC, our customers come first. That’s why we pledge to include software updates for all of our devices for up to two years after their launch date. We take pride in being an industry leader when it comes to keeping our devices current, and we’re dedicated to providing our customers with the best smartphone experience in the world.
Here at HTC, we are excited about the new features in Android L release and we can’t wait to share them with you. We are committed to updating our flagship HTC One family as fast as possible and will begin rolling out updates to the HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) in regions worldwide within 90 days of receiving final software from Google, followed shortly by other select HTC devices.
The software update timeline will begin once we receive the final software from Google and device updates will vary based on device, region, and carrier.
We can’t wait to see what Android L release will bring to your HTC!
UPDATE: 4 November 2014: HTC has received final Android Lollipop code from Google and the clock starts now! HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) will be updated within 90 days from today. More product updates to be announced soon!

How to Create Long-Exposure Photography on your Mobile Phone

Rox Nuttycombe started with the HTC Hero, a simple phone purchase for everyday use. However, one HTC phone wasn’t enough. Soon, one became two. Two became five. Five became 50.
Rox is a longtime HTC customer and member of HTC elevate, a global community for HTC’s most passionate fans and supporters. We recently learned about Rox’s extensive collection and are impressed by his passion.
“I didn’t start out with the idea of collecting a lot of phones,” Rox says. “I saw that many innovations in the mobile world were made by HTC, so I decided to try and collect those – the first 3G, the first 4G, etc. – and it just snowballed from there.”
The London, England native created his wish list of must-haves after watching an HTC product timeline video. But the hunt hasn’t always been easy.One of the hardest devices to find was the HTC Kangaroo, one of the first devices HTC created. Another was the Dev Phone 1, which Rox found for sale online, complete with the plastic cover on its screen. The catch, though, was shipping the device. The seller was in the United States.
Buying the Dev Phone 1 wasn’t the only time that Rox has had to look outside the United Kingdom for the phones necessary to grow his collection. Currently, he’s awaiting a shipment from Russia that contains the world’s first 4G handset: the HTC Max 4G.
“My holy grail is the HTC EXCA 300,” he adds. “It is basically the phone used to write Android. Needless to say they are extremely hard to find, but one day I will have one.”
Rox isn’t just an HTC collector. He’s a creator as well.
When he’s not working as a technology technician and instructor, Rox enjoys crafting things out of wood and copper. Wood is one of his favorite materials, he says, because no two pieces are the same in terms of grain and pattern. He also loves wood’s feel when a natural finish is used.
One of his creations is a wooden case for one of his HTC Explorer phones. His inspiration was the Touch Wood SH-08C – a Japanese phone made by NTT DoCoMo. The Touch Wood has a purely wooden case and is shaped like a bean. Only 15,000 units of the Japanese phone were made.
“I see this as my ‘proof of concept’ case,” Rox says of his HTC Explorer case.
The collector continues building his trove of HTC devices, checking off a must-have here and there from his wish list. He’s also eyeing another trip to the woodshop.
This is a guest post written by Alexandru Ivan, a graphic designer based in Romania, HTC customer, and a member of HTC elevate. You might remember the remarkable high-speed photos he took with the HTC One or recognize his HTC One (M8) wallpaper. Now, Alex is back and this time, sharing one of his favorite mobile photography tricks.
If you’re looking to give your pictures an elegant, artistic touch, try long-exposure photography. Long-exposure photography involves using long-duration shutter speed to capture objects normally while blurring or smearing any moving objects. An example would be a city street in which the buildings remain normal in the picture, but the fast-moving cars whir by in streaks of color. Here are the tips and tricks I use to capture long-exposure photographs using my HTC One (M8).

A few tips before getting started

Using a tripod is crucial. Otherwise, you will end up with pictures where every object is completely blurred because of the low shutter speed used. You can improvise if you don’t have a tripod, but whatever is used must keep the phone still. Try also not to tap the screen too hard when taking the picture—the vibration from touching the screen to take the picture can ruin an otherwise perfect long-exposure shot.

Camera settings

Launch the Camera app on your M8 and use “Manual Mode” – long-exposure photos can only be shot using this mode. Trying HDR Mode during daytime won’t ensure a nice picture either.
In Manual Mode, you can adjust a lot of things. For example, I prefer to adjust the white balance (WB) after I take my pictures. I do this in Edit Mode because it can be tricky to adjust while taking the pictures.
It’s also important to note that ISO and shutter speed settings are dependent on each other. Basically, when the shutter speed value increases, the ISO should go decreases. For shooting in complete darkness, you may use a shutter speed higher than 2 and ISO higher than 800. That’s because you can’t adjust the aperture for the camera sensor and photos may need some editing afterward to edit out some light noise in the pictures. Inbuild filters and settings from the HTC One (M8) can retouch this.

Locations

If you’re looking for somewhere to test long-exposure photography, try landscapes. For instance, roads, highways, and cityscapes are ideal. Try to avoid pictures with too many light sources like street lamps. If you’re interested in a traffic shot, it’s better to shoot onward for the light trails. Headlights, though, could be too bright for your camera settings. In terms of time, the best for shooting long-exposure photographs is between evening and morning.
What makes long exposure images special is that each image is unique and surreal. With practice you should have a collection of photos that are one of a kind.

Introducing the Newest Member of the HTC Butterfly Family

For many of you, your priority is not the phone you carry, but the content you access on it. You may not wish to (or be able to) invest in a top-of-the-range, flagship phone. The speed of the connection and subsequent lack of buffering is far more important to you, although you still want a phone that you’d feel happy to show off to your friends.
That’s where the HTC Desire family comes into its own, offering incredible build quality and materials, many of the features originally designed for our flagship models, and in the case of the newest member of the Desire family, the HTC Desire 510, super-fast LTE connectivity at an affordable price point.
Combining quad-core LTE performance with a spacious display, the HTC Desire 510 is an all-around multimedia powerhouse. If you have yet to experience LTE performance, the HTC Desire 510 is the perfect introduction to a world of high-quality, on-the-go video streaming and ultra-fast downloads.
“Owning the latest and greatest technology shouldn’t be reserved for those with the highest budgets,” says Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “People today should expect their smartphones to double as mobile entertainment hubs. This means ensuring that they’re fully loaded with the latest movies, TV shows and albums, by taking advantage of the super-fast network speeds available. The HTC Desire 510 does this and more, making it the perfect mobile media device.”
Supporting the latest category 4 LTE connectivity, the HTC Desire 510 means that your favorite content is always just a tap away. Running Qualcomm’s latest quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon™ 410 processor, the Desire 510 ensures silky-smooth graphics and browsing, enabling quick and effortless multi-tasking. Whether browsing, watching films or gaming, the responsive graphics make the HTC Desire 510 the ultimate multimedia device.
Thanks to 8GB of on-board memory and an expandable microSD™ card slot, you’ll be able to store all of your favorite apps, games, music or movies on your HTC Desire 510 without worrying about running out of space.
The HTC Desire 510 phone’s 4.7” display is perfect for watching videos and gaming and makes even browsing the internet visually stunning, with its striking screen, signature design and HTC Sense features combining perfectly for an unparalleled, all-around performance that sets a new standard in the category.
Complete with HTC BlinkFeed™, the HTC Desire 510 will quickly and simply aggregate the latest digital updates from your social networks and popular RSS feeds, keeping you up to date at all times. Move away from traditional, static home screens and get the news that matters to you the most, wherever and whenever you need it.
Available in Terra White and Meridian Grey, the device’s polycarbonate chassis looks and feels great, sitting comfortably in your hand or pocket. Supporting Android 4.4 with HTC Sense, the HTC Desire 510 represents a truly premium mobile experience at a highly affordable price.
The HTC Desire 510 will be available in selected regions in Europe and Asia as well as through select carriers in the US. Check with your local HTC region for more information on availability.
HTC and Microsoft are making history today with the debut of the HTC One (M8) for Windows, making it the first time an iconic flagship device is offered on multiple operating systems – Android and now Windows.
“Consumers love the HTC One (M8) and today’s introduction extends that enthusiasm to new audiences hungry for choice in their mobile experience,” said Jason Mackenzie, President of HTC Americas.
This new smartphone combines the stunning, award-winning design and experiences of the HTC One (M8) with the latest Windows Phone software on America’s largest and most reliable network.
The HTC One (M8) for Windows is unmistakably the One, offering the same premium design unique experiences that are standard in the HTC One (M8), including HTC BlinkFeed, HTC BoomSound, Duo Camera with UltraPixel technology, a 5MP wide-angle front-facing camera and support for the HTC Dot View case.
Under the hood is Windows Phone 8.1 Update, which incorporates a host of meaningful innovations including Cortana, Action Center, Apps Corner, and Live Tiles. Cortana, Windows’ truly personal digital assistant, makes her HTC debut in this phone. Adept at searching for sushi and setting calendar appointments, Cortana also offers the ability to proactively warn you when it’s time to leave for your next appointment or remind you to pick up milk on the way home.
“The HTC One (M8) for Windows is true to the flagship product’s award-winning design and unique experience while also taking the best of what Windows Phone has to offer,” said Darren Laybourn, corporate Vice President of Engineering for Microsoft. “We succeeded in offering customers the best of both our worlds with this phone.”
The HTC One (M8) for Windows is also covered by HTC Advantage, which provides the industry’s only free cracked screen replacement offer, along with a commitment to support timely software updates.
The HTC One (M8) for Windows is available exclusively through Verizon Wireless. Online sales began today, and in-store starting tomorrow.
Allow us to formally introduce you to the newest member in the HTC Butterfly family – the all new “HTC J butterfly HTL23,” available through KDDI in Japan. This beautiful device will also go by the name of “HTC Butterfly 2,” available through Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan, CSL in Hong Kong, and a number of other carriers throughout South Asia.
Packed with the latest HTC Sense 6 experience, HTC Duo Camera for advanced imaging, and an intuitive Motion Launch advanced sensor, the new HTC Butterfly 2 delivers an unparalleled smartphone experience.
“Our consumers always pursue perfection. Therefore, we chose the partner that we know will offer the best smartphones in the market,” said Takashi Tanaka, President, KDDI. “Since the HTC J series was released, it has become the most popular phone in our product portfolio.”
The HTC Butterfly 2 puts state-of-the-art photography technology in your hand. The smartphone comes equipped with a Duo Camera that features a 13MP camera, a dual flash, and Full 1080p HD Video Recording, producing incredible images and rich, high-quality video. A 5MP front-facing camera also captures superior quality photos, taking beautiful selfies with ease.
The Duo Camera boasts a depth sensor in addition to the main HTC 13MP camera, capturing detailed depth information from a scene and enabling a range of beautiful and creative effects that allow you to do more with your images than ever before.
“HTC Butterfly 2 follows HTC’s iconic design and globally acclaimed user experience,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “Its elegant appearance and fantastic performance will certainly provide consumers with the best experience ever.”
The Butterfly 2 comes equipped with the latest HTC BoomSound technology, creating an immersive, powerful, crystal-clear sound with rich tones from bass to treble. Delivering sound that is 25% louder than the HTC One, without compromising quality, HTC Butterfly 2 has dual frontal stereo speakers with a new amplifier, redesigned speaker chambers and a tailored audio profile for a truly high definition experience.
And it gets better – through our collaboration with HARMAN, HTC J butterfly HTL23 / HTC Butterfly 2 handsets feature “LiveStage™ Signal Processing Technology^¹”, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and comes bundled with exclusively designed JBL in-ear-headphones in Japan. Designed for high-resolution quality, the headphones let you enjoy vivid sound similar to if you were to hear it in person.

Introducing the HTC Desire 820

Loving your HTC Dot View case, but also wanting to jazz it up a bit? Use its app to personalize what you see through the case. You can install the HTC Dot View app, available in Google Play. If you already have the app, be sure to download the latest update.
To customize your wallpaper, you can choose a preset wallpaper, or create your own dotted wallpaper from a photo.

In the HTC Dot View app, tap Theme.
To create your own wallpaper, tap +, and then choose whether to use an existing photo from Gallery or take a new photo.
If you selected or taken a photo, crop the photo, and then tap Done.
Tap Apply.

For best results when creating your own wallpaper, use a simple image with distinct colors between the subject and background. For example, you can use this Android image that shows a high-contrast subject on a simple background, while also showing off some HTC pride.

With the kick-off of the biggest football tournament in the world this week (and to make it even more exciting for football fans), we can now reveal the first UEFA Champions League collector’s edition smartphone; celebrating the race to the UEFA Champions League Final in Berlin 2015.

The limited edition HTC One (M8) x UEFA Champions league is meticulously engraved with the iconic UEFA Champions League logo and official trophy. It also features Motion Launch™ that enables the HTC One (M8) to detect position and movement and has incredible imaging capabilities that will enhance your experience throughout this season’s UEFA Champions League.

For those who don’t have tickets for a match but want to get closer to the action, the HTC UEFA Champions League Trophy smartphone has been designed with you in mind. Whether you’re enjoying the match from the stadium or watching the game on TV with friends, the collector’s edition will ensure you have all the football information you need at your fingertips!

The UEFA Champions League Collector’s Edition Smartphone will be available exclusively through HTC promotions. Keep an eye on our social networks for more information.

And be sure to check out our football hub and the HTC FootballFeed app to get the latest news, up-to-the-minute UEFA-powered stats, insights, and exclusive content from every match, club, and football player in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Choosing the perfect wallpaper is a stylish outlet for expressing your own personality. You can be as simple or outrageous as you desire. Fortunately, your HTC One (M8) makes it easy to customize, giving you endless possibilities to make your smartphone unique.
To personalize your home screen wallpaper, you can choose a preset wallpaper, or create your own from a photo you’ve taken with the camera. Here’s how to create your own:

Go to Settings, and then tap Personalize.
Tap Home Screen Wallpaper.
Tap Gallery
Choose an existing photo and crop it.
Tap Done or Apply.

You can use absolutely anything for your wallpaper, from beloved photos of your pets, to heartwarming vacation memories, or even your favorite fine art. For instance, you can use this mural by Jesse Reno as a stunning background to your phone.

Jesse Reno

Reno’s a self taught mixed media painter who has been drawing since the age of 5. He lives and works in his home studio in Portland, Oregon. Using acrylic paint, oil pastels and pencil, he opts to work almost exclusively with his hands as brushes. Reno describes his work as “Contemporary Primitive Abstract Narrative” and has exhibited throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Whatever you decide for your wallpaper, make sure to have fun with it. You can find beauty all around you to use as inspiration. Just let your creativity shine!

The newest addition to the HTC Desire family has the velocity, visuals and volume you’re looking for in a mid-range smartphone. Please get to know the HTC Desire 820, unveiled today at IFA in Berlin.
The camera you desire: Setting a new standard for selfies, the HTC Desire 820 packs an 8MP front-facing camera to capture solo poses and group shots effortlessly. Beyond the amazing camera, we have included software that will elevate your photo experience:

A new feature that allows you to merge your features with a friend’s or celebrity’s for a modern mashup.
Live Makeup lets you preview the image you just took and set the desired level of skin smoothing before taking the photo.
Photo Booth is a new feature where you can capture several moments in a single image.

The HTC Desire 820′s rear camera is just as powerful, with f/2.2 aperture and a 13MP BSI sensor, your photos burst with detail in daylight and low light. You can even play-it-safe and hold the shutter for rapid-fire shooting – perfect for fast-moving objects or selecting your best shot later.
The speed you desire: Streaming, downloading, juggling multiple apps – the experience couldn’t be smoother on the HTC Desire 820:

Lightning-fast 4G connectvity (up to 150mbps).
The latest Qualcomm Octa-Core 64-bit processor with integrated LTE modem.
Separate Performance and Low Power clusters within the processor for longer battery life.

The content you desire: Immerse yourself in the content you crave. Whether it’s gaming, TV, breakthrough photo and video creations with Zoe™ Highlights – your experience is heightened by:

The rich, clear sound pumping from the front-facing stereo speakers and two powerful, dedicated amplifiers of HTC BoomSound™.
The vivid, 5.5″ high definition display will put a big smile on your face as it puts big-screen entertainment front and center.

The style you desire: Bold, bright and sleek, this mighty addition to the HTC Desire family boasts:

HTC’s double shot color technology, creating a two-tone color unibody that’s perfect for reflecting personality and style. This also improves device quality, strength and tolerance.
Featuring HTC’s iconic unibody design and available in an array of colors, the robust polycarbonate device is stylish and boasts the excellent build quality that has become synonymous with HTC.

The HTC Desire 820 will ship with the latest HTC software and will be available later this fall, with availability varying by country and region. Stay tuned for more information.

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Wednesday 25 February 2015

What is the Smart IR Remote?

What gave you the idea for the app?

What was the most difficult part of developing the app?

What was involved in using the IR API? What was your experience like?

HTC EYE Experience: Designed for you

Zoe: Life as you experience it

What is the Smart IR Remote?

What gave you the idea for the app?

What was the most difficult part of developing the app?

What was involved in using the IR API? What was your experience like?

Tuesday 24 February 2015

HTC One takes home Global Mobile Award for Best Smartphone

Peter Chou unveils the new HTC Desire 816

HTC Power To Give

HTC’s Design Tour in Barcelona

How we Read News Today & in the Future

Suffering from Information Overload? Try Checking the News through HTC BlinkFeed

HTC SKATEPARK IN NUMBERS

WIN EXCLUSIVE PRIZES

WHAT’S ON

More power-boosting settings

First Half

Second Half

Extra Time

The Final

The Idea

Camera settings

Action!

Our Commitment to Android L Release from Google

A few tips before getting started

Camera settings

Locations

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