Category: HTC

It looks like the Nexus name is dying a death.  Reports are suggesting that Google is going to be hosting an event on October 4th, at which we will see the new HTC-built Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL announced.  Those phones are currently under their code names of Marlin and Sailfish respectively.  The new naming convention will mean that across all hardware types – phones, tablets and Chromebooks – there is one name to remember and will likely have some sort of suffix designation for the model.

What is interesting is that the name “Pixel” has been associated with Google as being the designer of the product.  Take the Pixel C or the Pixel Chromebook as an example.  While Google may not have built those devices, they had a very heavy hand in their design.  Is that the case for the Pixel and Pixel XL phones?  leaked mock-ups suggest no.  The Marlin (Pixel) device looks strikingly like the HTC built One A9.  While it may have different innards, outward appearances don’t suggest Google did the design.

With the new Nexus phones from HTC coming later this year, there is already a fair amount of anticipation of what these two phones, code named Marlin and Sailfish, will bring.  But, for those who like wallpapers, the papers for these two new phones have already been leaked.  Thanks to the team over at Android Police, you can now download 15 new wallpapers for your devices today.  There is a nice mix of themes in them – aquatic, wildlife and fractals – and all look pretty darn spiffy.  I have re-posted the wallpapers here and you can see all of them after the break.  However, you can download from the original source here if you want to do so.

Good news for those of you who have an unlocked HTC 10 here in North America.  A new software update is rolling out to you that brings several fixes and improvements along with the June Android Security Update.  The new build, version 1.80.617.1 for those keeping score at home, is rolling out now and should be hitting all devices over the course of the next few days.  The update is actually pretty big all-said at just over 300MB and as most users will know, after you download it and install it, your phone will be restarted.

For those of you who are on the Sprint network with the HTC Desire 626s, today is a good day!  HTC has announced that the Android Marshmallow update is rolling out to the mid-range phone starting today.  The update will take the phone from Android Lollipop 5.1 up to Marshmallow 6.0 and brings all of the goodies that comes with the latest major build of Android.  The update is a big one at just around 1GB so you will need to download it via Wi-Fi and once you start the install process, it will take about 20-30 minutes to complete it.

HTC’s Senior Manager of Online Communications, Jeff Gordon, dropped a nice bit of news for those who are here in the United States wanting an HTC 10.  The latest flagship from the company will start shipping this week, unlocked, according to Gordon’s tweet.

@Eak1570 Unlocked HTC 10 begins shipping in the US next week.

— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) April 29, 2016

It is great news for those who have been wanting to get the device unlocked and not with a carrier commitment.  While the Tweet did not give any indication on shipping times, it is good to know that orders can happen this week.

Readers will know that I don’t post a lot about rumors because they are, well, rumors.  But this one was just too good not share.  It looks like we are going to see not one but two new Nexus devices coming from HTC, possibly as soon as next month at I/O.  The rumor and support for it comes from Android Police and that team has a great track record for getting these types of rumors right.  They did it 2014 and 2015 with the Nexus 6, 6P and 5X.