Number given to the Wall Street Journal by unnamed HTC executive

HTC has sold approximately five million of its latest flagship smartphone, the HTC One, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The paper quotes an unnamed HTC executive saying the company had sold "around five million" HTC One devices since the launch around a month and a half ago.

"Orders are pretty good so far and are still more than what we can supply. This is partly due to the shortage of components. When the issue is resolved next month, we will have a better idea if it's doing really well or not," the executive is quoted as saying, referring to supply issues with camera components for the phone.

If accurate, the 5 million figure shows strong sales for the device the face of fierce competition from the likes of Apple and Samsung. By contrast, rival Samsung says it recently passed the 10 million units shipped mark for its new Galaxy S4, which went on sale around the world during the last week of April.

HTC will be relying on sales of the One to remedy its current financial woes, and shifting five million units is certainly a significant step in the right direction. What's more, the news might also quell worries over the stream of high-profile figures who've recently left the company.

Source: WSJ Online

    

Web-based Appstore now available in the UK

Amazon has announced that its Appstore for Android -- the Google Play rival operated by the online retail giant -- is now  available in almost 200 countries following its expansion of the service. In a press release today, Amazon also revealed that the Kindle Fire is spreading its reach across the globe, with the total countries in which it's available set to reach 170 on June 13. To celebrate, Amazon says it'll bring back the popular Fruit Ninja as a free app of the day, along with Cut the Rope: Experimentals and classic puzzler Tetris -- these will be available from May 23.

Finally the web-based Amazon Appstore is now available to users in the UK. Brits can point their browsers to www.amazon.co.uk/appstore to look through the selection of available paid and free apps.

More details in the presser after the break.

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'Huge honor' for the Google Now team, says Matias Duarte

Google Now -- Google's card-based predictive search tool -- has been awarded the grand prize for "best everyday utility" at the 2013 User Experience Awards. To claim the prize, Google Now saw off competition from a wide variety of different projects, including Belkin's WeMo home automation system and healthcare startup ZocDoc.

Announcing the win on Google+, Android design lead Matias Duarte called the award a "huge honor" for the entire Google Now team. Google Now is one of the most important smartphone features of the past year, and it's a well-deserved win for Duarte and his team.

The UX award will sit alongside Popular Science's 2012 "Innovation of the Year" award in the Google Now trophy room.

Source: User Experience Awards; via: Matias Duarte

    

Headed to Russia, Ukraine, Middle East and Asia from June

Just 24 hours after the name was initially leaked, HTC has officially announced the Desire 600, a new mid-range handset aimed at Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The HTC Desire 600 sports many of the headline features of HTC's current flagship, the HTC One. You've got Jelly Bean (we presume Android 4.1, not 4.2) and Sense 5.0, a pair of beastly "BoomSound" speakers, the BlinkFeed home screen experience and Beats Audio. The new Sense 5 Gallery app has made it across, it seems, as has video highlights. Zoes, however, are not mentioned on the spec sheet.

The handset is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 CPU with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD. Around the back there's an 8-megapixel BSI camera with f/2.0 lens. That screen on the front is a 4.5-inch qHD panel, a significant step down from the One's 1080p SuperLCD3, but not a horribly low resolution. The Desire 600 dual also comes with dual SIM capabilities, and runs on 900/2100MHz HSPA networks with data speeds up to 7.2Mbps.

The HTC Desire 600 is due out in early June, starting in Russia, Ukraine and MEA (Middle East and Africa) -- no word of any plans for a wider European release just yet. We've got the full press release below, along with a few more photos.

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New 'Holo light' UI brings Magazines in line with latest Play Music and Play Store apps

Google has updated the Play Magazines app for Android to verison 2.0, bringing a new, lighter user interface. The new version of the app draws inspiration from the recent updates to Google Play Music and the Play Store, both of which have received UI updates in the past month or so. Everything's generally a lot lighter and brighter, and there's a new slide-out sidebar allowing you to switch between Read Now, Library and Shopping views. The official changelog also lists bug fixes in this new version of Play Magazines.

If you're already using Play Magazines, hit "My Apps" in the Play Store app to update. Alternatively we've got a Google Play web link up above.

    

Galaxy S4 Samsung's fastest selling smart phone, beating previous Galaxy models handily

As predicted last week, Samsung has pushed over 10,000,000 Galaxy S4 units out the door since the phone first became available on April 26. This solidly beats the previous record of 10 Million Galaxy S3s, which took 50 days and puts the S4 squarely at the top of the list for the years highest sellers, at least for now.

On behalf of Samsung, I would like to thank the millions of customers around the world who have chosen the Samsung Galaxy S4. At Samsung we'll continue to pursue innovation inspired by and for the people.

-- JK Shin, CEO and president of the IT and mobile communications division at Samsung Electronics

In addition to the announcement of 10 million units getting sold, Samsung has also said that we should expect more color variations of the S4 during the course of this summer. The new colors are listed as Blue Arctic and Red Aurora (pictured above), followed by Purple Mirage and Brown Autumn. The S4 will also be moving to 45 more countries over the course of the year, bringing the total countries selling the S4 to 155.

Source: Samsung

    

HTC ShopAmerica offering a cool $25 Google Play credit to folks who experienced delays

Folks who ordered an HTC One direct from HTC earlier this year will want to check their inbox, as there could be $25 worth of Google Play credit there waiting. Component shortages and supply issues caused a slight delay for shipping the first round of HTC One phones, and while all that seems to have been corrected, HTC still wants to compensate folks for the delay.

If your order falls under the umbrella (it seems like orders placed the first day or two are getting reviewed) you'll get a code worth $25 credit to spend in Google Play. No muss, no fuss. Thanks, HTC!

Via: Android Central forums

    

The Ottawa International Game Conference kicks off in just about a week. If you're not familiar, the three-day conference takes place May 29th-31st and features new innovations and trends in the Canadian gaming industry and will host speakers all across the board including, Anders Jeppsson, Global Head of Gaming at BlackBerry. Mobile Nations own gaming geek Simon Sage will be on site to take in all the news from the conference including speakers, developers, panels and more. 

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LG announced a new waterproof phone today, the Optimus GJ. They certainly weren't very subtle either, as they had girls presenting the phone in bikinis. It differs from past waterproof devices because this one is high-end. The specs are as follows:

• 4.7-inch IPA HD display
• Bluetooth 4.0
• 13MP rear-camera
• 1.5GHz quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB internal memory
• MicroSD slot
• 2,280 mAh battery

LG is getting more ambitious with their waterproof devices and are hitting the Taiwanese market first. It will cost $17,990 Taiwanese dollars, which is approximately $600 USD.  No word yet on when or if the Optimus GJ will go to other markets.

Source: unwiredview

    

Podcast MP3 URL:  http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/acpc136.mp3

Hi, everybody. This is where we normally would have show notes. This week, we leave you this witty paragraph instead. :)

    

Keep your tweets your own and your Twitter account safe with two-step verification

After a slew of high-profile account hacks, Twitter has finally launched a two-step verification system to keep your account from falling into the wrong hands. Once enrolled, each time you sign in to Twitter.com you will be asked to enter a six digit verification number sent by SMS to your phone. If you don't have your number, you can't log in.

Existing accounts on other devices should still work, and when your Twitter account to other devices or applications, you'll visit your applications page to generate a temporary password to validate who you are. Users can set up the new account verification system starting today from their Twitter settings, and you'll need a verified phone number and email address. 

Two-step authentication is a good move (probably one Twitter should have adopted a while ago) and one that we heartily recommend. It may be inconvenient setting things up the first time, but losing your online identity to hackers is far worse. To learn more, and get started, visit the source link below.

Source: Twitter

    

And maybe, just maybe, will bring a carrier store experience that doesn't make you want to flee

Jennifer Lopez. Singer, actress, judge on American Idol -- and, now, smartphone retailer. Verizon today at its big event at CTIA in Las Vegas announced that JLo will be heading up Viva Movil, which promises to revolutionize the wireless shopping experience for Latino consumers. This isn't a Verizon venture, per se, as the deal is between Ms. Lopez, Brightstar (which handles distribution and services) and Moorehead Communications, Verizon's premium retailer.

The shopping experience promises to be the differentiator here. Physical stores will be located, at first, in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, with Manhattan up first with a shop in a high-traffic area. (We'd bet Times Square, but nothing official was announced.) The stores are said to have a more friendly shopping experience than what you might be used to -- and perhaps the smartest question in the Q&A session came from Laptop's Mark Spoonauer, who asked if Verizon's own carrier stores might get the same sort of makeover one day. Verizon said it'll think about it. (We're not holding our breath for that one.)

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Embedded system increases the chances that devices will be recovered after theft

Absolute Software, the makers of the LoJack theft recovery service, announced today that through a partnership with Samsung it will be offering its services to all Galaxy S4 handsets. The service, which was previously targeted at desktop and laptop computers, is making the move into the mobile space with one of the most popular devices out today. Unlike other services that can pretty easily be removed when a phone is factory reset, the LoJack system is embedded at the firmware level and will survive any tampering or attempts to remove it by a criminal. 

Beyond just making sure that the phone is traced, locked and remotely wiped, you'll get the expertise of LoJack's years of experience in tracking stolen property. When we spoke to LoJack representatives here at CTIA they said they've recovered laptops in as little as 40 minutes, and as long as four and a half years after they were stolen. That just shows the determination of the people behind this service.

While it is embedded in every Galaxy S4 device, it won't be available to be activated until "early this summer". LoJack isn't releasing specific pricing at this point, but has indicated that the service will start at $29.99 with multiple subscription options ranging from 1 to 4 years at a time. 

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Today's update brings a new look and some powerful tools to Google Drive 

Google Drive has a big update in Google Play today, with two very cool features being added. The interface of the application has been redesigned, and now we see Google's new cards design at play, looking very much like a mashup of Google Now and Google+.

In addition, users can scan paper items like receipts or bills, and transfer them into pdf files to get stored in Drive, With the new OCR technology, you'll even be able to search through their contents. This should make things a bit easier to use Google Drive for things like expense reports, and the new sheets (spreadsheets) editing tools will make it easier to build that report.

There are also a few other small changes, like being able to download local copies to your Android device and use Google Cloud Print with any compatible printer. To get this one, just click the Google Play link above.

Via: Google

    

Full screen browsing and simpler searching highlight the changes in Chrome 27 for Android

Chrome for Android has been updated to version 27 (27.0.1453.90 to be exact), bringing one of the most requested features along for the ride -- full screen browsing. In addition, other changes like simpler searching and tab history made it into Chrome 27.

The Chrome team is excited to announce the promotion of Chrome 27 to the Stable channel. Chrome for Android 27.0.1453.90 contains a number of improvments including:

• Fullscreen on phones - Scroll down the page and the toolbar will disappear.
• Simpler searching - Searching from the omnibox will keep your search query visible in the omnibox, making it easier to edit, and show more on your search result page.
• Client-side certificate support - You can now access sites that require you to use a certificate and Chrome will allow you to select an installed certificate
• Tab history on tablets - Long press the browser back button to view your tab history
• And a ton of stability and performance fixes

The update is recommended, and you can get the latest version from the Google Play link above.

Via: Google Chrome

    

We're coming to you live this morning from the beautiful Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas, where Verizon is going to talk to us about ... something. Given the context of the CTIA venue, it's entirely possible we'll just be getting an update on Verizon's network capabilities -- and possibly an update on when to expect Voice Over LTE. Or, perhaps we'll actually get some new hardware. 

Only one way to find out -- it's liveblog time!

The show kicks off at 2 p.m. EDT, and 11 a.m. PDT. (OK, technically things get going at 10 after, but we're nothing if not early.)

Join us after the break as we bring it to you, live.

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$54.99 down payment or $599.99 outright

Arriving fashionably late to the Galaxy S4 party is Cricket, with today's news that it'll carry Samsung's latest smartphone from June 7. The prepaid carrier is offering the Galaxy S4 for $599.99 up-front or on a payment plan with a $54.99 down payment. Naturally, you'll need to pair the device with one of Cricket's service plans, which start at $45 per month. Not a bad deal for one of the top Android phones of the moment, if you're in a Cricket coverage area.

More details in the presser after the break.

Source: PR Newswire

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HTC 'Desire 200' gets certified in Taiwan, 'Desire 600' spotted in benchmarks

HTC looks set to restore the "Desire" brand for upcoming entry-level phones, according to details spotted across the web. The first comes from Taiwan's NCC certification body, which recently saw new entries for a "Desire 200" handset alongside the model number "102e" -- a number previously tied to the rumored entry-level "G2" device. That phone was said to pack a 3.5-inch HVGA screen and 512MB of RAM.

Meanwhile, references to a "Desire 600" have cropped up in the GFXBench benchmarking utility. Apparently a dual-SIM phone, the Desire 600 in question appeared to be running Android 4.1.2 on a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor with an qHD display.

The Desire line has gone from signifying the best of HTC's line-up to a budget range associated with mid-to-low-end hardware. Last year saw the launch of the Desire X and Desire C in these two categories. Since no official announcement has been made, we'd take this info with a pinch of salt. For its part, HTC seems mostly focused on the high end of the smartphone spectrum, with its HTC One handset.

Source: VR-Zone(Chinese), GFXBench, via: UnwiredView

    

The good news is that the wait is nearly over. The blasted #tm13 teasers shall soon cease (hey, we cut way back a few weeks ago) and we'll finally take the wraps off this thing. 

That said, we've got one last teaser for you. We'll be announcing the whole shebang next week, unless someone decides to leak it first, breaksclusive-style. And we'll be kicking the whole thing off the first week of June, with a small gathering of friends in New York City -- and you're invited. Plus, we're giving away a free trip to the party. We'll have full details at the Mobile Nations #tm13 site, so peep it for more. (And if you've already signed up for the e-mail alerts, you're already entered.)

And strap in, because we're changing the conversation.

    

Company surpasses IBM to take number two spot on BrandZ list

Google has been ranked as the world second-most valuable brand, on the 2013 BrandZ list of top global brands. The list, published by research agency Millward Brown Optimor, puts Google's brand value at $113.669 billion, well behind Apple's $185.071 billion. This year Google creeps ahead of IBM, last year's number two, which now sits in third place with brand value estimated at $112.536 billion.

Google and Apple are placed above big names like McDonalds (4), Coca-Cola (5), Microsoft (7) and Visa (9). Other big Android names on the list include Samsung at number 30, having jumped a whopping 25 places, and Verizon, which dropped three spots to number 12. China Mobile maintained its number 10 spot, with estimated brand value of $55.368 billion.

Google's jump from third to second shows steady growth, but Apple clearly remains the company to beat, retaining the title of most valuable brand. Samsung's meteoric rise of to thirtieth is also noteworthy, and likely has a lot to do with the success of its Android-based Galaxy smartphones over the past year.

Check the source link down below for the full list of top 100 brands.

Source: Marketing Week; via: PhoneArena