HTC Windows Phone 8 Announcement, Official discussion

[George P Global Moderator]

Official thread to discuss the new HTC devices.

Live blog of the event at:

http://live.mobilenations.com/Event/HTC_Windows_Phone_8_Announcement

The blog is going to go up in a few minutes.

[micro]

I swear to god, if T-Mobile ends up getting the HTC 8s and NOT the Accord.. Im going to be So ****ed...

[grayscale]

So Neowin won't be covering this one?

[George P Global Moderator]

Live blog is up now.

[guru]

hopefully HTC will come up with 4" , weather sealed, thin and light phone ZuneHD ish phone with an nice low light camera.

[George P Global Moderator]

Seems the event is running late, nice going HTC.

The Verge guys are in, event still hasn't started yet.

[George P Global Moderator]

HTC CEO Peter Chou is on stage now.

"Today, you are going to see how HTC and Microsoft are bringing you all new experiences"

More Pics.

Chou talking about how he and Ballmer discussed how they had to do something DIFFERENT

"We need a breakthrough. We need an iconic Windows Phone."

Steve Ballmer taking the stage.

"What we are reviewing today is HTC's and Microsoft's biggest endeavor yet"

Two new devices, 8X and 8S.

New Devices.

For the record, 8X = Accord, 8S = Rio

[Osiris]

Nice to see we have a 4" option now. I fell in love with HTC back in the early WinMo days but for the last few years have not been a fan of their recycled design (ad nausem) and drop in production quality but if they price it competitively I would consider the 8S. For me it will be a toss up between this and the 820. 920 whilst beautiful is larger/heavier than what I prefer.

The orange one looks lol worthy.

Nice to see MS and HTC teaming up for some marketing. Marketing partnership with OEM should have happened years ago.

[George P Global Moderator]

I like how HTC is now on the color bandwagon. No more of just having black and white as color options only, with maybe a silver for the hell of it.

[Osiris]

Didn't know Moby's dad worked for HTC :p

I like how HTC is now on the color bandwagon. No more of just having black and white as color options only, with maybe a silver for the hell of it.

I believe they have to be, if you look at the way things are going with Win8 marketing and particularly around the surface and its covers etc I believe the whole colour personalisation will be an iconic aspect of the whole win8(wp8) themes/marketing.

[George P Global Moderator]

They're talking about the live tiles again.

Side view of the device.

HTC finally took the veil of their 8X device featuring Windows Phone 8. The device features an array of various technologies, including a 4.3? Super LCD2 display with Gorilla Glass2 at 720P resolution. In addition, the 8X features a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm S4 CPU, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of non-expandable storage.

But perhaps the most interesting feature besides the included NFC and 8MP BSI camera, is the Beats audio software and hardware. The software features some advanced DSP and signal correction technology but the 8X also features a 2.55v amplifier to greatly increase sound output.

And just as important, the HTC 8X will be coming to AT&T (US) for an estimated price of $199...

Likewise, the phone features a 2MP front-facing camera with an F2 aperture and 88 degree wide-angle view, geared for better self-shots when out with friends. The camera also features HTC?s dedicated image processor for fast image rendering.

[guru]

OMG 8X has curved glass and thats considered mid range?

[George P Global Moderator]

Interesting, the 8X's front-facing camera does full 1080p recording, also a f/2.0 lens.

8X and 8S to more markets and partners than any other previous HTC Windows phone

Coming in November, Together, both will be available on 150 mobile operators in over 50 countries"

8X on T-Mobile, ATT, and Verizon!!

Hands on video.

[guru]

there was nothing about 8S :/

[George P Global Moderator]

Yeah, nothing about the 8S but I think it'll hit those 3 carriers as well, but maybe not right away like the 8X will.

[Osiris]

I found this comparison useful for 920 v 8X

http://www.wpcentral.com/comparison-htc-one-8x-vs-nokia-lumia-920

[George P Global Moderator]

I found this comparison useful for 920 v 8X

http://www.wpcentral...nokia-lumia-920

They're close, and hell they even look close, not just the gutts that come close. Honestly though it depends on what you want, I still think the 920 is the better device, I expect it has the better camera and also more storage plus the wireless charging but the 8X has the better front facing camera and probably better audio playback.

Of course if you toss in the Nokia apps that I just don't see HTC competing with then they pull a good deal ahead IMO.

Rogers confirms HTC 8X for Canadians

HTC announced the 8X today, and Rogers just dropped me a line saying that they'll have both the 8 GB and 16 GB model available. Rogers will actually have an exclusive on the 8 GB model, though I'm having a hard time believing anyone would really be itching for less storage rather than more.

No word on price just yet, but it's looking like AT&T will be getting the HTC 8X for $199, which could very well translate to Canada as well. Now just to see if TELUS, Bell, or even WIND or Mobilicity will be offering any of the new HTC devices...

http://www.wpcentral.com/rogers-confirms-htc-8x-canadians

[Osiris]

Yeah in some respects the 8X seems more like a competitor to the 820 (screen size, storage space, weight etc) but in any case I think its a solid phone, looks gorgeous on the hands on videos and its going to be cheaper than the 920 without a doubt.

At the end of the day it all comes down to choice, the 920 screen and weight is too large for my needs so the 820 was the contender for me but now the 8X is up there. Will really come down to who hits the market first and pricing

[grayscale]

Something is off with that colored speaker grill on the 8X :/

[George P Global Moderator]

Yeah in some respects the 8X seems more like a competitor to the 820 (screen size, storage space, weight etc) but in any case I think its a solid phone, looks gorgeous on the hands on videos and its going to be cheaper than the 920 without a doubt.

At the end of the day it all comes down to choice, the 920 screen and weight is too large for my needs so the 820 was the contender for me but now the 8X is up there. Will really come down to who hits the market first and pricing

Yeah, if you feel that 4.5" is too big for you then the 8X does look better than the 820 in the 4.3" range, no doubt. I'll have to hold the 920 in my hand but so far I want the bigger screen personally.

[guru]

whats with the NO Micro SD slot of these "high end" phones with just 16gb of built in memory?

[George P Global Moderator]

There probably just isn't a big enough demand for 32GB and up, when you still have apple making 8GB and 16GB options for it's devices I think that says it all. Besides these aren't actually high-end. I think we'll see a 3rd HTC device with a bigger screen and either 32GB inside like the Lumia 920 or 16GB + microSD slot for the more media hungry people.

[Osiris]

Thinking about it more I wonder if Samsung refused to Get aboard the win8 colour train and that's why they got no love from ms at their launch. I just have a funny feeling ms is behind these colours in the design not necessarily Nokia or htc alone.

[guru]

4S doesnt have front facing camera :/

so this http://techcrunch.co...o-one-will-buy/ is sadly right

[George P Global Moderator]

4S doesnt have front facing camera :/

so this http://techcrunch.co...o-one-will-buy/ is sadly right

I don't think the 8S is midrange at all, it's obviously low-range IMO. I mean dual 1Ghz and 512MB of ram with very low internal storage (though you have a microSD slot). All of that says low range, why anyone would think it's "mid" is crazy.

If the 8X is going to hit AT&T for $199 I bet the 8S will be free with a contract from the start.