| Blip: Miley Cyrus, rest assured: Apple's going to make its Emoji more ethnically diverse Mar 26th 2014, 15:03, by Hugh Langley 
More than a year after Miley Cyrus kicked off about the lack of ethnic diversity in Apple's emojis, MTV went to Cupertino and asked what it planned to do about And whaddyaknow - it says it's actually working on it right now. "There needs to be more diversity in the emoji character set, and we have been working closely with the Unicode Consotium in an effort to update the standard," said Katie Cotton, Apple's vice president of worldwide corporate communications And yet there are three types of cable car. Three. More blips!Plenty of variety in our blips        |  | Opinion: OK HTC, you've made a great phone - now actually sell the damn thing Mar 26th 2014, 12:02, by Gareth Beavis -470-75.JPG)
It's indicative of how little impact HTC's campaign with Robert Downey Jr had that I could only remember one of the things he used the brands letters to spell. Hipster Troll Carwash, H-something Tinfoil Catamaran… that's it. This was HTC trying to convey it was a 'fun' and 'alternative' brand against the likes of Apple and Samsung when really it should have been ramming all its resources into making its flagship handset a success. The HTC One was a game-changing phone, not just for the brand but for the smartphone market as a whole. Apple had previously has the design segment sewn up, but here was HTC showing that it could take Android, skin it in an attractive way and put it in a chassis that nearly everyone I showed it to adored. I feel for the brand that, like so many of the others, is filled with talented people making a phone people will actually enjoy. The task of making a decent handset is done, and it's over to whoever is in charge of selling the thing to seal the deal. And yet all we see is RDJ shrugging with some tiny green people wearing glasses. It's the equivalent of Mercedes launching a new high end saloon by filling it with clowns and having all the wheels fall off. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oTYzM7l5P8That car analogy is one that HTC needs to adhere to if it's going to gain any traction with the new One (M8). This is a phone that takes that design message on further, and it's really something to behold. This is the Mercedes of the phone world, the first feel evoking the same kind of quiet wonder when you slide behind the wheel of the latest high-end vehicle. HTC needs to communicate this to the world. It needs to find a way to show people a phone that they must hold instead of upgrading to whatever phone the person at their network warbles about. ('Yeah, it's got a good camera…and some apps… shall I put that through for you?'). What's more frustrating is that I've seen the videos of the construction process for these phones. The One S' satellite-level chassis created by millions of tiny lightning strikes, the One being hewn from a single block of aluminium by a ballet of cutting robots. These are the things consumers need to see, not Iron Man without the suit. The early signs are mildly encouraging – sure, it's gone down the celebrity route with Gary Oldman, but at least HTC has put him in a more evocative scene, highlighted the premium prowess of the One (M8), used a darkened room with a shining city in the background, and challenged viewers to ask online peers to see whether it's a good phone. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHdYDNs0qq4It's a ballsy approach, and one backed up by a promotional launch videos of One (M8) showing a premium phone being slipped together like a suave Transformer. A high-selling flagship phone isn't the silver bullet HTC needs to recover from its sliding financial position – I've not even touched on the fact it's lost traction in the all-important low-end Android market, a place it once was so dominant with the likes of the Wildfire a few years ago. HTC needs to do more than make a phone that can go toe-to-toe with Apple and Samsung – and win. It has to show the world, convincingly, that it can do so, and it needs to somehow work out a way to do it with a fraction of the marketing budget of its rivals. Any place you can buy the Galaxy S5, you'll be able to buy the One (M8), and you need to make consumers savvy enough to ignore the shop assistant hawking whichever phone will get them the most commission. Relegate RDJ to making viral videos with skateboarding unicorns, give the world smartphone lust with hard hitting, experiential advertising, and start to make those with the cash to actually buy the phone feel like it's the only option in a congested market. Here's To actual Change, HTC.        | | Aussie telcos announce Samsung Galaxy S5 pricing Mar 26th 2014, 10:00, by Farrha Khan 
If you're looking to get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy S5, pricing and availability has finally been revealed by Aussie telcos Optus, Telstra and Vodafone. The next Samsung flagship will land in Australia on April 11, the same time as the majority of the world , and our telcos will begin taking pre-orders from tomorrow. On a $70 plan, Telstra customers can get the phone with a $12 monthly repayment charge. Telstra also revealed that it will sell the phone outright for $912, and though neither Vodafone or Optus stated their outright plans at the time of writing, we imagine they will price the handset for around the same. On its 24-month plans, Optus will have monthly handset repayments starting from $26 on it's lowest $35 plan, up to $7 per month on it's $100 plan. Though if we compare Optus' prices more closely to Telstra's, an Optus $60 plan will cost you an extra $16 in monthly repayments while an $80 plan will cost you $11. Vodafone will be charging an extra $28 per month for the handset on it's lowest $30 plan, up to $0 on its highest $100 Red plan. For comparison's sake, on both of its $60 and $65 24-month plans, a Samsung Galaxy S5 will have $14 handset repayments, while the $80 plan will have a $4 handset repayment. All geared upOptus and Telstra have also announced their pricing for Samsung's wearable Galaxy Gear range, which will also be available from April 11. The Gear Fit will be available through both Telstra and Optus for $10 per month when added to an eligible 24-month plans. It will cost $249 outright through Telstra and $240 through Optus. Optus will have the Gear 2 Neo for $240 outright and $10 per month when added to a 24-month plan as well, while the Gear 2 will be $360 outright and $15 per month on a plan. Telstra will have the Gear 2 Neo and Gear 2 available for purchase outright for $249 and $369, respectively.        | | Facebook hits 1 billion mobile monthly active users Mar 26th 2014, 00:41, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
Not only is Facebook forking over around $2 billion (about £1.2b, AU$2.1b) for the company that makes Oculus Rift, it's also stepping out with some pretty heady numbers for its longer-standing properties. First up, Facebook's first true love: mobile. Zuckerberg revealed Facebook now has 1 billion active users on its mobile apps. The company repeated its December 2013 figure of 945 million monthly users just last week, but clearly it was time for an update. Furthermore, Zuckerberg said that looking at all mobile phone usage, more than 20% of peoples' time is spent on Facebook. The company has made much of its "mobile first" approach, and it appears to be paying off. Insta-successAs for Instagram, Facebook's first big payout, the photo sharing service revealed today that it has over 200 million users, with over 50 million of those joining in the last six months. Users sat at 100 million when Facebook purchased the then-tiny team in 2012. During a call with analysts to discuss the Oculus purchase, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Instagram is "already ahead of where we want it to be." He assured Facebook won't make multi-billion dollar purchases every few months a regular thing, but with Instagram growing, WhatsApp expected to reach 1 billion people and Oculus Rift's potential as the future of computing, there's certainly some things Zuck is wiling to spend his bucks on.        | | HTC One (M8) arriving Down Under on April 1 Mar 25th 2014, 22:45, by Farrha Khan and Michelle Fitzsimmons 
The HTC One (M8) is finally here for you to feast your eyes upon, but when, where and for how much can you pick up and play with the next "World's Best Phone"? Luckily, the new One is headed to Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, and while pre-orders start today for all three telcos, the phone won't be available in Australia until April 1. Although outright pricing hasn't been revealed by the telcos, the HTC One (M8) will come Down Under with an RRP of $899. Over at Telstra, customers can pick up HTC's latest starting at $81 dollars up to $136, depending on plan tier, with the price including the monthly plan cost and handset repayments. You can also add New Phone Feeling to your plan if you want to be able to upgrade your phone after 12 months. At Vodafone, you'll be able to get the HTC One (M8) for $52 a month on it's lowest plan, with the handset included in its $80 and $100 Red plans. It'll cost an extra $10 a month on its $60 Red plan. Optus will offer the handset on each of its My Plan tiers as well, with prices starting at $58 up to $105, including monthly handset repayments. The telco has an introductory offer up until April 10 on it's $60 plan, with the handset costing $12 a month on top of the plan price. HTC One (M8) likes to PlayHTC has also announced the the US will have access to a HTC One (M8) Google Play edition, and pre-orders for this model starting right now through Google's Play Store. The vanilla Android version will be available in silver for US$699, which is about $763, with supported wireless bands include GSM, WCDMA and LTE. There's no word yet on if it will be made to available for Australia. The Google Play edition will be able to take advantage of the M8's Duo Camera by leveraging HTC's APIs, however the Taiwanese firm didn't have any details on just how Google will accomplish this.        | | Samsung Galaxy S5 Active may be bound for at least two US carriers Mar 25th 2014, 21:23, by Michael Rougeau 
The Galaxy S5 is dust- and water-resistant, but that hasn't alleviated the need for an Active variant, according to one source. Twitter tipster @evleaks, whose track record with such things is quite impressive, says Samsung's Galaxy S5 Active (model number SM-G870x, which has popped up before) will launch on US carriers Sprint and AT&T, "among other carriers." Like the Galaxy S4 Active, the Galaxy S5 Active will presumably be more rugged than the standard S5. Although considering Samsung has positioned the latest Galaxy already as quite rugged, it's unclear how exactly it might differentiate an actual Active version. Something unexpectedPrevious speculation has surmised that the Galaxy S5 Active, as well as a Galaxy S5 Zoom to mirror the Galaxy S4 Zoom, will be released in 2014. That tidbit came from a Korean site that claimed to have spoken with sources in the know, but Samsung has yet to chime in with a "yes," "no" or "maybe." According to the same report, Samsung is hoping that S5 Active sales will ultimately account for 20% or 30% of total global S5 numbers. That would be a huge jump from the 4% of global Galaxy S4 sales that the S4 Active reportedly accounted for, so maybe Samsung has more up its sleeves than simply a more rugged version of the S5.        | | Developers can now get in on the HTC BlinkFeed action Mar 25th 2014, 18:07, by JR Bookwalter 
HTC's latest and greatest flagship smartphone, the HTC One (M8), is at long last officially official, which means it's time to start digging into the nitty-gritty of just what the company's updated Sense user interface has in store for us. Engadget followed up this morning's HTC media event by detailing how the Taiwanese smartphone maker plans to open its built-in skin ever so slightly by allowing developers of all shapes and sizes to make their content part of the new Sense 6.0. To accomplish this goal, HTC has delivered a software development kit (SDK), which will allow third party companies to contribute to the tiled stream of data which appears in BlinkFeed on the new HTC One (M8). HTC appears to be taking baby steps by announcing only two SDK partners at launch: Geolocation-based social network service Foursquare and fitness wearables maker Fitbit. SDK or bustFoursquare will deliver location-specific suggestions to the BlinkFeed home screen, essentially an extension of what the dedicated Android app already does with notifications. The inclusion of Fitbit is far more interesting, however, given that it can sidestep the need to slap the company's wearable device onto your wrist and instead tap into the internal sensors of the HTC One (M8). One such example of Fitbit SDK integration is seeing how many steps you've taken right from BlinkFeed, rather than having to open the standalone app to take a peek. HTC will have its work cut out for it enlisting additional SDK partners in the months ahead, but the smartphone maker's confirmation that Sense 6.0 will soon be coming to last year's HTC One, HTC One Mini and HTC One Max handsets should encourage developers who might otherwise be on the fence. - Curious what Apple has in store for us with iPhone 6? We're keeping tabs on it!
       | | Versus: HTC One (M8) vs iPhone 5S Mar 25th 2014, 16:30, by John McCann 
Design, OS and displayThe new HTC One (M8) is official and it's one of the best looking smartphones we've laid eyes on, so naturally we've put it up against the equally glamorous iPhone 5S to see how the two style icons compare. Will the Touch ID toting, smaller screened iPhone 5S take your fancy, or will HTC's last mobile marvel win you over with its larger display, dual cameras and booming Boomsound? Read on as we put the two head to head. Headline FeaturesAs we've already mentioned the key feature which makes the new HTC One (M8) and iPhone 5S stand out from the rest of the mobile crowd is their design. The quality isn't just surface deep however, with both handsets packing powerful processors, the latest operating systems and a wealth of additional features. You'll find Apple's clever Touch ID fingerprint scanner hidden up the home button on the iPhone 5S, providing an easier and more secure way to unlock the phone and pay for purchases in iTunes and the App Store. The 8MP iSight camera on the rear of the device has been given a spruce up over the snapper which featured in the iPhone 5, and under the hood sits Apple's punchy A7 processor. 
While the HTC One (M8) negates any fancy fingerprint or retina scanning tech, it does keep the dual front facing BoomSound speakers which have been overhauled from the original One for even better audio quality. Round the back you get not one, but two camera lenses - more on those in a bit - and on the right side of the One (M8) you'll find a microSD slot. This allows you to build on the 16GB/32GB of internal storage - something you can't do on iPhone. DesignIf design is a core aspect of your smartphone buying process then you'll be fully satisfied with either handsets on show here. Apple has always been known for its premium build quality and the iPhone 5S is no different with its compact metal and glass frame looking as good as it feels. In an age where the size of smartphones is rapidly getting out of hand, the iPhone 5S comes as welcome relieve to your palm as its manageable dimensions make it easy to hold and slip into a pocket. 
The angular edges aren't the most comfortable though, and if you find yourself with 5S in hand for an extended period of time it may start to dig in a bit. We were thoroughly impressed with the design of the HTC One last year, but somehow the Taiwanese firm has managed to go one better with the One (M8). Its gently curving back means that even for a big phone (the new HTC One has a 5-inch display versus the 4-inch offering on the 5S) it rests nicely in the palm and the rounded edges are kinder on your hands during extending periods of holding. 
Of course the HTC One (M8) is considerably heavier than the 112g iPhone 5S, weighing in at 160g. That might be a bit of a deal breaker for some, but those of you who have already experienced phones such as the Xperia Z1, Lumia 925 or Galaxy S4 you won't have any issues. We prefer the unibody design of the HTC One (M8) overall as it ties the handset into one neat package, although the iPhone 5S looks and feels just a premium. OS and UIIn this head to head we have the two biggest mobile operating systems (OS) up against each other - Android and iOS. No prizes for guessing which platform each phone runs, but the HTC One (M8) comes with the freshest flavour of Google's OS - Android 4.4 KitKat. To be more exact the version is 4.4.2, but it doesn't stop there. HTC has also slapped its brand new Sense 6.0 user interface (UI) over the top to provide that familiar HTC on-screen look and feel. 
Sense 6.0 isn't a huge departure from Sense 5.5 which can be found on the HTC One Max, with a few new features such as gesture controls to wake the handset and automatically launch you into an app. HTC's Sense overlay is one of the most comprehensive on the market and while Android purists may be put off, it's a well honed interface which provides a welcome amount of control. If having control is your thing you won't be such a big fan of the locked down iOS 7 which is running on the iPhone 5S - it prefers to control you instead. 
Now that's not a bad thing as iOS 7 does make many tasks easier than Android and anyone who has bought into Apple previously will feel at home here - it's also super easy to transfer yourself from an old iPhone to the 5S. iOS 7 saw the biggest shake up in Apple's mobile platform since its conception with a new design and colour, but beneath the layer of gloss it's business as usually with a powerful OS providing you with an excellent user experience. ScreenThe HTC One (M8) is the daddy here with its 5-inch, full HD display boasting a 441ppi, while the iPhone 5S is left with a 640 x 1136 Retina resolution clocking in at 326ppi. Apple has stuck with its Retina display for a few years now and it's been surpassed by pretty much every mobile manufacturer out there. That's not to say it's a poor quality offering, as it still manages to render text and video well, but that's aided by the small 4-inch display. 
That 4-inch screen size is fast becoming the default for the entry-level mobile market, and with high-end rivals topping 5 inches and full HD displays you can't help but feel a little short changed when presented with the offering on the iPhone 5S. The low cost Moto G has a bigger screen than the iPhone 5S, yet the same pixel density - it just doesn't add up. Especially if you then go straight over to the HTC One (M8) and lay eyes on its full HD resolution which is more defined than the 5S. 
The larger screen also makes watching movies and playing games a lot easier, not to mention more enjoyable. Of course the size may prove too big for some, but the HTC One (M8) is still manageable - it's certainly not as unruly in the hand as the likes of the One Max or Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Power, battery, camera and verdictCPU and RAMWhen it comes to raw power there is only one winner here on paper - the new HTC One (M8). It sports Qualcomm's latest quad-core chip - the Snapdragon 801 - clocked at 2.3GHz and that's backed up by 2GB of RAM. The iPhone 5S on the other hand sports a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and just 1GB of RAM - but don't let that put you off. 
Because iOS 7 only needs to support a handful of devices Apple has managed to optimise the platform to ensure it gets maximum performance from its modest components. What does this mean? Well it means you're not going to see a great deal of difference in terms of navigation, speed and load times between the iPhone 5S and HTC One (M8). We did notice that the One (M8) tended to be a shade quicker than the 5S, especially when it came to more intensive tasks such as loading a graphically heavy game, but you're unlikely to be slowed down by either device. Battery lifeWith its larger screen and more powerful innards you may well be fearing for the battery inside the HTC One (M8), and to be fair at first we were too - but those fears were quickly extinguished. HTC has squeezed a slightly larger battery into the One (M8) over its predecessor - up from 2300mAh to 2600mAh - but the real star of the show here is the Snapdragon 801 chip. In our tests we found that even with heavy usage the HTC One (M8) was able to last around a day and a half on a single charge, and if you cut out gaming and movies it'll see out two days. 
Move over to the iPhone 5S and things don't look quite so stellar, although it's not bad news. The current standard we expect from out smartphones is a full day of usage and the 5S delivers that - but that's all the 1560mAh battery gives you. For those of you who like to carry spare, fully charged batteries in your bag there's some bad news, as neither device offers a removable power pack thanks to the unibody designs of the handsets. CameraWhen it comes to looking at the cameras on the HTC One (M8) and iPhone 5S it gets a bit interesting as on paper neither handset sounds like a top of the range mobile snapper. The iPhone 5S boasts an 8MP camera, while over on the HTC One (M8) you get two sensors on the rear of the device with the main one equivalent to just 4MP. Compare these to the 16MP Galaxy S5, 20.7MP Xperia Z2 and 41MP Lumia 1020 and it appears to be a losing battle. We found what the iPhone 5S produced the better general images when heading out and about snapping various scenes, but it's in post production where the One (M8) really fights back. 
The new One (M8) comes out on top in terms of tricks, with an impressive array of post-capture tools allowing you to easily and quickly create a really unique image. The best feature here is U-focus, which allows you to select the focus point of an image after the photo has been taken. This means you can choose whether to highlight an object in the foreground, or a landscape in the background. It's all thanks to the Duo Camera setup on the rear of the new HTC One, where the second, smaller lens only captures depth information, rather than a complete image. 
Both devices sport front facing cameras, with the iPhone 5S equipped with a 1.2MP offering for those all important Facetime calls, while the new HTC One boasts a 5MP camera - perfect for a cheeky selfie. PriceThe HTC One (M8) is a high end smartphone and thus commands the same lofty price tag as its predecessor. While £550 (around $650, AU$850) is a lot of money, the new HTC One is no more expensive than its Apple counterpart. In fact the 16GB iPhone 5S, which doesn't feature a microSD card slot, will set you back £549 ($649, AU$869) while the 32GB is £629 ($749, AU$999) and the 64GB variant clocks in at a whopping £709 ($849, AU$1,129) SIM free. It means the new One (M8) is priced reasonably well and it falls in line with the likes of the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2, while also having the advantage of going on sale before both of them. 
Early verdictSo which should you get - the iPhone 5S or the new HTC One (M8)? Well, that's actually up to you rather than us, as both are top quality devices offering rather different experiences. If you're heavily embedded in the Apple ecosystem, have plunged hundreds into iTunes or simply want a more palm and pocket friendly mobile the iPhone 5S is the one for you. Its glamorous design is just as premium as that of the HTC One (M8)'s, but its more compact chassis makes it easier to transport - although movie watching and gaming aren't quite as good on the smaller, lower resolution 4-inch display. Anyone looking for a real powerhouse of a mobile they can flaunt in front of their iPhone wielding friends will want to get their hands on the HTC One (M8). We love its all-metal unibody design, making it look and feel fantastic and that helps justify its lofty price tag a lot better than the all plastic Samsung Galaxy S5. If we were to choose, we'd nab the new HTC One (M8) over the iPhone 5S - although with a larger iPhone 6 looming on the horizon we could be drawn back to iOS in a few months time. Watch our full HTC One (M8) video review here: FutTv : 2VyBj32SQ32Xq  | | Versus: HTC One (M8) vs iPhone 5S Mar 25th 2014, 16:30, by John McCann
Design, OS and displayThe new HTC One (M8) is official and it's one of the best looking smartphones we've laid eyes on, so naturally we've put it up against the equally glamorous iPhone 5S to see how the two style icons compare. Will the Touch ID toting, smaller screened iPhone 5S take your fancy, or will HTC's last mobile marvel win you over with its larger display, dual cameras and booming Boomsound? Read on as we put the two head to head. Headline FeaturesAs we've already mentioned the key feature which makes the new HTC One (M8) and iPhone 5S stand out from the rest of the mobile crowd is their design. The quality isn't just surface deep however, with both handsets packing powerful processors, the latest operating systems and a wealth of additional features. You'll find Apple's clever Touch ID fingerprint scanner hidden up the home button on the iPhone 5S, providing an easier and more secure way to unlock the phone and pay for purchases in iTunes and the App Store. The 8MP iSight camera on the rear of the device has been given a spruce up over the snapper which featured in the iPhone 5, and under the hood sits Apple's punchy A7 processor.
While the HTC One (M8) negates any fancy fingerprint or retina scanning tech, it does keep the dual front facing BoomSound speakers which have been overhauled from the original One for even better audio quality. Round the back you get not one, but two camera lenses - more on those in a bit - and on the right side of the One (M8) you'll find a microSD slot. This allows you to build on the 16GB/32GB of internal storage - something you can't do on iPhone. DesignIf design is a core aspect of your smartphone buying process then you'll be fully satisfied with either handsets on show here. Apple has always been known for its premium build quality and the iPhone 5S is no different with its compact metal and glass frame looking as good as it feels. In an age where the size of smartphones is rapidly getting out of hand, the iPhone 5S comes as welcome relieve to your palm as its manageable dimensions make it easy to hold and slip into a pocket.
The angular edges aren't the most comfortable though, and if you find yourself with 5S in hand for an extended period of time it may start to dig in a bit. We were thoroughly impressed with the design of the HTC One last year, but somehow the Taiwanese firm has managed to go one better with the One (M8). Its gently curving back means that even for a big phone (the new HTC One has a 5-inch display versus the 4-inch offering on the 5S) it rests nicely in the palm and the rounded edges are kinder on your hands during extending periods of holding.
Of course the HTC One (M8) is considerably heavier than the 112g iPhone 5S, weighing in at 160g. That might be a bit of a deal breaker for some, but those of you who have already experienced phones such as the Xperia Z1, Lumia 925 or Galaxy S4 you won't have any issues. We prefer the unibody design of the HTC One (M8) overall as it ties the handset into one neat package, although the iPhone 5S looks and feels just a premium. OS and UIIn this head to head we have the two biggest mobile operating systems (OS) up against each other - Android and iOS. No prizes for guessing which platform each phone runs, but the HTC One (M8) comes with the freshest flavour of Google's OS - Android 4.4 KitKat. To be more exact the version is 4.4.2, but it doesn't stop there. HTC has also slapped its brand new Sense 6.0 user interface (UI) over the top to provide that familiar HTC on-screen look and feel.
Sense 6.0 isn't a huge departure from Sense 5.5 which can be found on the HTC One Max, with a few new features such as gesture controls to wake the handset and automatically launch you into an app. HTC's Sense overlay is one of the most comprehensive on the market and while Android purists may be put off, it's a well honed interface which provides a welcome amount of control. If having control is your thing you won't be such a big fan of the locked down iOS 7 which is running on the iPhone 5S - it prefers to control you instead.
Now that's not a bad thing as iOS 7 does make many tasks easier than Android and anyone who has bought into Apple previously will feel at home here - it's also super easy to transfer yourself from an old iPhone to the 5S. iOS 7 saw the biggest shake up in Apple's mobile platform since its conception with a new design and colour, but beneath the layer of gloss it's business as usually with a powerful OS providing you with an excellent user experience. ScreenThe HTC One (M8) is the daddy here with its 5-inch, full HD display boasting a 441ppi, while the iPhone 5S is left with a 640 x 1136 Retina resolution clocking in at 326ppi. Apple has stuck with its Retina display for a few years now and it's been surpassed by pretty much every mobile manufacturer out there. That's not to say it's a poor quality offering, as it still manages to render text and video well, but that's aided by the small 4-inch display.
That 4-inch screen size is fast becoming the default for the entry-level mobile market, and with high-end rivals topping 5 inches and full HD displays you can't help but feel a little short changed when presented with the offering on the iPhone 5S. The low cost Moto G has a bigger screen than the iPhone 5S, yet the same pixel density - it just doesn't add up. Especially if you then go straight over to the HTC One (M8) and lay eyes on its full HD resolution which is more defined than the 5S.
The larger screen also makes watching movies and playing games a lot easier, not to mention more enjoyable. Of course the size may prove too big for some, but the HTC One (M8) is still manageable - it's certainly not as unruly in the hand as the likes of the One Max or Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Power, battery, camera and verdictCPU and RAMWhen it comes to raw power there is only one winner here on paper - the new HTC One (M8). It sports Qualcomm's latest quad-core chip - the Snapdragon 801 - clocked at 2.3GHz and that's backed up by 2GB of RAM. The iPhone 5S on the other hand sports a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and just 1GB of RAM - but don't let that put you off.
Because iOS 7 only needs to support a handful of devices Apple has managed to optimise the platform to ensure it gets maximum performance from its modest components. What does this mean? Well it means you're not going to see a great deal of difference in terms of navigation, speed and load times between the iPhone 5S and HTC One (M8). We did notice that the One (M8) tended to be a shade quicker than the 5S, especially when it came to more intensive tasks such as loading a graphically heavy game, but you're unlikely to be slowed down by either device. Battery lifeWith its larger screen and more powerful innards you may well be fearing for the battery inside the HTC One (M8), and to be fair at first we were too - but those fears were quickly extinguished. HTC has squeezed a slightly larger battery into the One (M8) over its predecessor - up from 2300mAh to 2600mAh - but the real star of the show here is the Snapdragon 801 chip. In our tests we found that even with heavy usage the HTC One (M8) was able to last around a day and a half on a single charge, and if you cut out gaming and movies it'll see out two days.
Move over to the iPhone 5S and things don't look quite so stellar, although it's not bad news. The current standard we expect from out smartphones is a full day of usage and the 5S delivers that - but that's all the 1560mAh battery gives you. For those of you who like to carry spare, fully charged batteries in your bag there's some bad news, as neither device offers a removable power pack thanks to the unibody designs of the handsets. CameraWhen it comes to looking at the cameras on the HTC One (M8) and iPhone 5S it gets a bit interesting as on paper neither handset sounds like a top of the range mobile snapper. The iPhone 5S boasts an 8MP camera, while over on the HTC One (M8) you get two sensors on the rear of the device with the main one equivalent to just 4MP. Compare these to the 16MP Galaxy S5, 20.7MP Xperia Z2 and 41MP Lumia 1020 and it appears to be a losing battle. We found what the iPhone 5S produced the better general images when heading out and about snapping various scenes, but it's in post production where the One (M8) really fights back.
The new One (M8) comes out on top in terms of tricks, with an impressive array of post-capture tools allowing you to easily and quickly create a really unique image. The best feature here is U-focus, which allows you to select the focus point of an image after the photo has been taken. This means you can choose whether to highlight an object in the foreground, or a landscape in the background. It's all thanks to the Duo Camera setup on the rear of the new HTC One, where the second, smaller lens only captures depth information, rather than a complete image.
Both devices sport front facing cameras, with the iPhone 5S equipped with a 1.2MP offering for those all important Facetime calls, while the new HTC One boasts a 5MP camera - perfect for a cheeky selfie. PriceThe HTC One (M8) is a high end smartphone and thus commands the same lofty price tag as its predecessor. While AU$899 is a lot of money, the new HTC One is no more expensive than its Apple counterpart. In fact the 16GB iPhone 5S, which doesn't feature a microSD card slot, will set you back AU$869 while the 32GB is AU$999 and the 64GB variant clocks in at a whopping AU$1,129 SIM free. It means the new One (M8) is priced reasonably well and it falls in line with the likes of the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2, while also having the advantage of going on sale before both of them.
Early verdictSo which should you get - the iPhone 5S or the new HTC One (M8)? Well, that's actually up to you rather than us, as both are top quality devices offering rather different experiences. If you're heavily embedded in the Apple ecosystem, have plunged hundreds into iTunes or simply want a more palm and pocket friendly mobile the iPhone 5S is the one for you. Its glamorous design is just as premium as that of the HTC One (M8)'s, but its more compact chassis makes it easier to transport - although movie watching and gaming aren't quite as good on the smaller, lower resolution 4-inch display. Anyone looking for a real powerhouse of a mobile they can flaunt in front of their iPhone wielding friends will want to get their hands on the HTC One (M8). We love its all-metal unibody design, making it look and feel fantastic and that helps justify its lofty price tag a lot better than the all plastic Samsung Galaxy S5. If we were to choose, we'd nab the new HTC One (M8) over the iPhone 5S - although with a larger iPhone 6 looming on the horizon we could be drawn back to iOS in a few months time. Watch our full HTC One (M8) video review here: FutTv : 2VyBj32SQ32Xq  | | Updated: HTC reveals that an HTC One (M8) Google Play edition is coming Mar 25th 2014, 16:21, by Hugh Langley 
Update: The cat's finally out of the bag on the HTC One (M8). The vanilla Android version will be available in silver for US$699 (AU$764). Supported wireless bands include GSM, WCDMA and LTE. The Google Play edition will be able to take advantage of the M8's Duo Camera by leveraging HTC's APIs, however the Taiwanese firm didn't have any details on just how Google will accomplish this. Developer and SIM Unlocked flavors of the phone are also available for AU$899. Here's our hands-on video with the HTC One (M8): FutTv : HV1AX4l7AN61fOriginal story ... HTC's doing a stand-up job of keeping its secrets under wraps, having just revealed that there will be a Google Play edition of the HTC One (M8). Yup, just when we thought we'd seen it all, HTC went and outed the stock Android version of its currently-unannounced new flagship, despite the fact that it'll be going official in just a few hours' time. "Support for HTC One (M8) Google Play Edition is limited to HTC Photo Edit," reads the description for the HTC Gallery app. Good one, guys. Nothing on when the pure Android version will be available but we can pretty much take this as confirmation that it's on its way.   | | Versus: HTC One (M8) vs HTC One (2013) Mar 25th 2014, 16:00, by Gareth Beavis 
Key features, screen and CPUYou've walked into your local phone store. You've heard about them fancy-dan HTC phones, but you're greeted suddenly with two models. Both are metal. Both have a fancy overlay with something called Blinkfeed and massive speakers above and below the screen. You quickly discern, using your smartphone detective powers, that one is the HTC One from last year, and the other is the all new HTC One (M8). Suddenly you're all at sea. You can see there's a price disparity, but man, they both look good. How will you ever work out which one is best for you? DILEMMA, right? Luckily, you were smart. You either read up ahead of time, or you're in the shop right now reading this on the phone from 2011 that you've finally decided to upgrade. Either way, mop your brow and let us guide you through the process of deciding whether you need the latest HTC One (M8) or whether the still-excellent model from 2013 can do a job for your smartphone life (and save some cash too). Key featuresThe phrase 'same but different' has never been so relevant to a phone comparison, as HTC has managed to achieve the feat of keeping most of the heritage of the One and yet update it enough so the One (M8) feels like an entirely new device. -420-90.JPG)
With that in mind, the key features are largely the same, although upgraded in nearly every way. For instance, the Boomsound speakers are present (and prevalent) on both phones, but the newer version is able to pump out sound 25% louder than its predecessor. It can also manage sound better thanks to a powerful digital signal processing chip, which means it can allow improved mid range and treble tones while making sure everything isn't distorted by bass. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noLo6GolisYThe design between the two devices on show here is both stark and similar at the same time. Both share the same heritage in terms of construction, with a single block of aluminium leading to the final result. However, the two phones are markedly different in the hand, and that's down to the HTC One (M8) being made of 30% more metal than its predecessor, coming in at over 90% compared to just 70%. The new One is so tightly packed that it has all the components put in from the front during manufacture - yet it still adds in a microSD slot where the original version was devoid of such expansion. This is going to be a big deal to a lot of users, although the way in which it's accessed is not so simple: you'll need the same SIM tool in the box to get to the expandable memory as you will the now-smaller nanoSIM. -420-90.JPG)
(Yes, you'll need to get a new SIM card if you're not upgrading from a newer iPhone). This isn't a huge deal, as the chances are most people will actually only plug in a new memory card once or twice during the lifetime of the phone (and you can upgrade it to 128GB) and it's a good addition to have. In terms of size, the new HTC One (M8) is taller than last year's version to accommodate the 5-inch screen, which is up from the 4.7-inch option from the year before. It's not a big deal, but will need a slightly longer thumb (or more palm jiggling) to get to the top of the screen. One area that it's great to see HTC has made an improvement is with the buttons on the top and side of the device - while last year's model had very little travel, the new One (M8) has volume and power keys that are excellent to use and very easy to find without looking. The headphone port has been moved to the bottom of the phone though - this is annoying for some, who think it's just fine where it is (and offers easier access to the volume keys) but others will appreciate being able to remove the phone from the pocket a little easier when listening to tunes. Side by side there's no doubt that the new HTC One (M8) has the more impressive and refined design of the two devices - however, the older model is still impressive and shouldn't be discounted just because it uses less metal. ScreenWe've just touched on the screen specs above, but it's worth talking through the differences here in a little more detail. For start, the size of the display has been increased to a five inch screen, up fro the 4.7-inch option on the 2013 model. While the resolution hasn't improved, with both still rocking a Full HD 1080p display, the overall effect isn't diminished, and the new model actually offering a slightly brighter and more vivid display. -420-90.JPG)
Both are Super LCD3, with HTC one of the only manufacturers to use such technology, but it's easily the equal of the Super AMOLED on the Samsung Galaxy range (although not in colour saturation) and is only bettered (possibly) by the excellent screen on the LG G2. CPU and RAMHere's something that will fly a little under the radar, but the chipset in the HTC One (M8) is a very strong option indeed. The new phone brings the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 variant, which is great news for a number of reasons. The obvious one is it's faster, but in truth things go a little deeper than that. While yes, the HTC One (M8) is so much slicker under the finger than last year's model, it's in areas like battery life and camera processing where the enhancements are obvious. -420-90.JPG)
We'll come onto the power management in another section, but trust us when we say the HTC One (M8) can last a lot longer with the Snapdragon 801 compared to the Snapdragon 600 used in last year's model. Both are packing 2GB of RAM, which is more than enough for a phone of this quality, and allows for all the heavy lifting you'd expect. The new HTC One (M8) is faster at processing photos and streaming movies from online too, as well as pumping content out to a larger display, and this is all down to the upgrade in the CPU and RAM department. Battery, camera and verdictBattery-420-90.jpg)
The battery on the HTC One (M8) is proclaimed as 40% longer lasting than its predecessor, and that's something that needed to happen as it was one of the bigger sticking points of the old version. To make that happen HTC has added in a 2600mAh battery and combined it with Qualcomm's more efficient Snapdragon 801 chip to make everything last a little bit longer. On top of that, the HTC One (M8) will also be arriving with Extreme Power Saving Mode, which will allow users to keep their device in a very low drain scenario by limiting the data to only slip in when the screen is on, and allowing access only to the likes of calling, messaging and calculator. We all need to do sums no matter how much power is left, people. In practice, the claims actually hold a fair amount of water. The new One (M8) is much, much better at holding its power than last year's version, and a standby drain of 5% every two hours is more than achievable. If you're looking at this purely as a business phone, meaning you won't be playing games or flipping about with apps or movies all the time, it's highly likely you'd only need to charge every couple of days, even if you use your phone regularly throughout the day. The HTC One from last year is improved when it comes to battery (compared to when it first launched) with the new Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade helping things again. But it's only a good buy if you're constantly going to be near a charger each day, where the new phone is much more content being plug-free for longer. CameraThe camera on both phones looks relatively similar from the outside – well, that is apart from the fact the HTC One (M8) has a large extra sensor on the top to provide depth to snaps. This works by clicking in the millisecond you press the shutter key, embedding the metadata into the JPG to allow the handset to work out which areas are foreground and which are not – essentially giving the user complete control over the subject they're actually snapping. -420-90.JPG)
The original device obviously doesn't have the same hardware, but both have the same Ultrapixel technology on board to make the low light pictures look great. However, while both come in at around 4 megapixels in resolution, meaning zoomed pictures or those blown up on a large screen will look a bit muddy, the new device has a more efficient image processor. This means, combined with the upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU, images focus and save incredibly quickly, even to microSD storage. The low light capability of both is still very impressive, but the newer phone understandably is a little more sensitive and can take more pictures at a faster pace. That said, if you just want a camera that doesn't do more than just take generally good shots and you don't give a hoot about post-capture processing, the first One is a good choice still. However, the new HTC One is a real step up and one that you should really consider if you're desperate to go with the Taiwanese brand but want to take the better snaps. VerdictIf you're torn between the HTC One from last year and the new HTC One (M8), then it's a very fine balance and really comes down to price. -420-90.JPG)
The older version is a good deal cheaper now a newer version is on the market, and probably works out slightly better dollar for dollar. However, do think about what you're signing up to if you go for the still-attractive older model. You've got a much stronger processor on the new device, which leads to better battery life and general use – it's less likely to slow down over your lifetime with it. That said, the older model still has enough of a feature set to warrant being a viable choice, and is going to get similar software to the new device as well to keep it fresh. So if you want to save money, 2013's One is a good buy, providing you don't mind no expandable storage, a lower-spec camera and a weaker battery. The new HTC One (M8) is definitely going to be one of, if not the, phone of 2014, so if you want to make sure you've got one of the best options for the next 24 months, we suggest that's the device to plump for. Check out our full HTC One (M8) video review: FutTv : 2VyBj32SQ32Xq  | | Nokia teases we're in for 'more Lumia' at Build 2014 Mar 25th 2014, 15:36, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
What's this? An invite from Nokia to an event during Build 2014? Whatever could this mean? Thankfully we don't have to strain our gray matter too hard. The Finnish phone maker also teased on the invitation to the April 2 event that we're in for "#moreLumia." "Join us for more" is slathered across the invite, and if this means more hors d'oeuvres in addition to more phones, we're there. We've heard rumors of new Nokia phones making their way to Microsoft's developer conference, but it seems a little bundle of Lumia is all but confirmed for the early April show. - For all the latest on the conference, tune in right here: Build 2014
  | | Versus: HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5: Early view Mar 25th 2014, 15:30, by Simon Hill 
HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5Samsung is the reigning heavyweight champion on the Android scene, and the Galaxy S5 looks like a return to form after the slightly disappointing S4. The Taiwanese contender has a proud Android pedigree and last year's HTC One was our pick of the smartphone bunch. The HTC One (M8) isn't the catchiest name we've ever heard, but even if the ungainly tag sticks, this is a beautiful-looking device. If any Android smartphone can mount a credible challenge to Samsung's dominance this year, it's got to be the HTC One (M8). Headline featuresDuking it out for the affections of the mass market means producing phones that have a really wide appeal. All the top Android phones have plenty in common, but the HTC One (M8) does offer a few standout features. Opting out of the megapixel war with ultrapixels, HTC is not afraid to be different. The HTC One (M8) has dual cameras on the back. There's a 4.1 ultrapixel camera with a depth perceiving camera above it, which gives 3D effects and, more importantly, the ability to refocus after taking a shot. -420-100.JPG "The HTC One (M8) is stacked with people-pleasing features")
That reassuringly expensive feel and aesthetic will win the One (M8) a lot of friends, and it retains the smart front-facing BoomSound speakers which were universally praised in its predecessor. A redesigned Sense interface with a stark, flat icon look and a host of time-saving gestures brings HTC bang up to date. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noLo6GolisYThe Samsung Galaxy S5 has a lot going for it. The company really took the criticism of the S4 to heart and responded by scaling down the huge list of features and dubious software enhancements to focus the S5 on what people really want. That's why there's a 16MP camera capable of snapping a shot in 0.3 seconds. Samsung also added real-time HDR and a handful of other modes and effects, which have resulted in a very strong-looking camera. 
Another big trend in mobile tech right now is fitness tracking. Samsung has improved the S Health app from last year, and added a heart rate sensor - decide for yourself whether that's something you'd want. Following Sony's lead, the Galaxy S5 is IP67 rated, which means dust poses no threat and it can be submerged at a depth of up to 1 metre for up to 30 minutes. DesignIts predecessor certainly turned heads and the HTC One (M8) has a similar aluminium body with a really precise, premium feel. HTC understands how to make a gorgeous smartphone that people will fall in love with on sight. It is 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35mm and it weighs in at 160g. 
Samsung's decision to stick with the same design language as its galaxy of Galaxy models has grown is harder to justify. The complaints about a cheap, plastic feel now stretch back years, and if you think the textured back resembles a sticking plaster, you're not the only one. On the other hand, the S5 is lighter and slimmer than its competitor. It weighs 145g and measures 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, but lacks that premium feel that we love on the One (M8). UIBoth devices feature Google's biscuity goodness in the shape of Android 4.4 KitKat. The One has HTC's Sense 6.0 on top, with some handy new gesture shortcuts and a flatter icon design. The S5 has Samsung's TouchWiz, which offers a huge list of settings to play with (though you might not find all of them very useful). 
HTC eschews separate buttons beneath the screen, opting for Google's preference of onscreen keys that can fade away when not in use. Samsung decided to stick with the physical home button and its touch-sensitive wing men. Both are decent overlays in their own right, in our opinion, and while we're getting used to having all keys on screen, we do like a physical home button. ScreenThe HTC One (M8) has a 5-inch display with a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution. The Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch screen which is also full HD at 1080p. Technically the One should be slightly sharper, but it isnt easy to tell the difference. The HTC goes for a Super LCD3 option, where Samsung has stayed true to form and gone with a bright and vibrant Super AMOLED HD option instead - this leads to higher colour saturation, but can be tweaked to your own preference. CPU and RAMThe Samsung Galaxy S5 is packing an impressive 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor backed up by 2GB of RAM. The HTC One (M8) is almost exactly the same with 2GB of RAM, and it's also powered by the quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, although it's clocked at 2.3GHz. We need to put them through their paces and check the benchmarks, but a major gap between them in terms of speed would be a surprise - despite HTC running ahead of the pack in our benchmark tests. BatteryYou'll find a 2,600 mAh battery in the HTC One (M8), while the S5's battery is slightly bigger at 2,800 mAh. The slightly smaller screen and the lower clock speed might help close the gap here. Both phones have a special power-saving mode that will help you prioritize when the battery gets low and squeeze the maximum use from your dwindling juice. The battery in the S5 can be swapped out, but the One (M8) is sealed. CameraThe cameras are a headline feature for both phones, but the approaches are very different. We have the dual rear camera setup of the HTC One (M8) with a 4.1 ultrapixel camera and a distance measuring camera above it. There's also a 5MP front-facing camera for top quality selfies. -420-100.JPG "Twin cameras promise 3D effects and post-snap focusing")
Samsung has gone for a 16MP main camera and a 2.1MP front-facing camera. The S5 is also capable of recording 4K video, while the One tops out at 1080p, something that could prove important to anyone who's taken the 4K plunge with a new TV. PriceIf you want to own either of these smartphones then you'll need to be prepared to part with £550 (about US$900, AU$1,000). Contract deals will vary, but we expect both handsets to be priced very similarly. Early verdictThe HTC One (M8) and the Samsung Galaxy S5 are both impressive, and they need to be. The top of the Android tree is a very competitive space and it's not just HTC aiming to knock Samsung off its perch: Sony, LG, and others are releasing compelling smartphones too. Few devices can match the Galaxy S5's hidden depths, but if you want a piece of tech that even iPhone owners will drool over, the HTC One (M8) cannot be overlooked. - Will the HTC One (M8) follow its predecessor to the top of our best smartphones chart?
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