After seeing the picture of Sense 5.0 up and running on a DROID DNA, XDA member mdeejay brought up the fact that the phone is actually running a ported build from a Sprint M7 which has the new Sense on it. He claims to have it working nicely, but can’t release it at this time. Thankfully, he was able to at least share some screenshots from it, so that we can see some of the changes in store in this latest version of HTC’s Sense. 

Over the weekend, we caught our first glimpse of HTC’s new custom skin for Android, Sense 5.0. The two appearances lead us to believe that HTC is going with a more minimal approach to Sense, but also one with an interesting take on home screen sections that look similar to what Microsoft has done with Windows Phone. It has pretty moments, like with the icons, but the rest seems like a step in the wrong direction – but that’s coming from a minimalist like myself. 

After we reviewed the DROID DNA by HTC, it was easy for us to call it one of the best Android phones on the market. With a class leading 1080p display, 2GB RAM, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, and reasonable $199 price tag, there were/are few phones that can match up to it. What if you could get it for under $199, though?

Amazon has dropped their prices for the device to a low $99 on 2-year contract for new customers and $149 for upgrades. The upgrade price isn’t a steep cut from Verizon’s price, but it’s still a cut. If the DROID DNA has been on your radar, now would be a good time to think about jumping on it.

Amazon Link 

If for some reason our reviews weren’t enough to help you make your next smartphone or tablet purchase, feel free to check out this new video series that Verizon uploaded this morning. Each video runs about 2-minutes long and covers all of the top features of their most popular smartphones. You’ll see highlights for the Note 2, RAZR HD, DNA, Galaxy S3, etc. 

Verizon and HTC continue to upgrade “yourself” in this latest commercial for the DROID DNA. In it, they decide to finally touch on the phone’s most important selling feature, the 1080p display, something they failed to do in the opening spot.

Can someone explain to me how a man sitting in a futuristic laboratory chair with a phone plugged into his chest would make anyone want to buy said phone?

Feel like picking up one of those limited edition DROID DNA devices that are exclusively for Verizon employees? If you head over to eBay, there are a few listings for the device, all of which are either already over or on their way to being over the DNA’s MSRP. That’s to be expected, right? 

In 2012, we saw the Android smartphone world reach heights that I don’t imagine many predicted. On a spec front, 2012 was the year of quad-core processors, 2GB of RAM, HD displays, longer battery lives, and incredibly thin bodies. It seems like just yesterday that we were asking DL readers if they had a dual-core or single-core phone, yet here we are, with dual-core phones already becoming a thing of the past.

On a manufacturer front, 2012 was the year that Samsung proved that it really was the only big fish in a bowl full of minnows. We saw Motorola kick off its life as a Google-owned company, HTC struggle to make money even while releasing amazing phones, and LG take its turn as the face of the Nexus phone program.

In this post, I thought we’d talk a bit about all of that by listing out my top 10 phones of the year. 

Back in November, we were told by sources that a special edition HTC DROID DNA would be made available to employees of Verizon stores. The special edition was said to come in an exclusive red color that no one outside of the company could purchase. It would have a serial number, marking the edition, along with wording imprinted on the back that reads, “Verizon Employee Limited Edition.” Said to launch in December, it appears that these special edition DNAs have indeed started arriving to employees that ordered them.

We have the first pictures of the device. As you can see, it has a red back that flows around the device onto the sides. It’s beautiful. Nothing else has changed – still has the same 8MP camera, quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, and 4G LTE.

Jealous?