Talk about a short movement that was. HTC, who made an interesting move last August when they acquired a 51% share of Beats Audio, has decided that the audio itself is more important to couple with their smartphones than their actual headphones. Going forward, you probably won’t see even a high end device release with Beats headphones inside the package, something that hasn’t been done since the HTC Rezound on Verizon at the end of last year. In fact, the HTC One X (our unboxing and first impressions) comes with a pair of HTC-branded earbuds, but still has the Beats logo on the back of the device.

So why the move away? HTC claims that consumers aren’t interested in buying a phone because it includes better headphones and that if they want them, they will go out and buy them directly. The focus now will be on continuing to improve the backend audio experience, again, like they are trying to do with the One X.

I’m just wondering if this purchase is now regrettable by HTC? A 51% share in a company whose product you can’t even sell with your own. You can’t tell me that the goal from the beginning was simply to pay $300 million for some bass boosting backend audio tech. No way. HTC thought that Beats headphones were going to move products like Beats headphones themselves, only that didn’t happen.

Thoughts? We know how passionately you feel about Beats in general as a product, so here is your chance to sound off.

Via:  CNET

HTC Not Packaging Beats Headphones With Phones Any Longer, Buy Directly If You Want Them is a post from: Droid Life

When HTC released their first set of Beats Audio-enabled devices last year, the fact that the “enhancements” were limited to the native music app were a bit of a disappointment. We wanted Beats in Google Music, PowerAMP, and every other major music application for Android. Unfortunately that just wasn’t the case. As of today though, HTC has given developers access to their Beats API, which means that going forward, this new audio experience can be built into all sorts of apps. Who knows if Google will jump on it as the #1 music app, but one can hope.

Along with the Beats API, HTC released their Lockscreen API, giving devs the opportunity to work their apps into another area of Sense. HTC’s lockscreen tweaks are one of the bright spots of Sense UI, so you have to be excited about this move, as more and more of your favorite apps will be worked in.

They also gave developers access to their mobile device management API and have plans to bring access to their MediaLink HD API. Dev friendly.

Via:  HTC

HTC Releases Beats Audio and Lockscreen APIs for Developers is a post from: Droid Life

If there was one area that the HTC Rezound should not have issues with, it would be in the sound department. As Verizon’s first Beats Audio enabled device, and one that is supposed to take sound on your mobile phone to the next level, we can’t help but hope they already have a fix in the works for this one.

According to a handful of our readers and a growing number of forum posts across the Android community, the Rezound is experiencing some sort of static or interference when using any type of headphones including the iBeats that come with the phone. It doesn’t appear to be related to the Beats audio built-into the phone, as the issue can be replicated while streaming or while listening to internally stored music. Some are under the impression that it may have to do with 4G and some sort of interference caused with it activated. Others have been able to replicate the noise no matter what their connection type.

Not all devices are experiencing the issue (including the one I have), but the number that are affected, is growing.

Rezound owners, how is your audio quality? Hearing a static noise at all?

Cheers Richard!

HTC Rezound Having Sound Issues Through Headphones, Including Beats Earbuds is a post from: Droid Life

The HTC Rezound is available today from Verizon for $299 on contract. Sporting a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 4G LTE, a 4.3″ 720p HD screen, and Beats audio, this is one of the more beautiful and polished phones you will see on the market today. The jury is still out on whether or not it can last you through a day with its 1620mAh battery, but we have done our best through 4 days to give you an idea of how it’s going. The big question here is, “Can the Rezound take down the iconic naming of the DROID RAZR along with Ice Cream Sandwich and the Galaxy Nexus?” It’s going to be a tough battle for all three – what a great time to be a potential new smartphone owner. Our full review of the device should be up within the next couple of days. 

Buy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

HTC Rezound Available Today From Verizon for $299 is a post from: Droid Life

We have touched on just about every little HTC Rezound detail that we could think of over the last few days thanks to Dan being on site for the announcement event. Our hands-on gallery and first impressions (video included) posts are worth a look if you haven’t seen them yet. To round out our coverage of this latest Beats-equipped HTC device though, we wanted to toss out the PDF document below that gives you one of the more comprehensive overviews in case you needed extra ammo when selling your potential purchase of it to your significant other. And then below that, we tossed in the promo video for the Rezound, which as always thanks to HTC’s feel for beauty, is a fun watch. 

(Click pages to view full versions)

Video time. Might want to sit back and crank up the volume for this one:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cheers ___!

HTC Rezound Promo Video Released, Shiny New Feature Documents As Well is a post from: Droid Life

HTC and Verizon made the Rezound official just moments ago, and we had a chance to go hands-on with it for a few minutes. The big beautiful 4.3″ HD screen (Super LCD according to the official specs) is the star along with those sharp red accents and Beats by Dre logos. It matches up closely to the thickness of the DROIDX, if not slightly thicker, but isn’t thick by any means. Tough to tell what the battery life will be like with the 1620mAh battery and if the built-in Beats audio enhancements will live up to the buzz – so far though, this looks like another great addition to the Verizon 4G LTE family.

Gallery below.  

HTC Rezound Quick Hands-on Gallery is a post from: Droid Life

HTC has just announced their latest creation on stage in NYC, the Rezound, an Android device loaded with top-of-the-line specs and Beats audio that will run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Using it’s 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 4.3″ HD 720p screen, there aren’t many phones that can match it. Other specs/features include dual cameras (8MP capable of shooting 1080p in the back, 2MP in the front), 1GB of RAM, Android 2.3.5, 1620mAh battery, 16GB on-board storage, and HTC Sense 3.5.

The Rezound will be available in stores on November 14 for the on contract price of $299 which includes a set of Beats by Dre ear buds.

Sign-up page is live.

Press release and pictures after the break.  

HTC And Verizon Wireless Unveil HTC Rezound™, First Smartphone In The U.S. To Feature Beats Audio™

HTC Rezound breaks new ground with introduction of advanced audio and high-definition visual experience

HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile devices, and Verizon Wireless today announced the HTC Rezound™, the only phone in the United States with Beats Audio™ integration. A result of the recent partnership between HTC and Beats, the HTC Rezound delivers a powerful entertainment experience with unparalleled audio and multimedia capabilities highlighted by a 4.3-inch true HD 720p display. The HTC Rezound, a premium designed smartphone that includes the latest HTC Sense experience and access to Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, will be available exclusively from Verizon Wireless on Nov. 14.

“HTC is dedicated to delivering the latest in sight and sound innovation and we’re excited to be introducing the first U.S. smartphone featuring Beats Audio technology,” said Peter Chou, CEO, HTC Corporation. “Paired with Verizon Wireless’ blazing-fast 4G LTE network and a robust multimedia experience, the HTC Rezound enables customers to enjoy their favorite music and entertainment on-the-go like never before.”

The HTC Rezound enables customers to hear music the way the artist intended with unique audio tuning by Beats that delivers thundering bass, soaring midrange and crisp highs. Unique to HTC, the HTC Rezound also includes new lightweight Beats headphones, created exclusively to integrate with the Beats’ audio profile on the device. Hands-free calling is easy with the built-in microphone and the on-cable remote to pause, advance or rewind and answer a call mid-track.

“HTC fully recognizes the destruction to audio caused by the digital revolution. They embrace our vision to repair this ecosystem and bring the feeling from the recording studio to the smartphone,“ said Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Beats By Dr. Dre. “This is only the beginning of our plan to fix how music is delivered.”

Lightning-fast mobile entertainment
The HTC Rezound is the first HTC smartphone to feature a true HD 720p display and is perfect for enjoying high-quality entertainment on the 4.3-inch super LCD screen. HTC Watch puts an entire library of the latest premium movies and TV shows right at your fingertips. Using a wireless connection, HTC Watch uses progressive download technology on the HTC Rezound which makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for them to finish downloading. Customers can rent or purchase videos through HTC Watch and enjoy content on up to five different HTC devices. The HTC Rezound features Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) connectivity, so customers can watch content from the device on an HDTV, including 5.1 surround sound and SRS WOW™ HD surround to take advantage of a home theater setup. Equipped with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, the HTC Rezound offers a speedy mobile experience even for the most demanding media enthusiast.

“HTC Rezound combines sleek design, innovative entertainment features and the power of Verizon Wireless network to create a multimedia phone that consumers have been waiting for,” said Jeff Dietel, vice president of marketing, for Verizon Wireless. “4G LTE speeds take mobile entertainment to a new level, providing customers with advanced functionality in a phone they can count on for everyday use.”

Advanced multimedia features
The HTC Rezound boasts an 8-megapixel camera featuring autofocus, dual LED flash, a f/2.2 and 28mm wide-angle lens with BSI sensor to fit more of the scene into every shot and for better low-light performance. The enhanced camera features available through HTC Sense offer new scenes and effects such as panoramic mode for capturing life on a grand scale or action burst scene for the perfect action shot.

For self-portraits or video conversations, the HTC Rezound also features a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. With a 1080p camcorder, the HTC Rezound enables customers to record a perfect moment with stunning clarity and incredible stereo sound, perfect for sharing on YouTube or Facebook. Customers can also wirelessly send their media to a compatible TV for looking at videos or pictures with friends and family using Digital Living Network Alliance® (DLNA).

HTC Sense
Featuring the latest version of HTC Sense, the HTC Rezound enables people to create a unique and intuitive user experience that matches their personal preference and lifestyle. A customizable active lockscreen experience transforms the lockscreen into a real-time window to the most important information and content, such as social updates, photos, weather or stock updates that are viewed by simply turning on the display. In addition, the new active lockscreen becomes a customizable gateway that lets people quickly jump to the most used features, like making a phone call, sending an email, taking a picture or anything else with the same quick gesture usually used to unlock the phone.

HTC Sense also delivers a new group messaging experience simplifying group and multimedia messaging so people can stay up-to-date on the latest conversations quickly and easily. People can view recent status updates from popular social networks in one place using FriendStream™, as well as sync their contact list with all email accounts and social networks for smooth integration.

“HTC and Beats have been important partners to Best Buy over the years and we are thrilled to help them bring the HTC Rezound on the Verizon Wireless network to consumers,” said Scott Anderson, head of merchandising for Best Buy Mobile. “This is going to be a big holiday for smartphones and people will be looking for new and different features. The HTC Rezound, with HTC’s mobile expertise and audio excellence from Beats, will be a great option for our customers.”

Additional features

• Mobile Hotspot capability: share 4G connection with up to ten Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• Operating System: Android 2.3™ (Gingerbread) with latest HTC Sense – an upgrade to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be available in early 2012
• Internal Memory: 16 GB on-board memory, 1 GB DDR2 RAM
• Memory Card: 16 GB MicroSD™ pre-installed
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth®: 3.0 – support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access and object push for vCard and vCalendar
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Battery: 1,620 mAh
• Special Features: HDMI (through MHL), G-sensor, Light sensor, Compass, Proximity sensor, MicroUSB, USIM/CSIM/ISIM, audio jack and Wireless Charging capable
• Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM8660 1.5GHz, Qualcomm® MDM9600
• Dimensions: 129 x 65.5 x 13.65 mm

Availability
The HTC Rezound will be available beginning Nov. 14 at Verizon Wireless and at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers who purchase the HTC Rezound will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data. Customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/Rezound to sign up for more information.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative devices that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

About Beats Electronics LLC
Established in 2006, Beats Electronics is the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Iovine, who set out to develop a new type of headphone with the capability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios. For more information, please visithttp://beatsbydre.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visitwww.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library atwww.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

HTC and Verizon Announce the Rezound with Beats Audio, Available November 14 for $299 is a post from: Droid Life

Ready for the HTC Rezound? After a couple of weeks of talking about the Galaxy Nexus and DROID RAZR, HTC is ready to take back some of the spotlight with their latest creation. Press invites are going out for an event in NYC that they have set for next Thursday, November 3, which we are all assuming is going to be the unveiling of their Verizon Beats-equipped phone.

We gave you the first pictures and specs of this phone months ago and are excited to see it finally come to stores. Current time lines would suggest that we will see it on November 10. With an announcement happening on the 3rd, I’d say the 10th is certainly doable. You all know how Big Red loves their Thursdays.

You haven’t all written off this phone have you? With its HD screen and 1.5GHz dual-core processor, it will be a beast.

HTC Announces NYC Event For November 3rd with a Beats Flair, Rezound Incoming? is a post from: Droid Life

Up until now, we have seen XDA provide us with ROMs that have Beats by Dre cooked into them for your music listening pleasure, but the problem still stood, what if you liked your current ROM? Well we now have a fix for that.

There is a flashable zip a the source link below that will allow Beats to work with any Sense 3.0 and up-based ROM. The installation is as easy as booting into recovery and flashing the file and rebooting. User smokin1337, who came up with this file warns you that the first boot might take a while and as always, make a backup before you flash something like this.

Via: XDA

XDA Makes Beats By Dre Flashable To Any Sense 3.0 Or 3.5 ROM is a post from: Droid Life

You knew it would come eventually, right? HTC wasn’t just going to stop with smartphones that were equipped with Beats by Dre technology, they had to bring it to tablets too.

In an interview with the press yesterday to discuss their new line of headphones, Beats gurus Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre spoke on the importance of pairing their products with tablets. The weird thing here was listening to Jimmy talk about “the heads of the company that makes that thing” when referring to, what we are assuming is HTC and their tablets. He would not for whatever reason, mention them by name. Sounds like he’s really invested in this partnership, eh?

During the video we have attached below though, you will see a ton of shots of the HTC Flyer with a massive beats logo on it as well as it paired with some of their new wireless headphones. When you purchase the soon-to-be-announced HTC devices that come Beats-equipped, these are the headphones you will likely see. During years of testing, they finally found a way to make sound over Bluetooth live up to their standards.  

Click here to view the embedded video.

We know that many of you are not the hugest fans of Beats headphones, but as long as prices of devices aren’t skyrocketing with a pair included, I would hope that you would all welcome them over those stock garbage ear buds that we have seen in the past.

Via:  2dopeboyz

Cheers Jason!

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Unveil New Wireless Beats Headphones, HTC Tablet Integration on the Way? is a post from: Droid Life

Today in other Android news…

• Sprint could launch their own LTE network as early as 2012.
• HTC is holding a Beats-inspired event in the UK October 6 – probably for the Bass.
• Speaking of Beats by Dre, the EVO 3D has a ROM with Beats software included.
• Nexus S has a new update to Android 2.3.6 that we are hoping fixes tethering issues.
• Product pages for the T-Mo Galaxy SII and HTC Amaze 4G are up with lots of goodies.

To stay up-to-date on the latest non-Verizon Android news, be sure to subscribe to Android Life.

Sprint Going LTE, HTC Beats Event, Nexus S Android 2.3.6 Update [from AL] is a post from: Droid Life

The HTC Rhyme (formerly known as the Bliss) will be available for pre-order at indirect Target outlets this Wednesday, September 21.  The device, which is clearly being targeted at women, will come in “plum” instead of that awful chewed-seaweed green that we once saw it in.  It will have the fancy little charm dangly thingy so that you will know when your phone is ringing or has just received a message while in your purse.  There will be “tangle free” headphones tossed in and a new-school docking station that we have not seen for any other HTC device in the past.

Update:  We initially thought this would just go out to indirect Verizon stores, but after seeing the sign-up page go live just minutes ago, we are now thinking this will be a much bigger release.

The specs won’t blow you away, but aren’t awful:  3.7″ display, front and rear cameras, and Android 2.3. Pre-orders will begin on Wednesday the 21st for $50 and there is a better-than-average chance of announcement for the phone at tomorrow’s HTC event in NYC.  The colors of the press invitation certainly would lead us to believe it’s going down.  

All other information regarding the pre-order along with details on the dock, charm and headphones can be found below.

Cheers J!

HTC Rhyme in Plum Available for Pre-order at Target September 21, Illuminating Charm Included is a post from: Droid Life

A lot of HTC device talk has been filling up the Android world both at DL and at our brother site.  With an event scheduled for September 20 in NYC, you can bet we will see a number of these unveiled officially. In other news, another carrier is preparing to launch their first 5 LTE cities this weekend – only 138 behind Verizon.

• Is there a perfect tablet size?  Samsung’s new 8.9″ Galaxy Tab could be.
• AT&T is launching LTE in 5 cities on September 18.
• The HTC Runnymede could launch as the HTC Bass, as in music, not the fish.
• New HTC Sensation EX might be one of the hottest phones ever assembled.
• HTC Flyer can now be partially unlocked over at the HTC Dev site.
• Motorola Atrix finally receives beta CM7.

The rest of the day’s non-Big Red news can be found at Android Life.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Up for Pre-order, AT&T Launches LTE Network, Runnymede is the “Bass” [from AL] is a post from: Droid Life

Just after HTC announced a new partnership with Beats by Dre, we started to wonder if there would be changes to the headphones that they produce since well, the current versions are not made to work properly with Android devices (at least to receive calls anyway).  According to a new FCC filing, a revamped and wireless version that can pair via Bluetooth is on the way, which we are assuming means it has been tweaked to allow for more than just iPhone calling.

One of the first HTC devices that is rumored to be receiving Beats support is the Vigor, a phone that we have the first pictures of here.  We were told to expect the first devices with Beats some time in the “Fall”, so I would say that October 6 is still in play thanks to this FCC filing.

Wireless Beats for your Vigor?  Yes, please.  Unless of course it gets earbuds and not the ones pictured above.

Via:  FCC, Wireless Goodness

New Wireless Beats by Dre Headphones for Mobile Devices Land at the FCC is a post from: Droid Life

A new MAP (minimum advertised price) list popped into our inbox this afternoon featuring a couple of semi-new devices that are worth mentioning.  The first is the HTC Rhyme which we first outed back in early August as the ADR6330.  We know almost nothing about this device other than the fact that the model number fits somewhere between the HTC Merge (ADR6325) and DROID Incredible 2 (ADR6350).  So if we go off of those previous two devices (and $199 price), I would say it’s a mid-range Android device that could end up being global.  We heard rumors a few months back about a new HTC slider (yep, keyboard) that had global capabilities – maybe this is it.  Or it could also be the oddly colored green HTC Bliss.  Oh, and the name itself certainly hints at it having Beats by Dre goodies built in.  Would certainly love to see a pair of headphones included.

The second thing we wanted to point out is the listing of the XOOM LTE for what appears to be a $499 2-year contract price.  If we are reading that list correctly, then it would suggest that this new 4G LTE XOOM could launch around next Thursday with the DROID Bionic.  And why is that significant?  Well, because all of the early adopters of the 3G XOOM are not going to have 4G in their device by then.  Yikes.

Cheers ___ and ___!

HTC Rhyme is the ADR6330 and Headed to Verizon, XOOM LTE Lands on MAP List at $499 is a post from: Droid Life