HTC Updates Users On Bootloader Unlock Process

HTC has promised to start offering unlocked bootloaders for its Android smartphones, both upcoming as well as some recently-released models. Last month, it talked about a series of software updates that would be coming out sometime in August to allow phones like the Sensation (4G) and EVO 3D to be unlocked. What we haven't known so far is just what that process will be like.

The company updated the ongoing discussion of bootloader unlocking on its Facebook page today, again mentioning the coming firmware updates its phones will need prior to undergoing the process. Once the updates are out, and users are ready to start unlocking their phones, HTC will launch a website to automate the task. 

First, you'll need to indemnify HTC of any liability, should your phone melt during the process (in all seriousness, you're voiding your warranty by unlocking). Then you plug your phone into your computer to generate a unique ID, and submit that ID through HTC's site. HTC will respond in turn by emailing you anunlock code specific to your phone, which you can use with your newly-update software to finally unlock the bootloader. All-in-all, this sounds just like what Sony Ericsson is doing. 

Clearwire Going LTE; What Does This Mean for Sprint WiMAX?

Sprint 4G service, WiMAX, is offered by means of a partnership with Clearwire, of which Sprint owns a majority stake. Now Clearwire is gearing-up for a big change to its services, announcing today that it will start providing LTE Advanced-ready communications with network links that have demonstrated the capacity for 120Mbps speeds. How will this new direction affect current Sprint customers?

Sprint has already aligned itself with LightSquared for LTE data, announcing plans to work together to build up an LTE network over the next few years. We had assumed that it would maintain separate WiMAX service to offer existing users, and continue to do so as its LTE capacity grew out to do national levels. 

Clearwire, though, is talking about using its existing 2.5GHz spectrum holdings for LTE – the very same area of the spectrum it uses now for WiMAX. Our initial concern would be that as it starts LTE service, that would mean less room available for WiMAX. The company must understand that this concern is out there, as it wrapped-up its LTE announcement by "restating its commitment" to WiMAX and all existing WiMAX users. So, for now, we wouldn't panic, but Sprint users might want to think carefully about which 4G technology their future phone choices use over the next few years. 

BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, Torch 9850/9860, Torch 9810 Introduced

After teasing us with upcoming phones, though a week late, Research in Motion has just announced two new BlackBerry Bold and three newBlackBerry Torch smartphones, all powered by the manufacturer's own RIM BlackBerry OS 7. 


First off is the BlackBerry Bold 9900 we've seen in May with the occasion of its BlackBerry World Launch event. It's marketed as the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone yet and it runs BlackBerry OS 7. Together with its 9930 variant, they feature a 2.8-inch capacitive touch screen display with VGA (640x480) resolution and 287 dpi pixel density and an "ultra-easy" QWERTY keyboard. 

There's an optical trackpad, 1.2 GHz Processor, 768 MB RAM, 8 GB on-board memory, microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards, five-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording capability, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi b/g/n, Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Proximity Sensor and 1230 mAh battery. 


Next up is the BlackBerry Torch 9850, with its all-touch design featuring BlackBerry OS 7 as its cousins and a 3.7-inch 800x480 WVGA display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone. It sports a 1.2 GHz processor, 768 MB RAM memory, 4 GB eMMC internal storage expandable up to 32 GB with a microSD memory card, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, five-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording capability plus flash, and a 1230 mAh removable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery. 


Last but not least there's the BlackBerry Torch 9810 we've seen in so many leaks before, continuing the heritage of the BlackBerry Torch 9800. Unlike its predecessor, the Torch 9810 promises faster and more fluid performance and experience with high performance hardware features as well as BlackBerry OS 7. 

It sports a 1.2GHz processor, 8 GB onboard memory expandable memory with support for microSD memory cards up to 32 GB, 768 MB RAM, 3.2-inch VGA screen, five-megapixel camera with HD video recording capability and flash, WiFi, Bluetooth and the further improved slide-down QWERTY keyboardyou already know 

Google+ For Android Updated With Several Features

If you're a Google fan you definitely took the plunge and adopted Google+ as probably your main social network. And, as a Google fan, you are certainly rocking an Android phone on which you have the Google+ application installed. If that's so, you should see an update notification for it as the software just hit version 1.0.5.

There are lots of features and improvements added to the new version. Aside from performance enhancements and stability improvements like the improved notifications reliability, you will now be able to hide 1:1 huddles, share stream posts to individual people, use autofill for +mentions from your Circles, start a 1:1 huddle from a person’s profile or a group huddle from a circle profile and many more. If you haven't been notified of the update's existence, look it up in the Android Market or follow the source link below!

Verizon LTE-packing HP Compaq Mini CQ10-688nr hitting the retail cloud on August 4th

It's the not the first laptop to sport Verizon Wireless's LTE -- the HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr grabbed that title about a week ago -- but the Compaq Mini CQ10-688nr is being touted by VZW as its first netbook to pack the technology. The 10-inch system, which was first announced back in January, packs 250GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, and a multicard reader into a three-pound frame. Oh, and you also get access to HP's Cloud Drive -- you don't want that 4G technology to go to waste, do you? The netbook will go on sale via Verizon's site on August 4th for $450.