HTC reveals its all-metal One smartphone with BlinkFeed and UltraPixel camera

19 Feb 2013

The HTC One smartphone

HTC has revealed its new One smartphone, which will be an all-metal clad device that will sport a new version of HTC Sense (version 75) and a new way of consuming news via a Blink Feed which will include more than 10,000 news articles a day. The device will also feature ‘Zoe’, a new tool for capturing video and photos simultaneously, and which one rep from HTC described as similar to the Harry Potter newspaper.

The HTC One is crafted with a zero-gap aluminum unibody and will feature a 4.7-inch Full HD screen. It comes with an Android Jelly Bean operating system and LTE network technology.

The display is capable of 468ppi resolution. In terms of processor it will come with a quad core Qualcomm Snap Dragon 28nm chip, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of memory and 25GB of Dropbox storage.

The HTC One comes with a camera that has a f/2.0 aperture lens and an UltraPixel sensor that gathers in 300pc more light than traditional smartphone sensors.

Does Ultrapixel portend a new era in smartphone photography?

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A spokesman for HTC explained that the UltraPixel sensor allows it to double the size of photos taken on the 8-megapixel sensor and potentially make photos even larger. The device also features a gyroscopic lens that compensates for handshake to stabilise image capture.

The HTC Zoe feature gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos and videos that come together in three-second snippets.

It also automatically creates integrated films from each event comprised of Zoes – photos and videos set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects.

In terms of audio, the HTC One comes with front-facing BoomSound stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier, as well as Beats Audio integration.

HDR recording makes use of dual microphones and audio processing to capture clean, rich sounds to accompany high-definition video footage.

The device also comes with a new feature called HTC SenseVoice, which boosts the call volume and quality in noisy environments to ensure conversations come through loud and clear.

BlinkStream – a new way of presenting relevant information?

Another key feature of the device is a new addition called HTC BlinkFeed, which transforms the home screen into a single live stream of relevant information, like social updates, news and photos.

HTC has apparently sourced content from more than 1,400 media sources and promises 10,000 articles a day from media companies such as AOL, ESPN, MTV, Reuters and more.

“People today immerse themselves in a constant stream of updates, news and information,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation.

“Although smartphones are one of the main ways we stay in touch with the people and information we care about, conventional designs have failed to keep pace with how people are actually using them. A new, exciting approach to the smartphone is needed and with the new HTC One, we have re-imagined the mobile experience from the ground up to reflect this new reality,” Chou said.

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John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com