MSI Slidebook S20 review: MSI's flagship Windows 8 Ultrabook has a flawed design

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="MSI Slidebook S20 review: MSI's flagship Windows 8 Ultrabook has a flawed design" data-src-height="410" data-src-width="617" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05596-1364496297.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> If you've been following our reviews of Windows 8 laptops, you know we haven't been too kind to the slider form factor. It's not like we set out to pan these machines, but time and again we've found that the propped-up display ruins the typing experience. Keep that in mind as we begin our review of the Slidebook S20, MSI's flagship Win 8 device, priced at $1,200 in the US. It's a bold move from a company whose bread and butter is not ultraportables, but gaming systems. In fact, the 11.6-inch S20 is the outfit's <em>only</em> high-end Windows 8 Ultrabook. So the company must have quite a bit of confidence in that form factor, then, if it didn't bother with dockable tablets or some other kind of convertible design. Could that mean the S20 has something all the others don't?</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP MSI Slider S20 review MSI's flagship Windows 8 Ultrabook has a flawed design" data-src-height="410" data-src-width="617" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05598-1364496359.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Though we're not normally into sliders, the S20's display, ironically enough, might be our favorite thing about it. For starters, it comes stacked with excellent credentials: IPS technology for wide viewing angles, with 1,920 x 1,080 pixels crammed into an 11.6-inch panel (talk about dense). Just as important, though, MSI did a very smart thing in making the screen angle adjustable -- something you won't find on other sliders, or most dockable tablets, for that matter.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The S20 has two speakers, each located on the bottom side, though not in any sort of symmetrical arrangement. Despite the asymmetry there, the soundstage feels balanced -- until we went hunting for the speakers, we weren't sure exactly where the audio was coming from. And that's a good thing: no one wants to watch a movie with the sensation that all the explosions and sound effects are coming from somewhere on the left. I also found that although the speakers sit on the underside of the device, the sound didn't really get muffled when listening to music with the laptop in my lap. As you can imagine, the quality itself is a bit tinny, but it's no worse than most other laptops we've tested. Keep the volume somewhere short of the top level, and you should get by without much distortion.</div></div>

MSI Slidebook S20 review: MSI's flagship Windows 8 Ultrabook has a flawed design

If you've been following our reviews of Windows 8 laptops, you know we haven't been too kind to the slider form factor. It's ...

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Sonos Playbar review: an excellent (and expensive) home theater addition

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sonos Playbar review an excellent and expensive home theater addition" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/livedsc045612.jpg" /></div><div class="more-info" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Sonos has found a sweet spot in the audio world. Its wireless technology and ability to stream music from almost any source -- be it from the cloud or local storage -- have given it considerable geek cred, yet its simple setup still offers mass appeal. Of course, none of that would matter if its systems didn't sound good, but fortunately, Sonos' Play:3, Play:5 and its Sub have all impressed with the quality of audio they produce. The $699 Playbar is the newest member of the family, and with this product, Sonos is setting its sights squarely on the home theater market. Is it fit for your living room? Read on to find out.</div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><strong>Sonos Playbar review</strong></h3><br /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04505_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04525_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04509_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04529_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04559_95x95.jpg" /> <br /> <br /> <ul class="thumbs">See all photos</ul></div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title0" style="text-align: left;"> Hardware and setup</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sonos Playbar review an excellent and expensive home theater addition" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/livedsc045592.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The Playbar is a handsome, if understated piece of equipment. At 3.35 x 35.43 x 5.51 inches (85 x 900 x 140mm) in size, you'll have no problem fitting it beneath your flat-screen. Indeed, we used it with both a 42- and 47-inch TV, and found the dimensions appropriate in either case. Its exterior is sheathed in black speaker cloth, and has a pewter-colored insert comprising a lengthwise edge on either side of the bar. A pair of matching inset bands rings the mesh grilles on each end -- an echo of the design language of the Sub -- with the Sonos-standard volume toggle, mute button and an LED power light on the right side. The long metal edges are made of extruded aluminum, and the wider of the two makes room for both an inlaid IR receiver and IR repeater strip, along with a notch cut out on the underside for the power, two Ethernet jacks and Toslink port. Build quality is excellent -- the openings are pretty uniform and we couldn't find any visual blemishes on our review unit either.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Aside from providing a nice bit of visual contrast and a place for some minimal Sonos branding, the larger aluminum edge serves as a heat sink for the nine drivers that pump out sound. There are six 8-centimeter (3.15-inch) aluminum cone mids powered by neodymium magnets, and three 2.5-centimeter (1-inch) titanium dome tweeters, and each speaker has its own digital amp. The speakers are mounted in a super rigid, sealed plastic enclosure at a 45-degree angle, and it's that angular sweet spot that's key to providing good acoustic imaging whether the Playbar is mounted on the wall or lying flat on a TV cabinet. Of course, the accelerometer and 800Mhz PowerPC CPU inside also work in tandem to determine the Playbar's orientation and tweak the EQ accordingly to ensure that imaging is perfect.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sonos Playbar review an excellent and expensive home theater addition" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/livedsc045102.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> It's not exactly groundbreaking industrial design, but it does have a bit more panache than your average soundbar. Put it this way: it'll fit in with just about any décor, but it's distinctive enough that astute visitors will likely notice and ask about it -- or at least that was our experience while testing it out.</div><blockquote class="quote right" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Such simplicity of operation is often difficult to execute, but the boffins at Sonos have made pairing an IR remote about as easy as it can be.</blockquote><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Sonos prides itself on the fact that its systems are simple to install, and the Playbar is no exception. To test that ease of installation, I asked my not-so-tech-savvy girlfriend to hook up the Playbar and a Sonos Bridge, and she had it wired up in less than five minutes. Just plug in the power cord and the Toslink cable to the Playbar, then connect the other end of the optical cable to your TV or other audio source and you're good to go.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> After that, the Playbar prompts you to hit the volume-up button on your TV remote, which allows it to find the proper IR code. From then on, your remote should be able to control the volume on the Playbar. Also, in the event the Playbar doesn't recognize your remote straight away, the Sonos software will walk you through hitting the volume toggle and the mute buttons so that it can learn the correct code and add it to the list on Sonos' servers. That way, future customers won't have to go through those additional steps. That's just one other bit of engineering genius from the Sonos folks. Such simplicity of operation is often difficult to execute, but the boffins at Sonos have made pairing an IR remote about as easy as it can be.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> We did hit a slight snag in trying to pair the Playbar and Bridge, despite the Sonos Controller software's clear and easy-to-follow instructions. However, moving the Bridge a bit farther from our router and a quick reset of said router remedied the issue. Then it was simply a matter of hitting the join button on the Bridge and the mute and volume up button on the Playbar, and we were up and running in short order. Once connected, it took about 10 minutes to index the 40GB of music we had on our external hard drive connected via USB, during which time we entered the login info for our streaming services. All told, we went from unboxing to blasting Blind Melon in less than half an hour.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> A quick note about our setup. We were forced to connect the Playbar directly to a set-top box because our particular flat-screen's optical-out doesn't switch on when set to an HDMI input. Without the ability to pull audio from whatever was playing on our TV, we had to swap connections between our PS3 and our satellite TV box if we wanted the Sonos' simulated surround sound on either. An inconvenience, to be sure, and something that runs counter to Sonos' simplicity of use ethos. Of course, this shouldn't pose a problem for users who own TV sets without such a limitation, but it's certainly something to consider before spending $700 on a Playbar.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title1" style="text-align: left;"> Software</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sonos Playbar review an excellent and expensive home theater addition" data-src-height="467" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/boomsonos-desktop-9.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> We've covered both the Sonos desktop and mobile Controller apps in our previous Sonos reviews, and the user experience remains unchanged since their overhaul a year ago. There are three panes of controls for bigger screens: the leftmost shows all your connected Sonos speakers, the middle displays a queue of tracks and what's currently playing on a selected speaker and the right window displays your available audio sources. At the top are the volume, EQ, play / pause and track controls, and a universal search-as-you-type field. There are also buttons for clearing your current queue or saving it as a playlist, plus sleep timer and alarm settings at the bottom.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> All of these features are available on the mobile apps, but are situated within menus, as opposed to being readily available. For example, if you want to tweak the bass and treble settings from the "now playing" screen on the mobile app, you have to tap through no less than five menus to get to the necessary controls. That's hardly an ideal UI; in fact, it quickly became a source of irritation for us. Every. Single. Time.</div><blockquote class="quote left" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Despite the somewhat arcane nature of the Controller app, most folks won't have trouble getting comfy with it in a day or two.</blockquote><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Suffice to say that the multi-pane interface of the desktop and tablet Controller apps is a better UI than the mobile version, as it makes more controls readily available and you can easily drag and drop songs into your queue. And, diving through the hierarchy of menus to get at all your sound sources feels more tolerable when you can do so while still being able to control your queue and what's playing. Despite the somewhat arcane nature of the Controller app, most folks won't have trouble getting comfy with it in a day or two.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> It feels like Sonos already supports every music service under the sun, but new streaming platforms seem to emerge on a weekly basis these days. That's why Sonos has its Sonos Labs feature, which allows you to test out new services as they become available. It's a little-talked-about feature that Sonos provides, and while there isn't always something new to try out, it is always a pleasant surprise to find a new music provider to explore.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title2" style="text-align: left;"> Sound</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sonos Playbar review an excellent and expensive home theater addition" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/livedsc045142.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> We've said it before, but it bears repeating: the Playbar sounds good when compared to its soundbar competition, particularly when playing music. It's a versatile speaker that coped well with any genre we threw at it, whether it was bass-heavy tracks from Jay Z's <em>The Black Album</em>, ripping guitar solos from <em>Phish: A Live One</em> or vocal anthems from Fun.'s <em>Some Nights</em>. Bass is tight, and vocals are delivered with clarity. Similarly, the Playbar shines during TV and movie audio playback, providing good simulated surround. All in all, it's a considerable improvement over any TV speakers we've ever heard.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Is it a replacement for your home stereo? No. Casual listeners will find no fault with the Playbar's sonic output, but if you're thinking this new Sonos can provide the depth of sound and stereo separation provided by a quality set of desktop speakers or a full component stereo, you'll be disappointed. The Playbar excels as a <em>soundbar</em>, providing a considerable upgrade over your TV's speakers and serving as a capable stereo substitute that provides a convenient way to listen to all of your music.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The Playbar's home theater performance is bolstered by a pair of unique features: Night Sound and Speech Enhancement. Night Sound is aimed at those who prefer late-night TV viewing, but don't want to wake the neighbors. Switch it on, and the dynamic range of the audio coming through the speakers is reduced as the volume is lowered. Soft sounds, like dialogue, become louder, while the louder sounds, like explosions, are softened. It works fine for movie watching, but we found the feature made talk shows sound a bit tinny. All told, we preferred the audio with Night Sound turned off.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Speech Enhancement, on the other hand, was a welcome addition to our TV watching. It works through a combination of lowering bass, adding gain to the center channel while lowering the gains of competing channels and boosting or reducing certain frequency ranges. In practice, the feature is brilliant, as it makes voices sound richer and clearer, particularly when watching the talking heads on the news or ESPN. It's not something you notice until it's switched off, when you realize that onscreen voices suddenly seem muted and muddy in comparison.</div><blockquote class="quote left" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Overall, the array of nine drivers inside delivered a well-rounded, room-filling sonic experience.</blockquote><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Overall, the array of nine drivers filled the room with sound, and despite Sonos' reluctance to talk about its products' wattages, the Playbar can really crank up the volume. We're talking wake-the-neighbors loud, and should you be so inclined, we detected no distortion during our (brief) time spent listening at max output. Needless to say, if you're looking for the Playbar to serve as the centerpiece for your next party you won't be disappointed.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Despite the Playbar's well-rounded abilities, we'd be remiss not to mention just how much better the listening experience is when it's paired with a Sonos Sub. For all the Playbar does well, it lacks the low-end punch of a subwoofer, and we sometimes missed that capability, particularly when watching movies. Those six 8-centimeter drivers simply cannot deliver the low, rumbling bass that is integral to a truly great theatrical experience. That's not to say the Playbar doesn't deliver good home theater audio on its own; it's just that having heard the soundbar in concert with the Sub, without one, it's a noticeably diminished experience. Naturally, home theater sound can be improved further by deploying a couple of Play:3s as satellite speakers to create a true 5.1 surround system, but adding the Sub is what really fills in the Playbar's sonic gaps.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title3" style="text-align: left;"> Wrap-up</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sonos Playbar review an excellent and expensive home theater addition" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/livedsc045262-1363905847.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Sonos' Playbar is an expertly constructed, excellent-sounding soundbar, but at $700 it poses a significant challenge; it's hardly an impulse buy. Pair it with a Sub for a truly great home theater audio experience, and that tally rises to $1,300 or $1,400 (not counting another $50 for a Sonos Bridge). An extravagant sum when compared to, say, Vizio's forthcoming highly regarded soundbar and wireless sub system.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Vizio's offering will stream music via Bluetooth, comes with a pair of satellite speakers and delivers near-Sonos quality sound for a mere $329. However, you don't get the all-in-one music streaming solution of the Sonos Controller, the Playbar's robust and well-engineered hardware, nor the elegant simplicity of setup that only Sonos provides. So, while the Playbar may not necessarily represent the best bang for your buck when it comes to home theater systems, it <em>does</em> offer a superior user experience -- and if you have the financial means, you won't be disappointed by its performance. Put it this way: this is one review unit we wish we didn't have to send back.</div></div>

Sonos Playbar review: an excellent (and expensive) home theater addition

Sonos has found a sweet spot in the audio world. Its wireless technology and ability to stream music from almost any source -- be it fro...

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Ableton Push review: a dedicated controller for the Live faithful

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Ableton Push review a dedicated controller for the Live faithful" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/ableton-push-review.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">MIDI<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337"> might be a little long in the tooth as protocols go, but it's been the prevailing standard for getting music hardware and software to play nice pretty much since its inception. As such, the MIDI controller is a fairly established staple in professional and bedroom studios alike. The problem is they're generic by nature. They come in all shapes and sizes, but to be profitable, they need to appeal to a broad range of applications. Ableton clearly didn't think this arrangement was up to snuff, though, so it created Push -- a software controller built entirely for its popular Live production software. While there have been Live-specific controllers before -- some even officially endorsed by Ableton -- Push is a whole new beast. It's one that hopes to unite hardware and software in a way that an all-purpose controller never could.</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Ableton also has lofty musical ambitions for Push: it claims it designed the hardware as an instrument in and of itself; something that lets you close the lid of the laptop and use to make music with, while not looking like you are checking your email. And, given that Ableton makes the software that it's building Push for, integration is understandably expected to be airtight. But how well does it work? Is it an instrument? Will it replace all your other controllers? Do you want one? Is it worth the $599 pre-order price? Will it blend? We've pushed ourselves to explore the device fully in an effort to find out (apart from that last question, of course).</div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><b>Ableton Push review</b></h3><br /><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05251800wm_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05252800wm_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05253800wm_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05254800wm_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05255800wm_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05257800wm_95x95.jpg" /> </div></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="349" id="viddler-462863b" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="//www.viddler.com/embed/462863b/?f=1&offset=0&autoplay=0&secret=92382934&disablebranding=0&view_secret=92382934" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="545"></iframe></div>

Ableton Push review: a dedicated controller for the Live faithful

MIDI might be a little long in the tooth as protocols go, but it's been the prevailing standard for getting music hardware and softwa...

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AMD Radeon HD 7790 review roundup: what to expect from a $149 gaming card

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="AMD Radeon HD 7790 review roundup what to expect from a $149 gaming card" data-src-height="414" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/radeon-hd-7970-card-lead.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Mainstream gaming is all about 1080p. Monitors may be getting cheaper, making higher resolutions and multi-display setups ever more feasible, but Full HD is still sufficient for the average buyer. AMD knows it, and that's why this morning's announcement of the Radeon HD 7790 came with a straightforward promise: the ability to play the latest games at 1080p with high detail settings for a maximum outlay of $149. Such claims can't be waved around without being tested, and indeed <em>The Tech Report</em>, <em>HotHardware</em>, <em>Bit.tech </em>and other sites have just returned their verdicts. Read on for our review roundup.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="AMD Radeon HD 7790 review roundup what to expect from a $149 gaming card" data-src-height="346" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/amd7790-details.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Let's start with the upsides: pretty much all the sites listed here found that the Radeon HD 7790 met their expectations, providing a sensible compromise between the cheaper 7770 and the more expensive 7850 and generally staying toe-to-toe with NVIDIA's similarly priced GTX 650 Ti. <em>The Tech Report</em> found that the card coped admirably with Lara Croft's hair at 1080p with High details settings, far outpacing the 7770 with an average frame rate of 54 fps and also more consistent smoothness. Titles like <em>Skyrim</em>, <em>Battlefield 3</em> and<em> The Witcher 2</em> were hiccup-free at around 40 fps. <em>HotHardware</em> reported that the 7790-based cards it tested were "very quiet" and ran cool compared to other options -- in fact, it ran even cooler under load than the 7770.</div><div class="more-info" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> And now the bad news: some games and resolutions are simply beyond the capacity of graphics cards at this price point. According to <em>Bit.tech</em>, <em>Crysis 3</em> runs at just 21fps at 1080p with Very High detail settings, and the only consolation is that a 1GB GTX 650 Ti can't play the game either. Don't expect to go beyond 1080p either: <em>HotHardware</em> found that <em>Hitman: Absolution</em> and <em>Sleeping Dogs</em> both fell far below 30fps at 1,920 x 1,200, for example. Meanwhile, all these games -- even <em>Crysis 3</em> at Medium settings -- ran smoothly on the Radeon HD 7850, which leads us to think we'd probably still stretch to that GPU if it popped up at a good price.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> In any case, check out the full reviews and charts before making your mind up:</div></div>

AMD Radeon HD 7790 review roundup: what to expect from a $149 gaming card

Mainstream gaming is all about 1080p. Monitors may be getting cheaper, making higher resolutions and multi-display setups ever more feasi...

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Dell Latitude 10 review: a business-friendly Windows tablet with great battery life

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Dell Latitude 10 review: a business-friendly Windows tablet with great battery life" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00089-copy-1363805972.jpg" /></div><div class="more-info" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> We've been making the grand tour of Windows 8 hybrids running low-powered Atom processors, and our latest stop is Dell's Latitude 10. While some similar systems, such as the ASUS VivoTab Smart and the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, focus on portable designs and long battery life, the Latitude 10 takes after that group of devices with "Smart" and "Pro" in their name.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Indeed, like the Surface Pro and Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro, the Latitude 10 flaunts a large variety of corporate-friendly features, such as TPM, a productivity dock, a Wacom-certified stylus and a Bluetooth keyboard. The entry-level configuration will set you back a tolerable $499, but adding on business essentials such as the dock and keyboard could soon have you looking at a price above the $1,000 threshold. Does the Latitude 10 work well enough to warrant the dough -- and satisfy on-the-go professionals? You know where to look if you want to find out. </div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><strong>Dell Latitude 10 review</strong></h3><br /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00001_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00002_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00004_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00008_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00010-copy_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00015-copy_95x95.jpg" /> </div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <h3 id="title0"> Look and feel</h3><br /><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Dell Latitude 10 review an Atompowered hybrid with great battery life" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/latitudebody.jpg" /></div>"Inoffensive" is the word we'd use to describe the Latitude 10's design -- and we imagine that's exactly what many corporate customers will want. Though we have no qualms with the straightforward, black-rectangle aesthetic, we do take issue with the extremely wide bezel surrounding the 1,366 x 768 display. This cheapens the device's feel, and it makes the 10.1-inch panel seem smaller.<br /><blockquote class="quote left"> "Inoffensive" is the word we'd use to describe the Latitude 10's design -- and we imagine that's exactly what many corporate customers will want.</blockquote>At 1.45 pounds and 0.4 inch thick with a 30Wh battery, this isn't anywhere near the wispiest 10.1-incher around, but it does feel plenty sturdy in the hand. This is thanks to a reinforced magnesium-alloy frame, and the coating of Gorilla Glass doesn't hurt either. The back sports a soft-touch finish that makes for a comfortable grip -- you shouldn't have to put this tablet's solid build to the test with any accidental drops. <span>By and large, button and port placement makes perfect sense on the Latitude 10 -- and there is no shortage of connections on board. The physical Windows 8 Start button sits in its typical spot underneath the screen. Oddly, though, the button is slightly recessed rather than raised, and as a result it's a bit tricky to press. We had to apply more pressure than we're used to, and it was especially difficult to register a press when the tablet was angled upright in the bundled dock. The only other feature you'll notice on the front is the 2-megapixel, front-facing camera.</span><br /> The top edge of the Latitude 10 is home to a full-size SD card slot, the power button and a toggle for auto-rotate. The Enhanced Security model, which we got a chance to play with, includes a smart card reader along the top. The combo headphone / mic jack, USB 2.0 port and mini-HDMI connection sit on the right edge, while you'll find the volume rocker and Kensington lock slot on the left. Finally, the power connector and a micro-USB port line the bottom side. Turn the device over, and you'll find plenty going on. In addition to the 8MP rear shooter with LED flash, the Dell logo and two small sets of speakers, the swappable 30Wh battery sits prominently on the backside, with a slide lock allowing for its removal. (A larger 60Wh battery was included with our review unit -- more on that later.)<br /> Our unit offers 3G connectivity, and the micro-SIM slot is located under the removable power pack. The battery takes up a good half of the surface, and while this interrupts the otherwise clean lines, the promise of longer battery life trumps any superficial design concerns. We had to wiggle both the two- and four-cell batteries loose when switching them out, as the latch system got stuck halfway when we tried to move it.<br /><h3 id="title1"> Etc.</h3><br /><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Dell Latitude 10 review an Atompowered hybrid with great battery life" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00075-1363806109.jpg" /></div>The variety of configuration options for the Latitude 10 verges on confusing. Not only are there Essential, Standard and Enhanced Security models, but there are a slew of optional accessories as well. We checked out a Latitude 10 bundled with the productivity dock, a $100 add-on. This 1.8-pound peripheral adds to an already impressive number of ports, with four USB 2.0 connections, a headphone jack and a full-size HDMI for hooking up an external monitor. There's also a power connector for charging the tablet while it's docked.<br /> It was easy to attach the Latitude 10 to the stand, but it felt rather wobbly; lifting up on the slate detached it from the base -- and that was without applying much pressure. We imagine the dock won't move far from users' desks, though, and it offers a comfortable -- though non-adjustable -- viewing angle for both watching movies and composing emails and documents. Other accessories include a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo (ranging from $40 to $86, depending on which of the three bundles options you choose) and a $40 soft-touch case that can act as a stand. Our review unit also came with the $40 Dell KM632 keyboard and mouse package, along with the case.<br /> Speaking of the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, we had to force ourselves to use the device in tablet mode after enjoying this setup. You'll definitely want a set of hardware keys if you plan to do any real work, and both the chiclets and the mouse were responsive and comfortable for navigating Windows 8. That said, the Bluetooth keyboard is desktop-size, meaning the slate's 10.1-inch screen feels small in comparison. One other nitpick: the top of the mouse is removable, allowing you to insert the two AA batteries, and it comes off far too easily. We had to reattach it on several occasions during our hands-on time. Dell doesn't offer its own keyboard case; rather, it sells the Kensington KeyFolio Expert through its website.<br /><h3 id="title2"> Display, pen input and sound</h3><br /><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Dell Latitude 10 review an Atompowered hybrid with great battery life" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00037-1363806008.jpg" /></div>The Latitude 10's 10.1-inch screen sports a 1,366 x 768 resolution, which is par for the course when it comes to Atom-based tablets. More impressive than the pixel count is the 450-nit brightness rating; images really pop on this panel. When we watched Netflix, played a few games and surfed the web, all content appeared crisp, and colors looked accurate. Like the screens on the ASUS VivoTab Smart and the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, this display uses IPS technology, so you can expect wide viewing angles. We had no trouble making out a video from both the far left and right. Visibility would be even better if the display didn't have such a glossy finish, but that should only be an issue in settings with bright overhead lighting.<br /> An active Wacom digitizer is available for about $34, and it's only compatible with the higher-end configurations of the Latitude 10. (The lower-end Essentials version will only work with a passive stylus.) We used the pen in programs such as Windows Journal, which includes handwriting recognition, and Paint. The stylus itself feels cheaply made; it doesn't provide as good of a grip as Samsung's S Pen, for instance. Still, it works well for selecting small objects on screen, and the capacitive display offers very good palm rejection. Only once or twice did the panel detect accidental input when we were writing with the digitizer. The Latitude 10 itself doesn't have a built-in slot for storing Wacom's device, but the soft-touch case that came with our review unit sports a penholder.<br /> Audio doesn't get very loud on the Latitude 10. The two small stereo speakers are located on the back of the device, which means music and dialogue come through muffled when the tablet is on your desk (or your lap). Songs streamed via the Slacker app don't pack much punch at all, though -- as we always say with slates -- donning a pair of headphones allows for louder, slightly richer sound.<br /><h3 id="title3"> Performance and battery life</h3><br /><center> <table class="table table-striped"> <thead><tr> <th> </th> <th> PCMark7</th> <th> 3DMark06</th> <th> ATTO (top disk speeds)</th> </tr></thead> <tbody><tr> <td> Dell Latitude 10 (1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760, Intel HD)</td> <td> 1,437</td> <td> 458</td> <td> 82 MB/s (reads); 35 MB/s (writes)</td> </tr><tr> <td> ASUS VivoTab Smart<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337"> (1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760, Intel HD)</a></td> <td> 1,400</td> <td> 372</td> <td> 83 MB/s (reads); 35 MB/s (writes)</td> </tr><tr> <td> Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337"> (1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760, Intel HD)</a></td> <td> 1,423</td> <td> 460</td> <td> 83 MB/s (reads); 35 MB/s (writes)</td> </tr><tr> <td> HP Envy x2<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337"> (1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760, Intel HD)</a></td> <td> 1,425</td> <td> N/A</td> <td> 83 MB/s (reads); 34 MB/s (writes)</td> </tr><tr> <td> Samsung ATIV Smart PC<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337"> (1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760, Intel HD)</a></td> <td> N/A</td> <td> 374</td> <td> 82 MB/s (reads); 36 MB/s (writes)</td> </tr><tr> <td> Acer Iconia W510<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7080182682816192337"> (1.8GHz Intel Atom Z2760, Intel HD)</a></td> <td> 1,297</td> <td> N/A</td> <td> 81 MB/s (reads); 28 MB/s (writes)</td> </tr></tbody> </table></center>As we mentioned in our review of the ASUS VivoTab Smart, lower-powered Windows tablets are pretty much uniform when it comes to specs. Like that product and literally every other competing model we've tested, the Latitude 10 runs an Intel Atom Z2760 processor clocked at 1.8GHz, with 2GB of RAM and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator. It's no surprise, then, that Dell's slate turns in virtually identical benchmark scores to its competitors. In ATTO, the Latitude 10 notched max read and write speeds of 82 MB/s and 35 MB/s, respectively, and a cold boot takes about 15 seconds.<br /> <span>Unsurprisingly for an Atom-powered device, the Latitude 10 wasn't able to run the 3DMark 11 graphics benchmark, which requires DirectX 11 support. That's a good indicator of what kind of gaming performance to expect -- you'll be fine playing </span><em>Angry Birds</em><span>, <em>Solitaire</em> and the like, but serious titles are out of the question. We experienced a few glitches, such as app crashes and force quits throughout our hands-on time with the Latitude 10, but these moments were few and far between. Switching between apps didn't cause the system to stutter, and we never found ourselves tapping our fingers waiting for programs to load.</span><br /> When we ran our battery test, which involves running a locally stored video on loop with WiFi on and brightness set to 65 percent, the Latitude's 30Wh battery lasted nine hours and three minutes. That compares favorably to other Atom-powered machines, such as the Acer Iconia W510 (8 hours and 19 minutes) and the HP Envy x2 (7 hours and 53 minutes). While that's fairly average for an Atom-powered Windows 8 tablet, it trumps them all when you add in the optional 60Wh power pack: with that attached, we got a jaw-dropping 16 hours of runtime.<br /><center> <table class="table table-striped-vertical"> <thead><tr> <th> Windows 8 systems</th> <th> Battery life</th> </tr></thead> <tbody><tr> <td> <b>Dell Latitude 10</b></td> <td> <b>9:03 / 16:01 (extended battery)</b></td> </tr><tr> <td> ASUS VivoTab Smart</td> <td> 7:30</td> </tr><tr> <td> ThinkPad Tablet 2</td> <td> 10:27</td> </tr><tr> <td> Acer Iconia W510</td> <td> 8:19 (tablet only) / 14:17 (with the dock)</td> </tr><tr> <td> HP Envy x2</td> <td> 7:53 (tablet only) / 12:30 (with the dock)</td> </tr><tr> <td> Acer Iconia W700</td> <td> 7:13</td> </tr><tr> <td> Samsung ATIV Smart PC (AT&T)</td> <td> 7:04 (WiFi only) / 6:43 (LTE)</td> </tr></tbody> </table></center><h3 id="title4"> Camera</h3><br /><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Dell Latitude 10 review an Atompowered hybrid with great battery life" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00015-copy-1363806070.jpg" /></div>The Latitude 10 sports a 2-megapixel, 720p, front-facing camera for video chats along with a 8MP rear shooter with flash. When we took a few selfies in our brightly lit office, our images appeared grainy with a strong yellowish overcast. This is sadly the status quo for most tablet webcams, but moving to an area with natural light should help if you have to take a Skype meeting in a pinch. <br /><div class="post-gallery"><h3 class="title"><strong>Dell Latitude 10 sample shots</strong></h3><ul class="thumbs"><li class="thumb" data-count="24"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/picture003-1_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="24"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/picture005-1_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="24"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/picture006-1_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="24"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/picture007-1_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="24"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/picture008-1_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="24"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/picture009-1_95x95.jpg" /> </li>See all photos</ul></div>Our samples from the 8MP rear camera show fairly accurate colors and for the most part look quite sharp. Some pictures taken in shadowy settings look darker than they should, and images taken with flash unsurprisingly look very washed out. Camera options are fairly limited: there are controls for brightness and contrast, along with a toggle for auto or manual exposure. Sample video footage of Union Square in New York looked crisp and didn't exhibit much jerkiness. In short: if you insist on bringing a tablet along to document your adventures, the Latitude 10's cameras will certainly suffice.<br /><h3 id="title5"> Software and warranty</h3><br />Dell bolsters the Latitude 10's cred as a business device with several security-minded features, including TPM and support for Computrace. Keep in mind that this software isn't available on the Essentials version of the device. The company also offers data encryption for protecting files. <span>We've seen more offensive pre-loads than the software selection on the Latitude 10. Out of the box, the tablet includes Dell Backup and Recover, a trial of Microsoft Office and Skype. You'll also find the standard Windows 8 apps, such as Bing, Maps and Weather. Our 3G-equipped configuration of the Latitude 10 also comes with the AT&T AllAccess utility for managing your data plan. Dell offers a standard one-year limited hardware warranty.</span><br /><h3 id="title6"> Configuration options and the competition</h3><br />There are several available configurations of the Latitude 10, all with the same 1.8GHz Intel Z2760 processor and 2GB of RAM. On the lower end is the $499 so-called Essentials configuration, which runs Windows 8 and offers a 32GB SSD. For $80 more ($579 total), you can step up to a 64GB Essentials model. Next up the rung is the $649 Latitude 10, which gets you Windows 8 Pro, a 64GB SSD, a swappable battery, active stylus support and security features such as TPM. A $779, 64GB model includes those same features and adds a smart card reader and fingerprint reader, and it also supports mobile broadband. You could also spring for Dell's $849 Mobility bundle, which includes the productivity dock and 3G connectivity.<blockquote class="quote right"> Some of the most useful features don't feel tailor-made for a portable lifestyle, and how useful are peripherals if they can't travel anywhere with you?</blockquote><span>We took a look at two configurations of the Latitude 10. First up was the Mobility bundle, which Dell supplemented with several add-ons. With the four-cell swappable battery, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, soft-touch case and Wacom digitizer, that option comes out to $1,019. (Note that Dell often runs promotions, so you may see slightly different prices.) Due to a faulty battery, though, Dell sent us another model to test: the Enhanced Security version with a fingerprint reader, smart card reader, swappable four-cell battery and the productivity dock. That configuration -- without peripherals such as the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse -- costs about $934. If you're going to go for the Latitude 10, we'd recommend shelling out for the full trappings, since you'll need a keyboard -- and likely an external monitor -- to get real work done. That said, those extras bring the price into Ultrabook territory, and you won't be getting Core i5-level performance with Dell's hybrid machine.</span><br /> <span>As always, we recommend surveying the field before committing to a product, and you have quite a few other options if the Latitude 10 piques your interest. When it comes to a good value, it's hard to beat the ASUS VivoTab Smart, which gets you 64GB of storage for $499. We like the 1.28-pound tablet's design -- with a polycarbonate back shell -- and relatively high-performing camera, but battery life isn't best in class, and there's no pen support. Acer's $550 </span>Iconia W510<span> is another relatively inexpensive offering, and it has good battery performance and an IPS display in its favor. The downside is a cramped and unattractive keyboard dock -- and that brings the price up to $750.</span><br /> If you want to wield a stylus, check out the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2. This may just be our favorite low-powered Windows 8 hybrid, thanks to a comfortable keyboard and impressive longevity. Pen input does come at a slight premium, though: it's $649 for a 64GB, stylus-equipped model. <span>Lenovo also has the more consumer-friendly IdeaTab Lynx (review coming soon). </span><span>There's also the </span>Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro<span>, which runs a full-fledged Core i5 CPU and includes an S Pen, but that will set you back $1,200.</span><br /><h3 id="title7"> Wrap-up</h3><br /><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Dell Latitude 10 review an Atompowered hybrid with great battery life" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc00054-1363806093.jpg" /></div>There are plenty of things to like about the Dell Latitude 10, in no small part due to the vast number of optional accessories that boost the device's productivity chops. Even without the swappable four-cell battery, this machine offers good longevity, and its bright IPS display stands out among other panels in its class.<br /> That's not to say this product is without its flaws, though; some of the most useful features, such as the productivity dock and the optional keyboard, don't feel tailor-made for a portable lifestyle, and how useful are peripherals if they can't travel anywhere with you? The price is also pretty steep when you factor in all the extras that make this system so corporate-friendly. If your pockets can handle it, splashing out for the highest-end configuration with all the bells and whistles will net you a solid product. Those who need to stay south of $1,000, though, should consider the ThinkPad Tablet 2 and ASUS VivoTab Smart instead.</div></div>

Dell Latitude 10 review: a business-friendly Windows tablet with great battery life

We've been making the grand tour of Windows 8 hybrids running low-powered Atom processors, and our latest stop is Dell's Latitude ...

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HTC One review (2013)

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htcone620340-1363098027.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">One. In literal terms, it's a number. To HTC, however, it's a branding strategy -- the foundation upon which the entire company is now based. Just take one look at the One lineup and you'll easily understand this is the manufacturer's pride and joy. There's a very good reason for that: in a crowded smartphone market, HTC is the underdog to titans like Samsung and Apple. The company needs to stand out if it even wants the <i>chance</i> to prove itself to consumers.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Last year's One X marked a solid start, and while it didn't pick up the momentum CEO Peter Chou would've liked, the follow-up model -- simply called the One -- takes HTC's design and imaging chops to the next level, bringing a new UltraPixel camera sensor, among other top-shelf specs. But will it catch the eye of potential smartphone buyers, in light of another key product announcement? We'd say it's got more than a fighting chance.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><b>HTC One review (2013)</b></h3><ul class="thumbs"><li class="thumb" data-count="98"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04971_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="98"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04982_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="98"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04983_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="98"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04986_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="98"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04993_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="98"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04995_95x95.jpg" /> </li>See all photos</ul></div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title0" style="text-align: left;"> Hardware</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">In order to most fully appreciate the One's hardware, you first need to understand the process that goes on behind the scenes. Rather than opt for the sort of polycarbonate shell used on the One X and One X+, HTC crafted the One out of a single block of anodized aluminum, sprinkled with polycarbonate accents throughout. It's incredibly intricate: each unit goes through at least 200 minutes of CNC machine cuts, and the aluminum is etched into channels filled with polycarbonate -- a technique called zero-gap injection molding. Add chamfered, polished edges that connect the sides of the phone to the glass (Gorilla Glass 2, to be specific), and you have a handset with one of the best industrial designs we've ever seen. The amount of detail here is staggering, and it reflects just how crucial this device is to HTC's future.<br /><br />Much like the Windows Phone 8X and Droid DNA (globally known as the Butterfly), the One has a pyramid-like internal setup: larger components like the display and battery sit up front, with the parts getting progressively smaller as you move toward the back of the phone. This gives the rear cover a sleek curve that makes it utterly comfortable to hold. Though the One is even slimmer at 9.3mm (0.37 inch) than the 10mm (0.4 inch) 8X, it's easier to grasp because the edges are contoured the way they are. At 5.04 ounces (143g), it feels a little weightier, but less than you might have guessed; it's actually relatively light given the materials used.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review insert obvious Matrix pun here for minimal originality" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05230-1363076099.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Ultimately, we're smitten with the One's design for all sorts of reasons: it's sexy, it feels secure in the hand and the combination of unibody aluminum and polycarbonate ensures the phone won't shatter into a million pieces if it were to hit the ground (although it may get dinged or scratched up a bit, depending on the angle).</div><div class="embed" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><blockquote class="quote left">We're smitten with the One's gorgeous industrial design and premium build.</blockquote></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">While industrial design, ergonomics and build quality are a good start, there's much more to this skinny slab of aluminum. The front of the device is home to some of the biggest changes, headlined by a 4.7-inch S-LCD3 panel with 1080p resolution and two capacitive soft keys just below it -- a departure from the standard three-button setup. A tiny HTC logo sits where the home button once did, smack-dab in between the two soft keys. In fact, it's almost a little deceiving: it looks as if the logo should double as a button (we'd prefer it), but unfortunately there's nothing more than meets the eye. Aluminum strips line the top and bottom of the phone's face, with a set of BoomSound speaker grilles designed to offer stereo sound when you're watching movies or listening to music. (The grille setup isn't unlike what you'd find flanking the keyboard of some laptops.) An LED notification light resides under the top grille, toward the left. A 2.1MP wide-angle, front-facing camera is located in the top-right corner, while a pair of sensors sits over on the top left.<br /><br />The front is by far the busiest part of the phone, while the edges and back have a more minimal design that helps keep the phone looking refined. The polycarbonate-laced sides angle inward until they meet the Gorilla Glass on the front, with only a chamfer to connect them. The left side is uninterrupted, save for a micro-SIM tray and miniscule ejection port. A micro-USB / MHL port and mic are on the bottom, and the right is taken up by a single volume rocker that uses the same ridge-like exterior as the Droid DNA.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review insert obvious Matrix pun here for minimal originality" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05204-1363076167.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The top end is where things get a little more interesting. The 3.5mm headphone jack is nothing new, but the power button has a dual personality: it doubles as an infrared (IR) blaster capable of transmitting and receiving, allowing you to use the handset as a TV remote. Because that power button is housed on the left, the act of locking and unlocking the One could be a bit more awkward for folks who tend to hold their phones in their left hands.<br /><br />Now we turn to the back, which itself is a study in symmetry and simplicity. Two strips of polycarbonate line the top and bottom, lining up neatly with the top and bottom of the 4.7-inch display on the other side. Squint hard enough and you may see a noise-cancelling mic in the top strip. The camera lens sits in the middle of the back, just barely below the top strip; it's encircled by a thin layer of polycarbonate and is slightly recessed to prevent the glass from getting scratched. You'll see an LED flash to the left of the camera; there's also the obligatory HTC logo set in the absolute center of the device, and Beats Audio branding has a spot just a smidgen above the bottom strip. An NFC transmitter is built into the back around the camera module. Unfortunately, though, one thing you won't find back here is wireless charging. Sorry, folks.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review insert obvious Matrix pun here for minimal originality" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05219-1363076292.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Finally, as you've likely already surmised by now, the 2,300mAh battery inside the One isn't removable or even accessible. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has used an HTC unibody flagship. There's also no place to stick a microSD card, so the 32 or 64GB of internal storage will have to suffice.<br /><br />There's plenty more going on underneath the shell: the One is powered by a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064T), an Adreno 320 and 2GB DDR2 RAM. While there are two basic versions of the device -- the UL and LTE-less U -- there will be six different SKUs that feature six different sets of LTE and HSPA+ bands. All of the units are quad-band GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz), but it gets more complicated as the speed goes up: our review unit, which was made for European frequencies, sports 900/1900/2100MHz UMTS/HSPA+ (3G) and 800/1800/2600MHz LTE. The "U" offers the same three frequencies and adds 850MHz for good measure, while Asia's variant uses 850/900/1900/2100MHz 3G and 1800/2600MHz LTE. Confused yet? Let's throw the US models into the mix. AT&T will offer 850/1900/2100MHz 3G and 700/850/AWS/1900MHz LTE. T-Mobile's has 850/AWS/1900/2100MHz 3G and 700/AWS LTE. Finally, Sprint's version uses 700/AWS 3G, 800/1900MHz CDMA and 1900MHz LTE.<br /><br />If that last paragraph of specs didn't wear you out, maybe the full data sheet below will. We hope not, because we have a lot more to discuss.</div><center dir="ltr"> <table class="table table-striped"> <thead><tr> <th></th> <th><b>HTC One</b></th> </tr></thead> <tbody><tr> <td><b>Dimensions</b></td> <td>137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm (5.41 x 2.69 x 0.37 inch)</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Weight</b></td> <td>5.04 oz. (143g)</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Screen size</b></td> <td>4.7 inches</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Screen resolution</b></td> <td>1,920 x 1,080 (468 ppi)</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Screen type</b></td> <td>S-LCD3</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Battery</b></td> <td>2,300mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable)</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Internal storage</b></td> <td>32/64GB</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>External storage</b></td> <td>None</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Rear camera</b></td> <td>4MP, BSI, f/2.0, 1/3'' sensor size, 2µm pixel size, OIS</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Front-facing cam</b></td> <td>2.1MP</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Video capture</b></td> <td>1080p, 30 fps (front and back)</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>NFC</b></td> <td>Yes</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Radios</b></td> <td>Depends on market -- see hardware section</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Bluetooth</b></td> <td>v4.0 with aptX</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>SoC</b></td> <td>Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064T)</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>CPU</b></td> <td>1.7GHz quad-core</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>GPU</b></td> <td>Adreno 320</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>RAM</b></td> <td>2GB</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Entertainment</b></td> <td>MHL, DLNA, IR sensor</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>WiFi</b></td> <td>Dual-band, 802.11a/ac/b/g/n, WiFi Direct</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Wireless Charging</b></td> <td>No</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Operating system</b></td> <td>Android 4.1.2 (upgradeable to 4.2), Sense 5 UI</td> </tr></tbody> </table></center><h3 dir="ltr" id="title1" style="text-align: left;"> Display</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review insert obvious Matrix pun here for minimal originality" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05144-1363076883.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">We praised the One X's 720p S-LCD2 display when it first showed up on the scene last spring, and there was even more to love a few months later when the Droid DNA came out with a 1080p S-LCD3 panel. Having built up this much momentum, we weren't expecting anything less than the absolute best from the One. And on paper, certainly, it doesn't disappoint: the One features the same number of pixels as the DNA, except they're crammed into a 4.7-inch screen (4.65 inches, to get technical). For the pixel density fanatics out there, this means the One offers an incredible 468 ppi. The setup sounds great on paper, but how does it translate into real life?<br /><br />To be honest, the display is the area in which we feel the most nitpicky, because the 1080p panels we've seen on other flagships so far feature simply jaw-dropping quality. And to pick up on minute differences between these incredible displays, you'd have to really start splitting hairs. In particular, 1080p displays don't offer nearly as noticeable a difference over 720p as we saw with 720p over qHD. Given how far we've come in terms of resolution and pixel density, the only way for screens to stand out above the crowd is to offer the best color, viewing angles, brightness and readability in daylight.</div><div class="embed" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><blockquote class="quote right">The One's display is the most stunning we've seen thus far, but it's only slightly better than the Droid DNA's.</blockquote></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The One's display does very well in all four areas. It's slightly brighter than the DNA's and significantly better than the One X+'s S-LCD2; the darks are sufficient, though still not as rich as what you'd find on an AMOLED; the other colors are incredibly close to fully natural; viewing angles are just as good as the One X+ and DNA, because it's difficult to get any better; and we could see the display without a problem in the direct sunlight. Movies look amazing on the One, and if we want to get exceedingly picky, the text on the One is slightly more crisp than on the DNA -- but this is something that's only noticeable when you view the two side by side. Tiny details aside, the One's display is the most gorgeous we've seen thus far.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title2" style="text-align: left;"> Camera</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review 2013" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="606" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesamplelead01.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">In the days leading up to the One announcement, HTC promised a whole new imaging and sound experience on its new flagship -- and it certainly wasn't exaggerating. With the exception of Nokia with its PureView line, all of the company's competitors are busy increasing the megapixel count on their latest and greatest cameras. HTC, however, boldly chose to go the opposite direction: it <i>decreased</i> the resolution to 4MP. As you would expect, there's a lot more to the story than a simple drop in pixel count -- in fact, HTC coined the term UltraPixels to describe its new imaging innovation.<br /><br />The idea behind the UltraPixels is to take a physically large sensor and combine it with big pixels that are capable of gathering more light than standard-sized ones. Whereas the typical smartphone camera features 1.1µm pixels, the One proudly boasts a one-third-inch BSI sensor with 2µm pixels capable of absorbing 330 percent more photons. But that alone isn't enough to excel at low-light photography, so HTC also uses a 28mm f/2.0 AF lens and optical image stabilization (OIS) -- and just in case you still can't capture enough light, an LED flash is thrown in for good measure.</div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><b>HTC One sample shots</b></h3><ul class="thumbs"><li class="thumb" data-count="81"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesample01_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="81"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesample02_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="81"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesample03_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="81"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesample04_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="81"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesample05_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="81"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesample06_95x95.jpg" /> </li>See all photos</ul></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">HTC's also developed a next-gen image signal processor (ISP), aptly named ImageChip 2. Despite a lower megapixel count, the new chip is capable of continuous autofocus in less than 200ms, reduced noise, real-time lens compensation and 1080p HDR video recording. It also offers a buffered-capture cycle with pre- and post-shutter recording, not unlike what you get with BlackBerry's Time Shift, Scalado's Rewind, Samsung's Best Face and Nokia's Smart Shoot. In other words, don't worry about the resolution on the camera -- instead, let the images do the talking.<br /><br />The front-facing camera hasn't been neglected either. The 2.1MP module comes with an f/2.0 wide-angle (88-degree) lens and is capable of capturing up to 1080p video, much like its compadre on the back of the One. Even though it can't do the same fancy scene modes (for video or stills) as the rear camera, you can at least grab HDR shots and tweak white balance if necessary.<br /><br />In a nutshell, all of the usual customizable settings are there: white balance, ISO up to 1600, exposure control, HDR, face detection, a specific macro mode, panorama, three crop styles, plenty of filters and a post-shot photo editor. There's a clever UI trick that lets you switch between rear and front cameras by dragging your finger down from either side of the phone. The only thing that's sorely missing is the ability to touch and hold the on-screen shutter button to lock exposure and focus, even when the One's burst-shooting mode is disabled.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review 2013" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="600" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesamplecomp02.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">When it comes to performance, there are so many places we could start, so we'll begin by discussing the megapixel myth. It's so easy to just naturally assume that a camera with lower resolution is worse than one capable of capturing a larger number of pixels, but that isn't always the case. Indeed, cameras with higher resolutions allow for better cropping and digital zooming. When shots are viewed at their regular size, however, there isn't any visible degradation of detail. Colors are impressively natural, and white balance is excellent as well. The only issue we found with stills was that the camera tended to overexpose subjects in direct sunlight.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review 2013" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="600" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/htconesamplecomp03.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The One camera truly outshines almost everything else in low-light situations. It usually produces better shots at night than the Nokia Lumia 920, and comes in second only to the current imaging king, the Nokia 808 PureView. We were amazed by how much errant light it picked up; the One could snag perfectly usable shots on pitch-black streets, and the OIS worked like a charm. The only time noise actually became a problem was in extremely dark scenarios, but otherwise we were quite impressed by how clear most of the images came out.</div><div class="embed" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><blockquote class="quote left">We were blown away by how much light the One camera was able to grab at night.</blockquote></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">In short, even though it's not perfect and we'd love to be able to get more detail from zoomed-in shots, the One's UltraPixels methodology appears to be completely sound. We're confident enough in its quality, in fact, to declare the One as our new go-to camera.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br />On the video side, there's plenty to keep you occupied as well. Since the ImageChip 2 is capable of recording 1080p video at about 30 fps and 720p at 60 fps (this includes HDR functionality as well), you can take these options out for a spin at any time, in addition to HTC's signature slow-motion mode. We've compiled samples from each mode above for you to check out. In our time with the One, daytime videos were not only crisp and smooth visually, the One's noise-cancellation mics did a great job filtering out wind and other unwanted background noise, while picking up our own voices very well at the same time. HDR videos are pretty good, but we noticed the occasional weird artifact on some frames, while brightness mysteriously jumps at times. Videos taken at night were quite clean, though the frame rate appears to suffer, dropping down from 30 fps to around 20, and there are fairly minor issues with white balance as well.<br /><br />As if the UltraPixel camera isn't enough indication that imaging plays a huge part in HTC's strategy to gain market share, it's also introduced a unique feature called Zoe. When looking at one, it's hard not to envision an old-fashioned zoetrope spinning around and around to create a short movie. The feature is capable of capturing four to five full-res stills per second while recording a few seconds of 1080p video. In the end, what you get is a short video segment and a burst of roughly 20 images -- think of the moving pictures in <i>Harry Potter</i>, and you'll get the idea. On the surface, it doesn't seem like this would be of any practical use, but we started to appreciate it as soon as we saw animated images pop up in our photo gallery. Once we saw the highlight reels and Zoe Share, however, we were completely sold. We'll discuss these features in the next section.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title3" style="text-align: left;"> Sense 5</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review 2013" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="508" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/sense1a.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">At its core, the One is an Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) device. HTC, however, would much rather have the focus be on the custom skin job it's put on top of Google's mobile OS. Known as Sense 5, the next generation of the user interface is very much an evolution from previous iterations -- we'd dare say that it's a completely different experience, much like Sense 4 was from version 3. The fourth iteration was a noticeable improvement, as HTC had finally merged many of its ideas with Google's general design guidelines. Now, with Sense 5, the UI has changed on nearly everything once again, from the home page to core HTC apps; it's better than Sense 4 in some ways, but in other ways it's a step back.<br /><br />For basic navigation, Sense 5 devices use two soft keys. This is a huge departure from Sense 4 devices, which use a three-button setup consisting of back, home and recent apps (with the latter being customizable to work as the menu button if desired). The One, on the other hand, offers only back and home keys. A long-press on home activates Google Now, while double-tapping the same button brings up a new recent apps menu that is much improved over the card-style version on Sense 4 that reminded us too much of Windows Phone and webOS. Cards are still present this time around, but they're much smaller and you can view up to nine in total. It's still possible to flick each one up to remove them, but since we often like to have more than nine apps open at the same time, this limit is too restrictive for our tastes.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Because Sense 5 eschews a menu key, it means many third-party apps have to throw in the virtual menu key at the bottom of the screen. This feels like a step backward to us, especially after the One X was updated to allow menu functionality on the recent apps soft key.<br /><br />The most striking change in the UI is BlinkFeed, which takes over as the default home page. Thanks to its many tiles of various shapes and sizes, the tool is reminiscent of Flipboard, Motorola's Blur UI and even Windows Phone. (Dare we say it even brings back memories of the Microsoft Kin?) The idea behind the service is to bring in content from your favorite publications and social networks -- Engadget, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Flickr are just a few examples -- and put it all together for easy browsing. In fact, the word "casual" should be the main focus here: outside the usual notification bar, BlinkFeed won't feature your emails or any other critical updates. If something of interest pops up in your feed, just tap on any tile to read the associated post or status update. There's also a modernized clock and weather widget at the very top, but it only shows up on the main screen -- it disappears as soon as you start scrolling down into the depths of your feed.</div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><b>HTC Sense 5 screenshots</b></h3><ul class="thumbs"><li class="thumb" data-count="77"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/screenshot2013-03-09-13-04-40_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="77"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/screenshot2013-03-09-13-04-58_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="77"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/screenshot2013-03-09-13-05-07_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="77"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/screenshot2013-03-09-13-05-35_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="77"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/screenshot2013-03-09-13-05-46_95x95.jpg" /> </li><li class="thumb" data-count="77"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/screenshot2013-03-09-13-06-08_95x95.jpg" /> </li>See all photos</ul></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Fortunately, you still have full control over BlinkFeed through a hidden pull-down bar nestled in between the tiles and clock widget, which is accessed by dragging your finger down on the starting page (you can also use this gesture to manually update your feeds, although you can set it to auto-refresh on mobile data and WiFi or WiFi-only). A tab on the left lets you pick and choose which feeds you want to look at; for instance, you can opt to view only updates from Engadget or go for the whole kit and kaboodle of topics that interest you. If you want to change which feeds are highlighted, just head to the settings, found in the BlinkFeed menu. Additionally, you'll also find options to post to Facebook or Twitter directly from this bar.<br /><br />An SDK will eventually be offered so that devs can publish their apps to BlinkFeed as a means of making the service more useful. This is something we look forward to; the entire concept just feels like it's too drastic a shift from stock Android. Fortunately, in case you're not a fan of BlinkFeed being the default screen every time you unlock your phone -- and let's face it, it's a huge departure from anything we've seen on Sense or Android in general, so it's not going to please everybody -- you can choose a different home page. There doesn't appear to be any way to completely disable it, however, so you're stuck with it taking up one of your five main panels. This leads to our major frustration: while the idea behind BlinkFeed isn't terrible (and we imagine serial social networkers and news junkies may find it quite handy), it makes Sense feel a little too cluttered with unnecessary bloat and users should be given the option to disable it if they don't get any benefit out of it.</div><div class="embed" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><blockquote class="quote left">BlinkFeed performs well, but it adds to the feeling of unnecessary bloat and can't be disabled</blockquote></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">We should note that BlinkFeed's tiled layout isn't restricted to that main panel; it's actually a recurring theme in the gallery as well. The app uses tiles to let you choose between your own photo galleries, your friends' Facebook albums and other online services like Dropbox and Flickr. When you go into your own photo albums, you may see a few images moving on their own -- those <i>Harry Potter</i>-like movies hanging out in your once-stagnant album are Zoe shots. Each picture (Zoe or otherwise) can be starred as a "highlight" so you can show your friends and family the best images from last month's Disneyland vacation instead of, you know, <i>all of them.</i> You can also upload those precious memories to Zoe Share, a service that generates a URL displaying up to 10 photos which you can share with whomever you want -- whether they're Zoe or plain, old stills. Each website is active for 180 days, in case loved ones or stalkers want to visit over and over. (We've generated a sample URL for you to take a peek here.)</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Admittedly, Zoe Share is a much slicker feature than we first gave it credit for, but there's another clever way to share these five-second clips: the One can take your collection of Zoes and stills from that day and create a professional-style highlight reel complete with images, clips, special effects and music. There aren't a lot of song choices available yet, and you can't use your own music, but the stock tones offered are at least diverse. Each individual song comes with its own theme -- one comes with an old-timey filter, for instance -- and the pictures are synced almost perfectly with the music. These 30-second movies can be uploaded to Zoe Share on a unique URL for 30 days, or it can be uploaded to other services such as YouTube. We had a hard time believing that the resulting movies weren't done by a human, but this is just one creative way to take advantage of the Snapdragon 600 chipset.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review 2013" data-src-height="398" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/zoeshare2.png" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The main home panels on Sense 5 really aren't that different from what we saw on the previous version. The iconic Sense clock and weather widget is missing by default, but don't panic, fans -- it's still offered as a widget, so long-press the main screen and you'll get the standard Sense setup that lets you pick out which widgets, shortcuts and apps you want. You may also notice that the font is different from Senses past, but it's actually Roboto, the stock font on Android 4.0+ (albeit, Sense uses a different weighted version). The notification bar uses the same setup as before, but it also takes advantage of the new font and a slightly modernized style.<br /><br />Besides BlinkFeed and the gallery, the other area that received a major revamp is the app menu. The grids, which offer a more Holo-style look than the ones found on Sense 4, are aligned vertically instead of horizontally and come in two different sizes: 3 x 4 and 4 x 5. By default, the grid shows up as 3 x 4, and just as we saw on BlinkFeed, the Holo-style clock and weather widget take up the top row of icons on the very first screen (for either size). App placement is different here than on the stock app tray: you customize your docking tray from here instead of the main screen, you can create or manipulate folders and another pull-down bar with tabs and settings sits between the app icons and clock. This tab allows you to change the grid organization to show alphabetical order or recent apps (folders are non-existent in these modes).</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The One makes good use of the included IR blaster with Sense TV, a Peel-powered feature that blends a program guide and universal remote into one app. Stateside, Hulu Plus is integrated and all major cable services are supported; in the UK, Virgin Media, Sky, Freesat and Freeview will be included in the offerings. We'd love to see Netflix supported as well, but HTC hasn't announced any plans on that end yet, so we'll become more virtuous by exercising heaps of patience. (It's a win-win, really.)</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review 2013" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="508" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/sense2.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br />As for the remote itself, it still works pretty well but not as flawlessly as the Optimus G Pro's iteration. It comes with a library of IR codes to support nearly any TV brand, cable service and home theater setup you can think of. The software guides you step by step as you as you attempt to get your phone properly set up with all of your equipment, even going as far as to tell you to align the One with your universal remote if it's unsuccessful at getting everything programmed correctly. Once you're ready to actually use the remote, your mileage may vary depending on your TV brand and cable provider. We weren't able to turn off the Dish DVR despite easily being able to control the menu, and a Hitachi TV recognized the input menu button on the remote but refused to let us select any of the options in the menu. Aside from this little hiccup, everything worked as advertised. As another nice touch, you can access basic controls and recent channels in the notification tray, use the remote on the lock screen and even tell the app to remind you of upcoming TV shows in BlinkFeed.<br /><br />Sense 5 also brings with it an updated HTC Sync Manager. This feature is primarily aimed at new users hoping to move their information from iPhones or other Android devices. If you're coming over from an Apple, you can use Sync Manager to go into iTunes and grab your contacts, calendar appointments, photos, videos and music (DRM-free, natch). If you're coming from an older Sense device (3.6 or higher), you'll be able to transfer all of the above as well as texts, bookmarks and preferred settings. You can achieve similar results on other Android phones (2.3 and up) by installing an HTC app from the Play Store, whereas any other devices can still transfer contacts the old-fashioned way -- via Bluetooth. Sense 5 also makes it possible to store encrypted backups on your Dropbox account (or Sina, if you're in China), which is then tied to your Facebook creds. Using this method, you can back up all of your settings, apps, widgets, BlinkFeed, TV, home screen layout and account information.<br /><br />Finally, HTC's partnered up with Zoodles to add Kid Mode. The app serves as a password- or gesture-protected launcher that your children won't be able to exit. Once enabled, you have the ability to restrict which apps your children use, while also offering a place to make drawings and read storybooks. Speaking of storybooks, the service lets you record stories via the front-facing cam, so your kids can watch you read <i>The Three Little Pigs</i> to them, even if you're out of town. There's also a video mail feature that allows you and your young 'uns to exchange messages back and forth to each other.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Since your offspring are likely all sorts of ages, each individual child can have their own specific mode in which their favorite apps and preferences (along with your own parental customizations) pop up. As a parent, I found the service to be incredibly handy -- it's no secret that kids have just as intense a love for electronic gadgets as we do, so it's important to keep them (not to mention our personal data) safe as they play with our phones.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title4" style="text-align: left;"> Performance and battery life</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review insert obvious Matrix pun here for minimal originality" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05105-1363077011.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Outside of that stunning design, the star of the show is the One's Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064T) chipset, which pairs a 1.7GHz quad-core CPU with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM. This particular piece of silicon is the next logical step up from Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064). The CPU features Krait 300 -- a bump from the S4 Pro's Krait 200, which results in a 15 percent improvement in instructions per clock (IPC) and a "speed-enhanced" Adreno 320 GPU. The 600 is also built using a 28nm process, just like the S4 Pro, and offers support for LPDDR3 -- even though the One uses LPDDR2 specifically -- and 802.11ac support on the WiFi side (in addition to the standard suite of a/b/g/n). This is the same chipset used in the LG Optimus G Pro and ASUS PadFone Infinity, and doubtless countless more over the next few months. It won't stay king of the Snapdragon hill for long, since Qualcomm expects the 800 to be available in mid-2013.<br /><br />Still, the fact is that, as of this writing, the Snapdragon 600 is the strongest processor on the market, and the benchmarks -- as you'll see in the chart below -- indicate a solid improvement over the S4 Pro chip. We've compared the One with its predecessor, the One X+, as well as the S4 Pro-powered Droid DNA and Snapdragon 600-powered Optimus G Pro, so take a look at how the One holds up.</div><table class="table table-striped" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <thead><tr> <th style="text-align: left;"></th> <th style="text-align: left;">HTC One</th> <th style="text-align: left;">HTC One X+</th> <th style="text-align: left;">HTC Droid DNA</th> <th style="text-align: left;">LG Optimus G Pro</th> </tr></thead> <tbody><tr> <td><b>Quadrant 2.0</b></td> <td>12,495</td> <td>7,457</td> <td>8,028</td> <td>12,435</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>Vellamo 2.0</b></td> <td>2,429</td> <td>1,897</td> <td>1,752</td> <td>2,254</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>AnTuTu 3.1</b></td> <td>25,140</td> <td>15,832</td> <td>14,474</td> <td>19,300</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>SunSpider 0.9.1 (ms)</b></td> <td>991</td> <td>1,107</td> <td>1,150</td> <td>904</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>GLBenchmark Egypt 2.5 HD Offscreen (fps)</b></td> <td>34</td> <td>12</td> <td>31</td> <td>27</td> </tr><tr> <td><b>CF-Bench </b></td> <td>25,267</td> <td>14,558</td> <td>18,386</td> <td>20,019</td> </tr><tr> <td colspan="5"><small>SunSpider: lower scores are better</small></td> </tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">It shouldn't be much of a surprise to see the One edge out HTC's older flagships, but it also handily beat the G Pro in all but one benchmark (SunSpider). Since the silicon itself is essentially the same, this likely indicates that Sense 5 is more optimized than LG's Optimus UI. In any case, the differences aren't visible to the naked eye. When they're both that good, tiny discrepancies in performance just aren't as noticeable: but for what matters most, the One definitely does the job, and does it well. It runs buttery smooth and the screen is quite responsive. We strained our eyes looking for any sort of lag with no success and the graphics in games like <i>Shadowgun</i>, <i>Asphalt 7</i>, <i>Real Racing 3</i> and <i>Riptide</i> are as quick and detailed as we've come to expect with high-performance phones, if not just a little bit more so. (This reviewer's personal performance when playing games, however, is a completely different story.)</div><div class="embed" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><blockquote class="quote left">We got almost nine hours of battery life with constant use.</blockquote></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The One's 2,300mAh battery is a solid improvement in size over previous flagships -- the One X used a 1,800mAh cell, while the One X+'s was beefed up to 2,100 -- so we were hoping to see a measurable boost in how long its battery held up. Now for the moment of truth: in our rundown endurance test, in which we play an HD video on endless loop, the One made it through six and a half hours before all of its juice was sucked dry -- an average result. As a disclaimer, our initial real-world usage tests were conducted on AT&T's 1900MHz network, which admittedly doesn't offer consistent HSPA+ speeds in our area; with this in mind, we got almost nine hours of constant use, which consisted of emailing, social media, taking pictures, making a few calls and an assortment of other random activities. Our UK team just received a unit with full LTE coverage, so expect an update from us as soon as they run through the same battery test.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review insert obvious Matrix pun here for minimal originality" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05213-1363077226.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">As flashy as the One is, it's an actual phone first and foremost -- and even this aspect of the device is specced out to the max. HTC has thrown in a pair of HDR microphones designed to cancel unnecessary background noise and handle a wide range of sound levels without saturating. Call quality was solid, but what really stood out to us was what we didn't hear. At one point in a recent conversation, we told the person on the other line to excuse the UPS truck passing by right behind us; our friend couldn't even tell that anything was in the background, let alone a noisy truck.<br /><br />Remember those stereo speakers taking up all that room on the front of the One? They're the best set of external speakers we've heard on a phone so far, and as afraid as we are to admit this, Beats Audio may have something to do with it. HTC's BoomSound technology makes it so you don't have to use earbuds or an on-ear headset to take advantage of the various codecs Beats has to offer. If you don't want to annoy others -- and why would you? -- the phone uses the same 2.55v headphone amp used in the Droid DNA, giving you similar bass levels even when you're not listening through the speaker. In any case, if you do decide to go the no-headphone route, the result is a much fuller audio experience. Not only that, we cranked the volume as loud as it could go and we couldn't hear any distortion whatsoever.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title5" style="text-align: left;"> Wrap-up</h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="DNP HTC One review insert obvious Matrix pun here for minimal originality" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc05271-1363077348.jpg" /></div><div class="more-info" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3> More Info</h3><ul><li> HTC One hands-on: design and hardware</li><li> HTC One software hands-on</li><li> HTC One X+ review</li></ul></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Regardless of how well Samsung's soon-to-be-announced flagship does on the market, we'll continue to have a soft spot for the One. Last year, we were very impressed by the One X, but that wasn't enough. HTC pushed itself and made its sequel even more polished than the original. We love the phone's industrial design and the camera, while the Snapdragon 600 chipset and 1080p display aren't bad either. We're not sold on every aspect of Sense 5, such as BlinkFeed and the One's two-button layout, but overall the user experience is much improved. As far as we're concerned, HTC has a hit on its hands.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><b>Update:</b> Here's a ZIP file containing most of our un-retouched full-size HTC One photos along with matching shots taken with other handsets.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><i>Myriam Joire and Mat Smith contributed to this review.</i></div></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="349" id="viddler-9a093823" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="//www.viddler.com/embed/9a093823/?f=1&offset=0&autoplay=0&secret=19688766&disablebranding=0&view_secret=19688766" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="545"></iframe></div>

HTC One review (2013)

  One. In literal terms, it's a number. To HTC, however, it's a branding strategy -- the foundation upon which the entire company i...

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