Vivid Blue HTC One And HTC One Mini Announced, Available Later This Year

HTC One has received accolades of commendation for being an extra-elegant device, and indeed, if you hold it just once, it’s hard to not fall in love with the amazing flagship that the Taiwanese manufacturer has come up with. To make matters more interesting, the company has announced the Vivid Blue variant of the device, aimed to be released for “selected markets” according to official sources.

The new color variant, scheduled for release later this year for both HTC One and HTC One Mini, will be made available to the chosen markets in the last quarter of the year, as per HTC’s official statement on the matter.

The innards of the device aren’t going to change from the existing models, and what’s going to be really different is the lovely blue hue that surrounds the phone. Even from the images, it stands out and speaks class.

In other details, the device will continue to carry the Beats Audio branding, albeit with the lighter shade of gray, and will feature a black bezel around the screen. Rest of the device is blue, and encased in a unibody aluminum shell. The rims of the device remain shiny and reflective, while the edges carry a slight matte look and feel.

In all fairness, the Vivid Blue color carries a very similar look and feel to what we saw in theGlamour Red HTC One variant, which was released several weeks ago. However, thanks to the metallic shell, the feel of the device in your hand would be significantly improved and more elegant.

HTC One Mini in Vivid Blue also carries the same design features of the original version, where the plastic edges now carry a metallic look and feel, too. For a smaller, cheaper variant, this device is definitely more appealing to the average user, and is evident even from the official images supplied.

The move to release a new color variant, along with the choice of a cool blue version, further proves that color choice can definitely influence a buyer’s decision. It’s the same move that Apple did with the white iPhone, and with the imminent release of iPhone 5C, which is rumored to be available in different colored shells, shows that both the companies are heading in the right direction. As more devices embrace the market, the competition for dominance thickens between Android and iOS, and it’s small factors like this that can differentiate between a winner and a loser.

How To Fully Optimize Android Devices For Speedy Performance And Extended Battery Life [VIDEO]

Although smartphones are getting progressively better in all departments including power, performance and battery life, one must still take care in order to maximize the lifespan and so general daily operations are carried out without hitch. After all, technology is still far from perfect at times, and if you’re in ownership of a mobile device, you will have encountered dwindling battery life and performance at some point. But with an app like Super Optimize for Android, you can keep your device in good health for as long as possible, and if your device is currently struggling to cope with the daily grind, this one is for you.

Whether you’re running out of storage space, or your device just feels a little lethargic and in need of a belated Spring Clean, Super Optimize for Android has the tool set required to get your smartphone or tablet firing on all cylinders once more. Set in a Holo-eseque interface, it’s very easy to navigate through the various options, and once you have applied the tweaks, your device should be left feeling a lot slicker and ready for action.

You can readily check which apps are commanding the most juice, and if you don’t see the app as entirely necessary, you can simply strike them off. Although we all have a rough idea of which apps drain battery the quickest, you may be surprised about some lurking apps silently siphoning off those precious droplets, so the battery management aspect of the app is incredibly useful.

You can also easily uninstall apps, a process that also allows you to remove those space-hogging temporary files. From a privacy aspect, Super Optimize also allows you to clear away your call history, email search history and message drafts, meaning you can remove, for good, your personal data if need be.

With a neat, intuitive interface and a multitude of options, Super Optimize is the easy way to free up space and fine-tune your device in general. Grab it via the link below – it is free, after all – and be sure to leave your comments below.

(Download: Super Optimize for Android on the Play Store)

Make sure to check out our Android Apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android device.

Nokia Lumia Phablet With 1080p Display Stated For Release This Year [Report]

Although Nokia has long since been fighting an uphill battle in the mobile industry by choosing to jump on the back of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8, one cannot fault the companies endeavors with regards to devices. As well as the fleet of devices previously available on Windows Phone 7, the Finnish outfit has released a fleet of great handsets over the past twelve months such as the Lumia 920, aluminum-laden Lumia 925, and the 41-megapixel marvel that is the Lumia 1020. With the middle of the market also covered and the company still dropping its fair share of dumbphones, there’s one key area of the smartphone spectrum still untried from Nokia’s point of view, but according to reports out of My Nokia Blog, the company is preparing an entry to the emerging collection of so-called ‘phablet’ devices.

The word phablet derives from phone + tablet, and although they share largely similar properties to your general smartphone, the key difference is that they pack exceptionally large, 5+ inch displays. Popularized by the Samsung Galaxy Note, we’ve seen a number of vendors jump on this form factor, and with LG only yesterday having announced the monstrosity that is the G2, it looks as though Nokia could be soon to showcase something similar.

There’s little doubting that the Lumia 925, the company’s flagship smartphone, is of high-end caliber, but one of the main reasons why we haven’t seen the Espoo-based telecoms giant drop a quad-core extravaganza is, simply put, Windows Phone 8 cannot handle it. But with Microsoft likely to be preparing a GDR3 update allowing for more powerful handsets on its fledgling platform, this could serve as Nokia’s cue to bring its first phablet to the scene.

According to My Nokia Blog, the device will pack a quad-core processor and 1080p display, both of which seem to be the standard for most high-end phablets. Considering Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO, said not so long ago that anything more than a single core was essentially a waste of battery life in a smartphone, this phablet would present a giant leap in the company’s strategy, and since the company places much importance on optimizing software for each handset it releases, goodness knows how slick a quad-core Lumia on Windows Phone 8.x would be.

We’ll keep you posted should we hear any more on the matter, so stay tuned!

(Source: MyNokiaBlog)

You may also like to check out:

• Nokia Lumia 1020 With 41-Megapixel Camera Announced, Here Are The Details [VIDEO]

Fully Featured Instagram Client For Windows Phone Released

Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform continues to struggle against the might of both iOS and Android in the battle of the mobile ecosystems, and while the UI and functionality of the Redmond company’s mobile software has been praised and lauded by many – including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak – the lack of apps over at the Windows Phone Store has been more than a slight problem. While one app certainly won’t be enough to completely change the fortunes of the still fledgling platform, an official Instagram app for Windows Phone has been conspicuous by its absence, and while there’s still no sign of the Facebook-owned product making its way to the tiled interface, a third-party offering by the name of 6tag finally offers an almost fully-functional Instagram experience.

There have been many apps attempting to offer Windows Phone users a way into the popular photo-sharing service, and while some have proven more than worthwhile, none have quite lived up to the official experience. 6tag, formerly known as 6tagram, is different in that it appears include most of the features one would find within the official apps for iOS and Android.

Along with the standard set of Instagram filters, 6tag also takes advantage of the new video uploading feature introduced by Facebook some weeks ago. With sharing on all of the major networks to boot, 6tag is easily the richest Instagram service to date, and quite surprisingly, the filters included in the app are the exact same ones which we’ve come accustomed to on the official offerings on both iOS and Android.

Of course, a change in the Instagram API could quickly spell the end of 6tag, and since it’s a free download, we highly recommend you give it a shot by promptly hitting the download link provided below. Instagram has been coy in disclosing any details pertaining a possible app for Windows Phone, so until such time as an official offering manifest, 6tag is as good as it’s going to get for the moment.

Apart from 6tag, you should also give Hipstamatic Oggl a shot, it’s a nice app and Instagram upload support is official.

(Download: 6tag for Windows Phone on the Windows Phone Store)

Be sure to check out our Windows Phone 7 apps gallery to explore more apps for your Windows Phone 7 smartphone.