Clumsy smartphone lovers of America, rejoice! The HTC One M9, which will hit pockets here in the United States in April, will have an intriguing new form of warranty protection: users will be able to replace their phone with no deductible or replacement fee once if it is damaged. [More]
HTC
HTC To Now Replace Some Shattered Phone Screens For Free
Some of us are klutzy. No matter how hard we try, we break things. And the more expensive they are, the more likely we are to drop them on, say, the cold concrete floor of Citizens Bank Park. In an effort to lure in butterfingered smartphone owners like yours truly, HTC is now offering one-time free screen replacement on some new devices if the damage is done in the first six months of ownership. [More]
Samsung Fined Because You Can’t Hire Writers To Say Mean Things Online About Competitors
Remember when Taiwan started investigating Samsung after a slew of mean comments about HTC started appearing online? Authorities there have decided that yes, Samsung was indeed paying writers to tear its competitor down while also writing glowing things to build Samsung’s phones up in the eyes of online commenters. [More]
Report: AT&T Discontinuing HTC First After Facebook Home Fails To Impress
Some called it the first “Facebook phone,” some called it by its name, the HTC First, and now there are those calling the whole joint venture between Facebook and AT&T a flop. According to one report making the rounds today, AT&T is getting ready to drop the HTC First after reportedly poor sales. [More]
Taiwanese Authorities Looking Into Claims That Samsung Paid Students To Slam HTC Online
The thing about online reviews is, they should be from real, actual customers — no matter the service or product. It’s a great way for consumers to discuss, dish, dis and otherwise express themselves, which is why Taiwanese authorities are investigating Samsung over allegations that the South Korean company recruited students to post negative comments about HTC phones on the Internet. [More]
Is The ‘Facebook Phone’ Really Just A Better Facebook App For Android?
There have been rumors for a while that Facebook, like Google, would be getting into the hardware business and last night’s press invite from Facebook for some big Android-related announcement spurred all sorts of talk about an actual “Facebook Phone,” but some says it’s likely just Facebook finally getting around to releasing an Android app that functions properly. [More]
How I Got Verizon To Swap My Reboot-Looping Droid Incredible For A New iPhone
Owners of the Droid Incredible, a Verizon-exclusive phone made by HTC, are in a predicament. Sure, their phones are a little old, but many are still in circulation and working fine. A recent software upgrade sends the phones into a perpetual reboot loop in the wee hours of the morning, which is annoying and drains the battery. These customers could upgrade if they really wanted to, but Incredible owners most likely have unlimited data from Verizon Wireless, which they will lose if they upgrade their phones and accept a carrier subsidy. Verizon isn’t about to replace the looping phones, either…unless it’s with another defective Droid Incredible. Dana found a way around this, and talked Verizon into letting her swap her Droid for a shiny new iPhone. [More]
HTC Incredible Gets Stuck In 2 AM Reboot Loop, Wakes Me Up
There are still a lot of users around with the original HTC Incredible, and many of them need to go out and buy alarm clocks. That’s because a new software update that Verizon just sent out makes their phones go into a freaky reboot loop around 2 AM, wearing down the battery and sometimes locking the phone up entirely. The phone does wake its owner up, though. At 2:00. Reader Joe reports that every night, it makes the DROID startup noise at least once. Loudly. Every time it restarts. [More]
HTC Sense Warns Customers: We're Going Away For An Undetermined Amount Of Time
Way back when, about a year ago, we had a reader who had a bone to pick with HTC Sense after her phone was stolen and the remote-locking system failed. HTC apologized and said it was still working some stuff out — but now it seems there are just too many kinks in HTC Sense, and the company is warning customers of an impending, supposedly temporary, shutdown of services. [More]
Shouldn't I Be Able To Delete Unwanted Apps Off My Own Darn Phone?
The last time I looked something up in the Yellow Pages was back in the pre-Google era as part of a youthful prank calling spree, although I’m sure I used it to keep a door open at some point in the last eight years. And now I’m stuck with an unwanted Yellow Pages app that came on my Android phone. It can’t be deleted, along with a stupid Blockbuster app and other useless things I do not want. [More]
HTC: We Can't Make Better Phones If We're Always Fixing Yours
William has tried everything to get a working HTC smartphone: he’s e-mailed executives and he’s visited his local Sprint store for help. The company replaced his broken Evo Shift with a Design. Yay! …except that on the new phone, no one can hear him. HTC won’t send a replacement phone. Not because he’s not entitled to one, but because William tried had swapped in a battery from his old phone when the replacement had shipped with a bad one. [More]
Apple Wins Small Victory In Patent Battle Against Android Smartphones
There are so many patent battles going on around the globe between Apple and various smartphone companies, it can be hard to keep track of all the suits and countersuits. In one small but important battle decided recently, Apple has come out on top of HTC, in a ruling that could also affect the way Google’s Android operating system works. [More]
HTC Damaged My Phone During Warranty Inspection, Refuses To Fix
Consumerist reader Travis needed to replace a digitizer on his HTC HD2 phone, so he went through the usual channels and contacted the company’s warranty center to get the process going. From then on, everything went downhill. [More]
HTC Apologizes To Reader For Failure Of Remote-Locking System
Yesterday, we brought you the story of a reader who thought she’d successfully activated the remote lock on her new HTC phone after it was stolen only to find out the system didn’t work because it’s too popular. And within minutes of the story going up on Consumerist, she received not one but two separate calls from HTC seeking to atone for the error. [More]
HTC Says My Stolen Phone Has Been Remotely Locked But Doesn't Actually Lock It
Being mugged and having your brand new phone stolen out of your hand sucks. What could make it even suckier? How about finding out that the phone’s remote-locking system — intended to prevent your device from being used and abused by god knows who — just doesn’t work because the phone manufacturer wasn’t expecting so many people would actually want to use the service. [More]
HTC: Phone Repair By Sprint Store Voided Warranty
If Sprint is the exclusive seller of the HTC Evo, and Sprint stores will also repair your Evo when you have a problem with it, isn’t it logical that having Sprint repair your smartphone won’t void the warranty? Not so fast, smart guy or gal! Rodney writes that he and his wife actually left Sprint because a local Sprint store charged for a repair that actually voided the warranty. That repair? The phone’s 4th in seven months. Update, 2/23/11: HTC is issuing Rodney a refund. [More]
Cellphone Stops Bullet, Saves Man's Life
A valet in Atlanta was leaving the club he works at when he got caught in a crossfire between two armed patrons. A stray bullet went through his jacket and would have seriously injured or killed him, had he not happened to have his HTC Droid Incredible Evo 4G in his breast pocket. The phone’s battery stopped the bullet, saving his life. The only questions is whether Asurion covers “hail of hot lead” damage. [More]