With so many smartphones now sporting 1GHz processors, we were a little surprised to find out T-Mobile's G2 smartphone would ship at 'just' 800MHz. This led us to believe it would have some overclocking headroom tucked inside, and boy does it ever.
XDA forum member "coolbho3000" dropped an overclocking kernel module into the wild that allows adventurous G2 owners to push their smartphone's MSM7x30 processor to new heights. Keeping in mind that overclocking smartphones is risky business and you could very well brick your device, coolbho3000 managed to push his G2 all the way to 1.42GHz.
"Benchmark scores are very, very high, and the improved CPU performance is in line with what you'd expect from such a high clock frequency," coolbho3000 said. "All of this is possible without permanent root (and the ability to flash kernels) because we are using a kernel module and not flashing an actual kernel."
Full instructions can be found here, though allow us to reiterate this is not for the faint of heart. If you kill your device trying to overclock it, you're on your own.
TomTom and HTC have announced that the navigation company's GPS maps will be showing up on HTC phones in the coming months. HTC's new HTC Locations software will have TomTom's maps built in. This app is free to use for checking maps and finding locations, but users will have to pay for actual turn-by-turn navigation.
The purchase will be made through the app, or with HTC's Sync software. This may be a tough sell on Android phones as Google's free navigation software is preloaded. The HTC navigation service may be more useful as the maps will be stored on the device. Google Navigation requires a net connection to use.
The new HTC Locations with TomTom will be rolled out on the HTC Desire HD and Desire Z first in Europe and Asia. Future smartphones for other regions will get the software as well. No details on how much the navigation capability will cost, but it will need to be low to lure people away from Google's free option.
I own an HTC Dream, otherwise known as the T-Mobile G1. Yes, it's now dated and slow and pitifully behind the curve compared to today's superphones, but with my contract just about up, I'm riding it out before switching carriers (T-Mobile's coverage in my area isn't the greatest). So how do I deal with constant smartphone envy? It helps that I rooted my G1 almost from Day 1.
Still today the XDA forums are brimming with modified firmware for the G1, and it's that culture of modders that helped make the first Android handset such a popular device. Surely then the recently released G2 would follow in the same footsteps, right? Sadly, that's not the case. Rather than encourage third-party ROM development, or even just leave them be, the G2 comes with a security mechanism that prevents the device from saving changes made by modified firmware.
Hit the jump to read T-Mobile's explanation on why this is necessary.
There are inevitably going to be issues when a new phone comes out, and the new T-Mobile G2 is no exception. Of the lucky customers that pre-ordered the handset, some have been seeing some troubling issues with the unique hinge system that open to reveal the QWERTY keyboard. Apparently, on a number of units, the screen is very loose, even hanging open if the phone is held upside down. This can also allow the screen to snap shut if held to close to vertical while open.
The other issue being reported is that some phones are missing some of the promised 4GB of internal ROM storage. These phones are instead shipping with only 2GB of ROM space. Curiously, this is the configuration used in the phone's European doppelganger, the Desire Z. Could HTC have mixed up some system boards? Are we just looking at some defective chips?
Even knowing that these sort of sporadic complaints happen with new hardware, does this affect your buying decisions? Let us know if you have an early G2, and how it's working for you.
Faster smartphones are on the way, and we're not talking about the CPU. In an interview with FierceWireless, HTC CEO Peter Chou said his firm will release a phone for LTE networks sometime in 2011.
"HTC was the first with a 3G smartphone and a 4G smartphone, and we are definitely looking to future network technologies," Chou explained.
Chou didn't reveal any other details about its upcoming LTE smartphone, saying only that it's in the wings. When exactly it launches may depend on how quickly carriers roll out and expand their LTE networks. By the end of the year, Verizon plans to have launched LTE services in 25 to 30 markets covering about 100 million people, while AT&T looks to launch LTE by the middle of next year with the goal of covering 70 million to 75 million people by the end of 2011.
Android realizes its full, heart-warming potential
Aesthetically, HTC’s Droid Incredible lacks the neo-industrial panache of the iPhone 4, but it does have a sturdy, almost ruggedized feel. The brain is a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC, which, in conjunction with 8GB of storage and 512MB of RAM, provides for peppy multitasking. We tried to saturate the Incredible’s CPU and memory by simultaneously running and downloading apps and web pages, and it never broke a sweat.
In a London event today HTC has announced some impressive new Android handsets. The Desire HD will look familiar to those acquainted with the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint. The differences are minor. Both the Evo and the Desire HD run on a Qualcomm 1GHz CPU, and rock a 4.3-inch touch screen display. The Desire HD has a similar form factor, but loses the kickstand from the Evo. The big difference here is that the Desire HD is GSM, supporting HSPA+. It is expected to launch in Europe, but we can still hold out hope it will find its way to an American GSM carrier at some point.
The Desire Z is of particular interest as it is the European counterpart of the upcoming T-Mobile G2 in the US. The only difference between the two is that the Desire Z runs HTC Sense. The G2 is going to come with stock Android 2.2. The Desire Z is running on an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230, which is the next generation of the Snapdragon line. The phone slides open with a unique hinge system to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. There is also a 3.7-inch display and an 8MP camera.
HTC also announced a new site, HTCsense.com. When it launches in about a month, it will give users of new Sense equipped phones the option to track, lock and remotely wipe their handsets. Do either of these new phones get you excited?
What better way to kick off your day than with a brand new tablet rumor from arguably one of the most prolific rumor mongers out there – Digitimes? The Taiwanese site is now reporting that HTC plans to launch an Android-based tablet in the first quarter of 2011. HTC's tablet is likely to run Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread), according to a typically terse Digitimes report, citing Taiwan-based component makers. Of course, this is not the first time HTC has featured in a tablet rumor. As per a separate rumor, the company is supposed to launch a Chrome OS-based tablet on Black Friday, November 26.
“For marketing tablet PCs, HTC will have an advantage thanks to its strong ties with Google and established cooperation with mobile telecom carriers around the world, the sources pointed out, adding that if the performance and quality of the new device is on par with its smartphones, continuous support from these strategic partners is expected,” reads the report.
A few weeks ago, Google closed down their online sales of Nexus One phones with the promise they would be made available to developers. Shortly thereafter, the Google developer site did indeed begin offering registered developers the option to purchase the T-Mobile 3G version of the Nexus. Now just two weeks later, Google has announced the developer phone is sold out. The phones are backordered with manufacturer HTC, and are expected to be restocked soon, but no date was available.
In their blog post Google said, " We blew through the (substantial) initial inventory in almost no time." Part of the issue may be that for a $25 fee, anyone can become an Android developer and buy the phone. If you've committed to buying a $530 unlocked handset, an extra $25 admission fee is small potatoes.
Google also went to great pains to praise HTC for managing supplies as well as they have with a worldwide AMOLED display shortage. Sources have said phones like the Nexus One from HTC will switch to SLCD panels at some point. Might that point be now? In the end, with this sort of demand it makes you wonder if Google should have closed that web store at all.
The latest tablet rumor is brought to you by tech blog Downloadsquad. According to the blog's anonymous source, Verizon Wireless will begin selling a HTC tablet running Google's cloud-based Chrome OS in late November. Its source, in fact, gave a specific launch date: Black Friday, November 26 – the busiest shopping day of the year.
However, as the source did not disclose any particulars, Downloadsquad's Lee Matthew's grabbed the opportunity to speculate with both hands and dreamed up a tablet featuring: “NVidia's Tegra 2 platform and sport a 1280x720 multitouch display, 2GB of RAM, minimum 32GB SSD, WiFi/Bluetooth/LTE connectivity, GPS, webcam, and possibly expandable storage via a multi-card reader.”
Wonder if we will ever see half as many tablets as are currently rumored to be in the works? Please feel free to announce your own tablet PC in the comments section.
Faster smartphones are on the way, and we're not talking about the CPU. In an 
