HTC One news roundup: Part two (May 25-28, 2013)

So, a guy tries to relax for a three-day holiday weekend, and when he comes back to the computer keyboard on Tuesday, he’s inundated with even more HTC One news – not that that’s a bad thing. We had a similar news recap last week, covering all the stories we missed when we were too distracted by Google I/O. So consider this post a continuation of that, covering all that we missed while we were drinking too much remembering those who have fought for our freedom.

HTC swears there just wasn’t enough room for a microSD card slot in the HTC One.

Remember that Chinese variant of the HTC One that had a microSD card slot for removable storage? Well, according to HTC spokesperson Jeff Gordon:

Because the Chinese version of the One is designed specifically for the smaller Chinese radio bands, we do have additional space inside the device we were able to use for the microSD slot. That space isn’t available to us in the global version.

Really? This is in spite of the fact that much smaller and thinner phones still have microSD card slots. And I have a hard time believing that the radios were so small that somehow HTC could also squeeze in a dual SIM card slot and a removable battery. I think it’s time for HTC to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new excuse.

Nokia is seeking an HTC import ban in the US.

Taking a page from Apple’s playbook, Nokia is stepping up its dispute with HTC and has added six new patent claims to its 2012 list of 44 claims against HTC. Perhaps most alarming, Nokia seeks to ban all HTC One imports into the US, mainly due to patent disputes regarding Broadcom and Qualcomm chips, in addition to items related to radio frequencies.

According to Nokia:

We began actions against HTC in 2012 to end the unauthorized use of our proprietary innovations and technologies. Since then, despite the German courts confirming infringements of Nokia patents in HTC products, HTC has shown no intention to end its practices; instead it has tried to shift responsibility to its suppliers. We have therefore taken these further steps to hold HTC accountable for its actions.

I personally don’t see any reason to be alarmed quite yet, but this is definitely something to keep our eyes on.

The HTC One is the first device to become “HTCpro” certified.

HTC announced on its official blog that the HTC One is now the first smartphone in the US to become HTCpro certified. So wht exactly does this self-designated title mean?

Basically, HTCpro devices are enterprise-ready, giving business and IT people a certain peace of mind in knowing that the devices meet the Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 certification, which includes offering 256-bit encryption, and level-one government-grade security. HTCpro devices can be locked down to prevent specific functions, and all data that passes through can be secured though a VPN connection. Additionally, HTC promises support for Mocana’s multihead Internet Protocol Security VPN in the near future.

For end users, this doesn’t mean much. For businesses and government agencies who want secure Android phones, this is a big deal.

The “Google Experience” HTC One will be very limited in supply.

According to the folks at Pocket-Lint, that Nexus-like “Google Experience” HTC One – you know, the one that HTC denies is happening, but everyone else is drooling over – will only have a very limited run, with some sources within HTC reporting that only 50,000 will be made available for sale.

At this point, it’s unclear whether or not this will be a one-time only production run, or if HTC is simply covering its bases by only producing enough that it is sure it can sell, with potentially more to come in the future. In any case, if you’re truly interested in getting one of these for yourself, you’ll probably want to order it the first chance you get – who knows if there will be any other chance in the future.

The HTC One will finally be available at all T-Mobile locations on June 5.

Last but definitely not least, if the HTC One hasn’t been available in your local T-Mobile stores, you’ll soon be in luck. The nation’s fourth largest carrier was only able to release the phone in a limited number of stores so far, due to all those supply issues. Fortunately, those problems are hopefully gone for good, and T-Mobile will finally have enough stock to release the device nationwide in all of its stores by June 5.

Pricing is only $99 down, with 24 monthly installments of $20.

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