HTC outs 4G-equipped Desire 601, entry-level Desire 300 and ‘Vivid Blue’ HTC One, One Mini

HTC has announced two new devices for its Desire range in the form of the Desire 601 and the Desire 300 and added a new blue color option for its One and One Mini handsets.

While the announcement of the Android-powered mid-range Desire 601 is less of a surprise thanks to recent leaks , the entry-level Desire 300 managed to creep up on us in an altogether more stealthy manner, and in some ways is the more interesting of the two.

Nonetheless, we managed to get some hands-on time with the HTC Desire 601 ahead of the announcement, so let’s start with that one.

The Desire 601 is a mid-range device in a mid-premium range, which goes some way towards setting expectations lower than normal for a multi-handset launch. However, on this occasion and judging from only a brief hands-on, the Desire 601 could be one to buck the trend of middling mediocrity for anything other than ‘hero’ handsets.

For starters, it has the same dual front-facing speakers (which means it should work with the freshly announced BoomBass speaker accessory) as you’ll find on the more expensive members of the One series and HTC hasn’t skimped on the rest of the hardware either.

Under-the-bonnet you’ll find a 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage – expandable via microSD.

The microSD slot is accessed by removing the rear cover of the device, and what’s particularly good is that the battery is also removable. This was a point that irked me on the Nokia Lumia 625 (a handset the 601 will likely be up against, depending on its final price); the rear cover was removable, but the battery was fixed in place. It’s a small point, but some people do appreciate having access.

Also on the rear of the device, you’ll find a 5-megapixel camera with HTC’s Zoe mode for taking short clips. Again, it’s a small inclusion, but features such as this BlinkFeed and Video Highlights do help non-hero devices stand out from the competition, providing you like that sort of thing.

Another thing that should definitely help it compete is 4G LTE capability, which along with only a few other handsets (like the Lumia 625), doesn’t tend to exist yet at this level.

One thing that does tend to get compromised upon at this level, however, is the display, and the same is true of the 601’s 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels) affair. That said, I far preferred it to that of the Lumia, and it didn’t look anywhere near as fuzzy, helped in part by being a little bit smaller, I suspect.

HTC has a frustrating habit of giving little in the way of indicative pricing for any of its products. The 601 is described as “mid-range” and it’s a Desire, rather than a One, which suggests it isn’t quite as expensive, but that doesn’t guarantee it’ll be in any way cheap either. For now, it remains a solidly specced mid-range device that brings a touch of the high-end down a bit lower, but at a price we don’t yet know.

The phone will be available in black, white and red and will start shipping to some countries in the EMEA region “from September”, other markets are yet to be announced.

Described by HTC as an entry-level device, this is another we don’t know the price of just yet. And while we did get a ‘hands-on’ with it, the unit was a non-functioning pre-production model, so we wouldn’t really call it a hands-on.

Like the 601, the Desire 300 is aiming to bring some of the functionality of more expensive devices to a more affordable price point.

Key specs include a 4.3-inch display, Snapdragon dual-core 1GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera and 4GB of storage. If that’s not enough, you can slot in a microSD card up to 64GB.

While it doesn’t include other luxuries like 4G or camera-specific features like HTC Zoe or Video Highlights, those hardware specs are pretty impressive for an entry-level phone. It does manage to bring HTC’s BlinkFeed UI and Sense 5 to the handset, but how smoothly it all runs is unknown at this point.

Available in black or white, the Desire 300 will be available at an unknown price in “select markets” from October.

In addition to rolling out new devices and new accessories, HTC also took the opportunity to formally introduce the much-leaked blue HTC One and One Mini.

The two “Vivid Blue” devices are set to start rolling out sometime in Q4 this year.

Sony is temporarily disabling two of the PlayStation 4’s key social features for its European launch

When the PlayStation 4 launches in Europe tomorrow, it will be without two key features tied to the PlayStation Network.

Sony said it will be disabling What’s New, a social feed that allows gamers to see what their friends have been up to, and the Content Information Screen, which shows their activity related to a specific game that you have selected. Fred Dutton, a Blog Manager for SCEE said: “These features will then be switched back on a few days later, once the intensity of launch day calms down.”

The decision was made to ensure that Sony can keep up with the extra players that will be using the system on November 29. All of the other features that are confirmed for the PlayStation Network on day one in Europe are unaffected. This includes the ability to start multiplayer gameplay sessions online, chat with friends, share videos and accrue trophies.

➤ PSN on PlayStation 4 at launch

Featured image credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Nexus 5 vs. Nexus 4: What’s new?

Google today announced the Nexus 5 , the successor to the Nexus 4. After all the rumors and leaks, LG has finally built the fifth smartphone in Google’s line of mobile devices (the first three were the Nexus One, the Nexus S, and the Galaxy Nexus) that use the stock version of its mobile operating system.

Before you run out and buy the first Android 4.4 KitKat device, assuming you’re not interested in iOS or Windows Phone, you might want to see what you’re getting for your hard-earned cash. As such, we’ve put together a table to show you what exactly Google and LG have changed.

Given that the Google Nexus 5 is the same price as the Google Nexus 4, you’re essentially paying for a lighter, bigger, and more powerful device. The Nexus 5 ships today. Will you be getting one?

Top Image Credit: Google