HTC One Max rumored for head-to-head launch with Galaxy Note 3

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HTC One Max rumored for head-to-head launch with Galaxy Note 3

We’re still waiting for HTC to officially announce their HTC One Max, but the latest rumors say it could happen soon. According to dates associated with an entry in one of China’s regulatory forums, October 15th might be one to circle on the calendar. The timing would put the phone head-to-head with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3.

Is the timing in HTC’s best interest? It would seem wiser to launch the phone ahead of Samsung’s established brand, potentially diverting buyers from the Note 3. Given HTC’s recent struggles, taking Samsung head on could result in another disappointing launch to join a growing list of recent smartphones with lackluster sales performance.

The One Max, in all fairness, isn’t quite the same phone as the Note 3. It features a a large 5.9-inch display, but don’t expect a stylus or any customized software. Still, there isn’t much else in the phablet space to compete with Samsung’s offering at this point.

To be clear, the date only reflects a potential Asian release. The chance of seeing the One Max in the US is starting to look smaller and smaller each day.

[via PhoneArena]

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Google researching new method to ‘project’ smartphone display onto any screen

Even with their Chromecast streaming dongle, Google isn’t quite done exploring the world of shared screens. Their latest development, dubbed Open Project, promises to allow any smartphone to “project” its screen to any display with a minimum of hassle and no special hardware.

The basic setup: a QR code is called up on the display you wish to share your screen with. That code is read by the smartphone’s camera, which can then be used to position and size the projection on the secondary display. Once confirmed, a touch-enabled screen projection will pop up. Yes, you read that right. If the secondary display supports touch input, it can be used to control whatever is being shown on the smartphone’s screen.

The concept is still in the developmental stages, but it appears to do everything it promises based on a YouTube video demonstrating the technology. Open Project utilizes a special web server and requires no additional pairing or gizmos other than the initial QR code. Exactly how Google would implement the service on a larger scale is unknown, but it has the makings of something possibly quite useful. We’ll have to wait and see.

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