Perhaps the most exciting new Android smartphone on the market right now is the HTC One M8. It is truly something special and is available through all the major wireless carriers in the United States. However, the recently released Sprint edition, the HTC One M8 harman/kardon, offers users an even better overall experience. It delivers even better audio quality than the regular version making it not just a great smartphone but an awesome media device.
If you have kids, you know what I mean when I suggest that your smartphone is a media device. You know how your smartphone transforms into a gaming console with the switch from adult to child’s hands? Or a karaoke machine, a DJ, a mini movie theatre, and in our case, a bedtime story reader when I’m sick and can’t read to my daughter at night.**
HTC One M8 Size & Sound
The HTC One M8 harman/kardon is slightly taller than last year’s version and slightly larger at 71 millimeters wide. The screen is a full five inches with an HD display resolution of 1980 by 1080 pixels. Battery life is good with the 2600 mAh battery and should get most parents through a busy day. Of course, you have access to plenty of apps courtesy of Google Play whether you are looking for entertainment, finance, games, social networking and so much more. The Harman/Kardon Sprint HTC One M8 includes a special technology called Clari-Fi. It makes all types of digital music compressed to fit on your phone have a more natural sound when you are listening to music through headphones. This is what makes it unique to the general version of the smartphone that are available worldwide. The sound quality is amazing. I’m not kidding when I tell you this; I was laying in my daughter’s bed a few nights ago and we were watching and listening to one of the SAG Foundation stories being read by James Earl Jones. There was a point during the 7 minute video that I looked around my daughter’s room because I heard music coming from the left side of me and swore an iPod or her radio came on and I was going to have to get up to turn it off. In reality, it was the music from the story we were watching, transcending into a space I didn’t think sound from a phone could go. It was as if she had surround sound speakers in her room. It was really wild actually.
I can’t even compare the sound quality of the HTC One M8 harman/kardon and the iPhone 5s. The sound quality is that different. Like I said earlier, it’s like you’re holding a mini movie theatre in your hands or you’re at a live concert without the parking hassle and crowd. The sound is really that good. So, if you listen to music while you’re working, exercising, cleaning, cooking, putting the kids to bed (Enya is great for bedtime!), or enjoying a romantic dinner with your significant other, the HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon will immerse you in the music like never before. Really. I’m not exaggerating. Go to your Sprint store and check it out for yourself!
Take Professional Looking Photos With UltraPixels
If you are a busy mom or dad you will find that the HTC One M8 harman/kardon is the ultimate smartphone for you. It is made with a gorgeous all metal build that is highly durable and will be able to withstand a good deal of punishment, even when your kids get their hands on it. Like the original HTC One from last year, the camera of the M8 is 4 megapixels, or rather UltraPixels as HTC has dubbed them. The UltraPixels are meant to capture as much light as possible in your shots when you are in low-light situations.
One of my favorite ways to test a camera is by taking macro or close-up shots. Here are a few photographs I took with the HTC One M8 harman/kardon.
However, unlike the original HTC One, the One M8 has dual rear-facing cameras. The purpose of this is to offer more depth in your photos, which is great when you are chasing your kids around to snap the best possible pictures. There is also a feature called UFocus that allows you to capture a photo and then go back to it to edit it when you are ready. Blurring the background will make your images look even better as it more effectively emphasizes the object or person of your focus.
As a parent, I enjoy the Zoe feature, which is the ability to capture video clips that are three seconds long and made up of 20 still shots. The HTC One M8 captures this each time you snap a photo. Later, you can choose individual frames that you would like to use to make up a quick video for memorizing those special moments.
Keep Up With Your Social Media With BlinkFeed!
One of the biggest features of the phone is BlinkFeed. This appeared on last year’s HTC One and offers a refreshing look to your home screen that stands out in comparison to other Android smartphones. You can choose among news and social network feeds you want to appear on your home screen so that you do not have to go digging for it. It is a great way to keep up with current events and with family and friends with whom you are connected on Facebook or Twitter.
Is It Easy To Transition From Other Phone and/or OS?
Overall, the HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon has definitely replaced my iPhone. I have been anxious for a larger iPhone to be released and while it looks like that may happen sometime, I am very happy with the HTC One M8, even being the Apple girl I am. HTC makes the transition from an iPhone, or any phone for that matter, to an HTC easy with the HTC Sync Manager. I had my iTunes music on the HTC One M8 in no time and to top it off, I get to listen to the music from the phone OR from the amazing Harman Kardon Onyx Studio which connects to my HTC One M8 via Bluetooth and produces the most amazingly full and crisp sound. The Harman Kardon Onyz Studio is a definite addition to our vacations this summer as we love to listen to music wherever we are and it is so portable, there’s no reason not to bring it along.
Sprint Sound Sessions / Spotify 20 Million Songs = Super Fun Summer Road Trips!
As a part of Sprint’s new Sprint Sound Sessions, Sprint is giving customers access to Spotify’s catalogue of more than 20 million songs. I listen to music while I work, exercise, clean, and in the car. I have music on 80% of my waking hours. Sometimes even while I shower and definitely when my daughter bathes. Talk about belting out a song in the shower!
Spotify on the HTC One M8 allows users to play music on demand, create playlists, discover new music, share tracks with their friends, listen to songs offline, and listen to music without ads across multiple devices. Access to Spotify allows you to listen to millions of songs on the go. It has been really nice to be able to listen to songs I didn’t already have in my music library, from my HTC One M8 via Spotify. Think about how much easier your upcoming summer road trips will be with a service like Spotify on your phone. Sprint is offering Sprint Framily Members Spotify for FREE for 6 months with the purchase of a HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon, for a limited time. When is a better time to take advantage of a deal like that than right before summer road trips?
I hope this review helps you, especially if you’re wondering if the boost in sound quality and the transition from another smartphone operating system is easy or not. It is!
Stay tuned (sign up for my daily rss/email updates in the box at the top of the right column) for more reviews of devices offered through Sprint as I enjoy being a #SprintMom Sprint Ambassador during which I will test various Sprint devices and service options over the course of the year.
Enjoy!
Alicia
If you haven’t checked out SAG Foundation’s storybook website, bookmark it today and next time you lose your voice and can’t read bedtime stories to your kids, go to the website and choose from one of the many books for your child’s bedtime story. Actors including Annette Bening, Elijah Wood, and Betty White, read wonderful stories in a video so kids get that sense of being read to and get to see and experience the book as if it were in their hands. The HTC One M8 harman/kardon sound really helps the books come to life!