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HTC One M8 news: Google Play Edition out now, BlinkFeed coming to non-HTC Android phones

Williams Pelegrin
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Check out our review of the HTC One M8 smartphone.

Sure, HTC made sure that March 25 was all about the HTC One (M8), but let’s not forget that HTC also made available some of its apps on the Google Play Store. This is an effort for HTC to be able to update its apps without having to resort to firmware updates for the company’s handsets. HTC highlighted one such app, BlinkFeed, and said it will be available for non-HTC devices sometime in the near future, while also making available the HTC One (M8) Google Play edition.

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BlinkFeed for other phones?

For the time being, BlinkFeed will only be available for the HTC One (M8). However, in a statement sent to PhoneArena, HTC said, “Following its popularity with HTC users, HTC will now make HTC BlinkFeed available to other Android devices, launching on the Google Play Store soon.”

BlinkFeed, which is HTC’s feed aggregator, brings together social network updates, news, calendar updates, and other content and portrays them in one stream. During yesterday’s unveiling of the One (M8) HTC said that developers will soon be able to integrate their own content into BlinkFeed. Once it’s available for non-HTC devices, developers will have a wider reach for their content.

Unfortunately, HTC did not provide an exact timetable on when Android users can download BlinkFeed or what the minimum Android version requirements are. In addition, HTC did not provide details on exactly how BlinkFeed would look like on non-HTC devices. Whether it would simply be a widget or an alternative launcher is up in the air.

Google Play HTC One M8

Meanwhile, for those who don’t really care for HTC’s Sense user interface at all, then we have good news: the Google Play edition of the HTC’s latest and greatest is now up for grabs. It is compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States, with no mention of Sprint or Verizon. Your wallet is sure to cry at the $700 price tag, but if industrial design is your thing, it can be yours in 2-3 weeks.

For those who winced at the price tag and want something cheaper while maintaining that industrial design, the Google Play edition of the original HTC One got a $100 price drop in the wake of its successor’s announcement. The HTC One Google Play edition can now be yours for $500.

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Williams Pelegrin
Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
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