The Sprint HTC One M8 Harman Kardon Edition Phone

When you compare it to my other smart phone, well, you can see a HUGE difference in the screen size.  I love how big it is.  Not that my eyes are starting to age or anything (or that I was told to get bifocals at my last eye appointment. . . ) but it is SO much easier for me to read on the HTC One phone.  And of course with the larger screen size video is better too!

One of the things that really excites me about the HTC One phone is the enhanced camera.  I wind up taking a lot of action and “in process” photos for my blog (and of course capturing moments with my family) using my phone.  The camera on this phone is a HUGE improvement on my old one.  You just have so many more options–you can set the ISO, adjust the white balance (yay!!!), you EV (from +2 to -2), and even have macro settings.

There are all sorts of editing options available right there on the phone after you’ve taken the picture as well.  Filters, frames, drawing, seasonal effects, foreground effects, even a 3d tilt. . . but my very favorit is the UFocus setting.  The UFocus setting lets you take pictures now, and change the focus later.  How?  Well with each photo the camera is actually taking the picture with two different lenses!  That means I can get a cool, high end camera “depth of field” effect right there on the phone.  Awe. Some.

For a blogger trying to snap in progress shots (without lugging out the “big” camera) of cooking, crafting and gardening this type of flexibility and power is AMAZING.

Where this phone really shines, and what makes it different then your standard HTC One (and gives it the Harman/Kardon Edition designation) is the SOUND.

This phone has special technology:  Harman/Kardonâ„¢ technology Clari-Fiâ„¢ which restores all types of compressed digital music, and provides a more life-like headphone listening experience using LiveStage technology. It has dual speakers (top and bottom) on the phone and the volume and quality of sound really is superior!   Clearer, more like a real stereo instead of a tiny little phone.  Actually, it’s better than the cruddy “factory standard” radio in my car!

Pair the phone with the awesome (and completely unexpected I may add) Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio Bluetooth speaker they also sent me to play with, well, you’ve got a serious sound system in a really tiny package.

To start with the speaker looks awesome–it’s a cool black disk looking thing–great design if you ask me.  You can charge it with the plug and then run it for up to 5 hours.  That rechargeable battery, Bluetooth connectivity (look mom-no wires!) and portable size make it the perfect pair for the HTC Max Harman Kardon edition phone.  It’s just a party waiting to happen.

If this tells you anything, we used the speaker/phone combo as the music for our Memorial Day cookout.  The sound fabulous (the bass is amazing!)– by the end of the party every single man there wanted one.  I think I know what several of our friends will have on their birthday lists this year!

If all that wasn’t enough, Sprint is giving it’s customers access to Spotify’s catalog of over 20 million songs as well!  So you’ve got the phone, the speaker AND the music!

I’m really enjoying testing out this phone!