Apple's AirPlay comes to Android in new flagship HTC 10
HTC on Tuesday unveiled the HTC 10, its latest flagship smartphone, with an unusual feature in the form of native support for Apple's AirPlay wireless streaming protocol.
Owners will be able to stream audio to the Apple TV and other AirPlay-enabled devices, but it's unclear if video streaming will be supported, Engadget reported. Third-party Android apps have enabled AirPlay streaming for some time, but HTC appears to be the first Android device maker to have licensed the technology as a default feature.
Android devices are normally limited to using Google's Cast technology if they want to push high-quality audio or video. The Cast format is more broadly supported than AirPlay, both in terms of hardware and software, but doesn't work with the Apple TV, or AirPlay-compatible speakers.
The HTC 10 features a 5.2-inch quad-HD display, an all-metal shell, and high-performance specifications, such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4 gigabytes of RAM. It also comes with 32 gigabytes of default storage, a MicroSD slot, and a USB-C port. The device moreover has a 3,000 milliamp-hour battery, which should last up to two days thanks to hardware and software optimization.
Some other features include 24-bit audio, and a 12-megapixel rear camera with laser autofocus and a dual-LED flash. The phone should ship next month for $699, though preorders are available starting today.
Owners will be able to stream audio to the Apple TV and other AirPlay-enabled devices, but it's unclear if video streaming will be supported, Engadget reported. Third-party Android apps have enabled AirPlay streaming for some time, but HTC appears to be the first Android device maker to have licensed the technology as a default feature.
Android devices are normally limited to using Google's Cast technology if they want to push high-quality audio or video. The Cast format is more broadly supported than AirPlay, both in terms of hardware and software, but doesn't work with the Apple TV, or AirPlay-compatible speakers.
The HTC 10 features a 5.2-inch quad-HD display, an all-metal shell, and high-performance specifications, such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4 gigabytes of RAM. It also comes with 32 gigabytes of default storage, a MicroSD slot, and a USB-C port. The device moreover has a 3,000 milliamp-hour battery, which should last up to two days thanks to hardware and software optimization.
Some other features include 24-bit audio, and a 12-megapixel rear camera with laser autofocus and a dual-LED flash. The phone should ship next month for $699, though preorders are available starting today.
Comments
Funny specs are not important now for Android in Marketing yet that's all we hear from the tech press about their phone.
Did they license it (doubtful) or reverse engineer it (probable)?
developer.apple.com
Using AirPlay with encrypted streaming content is supported only in iOS 5.0 and later.
The key difference between HTC 10 and S7 is the adoptable storage support for the former. Marshmallow allows SD cards to extend internal storage as if it was inbuilt, but it does need app support to work correctly.
AirPlay is one of the options in HTC Connect, which can be accessed quickly with a three-finger swipe. HTC said its AirPlay license allows the 10 to stream audio to AirPlay-connected speakers. Apple hasn't said if other Android phone makers plan to offer similar functionality.
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=17530
Link to what? That Apple and HTC settled their lawsuits and have cross licensed patents? That's well known.
Or a link to something specifically regarding Airplay? Since the HTC 10 was literally just announced, there's little. However, a spokesman for HTC, when asked about Airplay stated "We are platform agnostic." He also stated if Apple made Apple Pay available they'd use that as well (same for Samsung Pay). This implies that Apple DID in fact allow them to use Airplay.
I highly doubt HTC put Airplay in their new phone without taking a license from Apple. This isn't copying something vague like the design or shape of your phone.