HTC

mobile
April 17, 2013
by
Samsung, HTC and LG join wireless charging alliance, compatible devices coming in 2014

Samsung, HTC and LG join wireless charging alliance, compatible devices coming in 2014

By on April 17, 2013 at 6:40 PM.

Samsung, HTC and LG join wireless charging alliance, compatible devices coming in 2014

Wireless charging advocacy group Power Matters Alliance (PMA) on Wednesday announced that it has recruited Samsung, HTC and LG to support its cause. The group has a long list of members, including AT&T, Google, Blackberry, NEC, Texas Instruments and ZTE. PMA is pushing a unified wireless charging standard and has already deployed with its partners more than 1,500 charging stations across Starbucks coffee shops, airports and other locations. The group has asked its device partners to integrate PMA-certified wireless charging solutions into their products by 2014 and AT&T has also pledged to embed the technology into its smartphones within the same timeframe. Until then, the group is working with members to “deploy PMA-certified handsets and accessories as quickly as possible.” PMA’s press release follows below. More →

No Comments
mobile
April 17, 2013
by
Unannounced HTC 606w pictured in new leak

Unannounced HTC 606w pictured in new leak

By on April 17, 2013 at 5:50 PM.

Unannounced HTC 606w pictured in new leak

HTC’s new flagship smartphone hasn’t even hit the shelves yet in the U.S. but it looks like the vendor’s next handset has already leaked. A recent filing in China’s TENAA database reveals an upcoming HTC smartphone dubbed “606w” that looks to be a mid-range entry to compliment the high-end HTC One. Specs uncovered in the filing include a 4.5-inch 960 x 540-pixel display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera, 1GB of RAM, a microSD slot, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and HTC’s new BoomSound stereo speakers. Pricing and launch details are unknown at this point, but several photos of the HTC 606w follow below. More →

No Comments
Legal
April 16, 2013
by
Samsung faces fine in false advertising investigation

Samsung admits fault, faces fine in false advertising investigation

By on April 16, 2013 at 1:20 PM.

Samsung admits fault, faces fine in false advertising investigation

Samsung has been known to go on the offensive with its marketing and advertising, but a new accusation alleges that Samsung might have gone too far with a recent campaign. According to a complaint filed in Taiwan, Samsung has been accused of hiring students to publish articles on the web that attacked HTC and recommended Samsung cell phones. The allegations are now being investigated by the Fair Trade Commission and could face an $835,000 fine, AFP reported. While the company hasn’t discussed any specific allegations, Samsung did admit fault to an extent due to employees’ “insufficient understanding” of its marketing principles, and it has issued the following statement to the media: More →

No Comments
mobile
April 15, 2013
by
HTC One may arrive at T-Mobile stores on April 24th

HTC One may arrive at T-Mobile stores on April 24th [updated]

By on April 15, 2013 at 5:10 PM.

HTC One may arrive at T-Mobile stores on April 24th [updated]

T-Mobile previously revealed that it plans to offer HTC’s latest flagship smartphone later this year, however it is the only U.S. carrier that has yet to announce a launch date. The HTC One will be available from AT&T and Sprint for $199 on April 19th, and while earlier rumors suggested that T-Mobile’s version would be released on the same day, a new leak hints otherwise. According to internal documents published by TmoNews, the HTC One will reportedly arrive in select stores on April 24th. Similar to the initial release of the Galaxy S III, it would appear that not all T-Mobile stores will be carrying the HTC One. The company previously announced that it will price high-end smartphone such as the Galaxy S4, iPhone 5 and HTC One for $99 down and $20 per mont for 24 months. The leaked images follow below. More →

No Comments
Business
April 15, 2013
by
HTC One seen as HTC's savior, revenue expected to increase 50% in Q2

HTC One seen as HTC’s savior, revenue expected to increase 50% in Q2

By on April 15, 2013 at 1:50 PM.

HTC One seen as HTC’s savior, revenue expected to increase 50% in Q2

HTC may have turned a corner with its latest flagship smartphone and its worst days could be behind it. Alvin Kwock of J.P. Morgan Securities believes the HTC One is the company’s “last chance for a turnaround,” adding that improved supply will help the struggling smartphone vendor see a sharp rise in revenues this quarter. The analyst upgraded shares of HTC’s stock to Neutral from Underweight and more than doubled his original price target of NT$160 ($5.35) to NT$330 ($11), citing strong anticipated sales of the new smartphone. More →

No Comments
Business
April 12, 2013
by
HTC Sales Analysis

HTC called ‘not so brilliant’ as top execs remain despite plummeting sales

By on April 12, 2013 at 3:15 PM.

HTC called ‘not so brilliant’ as top execs remain despite plummeting sales

When a company goes from being a leading Android vendor to posting its worst-ever earnings in just a handful of quarters, it might be time to start asking some difficult questions. Such is the case with HTC (2498), which found itself in The Financial Times’ sights this week in an article which draws attention to the fact that the company’s top management remains unchanged despite this monumental slump. Contrary to its “Quietly Brilliant” slogan, FT calls the company “not so brilliant” as chairwoman Cher Wang, CEO Peter Chou and co-founder HT Cho have all remained onboard since HTC launched in 1997. The report notes that while some minor changes have been made, rivals including Nokia (NOK) and BlackBerry (BBRY) both saw major shakeups play a large role in their respective comeback attempts. Will the new HTC One find success and help HTC’s top brass weather the storm? The next few quarters may shape the future of this small but scrappy vendor.

No Comments
mobile
April 8, 2013
by
HTC One Release Date T-Mobile

HTC One slated for April 19th release on T-Mobile

By on April 8, 2013 at 3:05 PM.

HTC One slated for April 19th release on T-Mobile

AT&T (T) and Sprint (S) both announced last week that the HTC One will be available on their respective networks on April 19th for $199 with a new two-year agreement. T-Mobile previously confirmed that it would carry HTC’s (2498) latest flagship device for $99 down and $20 per month for 24 months, however it never announced a release date. According to a Best Buy (BBY) listing, the T-Mobile HTC One will available on April 19th for $249 with a two-year agreement, although it is unclear if this is the 32GB or 64GB model. It should be noted that Best Buy offers traditional T-Mobile contract plans and does not follow the company’s “UNcarrier” initiative.

No Comments
mobile
April 8, 2013
by
BGR-htc-one-review-3

HTC seen ‘losing the window of opportunity’ with HTC One after component shortages

By on April 8, 2013 at 2:25 PM.

HTC seen ‘losing the window of opportunity’ with HTC One after component shortages

Despite building one of the best smartphones on the planet this year, HTC (2498) still faces a hard slog in its bid to reclaim market share from Samsung (005930). And per CNBC, Yuanta Securities analyst Dennis Chan thinks HTC’s struggles are about to get a lot worse because it’s facing component shortages for its HTC One smartphone that will make it even more difficult to compete with Samsung’s looming Galaxy S4. More →

No Comments
Review
April 8, 2013
by
Review
HTC One Review AT&T

HTC One review: The smartphone that changes everything

By on April 8, 2013 at 12:00 PM.

HTC One review: The smartphone that changes everything

With smartphones, as with any category of consumer electronics, we have no choice but to accept compromises. This has been the case throughout the history of cell phones and it continues to hold true even with best handsets on the market today. Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5 features a class-leading design with fast, smooth software, but it has a comparatively small display and lacks some of the great new functionality we’ve seen introduced on other platforms in recent years. The Samsung (005930) Galaxy S III is a sleek handset with a stunning screen and a great feature set, but it feels like a cheap toy, as does its successor. Nokia’s (NOK) Lumia 920 packs plenty of punch in a sleek package, but it’s thick and heavy, and it is missing a boatload of top apps. It’s inevitable — some level of compromise is inherent in all smartphones. More →

No Comments
Business
April 8, 2013
by
HTC Earnings Q1 2013

HTC posts worst-ever earnings in Q1 as profit plummets 98%

By on April 8, 2013 at 8:35 AM.

HTC posts worst-ever earnings in Q1 as profit plummets 98%

Struggling smartphone vendor HTC (2498) on Monday said that expects to report its lowest quarterly profit on record for the first quarter of 2013 as the full impact of the delayed HTC One launch finally takes shape. The Taiwan-based vendor reported unaudited earnings for Q1 2013, during which net profit totalled just $2.8 million, down a shocking 98% year-over-year, on $1.4 billion in sales. HTC pointed to the delayed release of its flagship HTC One smartphone as the cause of its catastrophic quarter. The company stated earlier that it had trouble sourcing certain components for the phone, resulting in delays. The One will now launch later this month and go head-to-head with Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy S4, sales of which are expected to total 20 million units during the phone’s first two months of availability.

No Comments
mobile
April 5, 2013
by
Rumor
HTC First M4

HTC First may dump Facebook Home when it comes to other carriers

By on April 5, 2013 at 8:13 PM.

HTC First may dump Facebook Home when it comes to other carriers

HTC (2498) unveiled its “First” smartphone at Facebook’s (FB) press event in California on Thursday. The mid-range handset, which will be exclusively available from AT&T on April 12th for $99, sports mediocre specs and comes preloaded with Facebook Home, a new software suite for Android smartphones. According to developer and HTC insider LlabTooFeR, the company may release the HTC First to other carriers without the special Facebook Home integration. The Home-less handset, codenamed M4, is reportedly equipped with a 4.3-inch 720p HD display, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor and an “Ultrapixel” rear camera. The device also includes 16GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM and Sense 5 atop Android 4.2.2, rather than the Facebook Home skin. Earlier rumors suggested that the M4 would launch sometime this spring.

No Comments
mobile
April 4, 2013
by
Preview
HTC First Hands-on

HTC First preview: The first phone to feature Facebook Home

By on April 4, 2013 at 2:50 PM.

HTC First preview: The first phone to feature Facebook Home

We just had a chance to dive into Facebook’s (FB) new “Home” software suite on the HTC First, and came away with some good early impressions. Press weren’t allowed actual hands-on time, but instead treated to a demo from a friendly Facebook employee. As such, we weren’t able to push Home much beyond the facade of persistent status updates, floating timeline images and Chat Heads. That said, we think that’s the point of Home: It’s a software layer that hides the bulk of the functions on of your Android phone behind a wall of Facebook content and services. More →

No Comments
mobile
April 4, 2013
by
HTC One Preorders AT&T

HTC One now available for preorder

By on April 4, 2013 at 11:15 AM.

HTC One now available for preorder

HTC’s (2498) new HTC One smartphone is one of the most stunning handsets ever to hit the market and it is now finally available for preorder in the United States. AT&T (T) on Thursday became the first U.S. carrier to begin taking preorders for the upcoming flagship HTC handset, which is set to hit store shelves on April 19th. Sprint (S) will then follow AT&T’s lead and make the HTC One available for preorder beginning on April 5th ahead of the same April 19th launch date. The HTC One features a 4.7-inch HD Super LCD3 display, a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, up to 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, a 4-megapixel “Ultrapixel” camera and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Links to AT&T and Sprint’s respective preorder pages can be found below.

No Comments