HTC revealed plans to release a smartwatch before Christmas, after years of technical challenges.
The latest contender to enter the wearable tech arena is HTC, after Chairman Cher Wang announced plans to unveil its first smartwatch device by the end of 2014. Wang revealed that HTC actually started research into wearable devices years ago, but battery and LCD light problems kept it from releasing anything.
Although no details have been announced, we think an HTC watch could put up a good fight against the Samsung Galaxy Gears and Sony Smartwatches of the world. We’re expecting customisable news and social media updates, complete with photos, direct to your wrist, in a similar vein to the BlinkFeed interface. A cool Zoe-style feature which creates and streams a slideshow of your latest photos and videos might also appear.
Of course, HTC faces still competition from the likes of Apple, ZTE and many others who are all crafting their own wearable tech.
In the interview with Bloomberg, Chief Financial Officer Chang Chialin also announced hopes that a new smartwatch and the updated HTC One smartphone (codenamed HTC M8) would turn around the company’s fortunes. HTC share prices have been dropping for three years in a row, halving in value in 2013. However, this news had HTC stock rising by 1.6 per cent yesterday.
Wang downplayed the role of marketing, stating that ‘we never think (it) is that important – this is really not very good’. Despite this, HTC shelled out a reported $12 million last year to Robert Downey Jr, to star in its adverts.
Would you strap an HTC device to your arm, or is the impending tidal wave of smartwatches making you queasy? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg
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