HTC’s share price falls again – hits ten year low
We’ve run a variety of stories about HTC in 2015. A few of them have been about the Taiwanese handset maker’s new devices, but it seems that we’ve mostly been covering stories about the company’s share price sliding into oblivion, and having to cut orders for components. Sadly, that trend is continuing today, with the news that HTC’s share price dropped yet again, this time to NT$68.50 ($2.21) at the close, another new record low.
As you can see from the chart above, HTC’s share price fell 5.91% on Thursday thanks to over 17 million shares changing hands. The current NT$68.50 ($2.21) share price is a long way from when HTC was known as the ‘King of Android‘ back in 2011 when its share price reached a value of NT$1300 ($42).
This latest drop is down to HTC’s recent announcement that its preliminary earnings reports shows the company will make a loss of NT$8.03 billion ($256 million) before taxes in the second quarter off a revenue of NT$33.01 billion ($1.07 billion). In basic terms, HTC is losing $24 dollars out of every $100 it brings in. It should be noted that these numbers are unaudited, things could improve once the final figures are in.
Why is HTC struggling like this? Well, there are a number of factors. Firstly, its One M9 flagship smartphone is struggling for sales, and while China’s economy is slowing somewhat, its indigenous handset makers are providing stronger competition. After its share price fell to a record low last month, HTC was left fending off rumours that its local rival, ASUS, were about to take it over. HTC’s Chairwoman, Cher Wang, also ended up apologizing to shareholders for the slump in performance.
Hopefully, HTC’s management can pull the company away from the imminent iceberg that awaits the company if it carries on this path. The release of a new ‘Hero’ handset in October could well be the device to save the company, at least, we hope it will. Or, if you are a pessimist, it could be the one to finish them off.
Source: ChinaPost
Via: PhoneArena
Come comment on this article: HTC’s share price falls again – hits ten year low
Nexus 9 16GB drops to just £200 in the UK
If you’re after an Android tablet in the UK but haven’t been sure what to buy, a new price for the Google Nexus 9 might just have made your mind up for you. Both Amazon and UK retailer Argos have dropped the price of the HTC-made tablet to just £200 and £199.99 respectively in the UK for the 16GB Wi-Fi version.
If you need more storage and/or on-the-go connectivity, sadly neither retailer has dropped the price of the 32GB or LTE models which means they still retail for £299.99 and £459 respectively. The new price for the Nexus 9 represents a full saving off £119 off its retail price and makes the tablet a bargain given its considerable specs list.
To recap, the Nexus 9 boasts a 8.9-inch display with 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution that offers 281 pixels per inch density and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Google’s flagship tablet is powered by a dual-core Nvidia Tegra K1 processor clocked at 2.3GHz with 2GB RAM, an 8MP rear camera that supports full HD video and a 1.2MP front facing camera with 720p HD video. Other notable specs include Bluetooth v4.1 with apt-X, NFC, dual-band WI-Fi and a non-removable 6700 mAh battery. Of course, the Nexus 9 comes running stock Android and will be getting the upcoming Android M update.
Nexus 9 in video:
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It’s unclear how long this deal will last for so if you’re in the market for a new tablet, be sure to be quick. Head over to Amazon by hitting the button below to pick up your Nexus 9 now.
Google’s Nexus 9 tablet slashed to £200 in the UK
If you’d had your eye on a new Nexus device but missed out on the recent round of smartphone sales, today’s new Google tablet deal might be of interest. Just days after the Nexus 6 price was slashed to £304 (normally £479), the WiFi Nexus 9 is enjoying similar treatment, with the 16GB model now setting you back £200 instead of the usual £319. Amazon and Argos are both hosting the deal, which also includes a £100 discount on the 32GB model, but Google has not reflected the price change on its own store.
Motorola and Google have teased sales in recent months, suggesting that both companies are managing stock levels ahead of a likely Nexus hardware refresh in the coming months. Google bucked from tradition with the launch of the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 by removing the huge subsidies that earlier flagship devices had enjoyed, which is probably why we’re seeing bigger discounts now we’re enjoying summer. Given that Google has not mirrored the price change, we can only presume that today’s deals are time-limited or are in place until the allotted stock runs out. That means you’ll likely have to move quickly if you’re wanting to grab HTC’s first Nexus tablet while it’s affordable.
HTC will demo their Vive VR headset at Comic-Con this weekend
If you’re interested in testing out HTC and Valve’s joint effort VR headset, the HTC Vive, you might just have your chance this weekend. HTC is setting up a booth at Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, which will be open to anyone who wants to demo the experience, not just Comic-Con attendees.
The booth will be open July 9th – 12th from 10 AM to 8 PM, marking the first stop of several as HTC tours the device in other spots around the country.Virtual reality is definitely something that has to be sold by letting potential customers experience it, so it’s great that HTC wants to put some feet on the ground and get the Vive in the hands of people. That’s bound to get more hype stirred up for its official launch than any commercials ever could.
source: Phandroid
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HTC Vive taking a road trip across the USA; experience it first in San Diego!
Are you going to Comic-Con? If you are, you are one lucky person. Those tickets are hard to come by and they sure aren’t cheap. Us San Diego natives know that Comic Con is about much more than what happens inside the convention center, though. There’s a lot of fun events going on around it, and many of them are completely free! Now we are finding out HTC is coming to the party too.
If you happen to be around Southern California in the next few days, you may want to stop by and give the HTC Vive a look. The Taiwanese manufacturer is taking it upon itself to put this awesome VR headset in a bus (literally) and giving it a tour all across the United States. San Diego, CA happens to be the first city the HTC Vive will visit. HTC is coinciding with Comic-Con, so it will likely become another one of the attractions around the convention’s vicinity.
San Diego Comic-Con. Photo by Kendall Whitehouse
We can’t stress how important it is for you to test something like the HTC Vive out. VR is going to change the game, and our frustration is that there’s no way for us to effectively convey how amazing this new technology is! You really have to experience it for yourself. You can take a look at our reactions, though. It is as much as we can do for now, so we urge you to come to the HTC bus and test the product if you can – it’s the only way you will truly understand the concept.
It’s also worth noting the HTC Valve is not your average VR headset. This device takes the VR experience to the next level, thanks to a couple laser sensors you can place in the room. The system would then recobnize your location and displacement within the room, and create a digital reality to assimilate it. What does all this tech talk mean? You can walk around things, as opposed to just being able to look up/down and to the sides.
If you are not excited about this yet, we can assure you will be once you put this thing on. Just go do it! The Vive will be here in San Diego for July 9-12. You can visit the bus 10 AM-8 PM, except for Sunday, when the bus will be closing down at 6 PM. The bus is said to be located at 530 Island Ave, in downtown. Try not to miss it if you are in the area! I know I won’t. By the way, say hi if you see me (bearded guy with long hair) and don’t forget to follow the brand new HTC Vive official Twitter account!
We have the HTC One M9 Plus: Ask us anything!
Back in May HTC took the wraps off the One M9 Plus, a curious device that one-upped the standard M9 when it came to the display and the addition of a fingerprint scanner, but arguably took a step back by ditching Qualcomm in favor of a Mediatek chip.
Curious about how the M9+ fares? Our review unit has now arrived! Lanh is currently hard to put together a full review, while also getting a better feel for how the device compares to the standard M9.
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In the meantime, we wanted to take the time to answer any questions you might have about the device. Specs, camera performance, how the phone feels in the hand — if you have a question Lanh and our team will do the best we can to answer you.
Feel free to post our questions in the official forum page, where Lanh and other team members will checking in regularly. You can also pose your questions here, though we highly recommend checking out the forum.
HTC declares unaudited loss for Q2 2015
HTC has announced a notable financial loss for the second quarter of the year, having released its unaudited results earlier today. The news is not completely unexpected, as HTC has been struggling with poor smartphone sales this year.
The company had been expected to post revenue somewhere in the region of NT$65 billion for the second quarter, but has declared an unaudited revenue of only NT$33.01 billion ($1.07BN) for the quarter ending June 30. This means that HTC will post an operating loss of NT$5.14 billion ($166M) for Q2 2015, plunging the company into a significant quarterly loss.
The second quarter of the year is usually strong for HTC, as it directly follows the launch of its latest flagship smartphone. Such a noticeable loss in this quarter leaves the rest of the year looking pretty miserable for the company.
http://embed.chartblocks.com/1.0/?c=559a8605c9a61d7f48eda93d&t=9a8afd2dc0d6338
Last year, HTC managed to return to minor profit after a number of quarterly losses and had been hoping to continue its recovery throughout 2015. However, its latest flagship One M9 smartphone has suffered severely disappointing sales figures since launch, with one report highlighting that shipments had fallen by some 43 percent compared with the last generation One M8.
HTC seems to have been caught out by improving technologies from high-end players like Samsung and the cut-throat pricing models of mid-range Chinese competitors such as Xiaomi. HTC has stated that it intends to focus on mid-tier products to drive up sales, but this market segment is becoming increasingly busy with companies offering flagship level hardware at very thin profit margins, which is unlikely to help HTC’s position.
The HTC One M9 is a fine handset, but it fails to stand out against the previous generation
Along with a reshuffle at the top of the company, HTC has also recently been looking into new markets with its Vive VR headset and portable RE camera. While these may eventually provide a way for HTC to diversity or transition in the future, they aren’t bringing in the short term revenue that the company needs.
2015 is looking to be another tough year for HTC, and its bulging product portfolio doesn’t appear to be cutting through the competition. Can anyone suggest a remedy?
HTC conducts the ‘blind test’ and the results are incredibly bias
When a company conducts their own social testing on their own product, don’t expect the results to be representative of the whole story, or the truth for that matter.
HTC took to the streets to conduct a ‘blind test’ where devices were put through their paces in a series of tests and the – lets call them victim – had to pick a winner; yep, you guessed it, the HTC wins every round.
First the speed test:
And then erm, sound?
Then, of course, selfies:
HTC marketing, people.
The post HTC conducts the ‘blind test’ and the results are incredibly bias appeared first on AndroidGuys.
HTC One M9 Developer Edition receiving OTA update for Android 5.1.1
Fans of HTC’s latest flagship will be pleased to know that Android 5.1 is now rolling out to the Developer Edition of the M9 handset. The file size is approximately 794.32MB in size, so a Wi-Fi connection would be the ideal download method-of-choice. According to the firmware update notification box, this FOTA will bring with it the following changes:
- Android Lollipop 5.1
- Data Performance Improvements
- Call Drop Improvements
- Battery Life Enhancements
- Temperature Management Optimization
- Camera Enhancements
While the camera improvements will no doubt be a welcomed addition, the presence of “Temperature Management Optimization” only furthers the ongoing saga with the Snapdragon 810 CPU. HTC has continued to refine the One M9’s software in an attempt to better manage the heat generated by the powerful mobile chipset, a potential problem that is only exacerbated by the liberal use of metal in the handset’s construction.
HTC One M9
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For those still on-the fence about the HTC One M9, feel free to peruse any of our various features on the device. For those with the Developer Edition, we encourage you to share your thoughts on the post-update experience and let us know how these changes have (or have not) improved your experience.
HTC One M9 wins every time in a series of blind tests
HTC has launched a new marketing campaign in Australia to compare its One M9 to Apple’s iPhone 6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S6 in a series of blind tests. There are three ads, all ranging from thirty seconds to a little over two minutes.
Some of the tests they put the devices through are how fast apps can open, sound quality, and how good selfies look in low-light conditions. All of the devices are covered in a black square case so the user can’t tell what device they’re using.
Click here to view the embedded video.
While the HTC One M9 is certainly a good device, it tends to win in all of HTC’s ads, for obvious reasons. However, it’d be more interesting to see the three devices compete in an unbiased video where they all have a fair chance. Whether it be the HTC One M9, the Samsung Galaxy S6, or the Apple iPhone 6, they all have their strengths and are great in their own ways, whereas in these ads, the HTC One M9 is fantastic all the time.
Click here to view the embedded video.
HTC has a few more posted on their YouTube channel. Just hit the source link below if you’re interested in seeing the final few. What do you think of these blind tests from HTC? Sound off in the comments!
source: HTC (YouTube)
Come comment on this article: HTC One M9 wins every time in a series of blind tests
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