HTC stock price hits record low
Increasingly fierce competition in the smartphone market continues to buffet HTC which saw its stock price close at a record low since its listing on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in March 2002. The stock price has been in a slide, losing 30% since the beginning of the year. However, new selling activity cranked up recently after media reports indicated HTC suppliers were cutting back on shipment forecasts based on lackluster sales projections for the HTC One M9. Those reports say HTC only expects to ship 3.2 million units in 2015, a 30% reduction from previous estimates.
HTC shares closed at a price of NT$92.80 ($3.01 USD) per share on Wednesday after a 5.79 percent drop. At one time, in April 2011, the stock closed in the NT$1,300 ($42 USD) range, a far cry from current levels. In response to these mounting losses, HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang apologized to shareholders for the poor performance. She indicated the company is preparing to launch some new high-end smartphones in October. Wang also promised to continue to pursue efforts to cut operating costs, improve efficiency, and secure new sales resources in hopes of righting the ship.
source: Focus Taiwan
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Inside Taipei’s huge tech wonderland of a mall
Taipei isn’t really lacking in gadget shopping options, but, even so, the recently launched Syntrend Creative Park is noteworthy. A joint project between electronics supplier Hon Hai and Taipei’s government, Syntrend is a massive 12-story tech-focused mall covering more than two acres. And it’s got plenty of notable tenants, including storefronts from Intel, Samsung, Sony, Asus and Lenovo. For the most part, it’s a place for you to relax and check out new gear. Imagine an Apple Store-like experience for dozens of tech brands across a high-end mall, and you’ll get the idea. Now that we’ve pretty much seen all there is at Computex, we took a stroll through Syntrend to see if it really deserves to be likened to Tokyo’s Akihabara district.
After spending an entire morning at the mall, I came away mostly impressed. it was surprisingly barren (then again, I visited during a weekday morning), and there are plenty of small stores that just sell phone cases and accessories. But it was nice to be able to go to a single spot to see tech offerings from plenty of companies. There are also cafes and interactive exhibits throughout Syntrend, as well as an entire floor dedicated to activities for kids. It’s something that both nerds and families could turn into a day-long trip.
While only seven of the mall’s 12 floors were open when I stopped by, there was still more than enough to check out. All of the floors have different themes: the first, “Look,” includes Intel’s Concept store and a stylish HTC store, while the fifth floor, “Listen,” is devoted to audio gear. It’s kind of kitschy, but it was a nice way to conceive of everything happening in the mall.
Filed under: Misc, Samsung, Sony, HTC, ASUS, Intel, Acer, Lenovo, Canon
HTC announces yet another 2015 flagship, the One ME
HTC almost seems like it’s satirizing itself at this point. The company has announced another variant of the HTC One that’s slated for China later this year, adding to the flooded flagship market that the company is trying to tackle this year.
Originally we got the One M9, which was a little boring, but stuck to HTC’s simple, yet sophisticated standards. Then, the One M9+ was announced. It featured an actual upgrade to last year’s M8, with a higher resolution screen, fingerprint scanner, etc. It probably wasn’t great that HTC announced it right on the heels of the regular M9, and it definitely didn’t help that the M9+ isn’t available globally.
And that’s where HTC lost it.
The company also released the One E9+, which is basically an M9+ with a bigger screen and plastic body, which is again not available outside of select markets. And then today, the company has announced the brand new HTC One ME, which is basically the M9+ with a plastic body. Kind of like the E9+. Except plastic. But wait, what was the difference between the M9+ and E9+? Oh, right, the Duo Camera. So the ME is basically a mix-up between the M9+ and E9+, giving you the option to pick up a 20 megapixel camera and plastic shell. If you’re confused reading this, I’m sure you can tell how confusing it will be for consumers when they have three or four options for what basically amounts to the exact same phone.
As far as specs are concerned, it’s a great device. You’ll get 32 GB of internal storage, a quad HD screen, a MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core CPU, and 3 GB of RAM. Solid hardware, but it’s barely different from the handful of other devices we’ve seen over the last few months.
To make this worse, we haven’t even seen any Mini variants of these devices yet, and it’s only been three months since the M9 was originally announced. At this pace, HTC is announcing a new flagship device roughly every three or four weeks, which is almost the exact same situation that nearly bankrupted the company in the first place.
One flagship device per year is too little for most manufacturers, and that makes sense. It’s hard to keep up momentum and keep your devices updated when you’re flooding the market with new phones every month. But even the bigger, successful companies like Samsung, LG, and Apple at least space their devices out.
HTC did really well with the launch of the original HTC One M7, finding an identity that worked for them and put them back on track to financial stability. Sure, we had a few other devices along the way, like the Droid DNA and the Butterfly, but for the most part the company stuck to one flagship device and made it work. Things got a little shaky with the M8, as we saw the Desire Eye and a few other devices last year, but again, the focus was on the M8 all year, and HTC posted one of their best years in a while.
That seems like it’s pretty much going out the window at this point. Good luck, HTC.
source: HTC
via: Android Authority
Come comment on this article: HTC announces yet another 2015 flagship, the One ME
HTC One ME announced with Mediatek Helio X10
New smartphone will be available in China and other Asian markets
HTC China took the wraps off its latest android smartphone, the HTC One ME. The new device debuts with Mediatek’s octa-core Helio X10 processor – a 64-bit chipset, clocked at 2.2 GHz.
The One ME sports a metal framed polycarbonate body like its predecessors the One E9+ and One M9+. The HTC One ME features a 5.2-inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560 X 1440 pixels and a fingerprint sensor. Additionally, i t’s fitted with HTC’s BoomSound, an excellent sound system with Dolby Surround.
Running on Android 5.0 Lollipop, HTC One ME comes with dual-sim, LTE capability. Specs-wise it features 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, microSD support and a 2840 mAh battery. The device has a 20MP main shooter with 4K video recording and a 4MP Ultrapixel front camera.
HTC’s latest offering is set to release first in China, followed by other Asian markets and will be available in three colors: meteor grey, gold sepia, and rose gold. There has been no word on pricing or availability in other markets yet, but we expect further news soon.
HTC One ME Image Gallery
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HTC can’t stop launching high-end models, introduces One ME in China
It was already hard to keep track of HTC’s high-end devices, and now the Taiwanese company is adding yet another model to the mix, the One ME.
A little recap: HTC’s flagship remains the One M9, at least in the West. In Asia, however, HTC has expanded its high-end range with the One M9+ (a 5.2-inch Quad HD model with a fingerprint scanner and metal build) and the One E9+ (a 5.5-inch Quad HD model clad in plastic). Confusingly, it looks like there won’t be a One E9, though there were some rumors about it. Both the M9+ and the E9+ are available in China, India, and some other Asian markets, with no prospect to make it in the US or Europe.
Today HTC has launched the One ME, a 5.2-inch device that looks a lot like the One M9+ but lacks the metal body and swaps the Duo Camera with a conventional 20MP rear shooter. This device was rumored to come to market as the One ME9, but HTC mercifully chose the simpler variant.
The One ME features a Quad HD screen for a pixel density of 565 ppi and is powered by MediaTek’s Helio X10 octa-core processor, with 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. Weighing in at 155g, the device is slightly lighter than the One M9+, while dimensions are almost identical. This looks a lot like a plastic version of the M9+, complete with the fingerprint sensor wedged between the bottom front speaker.
The rear camera features a 20MP sensor with f 2.2 lens, while the front one is 4MP. Battery life should be pretty good, thanks to the 2,840 mAh capacity (same as M9+). Dual SIM LTE, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi and Android 5.0 Lollipop round up the spec sheet.
The One ME appears to be a China-only model, though there’s a chance it will go out in India as well, just like the M9+ and E9+. No info on pricing and availability yet.
There’s a whole discussion to be had about the sanity of HTC’s approach to product design. It’s almost as if the company is mixing and matching features and build materials to get more models out on the market. While this gives more options to customers, it also dilutes and muddies HTC’s message. And the naming scheme doesn’t help. Let us know your thoughts.
HTC’s new pixel-density champ is the One ME
Oh, HTC, we’re starting to lose track of all your tempting Asia-only models. The Taiwanese company has just revealed the One ME, which is basically an M9+ with less metal and no Duo camera (as rumored). We understand if you’re having trouble keeping up, so here are the boilerplate specs. The ME has a polycarbonate body with a metal frame like the 5.5-inch E9+, but with a smaller 5.2-inch Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) screen for a stunning 565 ppi — making it HTC’s sharpest phone to date. The CPU is a MediaTek Helio X10 eight-core job running at 2.2GHz with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage expandable to 2TB via microSDXC.
Other specs include dual-SIMs, a fingerprint sensor, a 2,840mAh battery, HTC’s Sense flavor of Android and 20-megapixel (non-Duo) rear/Ultrapixel front cameras. That rather great-sounding model now joins the 5-inch HTC One M9, the 5.2-inch M9+, and the 5.5-inch E9 and E9+ models in HTC’s stable of thoroughbred devices, making it hard to pick a single “flagship.” There’s no word on pricing or availability yet, but chances are this One won’t come to North America either.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: HTC China
HTC launches the dual-SIM Desire 820G+ in Taiwan
HTC has announced a new mid-range, dual-SIM phone for the Taiwanese market. The new device joins the Desire lineup and will be called the Desire 820G+.
The 820G+ features Android 4.4 and a 5.5-inch display that has a surprisingly nice 720p HD resolution. You’ll also find a 13 megapixel rear camera, an 8 megapixel front cam, an octa-core CPU with 1 GB of RAM, and a microSD card slot.
It doesn’t look like the device will launch outside of Taiwan, but considering it’s a dual-SIM device that also doesn’t feature 4G connectivity, it definitely looks like HTC made this one with that specific market in mind. If you are looking for a Taiwanese device that features decent mid-range specs, though, the Desire 820G+ just might fit the bill.
source: NDTV Gadgets
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Deal: Grab an HTC Desire 510 with one year of service from FreedomPop for just $250
HTC has proven itself worthy in the mid-range market over the past few years, continually offering smartphones with solid specifications and a great user experience for a low price point. Last year’s HTC Desire 510 still lives up to the company’s high expectations, bringing with it a perfectly capable 4.7-inch display, quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, and a 5MP rear-facing camera.
If you purchase the phone on its own, it might cost you somewhere around $200. But in a new promotion that just made its way to the AA Deals Store, you can pick up a brand new HTC Desire 510 in Black with one full year of service from FreedomPop for just $249.99. The service includes unlimited talk and text, 500MB of 4G LTE data per month, visual voicemail ($30 value), tethering ($47.88 value), and usage alerts ($23.88 value). FreedomPop also doesn’t have any contracts or early termination fees, so you can cancel the service at any time with no repercussions.
If you’re interested in saving a massive 47% on this promotion, head to the Android Authority Deals Store link below.
HTC Desire & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk-and-Text from FreedomPop
Ready for a huge deal? How about a great device and a year’s worth of service for less than some people pay for their monthly rate plan? If you’re looking to ditch your contract carrier, this package from FreedomPop is definitely worthy of your attention and may save you a significant deal of moolah, baby.
See more at deals.androidguys.com
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@LlabTooFeR leaks upcoming battery update for the One M9
Notorious leaker @LlabTooFeR took to his Twitter account today to share a couple of screenshots from an upcoming software update for the One M9, which is scheduled to start rolling out as early as next week.
This upgrade carries version number 1.40 and appears to be primarily aimed at improving the many battery issues that users have been complaining about recently — so now they’re handset should finally last more than a day on a single charge.
That’s all we know for the time being, but be sure to check back for more information as we’ll let you know the instant HTC starts pushing out the over-the-air update.
Source: Twitter
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