HTC set to announce new device
2012-09-19 11:01
Cape Town - HTC is set to make an imminent announcement on a new product on Wednesday.
The mobile phone manufacturer is expected to launch a new smartphone or possibly a tablet based on Google's Android operating system in London on Wednesday.
HTC teased Facebook users with an image of a device with the phrase: "When beautiful hardware meets stunning software."
Some have speculated that the company will produce a new smartphone with a bigger screen than the current headline offering, the One X.
One name for the new product that has been suggested is the Droid Incredible X which is slated to have a 12cm screen, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage and be driven by a quad core processor, similar to the One range.
Market share
HTC is on a mission to increase its market share against other Android-based rivals Samsung, Sony Mobile, LG and Google-owned Motorola.
In SA, the company has opened a dedicated office to drive awareness about the device offerings, but still lags significantly in market share compared to Samsung.
"Right now, it would be fair to say that maybe you don't see HTC in the same way you see it in the US, the UK, Germany, or even certain parts of Asia, but that's only because we haven't concentrated our brand awareness activity, which we certainly want to do now.
"We have a great success story in all of our major markets; it's just time that we replicate the same success in South Africa," Jon French, HTC vice president of Sales and Operations for the EMEA region told News24 recently.
It is conceivable that HTC might adopt the Windows platform for a new device given the Apple victory over Samsung in the US, but that is unlikely as Android ascends to the dominant global smartphone operating system.
Several manufactures have launched new devices recently: Apple announced the anticipated iPhone 5 on 12 September; Samsung surprised some with the Windows based ATIV S, and on Tuesday, both LG and Motorola unveiled the Optimus G and Razr i respectively.
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