HTC One Try To Beat Apple and Samsung ~ InfoTech

It’s pretty clear that HTC’s strategy here isn’t to build a better Android smartphone than Samsung and beat it that way. That’s arguably what the entire HTC One line has been until now: essentially a different but similar approach to the Galaxy strategy. Now, we get a back-to-basics simplified naming scheme, a physical case that better approximates Apple’s high-market industrial design, and an emphasis on user experience and software, instead of crowing loud and long about the spec race that has been popular among Android OEMs int the past.

This is a pivotal launch for HTC: It needs to be seen by consumers in non-relative terms to Samsung in order to stand out, since it hasn’t been able to succeed when lumped in with the general mass of Android OEM device-makers. To accomplish that it has to stand apart, and there’s no better example of a smartphone-maker that’s been able to do that than Apple. But carving out a niche in the face of the ascendant Samsung will prove difficult without Apple’s first-mover advantage, so while HTC’s strategy is arguably bold, by no means does it guarantee success.

The central piece of the HTC event today was all about what the One is that all other Android phones aren’t. That’s why HTC put its “BoomSound” front-facing speaker system on display, highlighted the Ultrapixel camera with its low-light capabilities, and showed off the Sense 5 UI with its BlinkFeed automatic, live-updating content feeds. That’s why it emphasized content partners, another page out of Apple’s book. In many ways, HTC’s event was more like the introduction of a new mobile OS than an iteration on an Android smartphone design. The company has put a strong focus on software at previous device launches, but here it seemed even more concerned with making this about OS skin updates.

CPU SPEED

Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600, quad-core, 1.7GHz

PLATFORM ANDROID

Android™ with HTC Sense™

HTC BlinkFeed™

SIM CARD TYPE

microSIM

MEMORY¹

Total storage : 32GB/64GB, available capacity varies¹

RAM : 2 GB DDR2

NETWORK²

HSPA/WCDMA:

Europe/Asia: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz

GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

850/900/1800/1900 MHz

LTE:

EU: 800/1800/2600 MHz
US (AT&T): 700/850/AWS/1900 MHz
US (TMO): 700/AWS MHz
US (Sprint): 1900 MHz
Asia: 1800/2600 Mhz

GPS

Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
Digital compass

SENSORS

Gyro sensor
Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor

CONNECTIVITY³

3.5 mm stereo audio jack
NFC capable³
Compliant with Bluetooth 4.0
Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX™ enabled
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n
DLNA® for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a
compatible TV or computer
Support consumer infrared remote control
micro-USB 2.0 (5-pin) port with mobile high-definition video
link (MHL) for USB or HDMI connection
(Special cable required for HDMI connection.)

SOUND ENHANCEMENT

HTC BoomSound™

Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
Studio-quality sound with Beats Audio™
HDR Microphone
Sense Voice

CAMERA

HTC UltraPixel Camera
BSI sensor, Pixel size 2.0 µm, Sensor size 1/3'
Dedicated HTC ImageChip™ 2
F2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
Smart Flash: Five levels of flash automatically set by distance
to subject
Front Camera: 2.1 MP, 88⁰ wide angle lens with HDR capability
1080p Full HD video recording for both front and back cameras
HDR Video
Continuous shooting and VideoPic
Slow motion video recording with variable speed playback
HTC Zoe™ with HTC Zoe™ Highlights and
HTC Zoe™ Share
Retouch with Object Removal, Group Retouch,
and Sequence Shot

MULTIMEDIA

Audio supported formats:

Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav,
.wma (Windows Media Audio 9)
Recording: .amr

Video supported formats:

Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9),
.avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
Recording: .mp4

BATTERY⁴

Embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery

Capacity : 2300 mAh

AC ADAPTER

Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz

DC output: 5 V and 1 A

Saturday 23 February 2013