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HTC’s Internal Struggles Continue

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 5:52 pm

HTC One X Silver

The HTC One may be slowly gaining traction in the market, but it doesn’t seem as if HTC’s problems are quite over. The Verge today reported on various talented executives fleeing the company, and apparently those leaving the company are doing so under rather poor circumstances. Eric Lin, previously a product strategy manager, tweeted the following:

To all my friends still at @htc – just quit. leave now. it’s tough to do, but you’ll be so much happier, I swear.

— eric L (@ericlin) May 20, 2013

It seems as if most of these departures are occurring in the marketing side of the company. Rumors state that HTC has begun moving some of their marketing operations back to Taiwan, which would certainly help account for many of these departures. However, the ominous warnings from Lin, among others, would seem to suggest that the issue may be more extensive than many believe.

[The Verge]

The Facebook Phone is Dead

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 8:57 am

That didn’t last long.

Just five weeks after the HTC First was released, the first handset to feature Facebook Home, the device is reportedly on the chopping block.

BGR, citing a source within AT&T, reports that the carrier will discontinue the so-called “Facebook Phone” as soon as HTC’s contract for reserved display space within its retail stores expires.

AT&T is making this move due to “shockingly bad” sales of the HTC First, which has been far outsold by the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S4. The carrier’s decision to drop the price of the HTC First to 99 cents on a new two-year contract was made to clear as much inventory of the handset as possible. (more…)

New HTC One Ad Promotes Blink Feed

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 12:56 pm

For the sake of competition and innovation within the mobile space, I hope the HTC One sells like hotcakes. At least this ad is better than the ridiculous Samsung Galaxy S4 spot.

[BGR]

The Facebook Phone Doesn’t Appear Very Promising

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 10:53 am

The so-called “Facebook Phone” that was rumored for several months — if not years — was released a number of weeks ago, yet it appears to be already facing struggles.

Dan Graziano for BGR writes:

AT&T this week slashed the price of the smartphone from $99 to $0.99 with a new two-year agreement and reduced the off-contract price from $450 to $350. Although no sales data has been released, the recent price cut suggests that Facebook may be in the midst of its First big mobile flop.

While a price cut on the HTC First is not necessarily indicative of poor sales, it could very well signal that Facebook is the latest culprit of a mobile space that is dominated by two companies: Apple and Samsung. BlackBerry and Windows Phone could have told you as much.

[BGR]

HTC Reports Poor Q1 2013 Financials, But the Future Looks Bright

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 7:59 pm

HTC One X Silver

HTC hasn’t had the easiest year in terms of its financials, as its presence in the smartphone market has slowly shrunk under heavy fire from both Samsung and Apple. Following this trend is the company’s Q1 2013 results, which are quite dismal. HTC made only $2.88 million in profit on over $1.45 billion in revenue. However, the future seems looks decent for the company.

In the past month, the HTC One — a device that has been almost universally praised by both consumers and reviewers — has widely been available. The One, which is in direct competition with devices like the Samsung Galaxy S 4, is seen as offering a truly innovative design, as well as fast performance. It is an uphill battle, with HTC facing the full marketing might of both Samsung and Apple.

[The Next Web]

HTC One: The New Underdog

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 11:14 am

HTC One Front

Believe it or not, early reaction by competitors to Apple releasing the iPhone was laughable. Simply put, most companies did not believe that the Cupertino-based corporation would be all that successful with its venture into the smartphone market. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer essentially wrote off the first-generation iPhone and its high price tag, while BlackBerry executives were reportedly baffled by the iPhone and thought its technology was impossible. (more…)

HTC One: The Best Android Smartphone Just Launched in the United States

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 8:50 am

HTC One Front

The HTC One is officially available in the United States, launching Friday on carriers AT&T and Sprint. Meanwhile, the handset will land on T-Mobile next Wednesday. The HTC One has received rave reviews since its unveiling, with BGR claiming it is “the best Android smartphone on the planet” right now as part of its in-depth review of the device. Likewise, The Verge referred to the HTC One as “one of the best-designed smartphones” in its own review.

The HTC One — not to be confused with the HTC One X — packs a 4.7-inch display with an impressive 468 PPI, 1.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon system-on-a-chip processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a new “UltraPixel” camera that pairs with software called “Zoe” to give users the ability to take high-resolution photos with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects. The handset is $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement.

HTC First: The Rumored Facebook Phone Arrives

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 1:38 pm

HTC First

Facebook on Thursday announced, in collaboration with Taiwanese handset maker HTC, the first smartphone to equip the all-new Facebook Home app. It’s called the HTC First, and is slated to arrive April 12th on AT&T for $99 with a new two-year service agreement.

The HTC First will feature the Facebook Home launcher, which includes deep integration with the social network, on top of stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The smartphone will also have native Instagram functionality, the social photo sharing service that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Facebook. (more…)

HTC One Launches on AT&T and Sprint April 19th

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 8:30 am

HTC One X Silver

AT&T announced just minutes ago that it will be launching the HTC One smartphone on April 19th, with pre-orders beginning on April 4th. The handset will be available in 32GB or 64GB models, priced at $199.99 and $299.99 respectively with a new two-year service agreement. Sprint also announced the same details just moments later, although its pre-orders will begin on April 5th.

[BGR]