MWC: HTC unwraps One M9 phone, fitness tracker and VR headset
2015/03/01 23:59:06
Taipei, March 1 (CNA) Taiwanese handset maker HTC Corp. (???) on Sunday unveiled three new devices ahead of the Mobile World Congress trade show in Spain, including the One M9 flagship phone, the Grip fitness tracker and the Vive virtual reality headset.
The HTC One M9 features a dual-tone unibody metal design, a 5-inch full-HD 1080p display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 64-bit octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage capacity, a micro-SD card slot for up to 128GB external capacity, a 2,840 mAh battery and 4G LTE connectivity, HTC said in a statement.
The M9's 20-megapixel rear camera comes with a sapphire cover lens and enables ultra-HD 4K video recording, while its front camera is equipped with the UltraPixel sensor developed by HTC that features fewer, larger pixels designed to get clearer images in lower light.
Other highlights of the M9 include BoomSound dual-front speakers with Dolby 5.1 surround sound and an HTC Sense 7 software upgrade that offers a more personalized experience on the BlinkFeed live-streaming home screen app based on the user's location.
The M9 will go on sale in four colors from the middle of this month. Pricing for the phone was not disclosed.
Also on Sunday, HTC unveiled the HTC Grip, its first wearable device and the first product in the world to incorporate UA Record, which is the new health and fitness app launched by American sports clothing and accessories supplier Under Armour Inc. (UA).
The water-resistant band sports a 1.8-inch PMOLED flexible display, 16MB of flash memory, 8MB of SRAM and a 100 mAh battery that can last for two and a half days on a single charge, HTC said. It is compatible with iOS and Android operating systems.
The features of the UA Record app include motion and GPS activity tracking from mobile sensors and third party devices, analysis from individual workouts and a total snapshot of the user's progress -- including steps, sleep, caloric burn, heart rate and weight.
The Grip will be available in spring this year through select retailers in North America, HTC said without giving a specific date or price.
The final product HTC unveiled Sunday was the HTC Vive, a virtual reality headset co-developed with U.S.-based video game developer Valve, which is widely known for operating the major online video game marketplace Steam.
With its 360-degree solution and tracking controller, the Vive allows wearers to walk around in the virtual world, check the virtual objects they have in hand from different angles and interact with their surrounding environment, according to HTC.
HTC has been working on the beta version of the Vive with the world's leading game developers, such as Vertigo Games, Bossa, Barry-Fireproof, Dovetail Games, Wemo Labs, Google, Steel Wool Games and Owlchemy to expand its entertainment offerings.
The Taoyuan-based company said it also plans to work in the future with famous international brands like Google, HBO, Lionsgate and Taiwan's National Palace Museum to explore more applications.
The Vive will also be showcased at the Game Developers Conference from March 4 to 6 in San Francisco, California. HTC said the developer version of the Vive will be available this spring and the consumer version will hit the market by the end of 2015.
(By Jeffrey Wu)
