BARCELONA — HTC unveiled its new products Sunday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, including a new version of its One flagship smartphone, a virtual reality headset and a fitness band. HTC's new One M9 sports a metal body with a gold and silver finish, a 5-inch screen with sapphire glass, a 20-megapixel camera on the back, and Snapdragon 810, Qualcomm's newest high-end processor. The handset offers immersive 5.1 surround sound through front speakers "This is our third generation of our iconic design," HTC CEO Peter Chou told conference attendees. "People say M8 is the most beautiful smartphone on the market, but we wanted to strive higher." Building on a three-year pursuit of excellence, the HTC One M9 melds the best of the award-winning HTC One M7 and HTC One M8 into a stunning, iconic design. Distinct metal edges combine perfectly with graceful curves for a jewelry-grade look. Small and easy to hold, the crafted, all-metal unibody design is highlighted by an exquisite dual-tone silver and rose gold¹ finish that is as distinctive, as it is durable. Mirror-polished gold sides cascade effortlessly into a hairline brushed silver back panel, encasing a bright and vivid display. The M9 also features HTC Sense 7, an Android skin that allows users to personalize their handsets, recommending restaurants in new neighborhoods and creating special themes for social media. Chou announced that the HTC One M9 will be available in mid-March in Asia in four colors. HTC also announced its entry into the burgeoning virtual reality sector with the Vive. Through a strategic partnership with Valve, HTC promises to transform the way in which consumers interact with technology and the world around them with the debut of HTC Vive. HTC Vive Developer Edition will be launched this Spring, with the consumer edition available by the end of 2015. Cher Wang, Chairwoman of HTC commented, “It's rare that a company has an opportunity to forever transform the ways in which people interact with the world and communicate with each other but that is exactly what we plan to do with Valve.” “We achieved this once before with our development of smartphone technology” Peter Chou, CEO of HTC added, “And, through our partnership with Valve, we'll now be doing this for a second time with VR technology of which consumers could only previously dream.” The headset is expected to be available to the public by the end of the year. "We believe that VR will totally transform the way we interact with the world. It will become a mainstream experience," Chou said. HTC also unveiled the Grip, Powered by UA Record, the new health and fitness network from Under Armour designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, Grip fuses HTC's renowned design with powerful, accurate tracking across a range of sports and activities, allowing athletes to set personal goals, then smash them. Compatible with Android and iOS devices1, as well as Bluetooth-enabled accessories like heart-rate monitors, Grip extends its functionality, providing additional performance data to the Under Armour Connected Fitness platform. Drew Bamford, Corporate Vice President of HTC Creative Labs commented, “Our partnership with Under Armour has allowed us to direct our combined ambition, talent and passion towards developing new ways to empower athletes to make the most of their training every day. Grip is our first product to offer deep integration with UA Record, providing an experience that will surpass the high standards of even professional athletes.” Robin Thurston, SVP, Connected Fitness, Under Armour, said “HTC is an exciting partner for Under Armour and Grip, designed by HTC and powered exclusively by UA Record, is just a taste of what's to come in the next year. Together we're looking forward to exploring new ways to empower and inspire athletes of all levels and to rewrite the rulebook of performance tracking, training and improvement.” The Grip will be a US-only product that will arrive this spring.” — SG
