HTC definitely not buying HP webOS

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

HTC  definitely not buying HP webOS.

This is  bad news for webOS fans who were expecting HP sell webOS to HTC , a great smartphone hardware maker, but according to FT today  news , Peter Chou  HTC CEO  says however that HTC no plans to buy its operating system.  The company had considered buying HP´s  webOS  operating system, but had decided to stick with licensing Google´s Android system and Microsoft´s Windows, he says.

The main reason is , he was outweighed by the benefits  of being part of a large Android market place for applications.

HTC has developed its own OS, HTC Sense which makes easier to use the camera or to get and automatic weather report to the handset, he said.

There is  a rumored unkown list of 12 bidders , but we have had information of Samsung, HTC (both not buying HP webOS) and Amazon, only.

The question  is who is the company  interested in buying webOS, that could launch webOS units in 2012, if HTC and Samsung are not in ? Well, rumors still.

Source: FT

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HTC has mulled an acquisition of HP’s webOS platform,

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Cher Wang, chairman of HTC, acknowledged that the company may consider buying its own operating system, according to reports originating from the Economic Observer of China.

According to Wang ( pictured), the company has mulled an acquisition of HP’s webOS platform, after the computing giant announced it would explore its strategic options for this business. While acknowledging that it had considered such a move, Wang said that the company will not make a buy “on impulse.”

It was suggested that HTC may review its platform options after Google announced it would acquire Motorola Mobility, meaning that the Android platform supplier will also be competing with its customers. HTC is one of the top-tier Android device vendors, alongside Samsung, but unlike its South Korean rival it does not have an in-house device operating system of its own to fall back on.

HTC also offers devices powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, and has been one of the key partners in the computer giant’s mobile strategy. However, earlier this year Microsoft announced a deep partnership with Nokia, which will impact the importance of the Taiwanese vendor in the Windows Phone ecosystem.

In the interview, the HTC head reiterated the company’s support for the Google/Motorola deal, on the grounds that Google’s ability to leverage Motorola’s patents will benefit the industry as a whole. Google recently transferred a number of patents to HTC, to aid its defence against an Apple lawsuit.

According to Focus Taiwan, Wang argues that “our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.” The company has previously tailored Android and Microsoft’s previous generation Windows Mobile platform by using its own user interface, to differentiate from similar products offered by rivals.

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HTC invests in audio firm Beats Electronics

WorldWide Tech and Science. Francisco De Jesus.

HTC announced a “strategic partnership and investment” in audio technology company Beats Electronics, stating that “the two fast-growing brands will focus on bringing high performance sound to HTC phones.” While the official announcement was short on details, HTC’s investor website confirmed the acquisition of a 51 percent stake of the company via its HTC America arm. Numerous reports put a price tag of US$300 million on the deal.

Beats Electronics is best known for its Beats by Dr Dre brand. HTC said the partnership will see “a line of HTC devices integrated with Beats sound innovations, available this fall [autumn].”

In an interview with All Things D, Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, said that the deal should “help create an emotional connection to HTC’s brand.” HTC is not the first technology company to work with Beats Electronics: a deal is also in place with HP for its notebook computers, which HTC said will remain in place after its investment.

HTC has made several acquisitions in recent months, bolstering both its technology capabilities (and its patent portfolio) and extending its presence beyond devices.

 Last week it acquired US-based mobile internet applications company Dashwire for US$18.5 million, and earlier this year it acquired UK-based content delivery company Saffron Media Group for 30 million brittish pounds. It has also invested US$10 million investment in Chinese digital music service provider KKBOX, and US$40 million  in cloud gaming company OnLive.

Beats Electronics was founded in 2006, and was described as “the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr Dre” and Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. The company set out to develop “a new type of headphone with the capability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios.” It will continue to operate autonomously.

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HTC to include slim metal/plastic chassis on smartphones.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Taiwan-based handset chassis maker Chenming Mold Industrial with its technology to create plastic/metal combined handset chassis, reportedly has already landed orders for High Tech Computer's (HTC's) new smartphone, according to sources from upstream component makers.

 However, chairman of Chenming, Mu-ho Lin has declined to comment on clients, but pointed out that the technology to combine metal with plastic has already been certified by several first-tier handset vendors and will start mass production in July.

Chenming pointed out that most metal chassis processing is being done through CNC lathe machines, but since metal chassis can easily create interference with the handset's radio, the company's NanoMolding Technology (NMT), which allows a combination of metal and plastic materials, will help vendors to avoid interference issues, while providing flexible choices in designs as plastic can be easily formed into different shapes.

Chenming noted that its NMT technology already improved om the drawbacks in the past of creating extra thickness due to taping the plastic and metal materials together. In addition to reducing thickness, the technology will also strengthen the products' hardness.

Sources from upstream component makers also pointed out that NMT technology is a more simple process and has a rather lower cost compared to traditional CNC lathe machine methods and should provide smartphone vendors an additional option for their products in the future.

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HTC May revenues hit record .

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Smartphone vendor HTC has reported unaudited consolidated revenues of NT$40.621 billion (US$1.41 billion) for May, hitting a record for the second consecutive month.

While HTC's second-quarter target is NT$120 billion in consolidated sales, local stock analysts expect it to attain NT$125-130 billion. HTC will offer OpenSense SDK (software development kit) specifically for third-party development of mobile applications based on its user interface Sense in the third quarter of 2011, and this will help the company bring in more revenues, the analysts said.

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USA: New 4G devices at Sprint.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.


US operator Sprint today announced the 24 June availability of the HTC EVO 3D and HTC EVO View 4G devices, the latest additions to its 4G handset portfolio. 


The former is described as “America’s first ‘glasses-free’ 3D 4G device,” while the latter is touted as the “first 4G tablet in market.” 


The phone will cost US$199.99 and the tablet US$399.99, both on a two-year contract.

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HTC opening its Sense User Interface to Android developers.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

HTC is opening its acclaimed Sense user interface to Android developers, company CEO Peter Chou announced Thursday during a keynote address at Qualcomm's Uplinq conference.

The company has launched a developer program, HTCdev, which will provide developers with a software development kit for HTC Sense 3.0.  Developers also will have access to APIs and sample code for HTC's 3D displays and the pen for HTC's Flyer tablet.

"You developers are just as important to the success of this industry as hardware makers, OEMs, platform owners and carriers," Chou said, stating that the wireless industry was "entering into a golden age of mobile development."

The program has not yet opened for business, but is expected to launch this summer.

LinkedIn, Picasa and Gameloft partnered with HTC early on when the company decided to open its Sense technology to developers, and have already created apps leveraging the technology.

The newest version of HTC Sense comes equipped with a lock screen that displays users' important content, such as e-mail, social network updates, weather forecasts and photos. Users can launch applications directly from the lock screen, making it easier to access their mobile content. The HTC Evo 3D and the HTC Sensation will ship with the updated user interface, Chou said.

"HTC Sense is everything we do to make technology work for you, not the other way around," Chou said. 

"HTC Sense makes it simple and intuitive when you use your smartphone."

Chou said HTC's brand momentum is "rising quickly." The company's smartphone shipments have soared in recent years on the strength of its Android smartphones. The company shipped 9.7 million smartphones in the first quarter of this year alone and nearly tripled its profits. 

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