Struggling HTC promises better smartphones

The firm became a force in the industry by releasing a series of successful handsets for Google’s Android operating system.

In the last year however, the Taiwanese firm has come under pressure from rivals, who have introduced appealing new models more frequently. HTC’s latest devices, the Sensation XE and XL, are tweaked versions of relatively old designs, and appear to be struggling against Samsung’s Galaxy SII and Galaxy Nexus.

"Its industrial design hasn't changed for almost two years. Unless it launches a really different phone, it's hard to sell the product at a premium price," said Roxy Wong, analyst at Mirae Asset Management in Hong Kong.

Doubts over HTC’s strategy combined with a cut in its revenue forecast to cause a seven per cent tumble in its share price on Thursday. But today its finance chief Winston Yung dismissed the concerns.

“I don’t think it’s so serious,” he said. “We will focus on the product next year, better and more competitive.”

“Other than new LTE phones for the US market, we also have phones for the global market. We will launch some worldwide flagship products. We’re confident in them.”

HTC has also suffered in the technology industry's patent wars. Sales in Europe's largest market, Germany, could be blocked after the firm threw in the towel in a legal battle dating from early 2009.

"It won't be easy for HTC to get out of the mess it's in right now," said Simon Liu of Polaris Group. "Still, it's not the end of HTC. It's certainly not another Nokia. Nokia missed out on the smartphone market from the very beginning, and didn't develop applications as well as Apple."

Despite its troubles, analysts predict HTC will sell 45 million smartphones this year, compared to 25 million last year.

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MWC 2012: Sony, HTC and LG announce flagship mobile smartphones

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the manufacturers increasingly opted for newer, quad-core processors, with only Sony continuing to use older, dual-core models.

The announcements were made on the same day as Chinese giant Huawei announced what it called the world’s fastest smartphone, the Ascend D Quad, which it claimed was able to perform better than either Apple’s iPhone 4S or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

LG’s new flagship, the Optimus 4X HD, offers a four-core processor and a high definition screen, as well as a 4G receiver for territories such as America where the technology is available. The firm emphasised that the phone could be used for intensive gaming, and some officials claimed that in normal use the device could last for two days without needing to be recharged.

LG makes the display, battery and camera for the Apple’s iPhone, and hopes that it can produce a similarly successful phone itself. The firm is also producing a small tablet, called the Vu, for the American market. The Optimus 4X HD will run Google’s latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and will feature a 4.7” screen with a 1.5GHz processor. LG will also make a series of less expensive devices, targeted at different demographics.

Sony also announced an expansion to its Xperia line of phones, the first the company has made since the end of the Sony Ericsson joint venture. The P and U Xperia models mark an attempt to sell the brand at more mid-range prices. Sony’s incoming Chief Executive emphasised that his task was as much to continue to try to integrate Sony’s music, video games and movies into phones as it was to improve devices. Improved displays would form a key part of the new strategy, the firm said, and the P model features a new technology called ‘White Magic’ for better outdoor viewing. Analysts at CCS Insight said they believed Sony “must quickly exploit its content assets” if its phones were to succeed.

HTC, however, focussed primarily on devices rather than on content. Although the Taiwanese manufacturer announced an improvement to its Dropbox tie-up, allowing enhanced back-up and synchronisation of files, the new 'One' range focused on improving photography and design.

The X, S and V models emphasised their new software, enhanced camera performance and the care taken over the design. Although analysts generally liked the individual products, CCS Insight added that “betting on attractive hardware to lure buyers may be risky in a cutthroat market”.

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Motorola's Google era starts with three powerful Android smartphones

Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD
Motorola rolled out its first smartphones of the Google era on Wednesday, unveiling three additions to its Droid Razr smartphone lineup.
The three new phones—the Razr M, Droid Razr HD, and Razr Maxx HD—weren't exactly surprises: A handful of product images had been leaked on Twitter over the few days prior to the company's New York City press conference. But the Android-based smartphones are the first to come out of Motorola Mobility since that company's $12.4 billion purchase by Google was finalized in May.
The Razr M improves upon the original Droid Razr by making the phone thinner and shorter without decreasing its 4.3-inch display. The Razr HD takes the product line one step further, adding 78 percent more pixels on its 4.7-inch display and 40 percent more battery life than the Droid Razr. The Razr Maxx HD is the most powerful of the three phones with 32 hours of battery life with typical use (or 21 hours of straight talk time, eight hours of Web-surfing or 13 hours of video-streaming). Like the Razr HD, the Razr Maxx HD has a 4.7-inch display.
Motorola Droid Razr M
All three models run on Verizon's 4G LTE network. The Droid Razr HD and Razr Maxx HD will debut in time for the holiday shopping rush, and the Razr M will be on Verizon store shelves Sept. 13. The Razr M retails for $100 with a two-year Verizon contract and rebate.
Motorola is joining the full slate of phone manufacturers announcing new products this month. Earlier Wednesday, Nokia unveiled its latest Windows Phone 8, the Lumia 920. HTC and Apple are expected to unveil new phones next week.
The new Razrs run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Users will be able to upgrade to the next version, Jelly Bean, by the end of the year.
Motorola Droid Razr HD
As of July, Android remains the leading smartphone platform, at least according to analytics company comScore, which says that Google's mobile OS enjoys a 52.2 percent market share. comScore surveyed more than 30,000 mobile phone users. The same survey indicated that Motorola is the fourth-ranked mobile phone manufacturer with 11.2 percent of the market. Samsung leads with more than 25 percent of the market.


Google has set out to remake Motorola, which has lagged behind Samsung and Apple in the mobile phone manufacturing market. Motorola phones were once the hottest on the market, with the Razr ubiquitous in 2004. With an expanded Razr product line, Google is aiming to recapture Motorola's former glory.
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