HTC is setting up the stage for tomorrow’s big Utopian announcement at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and we’re dying to see this year’s flagship smartphone, but we hope to get a little more eye candy with a reveal of the first lovechild, code named HTC Petra, from the partnership between HTC and Under Armor. During the press release in January at CES, HTC said consumers would see a product in the first quarter of 2015 so MWC is the perfect venue besides CES to make that promise a reality.
Here’s what has been leaked about the upcoming wearable by HTC:
| Chipset: | ST Micro STM32L151 |
| OS: | Custom RTOS |
| Display: | 1.8″ 32×160 PMOLED Flexible Display |
| Weight: | 23g |
| Battery: | Lasts 3 days and chargeable via USB or POGO Pin |
| Misc: | GPS, Bluetooth, waterproof, dust proof |
| Additional | Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Camera shutter, Music control, |
| features: | Sleep analysis, Activity analysis, Weather, Phone notifications |
| Color sets: | Teal/Lime & Black/Blue Gray |
HTC and Under Armor have decided to use of a real-time operating system, better know as RTOS, which gives programmers the ability to set priorities on specific tasks while communicating with a devices hardware; like those included in a fitness tracker. The upcoming fitness tracker will have a custom RTOS that will interact with Under Armor’s mobile app called UA Record over Bluetooth waves. We’re not sure if HTC will have an additional app that will facilitate the transfer of phone notifications and camera shutter operation or if those features will be added to UA Record which would make the most sense. The HTC Petra will sync with the mobile app on Android 4.4 or later and iPhone 7.0 or above smartphones, but other mobile platforms have not been mentioned yet (sorry Windows Phone).
HTC is on the right track with wearable products and making them available to as many people as possible. Yes, fitness trackers are usually available on multiple platforms, but this is the first product made by a mobile manufacturer partnered with a company in the fitness business sharing a common goal and target audience.
Peter Chou points to the target HTC is aiming at, “We want our products to meet the needs of every individual…”
Android Wear watches are mostly for the tech hungry users, the Apple watch will be for iFan boys and rich kids, but HTC has an eye on the masses and those who are not that submerged in tech and just want something to track their activity plus show them phone notifications. As mentioned, these devices are targeted at specific markets, and we’re not saying that HTC won’t make an Android Wear smartwatch; we’re just saying this partnership has a different focus.
HTC’s first wrist wearable is expected to be sold in the US first and then marketed to other countries in the near future. The rumor mill suggests that AT&T and T-Mobile will offer the activity tracker as an accessory to the HTC One M9 so look for a nice bundled price when they hit the market.
Source: @Upleaks
Very interesting, hopefully it will get an early look in here in the UK and that an Android wear watch is not far behind.