HTC has announced their new smartphone, a device that is directly connected to Windows 8, including their patented tile format.
The design of the phone itself is more or less identical to the usual One device, with a wrap around, thin frame. It is much more sleek than the usual Windows phone, which tends to be more blunt and thick.
It will also have Android, showing the first ever multi-browser smartphone to come out of the Microsoft line.
They have also put a lot of focus on the audio, with surround sound speakers that offer a louder, crisper sound than many smartphones currently on the market.
Tech Specs
The HTC One (M8) features a 2.3 GHz quadcore Snapdragon 801 processing chip as its CPU. This is a later model Qualcomm that should give it enough power to run Windows 8 without any slowness or a clunky interface.
With 2 GB of RAM, it is officially a high end device, not a surprise given HTC’s desire to wriggle its way alongside the better selling phones currently offered from other brands.
However, unlike those other brands they are not putting so much focus on video media. The audio strengths have been widely spoken about, but the resolution of the 5″ display has been downplayed. They do promise compatibility with 1080p video playback, though.
Storage is a distinct pro for this model, with a standard 32GB on board, and a microSD slot that allows for expansion up to 128 GB.
There are two cameras, one forward and one back facing, and neither seems too impressive. But they are at least comparable with most smartphones within the medium range, and they were probably wise not to make it their selling point.
As far as real downsides go, it seems that HTC has relied heavily on their Windows partnership. That might be alright, if there weren’t already plenty of (lackluster) examples of Windows Phones already out there.
Try as they might, Microsoft can’t seem to really find a foot hold with their mobile device ambitions. Teaming up with Android was an interesting idea, but the promise of dual browsers isn’t any more appealing on a phone than it is on a computer.
How many people do you know who brag about having two operating systems on their PC? How many brag about having Windows 8, full stop? This incarnation of the Windows line has not seen nearly as much success as the earlier Windows 7, and the tile design is probably enough to put a fair amount of people off this device.
Source: HTC
