Sexy! Nokia is leading the industry in a fantastically fresh direction, IMO. Design cues clearly borrowed. :)
HTC co-opts Microsoft's Windows Phone name for 8X, 8S
HTC unveils its own take on Windows Phone 8, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S, which bare a passing resemblance to Nokia's own Lumia Windows Phones.
by Roger Cheng
September 19, 2012 8:15 AM PDT
news.cnet.com
A pack of Windows Phone 8S devices in different colors.
(Credit: Brian Bennett/CNET)
HTC pulled the curtain back on its Windows Phone 8X and 8S smartphones, the latest takes on Microsoft's upcoming mobile platform.
It's shaping up to be an aggressive launch for Windows Phone 8, which already has the backing of Samsung, Nokia, and now HTC. The phones are expected to debut in November, following closely behind the launch of the desktop and tablet operating system Windows 8.
It's an illustration of Microsoft's confidence in HTC that the Windows Phone name will actually be used as the name of its devices, perhaps dampening Nokia's claim to being the "real" Windows Phone devices.
The HTC phones come in different vibrant colors and boast strong camera technology. They also feature more than a passing resemblance to Nokia's own Lumia line of Windows Phone handsets, which also come in a variety of color. The company said its engineers didn't decide to add colors to its phones because of Nokia.
"We don't feel the need to respond," said HTC representative Jeff Gordon.
HTC unveiled the two phones at an event in New York today. Pricing for the two phones is still up in the air, although the Windows Phone 8X will sell at a higher price than the Windows Phone 8S. Gordon said Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T would sell these phones in November, although he didn't specify which carrier would get which phone.
Both versions come in a variety of bold color, part of HTC's new, bolder approach, with color names such as California Blue and High-rise Grey-Yellow.
The 8X also features an 8-megapixel camera with an HTC ImageChip, which Gordon said would improve the speed of the shots. Other features include a 4.3-inch high-definition Super LCD 2 display, a 2 MB front-facing camera, 1,800 mAh embedded battery, 1.5 gigahertz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, 16 gigabytes of space, 1GB of RAM, and Beats audio technology built into the phone.
The lower end 8S, intended to be a mass market phone, packs a 5-megapixel camera, 4-inch Super LCD WVGA display, 1 gigahertz dual-core processor, 4GB of space and 512MB of RAM. It also has a smaller battery at 1,700 mAh. It too has Beats audio technology built into the phone. |
