Rumor says HTC’s over smartwatches, has plans for a different kind of wearable

By Andy Boxall Updated December 31, 2014

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If a report published by VentureBeat is accurate, then HTC’s first wearable device will be shown at CES 2015, before an official launch sometime towards the end of March. However, according to an anonymous HTC insider, the device won’t be a smartwatch. HTC has been talking about releasing a smartwatch for some time, but last we heard the firm had halted its plans due to the product “just not being ready.”

Whatever caused HTC to rethink its wearable strategy may have been the jolt it needed to come up with something special. The HTC insider told VentureBeat the new device will be very different from anything else we can buy at the moment. It’s also mentioned the company is working with app developers specializing in fitness, indicating the wearable may be similar to Samsung’s Gear Fit.

HTC has already surprised us with an unusual new product this year when it announced the Re Camera. It’s different, fun, and not the type of device we expect to see from HTC. This bodes well for its wearable, as does the Re Camera’s ability to work with iOS as well as Android. Cross-platform compatibility should be considered essential for smartphone accessories, but very few companies currently share this opinion.

What isn’t clear from the leak is HTC’s intention at CES 2015. It states the device will be shown at the Las Vegas show, but not “formally launched” until later on. Does this mean it’ll only be glimpsed behind closed doors, or will it be a soft launch, similar to Apple’s approach with the Watch? We’ll find out more at the beginning of January.

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Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

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