HTC just revealed the HTC VIVE Pro 2, complete with options for upgrades. This new headset will be sold in at least two packages - one with the whole "full-kit" experience, the other with the headset alone. This should allow those users who already own a VIVE Pro (the first one) to avoid paying maximum cash for the parts they already own - and likely still already have installed at home.
HTC has revealed its newest self-contained VR headset, with the VIVE Focus 3 promising a huge uptick in speed and graphics quality but still without a tether to your PC. It's not just the absence of a cable which should make the VIVE Focus 3 more comfortable to wear, either, with a 20-percent cut in weight thanks to a shift to a magnesium alloy frame.
HTC will announce a pair of enterprise-focused VR headsets at an event next week called Vivecon, according to a report. Ahead of the event, HTC has been doing some teasing of the coming hardware but has offered little in the way of detail. The report says the company will be launching a virtual reality headset called the Vive Focus 3 Business Edition, which is a standalone VR device.
HTC VIVE has announced that it is teaming up with iFixit to make replacement components for its VR headsets available to consumers. Many may be familiar with iFixit. It's a place that buys new gadgets and then rips them apart to make guides on repairing devices should they need repairs in the future. HTC VIVE has announced that iFixit will offer official VR system parts and accessories to allow customers to extend the life of their devices once the warranty expires.
HTC is getting itself some attention this morning thanks to a leak of what's apparently a new fitness-focused VR headset. The headset, which is dubbed the HTC Vive Air, surfaced today in a World Design Guide leak that actually tells us a decent amount about it. Unfortunately, it seems like this new headset is just a concept rather than an actual product, which means that we probably won't see it head to market anytime soon.
HTC announced a pair of new VR tracking devices today, introducing the VIVE Tracker 3.0 and the VIVE Facial Tracker. As the name suggests, the VIVE Tracker 3.0 is a refresh of the tracker HTC has offered for VR headsets, and it's arriving with a refined design and better battery life. The VIVE Facial Tracker, meanwhile, is a companion to the VIVE Pro Eye that will allow for more accurate face tracking across the board.
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There has been much talk about LG's upcoming departure from the smartphone market, and while nothing is really official yet, some say that the writing has been on the wall for years (Please see the Update below). It isn't the only big name in the market whose future has been in question for a long time. Sony and HTC are also in line for that fate though it seems that HTC has found a sliver of hope in the past months. Now it is even launching yet another mostly forgettable device just to prove it's still alive and kicking.
When Google launched its first-ever "Designed by Google" Pixel phone, its unusual design, especially on the back, played in its favor. A few iterations later, however, it has become more or less accepted that the Pixel phones' are an acquired taste when it comes to appearances. They're not always the prettiest but there was a point in time when it could have been worse, as shown by an unexpected hands-on video of an aborted Pixel 2 XL variant by HTC.
HTC's smartphone business has already been in the red and the COVID-19 pandemic last year did it no favors. It hasn't launched a premium flagship yet, at least not one under its "U" brand, but it seems to still be pushing through with its Desire line of affordable mid-range phones. This year won't be different, at least not at the start, and HTC's first smartphone for 2021 is the Desire 21 Pro 5G which, admittedly, at least looks the part of a decent phone.
HTC barely made a blip on the smartphone market radar last year and it wasn't really much of a surprise. The company's smartphone business has been ailing and bleeding worse than LG for years but it still refuses to formally fold. Although he left for personal and family reasons, CEO Yves Maitre's departure after barely a year in office doesn't bode well for HTC. Despite that, it would seem that it will still try to put out some smartphones this year, starting with an odd-looking mid-ranger that was just recently leaked.
When will my phone get the update to Android 11? This is an iteration of a question we get every time Google makes a major product release, especially when it comes to a new numbered version of their mobile OS. This year, the biggest update to Android devices will be delivered to a wide variety of devices - maybe more than any previous major update to Android due to the ease with which Google's made updating devices from Android 10 to 11.
Once one of the kings of the mobile market, HTC has all but become a footnote in history even as it tries to make ends meet via its Vive VR business. Part of its plans to turn the ship around involving putting a new captain in the person of former Orange exec Yves Maitre. HTC's newly-minted CEO, however, has reportedly tendered his resignation but not due to any illness nor from how the company posted a 9th straight quarterly loss.