Hasta La Gadget!

The next phablet from HTC will be the HTC One Max. A few days ago, we mentioned that the Global Certification Form had approved the device meaning launch was imminent. We didn’t know at the time was a firm date for when the smartphone will be unveiled. That firm launch date has now been tipped. […]

Call that champagne iPhone 5S “gold”? Pffft. HTC and its 18ct gold paintbrush are laughing in your general direction. As leaked, HTC’s gold One has come to light today, bearing the MOBO Awards logo to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Europe’s urban music awards.

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HTC is still trying to wage battle against the behemoths that have overshadowed it in the mobile market and despite launching products like the HTC One, the task hasn’t proved to be easy at all. The company has seen its revenues and profits drop substantially in the past quarters, and for the first time in its history, HTC posted a quarterly loss which amounts to $101 million. Analysts watch closely as they make predictions on the possibility of HTC avoiding yet another operating loss next quarter, but according to the company’s chairwoman Cher Wang, marketing and not its precarious financial situation is the “biggest challenge” that HTC faces in Q4, 2013.

Wang made the statement during an interview with Bloomberg. Her statement that HTC’s “biggest challenge in these [next] two months,” was quoted out of context, leading many to believe that she was talking about the company’s financial troubles. HTC issued a clarification saying that she was referring to the “challenge of innovating marketing in Q4 of 2013.” She acknowledges that the company also needs to work on direct communications with consumers and assures that HTC is improving on that. HTC’s recent marketing push has been well documented, seeing as how it hired leading Hollywood man Robert Downey Jr., Wang justifies his hiring by saying that he is liked by the people as they “see him as a change maker.” Obviously it can’t be said for sure just how much of a change will Iron Man’s appearance in HTC ads make for the company’s fortunes, but it will interesting to see how HTC improves its marketing and consumer communications in this quarter.

HTC Terms Marketing As Its ‘Biggest Challenge’ This Quarter original content from Ubergizmo.

When Apple introduced its iPhone 5S, they certainly made a bold statement by including a fingerprint scanner on their smartphone as a way to make it more secure from those who shouldn’t be using the device. Now it looks like other smartphone manufacturers might be following suit as HTC is rumored to be including a fingerprint scanner onto their HTC One Max.

The rumor of the HTC One Max possibly featuring a fingerprint scanner is originating from some newly leaked images of the device that suggests a scanner might be included onto the upcoming phablet. The leaked images popped up on Chinese social network Sina Weibo and show the HTC One Max’s back is removed to show what appears to be a fingerprint scanner sitting between the SIM slot and camera module.

If this rumor turns out to be true, it’d be interested to see why HTC decided to include the fingerprint scanner at the rear of the device underneath the camera. This would lead us to believe HTC wouldn’t be looking to scan the thumbs of its users, instead opting to go for a forefinger scanner, which we’re hoping would be easy to access or it could make reading them a real chore.

HTC One Max May Include Fingerprint Scanner [Rumor] original content from Ubergizmo.

We have been hearing rumors that the upcoming HTC One Max will see a launch on both AT&T and Sprint, but it turns out that Verizon might be getting their hands on the device as well, thanks to a recently leaked photo which shows off the Verizon branding on the alleged device. According to the reports, the images were snapped by a Verizon sales rep who apparently was able to “confirm” that the handset would sport a removable rear panel as well as an integrated fingerprint scanner. In any case the HTC One Max is due for an announce in the coming week, with some rumors suggesting a 15th of October launch, with other rumors pointing at the 17th of October.

As far as the specs are concerned, nothing is official yet, but word on the street has it that it will sport a massive 5.9” display, giving the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 a run for its money. Oddly enough HTC has decided to equip the handset with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset instead of the more powerful Snapdragon 800. Some are speculating that this is a way for HTC to keep costs down, although we’re sure that many will be disappointed. Granted the Snapdragon 600 is not exactly a slouch, but we’re sure there are users out there who would have preferred the handset to be on par with the competition. In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but check back with us next week for the details!

HTC One Max With Verizon Branding Spotted original content from Ubergizmo.