HTC hasn’t released a smartwatch or smartband, but the company is rumoured to be on the verge of announcing its first foray into wearable technology next month. Word on the street is that the company has plans to unveil a fitness band at Mobile World Congress and HTC did just sign a partnership with Under Armour to develop hardware with UA Connect integration.
Today brings more rumours of a HTC wearable, and this time we even have a potential name. Mobile leaker @Upleaks says HTC’s first wearable device will be called the Petra.
This device is said to feature an RTOS (real-time OS) developed by HTC itself and will have a 1.8-inch PMOLED (Passive Matrix OLED) display as well as Bluetooth, GPS, three day battery life, and support for Android and iOS. It will also come with a companion “foot pad” that helps track steps accurately inside a shoe. Upleaks reports that the device will be available worldwide, but will first launch in the United States at some point in the first quarter of this year.
Step tracking aside, the Petra will also have the usual watch functionality (timer, stop watch, alarm) as well the ability to control your phone’s camera and music. It will also offer sleep and sports analysis, weather updates, and notifications from your phone.
No word on pricing just yet. Cross-platform RTOS-based wearables are more often priced to sell, or at least priced more affordably than the Android Wear devices we’ve seen over the last year. HTC seems to be going for mass market appeal. Let’s hope the price reflects that.
[source]Upleaks[/source]
