HTC has something new to show us on August 19, but what could it be?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Customers look at HTC smartphones in a mobile phone shop in Taipei July 30, 2013. Taiwan's HTC Corp expects revenue to fall as much as 30 percent in the third quarter compared to the previous three months, far below analysts' forecasts. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang (TAIWAN - Tags: BUSINESS TELECOMS) - RTX124KL (REUTERS/Pichi Chuang)
HTC has called a press event for August 19 in New York, but hasn’t given us any clues about what it will reveal. It also hasn’t shared anything to do with the gathering over its social networking channels, so at this point, the company’s official plans remain a mystery. Unofficially, there are rumors galore, and they’re all exciting enough that HTC has certainly grabbed our attention with the event.
Most recently, rumors have been spreading about HTC re-entering the Windows Phone market, with a version of the One M8 running Microsoft’s OS. Currently known as the HTC W8, the phone could be an exact replica of the M8, complete with a metal chassis, the Duo Camera setup, and HTC’s loud Boomsound speaker system. It could be just the kick Windows Phone 8.1 needs at launch.
There is a slight possibility the W8 won’t have a metal chassis though. In Japan, HTC has pre-announced the J Butterfly, which is a variation on the One M8, with what looks like a plastic body. The thing is, it’ll also be officially revealed at an event on August 19, this time in Tokyo, which makes us question whether the W8 will have more in common with it than the original One M8.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It’s not just Windows Phone hardware we’re on the look out for from HTC. A U.S. version of the new J Butterfly is a possibility – the first J Butterfly became the Verizon-only Droid DNA – but we’ve also heard plenty about HTC’s return to tablets too. The company has been linked with making the next Nexus tablet for a while now, and as such a device never arrived during Google I/O, there’s the chance it’ll be coming very soon. An Android Wear smartwatch could also make its debut.
Of course, it could be none of the above, and we could get a new product about which we’ve heard nothing. We’ll know for sure on August 19, when we’ll bring you all the news as it happens.