HTC's Long-Rumored Halfbeak Android Wear Smartwatch Leaks
When Google launched its Android Wear platform for wearable devices a couple of years ago, HTC was listed among a collection of nearly two dozen partners said to be working on a smartwatch utilizing the specialty OS. HTC's name still sits on that list, though here we are two and a half years later and the company has yet to announce an Android Wear smartwatch. Will it ever? Newly leaked photos suggests the answer is yes, and perhaps soon.
The first rumor that HTC was working on a smartwatch came in 2013, though it was never interested in releasing a gimmicky product. Half a year later, Google brought Android Wear to market, giving HTC a new OS to build its watch around, one that it was excited about. Then earlier this year, HTC CEO Cher Wang promised that when it does finally release a smartwatch, it will "turn the industry on its head."
We're still waiting for that head turning moment, though in the meantime, we have several leaked photos to stare at. The watch is codenamed "Halfbeak," which is a type of fish that inhabits warm waters. HTC apparently has an affinity for marine life, as the Pixel and Pixel XL that it built for Google were codenamed Sailfish and Marlin, respectively.
The leaked photos of Halfbeak shown a round shaped face with a display that splashes pixels across the entire screen—that's to say there's no "flat tire" effect as found on the Moto 360. You can also see a pair of buttons on the right side, along with a heart rate sensor, pogo charging pins, and an Under Armour logo that leads us to wonder if Under Armour will be the one selling this thing.
Other details are pretty light at the moment, though we can reasonably surmise that HTC will be targeting the fitness crowd with this one. Beyond that, we'll have to wait and see.
The first rumor that HTC was working on a smartwatch came in 2013, though it was never interested in releasing a gimmicky product. Half a year later, Google brought Android Wear to market, giving HTC a new OS to build its watch around, one that it was excited about. Then earlier this year, HTC CEO Cher Wang promised that when it does finally release a smartwatch, it will "turn the industry on its head."
We're still waiting for that head turning moment, though in the meantime, we have several leaked photos to stare at. The watch is codenamed "Halfbeak," which is a type of fish that inhabits warm waters. HTC apparently has an affinity for marine life, as the Pixel and Pixel XL that it built for Google were codenamed Sailfish and Marlin, respectively.
The leaked photos of Halfbeak shown a round shaped face with a display that splashes pixels across the entire screen—that's to say there's no "flat tire" effect as found on the Moto 360. You can also see a pair of buttons on the right side, along with a heart rate sensor, pogo charging pins, and an Under Armour logo that leads us to wonder if Under Armour will be the one selling this thing.
Other details are pretty light at the moment, though we can reasonably surmise that HTC will be targeting the fitness crowd with this one. Beyond that, we'll have to wait and see.
