14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC Corporation officially announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the launch of a new Android-based device, its first tablet PC, the long rumored HTC Flyer.
Boasting a 7-inch touchscreen display (1024 x 600 pixels resolution) and a 1.5GHz application processor, the new device should prove a powerful competitor for some of the popular such devices on the market.
Moreover, the new tablet PC comes to the market with a brand new HTC Sense user experience, specifically designed for the larger screen.
At the same time, the company announced that the device would include HTC Watch, a new connected video service meant to debut on HTC Flyer, in addition to a cloud-based mobile gaming service that HTC plans on launching for it in collaboration with OnLive, Inc.
“Clearly, smartphones have transformed our lives but as we observed how people use smartphones, computers and other technologies, we saw an opportunity to create a tablet experience that is different, more personal and productive,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation.
“We are progressing down a path as an industry when people will no longer be in a single device paradigm, but have multiple wireless devices for different needs; this is the direction we are moving.”
The new HTC Flyer tablet sports a sleek aluminum unibody, while being ultra-light and compact to fit in a jacket pocket.
In addition to the said display and fast processor, the new device would also include HSPA+ wireless capabilities, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities, microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack, and built-in GPS receiver.
The tablet PC arrives on the market with 32GB of internal memory, complemented by a microSD memory card slot for additional storage space, a 4,000 mAh battery, or 5MP camera on the back and a 1.3MP one on the front, all in a device measuring 195.4 x 122 x 13.2 mm and weighing in at 415g.
“HTC Flyer's tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen,” HTC notes.
“A unique carousel of widgets puts a user's most important content and information at the visual center of the experience. The HTC Flyer tablet also offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5.”
The new HTC Flyer is expected to become available for purchase all around the world during the second quarter of the ongoing year.
Note: Fellow editors Cosmin Vasile and Alex Vochin are on the floor at the 2011 Mobile World Congress and are keeping us posted with pictures and live reports on the latest product previews and launches.