Rumors of an HTC wearable have been swirling for quite a while now, and HTC America president Jason Mackenzie actually admitted that his company had planned to release a wearable device near the end of 2014, but that it just wasn’t ready to go. Now a new report claims that HTC’s first wearable is finally nearly ready for launch.
According to @upleaks, HTC’s first wearable is named “PETRA,” but it’s not known if that’s a codename or actual product name. Today’s report goes on to say that the PETRA will launch in Q1 2015 and hints at some of its specs.
The HTC PETRA will reportedly feature a 1.8-inch 160x32 PMOLED flexible display, an ST Micro STM32L151 chipset, support for Bluetooth and GPS, an IP57 rating for resistance to dust and water, and a pass in the MIL-STD-810G that means it’ll have a durable body. The PETRA’s battery is slated to last for 3 days, and the device will allegedly charge over POGO Pin or USD. Small, medium, and large sizes are all reportedly planned for the PETRA.
Software-wise, we’re told to expect an “RTOS” operating system that’s been developed by HTC. Features will include an alarm, timer, music controls, camera shutter, sleep and sports analysis, the ability to show a paired phone’s alerts, and more. Speaking of pairing, the HTC PETRA will reportedly play nicely with Android devices running 4.4 KitKat or higher as well as iOS 7 and higher.
The HTC PETRA is rumored to be launching first in the U.S. in teal/lime and black/blue gray colors. The device will reportedly include a footpad that can help you to better analyze your steps.
The device described in today’s leak sounds a bit reminiscent of the Samsung Gear Fit, a Tizen-powered wearable that had a rectangular display and was primarily a fitness tracker but could also serve up notifications from a paired phone. And while it might be kind of a bummer that HTC’s first wearable isn’t rumored to be running Android Wear, a fitness-focused wearable that’ll work with iOS out of the gate sounds like it fits better with HTC’s recent strategy. Not only did HTC recently strike a deal with Under Armour, purveyor of sports gear, but it’s also released a couple of apps that work with iOS.
So what do you think of this new leak? Will you be interested in HTC’s first wearable if these details hold true?