Contradicting reports that HTC might have abandoned its smartwatch plans, CNET claims it has learned from its sources the smartwatch from the Taiwanese giant still exists and is due early next year.
CNET in a report citing people familiar with the matter reports that HTC is working on its smartwatch which is aimed to stand out from the crowd.
The report claims that the company's first smartwatch will include "elements of design" and will pack new features for consumers. Much like the smartwatches from LG, Motorola, and Samsung (Gear Live), the HTC smartwatch is also said to be powered by Google's Android Wear platform for wearable devices.
However, the report claims that the HTC smartwatch will include a customised version of the Android Wear, something similar to the company's smartphones that run Sense UI on top of Android OS.
Further, the report claims that an HTC spokesman declined to comment on the existence of a smartwatch from the company.
An earlier report suggested that HTC was investigating the possibility of wearable devices for a few years now, but had only managed to solve the problems with batteries and 'LCD lights'.
Notably, the smartwatch segment has already seen a number of launches in the recent past with a majority of them running Google's Android Wear platform for wearable devices.
Apple's new Watch is the latest entrant in the smartwatch segment and has been priced starting $349 (Rs. 21,000 approximately).
Motorola launched its Moto 360 recently priced at $249 (roughly Rs. 15,000) in the US. The Samsung Gear Live was announced at I/O and went on sale in India in July.
Asus joined the wearable bandwagon with the launch of its first ZenWatch smartwatch at the IFA, saying it would be released later this year.
LG in less than a year has unveiled two smartwatches - LG G Watch and LG G Watch R. Sony was not too far behind, launching the Android Wear-powered SmartWatch 3 at IFA.
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