HTC Schedules Product Announcement for January 12; New Smartphone Expected

HTC has started sending media invites for an event on January 12 where the company says it will make its "next big announcement." The company has shared a teaser invite with "for U" as a tagline. Unfortunately, not many details about HTC's upcoming announcement are available right now.

It's worth noting that the January 12 launch date is just after the CES week which means HTC doesn't want its announcement to get lost in a host of launches during the event. The Taiwanese company has not dropped any hints in the invite for the launch event, however, recent rumours have pointed to the launch of the HTC X10 mid-range smartphone in January. The event could also see the launch of the company's next flagship or be about the company's recent virtual reality push, or both.

Starting with the HTC X10, the successor to the HTC One X9 is said to launch in January and cost around CNY 2,000 (roughly Rs. 19,500). It is said to sport a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920) display, a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor (Cortex-A53 cores), Mali-T860 GPU, 3GB of RAM, and a 13-megapixel rear camera with OIS.

Another recent report claimed that HTC has been working on its next flagship, the HTC 11. According to initial rumours, HTC 11 may sport a 5.5-inch QHD (1440x2560) display and run on Android 7.0 Nougat customised with HTC's Sense 8 UI on top. The handset is rumoured to pack a dual-camera setup of 12-megapixel at the back while an 8-megapixel front-facing camera is also expected on board. Under the hood, the HTC 11 is expected to be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU, along with Adreno 540 GPU for graphic performance. It is said to pack a whopping 8GB of RAM under the hood, with an inbuilt storage of 256GB. The device is said to be backed by a 3700mAh battery. According to rumours, HTC's next flagship will launched with a price tag of $691 (roughly Rs. 47,000). However, all these leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt as HTC has not mentioned anything about the upcoming device and the leaks legitimacy remains questionable.

AirPods Launch on Apple Store for $159 With December 21 Delivery

Apple's AirPods are now available to order from the company's online store for $159.00, following weeks of speculation on exactly when the wireless headphones would launch. Originally, the AirPods were going to debut in "late October," but Apple delayed the launch for unspecified reasons. 

In the official press release, Apple mentioned that the AirPods will begin arriving at Apple retail stores, Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers beginning sometime next week. Shipment will begin in "limited quantities" at launch, and Apple encourages customers to continue checking its online store for updates on availability and shipping estimates. 

Now, users can order the Bluetooth-enabled headphones, which provide up to 5 hours of music playback and high-quality sound through a "seamless and automatic connection" between the AirPods and an iPhone. To charge the AirPods, the included travel case doubles as a charging station that provides up to 24 hours of battery life for the headphones. 

AirPods introduce an effortless wireless listening experience packed with high-quality audio and long battery life. These magical wireless headphones use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music, make phone calls, enjoy TV shows and movies, play games and interact with Siri, providing a wireless audio experience not possible before.

The new W1 chip inside the AirPods allows for seamless connection with devices in Apple's ecosystem, so that they connect instantly whenever the rechargeable battery case is flipped open near an iOS device. When in the user's ears, the AirPods "know when you are listening" and will subsequently pause music when they're taken out of an ear. Playback controls are left to Siri-enabled voice commands, which are brought up by double-tapping on the buds. 

Included with the AirPods is a Lightning cable used to charge the carrying case, and the headphones require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra. Buy your own AirPods now at Apple.com for $159.00. Deliveries are currently estimated to begin arriving on December 21 in the United States.