CAIRO: Smartphone manufacturer HTC launched Wednesday its latest device, the HTC Sensation, and its first ever PC tablet, the HTC Flyer Tablet, in Egypt.
The HTC Sensation is designed as a “multimedia smartphone” that delivers an “interactive experience” combining “technical and emotional” connectivity between the user and device, Neeraj Seth, regional marketing manager of HTC Middle East and North Africa, told reporters at a roundtable.
“The Sensation is a multimedia powerhouse. It combines innovation and premium design that extend people’s mobile experience in ways that feel personal and completely original,” Seth said, adding that the device aimed to “bring cutting-edge innovation to its customers in simple and natural ways that just makes sense.”
The Sensation, retailing here in Egypt for LE 4,999, is HTC’s first smartphone equipped with a dual-core processor (1.2 GHz), “allowing apps to start-up instantly and switching between them [to be] seamless.”
In addition to its fast, intelligent, and easy to use touch-screen, which features a shortcut function that permits users to quickly capture photos as they draw the phone out of their pockets, the Sensation has the ability to wirelessly broadcast photos and videos to a TV and send documents to a printer via DLNA.
However, with a 4.3-inch QHD display with 540 x 960 resolution, and Hi-Fi audio technology, the HTC Sensation is “perfect for watching movies” on its own, Seth explained.
The device also features an impressive 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 1080p HD video recording, along with a second VGA camera in the front, giving users the ability to conduct video calls over 3G or wireless networks.
Ever get lost in an area without cellular reception? With the Sensation, you’ll be able to navigate these tough situations by taking advantage of the device’s efficient mapping software. The Sensation allows users to pre-download city maps and use them without an internet connection, an HTC technical expert explained to reporters. Instead of static images, the maps actually move and rotate alongside the user’s movements, thanks to its Gyro Sensor, G-Sensor, and Digital Compass.
Users can protect their device in case it’s lost or stolen by accessing their account at HTCsense.com — which is opened upon purchase of the device — where the phone can be locked, data deleted, and messages and calls forwarded to a different number.
HTC has also introduced its HTC Watch service, which allows users to rent or purchase movies and TV shows directly through their HTC devices. However, according to Seth, this service is currently unavailable in Egypt, though he hopes to offer it soon.
For its part, the HTC Flyer Tablet includes many of the same features found in the Sensation, but on a “7-inch 3D display.”
“With such a sleek design, accessible applications for all purposes and users, and impressive features to make a person’s life easier, work or play, the HTC Flyer technology is set to impress customers completely,” Mohamed Kais Zribi, regional manager of HTC in the MENA region, said in a statement.
For the workplace and classroom, the Flyer offers the unique HTC Scribe Technology that “transforms traditional note-taking into smart note-taking, by integrating natural onscreen writing with thoughtful and integrated innovations,” a statement from HTC released to reporters explained.
The Scribe Technology is activated using a “magic pen that can transform into any scribing tool to draw, paint, write, and retouch pictures, and can even be used as a highlighter for the reader collating all your highlighted segments when you are finished.”
This feature, which Seth called the “most important feature” of the Flyer, can also “link audio to the notes you take for work, and it can add voiceover to a storybook you’re drawing at home.”
The created notes can be stored on the Flyer’s large 32 GB of internal memory, or uploaded to Evernote, a cloud-computing virtual storage space that users can sync their files with.
Like the Sensation smartphone, the Flyer also features both front (1.3 megapixel) and back (5 megapixel) cameras, a strong aluminum body, and access to a 200,000 plus app market for the Android operating system.
The Flyer, which is offered in a Wifi/3G version, retails in Egypt for LE 5,555.
