HTC announced its entry into the field of wearables at Mobile World Congress when it unveiled the HTC Grip GPS-enabled fitness tracker. At the time, the company only revealed that it would launch in the spring with the U.S. as the first market. Spring has turned into summer and we’ve heard little else about the HTC Grip since that original announcement. It now appears that the various certifications an electronic device needs may have contributed to delaying its launch.
If so, that launch may be a bit closer as it appears that the HTC Grip has now obtained its Bluetooth certification. The listing does not mention the device by name but describes it as “a fitness band” and “a wearable accessory product.” Unless HTC has another wearable waiting in the wings, this is likely none other than the expected device.
It’s not clear why certification took so long. The filing dates back to March 4, just days after the device was first announced. The listing date, which can follow only days later, shows as July 8th. It’s unlikely we’ll ever really know what triggered the delay. Could it have been due to technical issues or HTC focusing on trying instead to improve the flagging sales of its smartphones?
The HTC Grip integrates with Under Armour’s UA Record platform for multi sport tracking and social integration thanks to the new partnership between the two companies.
HTC Grip specifications:
- Processor: STMicroelectronics STM32L151 MCU
- Cellular connectivity: None
- Other connectivity: GPS, Bluetooth LE
- Display: 1.8-inch 32×160 PMOLED
- RAM: 8MB
- Internal storage: 16MB
- External storage: None
- Sensors: Sensor Hub, G sensor (2-16g), gyroscope, compass
- Battery: 100mAh (5 hours w/ GPS, 2.5 days non-sport)
- Other: IP57 rating, compatible with Android 4.3+ and iOS 7+
The HTC Grip is expected to sell for about US$200 (about CA$250) when it launches.
Sources : Bluetooth SIG // Droid Life