HTC announces Rezound, loves to groove to beats

By Owen Williams Neowin @findingnewo · Nov 3, 2011 16:40 EDT · Hot!
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At an event in New York City today, HTC took the wraps off their latest Android based smartphone; the HTC Rezound. The device loves to groove along with you, and it"s officially a "Beats Audio" device; even better, it"ll be getting Ice Cream Sandwich soon.

Android Central were at the launch event, and report that the device rocks a 1.5Ghz dual-core Qualcomm MSM 8660 processor (unlike it"s single cored Windows Phone counterparts), 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a MicroSD slot (also ships with a 16GB MicroSD card).

The device is the first in the HTC portfolio to feature a 720p screen, coming in at 4.3", just a few weeks behind the Samsung announcement. It"ll also feature Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on the inside for the time being.

Additionally, the Rezound joins the high-megapixel craze among the latest smartphones, with an 8 Megapixel sensor, f2.2 lens and 1080p video recording (including slow motion, apparently). It"ll be interesting to see how this stacks up against it"s biggest critics, the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy Nexus.

Finally, the device will come with HTC"s Sense UI by default, and Beats Audio, which according to HTC will mean "you should have the best audio experience in your mobile experience."

HTC says it"s committed to bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to the device "as soon as possible," which translates to early 2012. The device will be available on November 14, landing at Best Buy for just $299 with a two year contract.

For those already convinced that the Rezound is love at first sight, pre-order and more information about the device is here. Press release embedded below, for those who love reading them.

HTC AND VERIZON WIRELESS UNVEIL HTC REZOUND^™, FIRST SMARTPHONE IN THE U.S. TO FEATURE BEATS AUDIO^™

HTC Rezound Breaks New Ground with Introduction of Advanced Audio and High-Definition Visual Experience

New York City – HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile devices, and Verizon Wireless today announced the HTC Rezound^™, the only phone in the United States with Beats Audio^™ integration. A result of the recent partnership between HTC and Beats, the HTC Rezound delivers a powerful entertainment experience with unparalleled audio and multimedia capabilities highlighted by a 4.3-inch true HD 720p display. The HTC Rezound, a premium designed smartphone that includes the latest HTC Sense experience and access to Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, will be available exclusively from Verizon Wireless on Nov. 14.

“HTC is dedicated to delivering the latest in sight and sound innovation and we’re excited to be introducing the first U.S. smartphone featuring Beats Audio technology,” said Peter Chou, CEO, HTC Corporation. “Paired with Verizon Wireless’ blazing-fast 4G LTE network and a robust multimedia experience, the HTC Rezound enables customers to enjoy their favorite music and entertainment on-the-go like never before.” The HTC Rezound enables customers to hear music the way the artist intended with unique audio tuning by Beats that delivers thundering bass, soaring midrange and crisp highs. Unique to HTC, the HTC Rezound also includes new lightweight Beats headphones, created exclusively to integrate with the Beats’ audio profile on the device. Hands-free calling is easy with the built-in microphone and the on-cable remote to pause, advance or rewind and answer a call mid-track. “HTC fully recognizes the destruction to audio caused by the digital revolution. They embrace our vision to repair this ecosystem and bring the feeling from the recording studio to the smartphone,“ said Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Beats By Dr. Dre. "This is only the beginning of our plan to fix how music is delivered.” Lightning-fast mobile entertainment The HTC Rezound is the first HTC smartphone to feature a true HD 720p display and is perfect for enjoying high-quality entertainment on the 4.3-inch super LCD screen. HTC Watch puts an entire library of the latest premium movies and TV shows right at your fingertips. Using a wireless connection, HTC Watch uses progressive download technology on the HTC Rezound which makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for them to finish downloading. Customers can rent or purchase videos through HTC Watch and enjoy content on up to five different HTC devices. The HTC Rezound features Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) connectivity, so customers can watch content from the device on an HDTV, including 5.1 surround sound and SRS WOW^™ HD surround to take advantage of a home theater setup. Equipped with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, the HTC Rezound offers a speedy mobile experience even for the most demanding media enthusiast. “HTC Rezound combines sleek design, innovative entertainment features and the power of Verizon Wireless network to create a multimedia phone that consumers have been waiting for,” said Jeff Dietel, vice president of marketing, for Verizon Wireless. “4G LTE speeds take mobile entertainment to a new level, providing customers with advanced functionality in a phone they can count on for everyday use.” Advanced multimedia features The HTC Rezound boasts an 8-megapixel camera featuring autofocus, dual LED flash, a f/2.2 and 28mm wide-angle lens with BSI sensor to fit more of the scene into every shot and for better low-light performance. The enhanced camera features available through HTC Sense offer new scenes and effects such as panoramic mode for capturing life on a grand scale or action burst scene for the perfect action shot. For self-portraits or video conversations, the HTC Rezound also features a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. With a 1080p camcorder, the HTC Rezound enables customers to record a perfect moment with stunning clarity and incredible stereo sound, perfect for sharing on YouTube or Facebook. Customers can also wirelessly send their media to a compatible TV for looking at videos or pictures with friends and family using Digital Living Network Alliance^® (DLNA). HTC Sense Featuring the latest version of HTC Sense, the HTC Rezound enables people to create a unique and intuitive user experience that matches their personal preference and lifestyle. A customizable active lockscreen experience transforms the lockscreen into a real-time window to the most important information and content, such as social updates, photos, weather or stock updates that are viewed by simply turning on the display. In addition, the new active lockscreen becomes a customizable gateway that lets people quickly jump to the most used features, like making a phone call, sending an email, taking a picture or anything else with the same quick gesture usually used to unlock the phone. HTC Sense also delivers a new group messaging experience simplifying group and multimedia messaging so people can stay up-to-date on the latest conversations quickly and easily. People can view recent status updates from popular social networks in one place using FriendStream^™, as well as sync their contact list with all email accounts and social networks for smooth integration. “HTC and Beats have been important partners to Best Buy over the years and we are thrilled to help them bring the HTC Rezound on the Verizon Wireless network to consumers,” said Scott Anderson, head of merchandising for Best Buy Mobile. “This is going to be a big holiday for smartphones and people will be looking for new and different features. The HTC Rezound, with HTC’s mobile expertise and audio excellence from Beats, will be a great option for our customers.” Additional features

Mobile Hotspot capability: share 4G connection with up to ten Wi-Fi-enabled devices

Operating System: Android 2.3^™ (Gingerbread) with latest HTC Sense – an upgrade to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be available in early 2012

Internal Memory: 16 GB on-board memory, 1 GB DDR2 RAM

Memory Card: 16 GB MicroSD^™ pre-installed

Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Bluetooth^®: 3.0 – support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access and object push for vCard and vCalendar

GPS: GPS/AGPS

Battery: 1,620 mAh

Special Features: HDMI (through MHL), G-sensor, Light sensor, Compass, Proximity sensor, MicroUSB, USIM/CSIM/ISIM, audio jack and Wireless Charging capable

Chipset: Qualcomm^® MSM8660 1.5GHz, Qualcomm^® MDM9600

Dimensions: 129 x 65.5 x 13.65 mm

Availability The HTC Rezound will be available beginning Nov. 14 at Verizon Wireless and at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers who purchase the HTC Rezound will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data. Customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/Rezound to sign up for more information.

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Android