SQUEEZE IT, TOUCH IT, PLAY IT, WATCH IT
Released yesterday in Taiwan, HTC’s latest smartphone uses revolutionary Edge Sense
Bigger screen, faster processor, longer battery-life and touchscreens will no longer be a trend that smartphone operators are moving toward. The Taiwanese-based handset HTC has brought the concept of interaction to the world of communication devices.
Introduced at yesterday’s launch event in Taiwan, the newest HTC U11 model claims to be the world’s first smartphone with revolutionary “squeeze interaction”. It comes with an Edge Sense feature, which utilises the device’s pressure-sensitive frame or bezel to detect squeezing.
“Squeezing is very natural, it comes from human behaviour. A baby tries to grasp, when a child plays he also grasps, when you hold your phone you also squeeze it, even when you play a sport you are squeezing. We created something that people are used to in daily life,” said Nassim Najm, manager of HTC Global Product Marketing.
By squeezing the device, users are interacting with it. Squeeze to turn on the camera to take a selfie, which according to HTC, is a natural way to take a photograph. Users can squeeze to launch any app, instant voice recording, trigger system settings, capture screen, turn on and off Wi-Fi and do other things, Najm added.
Edge Sense is the new revolutionary interaction with a smartphone. No more fumbling for buttons or awkward hand positions to take a photograph — just lift, squeeze, smile and snap.
Najm explained that HTC’s Edge Sense Voice to Text function is designed to facilitate texting in which users can speak the text they want to send in a normal speaking pace. The phone will then be able to capture users’ voices after which the text would be ready to be sent.
HTC Edge Sense is designed to give users the ability to activate advanced touch and use a “short squeeze”, as well as a “squeeze and hold” for even more functionality at their fingertips.
Because the Edge Sense is based on actual pressure applied to the side of the device, it can be used in nearly any condition — including while wearing gloves or in extreme weather like snow or rain that would normally be a challenge with capacitive buttons.
HTC Sense companions like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa will be available in July this year.
The Sense companion claims to be able to notice if users have any late appointments that day and will remind them to recharge the phone when they have time or bring a power bank. It will also make sure the phone is running at its optimum speed by suggesting the clearing of junk files and unused apps for free space. It will track users’ fitness progress relative to the goals, recommend great nearby restaurants at mealtimes and much more.
HTC U11 runs on the latest version of Android, so it includes Google Assistant, the helpful personal assistant powered by Google search and services for finding directions, getting answers, managing your tasks, planning your day and entertainment.
HTC U11 is also equipped with a feature hands-free wake word access to Amazon Alexa, claiming to be the first model to have the feature. By simply asking questions such as “Alexa, what’s the weather today?”, or saying things like, “Alexa, turn on my living room lights”, Alexa will respond to your needs anywhere you go, making it easy to control smart home products, ask for news, weather, music, and the 12,000-plus skills in the Alexa skills store.
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform, the HTC U11 also includes UFS 2.1 for the fastest processor paired with the fastest memory performance. HTC U11 also offers a fingerprint reader for enhanced privacy and security. In Thailand, the device specification is higher, it offers 6GB RAM/128GB storage.
Emerging from its relatively low profile in the Kingdom, HTC Thailand has been setting up new teams for sales, marketing, technical testing and after sales services, said Vijay Balachandran, country manager, HTC Thailand.
“The U11 is the first model that HTC will work with a leading operator to offer the device in a service package,” he said.
Paisal Siddiqui, president of HTC South Asia, said that Thailand is very active on social media and digital media, with very evolved audiences. HTC would focus on the digital marketing and social media community by the end of the year.
“We will keep launching new products in Thailand at the same time as their global launch, and now with good products, innovation, competitive price, strong digital campaign and support by after sales service, HTC will become much more visible in the Kingdom,” he said.
We will keep launching new products in Thailand at the same time as their global launch
The president pointed out that a touchscreen has limitations and squeeze will change the way of interaction with the phone, because it’s very intuitive. It’s not a gimmick, but a way of interaction.
“Obviously, smartphone technology has evolved significantly and we want to change the game in terms of features. The future is that VR is very evolved and HTC aims to be at the forefront of the market,” he added.