About this time last year, the Android world was buzzing with the possibilities of Android Wear and the abundance of smartwatches that were inbound. A year later and not much has changed with the excitement around the future of smartwatches (and wearables in general) remaining high and the likes of Samsung and Motorola both announcing their next generation watches in the form of the Samsung Gear S2 and the Moto 360, respectively.
That said, again, about this time last year, HTC confirmed that they were not planning on releasing a smartwatch (or a wearable for that matter) before 2015 came in. Once the year started and in the build up to MWC, more rumors about a HTC smartwatch again surfaced and specifically surrounding a device codenamed Petra. Of course, since then, much of the talk of a HTC smartwatch had died down and this has partly been due to the news of what is a bad year for the company sidetracking any news of a smartwatch.
Well, with an upcoming HTC event scheduled for the end of this month, once again, rumors of a HTC smartwatch are now beginning to surface again. This time with a device which is going by the codename “halfbeak”. The details on this latest rumored device are extremely limited and the information comes from a source who provided the details to Phandroid. Besides the codename, the source is reported to have confirmed the smatwatch will come with a 360 x 360 resolution and a round display. As well as coming running on Android Wear. The rest of the details remain a mystery. Of course, with the next HTC event only a matter of weeks away and other recent reports suggesting there will be two flagship devices launching at the event, speculation is likely to turn to whether one of those devices will be a HTC smartwatch.
A smartwatch launch would be an interesting move by HTC and could be exactly what the company needs to turn the tide on what has been a tough year. Although, it is worth keeping in mind that this is currently a rumor with little tangible support for now. Not to mention, with Petra coming and going without being seen, it is not difficult to assume the same could happen for halfbeak.