HTC is keeping a pretty low profile at this year’s IFA tech show in Berlin. We had anticipated seeing the long-rumoured HTC One Max for the first time, but the Taiwanese company has instead graced us with a new colour for its One and One Mini phones and a new speaker accessory.
Yes, that’s right folks, the blue HTC One is now a reality. After leaking numerous times, HTC has added the blue model – technically known as ‘Cyan’ – to the silver, black and red models. The more recent HTC One Mini will also be available in the new shade, which itself is a metallic, almost chromatic light blue colour.
In addition to the new colour option, HTC has come up with a speaker accessory which it calls the BoomBass. Yes, the company is unfortunately still going with ‘Boom’ for branding, and this speaker is aimed at complimenting the already impressive BoomSound speakers found on the One and One Mini phones.
The speaker itself is actually a pretty cool design; a simple cube with a slide out bottom section which forms a dock in which to sit your HTC phone. Pairing between phone and speaker is done quickly and simply using NFC – a touch of the phone to the speaker initiates a wireless pairing – whilst media is streamed from phone to speaker using Bluetooth 3.0 technology. Whilst the BoomSound speakers on the One and One Mini are pretty bassy already, this little speaker is designed to provide a bit of portable ‘oomph’.
BoomBass will be available directly from the HTC Accessory Store some time in October, with no word on pricing just yet. The Blue HTC One and One Mini will also hit retailers and networks around the world in the coming weeks, priced the same as other colours.
It’s an interesting addition, especially given the recent rumours that HTC’s audio partner Beats is considering stepping aside. Could ‘Boom’ be the replacement for Beats? We’ll just have to wait and see.