Tag Archives: Beats Audio

Beats increases its share ownership to 75%, lets HTC keep ‘commercial exclusivity in mobile’

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Although HTC and Beats are just shy of the one-year anniversary of their 300 million dollar partnership, it looks like the two are again growing apart. In a letter to shareholders today, it's been announced that the original owners of Beats plan to buy back 25 percent of its own shares, for a total ownership stake of 75 percent. That said, HTC will still retain nearly 25 percent of the remaining shares for itself, ensuring that it remains the largest external shareholder. As the release puts it, this new setup "provides Beats with more flexibility for global expansion while maintaining HTC's major stake and commercial exclusivity in mobile." All in all, it seems like this is more about shifting priorities given recent news like Beats' MOG acquisition, but it wouldn't make eventual breakup all the more unsurprising given the partnership's mixed results.

Continue reading Beats increases its share ownership to 75%, lets HTC keep 'commercial exclusivity in mobile'

Beats increases its share ownership to 75%, lets HTC keep 'commercial exclusivity in mobile' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beats buyout of MOG worth $14 million, splits company not-so-neatly into two

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MOG player

More official details are emerging from Beats Electronics' acquisition of MOG, and they paint a considerably messier picture of the deal than we saw just a day ago. HTC (which has a big stake in Beats) has confirmed that the move into streaming music was worth $14 million -- not a whole lot considering that MOG had raised $33 million through its entire independent lifetime. The low price might come as the result of Beats being very surgical with its deal. The Jimmy Iovine- and Dr. Dre-founded outfit is taking control of the core audio service as a separately-managed company, while the ad and music blog components are mostly left untouched. MOG's loss of independence is coming on a very ignominious note as a result, but it could be good news for subscribers anxious about the service's future as well as HTC phone owners wondering just where Sense UI's Beats integration might go next.

Beats buyout of MOG worth $14 million, splits company not-so-neatly into two originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP updates Envy 15, 17 and 17 3D to Ivy Bridge, game and media fans rejoice

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HP Envy 15 2012

HP has been very eager to take the Envy line in an Ultrabook direction, leaving performance hounds a bit wanting. Much to their (and our) relief, the full-fat Envy 15, Envy 17, and Envy 17 3D have all made the leap to Intel's latest round of Ivy Bridge processors. Along with the 2.3GHz to 2.7GHz quad Core i7 chips we all know and love, the Envy 15 and regular 17 can get a dual 2.5GHz Core i5 to keep the price slightly closer to Earth. All of them ship with an equally upgraded AMD Radeon HD 7850M to give games that extra jolt of energy, and you won't find one with less than 6GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. Should you like the Envy's current formula and just wish it had that much more oomph, you can pay a post-discount $1,100, $1,250 or $1,530 to bring one to your door.

[Thanks, James]

HP updates Envy 15, 17 and 17 3D to Ivy Bridge, game and media fans rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Desire C hands-on (video)

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HTC Desire C hands-on

HTC gave us a quick session to play around with its latest handset, the Desire C. No, it's not part of the consolidated One series, nor is the company revealing precisely what that "C" stands for -- heaven forfend it's "cheap." While a humble 320 x 480 touchscreen and 600MHz processor might not set many smartphone obsessives' hearts a' racing, it still manages to eke out a HTC Sense-skinned Android 4.0 UI -- no mere feat, in our opinion. A 5-megapixel camera and expandable microSD slot are some other welcome specifications and it's all wrapped up in an attractive matte finish -- you can take your pick form black and white in the UK. Catch our quick video run-through of the sub-$300 handset right after the break.

Gallery: HTC Desire C hands-on

Continue reading HTC Desire C hands-on (video)

HTC Desire C hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Desire C gets official ‘First Look’ video and UK pricing

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HTC Desire C gets official 'First Look' video and UK pricing

Just a day after being papped in Portugal, the HTC Desire C has turned up in this official video. There's not much new info to take away, bar a quick glimpse of the Sense interface. T-Mobile UK, however, has also been in touch to let us know its pricing for the phone. Pay monthly users can get the handset for free as long as they are willing to cough up £15.50 a month for two years, or snap it up sans commitment on Pay as you go for £169.99 (about $270). Both options being available early next month.

Update: We've added the PR after the break.

Continue reading HTC Desire C gets official 'First Look' video and UK pricing

HTC Desire C gets official 'First Look' video and UK pricing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Desire C spotted enjoying the Portuguese sun

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Vodafone Portugal was so excited to hear about HTC's Desire C that it added it to the company's summer brochure -- despite it not being officially announced. The catalog reveals that the low-end handset will arrive with a 3.5-inch, 320 x 480 display, a 600MHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera. It'll run on the country's 3.5G network (HSDPA to you and me) and you'll find Ice Cream Sandwich sharing the room on that 4GB of on-board storage. It's also reported to have a 1,320mAh battery and will retail for €200 ($260) once it's finished enjoying the Iberian weather.

HTC Desire C spotted enjoying the Portuguese sun originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 06:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP announces six Ivy Bridge desktops, available April 29th from $699

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HP announces six Ivy Bridge desktops, available April 29th from $699

We've already seen a number of laptops from HP sporting Intel's 22nm micro architecture, most commonly known as Ivy Bridge, but now the company is giving its desktop lineup a similar refresh with six quad-core models that'll be available directly from the manufacturer on April 29th. Of the group, three will feature all-in-one form factors, which include the Omni 220qd -- a rig with Beats Audio and a cantilever design that'll start at $999 -- along with the Omni 27qd, which features a 27-inch display and a $1,199 price tag. The third model will bring a refresh to the TouchSmart 520xt, which features a touch-enabled 23-inch display that'll retail for $999.

The remaining updates are stand-alone desktops, which consist of the HPE h8t, available for $699, and the HPE h8xt -- a more powerful unit that'll start at $799. Those looking to delve a bit further into the high-end will find the HPE Phoenix h9t, which will metaphorically rise from the ashes at $1,149. Curiously, the Phoenix is the only unit that'll simultaneously hit retailers on April 29th -- the five other models won't get their taste of brick and mortar until June 24th.

Continue reading HP announces six Ivy Bridge desktops, available April 29th from $699

HP announces six Ivy Bridge desktops, available April 29th from $699 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC moves aside CFO who oversaw $300 million Beats Audio deal

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HTC moves aside CFO who oversaw $300 million Beats Audio deal

HTC's CFO Winston Yung has been shunted into a 'corporate development' role after barely a year on the job. He orchestrated some pretty controversial deals during his tenure, including the $300 million purchase of the Beats Audio brand from Dr. Dre -- an acquisition that has so far shown little value except as a marketing device. Yung also occupied the hot seat while HTC's balance sheet suddenly flipped from brilliant to bad and then worse, and was outspoken in his views of what went wrong. HTC has provided no reason for the job shift, leaving analysts to guess at how the company's strategy will change to capitalize on its new One smartphones and battle against Sammy's imminent contender. The new CFO is Chia-Lin Chang, a former Goldman Sachs partner and Motorola engineer who hopefully knows how to handle pressure.

HTC moves aside CFO who oversaw $300 million Beats Audio deal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No more Beats headphones with your HTC? Just what the Dr. ordered

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No more Beats headphones with your HTC? Just what the Dr. ordered
Despite all the hype, opening up the API, and recently scooping up a music streaming service, we might have seen the end of Beats brand plugs being bundled in with HTC phones. Martin Fichter, a product executive for the phone manufacturer, told CNET that "If they want a Beats headphone, they'll buy it directly," suggesting that the lure of the in-the-box pair just wasn't strong enough for those with a penchant for bass. Perhaps this explains why the whole "Enable Beats" option embedded on the new One series no longer requires the brand's headphones to activate it? Still, if true, the move seems a surprisingly quick turn around on what was originally a much vaunted collaboration. That, or contractual obligations further up the food chain are drawing to a close.

No more Beats headphones with your HTC? Just what the Dr. ordered originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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