Getting cell-shocked at HTC launch in Singapore

MANILA, Philippines - I remember it was only last March when this paper was invited to cover the launch of HTC One (X and V) at the ritzy, glitzy Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. And barely eight months later, Singapore is again saying hello to four new smartphones that are even better than what you thought was already the best from HTC: HTC One X+, Windows Phones 8X and 8S, and HTC Desire SV. You can say that HTC, maker of those quietly brilliant phones, never stops silently innovating and outdoing itself.

So now, amid nonstop chatter, peppered with ringing laughter at Ion Sky’s Salt Bar and Grill, we watch models sashay up and down the ramp, showing off the sober colors of fall and the vibrant hues of HTC’s new phones.

A great phone for a great relationship

As we enjoy our aperitifs, we get into a spirited conversation with HTC’s vivacious Sara Paz, South Asia senior director and head of marketing. Sara shares, “It’s interesting because our consumers are the ones who build our brand; they’re online and they’re saying they want an extraordinary line  —  they want adventure, they want to travel, to have a great career, have a great relationship. This region is very focused on relationships, which is why our second largest Facebook market is India and the third is Indonesia while the Philippines is in the top 20 as well for Facebook and Twitter.  So, consumers in this region are very, very social. And because consumers are at the core of everything that we do, when we’re designing these devices and pushing ourselves to increase our specifications, we’re doing them with our consumers in mind. Because they’re the ones saying, ‘Listen, I go out with my friends, take a lot of pictures and upload them on Facebook.’ Because we know our consumers are doing that, what we did for them is, with the HTC One X+, we strengthened the front camera to let in more light when you’re out at night with friends taking pictures. And you’ll be able to basically press anywhere on the screen to take pictures. It will even give you a countdown timer so you can get into the frame and you won’t get any of that movement. So these are the types of improvements we’ve done specifically because of the lives that our consumers live.  Our consumers want an extraordinary product  —  they don’t want a product that everyone has, they want a product that’s designed for them.”

Love at first gigabyte

But of course, that product is HTC. Solid proof of that is the fact that HTC just reached two million fans in India this month, from only 10,000 fans last October.  Sara elaborates, “Eighty percent of our fans on Facebook are young people, between 14 and 24 years old. They’re the ones buying and recommending HTC. They either have part-time jobs or they have parents and dual grandparents who support them. They’re the ones spending more on these devices; they’re really sophisticated, they want more  —  they’re the ones pushing us, to give them more than 89 gigabyte storage.”

HTC’s marketing in Asia is inarguably stronger than ever before because, so Sara says with an ear-to-ear grin, “half of it is created by our consumers.” She adds, “If you look at our FB pages, you’ll see galleries of consumers who have traveled with the device. They’re like saying, ‘Look what I can do with my HTC; imagine what you can do with yours.’ We’re basically turning over our marketing to our consumers. In the process of uploading these pictures, they’re creating a diary of adventure, like a diary of their lives as well. I think you’re going to see more of that.”

Sara can’t repeat this enough: “HTC is for those who want extraordinary products, for those who want to live extraordinary lives.”

But before we take a quick peek at those extraordinary new products, we meet up with Justin Zhang, HTC head of product portfolio, South Asia, who introduces us to HTC’s babies like a proud new father. “Finally, we have the chance to show off after nine months of hard work,” he begins to relate. “We have HTC One X+, a major upgrade from One X. We also have the Windows Phones, the only phones with this name (because of the collaboration between Microsoft and HTC). And the improved HTC Desire SV.”

A smartphone for smart people

If you’re new to a smartphone, Justin recommends that the best starting point is Windows Phone 8X. “It’s solid, slim, it looks nice; it’s got a good display with nice, sharp color, a good camera, good sound for entertainment. And it’s got 10-percent faster browser performance than iPhone 5. With HTC, whatever you want, you can get  —  isn’t that nice? With HTC, every single detail is taken care of, from the curved glass to the apps.”

And now, say hello to the HTC One X. The best just got even better. It’s got everything you loved about HTC One X  —  the iconic design, amazing camera, authentic audio experience  —  and a lot more: increased performance, longer battery life (without making it thicker), and expanded internal storage.

“We’re taking the HTC One X to a new level with the introduction of the new HTC One X+,” says Lennard Hoornick, president, South Asia, HTC Corporation. “Our customers will have super-fast browsing, an even better camera, and more immersive entertainment with Beats Audio.”

Look here: HTC One X+’s Self Portrait mode on the front camera lets you capture high-quality photos by intuitively detecting the human face at various angles and applying subtle enhancements to the skin and eyes.

Its 89GB total storage (64GB in-built and an additional 25GB Dropbox) provides room for up to 30,000 pictures, 15,000 songs, and more than 100 hours of HD video.

With HTC Connect and HTC Media Link HD, you can expand media sharing and possibilities beyond your HTC smartphone.

“We’ve also made sharing your music and video content easier, better, and bigger than ever before in a social and interactive way,” Hoornik notes.

Windows to the high-tech world

HTC unveils its first signature Windows Phones 8X and 8S, featuring the new Windows Phone 8 operating system, an iconic design, studio-quality sound with Beats Audio, and incredible camera capabilities.

Hear this: With Beats Audio, Windows Phone 8X also offers a unique audio amplifier powering the 3.5mm audio jack and speaker. “So no matter how high you raise the volume, the sound is very clear, it will never get distorted,” Justin tells us.

And the Windows Phones come in such vibrant, playful colors (think neon green, fire engine red, royal purple, oh-so-flashy orange). “Such appropriate colors for the festive tropics,” says the tech- and fashion-savvy Sara.

And now comes everyone’s object of desire  —  the new HTC Desire SV. It’s got everything you’ve always desired in a smartphone: like a 1GHz Dual Core processor that speeds up web browsing, watching videos, running your favorite apps, and downloading attachments. Plus you get a strikingly clear super LCD 2 screen so all your images, videos, e-mails, and presentations look a lot more life-like and vivid.

Of course, its Dual-SIM design is a much-desired feature as you can have both local and international roaming SIM cards in just one phone when you travel, and you can seamlessly shift from business to pleasure (or pressure) and back.

Indeed, at this HTC launch, it’s easy to get cell-shocked. And you just can’t get enough of the phonetastic experience!