Mobile Def

HTC introduced this week its latest flagship smartphone. The 4.7-inch HTC One is different in many ways from the maker’s previous models. For one, this slim silver and black 4G phone is encased entirely of aluminum. Its user interface looks similar to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 Metro design, but the phone actually runs on Android 4.1.2. This new interface, which HTC affectionately calls “Blinkfeed,” highlights updates from different apps in a grid layout.

The HTC One also features an ultrapixel camera. Yes, we are no longer counting megapixels here, but a step higher than that. HTC representatives say that this beefed-up camera sensor would enable the smartphone to perform extremely well in low light situations.

HTC hopes their latest smartphone would be a positive turnaround for the struggling company in need of a good hit. The Taiwan-based firm placed fourth among the top smartphone vendors last year after Samsung, Apple, and Nokia in that order. HTC did not even make it among the top five vendors during the 2012 holiday quarter.

Pricing and availability details for the HTC One remain hush-hush, but it has been confirmed that three major US carriers–AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile–are on board with distributing this promising smartphone.