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HTC's 'Double Exposure' event: Join us Wednesday (live blog)

Join CNET for live coverage of HTC's event on Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT. Our live blog will bring you updates, photos and running commentary.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
2 min read

How does HTC follow its critically praised, but only modest selling, One M8? The company intends to answer the question on Wednesday.

htc-double-exposure.jpg
HTC

As suggested by the "Double Exposure" title of the New York event, HTC's announcement may be related to a camera, which would be a deviation from its usual focus on smartphones. HTC is reportedly developing a waterproof camera for extreme activities, a direct swipe at camera maker (and fellow Taiwanese company) GoPro, according to Bloomberg.

There is also a rumor that the company will show off a smartphone built around taking selfies, with the key feature being a 13-megapixel front-facing camera.

CNET editors Scott Stein and Josh Goldman, photographer Sarah Tew and I will be bringing you all the details, photos and commentary from the event. It kicks off at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET, but we'll start up the live blog about 15 minutes early.

HTC is on the slow road to recovery. On Friday, the company reported a profit in the third quarter but continued to see waning revenue as its smartphones have failed to resonate with consumers like they used to. Beyond its flagship HTC One M8, the company has focused on building more affordable midtier smartphones under its Desire brand.

But the company faces pressure from both directions. On the high end, HTC can't compete with the marketing muscle and brand strength of either Apple or Samsung, which dominate the smartphone business. On the low end, it is starting to see pressure from Xiaomi and Lenovo, which offer feature-packed smartphones at more affordable prices.

CNET's live blog of HTC's Double Exposure event

HTC has been working with Google to build a Nexus tablet, although that product isn't expected to show up at the HTC event. The company is also working on a smartwatch, but that product isn't expected to debut until early next year, CNET earlier confirmed.

As usual, we'll be using ScribbleLive to bring you the blow by blow.