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Remember earlier today how we posted HTC’s plans for a “major” announcement this Thursday? Well, as fun as it was guessing (Could it be a tablet? Unlocked bootloaders? Nexus Three?) thanks to AllThingsD, we now have a better idea what that announcement will be.
Apparently, HTC is investing $300 million dollars into the digital sound company, Beats Electronics. You may have seen this technology inside your HP computers, headphones automobiles and in commercials featuring none other than Dr. Dre himself. In an effort to garner some extra street cred, HTC will have exclusive rights to the tech in their smartphones and will begin integrating Beats audio into their entire line of products. According to HTC, we’ll being seeing the first Beats certified devices before the end of this year.
*UPDATE: Beats has officially confirmed their partnership with HTC ahead of Thursday’s announcement via their Tumblr blog:
Dear Beats Army:
Today marks an incredible day for sound and Beats by Dr. Dre. We are announcing a partnership with HTC, one of the world’s leading wireless manufacturers. With this announcement, our two brands are coming together to redefine the smart phone category and redefine the way that sound is heard.
This partnership with HTC represents the next phase of our vision, placing the utmost importance on giving smart phone fans the opportunity to hear the highest-quality of sound possible. The Beats team, still led by Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine, will continue to manage Beats autonomously.
This is truly an incredible chapter for Beats and we are proud to have you with us. Let’s Go!
THE BEATS TEAM
**UPDATE: HTC officially confirms via press release, their partnership with Beats Electronics. New devices with integrated Beats audio are said to be launching (exclusively?) in Best Buy stores this fall.
HTC and Beats have been working together to create superior mobile audio experiences for consumers, which will result in a line of HTC devices integrated with Beats sound innovations, available this fall.
“Beats has found a unique way to harness popular culture in a manner that is unlike any other brand today,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corp. “It’s an exciting brand that has been built around providing something very special, and we believe our strategic partnership will provide customers with unbeatable sound on HTC phones. We obsess over every detail of a consumer’s mobile experience, and audio is a critical part of that experience.”
HTC is known for unifying content, services and devices into unique mobile experiences. And Beats is known for its unique consumer brand appeal and ability to reproduce the full spectrum of sound captured in professional recording studios, allowing consumers to hear music the way the artist intended. Bringing these two great brands together will create superior mobile music and sound experiences while accelerating HTC’s entry into the youth and accessories markets globally.
“Our customers have clearly responded to Beats and HTC, and Best Buy is proud to feature their products in our stores,” said Brian J. Dunn, CEO, Best Buy. “We are committed to offering innovative and entertaining technologies that help consumers enhance their lives. Our customers expect that from us. The unique HTC Sense experience and the great sound of Beats provide prime examples of that focus.”
Still unknown is if this new functionality will be made available on HTC’s Android devices, Windows Phone 7 handsets or possibly both? Also unmentioned is if this tech will require a some type of hardware modification or be made available simply as an app and/or integrated into a future version of HTC’s Sense UI. I’m leaning a little more on the latter.
So what do you guys think? Is this a bit of a let down from what you were expecting from HTC? Or do you think this functionality will be a welcome addition to HTC and their Android lineup? Let’s just hope mainstream American doesn’t start identifying HTC’s Android devices as, “That Beats phone,” like they did with Verizon’s “Droids.”
[Via AllThingsD]
I tried on a pair of Beats. I was mildly disappointed, and then returned to my £20 PortaPros.
this would be pretty cool
Beats are overpriced garbage. *hides my studio beats*
Curious but why would you hope its integrated into Sense and not the hardware? Id prefer it was a hardware mod so if I root and flash AOSP i could still retain the better audio
If I’m not mistaken (and I usually am) on HP’s PC’s Beats audio was nothing more than software installed on those comps that gave them more “thump”….?
Really? I had no idea.. Thats sucks :'(. I was hoping they would build in better hardware like a 7.1 surround sound system… or at least a subwoofer, lol
Actually, I wouldn’t mind stereo speakers and a tiny subwoofer located on the back. Couple that with a kickstand and you have a spontaneous dance party waiting to happen! :D
I wish!! That would be so epic!
almost as good as an epic touch. (no pun intended)
It is software, but there’s some hardware involved too. Mostly just shielding the circuits so you don’t get any interference, but it’s still crystal clear on my HP Envy.
I actually did kinda a blind test with the help of a friend and his Macbook Pro and I could identify the laptops based just on the sound quality through some Bose headphones.
I want an android PMP from HTC nao.
Hoping for software, so we could root and remove it. Beats aren’t just bad value for the money, they are so bad as to be offensive sounding.
The correct way to do this is to put a good DAC and amplifier and some decent shielding in it, like in the original Galaxy S.
Voodoo Sound FTW
I agree with you wholeheartedly. This news simply means that HTC’s phones will still have terrible speaker/sound quality but cost considerably more as a result of branding association. And as a current HTC user the odds of my loyalties changing have significantly increased.
Why does everyone think there will be some huge price jump? HP products featuring Beats audio weren’t anymore expensive. Just look at the TouchPad, its got Beats audio and its priced competitively, not “considerably more.”
HTC Beats !!! lool
Beats Audio is in the HP Touchpad Tablet
http://www.webosroundup.com/2011/06/hp-touchpad-beats-audio-what-is-it-and-why-do-i-want-it-in-my-tablet/
I’d like to see it integrated in the software…
Their speakers were HTC’s last real weakness. With the camera tech from the MyTouch4G Slide and truly good external audio, the desire for an HTC phone just went up.
It was funny to see all the iPhone shrills claim that HTC was dropping Android for exclusivity with WP7. haha
I missed that. That would be kinda funny since HTC keeps reporting profit increases…with their main thing being Android…
I hope that it’s hardware. I love HTC phones, but they have the worst speakers EVER of any phone manufacturer. I would rather have the Beats speakers then the Kraco speakers they have now, anyday.
Yeah, the speakerphone on my HTC is nearly useless. All HTC needs to do is use the same folks who make Motorola speakers, I could hear my Droid X speakerphone clearly while riding in a car while it was on the window mount. It’s like talking to Shy Ronnie.
Are you guys serious?
This is marketing 101 … when you have similar competing products on the market, distinguish your product by inventing a make believe difference.
Last I checked, my 1/8″ jack pumped out some nice beats without any special software.
… come on people … and for gods sake, they had to hire a rapper to make is seam legit … that should be a red flag.
He’s not just a rapper. He’s Dre.
Hahaha
And he’s not just a rapper. He’s a doctor. With a PHD in pimpology o_O
Agreed, just as a phone will never take pics as good as a good DSLR, a phone will never crank out music like a nice stereo. Nice sounding speakers are big for a reason. This is a total gimmicky marketing ploy. I was expecting something significant. I am disappoint.
this is the big announcement? moar like big disappointment.
lol come on man! Use your imagination! Try reading the Beats press release with a ghetto accent, and then, right after, read the HTC press release with a chinese accent, a la Mr. Chow. Then you’ll realize how epic this really is!
Ugh. I hope Bose partners with Moto/Sammy, that’d be epic.
or Sennheiser.
Or….. Budweiser? o_O
Only if it comes with a built in beer tap. Kegdroid anyone?
Was hoping for more…….seems to me this is not news enough for an announcement, unless I am missing something.
I rather hope it’s software instead of hardware. I usually use my EVO 3D’s music player when either in class or when cutting the grass. If Beats is supposed to help with bass, then I can show off my dubstep collection, or stream some from Stop Drop Rave (check the market, free app). Kids are all about the bass these days, it seems. (See: Superbass)
Sennheiser or Bose would have been a much better (quality wise) partnership. But, that’s marketing. Beats by Monster is just a fashion statement marketing ploy for second rate headsets. If I were looking for a headset right now (and I have a few) Beats wouldn’t even be on the long list.
Does this mean I will be able to hear better out of my already crappy speaker on my next phone. Yippee!
What a let down. Lol
meh
Off topic for a second, Is it just me, or just because of the weekly mobile news here on Phandroid, im expecting Apple to be upset in some way about this, and start firing off at HTC or Beats Audio about something trivial! While its highly unlikely i cant help but expect something, im sure Dr Dre will kick Apples arse if they did lol.
Back on topic, this should be interesting, maybe something to rival Sony Ericssons android powered Walkman handsets??
Has anyone of you guys complaining about Beats by Dre ever tried a set? Really looking forward to this! :D
And PortaPro should be banned from all public places! :D I don’t want to listen to your music :P
Are you kidding me!?! THAT is the “major” announcement? I imagined all kinds of possibilities, but this is just stupid! There is nothing “major” about this. HUGE fail, HTC…HUGE fail!
By the way…I got some life changing news today! The brand of peanut butter I like is on sale!
-_-
Imbeciles
This is great glad i waited this long to get a HTC phone. What sucks is i cant upgrade till next year. And what bout the DETOX ALBUM DRE??
I’m picturing a new phone bundled with HTC-green/co-branded Bluetooth Beats headphones.
I’m definitely stoked abou this enhancement to HTC devices. Looks like I’ll be staying with HTC and Android.
I just paid $22.85 for an iPad 2–64GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $674 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, CentHub.com