People were looking forward to taking a look at the first wearable that HTC was launching, the HTC Grip fitness band, a partnership with sports brand Under Armour. First introduced back at the World Mobile Congress last March, the Grip was supposed to be the first in a line of health-related wearable devices, but it seems that the Taiwanese OEM has changed its mind and would like to go back to the drawing board instead of releasing something that may have been half-baked.
The official line is that after “extensive wear testing and user feedback”, they have decided that the Grip should be re-aligned to fit the rest of the products that they plan to release later this year, specifically in the health and fitness category.
Of course they did not go into specifics as to what exactly changed their mind, but some are speculating that it did not do well in the user testing phase, or that it was not offering anything new or something that would distinguish it from its competitors in the market.
The announcement of the Grip back in March caused a bit of excitement, since this was HTC’s first foray into the wearable category. The band looked a bit rigid, but those who tried it on said it was quite comfortable on the wrist since the inner material is “grippy” and rubberized. But the limited and monochrome touchscreen may have not been enough for some users.
VIA: SlashGear
