HTC scraps large-screen Windows phone, citing low resolution

The new HTC Butterfly smartphone is on display during a news conference to launch the product in Taipei, Taiwan, last week. (Pichi Chuang, Reuters)

HTC Corp. scrapped plans to produce a large-screen smartphone using Microsoft Corp.'s operating system because the screen would have had lower resolution than competing models, a person familiar with the project said.

The Windows software doesn't support resolutions as high as that on Google Inc.'s Android platform, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public.

Chief executive officer Peter Chou's decision to halt the project using Windows Phone 8 software leaves HTC with only Android for phones measuring larger than 5 inches diagonally, dealing a blow to Microsoft in its efforts to win share from Google and Apple Inc. Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC had planned to introduce the device next year to claw back share from Samsung Electronics Co., which offers Galaxy Note devices with larger screens using Android.

Cheryl Chang, a Taipei-based spokeswoman for Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, declined to comment. HTC declined to comment in an e-mail.

Windows Phone 8, released in October, supports screen resolution of 720 horizontal lines, lower than the 1,080 lines in displays available on Android phones and tablets. Microsoft also limits which processors can be used with manufacturers' devices.

HTC concluded that a larger-screen Windows Phone 8 phone wouldn't be competitive against Android devices from HTC, Samsung and others, the person said.

Source: http://feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-business/~3/cameZmwySr8/htc-scraps-large-screen-windows-phone-citing-low

billy beane kathy griffin road conditions newt gingrich wives weather gina carano at last