Great piece by Craig Hockenberry, thinking about Apple and wearable devices:

Given everything presented above, it’s pretty clear to me that a “smartwatch” isn’t in Apple’s immediate future. But they’re clearly interested in wearable technology. So what are the alternatives for a product that could be released this year?

The first step is to start looking at things from Apple’s point-of-view. I ask myself, “What problems can a wearable device solve?”

As I think about answers to that question, it leads me to the conclusion that Jony Ive and crew aren’t looking solely at the wrist. Wearable technology could take cues from other kinds of jewelry: rings and necklaces, for example.

After numerous leaks on Chinese site MyDrivers and Weibo social network, HTC has confirmed its new Desire 816 mid-range Android smartphone.

AsEngadgetreports, the new handset has a 5.5-inch HD (720p) display and is powered by a quad-core 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB of RAM and a 2,600 mAh battery. Onboard storage will vary, although 8GB is expected alongisde a microSD card slot.

Similar to the flagship HTC One from last year, the Desire 816 will come equipped with dual front-facing ‘BoomSound’ speakers and its BlinkFeed social news service as part of Sense 5.5. It will, however, offer a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front, presumably forgoing the ‘UltraPixel’ system from the HTC One.

The new Android mid-ranger will be available in black, green, white and red, starting in China next month. CNET reports that it will then roll out to other parts of Asia in April.

Update: HTC has now confirmed all of these details for TNW.

➤ Desire 816 (Via CNET/ Engadget)

Image Credit:SAM YEH/AFP/GettyImages