HARMAN and HTC announce broader partnership
HARMAN and HTC offer exclusive bundle of the HTC One M9 with the new Harman Kardon One portable speaker
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2015, BARCELONA, March 1st – HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE:HAR), the premier audio, visual, infotainment and enterprise automation group, announced today that it will continue its highly successful collaboration with HTC. The new, extended partnership follows last year’s engagement where HTC and HARMAN brought together their market-leading products to provide customers of Sprint and KDDI with exclusive bundles of HTC smartphones with Harman audio technologies Clari-Fi and Livestage, and JBL / Harman Kardon headphones. The new cooperation combines the HTC One M9 smartphone with the new Harman Kardon One Bluetooth speaker.
As part of their new collaboration, HTC and HARMAN will offer an exclusive bundle of the HTC One M9 together with the new Harman Kardon One portable Bluetooth speaker, a HTC Connect certified device. The Harman Kardon One offers outstanding 2x6W stereo Bluetooth streaming, has up to five hours battery life and can also be used as speaker for the smartphone. Its beautiful design perfectly complements the stunning HTC One M9. The bundle provides an outstanding mobile sound experience and will be available in the EMEA and US markets as well as China starting March 25th, 2015. The retail price for the new Harman Kardon One speaker is €149.95. When bundled with a qualifying HTC phone, the Harman Kardon One will be available at a discount.
In addition, the new HTC One M9 smartphone will have the innovative Firecast software pre-installed, enabling the streaming of music from the mobile device to the Harman Kardon Omni Home multi-room Wi-Fi speaker system. Using the HTC One M9, listeners can play and control their favorite music natively with their phone anywhere inside an apartment or a house.
“After last year’s successful partnership with HTC in the US, we are excited to continue the relationship at a global level,” said Michael Mauser, President of HARMAN Lifestyle Division. “Together, HTC and HARMAN enable new and unique ways for music lovers to combine a mobile lifestyle with the pleasure of enjoying their favorite music at their own convenience through our best-in-class speaker systems.”
Clari-Fi
Clari-Fi encompasses a proprietary predictive model that intelligently and accurately recreates the lost information based on the existing compressed content. It is superior to competitive solutions because it does not blindly add equalization, bass boost, or other effects that alter the intended listening experience. It also does not require any user intervention because it is designed to run in the background, automatically adjusting the amount of correction it applies based on the quality of the input signal. Clari-Fi works with audio files as well as streaming content, including YouTube, and does not affect the original source material.
Specifically, Clari-Fi restores the crisp detail and clarity of high frequency sounds like cymbals, which can be muddied in compressed sources; it sharpens dynamic sounds like percussion instruments, which can be smeared or dulled by compression; it takes a flat, compressed vocal and brings back the intimacy of the original performance; it rebuilds the stereo image that is often compromised by compression, creating a natural, wide soundstage; and it restores the musical depth that is lost when instruments and vocals are compressed to the same volume.
Harman Kardon Omni
The Harman Kardon Omni multi-room Wi-Fi speaker system received outstanding customer product reviews. It works with all major music apps and enables wireless HD Audio streaming as well as multi-level surround sound in every room. Using standard app controls and set-up, listeners can even enjoy different music in different rooms. For further information and specifications about the Harman Kardon Omni multi-room Wi-Fi speaker, please visit www.harmankardon.com. Harman Kardon Omni multi-room Wi-Fi speaker system is available in different versions. The “Adapt” will cost €129.00, while the Omni 2.0 will have a price tag of €299.00.
Harman Kardon One
The Harman Kardon One, with HTC Connect technology, easily pairs with HTC smartphones and offers outstanding 2x6W stereo Bluetooth streaming that can be activated by a simple three-finger swipe.
The Harman Kardon One works seamlessly with HTC smartphones. Simply remove it from the box, turn it on and swipe three fingers up the screen of your HTC smartphone, select your device and music streaming will start straight away. When you’re finished, the same simple gesture down the screen of your HTC smartphone instantly disconnects the device.
As well as sounding great and being easy to use, the Harman Kardon One offers the eye-catching craftsmanship and elegant design that you’d expect from Harman Kardon. Sporting a classy, unibody aluminum housing with anodized coating, the Harman Kardon One is lightweight and travel ready. You can enjoy up to five hours playtime from the rechargeable battery, or make crystal clear conference calls from the noise and echo cancelling speakerphone anytime, anywhere.
The Harman Kardon One will be available from telecom retail outlets from the end of March 2015, with a recommended retail price of €149.99. Visitors to MWC can demo the product at HARMAN’s booth in Hall 2.
LiveStage
LiveStage provides a more life like headphone listening experience by adding dimension to the sound. The LiveStage technology will lend ordinary (studio-mixed) songs the quality and feel of a live performance. It's like being at the show.
HARMAN
Nicole Mehr
Director Corporate Affairs and Communications Europe
Phone: 49-7248-71-1272
About HARMAN
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets premier audio, visual, infotainment and enterprise automation solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® , Mark Levinson ® and Revel®, the Company is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 17,600 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $5.9 billion during the last 12 months ended December 31, 2014.
About HTC
HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC One and Desire lines of smartphones. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything we do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). www.htc.com.
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