This isn't in the same vein as Apple's gold iPhone. It is more like the Swarovsky crystal covered MP3 players that are often found at sales expos for the super rich.
Market share dropping like a rock, Profits sagging, but hey, still enough excess dosh to waste on engineering the RF properties and surface coating for a phone they're giving away and only making 5 of!
Any publicity is good publicity. This reminded many people of the HTC One and in fact the first thing that pops into my mind when I see this is how the normal One looks much better. That's good marketing, releasing a special-edition to get exposure and making sure the normal version looks better is brilliant.
I read the story and registered my disdain for a company clearly out of touch with reality. They need to spend more money on marketing and carrier tie-in than on gold-plating phones and making sure they still have adequate RF performance.
this is AMD circa 2008 - sending journalists out on press junkets, doing stupid things while their business crumbles beneath them
Am I the only one starting to tire of AT paying so much attention to phones as 'jewelry' with seemingly little regard to what a phone 'does' for us?
This trend seems to have really taken off with Brian, who also seems to be influencing Anand in that unwanted direction. I understand that the 'jewelry' aspect will sell some consumers on a particular model. But, it's being overdone, both by the manufacturers and AT.
All of the flagship phones look great - so let's get back to talking about what they actually do.
It's a short pipeline article with an Anandtech author noting his impressions of it, since he got a hands-on. Yeah, it's ugly and silly expensive. Blowing up at Anandtech because they wrote up a short article on it is uncalled for, though.
Based on how HTC normally does things I'm pretty sure plenty of the people who work there are as disgusted by this as I am. I wonder what tardtastic idiot thought this was a good idea.
There are good-looking Gold versions and there are less good-looking versions. I think the back looks okay but the front color(which is not the same as the back) looks hideous.
Also, while I know you guys have been busy, we didn't get a review of Xperia Z1 but we get a gold-version of an old phone. If Brian is too busy, and we know he is, why not get someone else? Maybe he needs re-inforcement.
How relevant is this phone to most users? A lot of people will buy the Z1 and not a lot of people will buy this mongrel. (To the counter-arguement that there are reviews at other sites, that's true, but we know that they are marked by a paucity of quality which is why we read this site).
As the other poster noted, this isn't a review. It's a short pipeline article noting his impressions of it, since he happened to get a hands-on with it. I'm still miffed that the Lumia 920 review was shelved with no explanation, but there's obviously a world of difference between this article and an actual review.
Brian is a PROUD windows hater, he constantly mocks windows phone on twitter and podcasts, he did not review Lumia 920 which Nokia gave him, even the Lumia 1020 review has been put in the dust bin.
Apart from that, he has not used both Surface RT and Surface pro and even after that he was sent to cover Surface 2 event!!
Hopefully, someone else in the team like Vivek or Ganesh will get more chances and we can get objective reviews of windows products.
Well said! windows phone coverage is sorely lacking at AT, and seems all due to Brian hating it. He has a right to dislike it, but that shouldn't deny AT readers from an in depth review of WP8 devices.
Probably your pea-sized brain is garbage to understand the issue here, we are not asking for glowing reviews, we are just asking for objective reviews for atleast the products whose samples they already receive.
When Android platform which results losses for almost every manufacturer including the best Android phone declared by Anandtech that is HTC One and even Motorola bleeding money since years only surviving due to Google's Advertisement dollars can get all the hype, attention and reviews then Windows products also deserve reviews.
Besides, Anandtech is not financial analyst website, so the profits, sales talk is point is moot.
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Galatian - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Ok someone has to say it: this looks ugly!mcveigh - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Pimpin aint easy!piroroadkill - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Fugly bling for the type of person who would go to the "MOBO" awards.izmanq - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
looks cheap and cheesygregounech - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
#SWAGGTRagnarok - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
The scratches ruin the look.ShieTar - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Don't blame the scratches, gold is just an ugly metal.melgross - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Sheesh! People knocked Apple for its new color, and then there's this for $4,400? Who are the other four going to? Truthfully, this is ugly.Let's have a report on the gold Samsung unit as well.
Death666Angel - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
This isn't in the same vein as Apple's gold iPhone. It is more like the Swarovsky crystal covered MP3 players that are often found at sales expos for the super rich.drexnx - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Market share dropping like a rock, Profits sagging, but hey, still enough excess dosh to waste on engineering the RF properties and surface coating for a phone they're giving away and only making 5 of!HTC: Quietly absurd.
Flunk - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
That's the tackiest looking phone I've ever seen. What a complete waste of money, but a great marketing idea!Hrel - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
How is that good marketing? "Our company wants to help you look like a childish pimp". That's the message that sends.Flunk - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Did you read this story? Did I read this story?Any publicity is good publicity. This reminded many people of the HTC One and in fact the first thing that pops into my mind when I see this is how the normal One looks much better. That's good marketing, releasing a special-edition to get exposure and making sure the normal version looks better is brilliant.
drexnx - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
I read the story and registered my disdain for a company clearly out of touch with reality. They need to spend more money on marketing and carrier tie-in than on gold-plating phones and making sure they still have adequate RF performance.this is AMD circa 2008 - sending journalists out on press junkets, doing stupid things while their business crumbles beneath them
Jillxz - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
HTC needs a new CEO in my opinion.hrrmph - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Am I the only one starting to tire of AT paying so much attention to phones as 'jewelry' with seemingly little regard to what a phone 'does' for us?This trend seems to have really taken off with Brian, who also seems to be influencing Anand in that unwanted direction. I understand that the 'jewelry' aspect will sell some consumers on a particular model. But, it's being overdone, both by the manufacturers and AT.
All of the flagship phones look great - so let's get back to talking about what they actually do.
-
kyuu - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
It's a short pipeline article with an Anandtech author noting his impressions of it, since he got a hands-on. Yeah, it's ugly and silly expensive. Blowing up at Anandtech because they wrote up a short article on it is uncalled for, though.Razorbak86 - Thursday, October 10, 2013 - link
You will be hard pressed to find another tech journalist who does more detailed and comprehensive cell phone reviews than Brian Klug.Hrel - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Based on how HTC normally does things I'm pretty sure plenty of the people who work there are as disgusted by this as I am. I wonder what tardtastic idiot thought this was a good idea.cj100570 - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Samsung didn't counter with a gold S4, it was announced and released before Apples champagne iPhone.Mondozai - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
There are good-looking Gold versions and there are less good-looking versions.I think the back looks okay but the front color(which is not the same as the back) looks hideous.
Also, while I know you guys have been busy, we didn't get a review of Xperia Z1 but we get a gold-version of an old phone.
If Brian is too busy, and we know he is, why not get someone else?
Maybe he needs re-inforcement.
How relevant is this phone to most users? A lot of people will buy the Z1 and not a lot of people will buy this mongrel.
(To the counter-arguement that there are reviews at other sites, that's true, but we know that they are marked by a paucity of quality which is why we read this site).
thesavvymage - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
An entire phone review takes a week plus to test and write. This likely took him less than a half hour.kyuu - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
As the other poster noted, this isn't a review. It's a short pipeline article noting his impressions of it, since he happened to get a hands-on with it. I'm still miffed that the Lumia 920 review was shelved with no explanation, but there's obviously a world of difference between this article and an actual review.BMNify - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Brian is a PROUD windows hater, he constantly mocks windows phone on twitter and podcasts, he did not review Lumia 920 which Nokia gave him, even the Lumia 1020 review has been put in the dust bin.Apart from that, he has not used both Surface RT and Surface pro and even after that he was sent to cover Surface 2 event!!
Hopefully, someone else in the team like Vivek or Ganesh will get more chances and we can get objective reviews of windows products.
maximumGPU - Thursday, October 10, 2013 - link
Well said!windows phone coverage is sorely lacking at AT, and seems all due to Brian hating it. He has a right to dislike it, but that shouldn't deny AT readers from an in depth review of WP8 devices.
drexnx - Thursday, October 10, 2013 - link
probably because WP8 is a garbage platform.Nokia would have moved millions upon millions of lumias if they had android instead of WP8.
BMNify - Thursday, October 10, 2013 - link
Probably your pea-sized brain is garbage to understand the issue here, we are not asking for glowing reviews, we are just asking for objective reviews for atleast the products whose samples they already receive.When Android platform which results losses for almost every manufacturer including the best Android phone declared by Anandtech that is HTC One and even Motorola bleeding money since years only surviving due to Google's Advertisement dollars can get all the hype, attention and reviews then Windows products also deserve reviews.
Besides, Anandtech is not financial analyst website, so the profits, sales talk is point is moot.
sor - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - link
Dude. C3PO lost his phone.dishayu - Thursday, October 10, 2013 - link
Holy mother of god, THE BLING!! Kill me already!