HTC reportedly scales back production after slump in smartphone sales

News: According to multiple reports, HTC has paused production on roughly a fifth of its total capacity and has been looking to outsource to contract manufacturers to save money. (Update: The company tells Engadget that it hasn't shut down any of its manufacturing lines) Reuters says that it has seen parts of HTC's factories closed up, and reports that cash flow pressures have forced the smartphone maker to make serious changes -- the company reported its first net loss back in October, a total of $101.2 million. HTC's Chief Marketing Officer Ben Ho told the news service that, "Like any manufacturer, we do volume planning to optimize our lines, our manufacturing and production facilities." At the same time, the WSJ reports that HTC has apparently met with several manufacturers with a view to moving production away from in-house.

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Nest reportedly working on smart smoke detector dubbed Protect

Now that Nest has rolled out its second-gen smart thermostat, it looks like it's gearing up to reveal its next project: an intelligent smoke detector dubbed Protect. Jessica Lessin, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, first broke word of the device and now AllThingsD is chiming in to confirm its existence. Specifics are slim, but it's said Protect will connect to the outfit's existing A/C hardware (presumably over Bluetooth), lending it long battery life since it won't need a WiFi chip. Lessin notes that a subscription-based monitoring service and the ability to sense carbon monoxide have been considered, but ATD's sources say the contraption won't be tied to a monthly fee. An official unveiling is expected to occur soon, and retail availability could come by year's end. Now that intelligent smoke detectors appear poised to head into homes soon, we can only hope they're as charming as Gilbert Gottfried.

Source: News in Hindi