HTC Rhyme touts charm cable, Sense UI 3.5

HTC and Verizon ahead of their Fashion Week event unveiled the Rhyme, an attempt to revive the idea of a woman-focused phone. Along with its plum color, the Android 2.3 phone has a charm cable that plugs in and lights up for calls and texts without having to take it out of a purse. A special docking station provides both 'stealth' speakers for listening to music but also alarm clock functions, and Beats-derived headphones with the signature flat ribbon cables also come in the box.

The Rhyme occupies the mid-range in phones with a 3.7-inch 480x800 display, a 1GHz Snapdragon for its processor, a five-megapixel rear camera, and a VGA front camera. It represents one of the first phones with HTC's Sense 3.5 interface, however, and has a new home screen with a pinned set of extendable app icons, an overall subtler look, and a camera app that addresses over-bright backlighting and face detection. Owners will have access to HTC's Watch movie rentals.

Verizon will start pre-sales of the Rhyme on September 22 for $199 on contract, though tips have hinted it might drop to $50. Target will be the exclusive retailer outside of Verizon, and wider in-store availability will start on September 29. Other extras beyond the dock will include a color-matching Bluetooth headset and an armband for runners.

By Electronista Staff