HTC reportedly building an Android smartwatch that will be more than 'just a gimmick'

Bloomberg's gotten word from the perennial "people familiar with the matter" that HTC is building an Android-based smartwatch that's set for release in the latter half of 2014. While other features and a price have yet to be set in stone, the outlet's source says the timepiece will sport a camera. Just two days ago, HTC CEO Peter Chou revealed through a Financial Times report that the firm had worked on an intelligent watch with Microsoft, and noted that current high-tech wristwatches are just "gimmick" experiences. "It has to meet a need, otherwise if it's just a gimmick or concept, it's not for people's day-to-day lives," Chou told FT. "That is an opportunity for us."

And if you were only expecting wrist-worn hardware from the outfit, chairwoman Cher Wang hinted that a tablet is in the pipeline as well. "When the [HTC] tablet comes out it will be something nice and disruptive," Wang said. Clearly, slates and futuristic tickers are filling the company's collective mind, and it looks like 2014 will bring more details (and hopefully its fair share of leaks, too).