HTC to open R&D facility in N.C.

HTC Corp. said it plans to lease space for a new research and development office in Durham, N.C., where it plans to employ 45 people beginning in the first quarter of next year. HTC said the facility will conduct “research into multiple areas of wireless technology, with plans to grow further during 2011 and into the future.”
HTC noted the new facility will join its two current R&D locations in Seattle and San Francisco, as well as its U.S. headquarters in Bellevue, Wash. The Seattle location focuses on HTC’s user interface development, including its HTC Sense UI; while the San Francisco office works on designs through its One & Co. subsidiary. HTC said it currently employs approximately 250 people in the United States and more than 10,000 around the world.
“HTC has been successful bringing its unique brand of people-centric innovation to consumers, and with the establishment of this new R&D office, we are taking an important step to extend our leadership position in the wireless industry,” said Ron Louks, chief strategy officer for HTC. “Durham is a perfect place to open our new R&D office because we are able to tap into this deep pool of technical talent that complements HTC’s leading-edge R&D efforts going on around the world.”
HTC’s share of the smart phone market is blossoming as the company embraces Google Inc.’s Android operating system. ISuppli Corp. recently noted that HTC’s smart phone shipments increased 63% between the first and second quarters of this year and was the No. 4 smart phone maker in the world with 8% market share.