Verizon may be preparing an answer to its testosterone-laden Droid smartphone line with the HTC Bliss, an Android phone for women.
It’s just a rumor for now, but This Is My Next reports that the Bliss will be an ordinary-looking Android smartphone with female-centric apps and accessories. For example, the phone will reportedly include apps for shopping comparisons and calorie counting — you know, stereotypical girl stuff.
But the real differentiator would be a so-called “charm indicator,” which dangles off the phone by a loop of wire. (Note: the images above are just mock-ups.) This cube-shaped extension reportedly lights up to notify users of new messages and missed calls. The idea is to ease the process of finding and grabbing the phone from a deep purse — again, stereotypical girl stuff.
Some of the Bliss’ features, however, sound appealing to either gender. One of the accessories is a wireless charging and speaker dock, which sets the phone to alarm mode when plugged in. There may also be a square-shaped speaker with voice recognition, which attaches to the visor of a car for hands-free operation. A matching Bluetooth headset may also be available.
An anonymous source says the HTC Bliss will launch on Verizon before the end of the year, but even This is My Next’s Joanna Stern seems a bit skeptical of the phone’s existence. I’m not sure that smartphones need little gimmicks overtly designed for women, either, but what do I know? As long as it’s strong enough for a man, it can be pH-balanced for a woman as far as I’m concerned.