Given that HTC is announcing their next One flagship smartphone at the end of March we didn't expect news of the One at MWC. Instead, HTC announced their new "flagship mid-range" phone, the Desire 816. They also made a couple announcements reminiscient of the ones Nokia used to make that focus on other actions and intiatives that can be taken to improve the well-being of others.

HTC Desire 816

The HTC Desire 816 brings a lot of what is found in the HTC One to a lower priced phone designed to bring value with their design. The key design elements include dual front facing stereo speakers with HTC BoomSound, HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Sense 5.5, a 5.5 inch display, and a high quality 5 megapixel front-facing camera. HTC really is trying to make their new devices the ultimate in "selfie" phones.

Like other previous Desire devices, it is targeted for the worldwide market with initial availability slated for China in March. Global retail availability is slated for April with no pricing or details for the US market, but I imagine we will see it launch with prepaid services.

Specifications for the Desire 816 include the following:

• 1.6 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
• 5.5 inch 720p display
• 1.5 GB RAM, 8GB storage, microSD expansion card support up to 64GB
• Bluetooth 4 with aptX and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
• 13 megapixel rear camera and 5 megapixel front facing camera
• 2600 mAh battery
• Dimensions of 156.6 x 78.7 x 7.99 mm and 165 grams