Revenues and profits down. What's to blame? A lull as it moves to new products, says the company. Others might suspect it's in the mid-tier place where Android will get skewered. Will HTC take refuge with Windows Phone instead?

Complicated: you'd need an HTC handset connected to the Wi-Fi network. And then:

The issue would require the user to install an application that had been specifically designed to harvest details or was uploaded to the Android Market with the specific aim of collecting information. The impact may have been small in the fact that such an app will not see the reach as a more popular app but the security risk does exist.

Minimal but possible risk. Affects the Desire HD, Droid Incredible and more.

If you own one of the affected handsets, you may have already received the fix. If you do not, keep checking the HTC Support site for more information.

HTC is going to focus on 'hero' devices, rather than blanketing the market:

The company’s u-turn follows disappointing global results earlier this month when first quarter net profit fell 26% to $365m, its first quarterly decline in earnings for two years as it faced competition from Apple and Samsung’s Galaxy range.

HTC UK chief Phil Roberson (pictured) told Mobile the manufacturer will return to a strategy of launching a limited number of high-spec devices this year, with a focus on second quarter releases. He said: ‘We have to get back to focusing on what made us great – amazing hardware and a great customer experience. We ended 2011 with far more products than we started out with. We tried to do too much."

One suspects Samsung will be a large obstacle to heroic ambition.

"A close look at what the ITC did and didn't do in Monday's order suggests that the commission went out of its way to permit HTC to continue to compete with Apple.

"First, consider what the ITC didn't do. Apple wanted a cease-and-desist order, which would have barred the sale of infringing phones that are already in the United States. It didn't get one. Nor did the commission order HTC to post a bond based on the sale of allegedly infringing devices while it seeks Presidential review of the commission's decision.

"Instead the ITC issued a limited exclusion order that, significantly, gives HTC twice the usual 60 days to attempt a work-around to Apple's patent. HTC has until April, according to the commission's order, to either remove or replace the infringing technology. HTC announced Monday that it would remove the data-tapping feature".

"Speaking to journalists at HTC’s headquarters, Rubin said that he was more optimistic and that a judgement [in the HTC v Apple case a couple of days ago] would be “a way to settle this situation.”

"He added: 'The ITC is a quick path for settling these disputes. I think this is the beginning of settling.'

"At the briefing, Rubin also announced that Google’s Android platform is now seeing 700,000 activations a day, a 200,000 rise from the figure announced three months ago."

Will this mean lots of settlements? We'll see.

The ITC has put off a decision about Apple v HTC until 14 December; it's got a heavy caseload.

"Whatever the outcome will be, this is still the early stage of Apple's assertions of intellectual property rights against Android. It's not going to be the end for either party's aspirations. If there is an import ban, the key question will be what implications a possible workaround (which HTC and Google are sure to announce) will have."

"In his first response to a battering from stock markets -- HTC shares are down more than 30% in just nine trading days -- Chief Financial Officer Winston Yung told Reuters on Monday that HTC is not another Nokia, the Finnish mobile firm that experienced a rapid fall from market dominance as nimbler rivals overtook its stolid product line-ups.

"'I don't think it's so serious,' he said, noting that even the most conservative guidance is for shipments to increase to 45m units this year, from 25m last year.

"'We will focus on the product next year, better and more competitive. Other than new LTE phones for the US market, we have phones for the global market. We will launch some worldwide flagship products. We're confident in them,' said Yung."

"HTC is arguably at a disadvantage from the off in comparison with its mobility rivals. The smartphone market, outside of Apple for the most part, has become a vast game of spec-sheet bingo, with flagship, mainstream and budget products competing on how many buzzwords they can tick off. Advanced users familiar with the tech look for key features like the current generation of high-speed dualcore processors and pixel-dense displays, while the less involved can only compare long lists of checkboxes in stores to figure out which of the increasingly identikit devices is 'best.'

"When your worth is the sum of your components, HTC’s shortfall in manufacturing begins to drag. Samsung has a huge advantage in producing its own displays, camera modules, chipsets and memory, while LG has its NOVA display prowess. Apple has not been shy in flexing its mighty bank balance and tying up the latest and greatest in hardware for its phones and tablets."

HTC, meanwhile, gets the leavings.

"Taiwanese handset maker HTC’s lawsuit against Apple over infringement of S3 Graphics’ patents has suffered a fatal blow (in addition to this one) as the United States International Trade Commission (ITC), which can block the import of products, reversed its earlier decision and ruled in favor of Apple on November 21. The Commission has officially ended its investigation of the case and HTC shares fell 4.9 percent on the news.

"And now, Bloomberg reports that HTC 'will reevaluate' its planned purchase of S3 Graphics following the ITC ruling."

All we'd need now would be for Google to 'reevaluate' its purchase of Motorola Mobility and the whole patent world would be looking sick.

Apple sales slowed, but it's RIM which has a particular problem. Data extends to the rest of the world too: Samsung and Apple are expanding fast in China.

Standard executive talk, but more interesting is this: "HTC admits that it plans to develop its own mobile operating system (OS), joining an industry-wide trend.<br />
"'We’ve opened many doors. But HTC will also strengthen traditional ties with our existing partners Microsoft and Google,' said an unnamed executive.<br />
"To better compete with Apple’s iOS, Samsung Electronics is rolling out more smartphone using its own mobile platform called Bada, which means ocean in Korean.<br />
"HTC, however, was on a slippery slope in terms of its development phase in its own OS as it would lack available applications.<br />
"If the HTC OS turns out to be a complete failure, analysts think it could be catastrophic for the firm. HTC sees Samsung Electronics as its biggest rival.<br />
"An uncompetitive and content-lacking OS would set HTC back and undoubtedly drag down its brand loyalty."

And so it goes on: "Asia’s second-biggest smartphone maker, is using nine patents bought from Google Inc. (GOOG) last week to pursue new infringement claims against Apple Inc."

"It turns out that two patents have already been upheld in this way. One patent involves manipulating data structures using user input (i.e. if you tap on a phone screen a number increments, that's patented). The second patent involves "real-time signal processing of serially transmitted data" - though this initially sounds like a hardware patent, it can involve any layers of software abstraction from real time operations (such as drivers). You'll find more detailed information on the FOSS Patents blog.<br />
"The result of this is that if it is formally approved, Apple could either charge HTC a license fee for every Android device they sell (bearing in mind HTC is already paying Microsoft license fees for the exact same reason) or prevent HTC from importing any Android devices at all into the United States. The latter measure can be enacted in as few as three or four months."

"To resolve Desire's memory issue and enable the upgrade to Gingerbread, we will cut select apps from the release. Look for status updates starting next week. We apologize for any confusion."<br />
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Also interesting: HTC UK uses Facebook to put out its notifications. Not press releases.

"Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp said on Tuesday consolidated sales for May reached T$40.62 billion ($1.42 billion), more than double the same month a year earlier.The monthly sales compared with T$18.82 billion a year ago and T$38.73 billion in the previous month."<br />
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That's some fast growth.