Smartphone brand HTC Corp (宏達電) on Tuesday reported a net loss of NT$760 million (US$25.74 million) in the first quarter, marking the 16th consecutive quarter of losses. Last quarter’s performance followed a net loss of NT$730 million in the fourth quarter of last year, with analysts attributing the results to escalating competition in the smartphone market. Losses per share stood at NT$0.92, compared with NT$0.89 a quarter earlier and NT$1.25 a year earlier, HTC said. However, HTC’s gross margin in the first quarter rose to 37.8 percent from 33.7 percent in the previous quarter, wit...