By Paul Carsten and Michael Gold BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp said new lines of mid-tier handsets will help it return to net profit in 2014, predicting cheaper products can help it reclaim market share and put an end to over two years of sliding sales. HTC's optimism comes despite 27 consecutive months of falling year-on-year revenue amid stiff competition from heavyweights like Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co. On Monday HTC said January sales slid 38 percent from a year earlier to T$9.67 billion ($319.23 million). Chief Financial Officer Chialin Chang told an analyst and investor briefing on Monday that 2014 should see a rise in gross profit margins due to an improved product mix. HTC's decline has been swift, squeezed by cheaper rivals in China as well as Apple and Samsung.



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