Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has been on a buying spree to reshape its business and help defend against lawsuits, though it remains to be seen if the strategy will help it gain ground on rivals like Apple, Samsung, and Research In Motion. HTC has bought or invested in at least six companies this year, many of which provide technologies to improve how users consume and share content on its devices. It's a big change for the Taiwanese manufacturer, which focused for much of its existence on hardware, leaving software and content to its partners.