HTC Adds Sense and Takes Android to The Next Level

This week HTC released their latest smartphone based on Google’s Android platform - the HTC Hero. Unlike the Android devices we’ve seen from HTC thus far, the Hero device comes with the Android version of TouchFlo 3D, and it’s called Sense.  Sense is focused on putting people at the center by making your phone work in a more simple and natural way. If you’ve ever used TouchFlo on a HTC Windows Mobile based device, then you know what to expect from Sense.

Besides the new interface, HTC has packed this device with some really cool features, like an anti-fingerprint screen coating, or how about the Teflon coating for a more durable white surface.  Still not cool enough for you? How about a 5 megapixel camera, 3.2 inch HVGA display, gravity sensor, Quad band radio, 528MHz processor, 512MB ROM / 288MB RAM,  and of course, a GPS.

As with previous Android devices, the Hero still carries the big chin at the bottom edge of the device. There are mixed feelings about this design. From my limited exposure, it doesn’t appear to be an issue when holding or typing on the device.  From a purely looks point of view, I would rather not have it.  But it had little effect on my usage.

The Hero will be available across Europe in July and then in Asia later in the summer.  HTC has promised a “distinct” version will be made available in North America later in 2009.

HTC Snap Smartphone Reviewed at MobilityMinded.com

It’s been a long time since HTC had a Windows Mobile Standard device.  The Excalibur is a great device for it’s time, but it lacks many of the more popular features found on today’s Standard edition devices. Earlier this year, HTC announced an all new Standard edition phone to replace the Excalibur and it’s finally starting to ship.  You can find this device in many of the popular online mobile retail outlets as well as on various carrier networks.

The question is, does HTC still have it?  Is this new Standard edition device enough to win back the market which they once owned? Or does Samsung and Motorola (to a lesser degree) still have the market on messenger devices cornered? The Excalibur was my device of choice for a short time.  I then switched to Samsung’s BlackJack line of devices and haven’t looked back because HTC just didn’t have the features that I was looking for. 

All that should be changing with the release of HTC’s Snap smartphone.  Remo Knops from Mobility Minded has got his hands on the new Snap smartphone and posted a detailed review of the device.  Take a chance to read his review and let us know your thoughts on the Snap.  Is this too little too late from HTC or is it just what the doctor ordered?

HTC Touch Pro 2 Gets Reviewed

Back at Mobile World Congress, HTC announced the new Touch Pro 2 device which builds upon the successful Touch family of products – specifically, the Touch Pro (no surprise there, eh?). The Touch Pro 2 has recently become available for purchase. Currently the device is shipping with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, but HTC has publicly said that they will be releasing a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for this device. So if you’re looking to move from your current device, but you want the latest and greatest version of Windows Mobile and you don’t want to wait until the fall, then this device is a great option for you.

Recently the Gear Diary review team of Judie Lipsett and Drew Guttadore joined forces with Clinton Fitch to post a really interesting 3 person review of this hot new device. I had a chance to play with this device for a short time back in early March, and it’s an amazing piece of hardware. My initial thoughts back then, was that the Touch Pro 2 could be the first device that makes me want to switch back to a touch screen device.

Check out the review (on ClintonFitch.com or Gear Diary)  and let us know what your thoughts are on the Touch Pro 2.

HTC Snap Video Round-Up

This past week HTC announced their all new smartphone called the HTC Snap. The device seems to be getting a fair amount of buzz since it was announced. HTC was showing it off to everyone at CTIA this week and now there are a number of video’s appearing online showing the Snap in action.  In particular, there are three video’s that I wanted to link to. The first video, shown above, by MobileBurn.com shows Eric Lin from HTC explaining how the new InnerCircle functionality works. The next video is from HTC and it’s more of a promo piece that shows off the Snap. The final video is from SoloPalmari.com and it shows the Snap playing a video. The playback is pretty smooth and effortless.

The more I see of this device, the more I want one. Come on HTC, hurry up and get the North American version released.

HTC Snap Announced at CTIA 2009

Today at CTIA in Las Vegas, HTC officially announced the HTC Snap smartphone. The Snap marks the first messenger style device from HTC since the Dash (also known as Excalibur). This new smartphone features new software by HTC called “Inner Circle” that aims to automatically prioritize email from the most important people in your life. At this time, we don’t have too much information on how this software works. We are watching for more information and will keep you posted as we find out more.

The HTC Snap features a 528Mhz processor, 256MB ROM / 192MB RAM, a 2.4 inch QVGA screen (320×240), a 2.0 megapixel camera, Jog ball, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and with a 1500 mAh battery that claims up to 8 hours of talk time or 15.8 days on standby. There will be a 3G version available for Europe and North America. The European version is expected to be available during the second quarter of 2009, with the North American version hitting the streets in the summer.

There’s still a lot of information that we don’t know at this time.  I have spent some time looking at the attached pictures, and I noticed a couple of interesting things. 1) there’s a messenger key on the keyboard – I’m not sure if this means it will be pre-loaded with MSN Messenger, or if it’s meant to launch a different application. It seems to indicate that HTC is serious about making this a killer messenger device.

2) The power button has been moved to the End key. Typically HTC likes to have their own power button and they use the End key for locking the keypad.  Locking has been moved to the Q key. If you look closely around the sides of the device, you may notice that there doesn’t appear to be anything except volume buttons and power jacks. It’s a very clean design.

3) The camera button is a Function key away.  So to launch the camera, you need to press the function key, then the messenger button.  I’m guessing that HTC has determined that people using this device are not heavy into using the camera. That’s not what I expected, but it’s not a really big deal to me either way.

My initial thoughts on this device is – WOW. HTC has done a really nice job on this device. They’ve spent some time making sure that they built a rock solid, feature rich messenger focused device. I can’t wait until I can get my hands on this device and put it through some paces. 

The full press release along with some more pictures can be found after the break.

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AT&T Makes the Samsung Propel Pro Official

AT&T has announced the new Samsung Propel Pro smartphone will be available on their network in April. This new device is based on the popular Propel model but features Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard as it’s operating system. The silver and chrome slider smartphone sports a full QWERTY keyboard.  Unlike the typical side - sliders we’ve seen in North America, the Propel Pro, like the Propel and Samsung i620 from Europe, slides down to reveal the keyboard. While we don’t have an official spec sheet at this time, so we can’t confirm if there is a GPS or not. It does appear that the Propel Pro has a 3.0 mega pixel camera and supports WiFi, both of which are noticeable in the pictures.  

Looking closely at the pictures, it also appears that the Propel Pro could be the first Windows Mobile Standard device to break out of the 320×240 screen size.  It’s clear that the screen is not the typical portrait layout (240×320) as it’s much to wide a handset with the keyboard.  However, the screen appears to be longer than that of the BlackJack II. It’s also pretty clear that it’s not square as the height of the screen is noticeably more than the width.  Perhaps we’re looking at a 320×400 screen?

I can’t wait to learn more about this new device.  The bigger screen resolution and small footprint could make for interesting competition to HTCs Maple smartphone. The days are numbered for my BlackJack II.

(Source = the::unwired)

HTC Returns to the Messenger Market with the Maple Smartphone

It’s been a long time since HTC had a device in the messenger space. The Excalibur, HTC’s first messenger style device, was a  smash hit with T-Mobile users under the name of Dash. This device was also sold across many other carriers and under many other names, including HTC’s brand as the s620. Following the Excalibur, HTC released the Cavalier. This device added 3G, but never managed to get any traction and didn’t last very long. At this point, HTC turned their focus to other devices and left the messenger market to it’s own devices and companies like Samsung and Moto came in and took over with their BlackJack and Q series of devices.

If the pictures posted by Cnet Germany (via WM Experts) are any indication, all that is about to change. The new HTC Maple is the first messenger device from HTC in a while and it sure looks nice. There is no official comment from my sources at HTC and as such, there is no official specs to be had.  But if we look at what HTC has been doing and what this image shows us, we can guess at what features this might have. HTC’s most recent WinMo Standard device, the Rose, has a 528Mhz processor with 256MB for RAM and ROM and 3G in a very small package.  I would be surprised if these specs don’t make it to the Maple. WiFi is also a staple on most, if not all HTC devices, so expect to see WiFi. Further, you can clearly see the trackball on the front of the Maple.  This is a welcome change from the horrible JOGGR touch panel that the original Excalibur and Cavalier sported. The screen appears to be 320×240 and shows the sliding panel home screen from WinMo 6.1.  Don’t take this as an indication that there won’t be WinMo 6.5 on the device.  We haven’t seen any screen shots of 6.5 on a standard (non-touch) device. So it’s unclear what the user can expect to see with 6.5. WinMo 6.5 will mainly focus on finger usability, so it’s possible that there is no new user experience changes to standard devices.

GPS should also be expected.  Although, to be honest, you can never tell these days.  Some devices where you expect to see it, it’s doesn’t get added.  It sure would be nice to see this with GPS, as I use it so much these days. With any luck, we’ll see a spring launch and hopefully it will be here in North America.

I’ve got my fingers crossed – can’t wait to try the new HTC Maple.

HTC Responsible for 80% of Windows Mobile Device Sales

It shouldn’t come as a big surprise to hear that HTC has sold 80% of all Windows Mobile smartphones sold to date. After all, they dominate the Million+ sellers list with 7 out of the total of 11 devices. But when you start to break down the numbers, it really starts to get interesting.

Microsoft announced at Mobile World Congress that they sold 50 million Windows Mobile devices to date, with 20 million in the last year. HTC then announced that they have sold 40 million Windows Mobile devices since they started building Windows Mobile units. And remember, they have been with Microsoft since the start and for the majority of their existence, they built devices for other companies, only bringing their brand out in the last couple years.

50 million sold, less the 40 million that HTC accounts for, and that leaves 10 million devices. Of that 10 million, we know that Samsung has 3 devices in the million sellers list. Assuming, which we all know is a bad idea, that they only sold exactly 1 million units, that means Samsung is good for 3 million out of that 10. Motorola also, has a device on the million sellers list, so they account for another 1 out of that 10. That leaves us with 6 million units. Those 6 million units are divided across the rest of the device manufacturers like Palm, Asus, LG, HP, etc…

I’m not sure if having one company control so much of the Windows Mobile devices sold is a good thing or not. It’s nice to know that they are successful in what they are doing, and that clearly shows in the quality of their devices. We all know that competition is good for the consumer. Samsung is clearly in the best position in terms of competition, but they’ve got a long way to go if they’re going to threaten HTC. The recent announcement by LG to make Windows Mobile the primary OS for their smartphones could be the competition that the market needs. LGs plans to bring 50 different Windows Mobile devices to market over the next 4 years. Even with 25 of those coming in 2012, that still leaves just over 8 devices a year over 3 years. As much as HTC has done, 8 different models could be a strong push into their market.

Ah, the times are changing! I’m looking forward to seeing what these companies can do to innovate and bring new and exciting devices to the market over the next couple years.

[from InformationWeek via MocoNews ]

Top Selling Windows Mobile Devices of All Time

During the Windows Mobile talk at CntrStg @ CES, Greg Sullivan mentioned that there are 11 phones that have sold in excess of 1 million units. That’s a pretty impressive achievement. I was curious to know more about these 11 devices. Like, how many are touch screen vs non-touch screen? And what manufacturers have made the best selling devices.  I’m sure you can guess some of the devices and companies that made it to the list.  But I wanted to know them all.  Thankfully, Greg provided me with a list of all the devices that have reached the 1 Million+ milestone.

The following list is in no particular order.  Other than some minor formatting changes, it’s exactly how I received it.

• Samsung Omnia (SGH-i900/908/SCH-i910/M490)
• Samsung Blackjack II (SGH-i617)
• Samsung Blackjack (SGH-i607/600)
• Motorola Q
• HTC Touch Diamond (Diamond/Diamond-C)
• Audiovox SMT 5600 (HTC)
• HTC Dash (Excalibur)
• HTC xv6800  (Titan)
• HTC TyTN II (Tilt/Kaiser)
• HTC Touch (Elf/Vogue)
• HTC P800W (Artemis)

There’s a total of 4 different manufacturers on the list, 3 if you consider that the Audiovox device was made by HTC.  Of the top 11 best selling Windows Mobile devices, 7 are from HTC including the Audiovox device, 3 from Samsung and 1 from Motorola. Further, there are 6 Windows Mobile Pro devices (touch screen) and 5 Windows Mobile Standard (non-touch) devices. And of those non-touch screen devices, 4 out of 5 are messenger style devices - that’s devices with a front facing QWERTY. Another interesting fact is that 7 out of 11, or just over 63% of these devices have a QWERTY on them. 

I really have to wonder if the current trend by carriers and manufacturers to focus on iPhone like devices is such a smart move. With QWERTY being so predominate on the top selling devices, and over 45% of the top selling devices are non-touch screen, there is a definite trend of successful non-iphone like devices. I hope the manufacturers and carriers can see past the iPhone and work towards being original and different once again.

Removing the Application Lock on HTC s740 Smartphone

Windows Mobile has this concept of Application Lock that defines the amount of access an application has to certain parts of the phone. No Application Lock means that applications can do and access pretty much anything.  To the other extreme, full Application Lock means that no applications can even be installed.  Now, most devices ship with some level in-between. Where signed applications are allowed and some unsigned applications are also allowed. But not every unsigned application. Those that write to restricted parts of the device are no allowed to install. As most devices do, HTC’s latest non-touch screen device, the s740, falls somewhere in the middle.  Overall, this is a good thing because it protects the average user from installing harmful applications.  But for those of us that want more, it’s a pain. With the s740, it appears to be a little more restrictive than in the past. I’ve had problems installing some of my everyday applications that normally have not caused me any problems.

For whatever reason, removing the application lock on the s740 is not the same as past devices and requires a little more effort.  I’ve detailed the steps required below.  Simply follow these steps and you’ll be able to install any application you like.

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