HTC Snap vs Samsung Jack – FIGHT!

Being a big fan of the Messenger style Windows Mobile devices, I was pretty excited to see HTC return to this market with the Snap (T-Mobile Dash 3g, Verizon Ozone, etc…). While they were away, Samsung really stepped up their game and released a number of devices. HTC typically does a great job on the hardware, so let’s compare it to the latest and greatest device from Samsung and see how it fairs.

Processor

Both the HTC Snap (also known as the T-Mobile Dash 3G) and the Samsung Jack sport a 528MHz processor which provides a wealth of power for general tasks. Despite the fast processor, I have noticed some lag on the HTC Snap. Especially on opening the start menu after a fresh reboot. It’s a good 4-5 seconds waiting for the start menu to populate. It draws the windows almost instantly, but it takes a while to show the available programs. Advantage – Jack

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Taking a Tour of the T-Mobile Dash 3G

Also known as the HTC Snap, the T-Mobile Dash 3G is HTC’s latest Windows Mobile Standard based device. It’s the first messenger style device since the original Dash was released all those years ago. The Snap features a much faster 528MHz processor, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a Trackball for navigation, 256MB ROM / 192MB RAM, 2.0 Megapixel camera, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, a 2.4 inch screen, and weighing in at 4.23 ounces. Besides the physical specs, the device comes loaded with Office Mobile, Google Maps, Live Search, QuickGPS, TeleNav, a YouTube client, T-Mobile My Account application, a number of IM applications, and some video and camera utilities.

There’s a couple things I noticed right away. First, the scroll speed on the trackball by default, is slower than I would have liked. I changed it from Normal to Fast and that made it more responsive. The other thing that caught my attention is the mouse pointer that appears when you open IE Mobile. I changed the speed of the trackball for IE as well, but still found the trackball to be very unresponsive in IE Mobile. Once you learn that the trackball doesn’t support diagonal motion, you start to get better response out of it. At that point, two swipes would get me all the way across the screen. [ ..Read More.. ]

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 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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