Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer, HTC made announcements last month about the launch of two new handsets HTC Desire HD and HTC Desire Z powered by Google’s Android OS. However, rumour mills are abuzz that the launch is delayed by a few weeks because they failed Google’s testing process.
Both the handsets were earlier slated for mid-October release, but now they seem to hit the shelves around October end. HTC had made it clear on Friday that the two handsets will not be available in the Asian markets before November.
No official confirmation over these reports is available yet and these bits continue to be a rumour until clarity emerges over the issue.
The HTC Desire Z and Desire HD Smartphones were unveiled last month and customers were to place their hands on the Desire HD on all networks except O2. Carriers even made public plans with monthly tariffs for the handset. The Desire Z was to be available via Vodafone, Phones4U, Carphone Warehouse and other retailers.
The 164g weighing Desire HD handset sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8255 1GHz processor, a 264K colour LCD display of 4.3 inch, 768MB of RAM and 8MP camera. It also allows the users to wirelessly transfer video to other device.
Coming to the 180g weighing Z model specs, it boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7230 800MHz processor, a Super LCD 3.7-inch display, 512MB RAM, a QWERTY keyboard and a 5MP camera.
Both the handsets features Android 2.2 Froyo, CDMA, GSM, HSPA, EDGE, GPRS, BT 2.1 & Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity, 1.5GB of storage along with a microSD slot, a micro USB slot, a 3.5mm ear jack socket, motion and proximity sensors, 720p video recording and WVGA Touch Screen displays.
Both the models also come with an updated Sense UI overlaid on Android 2.2. Other HTC devices can also get the new Sense UI in the future provided they feature Android 2.2 OS.
The HTC 7 Trophy Smartphone seems to go Vodafone’s way. A leaked snapshot of the company’s inventory suggests the Trophy as amongst one of the upcoming models. Motorola Defy also features in the picture. BestBoyz’s sources in a Vodafone’s German database spotted the HTC 7 Trophy for the first time.
HTC 7 Trophy is probably named that way to suggest that the much-awaited Windows Phone 7 platform powers it up. It seems more of a smaller sibling of HTC HD7.
The specs of the Trophy were leaked last week and the handset is expected to sport a 3.8-inch 800×400 WVGA display, 8GB memory, and a 5MP camera with LED Flash and autofocus. The handset is expected to have a 1GHz Snapdragon processor apart from 3G and Wi-Fi.
Just the way HTC Mozart handset powered by Windows Phone 7 has a fixed 8GB memory the HTC 7 Trophy has memory as its Achilles heel.
MobilePhonesDirect is offering the HTC Desire HD handset for a monthly rent of just £30 on a 2-year contract with an expected date of October 6th for despatch. The device will be made available by O2, Vodafone, and T-Mobile.
T-Mobile however seems to trounce its competition as it offers 900 minutes, 500 texts and 1GB unlimited mobile web.
Short term contracts are also available costing you £35 per month for 600 minutes talk time, unlimited text and unlimited mobile web with the phone for a one time price of £19 or a TCO of £559.
HTC Desire HD is priced on the same lines as HTC Desire Z when bought on contract though the SIM-Free version of Desire Z burns a larger hole to your pocket.
The HTC Desire HD as known to many is a clear upgrade of the HTC Desire as the bulkier Desire comes bundled with more memory ( RAM and ROM ), a higher pixel camera, a faster processor and a larger screen. The handset supports Dolby Mobile, SRS Surround and DLNA sound. Amazon currently offers the SIM-Free HTC Desire HD for £70 on pre-order.
As Android Froyo has hit some roadblocks, HTC Desire, HTC Legend and HTC Wildfire seem to be the first ones to get affected.
As per initial plans, the Froyo was to be launched on the Nexus One and then on the HTC Desire after a week. However, Froyo does not seem to hit the handsets anytime before September as Google and HTC continue to keep the issues under wraps.
It is not just the HTC handsets that will be affected by the delay because most other Android Smartphones are also awaiting the Froyo. The recently launched Samsung i900 Galaxy S and the Dell Mini 5 (Streak) are few such handsets which will have a significant impact.
HTC has been in the forefront of manufacturing stunning handsets on the Android platform and as we all know they made the Nexus One for Google too. HTC Desire is the basis for the Google Nexus One and hence the striking similarity between the two handsets is inevitable.
Google on the other hand will be under pressure to get the Android Froyo out thanks to the launch of the iPhone 4. Inspite of multiple issues in the iPhone 4, it is still a stiff competitor for the Android 2.1 Eclair.
It’s been more than a couple of months since Apple accused HTC that it infringed 20 patents (owned by Apple) used in the iPhone. The infringements are related to technology used in the architecture and underlying hardware as well as the iPhone UI. As is widely known, HTC manufactures handsets for many companies including Google and it is behind the Nexus One handset.
In continuation of that legal tussle, the Taiwanese handset major, HTC backfired at Apple by filing a lawsuit in the US for patent infringements. HTC has claimed its 5 patents being infringed and asked for halting the sale of iPhones, iPods, and iPads.
HTC has demanded a ban on import of all happening Apple gadgets i.e., iPhones, iPads and iPods from other countries as well.
The legal tussle carried out by Apple on HTC is being seen a proxy war by Apple on Google which has worked extensively with HTC so that it could develop the Android mobile platform. 2010 will see the war between Apple and Google reach the next level.
HTC started with Windows Mobile platform phones but switched over as a partner of Google later on and worked on the Android mobile OS. And that turned out to be an ace as HTC’s sales zoomed like never before thanks to its innovative handsets (Smartphones) with the Android operating system.
Meanwhile, Apple is already fighting a legal battle with the Finnish mobile giant, Nokia. Nokia sued Apple for infringing on its patents in October 2009. Apple filed a counter suit in December 2009 and Nokia fired another round of legal suits towards the end of 2009.
T-Mobile announced an Android smartphone, the myTouch 3G today, to build some hype around its release in June this year. The myTouch, manufactured by HTC, is probably the most customizable smartphones, in terms of user interfaces, out in the market.
The myTouch comes across as a well built phone with tons of features to play around with.
The myTouch measuring 4.55 x 2.37 x 0.6 inches and weighing 5.8 ounces comes with a 3.4 inch HVGA touchscreen, an optical joystick and slide-out Qwerty keyboard. Four buttons below the screen, include the home, menu, back and genius button. The genius button activates the voice command features built into the phone allowing you to make calls, send texts or e-mails and even read out texts for you. The phone also features a 5 mega pixel camera, an 8GB memory card and comes loaded with HTC’s Sense UI over the Android 2.1 OS.
The Faves gallery, another feature in the myTouch, enables instant connectivity to your 20 closest contacts in social networks and provides a special notification on receiving a message. The myTouch also provides a host of connectivity options such as GSM/GPRS/EDGE along with 3G UMTS/HSPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1. The myTouch, when launched, is expected to come in black, red or white.
Without a specific price announced for the myTouch, we can only wait and see if it lives up to the hype around it.
HTC will defend itself fully against the lawsuit in which it is entangled with Apple, as per official statements. As is widely known, Apple initiated legal proceedings against HTC claiming that the latter violated 20 of its patents pertaining to hardware as well as software.
As per the press release, HTC has carefully gone through the patent infringement claims made by Apple and it believes that it would be able to defend itself in all required aspects. HTC Corporation sounded as if it has drawn battle lines while claiming that it disagrees with Apple’s claims. HTC claimed itself as a strong advocate of Intellectual property rights and that it would respect other innovators and technologies as always.
It could have been an iPhone killer, had HTC decided to combine the HTC Desire and HTC Legend. HTC Legend primarily lacks a better hardware unit and hence HTC Desire is the most powerful Smartphone from HTC.
The Legend is more of an upgraded model of the HTC Hero as it comes with the same screen size and resolution albeit with a better processor, enhanced display and extras memory. And it has its USP in the form of the stylish aluminium chassis sets it apart from the competition in its build.
HTC has packed some of the best hardware for Smartphones on the other hand for Desire. A faster processor, larger screen, more memory coupled with a number of improvements makes it a better bet compared to the Legend when we talk about sheer performance and functionality.
We should not be surprised if HTC unveils an Android based Smartphone which combines the UI of the Legend with the sheer performance of the Desire though such a model does not figure out on the leaked HTC portfolio for 2010. This is so because roadmaps are often bound to change with time and the fact that a new phone with the best of both handsets can be a huge competitor to the next iPhone.
At the Mobile World Congress, HTC hogged a lot of limelight despite tough competition from Windows Phone Series 7 thanks to its stunning handsets and it would be sweet news to hear when you can lay hands on them.
Though official release dates are not out yet, Amazon has pulled an ace up its sleeve by announcing April 1st launch date for the HTC Desire and HTC Legend and April 14th for the HD Mini. Though rumours were adrift for earlier launch, these dates look great.
The listing of the HD Mini at £369, the beautiful Legend at £399 and the stunning Desire at a premium £528 by Amazon looks bold. More so, because we have Google Nexus One which is very much comparable to HTC Desire, sans the Sense UI – is priced as low as £349. The delta between the pricing leaves way for huge saving.
So, all you gadget fans out there would make well to cross-check the reviews of Desire, Legend and HD Mini before deciding to go sim-free. However, if you happen to lap up generous subsidies, operators with 18 and 24 month contracts may also prove well worth it.
HTC incredible another Smart Phone on HTC’s conveyer belt is soon making its way on to the production unit room. This smart phone, HTC incredible, is soon to be in markets with Verizon wireless network tag and is surely trying to be different from “Leno Chin” its predecessor, while trying to roughly retain its dimensions.
First visible distinguishing factor is this HTC Android based phone will be packaged in black and red color scheme than its traditional combination of white and grey shades. This will definitely compel customers to think out of box about this release.
One shortfall when compared to its predecessor is internal memory. While this incredible is equipped with 256 MB RAM when compared to earlier version’s 576 MB for other Android based smart phones. While most of other features are retained as is. Operating system is retained to be Android 2.1 with 1 GHz processor from Snapdragon 3.7 inch touch screen equipped with HTC Sense user interface along with the 5 megapixel camera. Flash with camera is another add-on for it.
Samsung i7500 also called as Galaxy is first Android based non HTC phone is much awaited release of this year just not because of non HTC Android based but also because of first Google phone from Samsung and also because of its powerful 5 Megapixel camera.
Samsung Galaxy sleeker than others of its kind and breed is equipped with 528 MHz of CPU which gives enough processing power to perform up to its expectations and 128MB RAM to provide enough space for that performance. First non HTC phone with Android base tag is also increasing the expectations. Touch Screen with virtual keyboard gives full space for its users to touch everywhere and feel everything with most powerful sensors.
Samsung Galaxy is also a weight conscious among all comparables with 119g, which is still on a slight higher side. But one cannot expect something lighter than this with these kinds of features. It not only provides enough memory for CPU performance, but also more than expected to store memories. It comes with inbuilt 8 Gb, which can be extended up to 16 GB with expandable MicroSD card. With so many features is Samsung i7500 is so much awaited in market for its release.
Recently HTC Magic has been seen missing in Vodafone, UK’s most desirable wireless carrier’s lineup, which some people feel is intriguing, especially while other world’s leading players are considering otherwise.
While Vodafone UK has stopped selling world’s second Android mobile platform device, its counterparts in US and Canada T Mobile and Rogers still continuing their efforts to push the model with the anticipation of its some more potential in the market.
Vodafone UK is feeling that HTC Magic’s magic has started fading and product is nearing end of life and has cleared the products off the racks of its stores. On other hand Rogers and T Mobile has offering upgrade from HTC’s Dream to Magic.
Rogers has provided its Magic customers an option to download latest Android 2.1 on its Airwave. While Vodafone is planning to clear off its HTC Magic stocks from its shelves, on the other hand it is planning to replace it with HTC Desire and HTC Legend. Does this mean that UK market is running ahead of US and Canada markets?
HTC is all set with a series of new releases of Smart phones across United Kingdom from April this year (HTC Desire, Legend and HD Mini). Amazon has already started orders from interested prospect for these three most anticipated yet to release HTC series.
In fact HTC has started shipping of the Desire and Legend and is slated to ring customer’s door bells on 1st of April, while customers have to wait some more time to hear the ring of HD Mini, which will happen by second week of April.
In comparison, HTC Desire, though has impressive 3.7 inch screen with 800 X 480 pixel screen, and is equipped with less memory than HD Mini.
All these are based on different versions of Android mobile operating systems and are priced in the most affordable range, so that they are at reachable heights on the shelves. Beating all the guesses, lowest of these three is HD Mini available at £369 followed by HTC Legend at £ 399, while HTC Desire starts at £528.
We can expect far reaching implications for all handset manufacturers who use Google’s Android operating system, if we are to believe some analysts. Forrester Research suggests that this law suit against alleged patent infringement could just be the first of several such suits.
A lot of the patents named in the suit relate to operating system processes though Apple did not target Google in its law suit. And HTC has got support from Google which sounds unusual in such cases. Google claims not being a party to the lawsuit, but supporting Android operating system as well as the partners who helped them build it.
The first manufacturer to use Android as the operating system in its phones, HTC is also the manufacturer for Google’s debut handset, the Nexus One. Analysts are floating views that Apple is attacking Google “in proxy” by suing HTC.
HTC has meanwhile denied commenting on the suit, before assessment of validity of the claims.
Forrester research believes that this suit could have implications for other manufacturers including LG, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung who showcased their phones at the prestigious Mobile World Congress, last month.
Apple has accused HTC that it has infringed 20 patents (owned by Apple) used in the iPhone. The infringements are related to technology used in the architecture and underlying hardware as well as the iPhone UI. As is widely known HTC manufactures handsets for many companies including Google and it is behind the Nexus One handset.
To put this in Apple boss Steve Jobs words: “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
Apple has sought for an injunction in its legal filing, which could eventually bar sale of HTC phones that use the disputed technology in the US. The suit has been filed with the US International Trade Commission and a Delaware district court.
HTC has not responded yet. HTC has made several handsets based on the Android platform, the Google Mobile OS and has been in the limelight for designing the first handset branded by Google, Nexus One.
Manufacturer’s Description:
HTC have pulled no punches by creating the biggest groundbreaking mobile phone to happen to Windows Mobile…the HTC Touch HD smartphone.
Dubbed as ‘the mobile phone that outruns the iPhone features by far’ is really something so let’s see what it offers. With an impressive 3.8 inch touch-screen display you’ll receive the ultimate cinematic experience which is certainly better than the 3.5 inch iPhone display. Internet browsing is taken to another level with the 800 pixel widescreen that allows full page browsing at ultra fast speeds via the built in HSDPA connectivity! This touch-smart mobile phone can be used with ease with the ‘touch-responsive TouchFLO 3D screen’ magnetic stylus and 4 touch-sensitive buttons under the screen!
GPS and Google Maps allow you to navigate with confidence and see more of the world around you. The maps will be bigger and crisper thanks to the huge screen. Simply tap the screen controls to zoom in and view more details. The Touch HD is a perfect alternative to your TomTom! Good isn’t it! Well you’ll also get the perfect picture via the 5.0-megapixel camera with autofocus. The widescreen image viewer display helps you see your picture memories at there best. Oh did I mention you enjoy your music? Well you can with the MP3 player and FM radio with RDS.
The HTC Touch HD mobile phone is compact and racks up some impressive credentials:
Features:
Click here for HTC Touch HD deals from OBIL.co.uk
Manufacturer’s Description: If you are looking for connectivity accessibility camera functionality and more all in one stylish touch sensitive handset – then I would recommend the HTC Magic. Email synchronisation with Google Mail GPS with Google Maps interactive communications with Google Chat are in store with this fantastic new handset.
Add to that high speed internet Wi-Fi connection and an impressive 3.2-megapixel camera and it’s easy to see why this phone is one to watch from the HTC team!
3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch screen display
Integrated Google applications
Android operating system
3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus
512MB of internal memory
Wi-Fi functionality Features:3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch screen displayIntegrated Google ApplicationsAndroid operating system3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus512MB of internal memory Click here for HTC Magic White deals from OBIL.co.uk
The new HTC Hero mobile phone is sleek and classy with plenty of personality it really is a phone you will want to show off. See your phone come to life on the stunning 3.2 inch TFT-LCD touchscreen display with fantastic resolution. Enjoy tools such as handwriting recognition and a built-in accelerometer for customisable display options and a handy trackball for quicker access to features.
Multimedia and connectivity are top of the list for the HTC Hero all tailored to make your life easier and keep you in touch on the move. The 5.0-megapixel camera and Windows Media Player combined with 4GB of internal memory are a fantastic combination designed to cater for all your multimedia and entertainment needs. High speed connectivity comes in the form of Wi-Fi HSDPA internet and GPS. This new mobile phone from HTC is here to save the day – The HTC Hero!
Enjoy super sharp visuals with the 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch screen display Point and click with the 5.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus Play and manage all your video and music files with Windows Media player Storage available right from the box with 4GB internal memory Easy access to all your favourite websites with Wi-Fi Consult your phone for directions with the GPS function
Click here for HTC Hero Pink deals from OBIL.co.uk
Manufacturer’s Description: The new HTC Hero mobile phone is sleek and classy with plenty of personality it really is a phone you will want to show off. See your phone come to life on the stunning 3.2 inch TFT-LCD touchscreen display with fantastic resolution. Enjoy tools such as handwriting recognition and a built-in accelerometer for customisable display options and a handy trackball for quicker access to features.
Enjoy super sharp visuals with the 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch screen display Point and click with the 5.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus Play and manage all your video and music files with Windows Media player Storage available right from the box with 4GB internal memory Easy access to all your favourite websites with Wi-Fi Consult your phone for directions with the GPS function Features: Click here for HTC Hero deals from OBIL.co.uk
Manufacturer’s Description: Click Here to see a video of the HTC Touch Diamond 2
The HTC Touch Diamond 2 is here and with the success and popularity of the original model HTC have further improved a stunning mobile phone. Admire the stunning 3.2-inch LCD touch screen display for spectacular visuals when viewing videos or looking at pictures. Use the newly added zoom bar for advanced viewing of media on your mobile phone or making the most of viewing websites.
The HTC Touch Diamond 2 also features Windows 6.1 professional including applications such as pocket office and Windows Media player. With HTC’s vibrant touch-responsive user interface TouchFLO™ 3D and ultra-fast HSDPA internet connectivity you are guaranteed an accessible and. Plus use the 5.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus and store many multimedia files with the 512MB internal memory. Enjoy crisp clear visuals with the larger 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch screen display Get more out of your phone and it’s applications with Windows 6.1 Professional Admire the impressive Vibrant TouchFLO™ 3D user interface Capture all your pictures with the 5.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus Cater for your multimedia needs with the 512MB of internal memory Play music or watch movies on the go with the integrated multimedia player Features:3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch screen displayWindows 6.1 Professional operating systemTouchFLO 3D screen technology3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus512MB of internal memory Click here for HTC Touch Diamond 2 deals from OBIL.co.uk
