HTC has successfully completed its transformation from a company that makes handsets for others to rebrand to a company that is known for simply making great handsets. Over the past one year or so, HTC handsets have really impressed the mass market.
Their knack for making really great software and hardware combos have won them many a fan in the past one year. With the launch of the HD2, they have proved that they can hold their own against the big players like Apple, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and also Nokia.
HD2 was a phone that really made waves in the industry for being a total powerhouse with a very innovative UI. HTC showed everyone with their Sense UI that they can make even the drab Windows Mobile turn into a pretty software butterfly. And the Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor just made things that much better.
But ever since this phone was released, rumors of an Android phone with similar specifications was in the air. And even if there weren’t early leaks, the sheer logic of it was too much to ignore. And now, it is all but officially confirmed that there really is such a phone coming to the market next year.
It seems like HTC either really does not know how to keep a secret or they really want to generate the hype that such leaks are capable of. We saw it happening with the HD2 and then with the mysterious Snapdragon Android phone. And now, we have HTC’s entire roadmap for 2010.
This leak took place about two days back and you can rest assured that a lot of people have changed their plans about buying a new phone. I can already see Android fans jumping up and down with excitement.
HTC’s roadmap for 2010 includes a total of 8 phones and they are divided (unequally) into four categories – Design/Lifestyle, Social, Performance and Productivity. HTC had said earlier that they are going to continue making Windows Mobile phones and in this line up, there are three Windows Mobile phones. They make up the productivity section while the sole Snapdragon Android phone makes up the Performance category.
It is quite clear from the line up that HTC, like so many other phone making companies, is besotted by Android. And there is good reason to be too – it is free, (almost) completely customizable and is exceedingly well made. But sticking to Windows Mobile also makes sense. In fact, their 2010 line up explains a lot as to why they would want to stick to Windows Mobile.
Despite Android’s flexibility, it is still not suitable for an enterprise environment and Microsoft has always tried to make sure that their enterprise clients are kept happy. And this the company has often at the expense of consumers. HTC’s 2010 Windows Mobile line up smacks of business, enterprise and the corporate.
Getting to the leaked phones, it is great to see that HTC has gone no holds barred with the Android. All the other phones seem to be running Android and we are probably seeing a few first time form factors in Android phones, which is a good thing.
Meet the categories: -
Design/Lifestyle
As the category name suggests, this is the category that has the chic phones that pack in great styling with all the necessary features. The target crowd for this category is the chic and fashionable who want everything to match their style and that includes their phone.
This category has two phones – HTC Legend and HTC Salsa. The Legend has so far been known as the HTC Magic/Hero. The Legend drops the trackball in favor of an optical mouse. The leaked images all have the OS attached with the phones, so we know that the Legend is running Android. It is powered by a 600MHz processor and 256MB RAM. It has an AMOLED touchscreen, which should make it pretty appealing. Check out the images for the full configuration. Man, phones are reading more like computers than ever before and it seems like the gap is bridging pretty soon.
The other phone is the HTC Salsa and it has a form factor that has probably never been seen in Android phones before. It is a candy bar phone with a full QWERTY keypad. Think of the traditional BlackBerry form factor or phones like the E71 and E72. This has a less powerful processor – 528MHz – but it does have great styling and a touchscreen. It looks pretty thin too.
Social
Next is the ‘Social’ category and here we have the HTC Tide and the HTC Buzz. The Tide’s form factor is another first for Android phones. It has a touchscreen and a non-QWERTY keypad — the type that is seen in most entry-level phones. As can be expected from a ’Social’ phone, it will come with a lot of social networking apps built in. The brief says that the phone satisfies all your social networking in one place.
The Buzz is basically an upgraded version of the HTC Tatto. The swappable cover is still there but this one comes with a 5MP autofocus camera and larger 3.5” touchscreen.
Performance
We move on to the ‘Performance’ category. This category has only one phone and that is the HTC Bravo. It seems like Bravo is the US name for the phone that has been circulating through rumors as the HTC Dragon/Passion. Yes, this is the mysterious Snapdragon Android phone from HTC that every Android fan has been losing sleep over.
The Bravo represents probably the very best that smartphone can offer right now. A large 3.7” AMOLED screen, 1GHz processor, 256MB RAM (rumor claims upgrade to 512MB) and capacitive touchscreen. And it doesn’t stop there either. You have HD video capture (720P) with a 5MP camera with Dual LED flash and auto focus. This a candy bar phone, no keypad. I think that this might trump the Motorola Droid in terms of popularity. This phone is meant for anyone who want some serious muscle in their phone and are willing to spend for it. Trust me folks, this phone won’t come cheap.
Productivity
There are three phones in this category and they are all Windows Mobile phones. The focus here is of course the corporate and business crowd.
First up is the HTC Photon. This is a Windows Mobile 6.5 phone that has a 3.2” HVGA touchscreen, 5MP camera and 256MB RAM. It is powered by a Qualcomm processor that is clocked at 600MHz. The form factor is the same as the Bravo.
Next comes the HTC Trophy. This is like the Salsa in its form factor and this too is powered by a 600MHz processor from Qualcomm. It combines a 3.0” VGA capacitive touchscreen with a QWERTY keypad in a candy bar form factor.
The last is the HTC Tera. This has a slide out QWERTY keypad and resembles the N900 and the DROID in its form factor.This too is powered by a Qualcomm 600MHz processor. It has a 3.0” WVGA capacitive touchscreen.
Looks like the first half of 2010 is going to leave us all mind boggled.
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Go through the gallery for more details and full specs.
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