NEXT WAVE OF HTC INNOVATION: DIAMOND + RAPHAEL + DREAM

April 9th, 2008 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, HTC, WINDOWS MOBILE 1 Comment »

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On the 6 of May 2008, be prepared for the “next wave of HTC INNOVATION”.

So what has HTC in store for all of us! 

Is it going to be the launch of their Android phone, the so-called DREAM?
Or is it going to be the launch of the successor to the Touch, and the TyTN II?
Just keep guessing… you won’t know until the 6th of May arrives. 

While you are guessing yours, here are my guesses:

RAPHAEL - THE HTC TyTN III
(now you know why they lowered the TyTN II price recently)

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DIAMOND - HTC CRUISE II

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DREAM - HTC ANDROID PHONE

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The images above are for you to imagine how the next wave of HTC innovation look like.

Could I be right?

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THE ANDROID PHONE : HTC DREAM

March 21st, 2008 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, GOOGLE No Comments »

It was reported today on PC World that HTC Android phone is known as the HTC Dream:

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” The mobile phone High Tech Computer (HTC) has been developing to run on the Android software from Google will be called “Dream,” have a large touchscreen and full QWERTY keypad, a person close to the situation said Thursday.

HTC may become the first handset maker in the world to put out a mobile phone developed around Android, but it faces stiff competition from Samsung, a separate source said. Samsung has stepped up its effort to put out a Google phone, the person said.

HTC’s Google handset is just over 5-inches long and 3-inches wide, with a keypad underneath the screen that either slides out or swivels out. The aim of the keypad is for easy e-mail, note-taking and writing Web addresses.

Internet navigational controls are situated below the screen on the handset.

The handset will likely hit the market near the end of this year, the person said.

The company officially remained mum on the handset.

“We cannot comment on this product,” said Maggie Cheng, an HTC representative.

Last November, HTC became the first company to admit to developing a mobile phone based on Android, although Samsung, Motorola and other handset developers are part of the group dedicated to furthering the software, theOpen Handset Alliance.

Android, an open source software platform that includes an OS, is designed to take advantage of Internet services for mobility. The software could become a potent new rival to Windows Mobile and other handset operating systems. At the launch ceremony, Google announced that over 30 companies had joined the Open Handset Alliance. “

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HTC CEO PETER CHOU : “WINDOWS MOBILE HAS A LOT OF VALUE AND OUR COMMITMENT TO WINDOWS MOBILE IS NOT CHANGING, ACTUALLY.”

December 11th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, HTC, WINDOWS MOBILE No Comments »

HERE’S THE EXCERPT FROM THE INTERVIEW THAT ENGADGET HAD WITH HTC CEO PETER CHOU…

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ENGADGET:
“I think that in some ways in the last few years Microsoft has been holding its partners back with the Windows Mobile platform. I’m curious to know if you feel that Android is what is necessary for HTC to take the next step in next-generation mobile devices? Do feel that Microsoft is in some ways is holding you back?”

PETER CHOU:
“No, not really. I think that Microsoft Windows Mobile has a lot of value and sometimes people may not see that. Windows Mobile has a lot of value and our commitment to Windows Mobile is not changing, actually. Our commitment to Windows Mobile is even stronger, but Android is, for HTC, a good opportunity to expand our portfolio. Maybe more consumer focused, that kind of an internet experience. But Windows Mobile is strong for enterprise [customers]. Of course, there are some devices we’ve been working on, like the Touch, where we’re trying to improve the experience with it. Our belief is that not a single device can satisfy all.

We believe that a portfolio of products is important to different people and different segmentations or demographics. So at HTC our core values, our strengths, and our experience in the past couple of years is really about our commitment to innovation and our mobile operator experience. We work with all kinds of mobile operators around the world — that kind of knowledge and trying to really drive the quality of the product up and to sort of incorporate with mobile operators. So we are adding a lot of value onto [Windows Mobile]. In short, We think that this is two truly separate things. We think that the opportunity will continue for both.”

ENGADGET:
“Do you feel like working with some of the US-only standards — or even more specifically, with some of the very domestic-minded American carriers — is a very distinct business challenge for you? Something that you have to look at from a completely different approach from the rest of everything that you do?”

PETER CHOU:
“Yes, the US is quite different. US mobile operator behavior is very different. They are very powerful. [Chuckles] They are quite controlling. Sometimes there is a lot of reason for them to be so controlling, though. We can understand that because the US, for example, is very big, so you cannot build the same sales density like Europe or Asia. At the same time the US is also like maybe seven countries in Europe. The way the operate, the decisions from headquarters might not be relevant to the regional guy, so it’s like you are working with seven countries. Device certification is very strict because there is a lot of quality and reception problems, so US standards and requirements are very high. So over time we have come out with US-specific versions and designs in terms to meet with all sorts of US requirements. So that’s definitely painful.”

You can read the whole interview here.

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ANDROID X86 GPHONE?

November 14th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, HTC No Comments »

IS THIS THE NEW ANDROID X86 GPHONE?

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HTC’s Peter Chou says in the two years it’s been working on OHA designs, “this is the best one we’ve seen.” The device itself, which measures about 3 x 5-inches, sports a touchscreen, navigational controls at the base, and a full swivel out keyboard. When swiveled the screen goes from portrait to landscape mode… T-Swivel?

Source: jkkmobile

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THE ANDROID UI

November 13th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, HTC No Comments »

Here’s a peek from Engadget into how the Android UI looks like…

TOUR

 

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THE ANDROID IS COMING ….

November 13th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, GOOGLE, HTC No Comments »

HTC PLANS TO RELEASE 2 OR 3 ANDROID-BASED HANDSETS IN 2008.

Below is a picture of the so-called “DREAM” handset.  You can bet it will include the now famous TouchFlo technology from HTC. 

GPHONE

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WINDOWS EMBEDDED CE 6.0 R2

November 12th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, PDA PHONES, SMARTPHONES, SOFTWARE, WINDOWS MOBILE 1 Comment »

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WINDOWS CE 6.0 R2 WILL BRING YOU VOIP VIDEO AND 3-WAY AUDIO WITH NEW VOIP TECHNOLOGIES.  In the future all voice communications will be connected via IP over cellular network.  With the expected arrival of ANDROID, Microsoft has to wake up and get back in the race.

Microsoft is inviting you to join them at the Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 Launch Event and get ready to build the next generation of smart, connected devices.

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 adds even more exciting technologies to the CE 6.0 operating system - technologies that embedded developers can use to boost their creative capabilities and easily establish connections to Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and other devices.

This is a virtual event, so you’ll be among the first to get up to speed on the latest features in CE 6.0 R2, right from your PC. There’s no travel, no registration fees, and no downtime required - just sign up and attend from your office, living room, or any remote location.
 
 
ABOUT WINDOWS EMBEDDED CE 6.0 R2
Build cutting edge connected devices with CE 6.0 R2. The new and updated technologies in R2 enable you to bring innovative devices to market faster than ever before while offering your customers unparalleled connected experiences.

Get an in-depth look at what’s new in Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2, including:

Connectivity Capabilities
Quickly develop small footprint device scenarios and connect to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
Build richer end user experiences and develop new capabilities into your product with WSD technologies
Create exciting device scenarios such as VOIP video and 3-way audio with new VOIP technologies
And more…

Confidence
CE 6.0 R2 components can easily be added to existing CE 6.0 projects to quickly create new connected experiences
Current CE 6.0 users can download the R2 components directly onto their workstations
Download an evaluation version and give it a try.
Get support on CE 6.0 R2 from a worldwide community of Windows Embedded CE experts inside and outside of Microsoft 

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DID HTC BETRAYED MICROSOFT BY SUPPORTING ANDROID ?

November 8th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, HTC, WINDOWS MOBILE 2 Comments »

After the launch of ANDROID, there were too many questions that need to be answered especially by HTC, the biggest PDA phone manufacturer in the world.  Hope these 2 interviews that I sourced from MSMOBILES and BOYGENUISREPORT  will give all of us a proper perspective of what to expect in the future.

Edward J. Rutkowski of  MsMobiles reported:

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“Today we have participated in a teleconference organized by HTC in the morning European time. Apart from presentation also John Wang from HTC Taiwan and Florian Seiche from HTC Europe were answering questions. Although we have recorded this teleconference in audio, we have no permission to publish it in that form. Therefore here is description of the questions and answers part of this teleconference:”

Q: HOW WILL THE NEW ALLIANCE CHANGE THE MOBILE WORLD ?
A: It will deliver Internet and not just web browsing to mobile phones.

Q: TO MAKE HANDSETS BASED ON ANDROID, DOES A COMPANY NEEDS TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ALLIANCE ?
A: There are no limits, any company can join.

Q: WILL HTC-MANUFACTURED ANDROID PHONES BE BRANDED BY OPERATORS, BY HTC, OR BY GOOGLE ?
A: HTC-branded and mobile operator branded operators are coming. Google branded devices: Google should be asked.

Q: WILL THERE BE A NEW FAMILY FOR ANDROID BASED PHONES FROM HTC, OR THEY WILL BE PART OF, FOR EXAMPLE, HTC TOUCH FAMILY ?
A: [not 100% clear] There will be new families for Android.

Q: IS ANDROID MORE CONSUMER-FOCUSED OR MORE ENTERPRISED-FOCUSED?
A: The core nature of Android is Internet experience and thus Android is focused on consumer market and to do more than just making voice calls and sending SMS messages (texting).

Q: WHAT NEW FEATURES CAN BE EXPECTED IN ANDROID PHONES MADE BY HTC AND SHIPPING IN SECOND HALF OF 2008 ?
A: No specifics to be announced now.

Q: HOW ANDROID PHONES MADE BY HTC WILL AFFECT RELATIONSHIPS WITH MICROSOFT AND SYMBIAN ?
A: HTC is very committed to Windows Mobile platform (of Microsoft). Android is [just] an additional business opportunity for HTC. When it comes to Symbian: HTC ships no Symbian phones today. Please note: not “makes” but “ships” word was used - possibly HTC makes Symbian phones for somebody and will ship them in future.

Q. WHEN WILL HTC ANDROID DEVICE SHIP?
A. Second half of 2008 with more to follow.

Q: IS ANDROID “OPEN SOURCE” AND CAN I USE IT FOR FREE IN MY DEVICE ?
A: Consumers will not be able to put Android and make their own forms but manufacturers will be able to do. For individuals it would be difficult.

Q: MORE INFO ABOUT ANDROID ? ON WHAT OS IT IS BASED ?
A: it is Open Source platform build on Linux kernel designed to create great user experience. Developer kit for Android - to be released next week - will reveal a lot of technical details.

Q: WILL HTC DO HARDWARE ONLY OR ALSO SOFTWARE/ APPLICATION FOR ANDROID ?
A: HTC looks at total user experience and not just at devices or applications. Shortly speaking: HTC will do both.

Q: SOME INNOVATION THAT IS YET TO COME ?
A: Too early to share additional innovations.

Q: WILL ANDROID SUPPORT TOUCH-SCREEN DEVICES ?
A: [not 100% clear] At first not, but later: surely.

Q: MORE INFO ABOUT LOCATION-BASED SERVICES IN ANDROID ?
A: Too early to release info.

Q: HOW FAR ALONG IS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, IS A LOT TO BE DONE YET BEFORE CLASSES ?
A: Nobody has created Android device before. There is a lot of work, we are very far along the way.

Q: WHAT ADVANTAGES WILL ANDROID HAVE OVER LINUX-BASED MOBILE PHONE PLATFORM ?
A: Android is designed to be OPEN mobile platform. Application or content from one device to another can be ported to other devices from other manufacturers without any issues of interoperability. There has never been such a big alliance in mobile phone industry - of such companies. Key feature is Internet and who is the leader of the Internet? Google! The Google is therefore the advantage! Also support of Qualcomm and mobile operators is vital. Unique OS compared to other Linux mobile operating systems.

Q: IS HTC ANDROID COMING TO EMEA REGION ALSO IN SECOND HALF OF 2008?
A: Yes.

 

THE BOYGENUIS REPORT reported:

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“We got a chance to sit down, so to speak, with HTC America’s VP, Jason Mackenzie Monday evening. There was this little, tiny announcement you might have missed, and we wanted to dive in a little deeper with one of the new partners of the new Open Handset Alliance. Known for their superior Windows Mobile devices (let’s face it, that WinMo device in your hand is most likely made by HTC), they are diving in to Android-based devices to expand their portfolio. How does this play out with their Windows Mobile line-up? Is HTC going in a new direction? Better yet, when will we actually see an Android-based device? All the answers, friends, are as follows:

Q: HTC is the #1 Windows Mobile manufacturer in the world. You guys basically set the bar for other smaller Windows Mobile manufacturers to follow. How do you think this will affect Android-based devices and what sort of split do you see between research and development of Windows mobile devices, and Android devices?
A: Windows Mobile will always be a big part of HTC. We have a significant share of 75% worldwide and expect that to grow. Android will be complimentary to Windows Mobile and we’ll focus on a new market share with the Android platform.

Q: You have manufactured devices for Palm and done other white label work in the past before, so how comfortable are you working with over 34 partners and possibly sharing some of the secret know-how that keeps you, HTC, as a company above the competition, to the whole alliance now?
A: We will continue to innovate in this space just as in Windows Mobile, and we’ll share some innovations with Android. TouchFLO example will be kept proprietary, and they appreciate the openness of that.

Q: There is a ton of talk over this “Dream” phone, and ever since the first Google phone rumor emerged it seems that HTC was always thrown in the middle. Is there anything specific you can tell us about the device you promised would ship by the middle of 2008?
A: Only thing to share, is that we will be the first manufacturer to launch a product built on the Android platform. In terms of specifics, it is too early.

Q: How do you feel about leaks in your company? There are 2 sides of the argument, and one is that leaks let competitors know your next move, and the other side is that if you have a great product, it generates an unbelievable amount of hype that simply couldn’t’t be obtained through a traditional marketing campaign. We have the guilty pleasure here at The Boy Genius Report of obtaining HTC devices long before most other sites, and the enthusiasm of our readers and commenters for some of these handsets has been unbelievable.
A: It’s a double-edged sword. We don’t sponsor them or advocate them, but on the other hand, it is also a little bit flattering. We build devices that people are passionate about, and because of that it is difficult to avoid leaks.

Q: It sometimes seems that HTC Europe and HTC America might not communicate as effectively as they need to. Do you see the HTC America market less important than say, Europe?
A: It is different in the sense that in the America region, we have the operators who are the core of the wireless business in the US. Almost 90% operators. In Europe, it is 50%, but you also have the unlocked retail channel. It is that facet that contributes to the feeling that it is disjointed. In the US, everything we are doing is through the operator, and we have to be respectful of their product announcements.

Q: Do you have any plans to do direct distribution in the US?
A: Definitely something we would consider. We already started doing it with Amazon and CompUSA with the Advantage, and the upcoming HTC Shift. We’d also like to sell handsets through HTC.com.Q: There is no marketing here in the US for HTC directly. We might maybe see a carrier-supported campaign, though that is rare. Do you have any plans to concentrate on establishing and expanding the HTC brand here a little more than you might have done in the past?
We’re moving in that direction. You’ll see us now trying to focus more on the brand. For instance, HTC is now prominently featured on the Sprint Touch, and the T-Mobile Shadow. We haven’t been as aggressive since we work closely with the operators but we’re looking to be more front and center.

Q: Thanks for your time, Jason.
A: Thank you.

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BEFORE ANDROID … AFTER ANDROID

November 7th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, GOOGLE, LINUX, PDA PHONES, SOFTWARE, WINDOWS MOBILE No Comments »

 OS
(Looks like the above forecast for 2010 have to be changed after Android)

The mobile phone market has too many players and was just waiting for someone to come and unite all of them.  Is the Android going to be the de facto OS?

Lets see the number of mobile OS presently prevailing in the market place :

  • Windows Mobile and its various mutations
  • S60 Symbian
  • UIQ Symbian
  • Palm
  • 22 (or more) versions of mobile linux
  • J2ME (Sun’s version of mobile Java)

On top of this, each of the handset makers has their own proprietary OS (or multiple proprietary OSes) that compete with all of the above.

Windows Mobile, Symbian and Sun have been trying very hard for years to bring unity to the mobile market which only got worse with time.  That’s bad.  Can Google do it with Android or be a party to the present mess. If Android is as open as what they say, we could see 1,022 varieties of mobile linux in the next few years.

Google has now decided to join the bandwagon and add even more options. Google could be the answer for open source in the wireless industry, leveraging its clout and turning Android into the default standard for linux in the wireless industry.

I don’t quite understand the meaning of TRUE OPEN SOURCE. Will Android be the TRUE open source and became the de facto OS for all mobile phone?  Who will stop cellular companies from developing their own locked-down version of an Android phone?  If that happens that will be the end of TRUE Open Source.

________________________________

In case anyone has forgotten, GOOGLE BOUGHT OVER ANDROID IN AUG 2005.  Google must have seen what is in store in the future.  See article below from BusinessWeek which was dated 17 August 2005 :

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UNDERSTANDING ANDROID

November 6th, 2007 Mike Hornet Posted in ANDROID, LINUX, SOFTWARE 1 Comment »

IF YOU OWN A MOBILE PHONE YOU MUST UNDERSTAND WHAT IS

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Android™ will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. On November 12, Open Handset Alliance will release an early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow developers to build rich mobile applications.

Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone’s core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

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All applications are created equal
Android does not differentiate between the phone’s core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone’s capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users will be able to fully tailor the phone to their interests. They can swap out the phone’s homescreen, the style of the dialer, or any of the applications. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos.

Breaking down application boundaries
Android breaks down the barriers to building new and innovative applications. For example, a developer can combine information from the web with data on an individual’s mobile phone — such as the user’s contacts, calendar, or geographic location — to provide a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer could build an application that enables users to view the location of their friends and be alerted when they are in the vicinity giving them a chance to connect.

Fast & easy application development
Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. For example, Android enables developers to obtain the location of the device, and allow devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications. In addition, Android includes a full set of tools that have been built from the ground up alongside the platform providing developers with high productivity and deep insight into their applications.

THE WHYS…

Why is an open platform good for consumers?
Consumers will see cheaper and more innovative mobile devices and services, which will inevitably feature more engaging, easier-to-use interfaces — as well as a rich portfolio of applications.

Why is an open platform good for mobile operators?
The overall cost of handsets will be lower and mobile operators will have complete flexibility to customize and differentiate their product lines. Furthermore, they will see much more rapid innovation in handsets and in services.

Why is an open platform good for handset manufacturers?
Handset manufacturers will benefit from lower software BOM (bill of material) costs and faster time-to-market for handsets. In addition, they will have greater flexibility to customize and differentiate their product offerings.

Why is an open platform good for semiconductor companies?
As cellphone-on-a-chip becomes closer to reality, semiconductor companies will need access to more sophisticated software that takes advantage of the enhanced features of these solutions. The processors of tomorrow will be multi-core and have access to shared peripherals such as 3D graphics, signal processor cores and dedicated blocks for multi media acceleration, etc. Without support for these peripherals in the platform, semiconductor companies have no clear way to give 3rd party developers access to this enhanced functionality. An open platform helps semiconductor companies add support for their newest products in a timely manner.

Why is an open platform good for software companies?
An open platform allows for simplified integration of software components into a complete mobile platform, and the lower acquisition cost of the mobile platform will increase the ability of handset manufacturers to invest in high value and differentiated software components.

Why is an open platform good for developers?
Developers will be able innovate rapidly because they will have comprehensive API access to handset capabilities that are web-ready. They will experience increased productivity because they will have comprehensive and easy-to-use developer tools. And because open source offers a deeper understanding of the underlying mobile platform, they can better optimize their applications. Finally, the distribution and commercialization of mobile apps will be less expensive and easier.

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