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:
“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:
“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.
