A very warm welcome to the HTC Touch HD2 into the MID/Phone crossover category of devices. It coincides nicely with the work I’ve been doing today to update the product database with all the WVGA phones out there. I’m trying to write a summary article too but this unboxing video from Chris at SlashGear is keeping me away from doing that right now!
The HD2 is due to launch this week with availability in the following few days. Pricing is already available in Germany too with latest prices hovering around the very expensive 599 Euro mark.
Clearly though, a multitouch capacitive touchscreen with Opera Mobile 9.7 on a 1Ghz Snapdragon CPU is something rather special and with the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and Sense UI adding to the experience, I think it adds up to make it of the most exciting ‘Slate’ style high-end phones out there and definitely one that readers here should check out.
Chris will be getting into some more testing with the HD2 over the next few days and it will be interesting to see where he thinks this one fits in. Unlike the (240 Euro) Archos Android Tablet that I use as a secondary device, this (600 Euro) tablet is targeted at being a primary device. Is it really going to slot into the 24/7 usage scenario or is it designed to be used as part of a two-smartphone strategy?
As time goes on, more and more of my time is being taken up reading very interesting smartphone news. WVGA, Android, WM6.5 and Cortex are the important keywords and every time a device comes up it becomes clearer that the push towards the MID market is greater from the Smartphone manufacturers than it is from the Intel-based MID and UMPC market. With Menlow in a strange UMPC-like state (with no Moblin support now) there’s a long wait until consumer-focused MIDs come out on the Moorestown platform in 2010. It’s even clearer than before that ARM will have the upper hand in the MID space in 2009 by building up from existing products and brands that already sell millions of devices. Intel will have to sit back and wait for the time being.
Today has been particularly active in the ‘MIDPhone’ space.
As I was updating myself on the status of my Samsung Omnia order (no delivery date in sight) I took a quick look at other options that are available and the Toshiba TG01 (soon available in the U.S.) jumped up at me. With a screen size of 4.1”, a resolution of 800×480 and processing power that is 2-4 times as much as the Nokia N800 / N810, it’s difficult to ignore. Pricing is now under 500 Euro for an unlocked version and 02 in Germany are selling it for 150 Euro with a 25 Euro / month contract. Add 15 Euro on top for Internet and you’ve got an interesting option that you I could walk out and buy tomorrow. Chris over at SlashGear has just finished his review and although he wasn’t impressed with the UI and predicts that the WM operating system could be an issue, I still think that the device represents great value for mobile internet fans. When Windows Mobile 6.5 comes along it could make it even more interesting, especially if Opera 9.7 works on it. I’m looking forward to seeing some browsing speed tests on this one. Note: No keyboard!
As I was finishing up reading Chris’ article a news item about an HTC Leo popped up. The Ai.rs blog has posted what they say are the specifications for this new HTC device. I don’t know who Ai.rs are but everyone seems to be following up the story. WMPowerUser (a blog I frequent more and more these days) says that the device is the HTC Firestone. All I know is that it’s rumored to have a 4.3” screen and run a Snapdragon platform at 1Ghz. This is definitely another one to add to the MID list. Again, it looks like there’s no keyboard.
Only a few minutes later I read the news that the Samsung Mondi is launching. The Mondi is an even bigger device with a slider form factor and a 4.3” screen. Samsung are dropping a WiMax module inside and handing it over to Clearwire for a launch in Las Vegas. It’s an ARM11-powered device running Windows Mobile again. No pricing, No availability details. Style and feature-wise it’s not too exciting and in fact it doesn’t even support voice so this is really focused at mobile internet activities.
The Mondi’s compact design provides the user with a more mobile form factor and ease-of-use than the typical laptop or netbook. While it is small enough to fit into the user’s hand or pocket, the Mondi packs an impressive Web browser, powered by Opera 9.5, which takes full advantage of the device’s 4.3-inch touch screen.
I’d like to see this with HSPA, Android, a high-end CPU and a big fat battery for all-day mobile internet use!
Finally, in addition to all that, there’s news about a Sony Xperia X3 which had previously been known at ‘Rachael.’ Dutch blog ‘All About Phones’ found the information in an Expansys we page and it’s quite the interesting read, largely because it’s going to be running Android and will have a 4” 800×480 screen. As yet, the CPU information is unknown. If you’re thinking about an HTC Hero, you might want to wait for final specs and pricing on this one.
None of these devices represent the ultimate MID yet but you can see where things are going. The 4” to 5” space is getting very busy already. I’ll beadding some of these (if not all!) to the database very soon.
We talk a lot about the FIE (Full Internet Experience) here on UMPC Portal. The reason many of us are using UMPCs is that there aren’t many non-x86 computers that have provided it. The FIE slowly finds its way onto smaller and smaller devices, and while I wouldn’t say that the new HTC Hero provides a true FIE, it is getting there.
The recently released HTC Hero is HTC’s second Android phone, and among other things, the unit is getting a lot of attention because its web browser can support some Flash content. Adobe has released a good video demo showing the Hero’s flash capable browser, and the implementation looks pretty good, but there are still challenges ahead. Even in through the marketing jargon, it is apparent that work needs to continue until full multi-device flash support has been worked out:
As the first Android device with Flash, the new HTC Hero represents a key milestone for Android and the Flash Platform. With close to 80 percent of all videos online delivered with Adobe Flash technology, consumers want to access rich Web content on-the-go.” said David Wadhwani, vice president and general manager, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “The collaboration with HTC offers people a more complete Flash based Web browsing experience today and presents an important step towards full Web browsing with Flash Player 10 on mobile phones in the future [my emphasis]
It is nice to Flash working on an Android based phone, but while most Flash video players will work fine, I wouldn’t (yet) expect to be able to play many of the Flash based games that are out there. The video demo shows an extremely basic game which works simply by clicking the mouse once to drop the penguin, and once more to swing. There isn’t much other input from the user. This basic interaction is currently supported, but some of the more advanced Flash games will be impossible to control until more is done. While the phone might technically have the ability to display the content of a Flash game, many Flash based games rely on keyboard based input and most (if any) certainly aren’t programmed to support multiple mouse inputs (multi-touch) at this point.
Providing some support for Flash is better than no support however, and initiatives like the Open Screen Project will help future devices of this type to inch close to the FIE.
It’s not quite the MID that many of us would like to see (it’s missing a slightly larger screen and a dod of processing power) but because its voice-enabled, highly converged and slick, we’re going to keep a close eye on this one. We’re tracking details and keeping the new Pro2 product page up to date.
Update: We’ve put the Pro2 in the database and will add links, videos and specs as we get them. If you’ve found any good articles, galleries or videos yourself, send them in via this form.
HTC Just announced the HTC Touch Pro 2, a Windows Mobile slide/tilt device that many readers at UMPCPortal are going to be interested in. It’s still using the ‘old’ (or maybe I should say ‘current’) processing platform which is a little disappointing but the big battery, big 3.6″ screen and keyboard make it a good productivity option. Note the ‘zoom-bar’ specification which could help a lot in navigating websites. looking at the WCDMA talk time figures gives a good idea of how long it will last in ‘MID’ usage scenarios. About 4hrs.
The press release also mentions ‘Push Internet’. “HTC Push Internet alleviates slow downloading and rendering of Web pages on a mobile phone. Users can preselect their favorite Websites to get immediate access to them when needed.” Its sounds like some sort of background downloading service. Also note the lack of 3.5mm headphone socket. This is a very business-focused device.
No pricing info has been announced but you can estimate a price in the 600 Euro bracket. Availability in Europe is ‘Early Q2.’ putting it just ahead of the N97 timeframe in Europe. (Nokia said the N97 would be available in June in their updates at MWC today.)
Specifications:
Processor: Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz
Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional [Note: HTC announced a FREE upgrade to 6.5]
Memory: ROM: 512 MB RAM: 288 MB
Dimensions: 116 X 59.2 X 17.25 mm (4.57 X 2.33 X 0.68 inches)
Weight: 175 grams (6.17 ounces) with battery
Display: 3.6-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
Adjustable tilt screen
Network
HSDPA/WCDMA:Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz, Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds,
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:Europe/Asia: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control: TouchFLO™ 3D, Zoom bar
GPS
Connectivity
Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0, audio jack, and TV Out* in one)
Camera
Main camera: 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus
Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera
Battery
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity: 1500 mAh
Talk time: Up to 270 minutes for WCDMA, Up to 419 minutes for GSM
Standby time: Up to 454 hours for WCDMA, Up to 348 hours for GSM
Video call time: Up to 150 minutes
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Prepare for a bumpy ride in the MID/Smartphone space. A confusing one too because according to DigiTimes, one of the most successful smartphone designers is getting ready to launch Snapdragon-based phones. The target for launch is Q2 of 2009, later than the planned Toshiba TG01 which is also running Snapdragon.
The leaked roadmap from last month show’s two devices that would fit well with the Characteristics of the snapdragon platform.
HTC Ihoth and HTC Whitestone W. Images and info from jouwmobiel.nl
Also in the brief article, Digitimes states that HTC are designing with Atom. This is similar to news we had 10 months ago and could be anything from a phone to a next-gen HTC Shift.
Someone leaked HTC’s roadmap for 2009, and among the low quality slide images was this one:
Looks pretty good, I like the glossy screen – it looks a bit like a digital picture frame. It’s hard to tell if the keyboard is the same capacitive one or if HTC is back to mechanical keys. Camera is still there, and there appear to be no buttons on the front. Regardless, we’ll be on the lookout for more “Thoth” info. Perhaps HTC shoved an Intel Atom in there? Ahh, one can dream… The possibility of it running Android is always present however.
There is also a nice looking Whitestone W device. Again, waiting for more info.
The HTC PR people must be having so much fun tracking what appears to be badly researched news and over excitement on the launch of Android. Hands-up. I did the same when I called ‘delays’ following some news from the Wall Street Journal. In fact, if I had looked back I my first ever Android report I would have seen that ‘second half of 2008′ is actually in the same timeframe as Q4! Nothing has changed.
Anyway, the same thing happened again this week with this story claiming that HTC are causing delays. Apparently that’s a load of bull as HTC’s PR people in Germany have just sent out an email note saying that there the story is wrong and they are looking forward to a Q4 release.
Im Namen von HTC nehmen wir wie folgt dazu Stellung:
1. Der Hinweis in dem Artikel, es gebe eine Verspätung bei der Auslieferung, entspricht nicht den Tatsachen.
2. HTC erwartet mit Spannung den Launch des ersten Android-basierten Gerätes im 4. Quartal.
Which basically means. 1, its not the facts. 2, HTC look forward with excitement to a launch in 4th quarter.
You can be sure that there’s some shouting going on in HTC and Google offices as time draws near and that priorities are being set. PM’s will be under a huge amount of pressure and in some cases, jobs will be on the line. Fingers will be pointed and names will be named. Its all normal product lifecycle stuff, including the over-excited journalists!
Fans of total mobile device convergence might want to check this out as it looks like an interesting alternative to the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 that Kornel tested out a while back.
VGA touchscreen, keyboard, HSDPA, 3.2MP CAM, rotation sensor and GPS running on a Qualcomm MSM 7201A @ 528MHz (ARM11+ARM9) platform running Windows Mobile 6.1. Available in Europe, late summer and in North America after that.
With a little Opera 9.5 love this could keep a lot of people happy for a very long time! I think we should drop it into the database as an alternative solution don’t you?
I just blogged that 88% of my mobile device usage is with a browser. I dare say that if I had a device that was fast enough, had a good enough touchscreen and offered a real, http-based client browser then i’d be happy. Indeed, my own ideal device specifications from Feb 2006 run along those lines with the definition being open to any processing platform as long as it delivers a quality Internet experience.
This is the reason that I’m very interested in seeing how good Opera Mobile 9.5 is on the ARM Smartphone platforms. If it’s good enough its going to elevate big-screen smartphones into devices that I’d consider alongside an Intel MID. Take the iPaq 210/214 for example. Its only got a VGA touchscreen and no 3G but with Opera Mobile 9.5 it really could satisfy a lot of peoples mobile Internet requirements for a Nokia N810-beating price.
Matt Miller of ‘The Mobile Gadgeteer’ says Opera 9.5 is the ‘Best mobile browser I’ve ever used.’ and that it ‘provides more functionality than the rather revolutionary Apple iPhone browser.’ I say that this browser will make many people think twice about buying a MID because it not only looks and reacts well but its got some very nice advanced features. But there are clearly limitations. Google Docs didn’t work in Matts test which, although you may not use Google docs, should be a concern if you depend on complex sites like Meebo, iGoogle, Facebook etc. Flash-Lite is included which is good but how are other media types presented and supported? How fast can it render the full-fat Google Reader webpage? I know it takes a low-power PC about 15 seconds to render my Google Reader page. Any smartphone on the market today is going to have trouble doing that in under 25 seconds.
It looks like Arne Hess over at theunwired.net got his hands on a pre-release HTC Advantage X7510. He has posted an unboxing video for anyone interested in checking out this new version of the X7500. The X7510 doubles in SSD storage capacity from the X7500′s 8GB up to 16GB. Other notable changes — the unit is now running WinMo 6.1, the d-pad on the front left of the device has been removed, and the keyboard has been redesigned with a completely flat touch based input keyboard. The keyboard helps alert the user to key presses using haptic feedback in the form of a small vibration when a key is pressed as well as an audible noise. I’m not sure how well the new keyboard will work, haptic feedback definitely helps, but initial tactile Sensation (ie: physically raised keys) is probably the greatest benefactor to a good typing experience. I’m not sure exactly what kind of technology is being used to detect keyboard presses, but if it is capacitive they could capitalize on it greatly by featuring an intelligent correction system like that of the iPhone’s. Unfortunately for some, recent news has told us that the X7510 will not end up for sale in the US. Click the image to head over to the video unboxing page.
Fans
