Best HTC Blog

Sure, the HTC Desire is an awesome-looking device. It also has a number of highly impressive features such as a built-in 5-Megapixel snapper which might put other Smartphones to shame. However, what makes the device a cut above the rest has got to be its remarkable software suite which is nothing less than top class.

The Android Difference

It is undeniable the Google Android is slowly making its way to the top of list of mobile operating systems in the market. One of the Android’s newer releases, the Eclair, is the version that has been installed in the HTC Desire. It boasts of a whole lot of improvements from the already impressive Android Donut (version 1.6) which includes enhanced hardware speeds, an optimized virtual keyboard, a new browser, as well as an optimized version of the celebrated Google Maps application.

Heightened Senses

What makes the Android Eclair even better on the HTC desire is the Sense user interface on the device. It is pretty much a perfect match as the two work together to deliver an excellent overall user experience. One of the best features of the widget-based UI is its ability to provide you with whatever information you may be looking for in an all-in-one search function. It doesn’t only search through your entire mobile phone, but it also looks into your social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. So all you social networking addicts should check out the HTC Desire deals available!

Backing it All Up

The HTC desire doesn’t only have an awesome set of software features. It makes sure that its hardware is able to back up all the glitz and glamour of its soft side. On board the desire is a hefty 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which happens to be one of the most powerful processors ever installed in a mobile phone. With a combination such as this on the Desire, the sky is definitely the limit for this truly splendid device.

Last Monday, HTC has released a new update intended for Hero units running Android 1.5 to upgrade to Android 2.1. Unfortunately, it seems that Orange, T-Mobile UK and Three’s HTC Hero toting customers will have to wait a little while longer to get their Android 2.1 upgrade.

This may be a big letdown for those who are expecting to have their ‘Droid update at the same time as those with unlocked units, but the mobile network operator has assured the press that this is for the benefit of concerned users. To ensure network stability and smooth operations all the way, tests are being conducted using the new update.

The new update is scheduled to be out around “mid to late July” for Three customers. HTC originally planned for all their phone operating system upgrades to happen before the end of the month, but it seems it is just not possible for subscribers.

Although no exact date was given, Three has stated that it would be more likely for the update to happen later instead of sooner.

T-Mobile UK has given a similar statement, saying that everyone will just have to wait for their official announcement. At this rate, a June 30 release date is an optimistic estimate. G2 (their HTC Hero) owners using their service will just have to be a little more patient.

Like the two operators, Orange has been equally vague, saying that the mobile phone upgrade will be live in the “very near future” although no release date estimates were given.

This is truly a big blow for HTC Hero owners, seeing as Google already released version 2.2 of the little green robot, but at least having a delayed update is better than none. Hopefully, network performance will not fail to impress once the update is officially released.

Little is known about the recently announced HTC Mozart. The phone was just spotted in a small announcement by Australian network carrier Telstra which marks the device due for an October release date –right on time for Microsoft’s scheduled launch of the first WP7 handsets.

The news is confusing as it has no mention of HTC’s other WP7 handset, the previously announced Mondrian which is expected to sport some rather impressive hardware. The Mozart looks pretty much like a basic handset which means that it is likely that the phone only sticks the specified minimum hardware requirements given by Microsoft. The HTC Mondrian on the other hand is expected to have a 1.2 GHz CPU and other hardware specifications that will make it one of the most advanced smart phones to be released this year.

The Mozart comes with a basic smart phone form factor –that of a simple touch screen device with a large display and some buttons on the bottom. This makes the Mozart a type-1 chassis according to the standards that have been set by Microsoft.

In other Windows Phone 7 news, it seems that Xbox Live Games will be playing a much larger role in the new mobile platform. There have been reports that all app games for the OS will be going through this system and that the achievements system will be implemented across all games.

While it is confirmed that existing XBL users will be able to access their accounts and their avatars, many believe that the gamer points earned from the console will be counted differently from the ones they earn playing games from this smart phones. As for games, it is expected that WP7 will have plenty of app support (thanks to the early release of the SDK and WP7 handsets being handed out to some developers) despite initial reports that the new OS is hard to program for.

HTC were behind the Google Android flagship phone, the Nexus One, and their HTC Desire handset is equally popular, so many are eager to see what they’ll be able to come up with for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 OS.

Nexus One smart phone owners might be enjoying the newest version of the Android operating system, but the HTC Desire is also about to get its update this next month. According to HTC, the new 2.2 Froyo update will be available for downloads by June 23. It is still a little far off, but compared to the XPERIA X10’s September update schedule, this is already early. Regardless of the upgrade there are still plenty of HTC Desire deals still on offer online.

So far, Google has yet to explain why the Desire will not be getting the update anytime earlier but many believe that this might be because they want to encourage sales of the Google Nexus One handset –which has only been recently made available for retail purchase. The handset was originally exclusive only to the Google online store.

Anyway, the Desire is certain to be able to run Froyo without any foreseeable problems, considering that the Nexus One and the Desire share very similar hardware specifications. Both smart phones run on a 1GHz Snapdragon processors, have 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays and have 5 mega pixel cameras.

The HTC Desire sports the Sense user interface (which might be a bit too much for some Android purists) but both phones run fast and smooth.

The Froyo update is much anticipated by many Android phone owners because it will bring native Flash 10.1 compatibility to the Android OS. This also means that a lot of online features that are unavailable on Apple products such as the iPad, iPod Touch and the iPhone.

Aside from the addition of Flash support, Froyo will also bring new features such as tethering and WiFi syncing of data –users can easily download content directly into their Android smart phones without having to use any desktop software.

This is major advantage of the Android OS over their iPhone counterparts as Apple requires the use of the iTunes desktop software for transferring content to the iPhone.

Tech website Engadget has shown off a few teasers of a leaked web document which gave out three new names of HTC handsets: the Vision, LED and Glacier. It is impressive, but so far, the details are mostly lacking –with the exception of the Vision. It seems like a Dutch site has been able to scoop out the details on this upcoming HTC Android smart phone.

So what’s the deal? Rumors are saying that the HTC Vision is practically the HTC Desire with a slide out keyboard. It was already impressive to see the Wildfire –which is basically a Desire Mini smart phone. The Vision on the other hand, will be delivering the full Desire experience, but with the addition of the full, slide out, QWERTY keyboard.

For quite some time, people have been hoping for QWERTY keyboard on any of HTC’s impressive handsets. But since the initial rumors of the HTC Lancaster (which is basically the HTC Magic with a keyboard), nobody ever gave much hope that the Taiwanese manufacturer would be fulfilling any keyboard wishes. Now, it seems that there is a reason to hope once again as the Vision could potentially be the phone that everyone has been hoping for.

Specs wise, the phone is pretty predictable. As a clone of the Desire, the Vision is slated to have similar hardware. Expect to see the Snapdragon 1 GHz CPU, the 5 mega pixel snapper and of course, the 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display. For now, the Desire is still limited to the Android version 2.1 Éclair; though an update to the Flash capable 2.2 Froyo is expected sometime within the next few weeks.

Details on the two other Android devices; LED and Glacier are still unknown at the moment. Sadly, with HTC’s track record of scrapping planned devices (like some of the devices shown at the leaked HTC Roadmap last year) it is highly possible that we never see these devices ever sold on shelves.

While HTC has not exactly labeled the new phone as a Desire Mini, many cannot help but feel that the newly announced HTC Wildfire is exactly that –a redesigned HTC Desire that is made for the mid range smart phone market.

Most of HTC’s most recent releases have been on the high end spectrum, while it has certainly earned the company plenty of great reputation in the tech industry, they are still alienating many of the general market who is not looking to get an Android smart phone packed to the brim with the latest tech and hardware.

This is why the Wildfire is a great smart phone –it balances features with sensibility and practicality in terms of hardware. The mass appeal is hard to deny as well; the phone focuses heavily on social networking and sharing features more than any HTC handset.

Below is a quick snippet from the official press release from HTC:

“HTC Wildfire helps you stay connected with those who are most important to you through HTC Sense, a user experience focused on putting people at the centre by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. HTC Wildfire enables you to stay up to date with your friends’ posts, comments, alerts and photos, wherever you are.”

The new phone is stated to take hold of the mid range Android market –a position previously dominated by HTC’s Hero smart phone. It was originally expected that the HTC Legend would be a mid range device (technically, it is) but the Hero successor was priced at a slightly higher cost than expected. Many are hoping that the Wildfire will be cheaper.

The big new feature on the Wildfire, as one might have guessed from the above, is the new social feature that the Wildfire has. The “Friend Stream” app will give users an instant overview of current activity on their social networks, allowing people to easily join the conversation and catch up with the latest things that are happening to their contacts. Of course, with this new function, it is equally easy to also share one’s own experiences through the smart phone.

HTC have today announced that they are to release a budget Android handset named the HTC Wildfire. It will essentially be a smaller version of the Desire, with a few less features for a lot less money. We reckon this will come with a price tag of between £150.00 and £200.00 so you can expect to get this one for free on a contract of between £15 and £20 per month. We had a little play with the Wildfire earlier today and it has a lot of the same functionality as the Desire and indeed the Legend. OK it doesn’t pack as much processing power, and the screen isn’t as big, but for an entry level version smartphone, you do get a lot for your money. The great thing about the Wildfire is the ability to customise your handset with a growing number of Android APP’s, which incidentally are usually cheaper than the Apple equivalent. More to follow…

The Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer has been making waves in the industry thanks to their amazing devices.

From the Hero to the upcoming Legend, HTC’s line up of Android smart phones have ranged from super high-end to well balanced devices that covered almost every single market range available. Even their Windows Mobile smart phone, HTC HD2 has been sought after –thanks to the use of the impressive HTC Sense user interface that made using a capacitive touch screen on a WinMo device possible.

All in all, there is no doubt that HTC is practically reaping gold with their smart phones. Google has acknowledged HTC’s dedication and capabilities as a manufacture and has teamed up with the Android supporter to create the Nexus One smart phone –which explains why the Nexus and the HTC Desire share very similar specifications.

Speaking of the HTC Desire, the Snapdragon powered Android smart phone is not available on store shelves along with the Legend (the successor to the Hero). WinMo fans may be feeling a little left out after it was confirmed that the device cannot be updated to WP7, but HTC has let out a teaser that they are currently working on a new WP7 handset (presumably the HD3).

Even Apple recognizes HTC as a threat –being a major developer of Android handsets. The Cupertino based giant recently filed a lawsuit against HTC regarding the infringements of several patents own by Apple. Expect to see development on this issue later this year.

A recent report brings out the cold hard numbers on HTC’s Q1 sales and has shown that the company’s profit growth is continuous –gaining over 19% more than it did last year for the first quarter. Expect to see the numbers to keep rising as HTC’s new phones come out this 2010.

Read more about the Q1 sales performance of HTC at GSM Arena.

HTC has now taken the position of defending itself fully as CEO Peter Chou speaks out against the lawsuit

“HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible.”

“From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

It is still too early to say how things will go, but the CEO has a good point, HTC has been around long enough to be considered one of the foremost innovators in the mobile industry. In fact, their contributions to the Pocket PC technology have inspired many of the innovations we see today. Apple’s 20 patent infringement lawsuit is heavy, but quite hard to pin down as they are dealing with one of the best mobile phone manufacturers in the world.

Many already see through Apple’s motives. It has already been announced that 2010 will be the most prolific year for the Android smart phone. In April alone, several high end Android devices will be launched and several more are confirmed to be coming out later this year.

By striking down HTC, Apple would gain a solid advantage over Google as the Android developer would lose one of their main partners in developing the Android technology.

Get to know more about the details of Apple’s patent infringement lawsuit versus HTC at PC Mag.

It is pretty obvious that there is more to the Apple lawsuit against HTC. After all, HTC is the manufacturer behind the Nexus One and many other Android smart phones. With Apple aggressively marketing against their biggest competitor on the field, it makes perfect sense that they would try to cripple one of the key members of the Open Handset Alliance which heavily supports the Android OS.

Should the patent infringement lawsuit cause HTC devices to be pulled off shelves, this would mean that many Android devices and several WinMo phones will be affected –in some ways, concerns about other Android manufacturers being affected has also been raised. The lawsuit covers 20 patents for software and hardware innovations and technologies; developments that HTC is heavily defending.

After all, when words such as “stolen technology” are being thrown about, it is also a matter of principle for the Taiwanese Manufacturer to speak up against such claims.

HTC Chief Executive Officer Peter Chou says that “HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible.”

“From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

With many years in the industry behind them, it was a pretty obvious thing for HTC to remind Apple that HTC has been an innovator long before the coming of the iPhone.

Read more about the Apple lawsuit at Pocket Lint.