By John Mark V. Tuazon
Computerworld Philippines
February 1, 2010
Despite the enormous uptake of the HTC Hero, the Google Nexus One, and its other Android smartphone offerings, mobile devices manufacturer HTC said it is keen on maintaining its leadership in the Windows Mobile front, a local executive pointed out Friday.
At the local launch of new Windows Mobile 6.5-powered phones, Mark Sergio, HTC country manager, said their venture into Android-powered devices is a mere move to capture more of the consumer market.
“We are not giving up our leadership in the Windows Mobile smartphone market,” Sergio said. “It is a strategic move by HTC to go into different market segments with different operating systems.”
Sergio added that they see a big opportunity in trying to convert their enterprise customers into mainstream consumers. “That is why we are introducing phone models to new price segments,” he stressed.
Similarly, software giant Microsoft said it remains unfazed by the steady rise of other mobile OS such as Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone OS, saying they are leveraging on the popularity of the PC OS in winning new users.
“We are continually striving to improve our OS,” said Andre Ngo, business development-mobile communications sector for the Asia Pacific Region, Microsoft Philippines. “Having competitors raises the level of innovation. At the end of the day, it’s the consumers who will benefit from it.”
Ngo said Windows leverages on the ubiquity of its desktop operating system, which eases the learning curve for new adopters. “Whatever we do on a PC, we should be able to do on the phone as well, anytime, anywhere,” he added.
The new Windows Mobile 6.5 provides flexible features for the consumer and the enterprise, with a mobile version of Communicator that allows instant messaging via the infrastructure; call forwarding options so users can answer calls anytime, anywhere; Office Mobile 2010 offered on beta with the recent addition of OneNote; and an “improved web experience” via the Internet Explorer for smartphones.
Based on mobile phone shipments, Ngo said Windows Mobile OS enjoys a comfortable second spot in the country, next only to Nokia’s Symbian. Apple’s iPhone and Research-in-Motion’s Blackberry devices follow suit, while Android is still slowly gathering steam.
Mobile phone models revealed during the event include HTC’s HD2, a touchscreen phone with a 4.3” screen that measures 11 millimeters thin. It also comes equipped with a 1GHz snapdragon processor and a capacitive screen that enables multitouch interaction with the device. The unit retails for about P40,000, according to Sergio.
On the other hand, Cherry Mobile, a new entrant in the mobile phone market, offers its first touchscreen unit in Eclipse, which comes equipped with the new Windows Mobile OS. The model packs a dual-sim capability and WiFi connectivity, all for just P9,999.
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