By John Mark V. Tuazon
Computerworld Philippines
May 7, 2010

Smartphone manufacturer HTC recently unveiled three new additions to its smartphone line, led by a next-generation Android phone and two Windows Mobile devices, each catering to different segments of the market.

HTC’s new Android phone offering, called the HTC Legend, will replace the previous Hero offering to take HTC’s flagship Android phone status. The new Android phone boasts of a unique design which the company claims is the first phone unit in the world to be carved out of a single aluminum block, creating a seamless compact frame.

HTC’s new Windows Mobile phones, on the other hand, are composed of a miniaturized version of the HTC HD2—called the HD mini—and an entry-level touchscreen phone dubbed as HTC Smart.

All three phone units will come pre-packed with the vendor’s unique HTC Sense UI, which is an interface that puts the users’ contacts at the center of the conversation. The updated HTC Sense comes with an application called Friend Stream, which aggregates all social media updates into one place.

HTC’s country manager Mark Sergio said during the launch that Android phones have been slowly contributing a significant amount to their revenue, “but Windows phones are growing as well.”

Sergio clarified, however, that the new Windows phones—which run on Windows Mobile 6.5 operating systems—are not eligible for upgrades when the new Windows Phone 7 rolls out, due to specific hardware requirements of the new OS.

He noted, however, that the company will surely put out a phone running the new Windows OS at the time of its release.

HTC Legend retails locally for P31,700, while the HTC HD Mini costs P29,200. The HTC Smart, on the other hand, will cost P12,900 per unit, probably one of the cheapest touchscreen phones available today.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Google-Motorola Mobility merger will be done this week
• Microsoft Renews Free Xbox 360 with Purchase of Windows PC Deal
• Upcoming Salesforce.com release adds real-time chat capabilities
• Microsoft: Too old and too big to survive?
• No price cuts for Windows 8 upgrades, says analyst

 Print This Post