HTC Accessories

It seems that HTC has an Android-based touch screen phone that theyre secretly working on to compete with the recently announced Palm Pre. Is it the new G2? Im not sure on this one but it seems that HTC has a Pre killer iPhone killers are so out! that theyll be letting loose soon.  This rumor comes from Engadget. The device is supposedly expected in the 2nd quarter, which isnt that far away .... Lets wait and see what else we can find out.

HTCs possible new device Iolite shows is face via the BGR blog. I know that the picture doesnt really provide much detail other than the fact that its going to be touch screen but this is better than nothing right? This new HTC device is supposed to run Windows Mobile and is available for pre-order through Expansys UK.  Here are the phone specs that the website is listing:     Processor: Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional Memory: ROM: 512 MB / RAM: 288 MB Display: 2.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with QWVGA resolution Network: 3G HSDPA/HSUPA: Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz, Up to 384 Kbs up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Device Control: HTC TouchFLO™ 3D Touch-sensitive front panel buttons, HTC Footprints™ button GPS and A-GPS ready Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and A2DP, Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g, HTC ExtUSB™ 11-pin mini-USB 2.0 Camera: 3.2 megapixel camera Expansion Slot: microSD memory card SD 2.0 compatible Battery: 1100 mAh Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Talk time: Up to 375 minutes for WCDMA / Up to 400 minutes for GSM Standby time: Up to 400 hours for WCDMA / Up to 330 hours for GSM Dimensions: 102 mm x 53.5 mm x 14.5 mm Weight: 103 grams with battery

Ever wonder just how much it costs to manufacture that expensive smartphone??  Well, I did...and after a bit of snooping I was quite surprised at the results.  According to a virtual teardown by iSuppli Corp., the T-Mobile G1 carries a Bill-of-Materials BOM cost of $143.89.  iSuppli determined the $143.89 BOM based on information from its Mobile Handset Cost Model MHCM, which provides detailed analysis of present and future expenses to build mobile phones with any possible feature set. This estimate includes only the component and material costs for the G1, and doesn’t account for other expenses including software, research and development, manufacturing and accessories. iSuppli hasn’t yet conducted an actual physical teardown of the G1.  The most costly segment of the G1 is the baseband, at $28.49, or 19.8 percent of the G1s total BOM. Similar to other recent handsets from various brands examined by iSuppli, the baseband employs a combination of an ARM11 microprocessor for multimedia applications and an ARM7 core for modem functions.   The next most costly section of the G1 is the display, at $19.67, or 13.7 percent of the BOM. The G1’s display is a 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with HVGA resolution, at 320 by 480 pixels. The display uses projective touch-screen technology.   The camera represents the next most expensive segment, at $12.13, or 8.4 percent of total BOM costs. The camera has a 3 megapixel resolution and an autofocus feature. The fourth most expensive segment is the Radio Frequency RF/Power Amplifier PA portion, which costs $9.84, representing 6.8 percent of the total BOM. This section supports a high-speed 3.5G network connection using the HSDPA air standard.   The T-Mobile G1 BOM makes the handset cheaper, in terms of parts costs, than the iPhone 3G, which is manufactured from $175 worth of parts. The T-Mobile G1 could be netting HTC a higher profit-margin than the iPhone 3G does for Apple.   Via iSuppli

If you liked the HTC Touch Diamond, youll really like the HTC Touch Pro. Sprint launched this bad boy out last week on Oct. 19th. The HTC Touch Pro is almost identical to the HTC Touch Diamond, the only difference is that, the Pro comes with a full slide out QWERTY keyboard. The name pretty much says it all, Its an HTC touch series phone for a more professionallevel. The Touch Pro has all the features as the Touch Diamond, but with a few unique ones of its own. The phones camera has a capability to scan your business cards, and input the info straight into your contacts. The camera is a 3.2 megapixel, that records video as well. My favorite is the gravity-sensor technology, that automatically rotates  the Web page from a portrait to landscape view when the device is turned sideways. Here are a few more specs for this phone: Size: 4.17 L x 2.05W x 0.70 D Talk time: 250 minutes Battery: 1340 mAh Operating system: Windows MobileR 6.1 Professional Display: 2.8-inch VGA touch screen Camera: 3.2MP, with autofocus, flash and video calling Internal memory: 512 MB flash, 288 MB RAM Expansion slot: microSDTM memory card SD 2.0 compatible; supports up to 16 GB Keyboard: Slide-out five-row QWERTY keyboard Bluetooth: v2.0 with A2DP support Stereo Bluetooth Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g GPS: GPS/AGPS Interface: HTC ExtUSBTM mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed                                        Device Control: TouchFlo 3D Quick thought- which phone will sell more, the Touch Diamond or the Touch Pro? let me know what you think.

The holidays are just around the corner and Im curious to know which mobile phones will be in high demand this season. Ive compiled a list of the top 5 handsets I think will be popular on this years wish lists. Lets see if your fave made my list. On the number one spot, of course, is HTCs G1 anyone who has played with this sweet phone is sure to be craving some android action this Christmas. Not to mention, the rumored white version of the G1. Next on the popular list has to be the almighty iPhone 3G, I think it is an awesome phone and Im sure a lot of people agree with me on this, even though, the G1 currently has the spotlight. Third on my list is the Blackberry Storm. Although this device isnt out yet it is expected to be out sometime in November, and its Blackberrys first touch screen, need I say more? The Blackberry Bold comes in a t my #4. This baby packs a vivid screen with awesome features like a leather-type backing, perfect for people with a sense of stylish business. Last but certainly not least, is the HTC Touch Pro, a nicely styled phone with an interface to die for. Basically Im basing my top 5 on the most talked about and latest phones that are within most of ours reach. So these are my top 5 picks this season and consider it part of my Christmas wish list too.

I own an HTC Touch, and lately it has been acting up a a bit. Itll freeze out of nowhere, battery life doesnt seem to last as much, and its slower than usual. So I took it to a local Sprint Store, where they suggested that I should upgrade the software to the latest Windows Mobile 6.1. So this past weekend, I went to the HTC website where i discovered that the upgrade was free until October 31st, after that it was going cost me. If you own an HTC Touch, HTC S621, HTC S620, HTC P4350, HTC P3300, HTC Advantage, that has windows mobile lower than 6.1, hurry and get your free upgrade before this Friday!  HTC website sucks, since they dont give you a direct link to this upgrade, so I googled and got mine upgraded at this intomobile.com link. Prepare to spend a couple of hours though, since this task requires you to backup your contacts and files.  Once you have the new software on your phone youll get an onscreen full QWERTY keyboard option, your text messaging layout will improve, Sprint Navigation will be installed,and you will automatically get Opera browser installed.  The phone overall should start functioning way better and sweeter.

 

Mike Dano- RCR Wireless Oct 23, 2008 BOSTON — A day after the release of the first cellphone powered by Google Inc.’s Android software, the founder of the startup that initially developed the software took the Mobile Internet World keynote stage to explain the reasons behind the search giant’s much-hyped effort. “It’s been quite a busy week for us,” said Rich Miner, general manager of Google’s Mobile Platforms business and the founder of Android, the startup that Google acquired three years ago to form the base of its cellphone-software strategy. Miner, a 15-year veteran of the wireless industry, said Android rose from the ashes of his tenure at European operator Orange, which was the first carrier in the world to launch a cellphone running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile software. Although the launch propelled Orange onto the international scene as a maverick in the mobile space, Miner said the lessons he learned from the event pushed him to found Android. “It became clear to me that there were fundamental things that needed fixing in the mobile industry,” he said. Orange launched its Windows Mobile powered smartphone, the Orange SPV for sound, pictures and video, in 2002. Miner helped oversee the launch, and said it didn’t necessarily go as expected. Despite being Microsoft’s only Windows Mobile customer, “we were still dictated terms as to what we could and couldn’t do” with the software. Miner indicated that Microsoft made it clear that Windows Mobile was a Microsoft product and not an Orange product. Further, after the launch, Miner said Orange wanted to add push-to-talk capabilities to the phone, but discovered a glitch in Microsoft’s platform that wouldn’t allow the carrier to add the service. Microsoft agreed to rectify the issue, Miner said, but advised it would take 18 months to do so. And since the platform was not open to others, neither Orange nor the manufacturer HTC Corp. could modify it. Miner said Google’s Android promises a different approach. Google helped develop the platform using “best-in-class solutions,” and, as of yesterday, made it free and open to anyone. This, Miner said, will allows anyone — individuals, businesses, handset makers and carriers — to develop Android services and applications via full access to the platform, from the bottom on up. “No one party completely controls that platform and that software stack,” Miner said. “Each component can be mashed up with other components.” Indeed, Kyocera Wireless Corp. has promised to join HTC in building Android phones, and Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sprint Nextel Corp. and others are members of Android’s Open Handset Alliance development organization. Interestingly, Miner set forth the case that Android is an attempt by Google to harmonize the fractured mobile landscape. He said the range of software platforms in the wireless industry — from Java to BREW to Symbian — makes it difficult for developers to cover the entire industry. “Google faced this very same problem,” Miner said, explaining that the company had to tweak its Java-based Maps service for every handset running the application in order to ensure it worked properly on different phones running different versions of the Java virtual machine. “It was hard for Google to realize how hard it was to develop for the mobile space,” he said. Despite such comments, Miner continued to press the case for Android, which is essentially another platform for developers to target, on top of Apple Inc.’s iPhone OS, Symbian, the OS for Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerrys, Windows Mobile, Linux and others. Miner explained that it was “fundamentally important” for Google — an Internet company — to develop a “suitable mobile experience” based on the number of mobile-phone users more than 3 billion versus the number of desktop Internet users around 1 billion. Miner said that Android, along with the iPhone, stands as an example of “software being developed by people who know software,” rather than companies set on selling wireless service or building wireless hardware.

Would you be willing to pay 600 bucks for this device? If someone out there is reading this and sitting in Canada, drop me a line and let me know your thoughts. Image from BGR.

Leaked info from Verizon, shows that the new Blackberry Storm and HTC Diamond are to be released just in time for the holidays! With Blackberry Storm releasing in mid November and HTC Diamond releasing in mid- December, lots of Christmas wish lists will be including these top of the line, edge cutting phone devices. Although, Sprint already has the HTC Diamond, not many people have Sprint. I was surprised to see that Sprint had the Diamond available already but, only online. Most of the people I know that have Sprint, didnt even know that Sprint had the HTC Diamond until I asked them about it. Anyway, as far as these devices being available on Verizon, it should be a bigger deal... right? Maybe, since the very much popular and desirable Blackberry Storm will be released a little before the HTC Diamond, itll be one great phone after the other. Verizons leaked document shows the dates of  training for each device, that presumably Verizon sales techs should complete before launch. Even so, they will still be available for the holiday season which means Santa Clause is coming to town and bringin it down! Source: intomobile.com

Introducing the WiMAX-enabled HTC Touch, the T8290. It’s looking like this thing is loaded with a huge 3.8? 480 x 800 WVGA display, WiMAX + GSM, 802.11g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and video calling capabilities. Yep thats what I said video calling capabilities. It would be nice to see this device launch in the US but that remains to be seen.... Source: BGR