HTC Weekly Overview

overview

Bloggers had a little time to reflect on the patent infringement complaint made by HTC against Apple.

Everyone is still abuzz about the HTC EVO 4G, particularly as details come about pricing and Google touted their phone on its website. The Google website, that is, that will no longer carry the Nexus One.

The HTC Wildfire blazed across the blogosphere while the rumored HTC Mondrian popped up in a ROM.

The HTC HD2 receives an update while hackers make a step towards running Android on the device.

Speculation continued as to what Android handsets AT&T will carry.

Comments from Verizon’s CEO at the Reuters Global Technology Summit highlight stock issues with the DROID Incredible by HTC and hint LTE handsets and tablets on their way.

A demo of Windows Phone 7 on the LG Panther sparked speculation as to the fate of the OS.

There was yet another report touting Android’s explosive growth, this time from Gartner.

Reviewers got their hands on the LG Ally.

The Palm Pre wasn’t all that Sprint had hoped it would be but they, along with some of their friends across the pond, will take on the Palm Pixi Plus anyway.

key trends

 

HTC

More details came out regarding HTC’s complaint against Apple with the US International Trade Commission, particularly the full complaint document detailing the patents cited. One of the patents, U.S. Patent No. 7,716,505, was granted only a day before the complaint was filed. The move has been generally interpreted as a backlash against Apple, who sued HTC a couple of months ago. What is likely to be a long legal battle is predicted to result in an eventual agreement between the companies. IntoMobile summarized the situation:

HTC’s claims aren’t quite as sexy as Apple’s but it’s the same idea philosophically: This other company shouldn’t be using these patents without some sort of licensing deal. As I’ve mentioned before, these types of cases usually end up with some form a cross-licensing agreement and the process can take as long as a decade. Many times, the threat of the counter-suit is enough to stop one company from suing because this ends up in “mutually-assured destruction” because of the legal fees. Or, the negotiations will happen outside of the court, like it did with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s recent licensing of patents to HTC.

Engadget broke down each of the claims that they felt were not “nearly as strong a group as the 20 Apple claimed in its lawsuit,” highlighting a few that they felt would not apply to the iPad or iPod. They reminded readers, however, that only one has to be viable in order to win the ITC case. Although HTC’s countersuit with the ITC follows what has become somewhat of a pattern in these types of disputes, Engadget noted the absence of the usual corresponding federal filing:

What's odd here is that HTC hasn't yet filed a lawsuit in federal court, which could mean a lot of things -- HTC could just be banking on the ITC's somewhat faster process to force Apple's hand, or it could be less sure of its patent claims and avoiding the harsher scrutiny of a courtroom in favor of an administrative decision.

Between the disputes with Apple and the recent patent licensing agreement with Microsoft, Windows Phone Thoughts concluded that HTC is being used as a “proxy” in the rivalry between Google, Microsoft, and Apple. Ars  Technica, however, reminded readers that there is much unknown about the Microsoft licensing arrangement and that it’s possible the agreement actually helps HTC “shore up its defense.”

The spotlight quickly turned from the lawsuit, however, with last week’s HTC EVO 4G launch event and general excitement about the imminent June 4^th release of the HTC EVO 4G. Gushing about the “amazing” phone continued with Pocket Lint referring to it as “the mini iPad you didn’t even know you wanted” and James Kendrick at jkOnTheRun saying:

The Sprint EVO 4G is definitely looking like one hot smartphone, and I am jonesing for one.

Bloggers were pleased that the phone’s price is set at $199 with a two-year agreement and a $100 mail-in rebate. Though the plan Sprint will offer is “pretty expensive,” IntoMobile concluded:

It's still not all that bad because the device should pay itself off in due time. People will be willing to pay whatever they need to to get this device in their hands. Now the wraps of the device are off, now we play the waiting game. June 4 isn't too far away, but it sure does seem like it.

It appears as though consumers agree since Sprint has “amassed a long waiting list” that is only likely to continue as Best Buy and RadioShack accept preorders. Sprint's Chief Financial Officer, Robert Brust assured shareholders that they don’t anticipate any inventory issues.

Meanwhile, Google pointed Sprint customers browsing their Nexus One site to the HTC EVO 4G after announcing that they will no longer sell the Nexus One online and will instead use the site “to showcase a variety of Android phones available globally”. Google said they would work with brick and mortar stores, along the lines of their European model, though they have not yet named their partners. The endorsement of the HTC EVO 4G was seen as a sign that Google is “officially waving the white flag of defeat” and the decision to stop selling the Nexus One online was interpreted by Engadget as a sign that, “the experiment has fizzled to an end.” Some, including PocketNow, seemed somewhat comforted by the fact that the HTC EVO 4G will let you “pick your poison” with the ability to disable the home screen of the HTC Sense experience, instead directing the user to the stock Android launcher when they hit the home button.

At least one more Android phone for Google to advertise came out this week. News of the HTC Wildfire spread as fast as its namesake once HTC put out a press release announcing the phone would come to Europe by Q3. There were the usual comparisons to other HTC handsets amongst the first impressions, describing it as “HTC’s next Android mini,” “like the Desire, but won't break the bank,” “pretty similar to my not-entry-level-at-the-time Hero (sigh),” and “a budget-friendly Android device that isn't too dissimilar from the HTC Legend.” SlashPhone echoed what seemed to be the general consensus:

Basically, a bunch of good stuff shoved into a budget-conscious piece of hardware. In other words: a win-win situation, if you ask us.

The phone was described as having “sharing at its core” and social features such as the HTC Friend Stream application, next-generation Caller ID, and Application Sharing were frequently mentioned and well-received. Engadget said:

Sort of a lazy man's social phone, but we reckon that can be quite a useful thing for the targeted demographic of college students. HTC openly admitted to shooting for the same crowd as Microsoft's Kin, intending to make this phone both as cheap and as easy to text, email and socialize with as possible.

Recognizing that the phone is aimed at young adults as being “only entry-level because of [its] price tag” and “a stepping stone to a smartphone,” Tracy and Matt wasn’t the only one thinking that price “will be the deciding factor” and, now that Virgin, T-Mobile, and 3 have all announced that they will carry the HTC Wildfire, pricing details are beginning to emerge. T-Mobile, who revealed in a tweet that it will be the first network to sell the phone with sales starting in the U.K. on June 14^th was also the first to announce their price: £20 a month with a two-year contract.

In spite of the perception that HTC “churns out Android models as fast as it can think of a name,” a leaked Windows Phone 7 ROM discovered by an XDA forum member suggests that the HTC Mondrian may be one of the first Windows Phone 7 handsets to hit the market. Rumored features include a high-capacity camera, no physical keyboard, a 4.3” WVGA display, a digital compass, and a 1.3 GHz processor. Pointing out “that it'll be a while yet before anything actually goes on sale,” however, WMPoweruser was left wondering:

Is this device lustworthy enough to overcome any Windows Phone 7 objections?

WMExperts advised the reader to “put your skeptics cap on,” however, alternative renderings of the device, accompanied by different rumored specs than the XDA post, prompted further skepticism as to the reliability of the rumors. Still, “people go gaga over the newly leaked Mondrian image” and look forward to hearing more.

In other Windows Mobile news, the HTC HD2, “(aka WM6.5's last hurrah)” received an unofficial update to its ROM. WMExperts reported that HTC pulled the link off of T-Mobile’s site while TMONews attributed the removal of the link to T-Mobile. The official update became available for download on T-Mobile’s site on May 18^th. Even the unofficial update was too late for Matthew Miller of ZDNet, however, who recently sold his HTC HD2:

So, if all of this is true then the HD2 may now be the device I had wanted when I purchased it. I am a bit disappointed that T-Mobile did not come out on their forums and say an update was coming out thanks to all the issues that people had been reporting.

T-Mobile further upset customers once the official update went live on the 18^th. T-Mobile is not providing recourse for victims of the fact that some content, including games, will be lost with the update, which restores the phone to its factory settings. As Engadget put it:

On the list of ways to not foster customer satisfaction, deleting purchased apps with no recourse for getting them back has to be very, very high on the list, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, developers at XDA made a “significant breakthrough” in their quest to run Android on the HTC HD2 when they managed to playback a video through a Linux bootloader. Bloggers point out that the reality of Android on the HTC HD2 may be a ways off, if it ever even happens, but are optimistic that it could “ease some EVO envy” along with woes that the handset won’t see an update to Windows Phone 7 when the new OS becomes available.

In other T-Mobile news, rumor has it that the myTouch 3G Slide will be available for $149. There had been speculation that the phone would become available as early as June 2^nd but, perhaps because of “the high anticipation riding with the EVO 4G's arrival,” the newest scoop is that it will arrive on June 16^th.

As speculation continued as to what Android phones AT&T will carry, some bloggers were left scratching their heads as a chat transcript circulated in which an AT&T representative told Jim Carr, a PocketNow reader, that they would soon be carrying the HTC Hero and an as yet unannounced touchscreen HTC phone running Android “anytime now or summer.” According to Android Guys:

While it seems highly unlikely that AT&T would adopt a year old phone, stranger things have happened. There's always the possibility that the representative was, in fact, referring to the HTC Legend, but was just misinformed. At least now we know to expect two devices in the coming months. That's good news for AT&T subscribers... Or is it? Should these new devices be locked down and Yahoo-ified like the Backflip, you can bet your bottom that Android fans aren't gonna be happy.

SciencePro reminded readers of earlier leaks that the HTC Legend had recently cleared the FCC with AT&T bands, casting their vote for that possibility.

Sprint, meanwhile, has “FINALLY” made the update to Android 2.1 available for the HTC Hero along with some other enhancements. “HTC Hero owners over in Europe are getting antsy” but hope only to have to wait until June.

There have been stock issues with the DROID Incredible by HTC thanks to component shortages combined with “overwhelming demand.” The next shipment is expected to become available June 4^th, the date on which Sprint will launch the HTC EVO 4G. Verizon’s CEO Lowell McAdam thinks sales, “would be well on track to have better successes than the Motorola Droid (and that’s no small mountain to climb)” if it weren’t for the shortages. Verizon also released a commercial “that actually shows off” the DROID Incredible by HTC.

McAdam also announced at the Reuters Global Technology Summit that they are working with various partners, including HTC, to bring LTE handsets to Big Red by 2011 and that Verizon was working with Motorola, Samsung, and LG to bring Android tablets to their network by the fourth quarter. That McAdam only explicitly mentioned HTC when discussing handsets didn’t stop bloggers from getting excited about the prospect of an Android-powered tablet from HTC.

Platform

Microsoft’s UK Mobile Business Group director, Alex Reeve, demonstrated the progress they have made with Windows Phone 7 on an LG Panther this week. The “sexy” handset also appeared in the wild as it was posted to Flickr by a supposed French Microsoft employee. What was likely a move to “maintain excitement” generated a combination of excitement and cautionary tales for Microsoft. However mixed the reaction was, at least IntoMobile appreciated the nudge:

With all the buzz around Android and the upcoming Sprint EVO 4G (made by HTC, of course), we had almost forgotten about the completely revamped Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system from Microsoft. So, it’s good to see the Chassis 2 device caught hanging out in the real world.

Pocket Lint thought the OS was “working very smoothly” and CNET UK was “impressed by how polished the OS looked.” Even though it’s “far evolved from what was shown back at Mobile World Congress,” some took the opportunity to detail what was still lacking in the OS and what they recommended Microsoft do about it. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes at ZDNet focused on compatibility and consistency between versions:

We need some guarantees from Microsoft that the Windows Phone 7 platform will offer users a stable platform that goes beyond the lifespan of the current platform and onto Windows Phone 8 or whatever it ends up being called. Applications need to have a lifespan that goes beyond the life of the OS installed on the handset, and the same goes for user data and settings.

SlashGear suggested that Microsoft “Help Hardware Partners Differentiate” and carve out its own niches in the mobile space, citing KIN as an example:

This is an example of Microsoft choosing to take their software platform and focus on a specific segment of the market, in essence choosing to compete for this particular market. I can see them beginning to carve out other segments of the market they are interested in and create a hardware/software experience unique to that market. Think an enterprise device with customized software and hardware designed to focus on the mobile worker, in essence to go right after RIM’s core market.

A recent report by Gartner, who had reported late in 2009 that Microsoft would rank 4^th among smartphone operating systems by 2012, highlights the challenges Microsoft is facing and, conversely, the wild success of Android. The latest in what is starting to seem like a steady stream of analyst reports quantifying Android’s success, the report shows Android “catching up fast with 9.6 percent” of the global smartphone market share. This is a 707% increase over the first quarter of 2009. This “pushed Google's operating system past Microsoft's Windows Mobile” into fourth place, just behind the iPhone for overall market share. Nokia’s Symbian and RIM held onto first and second place, respectively. Android and iPhone were the only operating systems to enjoy an increase in their relative share. It’s no wonder there is such tight competition since they also reported a 50% increase in smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2010 and a 17% increase year-on-year.

 

Competition

LG is preparing to launch its first Android phone in the US, the LG Ally, and hands-on posts and reviews of the mid-range handset have been rolling in ahead of the May 20^th release date. Most recent reviews have been cautiously favorable toward the handset.

PhoneScoop called the LG Ally a “smartphone platform with the body of a feature phone” and was critical of the heft of the device and some of the media capabilities, noting that the “Droid and Incredible offer better overall experiences.”

Gizmodo called the design “remarkably unremarkable.” Its standout features include a quality screen and an excellent keyboard, described as “a joy compared to the Droid’s irritatingly flat QWERTY.” However, with a less powerful processor and a price in line with the Motorola Droid, Gizmodo was unable to recommend the LG Ally:

And so the fate of the Ally is sealed. It's aimed at the same kind of people who would buy a Droid, but it's not as good a handset. To the Verizon user who wants a keyboarded Android phone, I would say to buy a Droid, even if it cost a bit more, and its keyboard isn't as easy to use as the Ally's. To the general Verizon smartphone buyer, I'd say to check out the Droid and HTC Incredible. To someone thinking about using a smartphone like the Ally instead of a messaging phone, I'd say to check the math.

Engadget’s review was a bit more forgiving, pointing out that “not every smartphone has to be putting down maxed-out hardware,” and suggesting that the LG Ally could be a good crossover into the smartphone world.  PhoneArena concurred:

When all is said and done, the LG Ally VS740 is a nice smartphone for those individuals who have been cautious about taking the Android plunge. It is simple enough to use and lacks some of the bells-and-whistles (such as MOTOBLUR and Sense UI) that may cause the average user to stay away. As we noted earlier, the QWERTY keyboard is one of the best features of the device, so if you are looking for a mainstream Android 2.1 phone with sliding keyboard, the LG Ally VS740 doesn’t disappoint at all.

In an analyst call this week, Sprint’s CFO conceded that the Palm Pre “didn't work out as well as we hoped.” His somewhat belated comments drew some chuckles from bloggers like BGR, who commented, “You know it, we know it, and now Sprint is finally admitting it knows it, too.” But despite sentiments that the Palm “bombed” at Sprint, webOS is seeing a resurgence this week.

Starting across the pond, O2 UK announced that the Palm Pixi Plus and Pre Plus will be released on May 28^th. Reactions to the announcement were mixed. IntoMobile’s comments were indicative of the overall response:

O2 was the first carrier to bring the original GSM Palm Pre to the market, and we can only assume that they’re as disappointed with sales as Sprint was. Still, O2 has been pushing out the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus to Germany, and other carriers have picked them up in Spain and France; whether or not those rollouts will be successful, we’ll have to wait a quarter or two to find out.

Stateside, AT&T confirmed this week that the Palm Pixi Plus will join the Pre Plus in its lineup on June 6^th. Price has not been confirmed, but rumor has it the cost will be $49.95 with contract, a price SlashPhone called “perfect” for this handset.

General Mobile Tech

Google I/O kicked off this morning with a keynote that “reaffirmed [Google’s] commitment to open standards.” Some of our favorite mobile bloggers were on hand at Google’s annual developer conference, with live blogs or streaming content from Gearlog, IntoMobile, and PocketNow.

GigaOM offered an in-depth summary of today’s I/O discussions. Although reporting on mobile news was minimal on day one, additional Android discussions are scheduled for tomorrow.