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domingo, 28 de noviembre de 2010

HTC y Iusacell estrenan equipos.

HTC y Iusacell estrenan equipos.










Estamos llegando al Matukplex de la presentación conjunta de HTC y Iusacell que están de manteles largos presentando dos nuevos teléfonos en México: el HTC Icredible y el Desire A. Además, de manera discreta, Iusacell presenta su nueva red GSM.
HTC es un nombre que comienza a tomar fuerza en nuestro pais desde hace relativamente poco tiempo, es importante saber que llevan en la industria toda una historia, siendo los responsables de elaborar famosos equipos para otra marca y eventualmente presentando inovaciones y equipos bajo su propio nombre. Han trabajado exitosamente con Windows Phone y fueron los primeros en lanzar Android al mundo con el G1.
Convencidos de que el 2011 será el año de los smartphones en Latinoamérica,  México representa un mercado estratégico para HTC y han notado que las expectativas de los consumidores nacionales están muy acorde a sus estándares de diseño y desempeño.  Tal es este interés por el mercado mexicano que han logrado traer el modelo Incredible, que originalmente fue firmado en exclusiva para Verizon en Estados Unidos.
Iusacell por su parte también está poniendo toda la tecnología a una nueva red para que soporten las velocidades de estos teléfonos, en especial el Desire A con el que estrena su nueva red Iusacell GSM (HSDPA), que alcanza los 7.1 Mbs de descarga en este modelo, pero que permite velocidades hasta de 21 Mbs . “Con esta nueva red, buscamos ofrecer a los usuarios un soporte robusto para todos los diferentes funciones que realicen con su teléfono. Desde twittear una foto hasta navegación GPS, todas las funciones se ven beneficiadas con una red de última generación como respaldo”, dijo en la conferencia de prensa Ernesto Alegrett.
“Los teléfonos que se se presentan no fueron elegidos al azar. Basados en numerosos estudios de mercado y de entender al usuario mexicano, optaron por estos modelos”, comentaba Juan Carlos Ortiz, Director de HTC en Latinoamérica.El Desire A tiene Android 2.1 como sistema operativo y el Incredible incluye el 2.2. Las actualizaciones futuras se irán evaluando para mantener el desempeño de ambos teléfonos en niveles óptimos. El Incredible, por otra parte,  está enfocado para los usuarios que buscan el mejor equipo y las mayores especificaciones técnicas y un diseño inspirado en un auto deportivo. El Desire A está diseñado para la conectividad y la sociabilidad. Además, ambos vienen con la aplaudida interfaz diseñada por HTC, SENSE, que es añadida a la UI natural de Android y ofrecen una diferente manera de visualizar, navegar y acceder a las aplicaciones que cada usuario decida.
Disponibles a partir de la primer semana de diciembre en todos los puntos de venta Iusacell y estarán para los usuarios tanto de postpago como de prepago. El Desire A será gratis, con un Plan Elite 700 y en el caso del Increidlbe, será gratis en el plan Elite 1000.  Mientras podemos escribir una reseña a fondo de los teléfonos y de su desempeño, los teléfonos presentados hoy representan un paso más hacia un mercado de telefonía móvil más competitivo, al presentar equipos de la más alta tecnología y una red de última generación, HTC y Iusacell están empujando los estándares de referencia que se tienen en México sobre la experiencia de uso de un teléfono inteligente.
Los demás miembros de los medios, atentos.

MAS LINKS CON INFORMACIÓN:


http://solucionesconinternet.com/tag/htc/
http://www.matuk.com/2010/11/25/htc-y-iusacell-estrenan-equipos/#comment-68926
http://www.mundo-contact.com/soluciones_detalle.php?recordID=4323
http://www.miproximomovil.com/2010/11/precio-de-los-htc-desire-a-e-incredible-con-iusacell-en-mexico/
http://www.merca20.com/htc-elige-a-su-nueva-agencia-de-relaciones-publicas/
http://bytes.mx/?p=381
http://bytes.mx/?p=227
http://www.compuguia.com.mx/5-5803/htc-y-iuscell-introducen-incredible-y-desire-con-gsm
http://www.keegy.com/post/precio-de-los-htc-desire-a-e-incredible-con-iusacell-en-mexico/
http://bytes.mx/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/iusa6.jpg
http://www.addictware.com.mx/index.php/comunicaciones/844-incredible-y-desire-a-lo-nuevo-de-htc
http://resenando.com/2010/11/25/llega-htc-a-mexico/
http://www.tecnodiva.com/2010/11/27/htc-y-iusacell-presentaron-el-incredible-y-desire-a/
http://www.wayerless.com/2010/11/mexico-htc-presenta-el-incredible-y-desire-a/
http://www.avizpate.com/blog/HTC-y-Iusacell-presentaron-el-Incredible-y-Desire-A/
http://estilos.prodigy.msn.com/vida-digital/articulo.aspx?cp-documentid=26500804
http://www.arroba.com.mx/byte/blog/2010/11/htc-incredible-y-htc-desire-a-con-iusacell/
http://www.poderpda.com/noticias/htc-y-iusacell-presentaron-hoy-el-incredible-y-desire-a/
http://tengofriki.com/2010/11/26/mexico-htc-presenta-el-incredible-y-desire-a/
http://mobile.sonorika.es/news/htc-y-iusacell-presentaron-el-incredible-y-desire-a/586902
http://www.negerihijau.com/htc-introduced-incredible-iusacell-desire.html
http://portfo.li/tecnologia/433900-m-eacute-xico-htc-presenta-el-incredible-y-desire-a
http://tweetmeme.com/story/3187794122/htc-y-iusacell-estrenan-equipos
http://mx.buzz.yahoo.com/article/1:hightechedit_762:f794b3363b99b65d6e04657e23789b28/HTC-y-Iusacell-introducen-Incredible-y-Desire-con-GSM
http://www.siam-moebel.de/es/content/mexico-htc-presenta-el-incredible-desire

viernes, 16 de julio de 2010

Apple and HTC lead charge as smartphone market looks set to grow and grow

A recent survey of 4,028 US consumers by ChangeWave has thrown up a number of illuminating statistics, which you might consider as predictable as they are informative. The chief takeaway is that people are keen on buying smartphones like never before, with 16% of respondents saying that they'll be taking the plunge within the next 90 days, which marks the biggest increase in the survey's history. Secondly, and crucially for vendor loyalists, Apple and HTC seem to be the biggest beneficiaries (or are they the stimulants?) of this interest, with both improving their share by over 50 percent between March and June of this year. RIM and Motorola have taken a tumble in that same timespan, while Palm has sadly failed to register even a single percentage point. We can definitely see the Droid X and BlackBerry 6 remedying things for the big boys, but Palm's route out of ignominy seems a little less straightforward. You'll find a chart of customer satisfaction -- dominated by Apple in imperious fashion -- after the break, and the full breakdown at the source link.


   Engadget.com By Vlad Savov

lunes, 24 de mayo de 2010

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 4th 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 14th 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 18th. 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 18th. 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 envyalong 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 2nd but, perhaps because of “the high anticipation riding with the EVO 4G's arrival,” the newest scoop is that it will arrive on June 16th.

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 4th, 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 4th 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 20th 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 28th. 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 6th. 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. 

jueves, 13 de mayo de 2010

HTC Weekly Overview

HTC Overview

News just broke that HTC has countersued Apple for patent infringement.

HTC recorded revenue numbers in April and bloggers wonder if the trend will continue.

Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow announced that they would introduce clear-branded handsets this year from Samsung and HTC.

The HTC EVO 4G from Sprint cleared the FCC and various leaks from earlier in the day suggest that it may be available as soon as June 6 (note, next week’s report will have full HTC EVO 4G coverage from today’s event and announcement). The Nexus One; however, will never show up on Sprint’s network.

The anticipated update to Android 2.1 for Sprint’s HTC Hero was delayed again while Verizon pushed the first round of an OTA update to Android 2.1 for the DROID Eris by HTC. Rumors also began to percolate as to when the myTouch3G may see an update to Android 2.1 with a shot of Espresso.

Rumors also circulated that the HTC Legend may be coming to AT&T and Bell while the HTC Desire may show up on T-Mobile.

A few reviews trickled in for the DROID Incredible by HTC, the HTC Smart, and even the HTC HD2. Meanwhile, the HTC HD2 survived a car crash.

Android outsold the iPhone and Apple got publicly defensive. Meanwhile, rumors that Verizon may carry the next generation of the iPhone persist as another iPhone 4G escaped into the wild in Vietnam.

Motorola’s Flipout may be too square to party.

The plot thickens as carriers explore next generation network opportunities.

key trends

 HTC

HTC filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission requesting a ban on imports of Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod products. Gizmodo and AllThingsD posted details for the five patents they believe are cited, though HTC has not officially listed the patents and the official documentation has not yet become available through the ITC. The move is generally being described as “a pretty standard request with patent violation dealios” aside from the fact that HTC has at least not yet filed a corresponding federal lawsuit. Bloggers expect this to be a prolonged legal battle unless both this and Apple’s suit against HTC settle. Look out for more analysis as the story unfolds in the coming weeks.

HTC’s record revenue numbers for April caused a stir this week, showing that “life is good over at HTC.” In addition to the surging popularity of Android, HTC’s success to was often attributed to its “approach of saturating the market by rapidly releasing new devices,” There’s some nail-biting as to whether Apple will get in the way of sustained success between the pending release of the iPhone 4G and the existing patent suit, but optimistic fans such as Android Central think, “there’s really no stopping HTC.

In this “Year of the Smartphone,” bloggers will be watching sales of the HTC EVO 4G and DROID Incredible by HTC closely as they go head-to-head with the new iPhone and eagerly await the release of HTC’s first Windows Phone 7 handset in Q4.
Rumors began this week that one of those Windows Phone 7 handsets from HTC could be a Clear-branded phone but were quickly cut off at the knees by Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow. The rumors grew out of an announcement by Clearwire that it plans to release Clear-branded HTC and Samsung handsets later this year. Although Clearwire described the Samsung phone as an Android handset, it was vague about what to expect from HTC except that it would not be the HTC EVO 4G, leaving room for speculation that the HTC handset could be a Windows Phone 7 handset. Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow cleared things up in an interview with CNET, however, when he said that, “Both phones will be Google Android-based.

As of earlier today, those chomping at the bit for an HTC EVO 4G got an unofficial commercial of the handset and quite the earful of news and rumors this week. Phandroid posted photos taken by a supposed sales rep of The Shack suggested that the HTC EVO 4G could be available for preorder through The Shack by the end of the month and available in stores June 6 for $199.99 with a new contract. Engadget happily discovered that the handset cleared the FCC, “WiMAX and all” and hopes this is a sign that the phone is  “one step closer to launch”:

There's not much to see here, really; it's still under confidentiality for the external photos, but at least they've cleared that all-important FCC hurdle on the way to retail, which will be... soon, Sprint? Right? Please?

Further leaks, this time from Sprint, suggest that the carrier is about to begin training employees on the phone and is finalizing the details of a plan for future HTC EVO 4G customers. Although there is some hope that Sprint won’t charge customers to use the WiMAX hotspot capability, leaked screenshots posted at Android Central suggest there will be a monthly fee for the service. As they said, “That's really not that big a surprise, however unwelcome.” More to come next week on today’s big HTC EVO 4G announcement.

As it ramps up for the HTC EVO 4G, Sprint announced definitively that it won’t carry the Nexus One. Most thought the news was “hardly surprising” even though it was only about two months ago that Sprint originally announced they would be getting the phone. The news led many bloggers to declare the concept of a Google phone “all but dead,” but didn’t exactly lament the loss. Boy Genius Report explained:

Singling out the lack of need for the handset in their portfolio thanks to the bigger, better, faster and stronger HTC EVO 4G, Sprint is no doubt going to raise the ire of the rank and file of the Android Army for killing what was likely their only change to have an Android smartphone exactly as Google intended it. But trust us… We’ve used both and think Sprint did the right thing.

Engadget could only think of one group that may be disappointed by the situation:

Of course, this might peeve a few folks who'd prefer stock Android over HTC's Sense UI -- if for no other reason than the fact that Sense-powered devices tend to have wildly longer firmware upgrade lag times than stock ones do -- but otherwise, the move seems to be a perfectly logical one.

Speaking of frustration over delays in updates, there were “shattered Android dreams” last week when Sprint declared in a variety of channels, including Twitter posts and forum comments, that the update rumored to be coming that day to Android 2.1 for Sprint’s HTC Hero customers would not transpire after all.
Then yet another Best Buy employee leak suggested that the update has been rescheduled for May 21, though bloggers are highly skeptical that the update will actually roll out on that date with Mobile Crunch referring to a “countdown to disappointment.” HTC was blamed for the delay in a number of posts, including one on Phandroid:

I reckon this is the last shot for some of you either looking at the HTC EVO 4G, or looking to move to a different carrier altogether. Just remember that HTC are the main ones responsible for engineering the update, so Sprint shouldn’t be held completely responsible for all of these delays.

Verizon, meanwhile, pushed a test OTA update for the DROID Eris by HTC at midnight on the 11th and is expected to continue the rollout to all DROID Eris by HTC owners “soon.” Verizon first got everyone excited when they posted a support site last week and then a leak by Mobile Crunch of internal Verizon communications suggested the update was “tentatively scheduled” to begin rolling out on the 11th. The update is mandatory and involves a system restore.

The myTouch 3G Slide continued to enjoy the spotlight this week as it showed up on eBay, pictures were posted, and multiple videos made the rounds, teasing those anxiously awaiting for its arrival on T-Mobile sometime in June.

 The original myTouch 3G, meanwhile, should soon see an update to Android 2.1 “all dressed up in Sense (double yay!)” with the myTouch 3G Slide’s “Espresso” interface and a virtual “Genius” button. The news came out of a Techland interview with Andrew Sherrard, T-Mobile’s VP of Product Innovation. Most were excited but some, including both IntoMobile and Android and Me, were somewhat surprised to hear of the update, especially the fact that the Espresso interface would be included. According to Android and Me:

This is an interesting turn of events because we always heard that Google was in charge of the software updates for the G1 and myTouch 3G. We assumed they would remain stock Android devices, but T-Mobile has decided to change direction and go with Sense UI.

No timeline was provided for the update, but most bets are that it will roll out about the time that the myTouch 3G Slide is released in June.
Rounding out the rumor mill were speculations that the HTC Legend may be coming to and Bell in Canada and AT&T in the U.S., thanks to the fact that it just passed the FCC with AT&T bands, along with best guesses as to what T-Mobile’s “Project Emerald” may entail. Gazes into crystal balls suggest that it may be the HTC Desire or some other “Nexus One-like device,” potentially an HSPA+ handset, maybe a Samsung Galaxy S, or “this could just be a fancy way of releasing the myTouch 3G Slide.”

A few reviews trickled in for the likes of the DROID Incredible by HTC, the HTC Smart, and even the HTC HD2. The HTC Incredible generally continues to impress, with MobilitySite praising the design and saying “The Droid Incredible has it all.” They only found the signal reception flawed:

This is my main concern with the Droid Incredible. Verizon has a great network, and coverage is always amazing here where I live in Philadelphia, occasionally dropping one bar or so. On the Droid Incredible, I never got more than 2 bars of 3G, and it went to 1x at least twice a day. I don’t know if this is a hardware related issue, or maybe it can be fixed via a software update, but it’s something that really bothers me.

 Anand Lai Shimpi posted an epic review of the DROID Incredible by HTC to Anandtech in which he praised HTC generally, said he thinks the phone “feels cheap, mostly because of the back cover,” compared the phone to the Nexus One a lot and the iPhone a little, expressed his thanks that “Verizon is encouraging you to tether from the moment you open,” and generally provided more than extensive support for his conclusion that the DROID Incredible by HTC is “clearly better than the Nexus One.” He hopes HTC may someday create a phone that he concludes trumps the iPhone:

What HTC has done is provided the best hardware platform for Android to date so that those users who have to choose between Apple and Google at least have a good representative from the Android camp. With some app consolidation, some additional features (e.g. server side email search for non-Gmail accounts) and a simplified Sense scene I’m confident we could see a HTC phone that even delivers the same clean user experience as an iPhone. Then you wouldn’t even have to choose.

SlashGear, meanwhile, posted their first impressions of the HTC Smart and found it had “very little lag” in spite of the fact that its processor “pales in comparison to even last-generation Android and Windows Mobile handsets.”

Bill Henley, host of NBC Philadelphia’s The 10! Show didn’t get a chance to fully review of the HTC HD2 he received but took the blogs by storm anyway. Henley told viewers about how he had been using an HTC HD2 in preparation for a review but that, while distracted in the parking lot, left it on top of his car. The phone fell off his car and was run over multiple times before Henley returned to the scene to retrieve the device. Although dismayed, he was shocked to discover that the phone still worked, apart from the screen, and demonstrated the ability during the show.

Lastly, PocketNow seemed to think that it was HTC history week. They enjoyed a game of Twitter trivia as they asked if anyone could recall the name of HTC’s first phone before posting HTC’s video tour of their own product history.

Platform


Android outsold the iPhone in the US in the first quarter of 2010, according to research released by NPD Group this week.

While RIM is “staying strong” in the top spot, accounting for 36 percent of Q1 smartphone sales, the big news was the growth of Android. According to the consumer survey results, Android’s sales have jumped over 20 percentage points in the past six months, reaching 28 percent of smartphone sales in the past quarter. Meanwhile, iPhone sales remained relatively constant, at 21 percent.

Bloggers felt that the trend in Apple’s sales could be attributed, at least in part, to customers “holding off” for the next version of the iPhone. In the long-term, however, consensus seemed to suggest that Android’s sales approach of multiple price points and broad network availability could work to Android’s advantage. Ars Technica summarized these market forces:

It's possible that Apple will retake second place with the release of the next-generation iPhone this summer, but in the long run, Apple may always trail in terms of market share. Under Steve Jobs, Apple has not been willing to license its OS out to third parties, and that's the exact strategy that Google has used with Android to vault it to the top spot. On top of that, Apple currently limits the iPhone to one carrier while Android devices are carried by several different providers. Both of these elements help Google push a high volume of devices.

In an uncharacteristic move, Apple quickly released a statement in response to the NPD report, refuting the validity of the data. Via All Things D, Apple’s Natalie Harrison made this statement:

"This is a very limited report on 150,000 US consumers responding to an online survey and does not account for the more than 85 million iPhone and iPod touch customers worldwide. IDC figures show that iPhone has 16.1 percent of the smartphone market and growing, far outselling Android on a worldwide basis. We had a record quarter with iPhone sales growing by 131 percent and with our new iPhone OS 4.0 software coming this summer, we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon."

Although several blogs had already pointed to the worldwide stats reported by IDC, bloggers cried foul at the combined iPhone and iPod Touch sales. IntoMobile found the response “blustering for the public’s sake,” ZDNET called Apple out for “fudging the figures” and Gizmodo chided, “Defensiveness is not a character trait that suits you well, Apple.”


Competition

As seems to happen every year around this time, the blogosphere is once again abuzz with rumors that the next version of the iPhone will be carried by Verizon. This year, according to Engadget, the rumors are getting harder to ignore:

It's one thing to say "hey, the iPhone is launching on Verizon," but we're noticing a particular confluence of facts that has us intrigued: it'll drop sometime in Summer, possibly in concert with the announcement that Verizon's first commercial LTE networks have gone live, and -- tread carefully here, because this is pretty difficult to believe and we don't want to get your hopes up only to have them smashed into a million pieces -- it'll supposedly even be a 4G launch device. We've gotten surprisingly specific details both from Verizon employees and tipsters whose companies are supposedly under NDA with Verizon to test enterprise deployments of the handset later this year, and they're all sending basically this same message.

Evidence is mounting on both sides of this claim. On the one hand, rumor has it that Verizon has been working with branding firm Landor Associates on an upcoming iPhone campaign. On the other hand, recently unearthed court documents confirm that Apple entered into a five-year exclusivity agreement with AT&T in 2007, indicating that the soonest the iPhone could move to another carrier would be 2012.


Another iPhone HD reportedly “escaped into the wild” this week, reappearing on the Vietnamese forum Taoviet. Bloggers noticed some “subtle aesthetic differences” between the Vietnamese handset and the one obtained by Gizmodo, indicating that this latest leak is a newer prototype.

The Taoviet content includes a video and photos breaking down the phone into components and reveals a processor marked with the Apple logo, indicating that the phone will run the same chipset as the iPad.

Apparently, it’s “hip to be square” in mobile this year. Rumor has it Motorola is poised to release an Android device shortly that will take advantage of this trend. Reportedly called the Flipout, the device is perhaps most notable as the first Motoblur device running Android 2.1. As IntoMobile noted, “This alone is enough to believe that an update for existing Motoblur device can’t be too far away.

Most of the traditional mobile bloggers were unenthusiastic about the square look. BGR was “really not digging the design” and Pocket-lint called it “strange looking.” 


General Mobile Tech


With the release of the HTC EVO 4G imminent, carriers are jockeying for position in the next-generation network conversation. This week, several news cycles illustrated the growing prominence of this discussion:


  • Sprint, which owns a large share of Clearwater, also discussed the WiMAX and LTE standards in a recent earnings call. Based on comments by CEO Dan Hesse, it appears that Sprint is currently committed to WiMAX but has left the door open for a future move to LTE.

Meanwhile, Verizon has reportedly been testing its nascent LTE network in Boston, with some impressive results, though SlashGear thought the video seemed more like an advertisement than an actual product test.