Palm, i-mate, others moving manufacturing contracts back to HTC?

We thought that HTC's bold venture into the direct-to-consumer space pretty much spelled doom for its once-burgeoning ODM business, but apparently not. We don't know if these guys are just exceptionally good at what they do, exceptionally cheap, exceptionally convincing, or some combination of the above, because a report out of Taiwan's Commercial Times claims that Palm, i-mate, and MWG -- all companies who've moved their manufacturing contracts solidly away from HTC in recent years -- have come back into the fold, ultimately bumping HTC's contracting business to account for more than 10 percent of its total business in the first quarter. We're skeptical that these three brands (all of whom compete with HTC at retail) would suddenly decide to throw up the white flag at roughly the same time, but considering the kinds of things that happen when other ODMs come into the picture, a little HTC TLC could be just what the doctor ordered.

[Via IntoMobile]

[Dave @ Jan 17th 2008 5:20PM]

I'm going to spam this until HTC fixes the Damn video drivers on the Qualcomm 7200 and 7500 chipsets
http://www.htcclassaction.org/ FTW

[p3ngwin @ Jan 18th 2008 11:00AM]

i totally agree.
what's the point of having decent hardware in these devices if there are no software to take advantage of it!
it's effectively buying hardware without using it. can you imagine buying a graphics card for your PC and using generic windows VGA drivers, letting the CPU draw your desktop at seconds-per-frame?
of course not, you bought the hardware because you expect that performance. so with HTC not providing the software drivers to hook into the hardware, you effectively have a device that is using the CPU for everything. not exactly the reason you shelled out hard earned cash for that multimedia hardware-equipped phone is it?

imagine buying a ferrari and found it had a volvo engine inside....how is it legal?
actually maybe a hybrid electric/gasoline car with one engine disconnected would be a better analogy.

this is illegal false advertising and companies shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

[VitaminCM @ Jan 17th 2008 5:24PM]

This is good. Maybe Palm will start to have better devices now.

[Mark @ Jan 17th 2008 5:41PM]

That picture made me laugh out loud. My co-workers are stareing.

[david_topping @ Jan 17th 2008 5:44PM]

“We don't know if these guys are just exceptionally good at what they do, exceptionally cheap, exceptionally convincing, or some combination of the above”

As an HTC Universal owner (in the form of an O2 Exec) I don’t feel it’s that they’re exceptionally cheap but “exceptionally good” pretty much trumps anything else.

I’ve been looking at all the releases of other “Smart” Phones recently and nothing, including the iPhone, comes close to what I’ve had for close on two years.

I’ve spent too long in the IT industry and been disappointed too often to be a “fanboy” of any sort but HTC just seem to deliver what people want. For that they get my vote in the form of my pounds.

Now about that Omni… WHEN? WHERE DO I FORM A LINE?

[kbnguy @ Jan 17th 2008 7:07PM]

^^ Third ^^
A very happy HTC Touch camper here.
Was Samsung i730 then Treo 700w then 750. Palm was a big disappointment...

[p3ngwin @ Jan 18th 2008 11:16AM]

i hear your pain as i amin EXACTLY the same boat....
i also have the XDA EXEC and have loved it since almost 2 1/2 years ago.
the screen size, the keyboard WITH NUMBERS (what's this bullshit recently with no number row?), the CPU (still keeping up today), the clamshell design (keeping the screen protected and clean)etc all good things.

now i've been looking and keeping up with developments for years always having the knowledge ready so that whenever i need to upgrade, i have the list in my head and know what to choose from.
nothing has met my needs for a universal replacement.
the OMNI, a dream it may exist internally at HTC but it's a phantom at the moment.
the HTC Kaiser was ALMOST what i was looking for, just the bloody idiots made it with a QVGA screen...again...IDIOTS!

there have been all sorts of "almost" devices that just failed to have the best combination of features i want. devices from toshiba, gigabyte, HTC's own OMNI ( i need it to exist and be released!), LG, nokia..the list goes on.

lately i was thinking about the i-mate 9250, but i refuse to have the 2.5" screen after living with 3.8" all this time.
the sharp EM-one would be an AMAZING device...if it was a smartphone and not jst a data-enabled PDA :(
the eten glofish m800 may be a decent upgrade , not sure yet. seems it's not the killer WOW! the universal packed when launched.
Asus M930 Communicator looks good on paper, but when released?
Toshiba Portege G920 looks like an ugly better specced universal, but no release certain...
now i see at CES 2008 Qualcomm's "snapdragon" platform and the prorotypes thay showed were EXACTLY what i waant. although the prototype wasn't running on actual snapdragon hardware, it used msm7200 chipset just to show the features capable in snapdragon, the prototype is the design i've been waiting for to leave my HTC universal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdMww-LFPik

[Kenbow @ Jan 17th 2008 5:45PM]

Hopefully Palm won't tolerate the "driverless" hardware Crap that HTC is currently baiting new customers with! I'm ready to return to my performance tolerable Treo 700!!!!

[Brian @ Jan 17th 2008 6:01PM]

^^^second

If only HTC actually listened to customers instead of pawning off a driverless brick as the "most-powerful" device on the market.

[Brian @ Jan 17th 2008 5:49PM]

As an owner of the Palm Treo 300, 600, 650, 700w, PPC6700, and now the PPC6900 (Touch/Vogue), I have to say their construction is top notch.

The PPC6900 is, IMO, the best phone sold by Sprint. (Formerly the Samsung A900)

HTC is to phones what ASUS is to laptops. Fantastic.
(ASUS sells under their own brand, but manufactures for other companies, as well. I believe ASUS makes or assembles the macbook shell, as well as Toshiba's laptops)

[Dave @ Jan 17th 2008 6:38PM]

As an owner of an UTStarcom 6700 aka HTC Apache I would say they are cheap. Although the Apache was the most feature packed device of its time and still fairs well the number of reported device defects in the support forums is staggering. I my self am on my second device, and I know some users that went all the way to four replacements.

Even if you have a working one you have to deal with Windows Mobile instability. I can't wait to see if the Google Android devices are any better.

[Isindil @ Jan 17th 2008 7:15PM]

Heh, I actually live half an hour by car from where that image was taken.

[rutsy5 @ Jan 17th 2008 7:38PM]

I'm gonna have to call PhotoShop on this one :/

[Mark Olenski @ Jan 17th 2008 7:42PM]

Because of the shortage of Qualcomm chips this is the only way to get the latest EVDO rev a and HSUPA chips

[Mike @ Jan 18th 2008 12:39AM]

I've been very happy with my Bell Touch. I crash Windows every couple of days, but otherwise the quality is great, and oh my goodness the packaging alone filled me with glee.

[Tim @ Jan 21st 2008 12:03AM]

Hell, Michigan by any chance? (minus the HTC and Palm logos of course)