Uh oh Microsoft, this can't be good news. HTC,
the premier manufacturer of Windows Mobile cellphones is rumored to be shifting half of its handsets to Google's Android OS in 2010. To put this in perspective, HTC lists 28 devices on its European website and of those, just 2 run Android, the rest are WinMo.
DigiTimes' sources also claim that HTC is on track to make 30% of its
2009 handsets Android-based which means that several of
Andy Rubin's 15 to 20 Android handsets coming this year would have to be HTC branded for this to be true.
DigiTimes also claims that HTC will launch a handset that's simultaneously a "high-profile 3G handset" and "entry-level model" with touchscreen and TouchFlo 3D / Sense UI. HTC is said to achieve this seemingly contradictory feat by basing the handset on Qualcomm's
BREW Mobile Platform when it launches in September or October. Of course, none of this is confirmed, but will undoubtedly be a topic of discussion when HTC reports earnings on July 30th.
posted Jul 22nd 2009 3:01AM
2010 can't get here fast enough!
Im surprised they are allowed to do this considering HTC is effectively a MS satellite company..
James,
How is HTC a MS satelite company? Just because they primarily made WinMo phones just means they stuck to a consistent platform to design for.
Also, one more thing...
Am I the ONLY person in the world that looks the Android logo and sees it as a Canadian on South Park.
Reference pic: http://reluctantoptimist.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/south-park-canada-on-strike.jpg
Nah, looks more like the imp from Zero Punctuation...
http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=769
Either way, it's adorable.
http://images.google.com/images?q=ike+broflovski
Great to here. I've been waiting for an Android phone to hit Verizon, so maybe that happening isn't too far off.
Of course, I'm sure Verizon's Android will come complete with annoying VCast shortcuts and plenty of red.
Here? I really typed that?
I think that's my brain's way of telling me, "Go to bed and give me some rest, asshole."
LOL, I'm a touch typist, so I look down the whole time I type. After I typed my post, I looked up and nearly EVERY word I typed was underlined for misspelling by Firefox.
Time for me to go to bed as well. :P
I would post a comment about touch typing not involving looking at the keyboard, but its late so I'll just post a link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_type
I was trying to type "LEED", but I ended up with Lewd (thanks to the auto-correction on my touch typing G1). So in my Google Calendar, instead of LEED study, I have Lewd study. :P
Go Android.
Dustin:
I think you misunderstand the meaning of 'Touch Typing'.
Nice HTC, but I would like too see a HTC branded Android phone on Sprint
I'll 2nd that! Tired of WinMo only options (besides the Pre).
I with HTC on this one, and it's MS fault.
Yeah, when will they realize that mobile interfaces are going finger friendly?! I see these shots of WM7 and still see a tiny start bar and a tiny little red X at the top right.
Microsoft!.. We DON'T want to carry around a PC!!!
your comment makes less sense than mullets on women.
Makes sense really. Android is getting tons more press than WinMo at the moment and their Android phones are becoming extremely popular.
I mean a lot of people knew of HTC...but I feel that Android has really helped them become a MAJOR name in the mobile space. Seems like perfect business logic....
Yes maybe so, but it is not all good press that Android is getting. HTC's biggest flop was the G1 phone, hoping to hit a market of all the fun phone users didn't quite take off. HTC have always been about business orientated smartphones, not fun phone. Those that use these kind of smartphones want a stable and perfectly compatible phone with there PC software such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint only to mention but a few. Android has major compatibility issues with all of the following so unless there is major changes to the Android os i cant see there being anymore of a future for this other than on fun style phones.
I'm all for new OS but i got a feeling its gonna be like Googles attempt at IE (Chrome) now that amounted to nothing.
at Jezz, android is compatible with everything that you just mentioned....?
Points at Steve Ballmer
HAHA
I think the conclusion is not necessarily correct; we know that Motorola was doing a major push into Android as well, having basically dropped development of phones using other platforms. We also know Acer, Dell and Samsung have their own plans, although not necessarily in the US.
This only makes sense - but it will still take a while for Android to gain the following of windows mobile. MS need to start leaking out more Windows Mobile 7 goodies to keep people prepared to wait. The Zune HD may do something to keep people interested.
Hopefully if they do this then it might be easier for XDAers to switch back and forth from WinMo to Android - as easy as having Windows and Linux on a machine. Heres to hoping.
I think the following is already there.
Great to hear the news! I want a Touch Pro 2 with Android! Not this MyTouch 3G bullshit. But now that I think about, MASSIVE props to Google for picking what I consider the best major handset maker instead of Motorola or LG(thank god they really have the worst phones).
Windows Mobile is dead as far as I'm concerned. I can't comprehend how Microsoft refuses to let people rest on XP and push for Vista and 7, but do the exact opposite on their cellphones. HTC's TouchFLO is about the only good product to arise from the Windows Mobile platform and that's sheerly thanks to HTC, who quickly ported it over to Android.
Now if HTC would only stop making their TouchFLO closed source. I understand why, but come on, it's Android, it's open source! I'm being a beggar, I'll shut up now.
HTC's touchFlo was like doing up a Hyundai, underneath all the rims, spoilers and body kits its still a shit Hyundai.
Windows Mobile for me had to be the most unstable, buggy and ugly POS i ever used.
Windows 6.5 will CERTAINLY not ward off the other OS's coming Microsofts way so they better hurry up with WinMo 7 and it bloody better be good.
So does this mean that they're producing more handsets and maintaining the number of WinMo handsets or about the same and replacing some WinMo handsets with Android ones?
I can't believe nobody said anything about 30% 'half'...
"...rumored to be shifting half of its handsets to Google's Android"
"HTC is on track to make 30% of its 2009 handsets Android-based"
Or am I missing something? Even with the 2 that are already Android, that makes 11 total, or not quite 40%.
Dang it! It took out my not equal sign!
Should say "I can't believe nobody said anything about 30% [not equal] 'half'..."
30% of 2.009 phones
50% of 2.010 phones
:)
30% of 2009 handsets != 50% of all future handsets
They're on track to make 30% of the 2009 ones android.
They're changing gears so that, at some point in the near future, of all of their currently produced handsets, 50% are android. See the difference now?
@ Gwydion If there are only 22 handsets in 2010, then that makes sense. Good point.
@ Sal Tepedino I see your point, but the exact quotes don't seem, IMHO, to point towards that meaning.
Either way, I concede. I was just picking nits anyway. :-)
Another nail in WinMo's coffin and it couldn't have come soon enough.
WinMo isn't going anywhere. Seriously. No matter what you may think of it, it still sells well and many businesses still rely on it, and it's still extremely customizable. Even though the 6.x version isn't that great, it's fine until they push out WinMo 7, which will hopefully be as good as Windows 7.
This is less about cannibalization of WinMo phones and more about getting people who still use candybar phones to upgrade to a smartphone, and a nice UI definitely helps with that. Regardless, HTC already makes a TON of WinMo phones; if they were to reduce their selection, I would venture that those phones would sell MORE to offset the loss of a broad selection.
And besides, when you are taking sales from one on your own products to another, it doesn't really matter that much. In fact, Android phones should be cheaper because there's no WinMo license to buy!
*rolls eyes* yes because clearly android is the answer for everyone every time no matter what.. clearly there is no way for HTC to be growing its market share by adding more platforms and further cementing its leadership role in the mobile space right?
WinMo 6.5 will destroy Android
WinMo 7.0 will destroy all other mobile OSs
(sarcasm)
I think this makes total sense. They can't dabble, they have to commit with an OS and kick butt with it. HTC supports winmo and android, and the longer and bloodier the battle between Android and WinMo, the better for HTC because they get to keep designing new exciting phones for us to play with.
http://htcpedia.com
Yay!!! HTC is finally adopting Android OS as it's next major platform. It was about time. WM6.5 and WM7.0 were falling behind the mobile OS curve by allowing the messy legacy code into the latest incarnations of their OS. It wouldn't be so bad if MS actually innovated instead of playing their 1 shot pony from over a decade ago. I certainly hope that MS develops another mobile OS that's more stable and less finicky.
"HTC will launch a handset that's simultaneously a "high-profile 3G handset" and "entry-level model" with touchscreen and TouchFlo 3D / Sense UI."...
I hope this means that the low-end HTC Click rumors are true. Already we know that its been designed with a 2.8" screen (same as the Touch Pro 2), wi-fi, 3.5mm jack and microSD. With Android and Touch Flo/Sense, (and hopefully an unlocked price of $250 or less) I think they could seriously take on Nokia in the overseas market, particularly for people who've been burned by the XpressMusic 5800's laggy interface and emerging economy markets where consumers have hesitated to switch to pricey unlocked smartphones. It would be even better if it came to the US subsidized, but I'm not sure I want to switch to T-Mobile just for that.
Re: Windows Mobile. The rate at which major manufacturers are planning to release Android phones in the near future should be a clear warning to Microsoft that it needs to have Windows Mobile 7 out by no later than Spring 2010 if it is to remain competitive with its rivals. Users of WM 6.5 should also be allowed to update for free, like they were for WM6 to 6.1
What's sad (for MS) is that WM6.X is holding back HTC's hardware. HTc's planning some capacitive high end phones with WM for this fall, are stuck with WM6.5. God damn MS where's WM7 ?
http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2009/07/21/htc-leofirestone-to-have-capacitive-screen/
Wither Windows
Sweet. Now just GIVE IT VGA.
It's still all about the iPhone! Best phone in the world! Android cannot compete with the 3G S!
Fuck you. Other phones can compete with the iphone easily and they do. Look at the G1, HTC Touch Pro 2, and Palm Pre for example. The new iphone is mediocre at best. For that kind of money, its nothing special.
Please go die somewhere, iJustin...
Good for HTC, let android showcase the awesomeness of their phones.
WinMo still hasn't released an updated gpu for most of the newer phones, contributing to the lag
experienced by most users.
HTC should have gone android sooner. WM still doesn't utilize the gpu effectively due to it's mostly outdated drivers. Android, even on my htc touch vogue, efficiently uses the hardware on this phone.
So I have read two different stories on this subject, I read this story a while back and understood that in 2010 HTC will make 50% of its phones android based. Then I read an article from informationweek.com about androids push into Qualcomm’s Brew Mobile Platforms...and they said that HTC wishes to make 50% of its sales from adroid based phones stating that 30% of its sales are from andriod phones as of right now. So is it they are making half of their phones with android OS in 2010, or they want 50% of their sales to be from android phones in 2010?