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HTC explains official bootloader unlock process, asks you to sign away your warranty
You didn't think HTC was just going let you run wild with an unlocked bootloader and not require some sort of trade-off, did you? Of course not, that's why CEO Peter Chou updated the firm's Facebook page to spill the beans on the devil's deal. Yes, you'll be given the freedom to unlock your bootloader, but only after you accept a disclaimer notifying you that "all or parts" of your warranty may be null and void. After that it's all SDKs, device identifier tokens and unlock keys. It may be a little disappointing to discover that the official unlock procedure lacks complete support, but nobody ever said that freedom was without its risks. Chou reiterated that updates for the HTC Sensation and HTC EVO 3D will come later this month, making them the first devices eligible to lose their warranty use the unlock tool. Hit the source link below to see Chou explain the process on HTC's Facebook page.
HTC CEO Peter Chou on Microsoft / Nokia partnership: 'it'll make the ecosystem stronger'
Here's a nugget to chew on as you roll out of bed this morning. During "The Power of Applications" keynote today at Mobile World Congress, HTC CEO Peter Chou was just asked what his take was on the Microsoft / Nokia partnership. Of course, we've heard before that the company loves Android and WP7 equally, and it was certainly onboard from the get-to with the launch of the 7 Mozart, but it's not often that one handset manufacturer comments on another. Contrary to popular belief, Peter seemed fairly positive on the deal, though he made sure to focus more on the software side rather than touching on Elop's decision making skills. Here's the quote in full: "They're doing what they have to do. It won't be easy, but they're doing what they have to do. We are very committed to Windows Mobile, and we are one of their lead partners for Windows Phone 7. So we are positive, because this combination will surely make that ecosystem stronger. As a strong player [in this ecosystem], HTC will be a beneficiary from [their decision]." In other words, HTC's pumped that WP7 now has more backing, which will in turn (hopefully) make its own Windows Phone 7 devices more marketable, attractive and desirable as the ecosystem grows stronger. Talk about looking on the bright side of things.
HTC profits leaping and bounding up, Peter Chou promises tablet and production expansion
HTC's fourth quarter of 2010 has gone exactly the same way as the first three: the company reports a 160 percent rise in profits (to $500 million) year-on-year and a 31 percent increase relative to Q3 2010. Total revenue for the final three months of last year rounded the $3.5 billion mark, having been a trifling $1.4 billion the year before. Company CEO Peter Chou sees no end to this dramatic growth, forecasting it'll remain in double digits through 2011, and he plans to match up to it by doubling monthly production capacity at HTC's Shanghai plant to two million handsets. If necessary, he says he'll even outsource manufacturing. Even more intriguing, however, is Chou's admission that HTC is strategizing an entry into the tablet realm: "It's a new market with many competitors, and we don't want to rush into it." Hardly a surprise, but good to have it from the horse's mouth.
HTC's Peter Chou says LTE handsets are coming next year, and the world keeps on spinning
Stop us if you've heard this one before, but a very popular handset maker will be introducing smartphones that incorporate the latest wireless technology at some point in the upcoming year. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Now let's add the key words: HTC, LTE, and 2011. Here's CEO Peter Chou from a recent Mobile World Live video interview: Q: When does HTC plan to launch an LTE device, and which markets do you think will be the early adopters of that device? A: We are working on LTE device for next year, 2011, we think the US mobile operator will be taking some leading and pushing the LTE 4G in the US market, but however, we are seeing the rest of world will be deploying LTE network elsewhere in 2011. Could be second half of 2011. Our money's on the Mecha / Incredible HD for the US, along with probably a dozen other phones of various sizes and form factors. And we don't really know the details of its global plans. But hey, it happens -- call us when Chou spills the beans on 5G technology and holographic displays.
HTC loves Android and Windows Phone 7 equally
HTC's relationship with Microsoft is the stuff of daytime television. It was HTC's commitment to building high quality QWERTY handsets for Windows Mobile that first gave the young Taiwanese company the spotlight. HTC then shifted its allegiance to Android just as the green monster was on the rise (and WinMo in decline). So where are we today? Well, of the ten Windows Phone 7 handsets announced yesterday, half were from HTC. If that doesn't signal HTC's commitment to Redmond then maybe a quote will. Speaking at a press conference in Taipei yesterday, HTC CEO Peter Chou said, "Right now we have Windows Phone 7 and Android, and focus the same on each, but let the market decide." Peter then promised more WP7 handsets in 2011 without getting into specifics. So let's check in next year and see how things go, shall we?
HTC CEO: 'initially, we don't have time' to put Sense on Windows Phone 7
We think there might be a miscommunication or a disagreement in semantics here, because HTC CEO Peter Chou has mentioned in an interview with FierceWireless that its ubiquitous Sense UX won't "initially" appear on its first crop of Windows Phone 7 devices, but that "over time [they] will innovate on top of that to provide some HTC experience." That seems like odd phrasing considering that we've already seen HTC devices in the wild running bits and pieces of Sense on WP7, so we tend to believe Chou might have a more thorough, comprehensive experience in mind -- something that Microsoft is pushing back on (for now, anyway) by demanding that UI innovation be sandboxed in some pretty significant ways. In the same conversation, Chou mentioned that they'll be releasing an LTE phone in 2011, though he didn't give any details on design, platform, or carrier. MetroPCS, AT&T, and Verizon will all have fragments of their 4G networks live in 2011, and at least two of those three seem likely candidates to take delivery of some early LTE hardware from the big boys like HTC. For what it's worth, HTC already delivered the first WiMAX phone in the States -- the EVO 4G, of course -- so it comes as little surprise that they'd be looking to make a splash with LTE as well.
HTC's Peter Chou live from D8
Check back at 11:30AM PT -- or a little later, it looks like they're running a bit late.
Coming up live from D8: Steve Ballmer and Ray Ozzie, then Peter Chou from HTC
Hey humans -- listen up. We'll be liveblogging the next D8 session featuring Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Ray Ozzie around 8:00AM PT (we'd like to give you more specific times, but they don't provide them). Then later on in the day, around 11:30AM PT, we'll hear from HTC head Peter Chou. You can check in to the Ballmer liveblog right here, and the Peter Chou liveblog will be right here. See you then!
HTC says its growth in the US is 'faster than others'
This one's fairly light on specifics, but HTC CEO Peter Chou has given an interview to The Wall Street Journal where he dropped a few interesting tidbits, the most notable being that HTC's growth in the US is apparently "faster than others." Exactly what that translates to in actual numbers is unclear, but Chou did say that HTC expects to ship more than the 5.5 million to 6 million smartphones it shipped in the US last year. That growth is apparently due in large part to support from Verizon and T-Mobile, which Chou says "started treating us as their first-tier suppliers last year" and gave the company some "strong momentum." Chou also went on to confirm that HTC will be introducing six new models for China in partnership with China Mobile this year, and that it's aiming to ship four to five million units to China annually by 2011.
Shocker: HTC plans Windows Phone 7 Series device by year's end
In news apt to surprise absolutely no one, HTC CEO Peter Chou told Forbes this week that his company would make a Windows Phone 7 Series handset by the end of the year. For the sake of argument, we suppose there are a couple reasons he wouldn't want to. Historically, HTC has pledged loyalty to Microsoft time and again, even making the premium HD2 a Windows Mobile exclusive, but conspiracy theorists might suggest Microsoft returned the favor by denying the HD2 entry to Windows Phone 7 Series. Also, HTC has been rocking the bejeezus out of Android as of late -- the news that the company's planning a WP7S phone comes alongside HTC's claim that the Nexus One was a success. Regardless, we never questioned if HTC would build a WP7S handset, only when; there's no way they're going to let a lucrative new smartphone market get mopped up by the likes of Samsung and LG.
HTC CEO says he could but won't make HD2 an Android phone, has to take care of Windows Mobile
In an interview given to Forbes, HTC CEO Peter Chou spoke pretty candidly about the widespread desire for an Android version of the HD2, and says the phone won't be finagled thusly. "Technically, we could make the HD2 an Android phone, but I have to take care of Windows Mobile," said Chou, after which we imagine popped in a stick of Juicy Fruit and didn't offer to share any with the rest of the class. Of course, this doesn't rule out a handset with similar specifications to the HD2, like the Dragon, matching DROID's push toward Android 2.0 and modern hardware, but it seems to imply that at least it won't be called "HD2," and probably won't look much like it either. Chou did admit that Windows Mobile innovation has been "a little slow" and that interest is declining, and says HTC is "working hard on these kinds of products to get excitement about Windows Mobile back." He didn't hold back on Google, however, saying that some of its actions can be "destructive" but that "we've worked with Microsoft for 13 years ... I also believe we can work with Google for a long time." [Via SlashGear]
HTC HD2 to arrive Stateside in early 2010 -- huzzah!
Snap, looks like that painful feeling in our gut was just from that late-night Mickey's sesh after all. HTC's Peter Chou told SlashGear today that the monstrous, amazing HTC HD2 will be coming to the United States of America sometime in Q1 of 2010. That's not too far off, but let's be honest -- it's gonna be a long wait. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC has high hopes, expects double-digit growth in '09
HTC had a comfortable year in 2008, thanks to a pretty solid lineup of sets, and, of course, the T-Mobile G1 launch in October. While competitors like Sony Ericsson struggle, Peter Chou, HTC's president predicts that while things will be a bit tough in the short term, he's still confident of double-digit growth this year. With whispers of some more HTC "Android-ness" at Mobile World Congress this year, we expect they're bound to be getting a lot of press, and a lot more interest from people looking for a Windows Mobile alternative. HTC's revenues were up 28.65 percent this year, and with hints of what's to come, if we were betting types, we'd side with Peter.
The Engadget Interview: Peter Chou, CEO of HTC
If you were to make a shortlist of Engadget's most sought after executives, Peter Chou, CEO of arguably the most advanced cellphone manufacturer in the world, HTC, would be right near the top. We finally got a chance to sit down with the man who helped reshape what a cellphone could be (and in doing so put Windows Mobile on the map), and discussed HTC's new partnership with Google on Android, whether WinMo has a stagnant platform, challenges for companies trying to break into the US wireless market, and even the 700MHz spectrum auction. Talking with Peter was definitely a high point for us, check it out.Thank you for sitting down with us.Thank you! You have a very successful site.Thank you. Yeah, well, we do our best, it's a lot of fun. So, Android is obviously huge news for you guys.This is a significant announcement for us.I assume that you guys have been working on this with Google for quite some time.Yep. That's true.Are we talking about, say, over a year that this has been in the works?Two years. More than two years.Then you've have been playing with Android, I imagine. If not on the HTC device (or devices) that you are working on, then at least some kind of build of the software. You've been fooling around with it and know what its like...Yeah.We didn't get too much of a sense of what this software is going to be about and what it's really like as a core experience. Can you tell me anything that you really like that Google has done with Android? And the things that you think that Android is really going to excel in? Things that you will be able to leverage in HTC hardware?Maybe you can get a little more information [from the SDK]. But this is trying to be a more optimized experience of Google applications, and obviously the internet experience will be more optimized. So there are some things that I still think today are being... well, I'm a veteran in this industry and we've been working on this stuff for ten years and really waiting to see something which can really enhance the internet experience in these mobile devices. I believe in this system and I'm excited about its ability to perform well.
HTC buyout of Dopod in final stages: i-mate, O2, HP wail
Continuing their skyrocket beyond ODM-dom, HTC's buyout bid for Taiwanese Dopod has moved into the final stages. Having signed a memorandum of understanding, the only thing left in the estimated $150 million deal is approval from the Taiwanese government. Assuming HTC chairwoman and Dopod controlling shareholder Cher Wang, daughter of petrochemicals billionaire Y.C. Wang and wife of HTC boss-man Peter Chou, has enough influence to push this through (read: she does), then HTC is about to find themselves in direct competition with their own customers O2, i-mate and HP. HTC already confirmed their decision to self-brand phones in Europe, now the Dopod deal could result in HTC designs being sold exclusively under the Dopod branding outside of Europe. In fact, HTC has already cut ties with both O2 and i-mate in Australia, New Zealand, and India. So if Dopod's claim that HTC manufactures 80 percent of Windows Mobile phones is true, well, O2, i-mate, and HP best be looking for fresh design and manufacturing blood on the quick. [Thanks, Ash]
HTC: Music - yay! Infrared - nay. Symbian - maybe.
In a not-so shocking development, handset trendsetter HTC is, according to president / CEO Peter Chou, considering making their devices more music friendly by increasing internal flash memory at the same time as cutting some fat, namely IR. (And really, how often do you use IR on a phone with USB and Bluetooth?) Most interesting, however, was Chou's statement that if an operator or reseller were to make it worth their while, HTC wouldn't have a problem getting in the Symbian device business: "We're not limited. We're not Microsoft, we can do anything." Unfortunately that hasn't yet come to pass, but it's not like an ODM like HTC shouldn't have a price when it comes to developing hardware for other platforms. We'd absolutely welcome some variety to the hardware running world's most prolific phone OS, and who knows, maybe sometime soon we'll see an HTC e61 killer.[Via the::unwired]
HTC profiled in BusinessWeek
It's only rather recently that smartphone manufacturer High Tech Computer Corp. became more than just another obscure OEM making reference devices, and BusinessWeek has an inside look at the factors that propelled HTC from unknown to Microsoft's go-to-guy. HTC was founded in 1997 by a group of refugee engineers from Digital Equipment Corp's Taiwanese subsidiary, and they immediately began to focus their efforts on handheld devices -- more specifically those that run one of the flavors of portable Windows. This early dedication to Microsoft operating systems (HTC was responsible for designing the first iPaqs), along with CEO Peter Chou's renowned attention to detail (he sent the Star Trek back three times before he was satisfied with its features) and the creative rein given to employees (whose titles include "Wizard" of this or "Magician" of that) made the company one of Redmond's favorite hardware partners. And even if HTC isn't yet a household name, investors have most definitely taken notice of its performance: the company's consistent double-digit growth (last year's $356 million in profits were triple the previous year's) have caused its stock to skyrocket more than 1000% since 2003.[Thanks, Dave Z.]
