By Tony Bradley
December 7, 2009

The 2010 product roadmap for mobile device maker HTC has been leaked. The detailed product specifications and gallery of device photos makes me wonder whether it’s a “leak” or just buzz marketing. Regardless of how the HTC 2010 roadmap became public knowledge, it looks like HTC is fully embracing the Android platform.

The HTC 2010 roadmap includes a variety of Android-based offerings. Five of the eight devices getting most of the attention are built on Google’s Android operating system. Three devices, the only three in the Productivity device category, are based on Windows Mobile 6.5. There is no mention on the roadmap of Windows Mobile 7.

HTC has always been a strong partner for Windows Mobile. Not only has HTC produced a number of Windows Mobile-based devices, but HTC’s innovative designs and customizations have arguably made Windows Mobile better, and have been one of the few factors keeping Windows Mobile in the game.

The increased focus on Android and relative decline of Windows Mobile devices doesn’t bode well for Microsoft. The HTC 2010 roadmap could be a sign that HTC has seen the writing on the wall and is making the transition to the emerging Android platform, or it could just be a symbol of the delays Microsoft has faced in bringing Windows Mobile 7 to market.

If Microsoft loses HTC’s attention, it could be the final nail in the coffin for the languishing mobile operating system. Even if Windows Mobile 7 lives up to market expectations, by the time it hits the street it could be a case of “too little, too late”. HTC is doing what it can for Windows Mobile 6.5, but Microsoft needs to give HTC and users something more to work with.

The HTC 2010 roadmap is great news for Android, though, and illustrates the growing presence of the Android OS. Device manufacturers and wireless providers alike have jumped on the Android bandwagon and 2010 looks like it could be a significant milestone in terms of Android’s ascendance.

HTC has a flare for creating slick handsets, and for developing innovative customizations that make the resulting devices greater than the sum of its parts. While it was lost in the shadows of the Motorola Droid marketing blitz, HTC’s Droid Eris is a compelling Android-based device.

If HTC brings the same inventive style to Android devices as it has for Windows Mobile devices, competing handset manufacturers and competing mobile operating system platforms need to watch out.

For Microsoft’s sake, hopefully the waning presence of Windows Mobile on HTC’s product horizon is a reflection of a holding pattern just waiting for Windows Mobile 7, rather than an indication that HTC is abandoning Microsoft’s mobile operating system platform altogether. I guess the ball is in Microsoft’s court to finally get Windows Mobile 7 delivered.

By Ian Paul
November  18, 2009

Google phone rumors are back with a vengeance, spurred on by reports that the Internet behemoth Google is partnering with phone maker HTC on a “super” Android device thinner than the Droid and iPhone. The release date for this Google-branded phone is early 2010, according to TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington, who reported a Google Phone was in the works Tuesday.

Rumors of a Google phone are nothing new, although speculation did start to disappear once Android-based phones hit the market last year. But this is the second time a Google phone rumor has popped up in recent weeks, and Arrington’s rumor bear a striking resemblance to what we’ve heard before.

The Real Google Phone

Taking a page out of Apple’s “we control the customer experience” playbook, Google reportedly wants to produce a handset that will be completely dictated by the team in Mountain View. Details about the phone are incredibly thin. There’s no word on what kind of specs the handset would have, but potential manufacturers for the phone, according to Arrington, include LG and Samsung. A major advertising campaign introducing the phone could reportedly start as early as January 2010.

Google will reportedly sell its phone directly to customers as well as through retailers. That suggests the search giant may not have a network partner on board, and would sell unsubsidized phones instead. Phones sold outside of the carrier system means the Google phone could cost as much as $500, and would have to run on a SIM-friendly GSM.

While a carrier-free Google phone would be an unusual move in the age of exclusivity contracts, it’s not unheard of. Handset makers such as RIM and Palm sell unlocked versions of their smartphones through Amazon and other retailers.

The suggestion that the phone will not be tied to a specific carrier, backs up a previous assertion by Northeast Securities analyst Ashok Kumor who made similar claims last month after Google’s “design partners” filled him about the phone, according to the Street.com.

The iPhone is Not Beta
A phone experience created and designed exclusively by Google will inevitably draw comparisons with Apple’s iPhone. And, as Arrington points out, for good reason. Just as the iPhone is Apple’s vision of the handset, a Google-branded phone would be a competing vision of what the smartphone should be.

But while dictating the phone experience makes sense for Apple — a company that has a long history in designing polished hardware — Google is not about launching polished products. Can the company that made beta a punchline deliver on a complete customer experience the first time around? Sure, the original iPhone lacked smartphone basics like cut-and-paste, video capability, and MMS. But with the exception of video, those are all software issues. The fact is, from a hardware perspective, the original iPhone was a revolutionary and complete product. There’s no question iPhone hardware has improved over time, but that doesn’t take anything away from the original design.

Google, on the other hand, is all about delivering an incomplete product and then fixing and improving it over time. But you can’t do that with a physical product. For smartphones there is no such thing as beta. You either get it right at launch or you don’t. It’s as simple as that.

Another question is how Google’s Android partners will react to a Google phone? As my colleague JR Raphael pointed out last month, Google has worked hard to convince manufacturers to embrace the Android platform. Changing roles from Android facilitator to Android competitor, could hamper those efforts.

Blackberry Curve 8520
www.blackberry.com / www.globe.com.ph

Globe Telecom and RIM has announced the launch of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone in the Philippines. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone will be available from Globe on October 1.

The new BlackBerry Curve 8520 introduces an innovative touch-sensitive trackpad, which makes scrolling and selection smooth and easy for a great navigation experience. It is also the first BlackBerry  smartphone to feature dedicated media keys, smoothly integrated along the top of the handset, giving customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is an incredibly approachable smartphone designed to be efficient and convenient. For people who like to be connected, it provides the industry’s leading mobile email and messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) solution, as well as easy access to popular social networking sites (including Facebook® and MySpace). The new smartphone features a highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard for comfortable, accurate typing, rich multimedia capabilities and easy access to music, games and other mobile apps for entertainment on the go. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone is Wi-Fi®-enabled to give customers faster Web browsing and extended data coverage.

“As we have made BlackBerry services available to retail customers early this year, we are excited to bring another unique BlackBerry smartphone to Filipino consumers. They have been very receptive to the idea of being able to easily access the important people and information they want on the go. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone will be especially attractive to younger people, who want to carry their music, videos and games with them, along with their email and access to social networking sites,” said Menchi T. Orlina, chief marketing officer at Globe.

“This new BlackBerry smartphone is easy to use and navigate, delivering an excellent customer experience. The adoption of BlackBerry smartphones and services among Filipinos continues to expand and with this new offering, we can cater to a bigger market and provide the core benefits of the BlackBerry platform for all as it is now in a more affordable package. We are glad to make the BlackBerry Curve 8520 available to enterprise and retail customers. Customers will appreciate the multimedia features of this smartphone in addition to its exceptional business functionality,” said Jesus C. Romero, Enterprise segments head of Globe Business.

“The new innovative touch-sensitive trackpad and dedicated media keys on the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone give users an enjoyable navigation experience and better access to their music. The approachable design and offering from Globe makes this new handset an obvious choice for cell phone users looking to upgrade to a smartphone,” said Gregory Wade, regional VP, Asia Pacific at RIM.

Globe consumers can get the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone at no cost with Plan 2500, or purchase the BlackBerry Curve 8520 prepaid kit, priced at P14,995.

Retail customers can activate the BlackBerry Internet Service with one of the personal BlackBerry data plans.

Enterprise customers can contact their Globe Business Account Managers for information about data plans for the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone.

To learn more about the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone visit: www.blackberry.com/curve8520

As a major player in the global mobile industry, LG has introduced its latest innovative handsets and strategic direction for the year at CommunicAsia 2009 in Singapore. The phones at center stage include the company’s new 3D S-Class graphic user interface which debuted in the LG Arena (LG-KM900) earlier this year and would cover the convergence, style and entertainment segments. These include the LG-GM730 smartphone, the world’s first transparent LG-GD900 Crystal and the full touchscreen eight-megapixel Viewty Smart (LG-GC900) camera phone.

“The new handsets LG will be showcasing at CommunicAsia 2009 are each designed to meet customer needs in different ways but all share our easy-to-use 3D S-Class User Interface,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “These top-of-the-line phones, like all of our devices, are based on insights from consumers. Turning customers’ ideas into reality is what we do well at LG and it’s emphasized in our theme at this event, ‘No Longer Just an Idea.’”

The LG-GM730 is LG’s new flagship smartphone, which is the result of a strategic partnership with Microsoft. The combination of the Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 with LG’s S-Class User Interface provides easier access to the powerful smartphone’s myriad features including easy to use e-mail and organization tools. The slim, 11.9 mm LG-GM730 is the first of several smartphones that LG will release in Asia this year.

The LG-GD900 Crystal is the world’s first transparent phone and also the first to use LG’s next generation touch technology. Its fully transparent Crystal Touchpad appears at first to be just an alphanumeric keypad but it actually doubles as a touchpad. It can be used exactly like the trackpad on a laptop computer but also recognizes handwriting, responds to multi-touch commands and offers a new way of navigation called Gesture Command. Using Gesture Command, users can switch instantly among applications by simply drawing one of 12 easy symbols on the Crystal Touchpad.

One of the most talked about phones this year among LG’s stable of products has been the Viewty Smart (LG-GC900). This phone follows in the footsteps of the original Viewty (LG-KU990), a five-megapixel camera phone that sold more than seven million units. The new model features an eight-megapixel sensor and Intelligent Shot Mode that makes it easy to take great pictures by automatically analyzing scenes and adjusting camera settings accordingly. This type of technology is rare on even high-end standalone digital cameras. LG has specially tailored its S-Class User Interface to make using the new Viewty Smart as easy and intuitive as possible.