47 replies to this topic

[PaulOBrien]

Is this the first picture of the HTC Artemis successor, the HTC Polaris?

Apparently so, if source SmartMobileGadgets is to be believed!

The device is specced up to the max, featuring...

• Windows Mobile 6 Professional
  
• 3.5" VGA screen
  
• 256 ROM / 128MB RAM
  
• Qualcomm MSM7200 @ 400 MHz
  
• WCDMA 2100 MHz, HSDPA 3.6 Mbps
  
• EDGE/ GSM/GPRS, quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  
• Bluetooth
  
• Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g
  
• GPS/AGPS
  
• Digital compass
  
• FM radio
  
• 3 megapixel camera with auto focus
  
• miniUSB, USB 1.1
  
• MicroSD expansion

...and it's clear from the picture here that TouchFlo - a la HTC Touch - is going to feature on this device, completed with flush hardened screen. I love my QWERTYs personally but, still...

P

[The Doctor]

Looks v tasty I'd hazard a guess that it also supports HSUPA in addition to the 3.6Mbit HSDPA, mainly because it sports the same processor as the Kaiser and I reckon HTC will want to get maximum milage out of the Kaiser radio

Shame there is no USB 2.0 support tho...

Phil

[shaun s]

I keep hearing conflicting reports over the screen - is it confirmed as a 3.5" VGA ?

[Syphon Filter]

hrm,

VGA, it has that over the Kaiser/TyTN II, but the Kaiser has qwerty...tough call.

[PaulOBrien]

FM radio too...

P

[Syphon Filter]

Paul (MVP), on Aug 6 2007, 22:37, said:

FM radio too...

P

Hrm, I take it this unit has just been announced? So looking at anywhere between 6-12 months before a street date right?

[PaulOBrien]

Probably nearer 6 than 12 i'd say, but it's all pure speculation of course!

P

[wwaveydave]

If it's got a 3.5" screen it's gonna be big compared to the Touch and the Artemis though.

[PaulOBrien]

True...

P

[Syphon Filter]

wwaveydave, on Aug 7 2007, 10:56, said:

If it's got a 3.5" screen it's gonna be big compared to the Touch and the Artemis though.

Good point.

I'm trying to decide if i could live without qwerty...but I don't think I could. Tough call...and the TyTN II is edging ever closer!

[Metoo]

Paul (MVP) said:

Is this the first picture of the HTC Artemis successor, the HTC Polaris?

No, it's just a cropped version of the roadmap posted on HoFo and XDA-Dev - which also shows the screen size as 2.8" and mentions nothing about VGA. Note the description "Compact" - they wouldn't use that if it had a 3.5" screen.
http://forum.xda-dev...mp;postcount=26
Other users have posted screenshots showing the display properties as 320x240, and a photo showing it's no bigger than Artemis or Trinity.
Hence the concensus is that the 3.5" VGA in the CTI-MIAMI blog is wrong. In other words, the Polaris is just a beefed up version of the Artemis, to fit in with their dual tier product range. I.E. all form factors available as either low cost/long battery life(200MHz+2G) or higher cost/power user (400MHz+3G/HSDPA).
Seems logical to me. After all, HTC gave up innovating years ago, all they do now is tweak old designs.

Edited by Metoo, 07 August 2007 - 12:08 PM.

[Syphon Filter]

Metoo, on Aug 7 2007, 12:55, said:

No, it's just a cropped version of the roadmap posted on HoFo by PiTT - which also shows the screen size as 2.8" and mentions nothing about VGA.
Another user on there has posted screenshots (now removed) showing the display properties as 320x240, and a photo showing it's no bigger than Artemis or Trinity.
Hence the concensus on HoFo and XDA-dev is that the 3.5" VGA in the other "leaked" spec list is a typo.
In other words, the Polaris is just a beefed up version of the Artemis, to fit in with their dual tier product range. I.E. all form factors available as either low cost/long battery life(200MHz+2G) or high cost/power user (400MHz+3G).
Kind of seems logical to me. After all, HTC gave up innovating years ago, all they do now is tweak old designs.

That's quite a harsh comment about HTC, I dont really see anyone else making devices that come even close in terms of form and function. The PDA makers of old (HP/Compaq et al) have fallen behind HTC offerings by quite a long way if you ask me.

Edited by Syphon Filter, 07 August 2007 - 12:03 PM.

[Metoo]

Syphon Filter, on Aug 7 2007, 13:01, said:

That's quite a harsh comment about HTC, I dont really see anyone else making devices that come even close in terms of form and function. The PDA makers of old (HP/Compaq et al) have fallen behind HTC offerings by quite a long way if you ask me.

Harsh but true (IMO). All they've done since the Jam (smallest PPC) and Wizard (first slider k/ are slight tweaks and embellishments to those designs.  Certainly nothing radical. Take a look at Toshiba, Eten, TFW, I-Mate, Mitac, or, dare I say, Nokia, for manufacturers striving for "fresh" designs. Or, since you mention it - HP - has any HTC device yet matched the combined feature set of the hw6915?
I don't dispute they provide good devices - just their roadmaps show "evolution" of established safe designs (e.g. faster CPU, GPS, 3G) rather than the "innovation" that they claim. The lack of VGA, or numeric/qwerty thumbboards,  in any of their PPC handhelds proves that.

Edited by Metoo, 07 August 2007 - 12:29 PM.

[PaulOBrien]

I have to say I disagree, I think HTC's innovation has saved Windows Mobile!

P

[Syphon Filter]

Paul (MVP), on Aug 7 2007, 13:45, said:

I have to say I disagree, I think HTC's innovation has saved Windows Mobile!

P

Completely agree. Device innovation was dead in the water until HTC started making phones and PDA phones. I dont feel that ETen are doing anything special, Toshiba G900? Nothing special about that other than the high res screen, which physically large. Half of i-mate products are HTC. Mio are pretty average. Even that HP device has equivalents...HTC Xcalibur? or its replacement?

HTC have done great things and make functional devices whilst maintaining some level of aesthetics too.

[wwaveydave]

I both agree and disagree. I think historically HTC have driven innovation hard to get use where we are today, and look at the Touch and the Athena, both pretty innovative. That said I think they're also relying on the old "if it isn't broke don't fix it" approach with some designs like the Kaiser and this device (if it turns out to be 2.8 screen).  The Kaiser is a Hermes with GPS and WM6, but then the Hermes was a massively popular device so what's wrong with that? It's just giving the public what they want and that's good business sense. I also think that they have to look over their shoulder now as the new I-mate range looks pretty impressive on paper, and if the G900 had a decent ROM would be an excellent device. Do not under estimate the screen on that bad boy. It's in my opinion the best screen ever on a PPC.

[PaulOBrien]

I'd hazard a guess the Ultimate devices are gonna be rubbish

P

[wwaveydave]

Software or Hardware? Or a little from box A and a little from box B?

[whoster69]

I've heard Polaris will be released in October - November 2007, but it was a guess (I think on Engaget).

Recently I had some time in an AT&T store (an hour wait *COUGH* *COUGH*) so I was playing around with an 8525 (Tytn & iPhone).  I was surprised that the iPhone's 3.5" display didn't really feel any bigger than the 2.8" display on the 8525.  I thought it would seem huge in comparison.  It still seemed crammed/cramped like the 8525 for viewing web pages and reading email.

Edited by whoster69, 07 August 2007 - 03:34 PM.

[PaulOBrien]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course, but I personally think they're gonna be pretty ugly in the flesh.

Straight off the bat, the 5150, 6150 and 8150 are ugly and look like 10 year old computers or something. Beige? Beige? WTF? The 7150 looks like it has more potential, but some of the design is still questionable, and i'm willing to bet that by the time it finally comes to market, HTC will have something that kills it dead. Finally the 9150, looks quite good, but it's gonna be damned huge. I hope the buttons are nicer to use in the flesh than the design would suggest too.

Spec wise, of course, they were looking pretty hot...

• Operating System: Windows Mobile® 6 Professional
• Processor: Intel Bulverde 520MHz
• Quad-Band GSM/EDGE
• Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100 or 850/1700/2100
• Memory: 256MB ROM + 128 MB RAM
• Screen: VGA 262K Color LCD Touch Screen
• WiFi 802.11b/g/e/i
• Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR - up t 1.3 Mbps
• Mini USB high speed - 480 Mbps
• Direct Video Out XGA
• Micro-SD card slot
• 2.0 mega pixel camera
• Battery: 1400mAh
• FM Stereo Radio

...but whoa, hang on a minute? Yes we get VGA and video out (pretty cool), but a 2MP camera and no GPS? 256MB ROM is gonna be the norm v soon (the Kaiser has it). There's not a whole lot to shout about, and it's diminishing as time goes on. Have i-mate missed the window of opportunity?

Finally, the software.

My impression of the WM market to date has been that pretty much nobody ships a software build as bug free (yes really!) as HTC, purely because of their available resources. The Vista Sideshow feature will be cool, but i'd be surprised to see much else that's real innovation. For sure there will be i-mate bundled stuff to encourage you to sign up to their service subscriptions.

Who knows, I could be wrong - i'd love to be - but I can't see a bright future for i-mate until they really get their act together. IMHO they need to...

- get their devices to market faster
- be more selective about which devices they bring to market
- more clearly segment their products
- revamp their ridiculous naming scheme
- start supporting their customers properly
- stop charging second users of devices just to register for updates

...and that's just off the top of my head.

That turned in to a bit of a rant... but I'm dismayed at i-mate's fall from grace since the heady days of the SP5 etc. I really WANT them to do well, but I look at some of their products and general moves in the market and shake my head...

All IMHO, YMMV, AFAIK etc. etc.

P