HTC falling behind

[Guest coleburg]

I have just seen the latest models due by HTC, the HTC P3300, P3600, S620, and S310.

Having looked at the spec of the phones, has anyone else noticed how the are out of date before they have been released.

Poor processors, Cameras are rubbish, some without wifi.

Am I the only person that thinks that HTC hasnt progressed since the SP5m.

There are so many better phones on the market before these 4 have even been released.

Any views?

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

All the devices you list have features that are a vast improvement from the SP5m some of them also have a vastly improved 2mp camera.

Regarding the S310, this is designed as an entry level device and so will be a cheap as it's aimed for the mass market.

[Guest coleburg]

All the devices you list have features that are a vast improvement from the SP5m some of them also have a vastly improved 2mp camera.

Regarding the S310, this is designed as an entry level device and so will be a cheap as it's aimed for the mass market.

by todays standards 2mp camera is average at best.

[Guest Looby]

I agree with Colburg, what seems to be happening is manufactures are releasing ' specialised ' phones when what people want is an 'all-in-one-device'. The SP5/ SP5m still seems the nearest Smartphone that fits this category. An all in one phone is the only one that is cool. :rolleyes:

Edited September 23, 2006 by Looby

[Guest nforsans]

I don't think HTC's target market is the average teenager who cant live without texting and IM - but instead the mobile professional who cares more about PIM and Outlook sync, business applications, web access and mobile connectivity rather than camera resolution... WM5 is therefore the key selling point. Some companies have banned camera phones all together..!

Compared to my old MPX200 which ran WM2003 for smartphones, WM5 is a vast improvement.

As far as HTC is concerned, it has made significant improvements over the past 2/3 years too: newer HTC devices (in particular the Hermes/TyTN, and the Wizard before that) are much better than old ones (say, the Blue Angel), and definitely better than the current Nokia devices that are targeted at the same market.

The average teenager may find HTC phones bulky and lacking features - I doubt the mobile professional will express the same concerns.

Just some thoughts.

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

As Smartphones are concerned 2mp is good for a camera, unless you want to broaden your argument with non-smartphone devices? Initially you were comparing the devices with your SP5m and now you say the camera is average. It's not average in the SMartphone market you were refering to.

If you do want to include other devices, then what speed and memory etc is the average nokia using? or does that not count?

[Guest coleburg]

As Smartphones are concerned 2mp is good for a camera, unless you want to broaden your argument with non-smartphone devices? Initially you were comparing the devices with your SP5m and now you say the camera is average. It's not average in the SMartphone market you were refering to.

If you do want to include other devices, then what speed and memory etc is the average nokia using? or does that not count?

Ok how about the ubiquio 401, much better processor, 2.1 mp camera, WM5 too, Wifi, fm radio. etc etc

That is a more complete phone, better spec and it also has WM5!

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

.1 of a megapixel is a poor argument on saying it's a better device.

What you failed to mention it that the UBiUiO 410 is only a triband device and not quadband and does not have EDGE support. Also (and more importantly) it only has 64MB Ram/Ram which for a PocketPC device is pretty poor now.

A faster CPU is only as good as the memory that is used to support it and then the battery

You mention the fm radio, the 3300 or the HTC Muse with it's 4gb ROM.

The UBiUiO 410 also has a TV tuner but is it only an analogue tuner.

Then you forget to mention devices like the HTC Forseer or the HTC Monet, both devices have a DVB-H TV tuner etc etc :rolleyes:

Also what about the 3G enabled HTC devices that's another improvement over the SP5m.

One other thing you forget is that you have to use two different arguments for Smartphones and PocketPC devices as they are on different development scales. You can not use a PocketPC as an argument about a Smartphone as the specifications will always be different.

You need to get all the facts first before making such a broad statement about how backwards a company is. You need to also take into consideration about the consumer they are aimed at and the resulting price etc for example the HTC Oxygen.

At the moment HTC are about level with most other manufacturers and in some cases they are ahead of them on one or two points.

[Guest Ingvarr]

HTC basically stopped innovating.

For that exact reason that they feel that they dont need it anymore, as they are unquestioned lead and making enough profits as is, without any big efforts in producing new platforms - slight revamps & remixes of existing platforms seem to be enough. Yeah, and also they always can fiddle with case & keyboard designs - a lot less fuss then fiddling with chips, and more eyecandy.

Their "improved" devices still have 1.5 years old performance and now they have also 2 years old battery lives. But, yeah sure, they have 3G now.

wow.

If their market position will be threatened, they will start pushing to the limits again, as they did when they struggled as unknown firm with no reputation and no name. But now they just dont need to do it.

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

HTC have never struggled as an unknown firm, they make most of the best known handheld devices available for quite a few years now.

It is only this year that they have now decided to sell devices under their own branding.

With newer and faster processors etc it's all down to supply and demand and how to implement the new technology to a price that people are willing to pay for. That's the main thing that gets in the way.

[Guest Ingvarr]

HTC have never struggled as an unknown firm, they make most of the best known handheld devices available for quite a few years now.

HTC was not known to wide public 1.5-2 years ago. In fact, when they just started (I think 3-4 years ago), they were explicitly forbidden to promote themselves as "true device makers" by their ODM contracts, and literally were forced to keep themselves in hiding. Of course, they were widely known by distributors/operators, but this fame didnt go farther than that private circle. For obvious reasons operators/distros werent interested in shift of public attention from them to HTC.

Its naive to think that HTC were always big and famous. Yes, they had manufacturing facilities, but without known name and reputation in USA and Europe they had to depend on famous distributors & mobile operators. And they hardly were able to dictate own conditions on what to make (without actual ways to sell their devices except in Taiwan & HK).

But during past year and half things changed, gradually the name HTC slide into publicity. So now they can dictate own conditions and even reduce percentage of ODM a lot, also making contracts less restrictive.

Still, their best breakthroughs came during their late time as ODM, when almost nobody from average Joes knew about HTC. They've became publically known only after and only because their several late generations of ODM devices were truly notable.

But of course, the topic name is wrong.

HTC is not falling behing.

But exactly because of that, they dont make as much as exciting new devices, as they did before, and this was rightly noticed by many other people.

I was with HTC for several years, and it was awesome. But I doubt my next device will be a HTC one.

Edited September 24, 2006 by Ingvarr

[Guest coleburg]

HTC have never struggled as an unknown firm, they make most of the best known handheld devices available for quite a few years now.

It is only this year that they have now decided to sell devices under their own branding.

With newer and faster processors etc it's all down to supply and demand and how to implement the new technology to a price that people are willing to pay for. That's the main thing that gets in the way.

Sorry awarner, you are right, it was a little broad to say about all devices, im changing my story now :rolleyes:

How about looking at just the smartphones, the new smartphones still have 1.3mp camera, surely they could have got 2 + in there, also, off the top of my head, they have released one with 2mp but without wifi.

I cant see that they have improved smartphones since the sp5m, granted they have one with 3g, but thats it.

Gigabyte G-Smart i128,looks like better smartphones to me, im not looking at the tv etc, but the better camera, wifi, A2DP, better processor, more ROM same RAM as HTC s310/ tornado/smartflip.

Thats just one example, but what are your views regarding HTC progress with the smartphone market?

Edited September 24, 2006 by coleburg

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

But the i128 is not a Smartphone it's a PocketPC :rolleyes:

So got an actual Smartphone you like :(

Personally I think HTC are plodding along, they are not giving the ultimate device but they are not standing still either.

As I mentioned previously it's simply down to cost and supply and demand.

[Guest asdfzxcv]

It does seem that HTC's taking a break from innovating.

For the past 3 years I have upgraded to a newer HTC phone each year and I love my current HTC phone, US SDA. However as I am looking to upgrade again this year I couldn't find a HTC phone that's better than the 12 month old Tornado. Not a single upcoming HTC phone has all of the following which the SDA does 12 months ago, namely, wifi, mini sd support, standard headphone jack. what's up with that?!?!

I'd be happy with just a minor upgrade to the Tornado platform, i.e. 128 mb ram, slightly better camera with autofocus and make the existing SDA keys larger and more spreadout and sans the music buttons. How hard is that? Just make a Tornado 1.5 phone and that's all I ask. HTC!!! are u guys listening?

[Guest Looby]

Totally agree, if you now want a Windows Smartphone with a Good battery, Wi-Fi, 3G, Mini USB, Headphone jack, Mini SD card and a 2mp. camera you will have to buy 4 phones. If the MTeoR had all these I would have bought one. <_

[Guest coleburg]

Totally agree, if you now want a Windows Smartphone with a Good battery, Wi-Fi, 3G, Mini USB, Headphone jack, Mini SD card and a 2mp. camera you will have to buy 4 phones. If the MTeoR had all these I would have bought one. <_<

but im also like asdfzxcv, i would like some sort or smartphone improvement from HTC, tornado has been around for a long long time (in phone terms) so surely the could make a tornado with 128 ram, 2/3 mp camera, thats alone would make me upgrade.

There is no point me upgrading from my tornado to gain 3g and lose my wifi, its crazy

They must have been able to improve on the smartphone from the date of the tornado to today!

i understand the pocket pcs from htc have improved but the smartphones are very very slow with the improvements.

you have to agree with that surely.

[Guest Looby]

If Sony Ericsson put Windows Mobile 5 and Wi-Fi on a phone with the lovely design of the K610 and K800 then HTC would have something to worry about :rolleyes: :(

[Guest asdfzxcv]

There is no point me upgrading from my tornado to gain 3g and lose my wifi, its crazy

That's what I am talking about. Sure I'd love to have 3G but not at the expense of wifi. People (HTC market research folks) have to realize that 3G is likely to be still born, I mean, it spent so many years in the incubator and now emerging technology has pass it by. I can easily see 4G surpass it before it has a chance to be universally adopted like 2.5G. From where I live, we get free wifi access through out the whole city. And that trend's only gonna pick up pace. Once one experiences constant and always available free wifi access there is no going back! 3G is dead as far as I can tell.

[Guest Y-Wing]

I have just seen the latest models due by HTC, the HTC P3300, P3600, S620, and S310.

Having looked at the spec of the phones, has anyone else noticed how the are out of date before they have been released.

Poor processors, Cameras are rubbish, some without wifi.

Am I the only person that thinks that HTC hasnt progressed since the SP5m.

There are so many better phones on the market before these 4 have even been released.

Any views?

I agree, If you look at the Nokia N95 (HSDPA, WiFi, 5MP camera, GPS) announced yesterday it blows current HTC devices out of the water from a consumer market perspective. Unless HTC can match it that is going to be my next upgrade.

[Guest ice_cold_3000]

and when will the n95 hit the shelves ?

[Guest Y-Wing]

and when will the n95 hit the shelves ?

First quarter of 2007

[Guest Ingvarr]

I will buy Nokia when they will start putting decent batteries in their "high-end smartphones". Now they just ridiculous.

Also I dont like Symbian software a little bit. You think latest MS "app lock" policies bad - try Symbian, you need new app version for every new device.

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

Only downfall it's Symbian :rolleyes:

Interesting rumours about the specs on the N95 wonder what the battery life will be like if you use the GPS features etc. (edit probable daily charge required according to the review below)

Here's some interesting reading about it.

http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/4...i_5MP_Camer.php