HTC to Make First Android Handset

[jamesus]

From BusinessWeek

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbi...lobal+business

HTC to Make First Android Handset

The Taiwanese company will release the first device to run Google's suite of mobile software in Europe in the second half of '08

by David Meyer
Taiwanese mobile-handset manufacturer HTC announced Tuesday that it will release its first Android-powered device into the European market in the second half of 2008.
Android, which comprises all the elements of mobile software, from operating system to applications, was announced by Google on Monday after months of speculation.
Following the European launch, HTC will produce more such devices, both under its own brand and under the brands of its operator partners.
Sources close to Google confirmed that HTC will be the first manufacturer to bring an Android handset to market.
Florian Seiche, HTC's European vice president, said that the company's goal was to provide a "broad portfolio" of devices targeting various segments of the market, from consumer to enterprise. Android devices, he said, would fall squarely into the relatively new consumer side of HTC's business, targeted this year with the Touch phone.
"The core nature of Android is the fact that the internet should be put right at the centre of your mobile experience," said Seiche. "It is fair to say that it will be very much focused on the growing part of the consumer market that is using mobile devices for much more than voice calls and text messages."
Seiche claimed that HTC was "fairly far along" in the development of the handset, as demonstrated by the time frame for the device's release.
Technical details of the device are currently scarce--many aspects of the platform will only become apparent when the Android software developer kit (SDK) is released next week--but Seiche hinted that "it's fair to say that touchscreens are becoming extremely important for providing user experience".
Seiche was also keen to confirm HTC's commitment to the Windows Mobile platform on which it has built much of its business. "Indeed, we plan to grow our leadership position with the Microsoft platform," he added.
Many other manufacturers, including Samsung and Motorola, will also bring out Android-powered handsets, as signified by their participation in the Open Handset Alliance, which Google has created to further the platform's development. According to Seiche, this broad adoption will make Android more successful than previous mobile Linux initiatives.
"The key difference is that Android is truly designed to be an open mobile platform," said Seiche. "The platform element means that, even though there will be hundreds or thousands of mobile devices brought to market...applications and content can be exchanged from one device to another without any issues for interoperability, which is not the case for several of the Linux devices today. The advantage is partly for manufacturers, but the far greater benefit is for the mobile consumer, who can exchange content with his peers."

[Perasite]

So it'll be GSM. Since Sprint signed on, I wonder when a CDMA model will hit our shores.

[schettj]

I can see the movie poster now...

Summer 2008: The Androids Arrive
Starring Will Smith and David Duchovny

It's sure a win for HTC... they lose 30% of the handset price to Microsoft, and all they get out of it is a bad OS.

[verizonguy]

They're joining with 33 manufacturers and carriers to design the operating system and a standard set of mobile phone programs.

[jamesus]

Should be interesting. I noticed that Verizon wasn't mentioned in the 300000000 headlines I saw. I'm not holding my breathe, as we all know how quick our wonderful CDMA carriers are to adopt new technology...

[verizonguy]

verizon was in talks with google. there was no announcement as far as outcome.

[jamesus]

I heard rumors they were, but I didn't see their name on the list...

OFF TOPIC - BTW that is an awesome avatar!

[kyppcgeek]

Why must all that Sht be GSM first and Europe first!
Damn... Google is an american company you morons.
Make the stupid devices for an american launch first. geez!

I'm not knockin Europe but come on..... it is the american market that is making all the fuss about this and we don't even get to play with it first. that's just pissy!

[gardoglee]

Google is an American company, but cell phone innovation is not an American concept. It will be released first in Europe, and probably several other places, because they have the networks in place to support the really good features, and they have the competition in place to bring new products sucessfully to market. What we have is aging infrastructure with second rate obsolete technology which the accounting department will not allow any carriers to replace until it is fully depreciated, as in sometime after we are all retired. Add to that the carrier economic model, which could be called Creative Indentured Servitude, and there is no incentive for innovative product there. If there were, you could run your iPhone on the carrier of your choice.

If you want to have the new toys first, you also have to have a leading edge network on which to deploy them. If instead you live in the capital of the fading empire (e.g., here in the United States of Obsolescence), you only get the good stuff when the manufacturer has already milked all the good money out of Europe, Japan and the Western Pacific Rim. Do you really think the US carriers are ready to have an open platform which would force real competition? They'd like you to think so, even while they are doing everything they can to make sure it doesn't happen.

[neodorian]

Also a GSM phone can be sold all through North America as well as Europe without any changes to hardware. It's a shame too because there are no cheap, fast GSM providers in the US.