A new HTC trademark has prompted speculation about the company’s software intentions for upcoming tablets, though the company could also be looking to better brand its overall ecosystem of devices. The EU trademark filing for “HTC Sensation” could be interpreted as an evolution of the existing HTC Sense interface and online services, perhaps tailored to tablets like the HTC Flyer.
“Mobile phones, smartphones, wireless phones, wireless devices, portable computers and personal digital assistants, computer hardware and software for mobile, portable and wireless devices; user interface software; computer hardware and software for user interfacing, telecommunications and telecommunications services; computer hardware and software for transmitting and receiving voice, image, data, audio, video and multimedia content; wireless modems; headsets, headsets with wireless transmission function, connection cables, cradles, mounts, face plates, batteries, power adaptors, chargers, cases, in-vehicle chargers, in-vehicle holders, remote controls, keyboards, microphones, loudspeakers, leather pouches for mobile phones” Trademark description
Alternatively, HTC could be looking to use “HTC Sensation” as an overall experience brand for their growing range of devices. That could be implied by the broad-ranging trademark description, which covers everything from hardware and software in mobile devices, smartphones and PDAs, to accessories and peripherals.
With three tablets expected from HTC in the first half of 2011 alone, a growing peripheral range and a previously stated desire by CEO Peter Chou to continue pushing the HTC brand and raise consumer awareness, that would certainly all seen to fit together under the “HTC Sensation” umbrella. More details are likely to be revealed at MWC 2011 next month.
Would you look at that. Verizon’s ongoing press conference has been accompanied by the appearance of two 4.3-inch LTE handsets coming to the network. Both HTC’s Thunderbolt and LG’s Revolution were pretty well known in advance, but hey, now we have big luscious high-res pictures to gawk at. The Revolution will come with Android 2.2 preloaded while the Thunderbolt has Skype video calling integrated right into HTC Sense. The latter device also boasts a Super LCD display, 8 megapixel camera with HD video recording, DLNA, Dolby Surround Sound, and the honor of being a Verizon exclusive in the US. Now that the devices have been made official, we also know that the Revolution can stream, play and record HD video, perform video chat with a front-facing camera, and share its 4G connection with up to eight devices through its built-in hotspot functionality. Jump past the break for the full announcement.
Update: Hop on past the break for the Thunderbolt specs, courtesy of our friend Peyton (and HTC).
We just got to spend a few minutes with the HTC Inspire 4G, one of the new AT&T 4G devices announced here at CES. Unfortunately, the particular unit on hand here didn’t have a battery, but since it’s rocking Android 2.2 with Sense, the software experience shouldn’t be too different from HTC’s other offerings. That 3.6 4.3-inch WVGA display eats up most of this slim phone’s facade, and there’s a fairly pronounced lens for that 8 megapixel shooter around back. We actually heard HTC reps chatting about how the software is still not finalized and AT&T needs to sign off, which could be part of the reason no batteries could be found. We’ll do our best to follow up later in the show, but for now feast your eyes on some glorious hardware shots in our gallery below.
Walmart has prematurely listed the HTC EVO Shift 4G, ahead of what we’re guessing will be an announcement for the QWERTY slider at CES 2011 later this week. Confirmed as headed to Sprint complete with 4G WiMAX support, according to the listing the EVO Shift 4G has a 3.7-inch touchscreen, runs Android 2.2 Froyo and comes with an 8GB microSD card.
There’s also an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash listed, though at places the spec sheet is contradictory. We’re guessing someone at Walmart’s web team simply copied over the core listing from the HTC EVO 4G.
Still, it’s a fresh batch of EVO Shift 4G photos, with all angles catered for, and we can’t really as for much more than that.
HTC’s worst kept secret (this side of the Thunderbolt) has popped up online again, this time as part of some RadioShack promo materials, which list its price, launch date, 4G capabilities, and screen size. Earlier indications had this Android slider launching on January 9th at a $150 price point with a two-year contract and now, lo and behold, both data points seem to have been confirmed. $450 is the price for the EVO Shift 4G sans any carrier obligations, though you’ll probably want to stick with Sprint to make use of that WiMAX radio contained within. Bring on 2011 already!
HTC is relying on Microsoft easing its modification limitations for Windows Phone 7 over time, expecting that its Sense interface will be able to gradually inject into the currently locked-down UI and functionality of the new smartphone platform. According to HTC’s User Experience chief Drew Bamford, “we have a good relationship with Microsoft so we’re continuing to work with them to figure out how to enable a Sense experience without breaking their model” however, HTC’s “expectation is that we will be able to do more over time.”
Microsoft surprised smartphone watchers when it confirmed that Windows Phone 7 device manufacturers and carriers would have limited room to customize smartphones using the OS; HTC is currently limited to a Sense widget on the WP7 homescreen, rather than the more pervasive all-over UI reworking familiar from Windows Mobile 6.5 devices and the company’s Android range. Instead, Microsoft sought to standardize the user experience so as to avoid confusion when multiple WP7 handsets hit the market at the same time earlier this year.
Unfortunately, when combined with stringent hardware requirements, that meant many of the first Windows Phone 7 handsets were only differentiated in minor ways. “HTC’s goal is for the Sense experience to span all of our products,” Bamford says, having already suggested that the company is looking to home entertainment and other device lines for future expansion. “Microsoft has its own goal of consistency across Windows Phone 7 products. I think it comes down to working closely with Microsoft to do as much as we can.”
HTC has been fleshing out some of its ambitions for the HTC Sense system, as the platform continues to develop from a simple smartphone UI to a more comprehensive multimedia system. According to Drew Bamford, HTC’s head of User Experience, “Sense has escaped the phone“; he envisages HTC using the platform as a way of “getting cool content onto phones”, starting with ebooks as on the European Kobo-powered service, but then potentially extending the company’s partnership with Netflix on Windows Phone 7. It’s not just on phones, either; HTC is eyeing home electronics too.
We’ve already been looking at the HTC Media Link this week, the company’s wireless DLNA streaming box that bridges digital content devices – such as smartphones or tablets – and an HDTV, but Bamford suggests that rather than simply a compact STB, the Media Link is actually “a phone with no screen.” “The living room is definitely a place where you can have a Sense experience” he claims, perhaps hinting that digital content streamed to HTC smartphones might one day also be available to stream to your TV. The company is already looking to delivery out-of-the-box 4G video calling, something currently not available in Android as a core feature.
HTCSense.com already allows users to remotely access their Desire HD and Desire Z smartphones, browsing and replying to text messages, checking the address book, locating the device using GPS and even locking or wiping it should it be lost. In the future, the platform will become even more flexible, Bamford says. ”It’s about giving a product intelligence to interpret the things you would naturally do with it” he suggests, “anticipating what you want it to do without being explicit.”
We’ll warn you that we have nothing but the word of an alleged Sprint employee that this is the real deal, but we don’t know what else it could be — if it walks like a duck and quacks like an EVO with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, we’re inclined to believe it’s the HTC EVO Shift 4G. Factor in the noticeable lack of front-facing camera, silver trackpad and those throwback flat keys, and we’re even willing to forgive those hastily penciled watermarks on the keyboard and on top of the clearly ‘shopped screen. Even if this shot is legit, we haven’t seen the full device yet — it sure looks like this Knight is wearing a suit of plastic armor around the edges.
In possibly related news, Android Central nabbed an alleged screenshot of a Sprint database showing an “HTC A7373″ handset coming to Sprint on January 9th, and while one Russian e-tailer seems to think that codename refers to the GSM-friendly Desire Z, we have to imagine a Knight / Speedy / EVO Shift release is far more likely than a T-Mobile G2 redux on Sprint’s CDMA frequencies.
Update: Just to be clear, there are a few things about this image that irk us, not least of which that pasted-on screen. We’re inclined to think this might be a dummy unit that was touched up to look like a real phone.
We’ll warn you that we have nothing but the word of an alleged Sprint employee that this is the real deal, but we don’t know what else it could be — if it walks like a duck and quacks like an EVO with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, we’re inclined to believe it’s the HTC EVO Shift 4G. Factor in the noticeable lack of front-facing camera, silver trackpad and those throwback flat keys, and we’re even willing to forgive those hastily penciled watermarks on the keyboard and on top of the clearly ‘shopped screen. Even if this shot is legit, we haven’t seen the full device yet — it sure looks like this Knight is wearing a suit of plastic armor around the edges.
In possibly related news, Android Central nabbed an alleged screenshot of a Sprint database showing an “HTC A7373″ handset coming to Sprint on January 9th, and while one Russian e-tailer seems to think that codename refers to the GSM-friendly Desire Z, we have to imagine a Knight / Speedy / EVO Shift release is far more likely than a T-Mobile G2 redux on Sprint’s CDMA frequencies.
Update: Just to be clear, there are a few things about this image that irk us, not least of which that pasted-on screen. We’re inclined to think this might be a dummy unit that was touched up to look like a real phone.
Can’t have enough Androids in your life? Well, here’s another one! Alternately known as the Knight or the Speedy, HTC’s upcoming Android device has made a couple of premature photo appearances in an effort to help sell some cases for its future self. The guys at HTCPedia report they have all the cases in their imagery in stock and confidently identify the Speedy Knight as a 3.7-inch QWERTY slider, while the phone’s UI and rear inscription leave no doubt about it running HTC’s Sense skin for Android. The likeliest scenario for this phone’s retail future is that it’ll be dubbed the EVO Shift 4G and exploit Sprint’s WiMAX airwaves, leaving the only unresolved issue as a one-word query: when?
