Two Windows Phone Mango Devices Unveiled by HTC
HTC came on big with Windows Phone 7 devices last year, and now the Taiwanese handset maker is doing a repeat performance with Windows Phone Mango. HTC just unveiled the Titan and the Radar smartphones.
Although Microsoft and Nokia have a strategic alliance, HTC may be first to market with devices carrying the new operating system. The Titan has a 4.7-inch display -- HTC's largest phone screen ever. The Radar is designed for consumers who are hyper-focused on people, news and entertainment.
"Phones were originally designed for communication, but they haven't kept up with the way consumers are actually communicating today," said Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Windows Phone Division. He called the designs of HTC's Titan and Radar "sleek" and "modern" in his best effort to promote the new phone toting his firm's must-succeed operating system.
HTC's Multimedia Push
The Titan and Radar have a few things in common. Beyond Mango, the smartphones both offer a dedicated hardware camera button that lets users take photos without unlocking the phone -- something the iPhone doesn't do -- and offers technology that makes it possible to take good images in low light.
A wide-angle lens and panoramic feature offer options for photos. And the HTC Photo Enhancer allows quick touch-ups before uploading photos to Facebook, with friends tagged by the automatic face-detection technology built in to the Windows phones. Both phones can also capture HD video.
Both phones also offer HTC Watch, an application and service that gives access to movies and TV shows. The phone taps virtual 5.1 surround sound. Internet browsing offers HTML5 support, and Xbox LIVE adds mobile gaming to the mix.
"These phones are impressive. Both seem to be showcasing the fact that there's a lot of life in the Windows phone ecosystem," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner. "Combined with Mango, it will be interesting to see how they do in the market. Certainly if this is the caliber of phones Microsoft is able to attract and bring to market, it looks much better for Windows Phone than it has in the past."
Microsoft's Mobile Share
The Titan has a 9.9mm curved body made from a brushed aluminum shell. HTC described it as a portable office that empowers multitasking, like viewing a presentation while on a conference call or listening to music while compiling an e-mail. The built-in Microsoft Office Mobile lets users create, edit and collaborate on documents.
The Radar also has an aluminum body. HTC is pushing Windows Phone's People Hub on this device. The People Hub keeps users up to date with friends' latest news. It shows all the communication history with each person, as well as their recent social-network updates and photos. The phone also touts video calling on a 3.8-inch screen.
But will Windows Phone Mango have enough firepower to win the 20 percent market share Microsoft expects? That remains to be seen.
"The smartphone is a market in flux. We we'll have to see what the other devices look like, how many other devices come to market, what the marketing for it looks like, worldwide distribution," Gartenberg said. "There are so many factors here that Microsoft hasn't talked about with Mango. So we'll have to wait and see for the formal release and what it looks like on the devices."
