htc

If you've been hankering for a device somewhere between a UMPC and a Smartphone, the HTC Advantage is finally available in the US for reals - supposedly it's also available on the retail store shelves at Circuit City.

I like the idea of the Advantage, kinda sorta. But if I'm going to carry around something that chunky, I'd want a full keyboard.

Verdict: Do Not Want.

Read: Gear Diary

If you were holding out hope that HTC would finally get its naming act together, stop it. The Kaiser, also rumored to be called the AT&T 8925, is now also known as the HTC TyTN II. When AT&T will release the super-device is anyone's guess.

Verdict: Want This.

Read: GCF Approves Kaiser

Also in the realm of super-devices is the HTC Polaris, which is supposed to be something like the HTC Touch on Steroids (insert Barry Bonds joke here). A few extra buttons, a faster processor, 3G, GPS, FM Radio, VGA screen, 3 Megapixel camera, and a kitchen sink.

Verdict: Want this. A lot.

Read: HTC Touch + GPS + VGA + more = HTC Polaris?

Lastly: an update to the HTC Touch, an update I do not approve of, by the way. Half the reason the Touch is so awesome is that it's so small and thin. The real hassle with the Touch is definitely not dialing numbers, it's that there isn't a decent full screen keyboard built-in.

Verdict: Do Not Want.

Read: HTC P5500 (Nike) Touch II

I'm going to go ahead and count this new site detailing how to use the HTC Touch as evidence for HTC releasing the rumored CDMA version (Codenamed "Vogue") sometime in the near future. Why? Well, mostly because HTC seems to be throwing much more than their standard marketing weight behind it. The Touch currently occupies almost the entire HTC homepage, which I like except for the fact that they're trying to create a new word, "touchnology". Ugh.

Anyhow, the online tutorials detail how to bring up the Touch Cube (which, by the way, only has three sides. I would kill for a fourth that I could add apps to) as well as how to get around in the standard WM6 bits. I like the Touch, like it better than the iPhone, even. So while the standard interpretation of this site is likely just that HTC is positioning the Touch against the iPhone, my reading is that HTC really intends to release this to a wider audience.

Read: HTC's Touch Tutorials

I-Mate has been trying to, slowly but surely, break into the US market (or at least gain wide acceptance beyond the Middle East). The big push was supposed to be part and parcel with their new "Ultimate Line" of Windows Mobile devices, but it's not looking good these days. Their finance director had to step down, their devices (with the possible exception of the JAQ series) don't get much play, and they're not HTC.

It's a pity, too, because the "Ultimate" devices are indeed Ultimate - the specs are crazy good on every one of them.

I-mate, the mobile devices specialist founded by Glaswegian Jim Morrison, was punished again by the market yesterday after announcing the resignation of its finance director.

The Dubai-based maker of the rival to the Blackberry, dubbed the "Macberry" but sold largely in the Middle East, said Gregor McNeil would be stepping down for personal reasons.

Read: The Herald via MGN

Some bits about the Omni rumors that hit over yesterday's holiday - 1) I used to think that artistic renderings of this sort were basically unreliable, but I've come around and so I think we're going to see a device that looks very much like this image. 2) It's going to be super small for what is going to be built-in, although sadly not thinner than the HTC Advantage. Just not as wide. 3) How long before video-out is standard on smartphones? 4) In the leaked HTC roadmap last month (the reliability of which I'm still not sold on), there was no mention of the Omni. 5) Oh, yeah, the specs are as hot as the device is cool-looking. Creating the relevant hot/cool pun is left as an exercise for the reader.

HTC Omni specs that we know about today are: - Windows Mobile 6.0 OS - UMTS/HSDPA connectivity - WVGA 4″ 800×480 px display, subdisplay - TV and VGA out - 256 ROM, 1280 RAM and microSD memory card slot - Wi-Fi b/g, USB and Bluetooth connectivity - GPS/A-GPS - Full QWERTY keyboard - Dimensions: 130 x 81 x16 mm

Read: HTC Omni pics and specs - Unwired View

There are a few surprises, though nothing earth-shattering, in this PDF of upcoming HTC Windows Mobile Devices. I wasn't expecting a CDMA version of the HTC Touch, much less one that includes EVDO Rev A with gpsOne.

Also new (to me, anyway) is the HTC Iris (s620), a Standard-edition CDMA phone with standard-edition specs, and the Volans, which appears to be the HTC Wings, aka the 3G successor to the disappointing* HTC S710/HTC Vox. And pictured at right is the Shangri-La, the slide-and-fold-up super-PPC (which will succeed the HTC Advantage). Had enough code names yet? Me too.

I put the question mark in the title there because a) the source site looks pretty new (even compared to us!) and b) the PDF slides look a little off to my eyes. On the other hand, all the info looks spot-on, so take my grain of salt with a grain of salt.

Read: CTI Miami’s Blog via BGR

*(What?! Disappointing you say? ...I'll explain in my review on Monday.)

HTC promised a big announcement and it looks like they've delivered what we expected: a improved-touchscreen version of of the Elf.

HTC's Flash-based site, http://www.htctouch.com/, shows off the new UI goodness. The key point seems to be that it can easily detect sweeps of your finger and that it can tell the difference between a stylus and a fingertip and adapt accordingly. HTC calls it TouchFlo and we call it "not quite as good as the iPhone" - this doesn't appear to be geniune multitouch, my friends.

Nevertheless, the new UI they've slapped on top of Windows Mobile 6 is very lickable - it basically takes the idea of SPB Mobile Shell a few steps forward.

Specs:

• Dimensions: 99.9mm (L) x 58mm (W) x 13.9mm (T)
• Weight: 112g with battery
• 1GB microSD storage card included / 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM
• 2.8" LCD touch screen with backlight, 240 x 320 dots resolution with 65,536 colours
• Battery Life: Rechargeable Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 1100 mAh
• Standby time: Up to 200 / Talk time: Up to 5 hours
• Camera: 2.0 mega-pixel CMOS colour camera
• Windows Mobile 6® Professional with Direct Push Email and HTML email support
• Wireless Connectivity: GSM/GPRS/EDGE Tri-band: 900, 1800,1900, Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth® 2.0
• Choice of two colors at launch - elegant soft black or alluring wasabi green

Alluring wasabi green, eh? Spicy! It's available in the UK now and should hit the US a bit later. Check out more photos of the Touch after the break. Be sure to head over to http://www.htctouch.com/ and click "Want" -- they're giving one away.

Read: Press Release

Update: Check out the unwired's video of the interface.

Engadget Mobile (among many others) is reporting that HTC is planning some kind of major announcement on June 5th. Folks are speculating based on the invite to the London event that it will be some sort of iPhone-killer because the new gadget should herald "a new mobile experience that will change the way we use and control our phones."

Funny that we haven't seen prototypes of this thing - usually HTC devices are well-rumored and well-understood long before they actually arrive. Stay tuned.

Read: "Major announcement" from HTC on June 5 - Engadget Mobile

HTC is already the 800lb gorilla in the Windows Mobile hardware space - they're solidifying that position by snapping up Dopod. The main asset seem to be Dopod's ability to distribute phones across Asia. This also helps HTC with the longstanding plans to actually brand their devices with "htc" instead of letting every carrier under the sun rename their gear. I'm looking forward to the day when a given HTC device has just two names - the prototype and the final - instead of the mysterious constellation of names most HTC phones have now.

[HTC] announced today that it has signed an acquisition agreement with Dopod International, one of the leading PDA Phone and smartphone distributors in Asia, to purchase the assets of nine Dopod subsidiaries

Read: HTC via PocketPC Thoughts

Italian Language site solopalmeri had an enterprising user in the forums find this HTC Europe FAQ (PDF) detailing their plans regarding Windows Mobile 6. The short of it is that HTC is making upgrades free for the following devices:

HTC Advantage
HTC TyTN
HTC S620
HTC P4350
HTC P3300

The bad news is it's still up to the carriers in Europe to decide to offer them. Those who have purchased these devices direct from HTC will be able to get the upgrades, free, sometime in June. No word yet on what will make it over to the US (besides the already announced T-Mobile Dash, Treo 750, Cingular 8525, and Samsung Blackjack upgrades), but it looks good. If HTC is willing to do the legwork, I don't think it's too much to ask for carriers here to give us the update.

Read: SoloPalmari - Ufficiale: HTC rilascia gratis WM 6, ma non per tutti i PDA; Google Translation here