Today HTC launched four new products, adding to its portfolio of own-brand devices. With the HTC TyTN already making massive waves after its launch a few months ago, we're very excited about HTC's second product launch this year. It seems as though any initial scepticism about HTC's commitment to pushing forward its brand, as opposed to only making handsets for other companies, can now be firmly silenced.
Here's a quick round-up of HTC's brand-spanking-new devices (pictured left to right):
HTC P3600: A compact PDA featuring 3G, HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, with a similar design to the Orange SPV M600. It has a 2-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA one on the front for video calls.
HTC S620: A slim BlackBerry-style device with a Qwerty keypad, making it suitable for email addicts. It also features Wi-Fi connectivity and a touch-sensitive scroll system on the side of the handset that can be used to rapidly scroll through text.
HTC P3300: A PDA with built-in GPS and TomTom Navigator 6 software. This is HTC's first device to combine these two technologies, giving you access to navigation and smart phone features in a relatively compact package.
HTC S310: Similar to the HTC MTeoR, which was launched at the same time as the TyTN, this handset is aimed at the mobile phone user who wants a little more. It's about the same size as most candybar mobile phones, but runs Windows Mobile 5.0, making it easy to sync with your Windows PC.
This morning we had a chat with Florian Seiche, vice president of HTC Europe, who said this is the second milestone for HTC's own-brand products, featuring a full portfolio of devices that will appeal to a wider market.
We asked him about the rumours surrounding a recent comment made by Peter Chou, the president and chief executive of HTC. Chou is quoted as saying "We're not limited. We're not Microsoft, we can do anything," which prompted some commentators to say that HTC would definitely use the Symbian OS. Seche refused to comment on these rumours, but agreed that HTC was not limited to using one platform.
We hope that HTC does broaden its OS spectrum, but for the time being we're very happy with their devices so far. The above devices will be available before the end of the year, but there's no word on pricing yet. We do know that T-Mobile will be launching the HTC P3300 as its own customised version called MDA Compact III. Expect full reviews of all the devices soon. -AL
Update: We now have a full review of the HTC S620 live in our Reviews channel.