| NJBlackBerry |
06-05-2007 02:15 PM |
Look - the iPhone killer!
Taiwan's HTC Launches iPhone Rival
Taiwanese mobile phone maker High Tech Computer Corp. followed in the footsteps of Apple Inc., launching a sleek, multimedia, touch-screen phone it hopes will rival the iPhone.
Chief Executive Peter Chou, speaking in the buildup to the launch of the HTC Touch device in London, said he believed the device will make a significant contribution to the company's financial performance this year.
HTC's Touch smartphone runs Windows and has a 2.8-inch screen
HTC, the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones based on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile operating platform, said it will begin shipping the device within the next week, via France Telecom-owned mobile operator Orange. Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile will also launch the product under its own brand MDA Touch in June.
The HTC Touch smartphone includes new TouchFLO touch-screen technology, which has been two years in the making by the Taiwanese manufacturer, and can distinguish whether phone users are using their fingers or a stylus.
Mr. Chou said the HTC Touch phone - like Apple's iPhone, which is set to launch in the U.S. later this month - includes strong mobile Internet functionality, which can be viewed via a 2.8-inch color screen. It also includes a one-gigabyte microSD memory card, allowing users to store multimedia content, such as videos and music.
The phone also includes a two megapixel camera and uses the Windows Mobile 6 operating platform, including Outlook email and Office software tailored for the mobile phone. The 13.9-millimeter thick phone will be able to access the Internet via Edge and Wi-Fi connectivity, but not third-generation phone masts.
Orange will sell the Touch phone using the HTC brand and will start selling it from Tuesday in the U.K. The phone will ship across other parts of Europe and Asia this month.
Until a year ago, all of HTC's phones were marketed under the operator's brand, but the Taiwanese company changed this in June 2006, believing it needed to market its own brand to achieve scale. Mr. Chou said in May that own-brand phones will represent more than 70% of its revenue in the coming years.
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