News
HTC Takes Wraps Off Windows Phone 'Mango' Smartphones
- By Scott Bekker
- September 02, 2011
HTC Corp. unveiled two global Windows Phone "Mango" smartphones on Thursday that will begin coming to market in October.
The devices are the second unveiling from a major manufacturer to run on the Mango version of the Windows Phone OS, which was released to manufacturing in late July. Fujitsu unveiled its IS12T in Japan on Aug. 24 (see "Mango Madness").
"The announcement of these new HTC phones is a big milestone in our march to Mango," wrote Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Windows Phone Program Management, in a blog post Thursday about the HTC Titan and the HTC Radar.
Of the two phones that went on display at events in London, Paris, Madrid and Berlin, the flagship is the HTC Titan, which features an exceptionally large 4.7-inch display. HTC bills the Titan as its largest screen yet. By comparison, the Apple iPhone 4 has a 3.5-inch display, while the Samsung Infuse 4G, one of the larger Google Android-based devices, has a 4.5-inch display.
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HTC Radar | | HTC Titan |
Aside from the 4.7-inch super LCD screen, the Titan features an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera (FFC).
"Now that these HTC phones have been formally announced, I can confirm officially that Mango does support these," Belfiore wrote of the front-facing cameras on both the Titan and the Radar.
"ISVs can build all kinds of interesting apps using the FFC. We'll have more announcements on some of the specific apps that will take advantage of this capability a little later on," Belfiore noted. One such announcement will likely be Skype-based video calling once Microsoft's acquisition closes (it is currently pending international regulatory approval).
HTC's news release about the devices also suggests that the screen size of the Titan combined with some Mango enhancements would make it into a more effective productivity tool than devices of the Windows Phone 7 generation. "With its expansive screen with built in Microsoft Office Mobile, this super smartphone enables you to create, edit and collaborate quickly and easily," the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer's release stated. HTC also noted the larger virtual keyboard allowed by a 4.7-inch screen and the multitasking in Mango.
HTC is positioning the HTC Radar, which has a 3.8-inch screen, as more of a consumer device for social media. The devices will go on sale first in Europe and Asia.
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.