HTC has produced two new smartphones for Microsoft, running on its Windows Phone 8 operating system.
Microsoft and HTC yesterday unveiled the first two “signature Windows Phones”, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S. Both devices will be available from November, though more than 150 mobile operators worldwide, although pricing details have yet to be revealed.
The X and the S nomenclature mirror HTC’s existing one product line. The 8X is the higher device of the two, with a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3-inch display and 8-megapixel camera (with the now obligatory burst mode). There’s also an 88-degree wide angle 2.1MP front-facing camera, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of memory and NFC capability.
The 8S is physically smaller and less capable, with a dual-core 1GHz S4 chip, 5MP camera and a non-HD 4-inch display. Both models come in a variety of bold colours, rather akin to Nokia’s Lumia series. Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, stretched credulity somewhat when he said:
“Windows Phone has clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world.
We’ve been inspired by Windows Phone 8 to create new smartphones that give the platform the iconic design and personality it deserves.”
That’s salesmanship for you. Microsoft is going to need more support from HTC and others to bolster the early efforts of Nokia in getting more devices out into the market – and devices that truly stand out from the very capable Android and iPhone alternatives. And as Motorola showed earlier this week with its new Intel-powered RAZR i phone, the battle now is for those feature phone owners who have yet to be persuaded (either through price or complexity) to switch to smartphones.
The new HTC models certainly appear to span the market from low to high-end Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, added:
“Pairing these beautiful new HTC phones with our Windows Phone brand is a big milestone for both of our companies and our partnership. Together we are offering customers a simple choice and a truly unique experience.”
Chris Weber, Nokia’s Head of Marketing, made a blatant attempt to deflect attention away from HTC and towards Nokia (well, he certainly got some column inches here, so his tactic worked). “It takes more than matching colour to match the innovation of the Lumia 920”, he tweeted, as well as later alluding to the fact that HTC has chosen to merely “tactically re-brand their products”. You would have thought Nokia would have been grateful for more market support for Windows Phone, but his aggressive negativity simply highlights the rotten culture at the once great Nokia.
We shall leave him to his little tweets and instead welcome the expansion of the Windows Phone line-up. Let’s not forget HTC was the OEM behind some of Microsoft’s earlier forays into mobile – the iPAQ and Orange SPV.
