Thursday, March 29, 2012

HTC Looking To Take On The iPod Touch With New Handheld Device, Kickstand Included

HTC is a well-respected Android smartphone OEM whose Thunderbolt and Evo 3D designs ranked in the top 5 last Christmas. But in this new age of smartphones, a design could live or die in a single quarter. Being different counts and HTC thinks that catering to multimedia users of YouTube, music videos, movies, TV shows and home movies may pay off. Their latest design, as noted in our cover graphic, delivers new multiple speaker configurations and a superior back stand design. What's odd about this invention is that it's without traditional wireless broadband detailing associated with a smartphone. Which makes me wonder if this design isn't really a future iPod touch challenger? With Google ramping up Google Play, could HTC be preparing such a beast?

A Future HTC Handheld Device Design

A new patent application filed by HTC describes a "handheld electronic Device." Initially I presumed it was a new HTC smartphone. But a closer look would suggest otherwise.

The invention begins by pointing to a series of devices that the design could apply to, such as a mobile phone, a multimedia player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a handheld game machine and a handheld satellite navigator, etc. But that's boiler plate styled patent verbiage to a certain extent. I say that because contrary to patents covering a smartphone, you'll find fundamental information concerning the bandwidths the phone will cover such as GSM, 3G or LTE. It would also cover such basics as a microphone for users to speak into. No such verbiage exists: Nada.

This opens the door for their design to be one of the others listed, such as a "multimedia player" and "personal digital assistant (PDA). That spells out an iPod touch challenger. Is HTC hedging their bets that Google Play has what it'll take to put a dent in Apple's iTunes crushing market share? Time will tell.