HTC continues to look beyond Windows Mobile; BREW-based phone in 2009, 50% Android shipments in 2010

By on Jul 22, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Software July 22, 2009

As the world gets ready for what will hopefully be a series of page-turning events for Windows Mobile — the releases of 6.5 and then 7 — HTC is seemingly looking to move its business in a different direction. According to a report from DigiTimes, HTC seems to be pretty happy with the performance of its Android offerings to date. In fact, HTC reportedly plans to push shipments of Android-based handsets from 30 percent of total devices in 2009 to 50 percent in 2010. Perhaps a bit more shocking, DigiTimes’ source also states that HTC will launch a new handset in September or October of this year based on Qualcomm’s BREW platform:

The BMP-based handset will come with a touchsreeen, HTC’s in-house developed TouchFlo 3D technology and HTC Sense interface as found in the HTC touch-enabled smartphone lineup, and yet the device will be available as an entry-level model.

Zany. While we’re definitely curious about the potential for some BREW-based HTC kit, we’re much more interested in seeing what the future holds for HTC handsets running Google’s mobile OS. If we were betting men (and women), we’d wager most BGR readers feel the same.

Read

Tags:
, , , ,
19 Comments

Related Articles

  • Mr. Hi-Definition

    Finally HTC is realizing that the majority of people would like to see new OS take flight in their devices with different form factors instead of having the dreaded WM OS on their device. Seriously, when last was having a WM phone “cool”? Like 06′-07′?

    Glad to see HTC is heading in the right direction. Keep it up HTC!

  • 1700mhz_LTE

    I for 1 definitely would like to see less WM OS and more Android OS from HTC. They should see if they could make a WEB OS phone too.

  • JohnBo

    Now to have that Lancaster with Sense UI running…

  • Danny

    I think the future is in choice, our PM loves WinMo for its syncing with their computer apps, I like Android for the the development platform and i don’t really know of any others. But if one could have a choice that would be nice

    On a diff note, if the HTC Touch Pro 2 ran android would it then be able to support mulit touch??? :)

  • Sonya

    Thank goodness. WM is so 2000 and late…

  • Joe the Plumber

    wasnt BREW a bad thing?
    closed and proprietary?

  • wallyson

    @JohnBo – what the heck happened to the Lancaster? Last I heard it was scheduled for a July delivery or was that August?

  • Bdizzah

    Wonder how long it will take verizon to get an android handset!

  • gadgetchic

    finding out that a nice looking phone like that has windows mobile is like finding out your date has herpes. major turn off.

  • celz

    wm6.1 is dead that’s for sure… But another thing is for sure my touch pro running energy w/ wm6.5 and touchflo 3D2 is crappin all over any other US phone..

  • Peter

    As long as they keep making good Windows Mobile phones then I am happy. I guess I am part of the minority which likes to be able to customize their phone and have their phones DO THINGS.

  • celz

    Your not the only one peter.. I love iphone, pre, bb, and android all for different reasons.. but none have customizablle homescreens that come ANYWHERE NEAR Touch Flo or wm6.5.. well see what htc’s sense does but that is still only one.. Wm still has point ui, spb, and more that outclass any smartphone period.. And android and the iphone are catching up but they still don’t have as much usefull apps.. I have had a full flash browser in my phone for too long to go back.. then you add things like tv out.. Ill take wm and deal with its many problems because its many beneits would be problems on anything else

  • sash

    i agree with peter. no matter what people say about wm, its still the most customizable and versatile of all the os. it also has true multi tasking, multiple form factors and screen sizes. i have been using wm since the beginning and have tried out many other os and none come even close to wm.
    i dont understand why everyone says its outdated while i can do more with a wm phone from 2 years ago than i can with an iphone, blackberry or android phone.

  • EPS

    I thought even VZW was abandoning BREW in favor of Java, so what carrier exactly will HTC’s BREWphone be for? Rather confusing…

  • scroffy

    i’ll take winmo anyday…customization, applicatoons, etc. are much better than the alternatives. While android seemed impressive initially, what you see is it and i wearied of it quickly. ipone…yawn. multitouch is cool but no big deal, and most of the nonsense available as “apps” is not worthy of being called an application. of course it is still the only phone for a cool teen or college kid, or for the ignorant fanboy perplexed by the power and flexibility of winmo. webos seems useful, but i haven’t used it enough to judge.

    too bsd the bgr message board won’t automatically put a sig advertising our phines on this post the same as it does for icheese.

    sent by mobile device, samsung omnia running winmo 6.5

  • Wrenchy

    Windows Mobile more customizable than anything else? You can dooooooo more with WinMo?

    How about having a frickin’ phone you don’t have to re-start every 24 hours because something in the OS has locked up? After all, it IS a phone we’re all talking about here. Phone/comms FIRST, everything else SECOND. It is shameful what Microsoft has done (or not done) with their mobile OS. They have been at this game years before anyone else and still they produce CRAP. SHAMEFUL.

    No worries, in a few years there will be no more Windows Mobile. Just open your eyes and see what’s happening in the world of mobile OS’s.

  • rizzy

    “no worries, in a few years there will be no more windows mobile”

    how does that benefit you? having choices is a good thing. if you don’t like it, don’t buy it, and move on.

  • yss

    HTC already had said they wanted to be a top 5 phone maker. Let’s say 2009 they make 30 WM phone and 3 Android phones. 2010 they make 30 WM phones and 30 Android. Guess what, they make 50% Android. As for BREW, any feature phone will need an OS. No part of the article said this would be at WM’s expense. People just likes to sensationalize anything WM. If anything, this seems more like gearing up to take on other phone manufacturers, not Microsoft.

  • yss

    I should say HTC never said it was at WM’s expense.

blog comments powered by Disqus