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Samsung Galaxy Note. First Look
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HTC Roadmap 2010In this article we'll take a closer look at the phones featured in HTC's recently leaked roadmap, and try to figure out what parts of HTC's current line-up are going to change in the near future. You can find the original story over at engadget.com, where it appeared several days ago. Before we start, though, I would like to note that we won't harp over the looks of each of these phones or take their spec sheets for granted, as they can and probably will change before their release dates numerous times. Another thing of note is that what we have here is HTC's roadmap for T-Mobile, meaning that the design of HTC's own-branded may be different from what you're about to feast your eyes upon. Although I'm almost positive that both platforms and form-factors won't change much, if at all. Android-based devicesLegendOn the face of it, the Legend looks more like the HTC Magic (G2) and HTC Hero with its relatively pocket-friendly casing, a slightly curved lip at the bottom, metal frame and, it seems the phone's bottom part will also feature lots of metal parts.   Technical specifications:
 Sales start (according to the roadmap): March 2010 If it's released exactly as it appears on the roadmap, the Legend will pick up right where the Hero left off, and it won't sport a whole lot of improvements, other than the new OS version and somewhat reworked design. Plus the arrival of HTC's flagship device, Bravo, will knock down the Legend's price below the Hero's initial go-to-market sticker SalsaCandybar-shaped phone with a QWERTY-keyboard, looking to take on the Nokia E72. If you are so inclined, you can make up a pretty lengthy list of similarities between the Salsa and the Nokia E61, and I believe it'll touch the right cords in the hearts of all fans of the legendary E61 keyboard, enough to make them curious about the HTC's latest and greatest QWERTY-enabled offering.  Technical specifications:
 Sales start (according to the roadmap): June 2010 This is probably my favorite device here. The thing is, HTC have been struggling to make this form-factor popular for about four years already, ever since the times of the HTC Excalibur, but they haven't had much like with their thumbboard-enabled Windows Mobile devices. Furthermore, their modest sales have led to a situation where HTC prefer to lend these models only to selected carriers, while most other markets, including Russia, don't get any shipments at all. That's why the HTC Salsa's performance will have a significant impact on the company's plans in many regions - if this brand-new Android-based QWERTY phone succeeds, it'll give some of Nokia's time-proven offerings a good run for their money, and then, who knows, maybe even BlackBerry will have to deal with a new challenge on its home turf too. By the way, if the data presented in the roadmap is correct, the Salsa will be one of the thinnest smartphones out there. TideIn my opinion, being an Android-based phone with a numeric keypod, it's a niche-solution   Technical specifications:
 Sales start (according to the roadmap): April 2010 A competent buzzer that will suit those looking for their first (and, hopefully cheap) Android-powered phone. BuzzThis Android-based candybar is coming to replace the HTC Tattoo and will sport interchangeable panels. Although it's not unimaginable that this option will remain reserved for the T-Mobile version of this phone.   Technical specifications:
 Sales start (according to the roadmap): May 2010 If the Buzz arrives with a Tattoo-esque price tag, it'll have a shot at replacing its predecessor, otherwise it'll end up in a grey zone between the Tattoo and Hero, serving as a cheap version of HTC's top-of-the-line offerings. BravoHTC's Android-powered flagship for the first half of 2010, or maybe even for the entire year. Spec-wise, it reminds of the HTC HD2, although it sports a tinier screen and thus a smaller footprint.    Technical specifications:
 Sales start (according to the roadmap): April 2010 If the Bravo really dues support DivX, it'll be one of those few devices running on Android that can play video without requiring you to go through all the trouble of converting it into a more manageable format. In many ways, the Bravo is a milestone offering for the company, being their first Android-powered device featured with WVGA screen resolution and a 1 Ghz CPU. An important factor that will decide the Bravo's future is whether it'll be cheaper than the HTC HD2. The fact of the matter is that the HD2 runs on Windows Mobile, meaning that its users also pay a premium for the WM license, while the Bravo, sporting a similar feature pack, isn't burdened by this fee. In theory, it should retail for at least 20-30 USD less (there's a chance, though, that its price tag will be a hundred dollars lighter), which will deliver a crushing blow to HTC's WM branch. Otherwise, we'll get an Android-based technological marvel that will appeal to many. HaloHTC's first Android-based tablet. No specs are available at the moment, although it appears to be a slim 10-inch table running on Android 2.0 or newer that will retail for 500-700 USD. EspressoMuch like it's the case with the Halo, there is very little information available about the Espresso. In fact, we should thank the Hero's latest software version for the leak of some of the Espressso's specs and codename. Judging from the bits we managed to pick out of it, the Espresso with by a QWERTY-enabled version of the HTC Hero, and if you take a look at T-Mobile's roadmap, its most likely form-factor will be the side-slider, as there's already one QWERTY-armed canbybar scheduled for 2010 (Salsa). As far as its technical specifications are concerned, the Espresso is built around Qualcomm MSM7225 528 Mhz platform and boasts a screen resolution of 320x480 pixels. Windows Mobile-based devicesPhotonYou could say it's a pared-down edition of the HD2, as it appears the Photon's designes have taken a lot of cues from this top-of-the-range offering.  Technical specifications:
 Sales start (according to the roadmap): April 2010 Compared to the HTC HD2, the new Photon offers a smaller screen diagonal and thus a smaller footprint, along with a slower platform. TrophyThis QWERTY-equipped candybar running on WM 6.5 probably won't be available across the globe, even though it definitely packs some things that are worth looking at, such as a 3-inch display with VGA resolution, which is a pretty uncommon treat among Windows Mobile based phones. Judging by the images from the roadmap, its style is in tune with that of the HTC HD2 and Photon, with a slim frame on the front, some metal parts and a wafer-thin casing (around 1 cm thick).  Technical specifications:
 Sales start (according to the roadmap): May 2010 TeraSpec- and looks-wise, the Tera resembles the HTC TouchPro2, although it's a tad less sophisticated.  Technical specifications:
 The phone comes armed with Straight Talk Lite and a TouchPro2-esque QWERTY keyboard, which is definitely a plus. Sales start (according to the roadmap): April 2010 ConclusionLooking at this roadmap, I can say the following. First, HTC have continued their efforts to unify their offerings in terms of technical specifications - now they are running with three Qualcomm-branded platforms, two of which are very similar (M7225 and 7227). Secondly, they are throwing more microUSB sockets into their phones, which is great news. Thirdly, all devices present in this roadmap come bundled with 3.5 mm audio jacks and FM-radios. So it seems they've decided to do away with the issue of proprietary connectors by going for 3.5 mm + microUSB for their latest-gen devices, which is a smart move on their part. All in all, there are twice as many Android-based phones in this list, compared to Windows Phones, and this should tell you better than any words where HTC are headed now. Like we already said, in 2010 they'll be building their line-up around Android, while WM will be taking a back seat. Although HTC won't and can't just dump their entire WM division, most of their resources have already been re-allocated to the Android branch. And some of their 2010 offerings definitely have the potential to become milestones in their respective classes on the Android market. Artem Lutfullin ([email protected]) Have something to add?! Write us... [email protected]
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