Phones increasingly going very social with the integration of social networks and having a single view of all your connections (sms, email, social networks, calls, photos, etc.) with your social graph (contacts). As we have seen in the INQ phones (Skype and Facebook phones) on the 3 network, increases internetand in particular SN usage and consequently stickiness for the phone.
Jun 24, 2009
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has released its third Android phone, the HTC Hero, which has been picked up by France Telecom’s UK carrier Orange, as the first Android device in its portfolio of phones, the companies said today.
The Hero also sports the smartphone maker’s new user interface, HTC Sense. The UI, which has been two years in the making will be used in all forthcoming HTC devices, and according to the company, will help set it apart from its competitors. Sense, for example, does not organize the phone’s interface by application, but rather by a person’s contacts. Instead of digging through various applications, all communications with a contact—whether through Facebook, Flickr photos, text messages, emails, or call history—are all organized in one view.
[Extract from the HTC Hero Press Release - Today, staying in touch with the people in your life means managing a variety of communication channels and applications ranging from phone calls, emails, texts, photos, status updates and more. HTC Sense takes a different approach by integrating these communication channels and applications into one single view enabling you to stay closer to your important people. With HTC Sense, friends Facebook status updates and photos along with their Flickr photos are included along side their text messages, emails and call history in a single view.]
The HTC Hero is just one of a number of Android phones launching this summer. HTC’s new interface, however, gives a hint at the level of differentiation that handset makers can achieve with the operating system. One thing that the HTC Hero is also able to support is Adobe Flash, the technology that runs much of the video on the internet today, and has so far been conspicuously absent from the iPhone. Adobe has said it is still “committed” to bring Flash to the iPhone, though it needs help from Apple to do so.
Orange UK plans to begin selling the phone in July, when it will be available to customers for free on to a 2-year £39.15 ($64) monthly plan. The plan includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited texts, as well as unlimited internet access. The Hero goes on sale later this summer in Asia and will be available in the US by the end of the year.
Phones Go Social: Sprint Launches Samsung Exclaim And HTC Snap; AT&T Adds Moto Karma
Jun 23, 2009
The success of the “Facebook phone,” built by INQ, has not been lost on either carriers or handset-makers, which are starting to introduce copycats into the market.
The beauty of the INQ phone is that it commoly drives three to four times more traffic than smartphones that cost three to four times more money. The only phone that comes close is the iPhone. This week both AT&T and Sprint have announced new phones from HTC, Samsung and Motorola that tightly integrate social networks. However, it seems carriers have failed to learn that it is not just about the phone, but also the data plan. The INQ, which is offered by 3 UK, provides a lower cost data plan for unlimited access to Facebook, but not all data services, bringing the overall cost of the device down. Neither AT&T or Sprint are offering a price cut. In fact, AT&T is requiring at least a $60 a month plan for the Motorola Karma, which prohibitively high for a feature phone.
—Sprint’s HTC Snap: The HTC Snap is technically a smartphone and comes loaded with Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. The social part is a feature called the “Inner Circle,” which allows people to prioritize emails from the most important people. Not matter what email account the person contacts you from, the messages will be viewable in the same place. The phone will cost $150 with a two-year contract. Release.
—Sprint’s Samsung Exclaim: The feature phone comes packed with “tiles” for MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, which allow you to launch the applications with one click. The phone also has a full Qwerty keyboard that slides out from the side, in addition to the typical numeric keypad that slides out when the phone is vertical. The phone will cost $80 with a two-year contract. Release.
—AT&T’s Motorola Karma: The phone is short and squat, and comes with a slide out full Qwerty keyboard. It emphasizes text messaging, instant messaging and provides access Facebook and MySpace from the homescreen. The phone will cost $80 with a two-year contract, and a minimum voice plan of $40 and $20 a month data or messaging plan. That plan at the minimum will cost $60 a month, which seems a bit high for a feature phone.
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