Details on HTC's Big June 5th Announcement

[Mike Temporale]

We've <a href="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=88720">already talked about the big upcoming announcement from HTC</a>. I've received an anonymous tip that outlined what the launch is all about. In the past my source has always been right. So there's no reason for me to question the information I was handed. On June 5th, HTC is expected to announce a new Windows Mobile device based on the Elf platform. However, this Elf will have a very special feature. HTC has done a great job of keeping this special feature a secret. This special Elf will have a multitouch display like the iphone. So you will be able to slide your finger across the screen to run commands and interact with the device in the same manner as Apple’s much hyped iphone. HTC will be launching this on a global scale, so it has the potential to reach a large audience in a short amount of time. It should be an interesting year ahead. What are your thoughts?

[Rocco Augusto]

i wonder if they will start selling unlocked devices in the US. with cingular/att locking the iphone to them for five years, i doubt we will be seeing att carrying this device anytime soon :(

[Jerry Raia]

Whew, I was worried they were going to announce new pastel colors or something.

[Arne Hess]

While I'm confident HTC can get multi touch displays as well, I wonder how this should work with Windows Mobile?
AFAIK Windows Mobile is multi tasking (which it is - I know) but not multi touch (since it is based on the stylus experience). Therefore HTC also has to add a whole new GUI on top of Windows Mobile to make an advantage out of multi touch... Or have I missed anything?

[Jerry Raia]

I think you are exactly right.

[Foxbat121]

So that's what Verizon's secret weapon against iPhone is.

[kdarling]

I've programmed touchscreens for a living for two decades. People talk about multi-touch on a PDA way too much, IMO.

On a small screen screen device such as a phone, multi-touch is not much use to people on the go, since it requires the use of two hands. It's an expensive extra that few people would use and is counter-productive for devices that are normally used with one hand.

Even the iPhone barely uses it... only for sizing an image, which you could do plenty of other ways. For example, use one key for grow, one key for shrink.

The rest of the iPhone GUI is normal touchscreen (just as on a Windows Mobile device) with some SFX thrown in, all easily duplicated in an application if wished. To extend the Windows interface shouldn't be too hard. No different than when more buttons were added to mice.

Now, multi-touch on a large screen, as demo'd by MS Surface and others, that's something useful.

Cheers, Kev

[linusmd]

They're probably going to get us all psyched up w/ all these new options, and then drop the bomb w/ a 200 mhz OMAP like they always do, and a 65,000 non-vga screen. and 64 mb of RAM like their previous 3 years of models.

[Mike Temporale]

i wonder if they will start selling unlocked devices in the US. with cingular/att locking the iphone to them for five years, i doubt we will be seeing att carrying this device anytime soon :(

It's my guess, that these will be sold under the HTC brand only - and currently HTC doesn't sell their brand under a carrier. So I would expect to see it on Expansys / Mobile Planet.

[Mike Temporale]

While I'm confident HTC can get multi touch displays as well, I wonder how this should work with Windows Mobile?
AFAIK Windows Mobile is multi tasking (which it is - I know) but not multi touch (since it is based on the stylus experience). Therefore HTC also has to add a whole new GUI on top of Windows Mobile to make an advantage out of multi touch... Or have I missed anything?

I don't expect it to be a whole new GUI. I think it's a new touchscreen driver and a couple apps to show what it can do. The rest is up to the 3rd party ISV market.

[encece]

I'm going to guess that this will run the smartphone OS as well, as opposed to a PPC OS.

Couldnt be PPC as the user interfaces would conflict.

Imaging your current smartphone with no keyboard at all.

Now lay that keyboard and navigation over the screen and to me...it's a no brainer. Pleeeeease be the SP OS!!!

[Sven Johannsen]

I don't know about that encece. I've loaded SP apps on a PPC, and they just aren't looking for any screen input at all. I think they would have to upgrade/update/patch the OS too much to add ubiquitous touch support.

Whatever happens though, if multitouch displays are in the future of mobile divices, guess these will be making a comeback
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/finger_tip_styli_comparison_review

[alese]

So, I guess all the talk from HTC that they will not do anything specific to counter the iPhone was, just talk...
Having multitouch display could be really neat and if it won't be much more expensive, then why not.
But with all the possibilities and resources HTC has, why Elf with it's 200MHz OMAP, 64/128 memory, QVGA and only GSM/GPRS?
I really hope they will update the specs. If they don't this will be a real dud compared to iPhone...

[MTM]

Alese, if you compare the specs of the Elf and iPhone they're pretty alike for all we know. Elf only has 200 MHz CPU and 64 MB RAM, but so could the iPhone - no one knows yet, and I doubt the iPhone is made for power users, so why should they put in a power demanding CPU and lots of power demanding RAM? They both top out at EDGE (no 3G) and neither of them has got GPS. The iPhone probably wins hands down on display, though, but then again, I've heard the Elf should be selling for $400 before subsidizes, which should be way cheaper than the iPhone, even if you go out and use $100 to buy a 4 GB microSD card.

[alese]

I use a HTC Wizard as my main device for last 1,5 years. The device has exactly the same specifications as "normal" Elf (except the WM6) and while it is usable it's not fast no matter what you do.
Judging by the iPhone video it looks like it is quite quick doing whatever it does, it has really nice interface and plenty of storage so even if CPU and RAM is same (I seriously doubt) it looks to work better than WM device.
I would say that if HTC wants to compete directly with iPhone, they will have to have HW to match it and if possible surpass it, since we all know that UI eye candy won't be matched...

[mr_yellow]

I don't expect it to be a whole new GUI. I think it's a new touchscreen driver and a couple apps to show what it can do. The rest is up to the 3rd party ISV market.

Countdown to when the xda-devs rip the driver and make it available to all HTC devices.. =)

[alese]

I don't expect it to be a whole new GUI. I think it's a new touchscreen driver and a couple apps to show what it can do. The rest is up to the 3rd party ISV market.

Countdown to when the xda-devs rip the driver and make it available to all HTC devices.. =)

The driver would be useless on any other device, since you need a hardware (multitouch screen) to actually have any use from the driver.

[Mike Temporale]

The driver would be useless on any other device, since you need a hardware (multitouch screen) to actually have any use from the driver.

True enough - however I would still expect them to have it ripped and available inside of a week. (That's assuming they don't have it already ;) )

[alese]

The driver would be useless on any other device, since you need a hardware (multitouch screen) to actually have any use from the driver.

True enough - however I would still expect them to have it ripped and available inside of a week. (That's assuming they don't have it already ;) )

No argument here. If nothing else I'm sure some people will try this driver to see if they can get something on their "normal" device...

[Jason Dunn]

Watch this site tomorrow...that's all I'll say. 8)