HTC: Yay to More Tunes, Nay to Infrared

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php?id=2110248935' target='_blank'>http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php?id=2110248935</a><br /><br /></div><i>"High Tech Computer (HTC), the world's largest maker of mobile phones that use Windows Mobile, plans to further develop music playing functions in its handsets in the future, while it will slowly phase out infrared. The company already offers music functions on most of its phones, since they use a mobile version of Microsoft's Media Player. But going forward, HTC will add more flash memory and other hardware to make its phones increasingly music-friendly, said Peter Chou, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of HTC, in a group interview. The strategy meshes with Microsoft's plan to launch the Zune digital music player and challenge Apple Computer in the growing digital music market. Up to now, Microsoft has focused on digital music on the PC and home media systems, as well as a few mobile phone ventures, such as one with Verizon Wireless announced earlier this year."</i><br /><br />So, HTC wishes to lure music lovers with more flash memory? No objections here. But hey, why not ditch that blasted <a href="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,11375">proprietary audio connector</a> as well? Speaking of "ditch", that's exactly the path that infrared is taking. HTC no longer sees it as a necessity.

[Edgar_]

I never did use Infrared on my phone - BT only (and a cable now and then).

No reason why I guess, just never had IR on mydesktop so never cared for it not being there.

I still won't listen to music on my phone. I need it too much for work, I can see me runnign down the battery and losing a call to a client or my boss.

No thanks not needed :)

[Eugenia]

I find IrDA much more compatible and trouble-free than Bluetooth. There are many security policies and complexity on Bluetooth, that some PPC devices don't let other devices to send them files (e.g. my QTek 9100 with the latest firmware version). IrDA on the other hand, always worked.

So no, I don't like the fact that they are phasing out IrDA. There are some cases --few cases, granted--, where i'ts still very valuable.

[Jason Lee]

I use IR all the time.. It is usually faster and easier than bluetooth. Besides my mom's old pocket pc doesn't have bluetooth. How else am i going to beam her the cab files for her software updates? :)

[mscdex]

I have to agree. Myself, I like to use IR not only for transferring files and whatnot wirelessly (even between older generation devices!) but also as a universal remote. I really hope they reconsider their decision about IR. It still proves to be quite useful for a number of people nowadays.

[Ed@Brighthand]

I'm adding my voice to the people who still use Infrared. I have a HTC Star Trek and I love it, but it's irritating that I can't use it with the IR keyboard I recently bought.

Don't get me wrong, I love Bluetooth. But IR still has a role to play.
.

[xdev]

yea....SAVE IR.......

unless bluetooth becomes as hassle free as IR...

[bkerrins]

I'm done with IR. I've used it a few times and it does admittedly work well. But chances are more things will move to BT and security is likely to improve on that. Same with improvements in multiple pairings (laptop, car, cell, spouse pda). IR is a fairly large footprint on a PDA and having to line things up is not particularly efficient.

[Chris Spera]

I have to agree with most everyone here. Unless and until BT becomes as trouble free; AND is included in EVERY PC and laptop by default (without the need for a dongle or 3rd party add-in card) IR support should stay. I use it all the time, especially when trying to connect to my laptop to either sync or transfer files when I don't have a cable or cradle handy. I also use it to beam contacts and appointments to my wife's Cingular 2125.

Killing this support now, without the backbone needed on the PC (laptop OR desktop) side is a mistake, I think...but that's just my 2 cents.

[whydidnt]

I think some of you are stuck in the past with old equipment. :wink:

There iisn't any IR on any of the last 4 laptops I have purchased (all Dell's BTW). They at least offered Bluetooth when configuring, but no IR. IR is dying, the masses are too lazy to try and deal with the line of site issues. IR was NEVER a standard item on desktop PC's, either. Their just is no compelling reason to consider IR a must have for forward looking devices - as there is a shrinking market of compatible devices to talk to - other than for use as a remote, but even then, most of the devices don't have Consumer IR, so they don't fill that need anyway.

The idea of adding more FLASH has memory is one I've been screaming for for the last few years. I'm amazed it has taken HTC this long to figure out that they are missing a big potential market by ignoring this need. It is simply so cheap to add large amount of this type of memory to devices that it's amazing that they have only now had this revelation. :roll:

[EDIT] Okay, I imagine IR was an option when ordering these, but I don't recall seeing it when configuring the devices for purchase. Maybe I purchased the wrong models...]

[barky81]

And we use IR just about every day to transfer appointments, files, contacts, cabs, etc.

Granted I use DP on Exchange 2003, but her organization is mired in linux world, and there is no easier way to swap such items....

Dropping IR is rather shortsighted...and seems like the kind of decision made by people who haven't really used these types of devices intensively for years.

[aNiMeMaN14]

Wow, when clicking upon this thread, I was expecting to be the sole supporter of IR (maybe one more person). I woulda never thought THIS many people still used it. I used to use it a lot in school, as I have an IR keyboard for my PPC. Now that I've graduated, I doubt I'll be using it as much, though it DEFINITELY turned heads when in use.

Hollerate.

[Trevor]

Definitely keep IR a mobile device needs as many options to connect as possible. I use IR to sync with my laptop and transfer files to other PDAs and phones easily. BT has always been difficult to setup quickly.

[ctmagnus]

The problem is that laptops/desktops just aren't sophisticated enough to have IR. ;)

[bnycastro]

I use both IR and BT in beaming BT is definitely faster provided the idiots around the area don't leave their's on all the time making searching a hassle [specially with MS stack which sometimes takes uber long to get out the device names]. This makes BT beaming such a hassle in public. When this happens I fall back on IR, or if we have the same size memory cards transfer via mem slot [this rarely happens].

[JMac]

IR has been virtually flawless for me. Granted, BT is quicker and easier - but only when it is working.

I've had many compatibility issues with BT that I never encountered with IR. No different types of "stacks" to worry about.

Also, most Dell notebooks do have IR, but oftentimes you have to go into your setup ustility and enable it.

[ppcsurfr]

Here is an article I posted at the::unwired more than two years ago.

Bluetooth: When something simple turns out to be otherwise (http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=1957)

Bluetooth is good in an ideal world. Bluetooth is good when there are only two Bluetooth devices in the room. Once you get more than two devices in a room, all hell can break loose.

Can you tell everyone to switch off their devices' Bluetooth function? It is something you most likely will not be able to do ever. With today's widespread use of Bluetooth, it is more likely that it will take you more than 5 times longer to beam a single contact to another unit over BT as compared to the simple, tried and tested IR beaming.

If you can't send a vcard, or file over BT as easily as you could over IR, then there is something really wrong with BT...

BT is good for linking... but it performs badly for beaming...

Save IR!

[whydidnt]

You bring up an interesting point re: beaming vs. linking. I have only beamed information to another person once in my life. Maybe that's why I don't place as much value as others do on IR.

Guess I jusr don't run in the right circles... :wink:

[ppcsurfr]

You bring up an interesting point re: beaming vs. linking. I have only beamed information to another person once in my life. Maybe that's why I don't place as much value as others do on IR.

Guess I jusr don't run in the right circles... :wink:

hehehe...

Well, seriously... BT would be as good as the IrDA port if only you could send files immediately to a specified device ID without the back and forth confirmation first.

Sending a business card from one Windows Mobile device to another...

measured from the time the send button is pressed to the confirmation beep of the recipient device.

via IrDA port ==> 7 seconds

via Bluetooth with recipient device set to discoverable mode already and no passkey needed... ==> 25seconds

Just imagine if you had your bluetooth in non-discoverable mode?