HTC introduced the Smart on Jan. 7, which
the company insists is a new type of smartphone: easy to use, inexpensive and
globally accessible. It will arrive in Europe and Asia
in the spring.
The Smart runs Qualcomm's Brew MP (Mobile Platform) operating system and has
a 300MHz processor, which it pairs with a 2.8-inch TFT (thin-film transistor)-LCD
touch-sensitive screen with a QVGA resolution, as well as HTC's
Sense interface—or, as HTC refers to it, its
Sense "design philosophy."
Sense, also included on the HTC's HD2, focuses on three principles: Make It Mine,
Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected. Handsets can be customized for their users
in ways drawn from these principles, providing easy, intuitive access to users'
data and the details of their friends' and colleagues' lives.
Under the Make It Mine umbrella, for example, are Scenes—various
"moods" or modes that users can deploy at different times, as for the
workday versus the weekend. Stay Close features include offering a single view
of e-mails, texts and Facebook updates, instead of requiring the launch of several
separate applications.
"HTC has always focused on listening
to customers and setting the stage for new mobile categories, and HTC
Smart is the response to customer demand around the world for an easy-to-use,
affordable smartphone," HTC CEO
Peter Chou said in a statement. "Just adding a touch interface doesn't
mean a phone is a smartphone. The integration of HTC
Sense brings an unparalleled smartphone experience for people looking to do
more on their phone."
The Smart measures 4.09 by 2.17 by 0.50 inches, has 256MB of ROM, 256MB of RAM
and a MicroSD slot for adding more memory. It's compatible with HSDPA/WCDMA (High-Speed
Downlink Packet Access/Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) and quad-band
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) networks, and additional
connectivity comes from Bluetooth 2.0. There's a 3-megapixel camera, support
for several video and audio formats, and a 3.5-millimeter stereo audio jack.
The Qualcomm OS should help keep the price low, though HTC
has yet to announce what that price will be, in the United
States or elsewhere.
Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs added to the
statement, "We are pleased to be supporting HTC
as they utilize the capabilities of Qualcomm's Brew Mobile Platform open
operating system to offer high-end capabilities and a compelling mobile user
experience at mass-market price points."
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