HTC is Serious, Unveils the HTC Snap and Inner Circle.
Wednesday mourning at the CTIA trade show in Las Vegas, HTC started it’s day by introducing it’s latest Windows Mobile QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap handset. The slim and sleek smartphone looks a lot like the Blackberry Bold although my wife (Sharon) says it reminds her of the T-Mobile Dash, with that said it should be no surprise this device is optimized for e-mail and messaging. While we are on the subject of e-mail, HTC felt this was so high on it’s list of features they created the Inner Circle which is a feature that lets you click one button to brings emails from a pre-selected group of contacts to the top of your inbox, basically it hides your less important emails, and shows you just the ones from people you consider the most important. And I do like this feature very much.
The HTC Snap sports a 12mm-thick case and a well layed out QWERTY keyboard. It has a 2 megapixel camera which is nothing overwhelming and operating system is the stable Windows Mobile 6.1. The HTC Snap sports a 2.4-inch screen, 528 MHz Qualcomm processor, 192 MB RAM, MicroSD slot and 256 MB internal memory, 3G HSPA, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11g wi-fi, 2 megapixel camera, GPS, a 12mm-thick case and a well layed out QWERTY keyboard.. Powered by a nice 1500 mAh battery with 8.5 hours of talk time, and an estimated 15 days of standby. You can expect the Snap to hit the market in US sometimes in the second quarter this year. No price or which carriers will have the Snap although it is rumored T-Mobile will have this work horse. Below we included some specs, some pics, the press release and a video tour after the break.
- Qualcomm MSM 7225 processor, 528 MHz
- Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard OS
- QWERTY keypad with dedicated messaging, email and Inner Circle hotkeys
- 256MB ROM, 192MB RAM
- microSDHC support
- Dimensions: 4.59″ x 2.42″ x .47″ (LxWxT)
- Weight: 4.23 ounces (with battery)
- Display: 2.4″ (diagonal) QVGA (320×240)
- 1500 mAh battery
- HSDPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz or HSDPA/WCDMA 850/1900 MHz (HTC S522)
- Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
- Wi-Fi (b/g)
- GPS/aGPS
LAS VEGAS – April 1, 2009 – HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap™. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don’t, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life’s most important people.
A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by HTC* found that 44% of US adults are often overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive, and over half (55%) of US adults prioritize five or fewer people with whom they communicate via email. In response to these issues, HTC’s innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.
“Recognizing that people are being overwhelmed by an avalanche of email, the HTC Snap introduces Inner Circle, an HTC innovation that makes it easy for people to prioritize messages from the most important people in their lives at the press of a button,” said John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC Corporation. “The HTC Snap represents the latest step in HTC’s mission to create a range of innovative smartphones, each with specific benefits designed to both surprise and delight our customers.”
With a slim, sleek profile designed to fit perfectly in the hand, the HTC Snap measures less than a half-inch thick (12 mm), yet it can deliver up to eight and a half hours of talk time with the standard 1500mAh battery. The full QWERTY keyboard is ergonomically designed with extra-large domed keys and responsive tactile feedback to make typing emails and text messages fast, accurate and comfortable. High-speed 3G HSPA connectivity makes it quick and easy to send pictures to friends, access favorite social networking sites, or download large files while on the go.
The HTC Snap is powerful enough for experienced business users looking for an affordable, straightforward choice for remotely synchronizing email, calendar and contacts with their Microsoft Exchange server. However, the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard platform allows the HTC Snap to also be simple enough for first-time smartphone users wanting to keep their family life organized.
The HTC Snap is expected to be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009, rolling out in markets around the world throughout the second half of the year. Additionally, an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the US market will be made available under the name HTC S522 during the summer.
[vis Boy Genius Report]
