I admire companies that take learnings from the past, especially related to successes, and apply them to the current context. In this case, HTC is replicating, what I believe, their huge success that they had with the O2 XDA II Mini. Back in 2004, O2 launched the mini version of the O2 XDA II (manufactured by HTC) which was one of the best selling Windows Mobiles devices of the year. We found that women in particular were attracted to its diminutive size. Zoom to 2010 -  the larger and beastier HTC HD2 is a hit and it is an opportune time to leverage this success with a smaller version that provides a similar impressive experience – the HTC HD Mini.

Not only is it more compact but its design is refined and sleek. The HTC HD Mini‘s clean lines and elegant construction will make any owner want to show it off to their office or school buddies.

My only wish was that it kept the 1GHz Snapdragon chip of the HTC HD2 but I’m sure this would have impacted its design. I also think that Apple should consider releasing a mini iPhone as I know of many people who won’t buy one simply because of its size.

Keep an eye on this one. I’m sure it will be a winner.

Starts shipping next month in Europe and Asia.

Specifications of HTC HD Mini:

Size: 104 x 57 x 10.9mm
Networks: WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100 Mhz GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz Maximum
Speed: UL=2 Mbps; DL=7.2 Mbps
OS: Windows Mobile 6.5 with HTC Sense
Display: 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive touch screen
Camera: 5 megapixel with auto focus
Internal Memory: 512 MB flash, 384 MB Ram
Memory Card: microSD
Processor: 600 Mhz Qualcomm MSM7227
WLAN: 802.11b/g
Bluetooth: 2.1 with EDR
GPS: GPS/AGPS
Battery: 1200 mAh
Special features: Motion G-sensor, FM radio, 3.5mm audio jack, MicroUSB, Straight Talk Lite, People, TouchFLO 3D, Business Card Scanner, Facebook, Twitter

HTC HD Mini Video:

HTC HD Mini Press Release

BARCELONA, Mobile World Congress – February 16, 2010 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today introduced the HTC HD mini, an HTC Sense-based Windows Phone focused on delivering the popular experience of the HTC HD2 in a more compact design.

“The demand for the HTC HD2 has exceeded our expectations, and the HTC HD mini fulfils a desire from some customers to bring the capabilities and experience of the HTC HD2 to a more compact design,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “The integration of HTC Sense and Windows Phone on HD mini and HD2 gives customers an additional choice for an advanced Windows mobile phone that is sleek, well crafted and easy to use.”

The HTC HD mini sports a high degree of usability along with its own unique and beautiful design. Precision fasteners used to assemble the phone are externally visible, displaying a high level of craftsmanship rarely found in mobile phones. And the strong design ethos continues under the battery cover where a bright yellow internal structure, offers an unexpected surprise when the phone is opened.

The HTC HD mini utilises HTC Sense, a user experience focused on putting people at the centre by making the phone work in a more simple and natural way. This experience revolves around three fundamental principles that were developed by observing and listening to how people live and communicate. These core tenets of Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected continue to be the key to the new HTC Sense experience.

Like the HTC HD2, the HTC HD mini continues the same focus on people-centric communication with complete Outlook integration.  It helps you stay close to the important friends and colleagues in your life by providing a single contact view that displays individual communication snapshots of your conversations, regardless of whether it was a call, text, status update or email. HTC’s Windows-based Twitter application, HTC Peep, enables you to tweet and follow your twitter stream.

HTC HD mini includes capacitive touch for viewing, zooming and resizing websites, Microsoft® Office files, PDF documents and pictures with just a pinch of your fingers.  Leveraging its 3G broadband connectivity, the HTC HD mini also offers personal Wi-Fi anywhere for your computer or other devices. The HD mini can also be further enhanced to reflect your needs and style by downloading a variety of applications from the Windows® Marketplace for Mobile.

Availability
The new HTC HD mini will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets beginning in April.

I can’t help but notice my RSS feed being filled with the words “HTC Leo” (left in the above image) over the last couple of weeks.  This warranted some investigation as to where this upcoming Windows device is actually at.

So Many Names

It seems that the HTC Leo also has other names on the web e.g. HTC HD2 and as the name suggests on the back of the device, looks to be HTCPRO.THREE. WMExperts also claim other names are HTC Thoth and HTC Athena 2. Hmmm…I searched all over HTC‘s website for more information and confirmation but nada.

Beast On The Way

If you read the specs list below, you’ll see why so many people are excited about this gadget. Let’s face it, HTC had to come out with guns blazing against the very very successful Apple iPhone 3G/3GS. Features that stand out are the 1GHz processor, huge 4.3″ screen, ultraslim design and dual flash LED 5 MegaPixel camera.

Features / Specifications of the HTC Leo:

• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM 8250 1Ghz
• Size: 121mm (L) x 67mm(W) x 11mm(T)
• Networks: WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100MHz; GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
• Operating System: Windows Mobile 6.5
• Display: 4.3″ 480*800 Capacitive touch-screen
• Memory: 512 ROM and 320 RAM
• Camera: 5 MegaPixel with auto focus, High Power 2 x LED flashlight
• Battery: 1230mAh
• Wi-Fi, A-GPS Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 3,5mm Jack
• MicroSD Slot
• Other features: G-Sensor, motion sensor and light sensor, GPS/AGPS

HTC Leo Capacitive Screen, Yes!

Oh and of course one of the biggest changes to this HTC device is the inclusion of a capacitive screen. This is the very technology that distinguished the iPhone from all other smartphones at the time of its launch which changed and I believe improved the way that millions around the world interacted with their mobile devices. Here’s a YouTube vid of capacitive touch functionality on the HTC Leo:

Launch Date of HTC Leo?

According Engadget, the HTC Leo / HTC HD2 will be launched on October 12th, 2009 in Europe. That’s only 11 days away. Will keep you posted once we get news of when it will be released to other parts of the world.

Here’s a video of Microsoft’s answer to the iPhone OS and they’ve dubbed it “Windows Phone” – no longer Windows Mobile. If we’re still talking Windows Mobiles versions, this would have been version 6.5.

I like how they’ve fixed the Start Menu, which although previously aesthetically consistent with the PC operating system, for the small screen it was hard to select options and was sometimes confusing. The new large icon approach is much more intuitive and simpler to use.

Also like the “My Phone” functionality which backs up all your data to some off site server which allows for easily data upload / download and also re-setup of new Windows devices.

Overall, some great changes and I hope to be able to test this out more thoroughly in the upcoming months.

What are your thoughts?

Via MobileWhack

Next month at Tech Ed 2009, Windows Mobile 6.5 will officially be released. To be honest, I don’t really know how to react to upgrades of the Windows Mobile platform having been burnt by so many other releases. It also doesn’t help that I have come to love the iPhone OS over the last year or so.

Let’s see how this iteration will turn out. Who knows, Microsoft may have learned from the past and will present us with something worthy of our spending. Bring on Tech Ed 2009!

Via Boy Genius Report

Presenting Windows Mobile 6.5 (beta)!

Windows Mobile, while not perfect, has come a long way from the days I was using it on my O2 XDA II.

From Microsoft’s Press Release:

BARCELONA, Spain — Feb. 16, 2009 — Today at Mobile World Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer along with key mobile partners, HTC, LG and Orange, unveiled new Windows® phones featuring new user-friendly software and services. The next generation of Windows® phones will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and feature a new user interface and a richer browsing experience. In addition, Windows® phones will feature two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web; and Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications and can be accessed from both the phone and the Web.
Contacts are backed up with My Phone so users don’t have to worry about losing contacts.

“Windows® phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” Ballmer said. “We’re working with partners across the industry to deliver a new generation of Windows® phones that break down the barriers between people, information and applications and provide great end-to-end experiences that span your entire life, at work and at home.”

The press release also states that the first mobiles to be running Windows Mobile 6.5 will be:

• LG-GM7300
• HTC Touch Diamond 2
• HTC Touch Pro 2

Are you excited?

Via SolSie.com