फोन्स.कॉम » Cell Phones

HTC started out as a supplier for telecommunications companies. When operators and other manufacturers needed certain parts for their phones, HTC was the company to whom they went. After building up a reputation for quality, HTC finally branched out into developing their own handsets in 2006, a good nine years after the company was established. The handsets were an instant success, as they offered finger touch screen technology for the first time. 

Granted Apple and its iPhone have taken capacitive touch screen technology to the pinnacle of success it currently enjoys, however HTC introduced it as a fledging concept. The HTC Touch was the pioneering phone, and even though it was mostly controlled by a stylus, there was a small component that could be operated by a finger. HTC called this the TouchFLO technology.

TouchFLO has evolved steadily over the years, becoming more powerful and certainly better designed as time has passed. It was upgraded to become an excellent user interface, known as TouchFLO 3D. There was slight confusion caused when HTC announced that HTC Sense was an upgraded version of TouchFlo 3D, when in fact it is an underlying architecture designed to enhance and augment the user experience.

Along with TouchFLO, HTC has also experimented successfully with newer mobile operating systems, with rather successful results. Most HTC branded phones carry either Windows Mobile or Android mobile operating systems. Both of the companies are relatively new to the mobile industry, in spite of being giants in the software world. The strategy has stood them in good stead, as the anticipation generated by the release of the new operating systems had a positive impact on HTC as well.

Another successful strategy that was implemented by HTC was to release HTC-branded phones independently of all the network service providers and manufacturers in supports otherwise. The company still provides phones that are branded under the networks’ names, including T-Mobile, Sprint and O2, to name just a few. The company also has a subsidiary mobile phone brand known as Dopod. It appears that HTC has decided to have a strong presence in mostly all the sectors of the mobile phone manufacturing world. According to the company’s mission statement, they aim to go forward by creating high-end devices for specific functions.

For now, HTC devices are classy, well designed phones that perform tasks with admirable consistency. The devices have an excellent user interface, supplied by HTC’s TouchFLO technology. The technology is constantly updated, as mentioned before, avoiding the danger of falling into a rut like Symbian for example. However, in spite of the continuous evolution, the interface remains intuitive to users, especially those who have used HTC devices previously.

The early adoption of Windows Mobile and Android have ensured a special place for HTC in the minds of all consumers, allowing the brands to become almost synonymous and therefore piggyback off each other’s publicity. In fact, HTC has decided to become a part of the Open Handset Alliance, as a result of incorporating Android into some of their devices. Additionally, the use of these mobile operating systems has allowed HTC to have an extraordinarily seamless and thoroughly unprecedented integration with the other services of Microsoft and Google, respectively. This unique result is a major factor in a consumer context.

HTC cannot really be compared to other brands, considering it probably supplies a number of the components that go into the construction of those products. However, an HTC device still manages to be quite unique, and forever synonymous with innovation – much like the iPhone. While HTC does not have the staggering variety of Nokia, nor the multimedia capabilities of Sony Ericsson, the company has managed to retain its position tenaciously throughout. It is possibly the only mobile phone manufacturer that has enjoyed nothing but success since the very beginning. The evidence points to strong leadership and excellent strategists running the company.

As a result, HTC products will perhaps not be extraordinary in any startling way. But should the company continue in the same way that may well soon change – HTC has shown a remarkable aptitude for backing the right horse every time.