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Diamond Aims to Cut up Apple
(07 May 2008, BWCS Staff)No sooner had Apple signed up with Vodafone to increase its iPhone distribution network than a new rival has landed on the scene in the shape of High Tech Computer's upgraded version of its popular Touch smart phone. The handset is deliberately designed to compete with its US counterpart.
The Diamond handset has strikingly similar features to the Apple iPhone, but goes one step further by supporting 3G networks. The iPhones do not yet connect to 3G, though this is expected to change soon. The new HTC phones are gaining a lot of coverage largely because of the success of the original Touch smart phone, which the company launched in June last year. Since then HTC has shipped 3 million units, while Apple managed to sell 5.7 million of its phones worldwide from launch last summer to the end of the first quarter of 2008.
According to HTC, the Touch Diamond weighs less than 4 ounces and includes a 3.2-megapixel camera and 4GB of memory. It also supports WiFi and Bluetooth wireless technologies. Talk time is up to four hours on a fully charged battery and its size is roughly 4 by 2 by 0.4 inches. The company says it will offer the Touch Diamond through all major European carriers in June this year, and later this quarter in Asia and the Middle East. The device is scheduled to ship in North America and Latin America in the second half of the year.
HTC, which is better known as a contract manufacturer for other companies is fast making a name for itself as a brand leader in its own right. Last year HTC's profits increased by 15% to US$949.4 million on sales of US$3.8 billion in revenue, 13% higher than the previous year.
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