HTC launches a trio of phones

PHONE MAKER HTC has updated its product line with the launch of several phones and an update to its Sense overlay.

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company unveiled three new phones, The Desire and Legend for Android 2.1 and the HD Mini for Windows Mobile.

As part of the launch, the company also revealed that it has revamped its Sense overlay that originally came out on its popular Hero handset.

New features include broad improvements to the browser, email client and other functions as well as the ability to 'leap' between screens by pinching the display, which brings up thumbnails of each of the seven home screens that Sense offers on Android.

The update also introduces the HTC Friend Stream, an app and widget combination that aggregates Facebook, Twitter and Flickr into one organised flow of updates. Contacts can now be organised into specific social circles, such as groups of friends, colleagues or any other way that makes, er, sense.

The HTC Legend takes after the Hero in terms of form factor, but the case is now made from a single piece of turned aluminium, the screen has been upgraded to a 3.2-inch, AMOLED HVGA display and the trackball has been replaced with an optical joystick.

The HTC Desire is aimed at the audio visual crowd, packing in a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and full Flash 10.1 support. As with the Legend, the Desire also includes an optical joystick.

"HTC Sense was created to magnify your ability to create and define your own unique mobile experience," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

"HTC Legend and HTC Desire take Android to another level in both substance, with HTC Sense, and style, with HTC Legend's revolutionary crafted aluminium unibody design."

Chou added that the new version of Sense will also be coming to some of HTC's existing handsets, including the Hero in Europe and Asia.

The Legend will be available in Europe through Vodafone and in the direct channel beginning in April, and will roll out to other parts of the world in the early second half of the year alongside the Desire which will be launched around the same time.

Third on the list is the HD Mini, a smaller version of the popular HD2. Running Windows Mobile 6.5 it packs in all the same power and features as its big brother, but in a smaller form factor and using the latest version of Sense.

"The demand for the HTC HD2 has exceeded our expectations, and the HD Mini fulfils a desire from some customers to bring the capabilities and experience of the HD2 to a more compact design," added Chou.

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

Last and, quite possibly, least Chou announced that HTC has taken Ballmer's message to heart and will be releasing smartphones based on Windows Phone Series 7 later this year, although no details beyond that were given. µ