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Needed: Your Questions for HTC

Hello fellow XDA-ers!
We have a very interesting opportunity here, and we'll need everybody's input on this one:
At our request, HTC America is going to respond directly, interview/Q&A-style, to a set of questions submitted by XDA. The responses are then going to be posted in an Article on the front page of the site will all the other news.
Now, since this is intended to be in the interest of as many members as possible, we want to open the floor to suggestions from anybody and everybody here, for what questions you would love to see answered by HTC!
We'll be accepting ideas and suggestions in the form of replies to this thread, up through 24:00GMT this coming Friday night. Then, the admins and writing staff will go over all of the submissions, and choose the 20 that we think will generate responses and insights most interesting to our members.
We're not so concerned with how you word the questions, it's the idea that matters...just let us know what's on your mind, and we'll take care of getting them "all pretty"
One thing that we'll request is that this thread is used for posts with either direct ideas for questions or follow-up suggestions to questions already posted. For those of us who have a strong opinion about HTC in general (one way or the other), just try to put it in the form of an inquiry...otherwise it'll be better to open a separate thread to discuss those things. Questions about this process are welcome too, or feel free to PM me if you prefer.
I think we have an awesome opportunity here to get some very interesting perspectives on how the company that's behind the reason we're all here operates, particularly in relation to its most passionate customers!!
Now, to get everybody started, I'll submit this first question, courtesy of memeber snarksneeze:
"There are several Linux-based open source ARM operating systems out there, what makes Android so special from an OEM's perspective, that almost every cell-phone manufacturer is jumping at the chance to use it?"
So get to it!! We're looking forward to a lot of creative responses...that's why we wanted to solicit the entire community at XDA for ideas on this, instead of just letting "management" come up with them I know there's as many unique customer perspectives out there as there are members...so let us know what's on your mind, and we'll get answers for as many of them as we can!! There's a good chance this could open the door for similar opportunities with HTC in the future as well, but we want to make the most of this opportunity while we've got it! We're counting on everyone to help make this as awesome as it can be!
NOTE: While these answers will be coming from HTC America, I think it's fine to ask questions with a global scale, just maybe not any directly relating to other specific markets
Ready....set.....GO!!

Questions 2 & 3
To HTC:
2: Do you have plans to launch a hardware keyboard WM device in the mid term?, if so please give us a glimp on what we could expect.
3: Rumours speak about an HTC propietary operating system, what are the chances of this happening?

4: Are you planning on keeping Windows as your primary platform now that Windows Phone 7 is on its way or are you going to switch your focus to android now that it's the only platform that let's you keep your edge over your competitors in the form of the Sense UI?
5: How big a blow was it for you when you found out that Microsoft weren't going to allow customized user interfaces for WP7?
6: Are you planning on letting users choose which mobile operating system they want on future phones(assuming the hardware works under both)?

orb, Toss, thanks a bunch...those are all awesome questions! Much better then what I might come up with lol.
Keep 'em coming people!

Hows this:
7: What are your future plans regarding Qualcomm's new OS Brew, after releasing the HTC Smart?

PurpleLlamaLover: Question number 7 / Please sticky
sirphunkee said:
orb, Toss, thanks a bunch...those are all awesome questions! Much better then what I might come up with lol.
Keep 'em coming people!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great effort my friend!
And with the help of all you´ll have the necessary material for making not only one, a series of interviews!!
-----------
Please make it sticky.
PurpleLlamaLover said:
Hows this:
What are your future plans regarding Qualcomm's new OS Brew, after releasing the HTC Smart?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@all:Let´s not forget to include question number, which be of great help to OP

7. Is HTC ever going to release a device top spec in line with other manufacturers instead of constantly releasing new devices with little or no update in between, one example would be that htc are still releases devices with 5mp cameras!!
8. Is HTC ever going to provide a driver suitable for our devices to improve graphic performance

Maybe try to find out about the next gen processors (ie. dual core) , and when they will be available.
And also,... when will we get a top of the range android device with a hardware keyboard again. A true successor to the G1/Dream. I've never owned one but feel that it is what my Hero is missing.
Thanx guys.

... Also....
What do they think of the developers on here?.... Are they likely to provide more resources to make our dev's jobs a little easier?

Ok awesome, thanks guys...I did really want to get at least a question or two in about what we can look forward to in terms of hardware QWERTY phones of any type.
And yes, I also like the ideas of finding out exactly what their perspective on "us" is, as well as plans for improving specs on flagship models

Toss3 said:
4: Are you planning on keeping Windows as your primary platform now that Windows Phone 7 is on its way or are you going to switch your focus to android now that it's the only platform that let's you keep your edge over your competitors in the form of the Sense UI?
5: How big a blow was it for you when you found out that Microsoft weren't going to allow customized user interfaces for WP7?
6: Are you planning on letting users choose which mobile operating system they want on future phones(assuming the hardware works under both)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooooo, I would love to know the answer to those! Put me down as a 'seconder' for these questions.
I am trying to come up with an intelligent question, although a lot has been covered by the bright sparks above.
This is a great opportunity. Thank you to those involved.

Franwella said:
Ooooo, I would love to know the answer to those! Put me down as a 'seconder' for these questions.
I am trying to come up with an intelligent question, although a lot has been covered by the bright sparks above.
This is a great opportunity. Thank you to those involved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noted, and thanks for your support! You still have a couple of days, so don't stress yourself...we're anxious to hear whatever you come up with

The removal of the red earpiece on the Evo... was that HTC's choice or Sprint's choice? It was a small visual feature that I was looking forward to and was disappointed to see removed in the final market version.
Sticking with the Evo, why was the choice made to add extra buttons to the on-screen keyboard? From looking at screenshots, they seem like they would impede typing. What sort of UX testing was done to ensure negligible impact to the end user?
Not a question, but thank you for doing away with the proprietary headphone jack. That was something slightly short of a slap in the face of the user.
As a company that primarily handles hardware, where do you stand on the "mobile platform wars"? The iPhone OS, WP7, and Android all have such markedly different business models. What strengths and weaknesses do you see in each? What development and policy changes would you like to see from all the major players?
Android is an OS that develops rather quickly, and one criticism of the Sense UI is that it forces users to lag behind development until a Sense UI update is pushed. How are you going to deal with keeping users OSes up-to-date as you move forward?

-Will the HD Mini be coming to the American market?
-Is it true HTC is considering a take over of Palm?
-Is HTC looking to make its phones better gaming platforms?
perhaps not the most intellectual questions but eh

kaiserII101 said:
-Will the HD Mini be coming to the American market?
-Is it true HTC is considering a take over of Palm?
-Is HTC looking to make its phones better gaming platforms?
perhaps not the most intellectual questions but eh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can answer the 2nd one...HTC was indeed one of the 5 bidders for Palm, but HP finally put up more than everybody else and bought the company. Look for WebOS on printers (no joke!) and other HP hardware soon.
That gaming platform question is awesome! I'm dying to know that as well!

Psichi said:
The removal of the red earpiece on the Evo... was that HTC's choice or Sprint's choice? It was a small visual feature that I was looking forward to and was disappointed to see removed in the final market version.
Sticking with the Evo, why was the choice made to add extra buttons to the on-screen keyboard? From looking at screenshots, they seem like they would impede typing. What sort of UX testing was done to ensure negligible impact to the end user?
Not a question, but thank you for doing away with the proprietary headphone jack. That was something slightly short of a slap in the face of the user.
As a company that primarily handles hardware, where do you stand on the "mobile platform wars"? The iPhone OS, WP7, and Android all have such markedly different business models. What strengths and weaknesses do you see in each? What development and policy changes would you like to see from all the major players?
Android is an OS that develops rather quickly, and one criticism of the Sense UI is that it forces users to lag behind development until a Sense UI update is pushed. How are you going to deal with keeping users OSes up-to-date as you move forward?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Psichi...I like them all but especially the one about the "mobile platform wars"

Will HTC in the future write better software and drivers to fully take advantage of the QualComm SoC they are using? For example, the Tytn II was criticized for not having a fully accelerated video/graphics driver (along with each successor after it). The current HTC HD2 and Nexus one have very powerful SoC's with hardware accelerated video codec decoding, will that eventually be taken advantage of by drivers and HTC video players?
Graphically, do you anticipate creating software or drivers that push the full potential of the graphics processing power of the current "Snapdragon" SoC?
(I like to keep my questions device centric).

Another thing I'm wondering about is whether or not they are planning on including an RSS reader into sense in the near future(one of the most important features that is still missing imho)?

My question:-
HTC, will you learn lessons from the continued delays to the new Hero Rom in that development speed needs to be increased and there needs to be better communication with customers/fans
Tapatalk on my Hero

kaiserII101 said:
-Will the HD Mini be coming to the American market?
-Is it true HTC is considering a take over of Palm?
-Is HTC looking to make its phones better gaming platforms?
perhaps not the most intellectual questions but eh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HP already took Palm over...

[Q] Tablet question...

Of the following 4+ which would you people get and why?
The 2 bigger screen android Asus tablets...the Notion Ink Adam or wait quite a while for Adam 2?...or the rumored HTC tablets?
I'm really leaning towards one of the 2 asus tablets or waiting for the HTC tablets cuz:
1) I'm half Taiwanese and if you see my sign it only has HTC phones hehe
2) The Asus ones are coming out pretty soon and seem like good bang for the buck.
Sorry if this is a repeat question and please do link to similar/same threads!
Thanks in advance.

CTR01 said:
Of the following 4+ which would you people get and why?
The 2 bigger screen android Asus tablets...the Notion Ink Adam or wait quite a while for Adam 2?...or the rumored HTC tablets?
I'm really leaning towards one of the 2 asus tablets or waiting for the HTC tablets cuz:
1) I'm half Taiwanese and if you see my sign it only has HTC phones hehe
2) The Asus ones are coming out pretty soon and seem like good bang for the buck.
Sorry if this is a repeat question and please do link to similar/same threads!
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the above as an early adopter (except the HTC maybe). These companies don't make cell phones, and have very little experience with android. Buying them early is begging to get a lemon, especially when trying to save money if you're buying in the price bracket i'm guessing these will fall in.

even if other pretty/kinda credible websites such as slashgear give good to decent reviews of certain products? the asus ones received decent to good reviews on just demo/pre-production units.

I really do not see the practicality of a tablet, very limited in functionality, Give me a 10" slimline netbook wirelessly tethered to my HTC or with an aircard any day, 100 time more useful for half the price & you get real quality hardware & proper web browsing functionality on an OS & browser of your choice.

thanks...but...
Mister B said:
I really do not see the practicality of a tablet, very limited in functionality, Give me a 10" slimline netbook wirelessly tethered to my HTC or with an aircard any day, 100 time more useful for half the price & you get real quality hardware & proper web browsing functionality on an OS & browser of your choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply and show of your opinion but it has nothing to do with what I asked about...

An expansion of options was the underlying point :-D
Might not help you too much but could help other using this thread as a reference on tablet purchase.

Lol ok fair enough ; )
Sent from HTC ViSiOn/G2

[Q] WebOS Long-term outlook

Hi everyone,
I have an opportunity to buy an HP Touchpad for quite cheap (about $100 for a 16GB wifi) but after doing some research it kind of looks like WebOS is dying. I've had a hard time even tracking down an ereader app, and the only one I've found looks a bit questionable in terms of tablet-optimization. It would be great if I could just install Android on it, but it doesn't look like that's possible. So, basically what I'm wondering is whether WebOS–particularly as a tablet platform–is likely to grow and improve very much, or is it really as dead-in-the-water as it looks? I know you guys might be a bit biased, but I figure you also have much better knowledge of the OS than I do .

m_piedlourde said:
Hi everyone,
I have an opportunity to buy an HP Touchpad for quite cheap (about $100 for a 16GB wifi) but after doing some research it kind of looks like WebOS is dying. I've had a hard time even tracking down an ereader app, and the only one I've found looks a bit questionable in terms of tablet-optimization. It would be great if I could just install Android on it, but it doesn't look like that's possible. So, basically what I'm wondering is whether WebOS–particularly as a tablet platform–is likely to grow and improve very much, or is it really as dead-in-the-water as it looks? I know you guys might be a bit biased, but I figure you also have much better knowledge of the OS than I do .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just check this and tell me by yourself if the tablet is dead... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1202444
Also you can check at precentral Forum at Touchpad section and you will find everything about the HP Touchpad overthere.

WebOS has the full support of HP.
dont listen to the haters out there, remember when android first came out.
Everyone said "they will never make it, apple has the market locked up" and now look @ the market share android controls. Remember that the TP, VEER and Pre3 are first gen HP WebOS devices. Palm is gone along with the hardware. The WebOS ecosystem will be a major player in the enterprise market and consumer as well.
Unlike WP7, HP makes hardware and that is a huge advantage imop. android is everywhere, but the experience varies by manufacture. HP is creating a family of WebOS products that all have the same great experience and the will talk to each other. I dream of the day when my WebOS refridgerator that is synced with my phone will allow me to answer a call, order pizza, alert me of a text or email and all kinds of things. i know it sounds crazy, but electronics, appliances and cars all synced in one ecosystem would rule!
check out "http://www.webosroundup.com/" - "http://www.webos-internals.org/wiki/Main_Page" - "http://www.precentral.net/"
article and links to the world of WebOS!

Or check this and tell us if its dead.....
http://www.precentral.net/app-sales-skyrocket-and-developers-join-game-webos-not-dead

m_piedlourde said:
Hi everyone,
I have an opportunity to buy an HP Touchpad for quite cheap (about $100 for a 16GB wifi) but after doing some research it kind of looks like WebOS is dying. I've had a hard time even tracking down an ereader app, and the only one I've found looks a bit questionable in terms of tablet-optimization. It would be great if I could just install Android on it, but it doesn't look like that's possible. So, basically what I'm wondering is whether WebOS–particularly as a tablet platform–is likely to grow and improve very much, or is it really as dead-in-the-water as it looks? I know you guys might be a bit biased, but I figure you also have much better knowledge of the OS than I do .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
noooooooooooooooooooo it will die every time webOS makes a nice little change android make almost 3 big changes

jamcar said:
noooooooooooooooooooo it will die every time webOS makes a nice little change android make almost 3 big changes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be so negative, everything has pros. and cons.

TravisAntonio said:
Don't be so negative, everything has pros. and cons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's true i had a htc hero ( android phone before android took off) but it was stolen and i got a palm pre for $20 and now that android did take off a cant wait to get another android phone

I was wrong, HP dropped us (webos users) like a used tissue
http://www.pcworld.com/article/238417/hp_says_so_long_to_webos_devices.html

Cptnjarhead said:
I was wrong, HP dropped us (webos users) like a used tissue
http://www.pcworld.com/article/238417/hp_says_so_long_to_webos_devices.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, I feel for you... it's not often someone has the Cajones to show up on a forum days later and say "bow, was I wrong"....
Honestly, I just used my first WebOS device days ago. Not a Touchpad, an original PRE... I can see why it failed.... and why it had promise. The device was neat, but too quirky. I got it set up and working for a friend, and actually usable thanks to the folks over at webos internals...
Now, as far as HP's closing of the WebOS unit.. and their promise to monetize it.... In the current mobile tech climate, it's BLATANTLY OBVIOUS why they did this.
They JUST realized that WebOS/Palm is worth more as a patent portfolio than as any actual production. Expect one of two outcomes shortly:
1) Lawsuits...
or
2) Portfolio Bidding War...
Both strategies are going to earn HP enormously more shareholder value than continuing to struggle along. Though, I hear echos of Monty Python's "'Tis but a Flesh Wound" and "I'm not dead yet!" in the distance. Good lord, look how long it took Amiga or OS/2 to die.

if i was a dying phone company (looking at you Nokia!!) i'd seriously consider buying WebOS....a truly unique system

ace9988 said:
if i was a dying phone company (looking at you Nokia!!) i'd seriously consider buying WebOS....a truly unique system
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nokia's already got an under-the-table deal to sell to Microsoft if its WP7 phones don't start bumping up its share price, or I'll eat my hat. (with mustard)

kiwifruit said:
Nokia's already got an under-the-table deal to sell to Microsoft if its WP7 phones don't start bumping up its share price, or I'll eat my hat. (with mustard)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know but if it wants a good system of its own rather than suckering up to microsoft as it has, then this is a good opportunity, since it's abandoned a really good system like Meego aswell

I think Nokia is dead in the water. They are not that great with updating OSes.
Take symbian for example. Nokia taking up WebOS would be like tying 2 anchors together.
LOL, reading this thread makes me giggle. It's funny how people are saying webOS is alive and kicking and then all of a sudden HP throws it away.
Very unexpected and tragic. But with android and iOS dominating everything, it was a matter of time.

I wouldn't take HP's action today as a referendum on WebOS. As a matter of fact, WebOS is the one thing that they are holding on to. What they are dropping is their entire consumer product line. That's all tablets, desktops, and laptops. They sold half a billion dollars worth of product in that division last year, but the margins are too small and the risk is high with so much competition. This is about much more than lackluster sales for WebOS products (which haven't even been on the market for six months).
The question is, if HP's not building WebOS hardware, who is?
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

Anyone think that the hp pre 3 well make it to the US after the big announcement today
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA Premium App

Leo says "I wuz wrong, dead wrong!"
Cptnjarhead said:
WebOS has the full support of HP.
dont listen to the haters out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Care to change your tune?

DoogieDC said:
The question is, if HP's not building WebOS hardware, who is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OOOOO! OOOOOO! I can answer that one! I can answer it right now!
The answer is: Nobody

almightyjoe82 said:
Anyone think that the hp pre 3 well make it to the US after the big announcement today
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a snowball's chance. None of the carriers wanted it, that's why only Orange in the UK offered it.
All of the US carriers smelled bad news earlier this year; Sprint publicly announced that they were done with webOS. Verizon, TMobile and ATT didn't even bother to make a statement.
As a 15 yr Palm fanatic, it's a sad end to Palm. Wonder what we'll see next from Jeff Hawkins and team? He did lead the design of the first iPad back in 1989, manufactured by Samsung and sold as the GRiDPad.

mourning Touchpad demise
i bought a touchpad 13 days ago from staples. 32gb for $399! it was a steal. I wasn't sure about keeping it or not but the more i read, the more i believed that HP would see this project (webOS) out to success, that they would continue to develop an amazing operating system. but after today's news it was a no brainer not to keep my TP. Luckily Staples offers a 14 day return policy so i returned that sucker post haste! im still pretty peeved though, in those 13 days i really came to love webOS. oh well this is what i get for turning my back on android. any good suggestions for android tablets?

Hp is dropping webos, but it should be possible to get android running on the touchpad via the same methods they got ubuntu running on it. What would be better would be webos on my dinc2 but alas...
SENT FROM MY DINC2

[Q] Motorola Admiral

Just wanting to see when/if xda-developers plans on creating a sub-forum for the Motorola Admiral. I know the phone isn't immensely popular (it should be though; this is a sweet device!), but I know several people who would love some custom ROMs for it as well as a place besides the Motorola support forums to get bug fixes and whatnot.
If the mediocre Droid Pro gets its own sub-forum, why no love for us Admiral folks?

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A

I'll second this. I'm glad that it's been rooted, but I'd love to see a custom ROM or two.

The Admiral is a nice device, but it is going to suffer in the marketplace as it is targeting a much smaller and (presumably) less mod-happy crowd. If you are buying this, you are most likely looking for a Blackberry-ish device or you want Direct Connect. Those two demographic groups aren't necessarily going to have as much desire as most.
Present company EXCLUDED. I rooted mine withing two hours of activation and am considering an attempt at building CWMR and replacing the built-in recovery.
Maybe move this to Android General?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1424
Best regards,
-boggsie

boggsie said:
The Admiral is a nice device, but it is going to suffer in the marketplace as it is targeting a much smaller and (presumably) less mod-happy crowd. If you are buying this, you are most likely looking for a Blackberry-ish device or you want Direct Connect. Those two demographic groups aren't necessarily going to have as much desire as most.
Present company EXCLUDED. I rooted mine withing two hours of activation and am considering an attempt at building CWMR and replacing the built-in recovery.
Maybe move this to Android General?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1424
Best regards,
-boggsie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Admiral rooted and I got "trigger" happy when deleting some of the stock apps from my phone and now I cannot add, edit, or view my contacts. Could someone help me get all the necessary stock apps in order to have it fully functional again?

[Completed] Discussions Comparing 10" Tablets

Hey All:
Is there a general forum or place where people provide recommendations across brands and models?
I'm trying to get a recommendation for a 10" Tablet. It has to be Android, and I need good USB-OTG support. My preference is something with Cyanogenmod (or other custom rom) support so that it will last more than a couple of Android revisions. I'm not hugely price sensitive but want to get good bang for my buck as well.
I'm somewhat bitter about my Sony Tablet S, which was dropped like a hot potato by Sony in the VAIO selloff and has since received absolutely no support (and very limited development, not for lack of trying by very capable developers). So longevity is going to be a key for me in this purchase.
Thanks for any help!
--Databoy2k

databoy2k said:
Hey All:
Is there a general forum or place where people provide recommendations across brands and models?
I'm trying to get a recommendation for a 10" Tablet. It has to be Android, and I need good USB-OTG support. My preference is something with Cyanogenmod (or other custom rom) support so that it will last more than a couple of Android revisions. I'm not hugely price sensitive but want to get good bang for my buck as well.
I'm somewhat bitter about my Sony Tablet S, which was dropped like a hot potato by Sony in the VAIO selloff and has since received absolutely no support (and very limited development, not for lack of trying by very capable developers). So longevity is going to be a key for me in this purchase.
Thanks for any help!
--Databoy2k
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there.
You would like to post your query here in this thread in order to have the best response.
Also take a look here and here too.
cheers.

Thanks. I posted in the first thread. I was trying to stay out of the Model vs. Model threads to stay in general topics as well as to not hijack (just in case someone recommends the Transformer, for example)