In a month where it’s raining impressive handsets and everyone is slapping on a touchscreen the two new sets announced by Huawei at the CommuniAsia 2009 are not going to turn any heads or gather any following. The sets in themselves are not bad but will fail to impress with few or no features that really get the avid mobile device addict to want to pick it up and take it for a spin. Of the two sets it introduced, the U8230 showcased on the right, has an Android OS as its only notable feature. Other specs include a 3.5 inch touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera and 1500mAH battery. Albeit the android OS there are handsets out there and soon to be out that are way more loaded. The other set, showcased on the left, the C8000, features 2.8 touchscreen, some sort of 3D UI band aid and an independent display adapter for smoothly running all your media files. The device quotes a music playback time of 6 to 8 hours on a fully charged battery. No price is as yet available but the sets should land in Asia and Europe sometime in the later half.
Back in November last year, we told you about the Chinese manufacturer Huawei’s intentions of launching a smartphone, well the good news is that the company is still totally committed to the idea and is fashioning it’s smartphones to rock the Android platform. Rumors are abound that the first Huawei Android smartphone is very likely to make an appearance at the Mobile World Conference (MWC). Other plans include the introducing of the world’s smallest wireless modem, the first commercial HSPA+ Stick and the first phone that is based on a single UMTS chipset.
There are also more goodies expected from the manufacturer so keep coming back.
Huawei Technologies, the Chinese network company has announced that it will be launching its own series of smartphones based on the Android and Symbian platforms in the first half of 2009. The announcement was made by James Chen, Huawei’s Director of Marketing for the Terminals Division. The company is also going to bring a 3G module at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress this month.
The company is known across the UK for its broadband modem technology, but in truth, Huawei has made a name for itself by killing its competition by fiercely engaging in price based competition. The company has sold low-end feature phones throughout the economic crisis and was unable to enter the smartphone race earlier due to lack of funds.
The company already has a Windows Mobile phone and says that the Microsoft platform suits vendors who are weak in software. On the other hand, the Android Open Source phones as well as the Symbian phones will give more flexibility to vendors with strong software capabilities. Huawei is a member of both the Symbian Foundation and Android’s Open Handset Alliance.
The company is planning to launch the smartphones through operators and the devices will not bear the company’s name. Huawei is already getting big contracts in Australia and many parts of Africa to help establish networks and supply 3G hardware. Unlike its competitors such as Ericsson, Huawei has no intention of forming any partnerships. The company feels totally confident about its manpower and has cited the availability of funds as the only reason for the lag behind.
Taking a look at the global economic situation, many critics think it will become rather doubtful whether high-end devices will be able to generate continuously rising revenues. In fact, many are predicting that low end smartphones will be the takers of tomorrow, especially in the less developed parts of the world which also tend to hold more of the population. A testament to this would be the constant price cuts that Apple has had to make on its iPod to boost sales as well as the less-than-iPhone price the G1 sold at. Huawei’s assertion that it can still lead the market despite the late take off may have some substance to it. Of course the quality of the smartphone will be a major determining factor as well.
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