HTC Vision Rumors

[Mi An]

I've been watching the vision model name for a little while now in hopes that it will be the high end qwerty android I've always wanted: a proper qwerty with offset keys, good spacing, WVGA or better, snappy or better, a good speakerphone, bells and whistles.

In the past couple of days, there has been a new rumor.

Well, last night, our own Scotty Brown dropped some more exclusive news that he got at the HTC Seattle event from one of the guys high up in T-Mo. Scotty said this person informed him him that by the beginning of the holiday season, we are going to see a 4.3 inch, dual processor handset with a screen technology we have never seen before! ... It is said to be running "Android 3", which Scotty conjectures to be Gingerbread. Of course, the rest of the typical "bells and whistles" are coming along. Front-facing camera? 8 megapixel camera?

I ignored the project emerald stuff (and the "3d" suggestion ) at the link above. Even the author admits he's engaging in wild conjecture and it doesn't strike me as meaningful. That the above might be a description of the Vision is also conjecture, but it smells closer to right to me (if not the Vision, perhaps a close cousin).

Vision strikes me as the kind of name you give to a serious phone. I hope the "new screen tech" is something along the lines of Pixel Qi (both HTC and PQ are Taiwanese FWIW) Imagine a 4.3", WVGA 1Ghzish slider with HDMI out that's as easy to read in daylight as not, sips the battery and brings about world peace.

Other outlets are focusing on the dual core portion of the rumor. Meh. I'm not sure I believe that, and if it's true, I'm not sure I care. Hyperthreading is underrated, especially in the mobile context. I'm more concerned with better GPU performance. There's also a rumor that the clock is 800mhz, though I don't see where that one came from.

[Hook]

Yeah, it does seem HTC needs a good hard keyboard among it's high end models. Of course, I forgot to tell you how earnestly I looked at hardware keyboards when I was shopping-- probably killed a whole factory town in China.

Unfortunately, in the be careful what you ask for department, it looks like the high end race has gone to screen size and I'm sensing a reluctance to do qwerty sliders with big screens, the trend also being to thin. For me, Swype is rapidly making a hardware keyboard less critical, but I know that's not the case for you. What I'm afraid of is that keyboards will go to smaller screens and the Samsung Galaxy S and Droid X may be it for awhile.

However, it could change with Gingerbread, moving high end models much more towards the true pocket computer in your pocket, the sort of Niche Nokia would like to fill with the N900 type device.

It's actually a good time not to need to look for a new device right now. I think 2011 will be very exciting.

Note, none of this comes from anything even approaching "educated" guessing-- just wild speculation.

[Mi An]

Unfortunately, in the be careful what you ask for department, it looks like the high end race has gone to screen size and I'm sensing a reluctance to do qwerty sliders with big screens, the trend also being to thin. For me, Swype is rapidly making a hardware keyboard less critical, but I know that's not the case for you. What I'm afraid of is that keyboards will go to smaller screens and the Samsung Galaxy S and Droid X may be it for awhile.

Yeah, thin is in. I like to imagine gadgets these days developing eating disorders and going to therapy. I had always expected an HD2 Pro to make its way around eventually, but it never did. I'd like to think the death of winmo had a lot to do with that omission and that there is still hope.

The only recent exception I can think of was the Toshiba k01, 4.1" WVGA 1ghz winmo, but I don't think that ever released on this side of the pacific.

One of the ways I justify my ongoing optimism for a large phone with a first class board in spite of little encouragement from manufacturers is how much of a shift there is towards power friendliness in recent chipsets and screen techs. The HD2 had a teeny battery to enhance its thinness, but lasted as long with a much larger screen and faster CPU than the TP2.

Pair a battery sipping screen tech like mirasol or pq or whatever similar advanced TFT comes down the pike that isn't vaporware and maybe they can make my ideal phone thin enough to avoid the "brick" moniker on all the hipster dufus blog reviews.

Note, none of this comes from anything even approaching "educated" guessing-- just wild speculation.

And indeed, that is the only rule of this thread: no education is allowed. Only wild speculation.

[Hook]

I couldn't help notice with the announcement today of all the carriers getting the Galaxy S, that only the CDMA carries seem to be getting sliders. Only the Sprint Galaxy S will be a slider and then there is the Droid X over at Verizon. Either model would get serious consideration from me if they were unlocked GSM and I were shopping now.

I even checked over at what has become my favorite unlocked GSM shopping site (it is where Joe bought his Touch pro 2) amd sure enough, no Galaxies with keyboards. I also see no GSM versions of the Droid X (Milestone X?) on any of Moto's international sites.

I did notice that the international Galaxy S comes with Swype. ;-)

[Varjak]

Hook, I don't think the Droid X is a slider (if only). You (or I) may be confused because I think the first time Ed mentioned a model like this from Motorola, BH also had a post about an HTC Droid Incredible model with a keyboard (but AMOLED 3.7" screen). Remember, 'Droid' is a Verizon brand and includes HTC and Motorola phones (for the moment).

I still lean toward wanting a slider phone; but since Swype sounds SO GOOD, from so many reputable users here, I've semi-convinced myself that I can live without the keyboard and would rather have a large (4+" or more) than a keyboard.

'Thinness' doesn't matter so much. In my opinion, I actually think the Droid is TOO thin, to the point of almost seeming flimsy. I know the iPhone 4 is thinner (although it never looks it in the pictures and video); but Apple makes some seriously substantial devices. When people display them and show the edge, it certainly LOOKS thicker than an Incredible, and I don't mean that as a negative.

[JRakes]

I've thought the same thing about Swype vs a good, landscape, hardware (slider) keyboard. I've a couple of caveats, though: 1) I'd have to be personally convinced by my own usage that Swype could adequately replace a hardware keyboard (for me) and, 2) I still don't like the idea of losing the display real estate for a virtual keyboard, regardless of how good it is. Frankly, I think the HTC virtual keyboard on my TP2 is one of the better ones I've seen, but I hate using it simply because it cuts out such a chunk of my otherwise useful large display. So I'm torn... IF Swype is as good as reported (and I'm not doubting, I simply have no personal experience,) I would certainly prefer that over a "standard" virtual keyboard. But I really think I'd still like to have the hardware keyboard. As I'm using SMS a bit more recently, I'm finding that I like the on-screen keyboard less and less simply because of the space it eats up.

As I mentioned when the Vision was first discussed, I'm keenly interested in that. If it pans out to be what was first suggested, I could see myself making that jump. Then again, by the time I'm ready to move again, the "Vision" will have been replaced 60,987 times and be needing my tri-focals.

[Hook]

Hook, I don't think the Droid X is a slider (if only). You (or I) may be confused because I think the first time Ed mentioned a model like this from Motorola, BH also had a post about an HTC Droid Incredible model with a keyboard (but AMOLED 3.7" screen). Remember, 'Droid' is a Verizon brand and includes HTC and Motorola phones (for the moment).

You are right, Varjak, I somehow decided at some point the Droid X was the Droid 2. It's the Droid 2 that's supposed to have the redesigned keyboard, so maybe there will be a Milestone 2.

I've thought the same thing about Swype vs a good, landscape, hardware (slider) keyboard. I've a couple of caveats, though: 1) I'd have to be personally convinced by my own usage that Swype could adequately replace a hardware keyboard (for me) and, 2) I still don't like the idea of losing the display real estate for a virtual keyboard, regardless of how good it is. Frankly, I think the HTC virtual keyboard on my TP2 is one of the better ones I've seen, but I hate using it simply because it cuts out such a chunk of my otherwise useful large display. So I'm torn... IF Swype is as good as reported (and I'm not doubting, I simply have no personal experience,) I would certainly prefer that over a "standard" virtual keyboard. But I really think I'd still like to have the hardware keyboard. As I'm using SMS a bit more recently, I'm finding that I like the on-screen keyboard less and less simply because of the space it eats up.

As I mentioned when the Vision was first discussed, I'm keenly interested in that. If it pans out to be what was first suggested, I could see myself making that jump. Then again, by the time I'm ready to move again, the "Vision" will have been replaced 60,987 times and be needing my tri-focals.

I agree with you 100%, Joe. I would like my next handheld (which I assume will be Android) to have a slider keyboard. All I'm saying is, if I can't get one either because it doesn't exist for my needs (GSM unlocked limits my choices) or only exists in midrange models (basically, everyone seems to think keyboards are for texters ), I would then really want to have Swype.

Swype makes thing very livable without a hardware keyboard, but it will never be beter than a harware keyboard for just the reasons you state.

[Mi An]

I would like my next handheld (which I assume will be Android) to have a slider keyboard. All I'm saying is, if I can't get one either because it doesn't exist for my needs (GSM unlocked limits my choices) or only exists in midrange models (basically, everyone seems to think keyboards are for texters ), I would then really want to have Swype.

I'm surprised yo hear you say that. I've followed your threads pretty closely, even when I'm not posting in them and figured you'd broken free from the hardware kb chains completely, not just that you could live without them. (not that you said that or anything, it was just my impression)

There are so many ways to mess up a hardware keyboard, and not that many ways to get it right, leaving the selection pretty sparse, especially for high end models. The upside to that is I don't suffer from all that much device envy these days. That is also the downside. But it would be a lot easier to shop for a new device without a keyboard.

As I mentioned when the Vision was first discussed, I'm keenly interested in that.

Is there another vision thread I've been missing out on? I searched but didn't find anything.

[JRakes]

Ayup. And I'm right there with you, Hook, regarding the limited choices.

I agree that there seems to be a trend toward hardware keyboards being mostly for texters (and that is a factor, per my own usage.) But I tend to think just the opposite (shocking, I know... ) Anybody who's going to do any "real work" on a mobile device, such as doctoring up a meeting agenda in Word, etc, needs all of the display real estate AND a good keyboard. That's why I find a mobile device so extremely limiting for doing any significant work - I could never "work mobile" on a handheld device. I'd be better off with pencil, paper, and carrier pigeons. Or flying monkey minions.

EDIT: Sniped by Mi An (he's a quick one, eh? ) I was replying to Hook.

And there was mention of a possible "Vision" model fairly recently in the Headline News forum, IIRC. At least I think that's where I saw it. I saw it somewhere, and since this is the only forum I visit regularly...

Edit 2: Linkie...

[Hook]

I'm surprised yo hear you say that. I've followed your threads pretty closely, even when I'm not posting in them and figured you'd broken free from the hardware kb chains completely, not just that you could live without them. (not that you said that or anything, it was just my impression)

I keep ending up devices without keyboards, and I make the best of it-- which is probably where the impression comes from. However, mostly it has to do with what I'm looking for in a device at the time not coinciding with those things being available with a keyboard. The Touch Pro 2 nor N97 weren't available when I settled on the 5800, Windows 6 EOLing kept me from the TP2 when I went shopping again and the only Android hard keyboards came with a contract. I'm very happy with my Nexus One, especially with Swype. It is the nest handheld I have ever had, maybe one of the best computers. But I still would love to have a horizontal slider.