HTC Announces the HTC Snap / S522
Posted on 01 April 2009, at 9:18 am, by Clinton Fitch
This morning at CTIA, HTC announced the all new Windows Standard Phone, the HTC Snap (US version is the S522). This is the true successor to the very popular HTC Dash and sports some impressive specifications, a sleek new look and a pretty darn cool story behind it.
Here is the Press Release from HTC this morning:
LAS VEGAS – April 1, 2009 - HTC Corporation today debuted its newest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap™. Designed with a set of features selected to deliver everything customers need without overwhelming them with things they don’t, the HTC Snap makes it easier than ever to stay in contact with life’s most important people.
A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by HTC* found that 44% of US adults are often overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive, and over half (55%) of US adults prioritize five or fewer people with whom they communicate via email. In response to these issues, HTC’s innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.
“Recognizing that people are being overwhelmed by an avalanche of email, the HTC Snap introduces Inner Circle, an HTC innovation that makes it easy for people to prioritize messages from the most important people in their lives at the press of a button,” said John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, HTC Corporation. “The HTC Snap represents the latest step in HTC’s mission to create a range of innovative smartphones, each with specific benefits designed to both surprise and delight our customers.”
With a slim, sleek profile designed to fit perfectly in the hand, the HTC Snap measures less than a half-inch thick (12 mm), yet it can deliver up to eight and a half hours of talk time with the standard 1500mAh battery. The full QWERTY keyboard is ergonomically designed with extra-large domed keys and responsive tactile feedback to make typing emails and text messages fast, accurate and comfortable. High-speed 3G HSPA connectivity makes it quick and easy to send pictures to friends, access favorite social networking sites, or download large files while on the go.
The HTC Snap is powerful enough for experienced business users looking for an affordable, straightforward choice for remotely synchronizing email, calendar and contacts with their Microsoft Exchange server. However, the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard platform allows the HTC Snap to also be simple enough for first-time smartphone users wanting to keep their family life organized.
The HTC Snap is expected to be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009, rolling out in markets around the world throughout the second half of the year. Additionally, an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the US market will be made available under the name HTC S522 during the summer.
The specifications, some of which are hinted at in the release are pretty darn impressive as well. The Snap will be running Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard and comes with a long lasting 1500mAh battery. As for the hardware,
Qualcomm MSM 7225 Processor @ 528MHz
Memory: 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM with MicroSDHC Slot
Display: 2.4″ QVGA 240×320
HSDPA: 900/2100MHz (Europe/Asia), 850/1900MHz (United States)
Radio Stack: Bluetooth 2.0, GPS (with assist), WiFi
Battery Life: 5 Hours Talk Time, 15 Days of Standby
Here is what makes this phone special, specifically to Judie and me as members of Mobius. Over the past several Mobius events many of us have requested two key things of HTC. First, make a non-touchscreen phone. In light of the success of the Dash and the huge number of touchscreen devices that had been coming from HTC and others, there needed to be another homerun in this category. Second, was design something that was a true successor to the Dash. Make a device that had across the board improvements that elevated beyond the Dash. Not only did HTC listen but they built it & I think they have hit a homerun with the Snap. Both of us are anxious to see and touch the phone – which will likely be several weeks – but based on everything we are seeing in photos (more below) and conversations with HTC, for those of you who loved the Dash, here is your new phone.
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April 1st, 2009 at 10:46 am
Oooo….shiney!