You’ve probably heard of HTC, right? A former unknown in the Tech World to all but the biggest nerds, HTC have actually been a manufacturer of Mobile Phones for some time. However, most of their phones were made for other, big-name brands, who would brand the phone their own and never once mention HTC. Now though, not only do they make phones with their OWN brand, but they have earned a well-deserved reputation for creating some of the best handsets around.
So is it any surprise other lesser-known companies are looking to follow in their footsteps?
HUAWEI certainly are. A China-based company, they are the largest telecommunications equipment supplier in the country, but are relative unknowns elsewhere. Their main claim to fame is that almost all of the mobile internet dongles used by millions around the world, come straight from their company. They also make a large number of Wireless Routers. So their latest announcement, that they will be entering the Mobile Smartphone market with an Android-based device, certainly turns a few heads.
Called the IDEOS, it costs somewhere between £99 and £129, making it one of the cheapest Android mobiles around. But despite it’s cheap price, this phone doesn’t appear to be skimping on the specifics. Not everything is known about the phone yet, but here’s what IS known: For a start, the IDEOS phone runs the latest 2.2 version of the Android operating system. Also, in a move that makes a lot of sense considering HUAWEI’s current ventures, the phone will not only have Wi-Fi support, but can also double up as a Wi-Fi router to get up to eight other devices online. It comes in three different colours and is apparently due out in the middle of October.
Analysts are quite interested in this new development by HUAWEI, and predict the new phone could be a mass seller. I’m not going to make any prediction myself, but I agree that this spreading into new territories from a lesser-known company is quite intriguing, and the phone is certainly cheap enough to attract some new customers in my view. Would YOU buy this?