The phone thought to be the wildfire...

[ghostfox1]

Check the FCC listing, and this time it doesn't have pictures, or anything that would give it away. It's still the same phone, or it might have been an error in putting those pictures with that phone. Who knows?

 

[tcv]

Check the FCC listing, and this time it doesn't have pictures, or anything that would give it away. It's still the same phone, or it might have been an error in putting those pictures with that phone. Who knows?

So the only information we had was a couple pictures and now we don't have any information whatsoever?

**** you HTC

 

[ghostfox1]

Pretty much.

 

[maerlim]

Firstly, if my local Best Buy guy is to be believed, that phone is not the wildfire. It is AT&T's first HTC android phone, but it is not named Wildfire.

Secondly, the FCC made a mistake posting the pictures in the first place. Or rather HTC made the mistake in forgetting to ask the FCC to not post the pictures. See, with every FCC filing, the manufacturer files a letter asking the FCC to not post certain documents that are normally part of the filing (usually citing competition and proprietary technology as the reason). They have to list every document not to be posted by name. In the case of the phone in question, they missed one.

Hopefully, AT&T will have an announcement in the next 10 days or so. Hopefully.

 

[tsanuri]

Considering in order for AT&T to make the date on the orignal press release they need to have a new android phone hit the stores every 12 days I think we all know they will not make it. I just cannot believe their marketing dept. thinks it is a good idea to hold these phones back. We have had VZ hit with the Incredible. Sprint announced a date for EVO today. Yet we have the Backflip and the Aero, announced but without a date. Still no solid android phones yet. I am not even being greedy. Give me a snapdragon or equivalent 3.7in screen or bigger and running 2.1. Even the regional carriers are getting 2.1 phones US Cel with the Desire and Cel South with the Milestone.

 

[HustlinDaily]

I do not work for AT&T, the following is nothing more than my theory:


If they were to offer a high end Android phone, people would root it, take out all their bloatware and restrictions.

As a result, the people would have smartphones capable of free navigation, free tethering. Through Google Voice/VOIP, possibly even free SMS and free minutes over the data network.

Now why would AT&T want that?


By offering medium level Android phones, there will be people who will buy it but not too many. Their customers who need smartphones can look at the iPhone, Bold or Pre.

As long as they have the iPhone, they have no need to offer high end Android devices.

 

[tsanuri]

They might not need them but the problem is that there are people staying with the service for different reasons. And they are alienating quite afew of them. And when the reason for keeping the service goes I am sure alot of them will go as well. Putting their eggs all in one basket has not been a bad thing until now really. There was no real competition to the iphone but now there is. And because of that they need to plan ahead to the day they don't have the iphone. And right now they are still banking on just it. Which I don't see as a solid short term plan even much less a long term one.

 

[HustlinDaily]

That is why they have adopted the new short term plan of claiming they will get a whole bunch of Android devices before the end of June

 

[HustlinDaily]

But in all seriousness, this all eggs in iPhone basket may not be a great short term plan (actually a horrible one) but it is a working one. Offering the Bold 9700 and Palm Pre to their smartphone lineup is also a good short term plan.

Android is growing right now. They recognize that. This is why they are offering medium end Android phones, and making claims to offer more soon (very very soon). So they can say they are offering Android phones and they can say they are working to add more. There will be people buying these Android phones but not many as the rest of their smartphone lineup is much more attractive (given how open and consumer-friendly Android is, the less smartphone users on Android, the better for them).

As long as they have the iPhone, their business will be strong. Once their exclusivity with Apple ends, they will have to offer a high end Android phone to compete. Their exclusivity with Apple will probably end somewhere between 0-2 years (only AT&T/Apple know when exactly).




On the plus side, AT&T is the largest GSM network in the USA so you do not have to buy phones in their system but phones that work with their system. Many Phandroids who want to remain on their AT&T family plan are going with phones like the Nexus One or Acer Liquid or Motorola Milestone. I am sure as time goes on, more manufacturers will release phones that work on AT&T 3G bands (in Canada or Asian countries or Australia, etc).

 

[t-readyroc]

If they were to offer a high end Android phone, people would root it, take out all their bloatware and restrictions.

As a result, the people would have smartphones capable of free navigation, free tethering. Through Google Voice/VOIP, possibly even free SMS and free minutes over the data network.

OK, but this is exactly what has happened (& is still happening) w/all of their HTC-based WinMo phones for years...

 

[maerlim]

Yeah I don't think AT&T has been slow on the Android uptake because of any iPhone conspiracy. I really think it has more to do with their partnership with Yahoo. And even moreso because AT&T is this giant company that does a lot more than cell phones and simply moves way too slowly for a fast-paced industry.

 

[tsanuri]

Yeah I don't think AT&T has been slow on the Android uptake because of any iPhone conspiracy. I really think it has more to do with their partnership with Yahoo. And even moreso because AT&T is this giant company that does a lot more than cell phones and simply moves way too slowly for a fast-paced industry.

Verizon is just as big and they seem to be moving plenty fast.

 

[HustlinDaily]

OK, but this is exactly what has happened (& is still happening) w/all of their HTC-based WinMo phones for years...

Wow I forgot about that. Its funny because I had a rooted WP before this one. And you are right, it is possible to add all that through WP

I am at a loss for words. No idea why they are not releasing powerful Android phones while releasing powerful Windows Phones (like the LG eXpo with the Snapdragon processor and QWERTY keyboard).

It probably is their stake in Yahoo! and their exclusivity with Apple more than anything else.

 

[Ambictus]

The really sad thing about the Dell Aero is that as far as I can tell it's using an ARMv5 based SoC. I've been doing a little investigating to see if I can figure out which Marvell chip their using and I believe it to be either a PXA310 or PXA320. Either way... pretty sad. Even the Backflip uses an ARMv6 SoC...

 

[Snow_Fox]

I really don't think apple has control over att..

I think the two were just alike enough to begin with that they were a match made in the deepest bowels of hell.

 

[HustlinDaily]

If Apple had control of AT&T, AT&T would not offer any Windows Phones, they would not offer the Pre. They would probably not even offer the Backflip or Areo.

 

[HustlinDaily]

They wouldn't have any Blackberries either.

 

[Ambictus]

Oh, I think Apple has had it's hand in AT&T's pocket. WinMo isn't a threat to Apple and everyone knows it, so why drop it? And as for Blackberries, they've been around longer than Apple and had a huge established user base, so financially they couldn't drop them. However... Android is a real threat to Apple and is a newcomer therefor no established user base, why upset Apple and risk losing their cash cow? Fortunately for us it seems we're at a turning point. Apple is flirting with other carriers and as every day passes it looks more and more like Verizon is getting an iPhone. Now AT&T can start releasing Android phones.

As for someone speculating that it's a Yahoo thing... I completely disagree. Yahoo has no competing product and AT&T can integrate Yahoo into Android handsets as they did on the Backflip. For Yahoo that's a win.

 

[t-readyroc]

Fortunately for us it seems we're at a turning point. Apple is flirting with other carriers and as every day passes it looks more and more like Verizon is getting an iPhone. Now AT&T can start releasing Android phones.

Yeah, hopefully this means that these phones are headed for Big Red & not China (also big red? Heh)

 

[ghostfox1]

Yeah, hopefully this means that these phones are headed for Big Red & not China (also big red? Heh)

Well, I hope that's true. I really do. That way we can get something good for android on AT&T, and not the half of a phone we have now.

 

[Ice-Man1]

Looks like the Wildfire might be a Europe and Asia thing...

HTC Wildfire hands-on (update: video!) -- Engadget

 

[ghostfox1]

So the HTC phone with a keyboard wasn't the wildfire after all. Any ideas/thoughts/rumors?