HTC will launch a low cost smartphone across Europe in 2010 – starting in April with an exclusive deal with O2 in Germany, UK and Ireland. The device, called the HTC Smart, will be offered on an exclusive basis for an undisclosed period.
The HTC Smart has been built on Qualcomm’s BREW OS, and also carries HTC’s Sense user experience software layer. It will be pre-integrated with a small number of applications, including HTC’s Friend Stream.
O2 Telefonica’s Steve Alder said that the phone would be available for “half the price” of a normal smartphone. A source suggested to Mobile Europe that the price would be around €120.
Aside from the exclusive deals with O2, HTC will market the device through KPN (the Netherlands), NetCom (Norway), and Telecom Italia.
So is O2 now committing to a BREW apps environment? Alder said that the intention is to foster usage of the core pre-integrated applications, building awareness for wider application usage “later in the day”.
“The typical Smart customer is likely to be young, probably doesn’t have a credit card. So this phone really is about breaking down the barrier of affordability. It also takes away the barrier of complexity, by providing a simple customer experience.”
Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, said that HTC Smart’s BREW platform had enabled the manufacturer to develop an “advanced phone with a more affordable price.”