Android, 4G and large screens were among the highlights of the International Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) Wireless 2010 trade show in Las Vegas. All three were featured in two of the most-discussed new products at the show, the HTC EVO 4G and the Samsung Galaxy S.
Sprint has announced that it will begin selling the EVO, the “world’s first 3G/4G” handset, in June. The device, running Google’s open-source Android platform, is being showcased by the carrier as the kind of mobile device one can expect with the next generation of wireless networking.
‘Android, Android, Android’
Michael Gartenberg, a partner at the Altimeter Group, is attending CTIA and said the big news at CTIA was “Android, Android, Android.”
He pointed out that the Android visibility is important to handset makers, the media, and some tech-savvy buyers, but “most consumers don’t make purchasing decisions based on operating systems.” Instead, he said, they often base their decisions on functionality. By that standard, Gartenberg said HTC showed some “pretty impressive” functionality for the EVO, including using it to download and stream high-definition video through a Roku set-top box to a HDTV.
Samsung’s Galaxy S also runs on Android, and features a Super AMOLED four-inch screen, which could increase brightness and battery life as much as 20 percent. It also has what Samsung called a Layar Reality Browser, which offers location-based search, and personalized preferences are used to gather information from online sources into a daily briefing.
Other new products grabbing some of the spotlight include the Windows Mobile 6.5-based HD2 from HTC, announced in the fall but only now available for sale. Its 4.3-inch 480×800 display is described by the maker as “the largest touchscreen on the market.” Also getting noticed is Dell’s first phone in the U.S., the Android-based Aero, which will be available through…