mobile phone

HTC had an amazing 2008 – no doubt. Not only did they increase quarter to quarter revenue by 20%, with nearly $50 billion bucks streaming in, but they also set a new bar for mobile hotness. Everywhere you turned, people were wishing this, that and the other looked more like one of HTC’s new Touch devices.

You know… Touch HD, Touch Pro, Touch 3G, Touch Diamond…

In fact, when the HTC created T-Mobile G1 was launched, many people were wishing it looked like one of HTC’s other devices. Chances are they won’t have to wish much longer.
According to DigiTimes, HTC is set to release 10 new handsets in 2009. ALL of these devices will be based on either Windows Mobile or Android. That means there is a pretty darn good chance that HTC alone launches 2 or 3 new Android devices in 2009.

That number is just a guess, of course. Your guess is as good as mine. So what do you think? How many Android Phones will HTC release in 2009?

This truly is turning into the Summer of Smartphones. The Palm Pre, of course, has already debuted to mostly positive reviews, and seemingly endless clues point to a next-gen iPhone launch in the very near future.

Now there’s word that mobile handset giant HTC, maker of the popular Android-based T-Mobile G1, will launch another Android phone, the HTC Hero, on June 24 in London. The report from the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) states the Hero will come in two configurations, one with a QWERTY keyboard and one without. The keyboard model will be named the HTC Memphis or HTC Lancaster, and will be sold exclusively by AT&T Wireless for six months starting in the third quarter, EDN states.

In addition to running Android (Google’s up-and-coming mobile operating system that’s likely to cross over to netbooks soon), the Hero will feature HTC’s own TouchFLO 3D user interface. If you want to see TouchFLO 3D in action, check out the HTC Touch Diamond2 or HTC Touch Pro2, two iPhone rivals that run Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS.

Reports from the UK indicate HTC is planning a bash for June 24, and that it’s notifying journalists to “save the date” for a big launch event.

It’s no secret that HTC has big plans for Android. Earlier this year it announced plans to ship at least three Android smartphones in 2009, including the HTC Magic, a slick handset that debuted at February’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The upcoming T-Mobile G2, slated to ship in July, will be very similar to the HTC Magic, according to various reports.

HTC must be wondering if it has timed its Hero bash just right. Will the press and public still be swooning over the Palm Pre and new iPhone?