HTC is looking to pick up some additional market share in the U.S. with the introduction of the HTC Wildfire. HTC has been leading in the high-end Android segment for quite some time, but since a lot more people are looking to jump on the Android train, HTC is hoping that the Wildfire will be [...]

Froyo may have just hit the Nexus One, but HTC is already working hard to bring Google’s latest treat to a few of their other phones.  HTC has informed Recombu that they are already working on porting their HTC Sense UI to Android 2.2 and have plans on releasing it for the HTC Desire, Legend, and Wildfire in Q3.  We have already heard that HTC had plans to release Google’s latest build of Android to the HTC EVO and DROID Incredible during the summer.  HTC Hero owners are still in the dark about a Froyo update and many are still waiting to get their hands on Éclair. 

We are working hard with our partners to update the HTC Sense experience on Froyo and distribute it to our customers as fast as possible. We expect to release updates for several of our 2010 models including Desire, Legend and Wildfire beginning in Q3.

Keep in mind that “beginning in Q3” does not indicate that HTC’s Froyo rollout will be starting any day.  The vague timing reference gives HTC a lot of leeway and will hopfully help them avoid the HTC Hero update fiasco. 

Source: Recombu

Holiday weekends come and go, but it’s always nice when they leave up with a little parting gift to remember them by.  Late last night, AndroidGuys posted up a few new pictures of what could be the upcoming HTC Aria.  The handset appears to be a cross between the HTC DROID Incredible and the EVO 4G, but a whole lot smaller than both of those phones.  The front of the handset features four circular capacitive buttons similar to the EVO and the optical joystick from the Incredible.  The bottom of the handset features a single microUSB post while the top has a 3.5mm headphone back and a power button.  To give you guys an idea of who small this phone really is, the tipster snapped the picture below with a business card in the shot. 

Due to the smaller screen size (between 2.8 and 3.2 inches), we could speculate that this handset could be a U.S. variant of the recently announced HTC Wildfire.  If that is the case, it’s nothing too exciting but it does mean that At&t customers could be looking at their best in store Android option to date.  Rumors are that At&t will be unveiling the HTC Aria on June 7^th. 

Source: AndroidGuys

UK readers may be thrilled to learn that the HTC Wildfire is now available for pre-order from a few different online retailers. Mobile Fun is offering up the HTC Wildfire for only £ 229 which converts to nearly $340. We still don’t have any indication on when the handset will launch, but the Q3 time frame that HTC gave us is only 40 days away. The $340 price point is still a bit higher than the Tattoo’s $270, but I’m sure the price of the handset will drop significantly once it has been on the market for more than eight months.

Source: Mobile Fun

HTC’s new entry-level HTC Wildfire Android 2.1 will be heading to Virgin Mobile in Q3. The announcement came shortly after HTC unveiled their new handset. Virgin Mobile is one of the leading low cost carriers in the UK, so partnering with HTC and their cheapest handset seems to be a match made in heaven. Pricing and an exact release date are still undetermined for now, but we don’t expect Virgin Mobile customers to pay much for the handset, considering they have the option of getting the HTC HD2 for FREE with a £25 monthly plan.

“Virgin Media would like to announce that the hot new Android handset, the HTC Wildfire, will be available from Virgin Media,” said Virgin Media’s press release.

“The handset is due out in Q3, and we’ll update as soon as we can with tariff information, which as usual will include exclusive benefits for Virgin Media customers.”

Source: TechRadar

HTC is on a roll these days.  We just got back from the HTC EVO 4G launch party in new York and now HTC is unveiling the new HTC Wildfire.   The new Android 2.1 handset features the latest version of HTC Sense, a 3.2 inch capacitive display and a choice of four colors (white, black, red, and gray).  If you ask us, the gray model looks like a miniature cross breed between the Nexus One and the HTC Desire, but that’s where the similarities seem to end.  The HTC Wildfire will not be burning through web pages of apps as quickly as the two other phones since it’s equipped with the 525MHz Qualcomm MSM 7225 CPU we have seen on all the other HTC phones that were released last year.  The Wildfire does sport 512 MB or ROM, 384 MB of RAM, 802.11 b/g Wifi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash. 

Some of the new software tweaks to HTC Sense allow you to see your friend’s latest status update and birthday when they call you.  There’s also a new option to share your apps with the new app sharing widget.  Simply select the app you want to share and you can send out an Android Market link to any of your contacts through Facebook, Twitter, SMS or email. 

The specs are pretty underwhelming, but that’s exactly what HTC was shooting for.  The HTC Wildfire is the replacement for the HTC Tattoo which they launched last fall.  It’s a bit exciting to see that HTC’s entry level phone for this year has better specs than their flagship HTC Hero from last year.  HTC will be launching the HTC Wildfire in Q3 of 2010 in Europe and Asia.

For more details, check out the full press release below.

Share apps, updates and experiences with the latest social powerhouse from HTC

LONDON – 18 May, 2010, 07.00 CEST – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today introduced HTC Wildfire™, a new HTC Sense-based Android phone that integrates the most popular social networks to help bring your friends closer to you. HTC Wildfire closely follows the success of the acclaimed HTC Desire and makes the company’s signature HTC Sense experience accessible to a younger audience.

“Today’s social networks provide an essential forum for friendship with more than 400 million users* – many of whom are young adults – actively sharing their lives with their friends through Facebook,” said Florian Seiche, Vice President, HTC EMEA. “HTC Wildfire makes the HTC Sense experience available to young mobile users for the first time. It brings all your communications into one place, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, text messages, images or email, ensuring that you are never far away from the conversation and always close to your friends.”

HTC Wildfire helps you stay connected with those who are most important to you through HTC Sense, a user experience focused on putting people at the centre by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. You won’t miss out on the fun as HTC’s Friend Stream application seamlessly gathers and displays content from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr into one organised stream of updates. HTC Wildfire enables you to stay up to date with your friends’ posts, comments, alerts and photos, wherever you are.

In addition, each contact viewed in HTC Wildfire’s address book includes a thread of recent communications with that person, including when you last spoke, recent text messages and emails, and social network updates. When your friend calls, HTC Caller ID displays their Facebook profile photo and latest update, as well as a reminder if their birthday is fast approaching.

Thanks to a new app sharing widget, HTC Wildfire enables you to recommend an application by email, text message or over social networks. Your friends will receive a link allowing them to find the application on the Android Market with a single click and download it to their phone.

Florian Seiche continued, “We understand that people need a better way to navigate their way through the tens of thousands of applications that are currently available on the Android Market. In fact, our own independent research found that consumers are not only hungry for the latest and most popular applications that their friends are using, they want an easier way to find and download them. For the first time ever, you can recommend the newest and coolest apps to a friend or group of friends with HTC Wildfire. With so many applications to choose from, there’s a world of content to discover and pass along to your friends.”

HTC’s latest advanced smartphone is great for viewing and sharing photos on Flickr and for surfing the internet thanks to its 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen. A five-megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash allows you to capture special moments, while a 3.5mm audio jack and micro SD card slot mean you are never without your favourite songs.

Availability
The new HTC Wildfire will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets from Q3 2010.

Notes
*Source: www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics. More information is available on request.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the centre of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com