Yesterday we got a nice note in from our MobilityMinded AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro winner Pierre Aterianus.

Below is a quote that he wanted to share with us.

Here’s a picture of me enjoying my new AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro which I won in your recent online contest. Sure is nice having a pop-out full qwerty keypad to answe my messages. The screen is reallysharp, Windows 6.1 and a 3G network,wow.

Sincerely,

Pierre Aterianus.

These are the kind of e-mails I like seeing. Thank you again to AT&T and Pantech for allowing us to have this contest.

The Pantech Matrix Pro is available  for $99 with a two year subscription (after rebate) at the AT&T website.

MobilityMinded AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro give away package contest will start now April 29th, 2009 untill May 3rd 11:59 pm EST . Finally it is time to have this contest on MobilityMinded. We are part of this contest with 26 other sites. This contest is open for our US Readers only.

The prize package consist out of:

• AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro handset;
• Service Credit (via gift card) in the amount of $100. The gift card is good for anything sold through any AT&T store or can be used for the cost of a service plan.

The rules are very easy:

1. Sign up with twitter and follow @mobilityminded
2. tweet the following line: RT Win an AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro @mobilityminded  just follow the easy rules. http://twurl.nl/i7430y
3. Come back to this post and leave a comment. In the comment you leave your Twitter name.

Little side rules are:

• Individuals who’ve won at another site are ineligible to win another;
• Winners are limited to US residents only;
• MobilityMinded.com is not responsible for any lost packages or incorrect addresses;
• The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded.

All those that entered using the three above will be entered to Random.org to find a winner. The winner will be announced on May 4th, 2009.

If you love Smartphones this is definitely one to get.  Just check my first impressions

We are already on our 14^th day of the 26 AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro give away. These give aways are through different contest on the 26 participating websites.

Please visit these sites. You can enter on all the sites when the contest comes available. Tomorrow the contest will start here on MobilityMinded.

Please subscribe to our MobilityMinded Twitter and RSS news feed to stay up to date.

Following below is a list a participating websites and their competitions dates:

Tools for Thought (15-Apr 19-Apr) Winner announced
ChipChick (16-Apr 20-Apr) Winner announced
VivirLatino (17-Apr 21-Apr) Winner announced
slashgear.com (18-Apr 22-Apr) Winner announced
www.modaco.com (19-Apr 23-Apr) Winner announced
Gadgetell (20-Apr 24-Apr) Winner announced
GeeksRoom (21-Apr 25-Apr) Winner announced
OSNN (22-Apr 26-Apr) Winner announced
Techmamas (23-Apr 27-Apr) Winner announced
Clintonfitch (24-Apr 28-Apr) Ongoing
Justanothermobilemonday (25-Apr 29-Apr) Ongoing
Geek.com (26-Apr 30-Apr) Ongoing
MediaBlab (27-Apr 01-May) Ongoing
Smartphonethoughts (28-Apr 02-May) Starts Today
Mobilityminded (29-Apr 03-May) Tomorrow is our turn.
The Gadgeteer (30-Apr 04-May)
Geekzone (01-May 05-May)
Techie Diva (02-May 06-May)
Bostonpocketpc (03-May 07-May)
GearDiary (04-May 08-May)
MobilitySite (05-May 09-May)
AbsoluteWindows (06-May 10-May)
Mobilejaw (07-May 11-May)
Experiencemobility (08-May 12-May)
HackCollege (09-May 13-May)
Gear Live (10-May 14-May)

We are already on our 6^th day of the 26 AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro give away. These give aways are through different contest on the 26 participating websites.

Please visit these sites. You can enter on all the sites when the contest comes available.

Please subscribe to our MobilityMinded Twitter and RSS news feed to stay up to date.

Following below is a list a participating websites and their competitions dates:

Tools for Thought (15-Apr 19-Apr) Winner announced
ChipChick (16-Apr 20-Apr) Ongoing
VivirLatino (17-Apr 21-Apr) Ongoing
slashgear.com (18-Apr 22-Apr) Ongoing
www.modaco.com (19-Apr 23-Apr) Ongoing
Gadgetell (20-Apr 24-Apr) Starting today
GeeksRoom (21-Apr 25-Apr)
OSNN (22-Apr 26-Apr)
Techmamas (23-Apr 27-Apr)
Clintonfitch (24-Apr 28-Apr)
Justanothermobilemonday (25-Apr 29-Apr)
Geek.com (26-Apr 30-Apr)
MediaBlab (27-Apr 01-May)
Smartphonethoughts (28-Apr 02-May)
Mobilityminded (29-Apr 03-May)
The Gadgeteer (30-Apr 04-May)
Geekzone (01-May 05-May)
Techie Diva (02-May 06-May)
Bostonpocketpc (03-May 07-May)
GearDiary (04-May 08-May)
MobilitySite (05-May 09-May)
AbsoluteWindows (06-May 10-May)
Mobilejaw (07-May 11-May)
Experiencemobility (08-May 12-May)
HackCollege (09-May 13-May)
Gear Live (10-May 14-May)

HTC recently announced two touch-based devices:  HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2 at MWC 2009 earlier this year.  ”Has HTC forgotten the Windows Mobile Standard users ?” The answer is certainly NO, since today the HTC SNAP is announced as a successor of the extremely popular HTC Excalibur. This article will provide an overview of the HTC SNAP specifications and a focus the clever and innovative features.

Specifications

To introduce the HTC SNAP let’s have a look at the picture above, and the specification list below.

• Processor:  Qualcomm MSM 7225, 528 MHz
• OS:  Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• Memory:  256MB ROM, 192 MB RAM
• Memory Expansion:  SDHC capable MicroSD slot
• Dimensions:  116,5 mm. x 61,5 mm. x 11,9 mm. (L x W x T)
• Weight: 119,9 grams (including battery)
• Display: 2,4″ QVGA (320×240)
• Battery:  1500mAh Li-Ion
• Network:  HSDPA – WCDMA 900/1200 MHz,  GSM - GPRS - EDGE 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
• Connectivity:  Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, GPS / AGPS
• Camera:  2.0 megapixel, with video capture
• User interface:  full exposed QWERTY keyboard (with offset keys), and Jog ball
• Operating times:  Talk time up to 8.5 hours GSM / up to 5 hours WCDMA, Standby time up to 15.8 days GSM / up to 20 days WCDMA

At first I have to admint that both the picture as well as the specification list above get me really excited about the HTC SNAP. First thing I noticed is the extremely fast but energy friendly Qualcomm MSM processor running at 528 MHz. A while ago a video leaked on YouTube, which shows the fast speed and responsiveness of the device. Second one of the problems I always experience is, that you can’t have enough battery power. The HTC SNAP gets standard a 1500 mAh under the battery-cover, which results in a great standby- and talktime. Finally HTC has implemented some great hardware on the HTC SNAP in terms of daily use or user interface perspective. The HTC has a large front-facing full QWERTY keyboard, with dedicated hotkeys for messaging, e-mail and Inner Circle (which I will talk about in a minute).

“The full QWERTY keyboard is ergonomically designed with extra-large domed keys and responsive tactile feedback to make typing emails and text messages fast, accurate and comfortable.” [ref01]

The full QWERTY keyboard has off-set keys, which is also the case on the keyboard of the  HTC  Touch Pro 2. Thumbs up for HTC on this one, since it makes life easier for heavy e-mail and messaging people. Another remarkable piece of hardware is the Jog Ball, which replaces the directional pad (on the HTC Excalibur) and makes fast navigation a piece of cake. I must say that this trackball is very well implemented on the Blackberry devices, so I expect the same experience on the HTC SNAP.

Inner Circle Feature what is it?

“A recent study conducted by Harris Interactive® and commissioned by HTC* found that 44% of US adults are often overwhelmed by the amount of email they receive, and over half (55%) of US adults prioritize five or fewer people with whom they communicate via email. In response to these issues, HTC’s innovative Inner Circle feature allows HTC Snap users to  press a dedicated Inner Circle key to bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox, enabling important messages to be acted upon immediately.” [ref01]

I think this innovative feature is very helpful for business users in particular. While you would normally do a quick scan and put some follow-up flags in Microsoft Pocket Outlook on the device, the Inner Circle feature seems to make life a lot easier and do the prioritizing for you. Honestly I can’t wait to see a demo of this very usefull feature.

“The HTC SNAP is expected to be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009, rolling out in markets around the world throughout the second half of the year. Additionally, an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the US market will be made available under the name HTC S522 during the summer. ” [ref01]

The timing of the availability makes me hopful there might also become a Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade to this device, like it is the case with the HTC Touch Diamond 2 and HTC Touch Pro 2 (announced on MWC 2009).

First thoughts and wrap up

HTC keeps on surprising the public, with every announcement of a new device HTC presents new very clever and innovative features. As I truly love the stability of the Windows Mobile Standard platform, and have put the label on the  HTC Excalibur of  “one of the BEST smartphones ever made”, I simply can’t wait to get my hands on the HTC SNAP. It really gives me the excitement I had when I first got my hands on the HTC Excalibur. However I don’t think I will be the only happy person with such a device since:

The HTC Snap is powerful enough for experienced business users looking for an affordable, straightforward choice for remotely synchronizing email, calendar and contacts with their Microsoft Exchange server. However, the flexible Microsoft Windows Mobile® 6.1 Standard platform allows the HTC Snap to also be simple enough for first-time smartphone users wanting to keep their family life organized.  [ref01]

Finally there is no official word or detail about the pricing of the HTC SNAP, but I would expect it to be in the range of the HTC S740 (+/- E450,-). Anyway  I will be saving money, since the HTC SNAP will definitly become my device of choice. Thank you HTC for not just keeping the focus only on the touch-based devices, and the HTC SNAP is a marvelous Windows Mobile Standard device !!

What are your idea’s -as a reader- about this device ?

UPDATE:

The local Dutch PR Press Release provides me with the following info:

• Availability in Q2  2009, which it already is since today April has started !
• The pricepoint is extremely intersting, E329,- including VAT / TAX. In my opinion this pricepoint makes it even more a killer device to hit the market really hard !

Mike Temporale of MobileJaw has written a nice article with some interesting remarks about the HTC SNAP !!

Reference list

1. PRESS RELEASE:  HTC Snap™  makes staying in touch with more people less complicated
2. SPECIFICATION SHEET:  HTC SNAP