Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/22/htc_splits_with_o2/
UK carrier O2 this week confirmed it is looking for new handset maker partners to push its XDA smart phone family forward following a parting of the ways with its original XDA supplier, HTC. Long-time HTC customer i-mate may also be for the chop, if comments from the manufacturer are to be taken at face value.
It was the Taiwanese manufacturer that effectively signalled the break earlier this week. A senior executive with the company's Dopod subsidiary, Prim Krithivasan, told (http://www.cnet.com.au/pdas/pdas/0,239035588,339271166,00.htm?www.reghardware.co.uk) Cnet Australia: "O2 doesn't have the relationship [with HTC] anymore... [and] going forward the HTC relationship won't extend to i-mate."
Krithivasan's comments came a day after O2 Germany announced two new XDAs, both made by HTC: the XDA Cosmo and the XDA Orbit.
Two weeks ago, i-mate launched (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/12/i-mate_spl_jaq/) its Jaq smart phone, the company's first device not designed and manufactured by HTC. The Jaq is believed to be made by Inventec (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/21/i-mate_jaq_inventec_mercury/).
O2 wouldn't say when its relationship with HTC came to an end, or which of them initiated the break. Instead, a company spokeswoman put a brave face on the split, stressing instead the opportunities the carrier hopes to leverage to work with fresh new partners going forward.
Still, it's a blow for the company's XDA efforts, which have relied almost entirely on HTC's device development savvy since the range was introduced in June 2002. Indeed, O2 was HTC's first European carrier partner.
O2 may turn to Quanta for future XDAs. The Taiwanese manufacturer already produces the XDA Atom for O2's Asian subsidiary, though the device has never made it to O2's European heartland.
HTC has been looking to strengthen its own name in the smart phone market for more than a year now, but the plan gathered further momentum in June this year when the company re-launched itself with a more consumer-friendly brand. It also acquired a big but undisclosed stake in Dopod, another of its many handset supplier customers which include carriers Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile as well as O2 and i-mate. ®
O2 re-embraces HTC with XDA Argon launch (2 May 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/05/02/o2_unveils_argon/
O2 confirms XDA Zinc zapped (4 April 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/04/04/o2_confirms_zinc_zapped/
O2 delays XDA Zinc roll-out (15 January 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/01/15/o2_delays_zinc/
O2's 3G PDA phone to debut Jan '07 (30 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/30/o2_xda_zinc_due_jan_07/
O2 readies XDA Flame PMP phone (22 November 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/11/22/o2_preps_flame_pmp_phone/
O2 offers Asus-made XDA as the IQ (30 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/30/o2_sells_xda_iq/
'Mars', 'Jupiter' launches planned by O2, Asus (27 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/27/o2_asus_prep_xda_launches/
HTC runs in with T-Mobile Dash smart phone (12 October 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/12/htc_unveils_t-mobile_dash/
O2 coughs up new Ts and Cs to customers (10 October 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/10/o2_caves_on_t_and_c/
Nokia gets closer to Orange, which endorses Symbian (6 October 2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/06/orange_using_s60/
T-Mobile launches Motorola KRZR in the UK (27 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/27/t-mobile_motokrzr/
Nokia unwraps feature-filled N95 smart phone (26 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/26/nokia_unveils_n95/
Nokia to ship 8GB hard drive music phone by year's end (26 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/26/nokia_revamps_n_series_phones/
Nokia dials up Express Music phone family? (26 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/26/nokia_music_express_phones/
O2 unwraps latest XDA smart phones in Germany (19 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/19/o2_unveils_xda_phones/
HTC preps candybar phone with slide-out QWERTY keyboard (14 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/14/htc_shows_libra/
HTC's much-awaited handsets unveiled (7 September 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/07/four_new_htc_handsets/
HTC touts record results (30 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/30/htc_results_q2_06_i-mate/
i-mate turns from HTC for Jaq smart phone (21 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/21/i-mate_jaq_inventec_mercury/
O2 eyes Ice to drive consumer 3G demand (16 August 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/16/o2_preps_ice/
LG, Samsung clamshells coming for O2's i-mode (11 July 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/11/lg_samsung_ready_i-mode_phones/
O2 to offer Motorola's i-mode SLVR (10 July 2006)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/10/o2_readies_i-mode_moto_l7_slvr/