Ooh, now here’s a not entirely unexpected story. Android, as we all know, is an open source phone OS, which theoretically means lots of phones can use it, from top-end smartphones (Sony Ericsson Rachael, anyone?) to low-enders aimed at the mass market. So far, though, we’ve only seen Android pop up in relatively high-end smartphones.
However, Android is, by definition, a smartphone OS, so basically any phone you put it in is automatically a smartphone, even if it’s a dirt cheap one. That leads on to the intriguing possibility of having entry-level smartphones, phones that do what the top-enders do, but are aimed at the low, mass market end of the spectrum. Smartphones that sell in bulk, basically.
Well according to Slashgear, that may be exactly what we’re seeing here, in the shape of the HTC Click.
And let’s be honest, the fact it looks like the baby brother to the HTC Magic (albeit with a D-pad instead of a trackball, which would tie in with the notion of a cheaper smartphone) only serves to reinforce that idea. Now, of course, this is only a rumour at the minute, but if it’s a hoax, or it’s not the genuine article, than it’s a frighteningly good fake. If I had a reputation, I’d stake it on the HTC Click being the genuine article.
So, what’s the point of the HTC Click? Is it to give people who wouldn’t otherwise have a smartphone the chance to own one? Or is it (and I suspect this is the real reason why Android is Open Source) because Google want in on every market segment, from top-enders to mass market bulk phones?
But anyway, yes, this is a rumour at the moment, but don’t be surprised if it turns out to be true…
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