So HTC was building Facebook phones – though they’re not billing them as that, despite the oddly placed Facebook badges. Without a shadow of doubt crossing Vladimir Putin’s face, the ChaCha and Salsa (need I say more?) are aimed at the “youth.”
There’s a one-push Facebook button for all things Zuckerberg-cool (am I doing it right, kids?), which connects the user with the opportunity to share status updates on their cool new Nikes, share photos of their new Bratz doll, or post whatever Kanye track is getting them all riled up, just by pressing that button. While I’m at least 10 years too senior for these phones, I do love the idea that whatever you’re doing on the phone – taking a photo, listening to a song – can be shared with one little push.
Predictably, they’re running Android – though at least it’s the latest version, 2.3. Both have the Sense UI, and pretty similar specs.
As you may have noticed, the ChaCha has a BlackBerry-like QWERTY keyboard, with a weird angled body design – I guess it’s ergonomic? The 2.6-inch screen has a 480×320 resolution, and strapped onto the back is a 5MP camera with LED flash, plus there’s a VGA camera on the front.
The Salsa on the other hand resembles one of their Desire phones and has a 3.4-inch screen with 480×320 resolution, plus the same cameras.
Both will be on sale mid-2011, and you can bet your boxfresh sneakers that they’ll cost as cheap as chips. God, I feel old.
HTC UNVEILS TWO SOCIAL PHONES WITH
ONE-TOUCH FACEBOOK® ACCESS
HTC raises the bar for mobile social phones with HTC ChaChaTM and HTC SalsaTM
BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today announced two new phones built entirely to be social, combining the simplicity, ease-of-use and depth of HTC SenseTM with the power and connectivity of Facebook®. As part of an extended portfolio of six new HTC Sense-based devices being unveiled at Mobile World Congress, HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa feature a dedicated Facebook® button for one-touch access to the key functions of the Facebook service that are integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience.
“HTC has always understood that different people want different things and the new HTC ChaCha and Salsa offer special new ways to experience Facebook on a mobile device,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “With more than 500 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become synonymous with the social web and we wanted to create the ultimate socially connected phones with mass market appeal.”
“We have worked closely with HTC for several years on bringing Facebook to their devices and HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are the next stage,” said Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook. “HTC has brought Facebook to these two new devices in an innovative way enabling people to connect and share easily whenever they want, wherever they are.”
The Facebook button on HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa is context-aware, gently pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. With a single press of the button, you can update your status, upload a photo, share a Website, post what song you are listening to, ‘check in’ to a location and more. For example, you can take a photograph of friends on your phone and upload it instantly to Facebook by simply pressing the button. Or let your friends know what song you’re listening to by pressing the button while listening to music on the phone. The track is automatically identified and shared on Facebook.
The new devices feature Android 2.4, the latest version, and use the latest iteration of HTC Sense to integrate Facebook throughout the HTC Sense experience. When you make a phone call, the dialer screen displays your friend’s latest status and photos, and even tells you if their birthday is approaching. The same updates are also displayed when you receive a call from a Facebook friend. You can also use your phone’s existing contacts to help you connect with them on Facebook or personalise your handset further with a number of new, Facebook-branded widgets.
The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones make it simple to stay in touch with your friends using Facebook Chat and Messages on your phone. Your Facebook messages and conversations are integrated within your phone and appear within your text and email inboxes alongside your regular conversations.
Stay connected with the smartphone for the Facebook generation – HTC ChaCha
The HTC ChaCha smartphone is designed to provide a seamless, social experience by enabling you to stay in touch with your friends anytime, anywhere. The unique tilt design shapes the display and physical QWERTY keyboard so it is easy to view and comfortable to type. Capture special moments in crisp, High-Definition detail or video chat with your friends using the dual cameras, including a 5-megapixel colour camera with auto focus and LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. The ChaCha smartphone also brings the Internet to your fingertips with a 2.6-inch, 480 x 320 resolution landscape touch screen.
Your Facebook friends never felt closer – HTC Salsa
Boasting the same deep Facebook integration as the HTC ChaCha smartphone, the HTC Salsa smartphone provides a fast, high-performance smartphone experience. Capture the moment in high-resolution stills or video with the 5-megapixel camera and immediately share it with friends on the generous 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 resolution touch display. Upload your photos to Facebook at the touch of a button. For face-to-face conversations on the move, the VGA forward-facing camera enables high-quality video calling.
Availability
The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones will be available to customers globally starting in Q2 2011.
HTC Salsa specs
Processor
600 MHz
Platform
Audio supported formats
Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9) Recording: .amr
Video supported formats
Memory
AndroidTM with HTC SenseTM
Internal phone storage: 512 MB RAM: 512 MB The actual available internal phone storage may differ depending on the software configuration of your phone
Dimensions
Weight
Display
109.1 x 58.9 x 12.3 mm
120g (with battery)
3.4-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution
Network
Sensors
HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Upload speed of up to 384kbps and download speed of up to 7.2 Mbps
G-Sensor Digital compass Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor
Expansion slot
microSDTM memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC adapter
Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5 V and 1 A
Connectivity
Camera
Bluetooth® 3.0 with FTP/OPP for file transfer A2DP for wireless stereo headsets PBAP for phonebook access from the car kit Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11b/g/n
3.5 mm stereo audio jack Standard micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0)
5 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and flash VGA front camera
HTC ChaCha Specs
Processor
600 MHz
Platform
Camera
Memory
Audio supported formats
Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9) Recording: .amr
Video supported formats
Dimensions
Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9) Recording: .3gp
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Capacity: 1250 mAh Talk time: Up to 420 minutes for WCDMA and up to 450 minutes for GSM Standby time: Up to 660 hours for WCDMA and up to 430 hours for GSM All subject to network and phone usage
Weight
Display
114.4 x 64.6 x 10.7 mm
120g (with battery)
2.6-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution
Battery
Network
GPS Sensors
HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 MHz Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Upload speed of up to 384kbps and download speed of up to 7.2 Mbps
Internal GPS antenna
G-Sensor Digital compass Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor
Expansion slot
microSDTM memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC adapter
Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A
AndroidTM with HTC SenseTM
ROM: 512 MB RAM: 512 MB The actual available internal phone storage may differ depending on the software configuration of your phone
5 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and LED flash VGA front camera
Connectivity
Bluetooth® 3.0 with FTP/OPP for file transfer A2DP for wireless stereo headsets PBAP for phonebook access from the car kit Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11b/g/n
3.5 mm stereo audio jack Standard micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0)