MTN, HTC bring Android to SA

By Siyabonga Africa, ITWeb junior journalist

Johannesburg, 08 May 2009

HTC and MTN have teamed up in an exclusive deal to bring out the first Android-enabled phone in SA this month.

Analysts say the HTC Dream, distributed locally by Leaf International Communications, is being positioned as a competitor to the Apple iPhone 3G, which is distributed by Vodacom.

An MTN statement says the mobile phone makes use of the Android open source operating system (OS), which was developed by Google. The software allows users to download a number of free applications and also allows users to customise key aspects of the phone, which are locked in an ordinary OS, such as the dialler and picture viewer.

The Android OS, which is built around search functionality, will also give users access to Google applications such as Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube.

"By giving our customers instant access to Google services, we are ensuring MTN sets the pace with innovative and convenient product offerings in both the local and African telecoms market," says MTN SA consumer segments GM Donovan Smith.

iPhone killer?

Technology analyst at BMI-TechKnowledge, Ryan Smit, says the deal seems to be in retaliation to Vodacom`s iPhone offering and would definitely give buyers a choice in smartphones.

"Yet, I don`t expect the HTC will be an `iPhone killer`," he adds.

Smit explains that by April, HTC had sold more than a million units, since it was introduced in the US late last year, compared to the iPhone 3G, which sold more than 4.36 million units in the first quarter of this year.

"The iPhone was more hyped up before it was released in this country, which contributed a lot to its success when Vodacom began selling it," says Smit.

Advantage aplenty

According to Smit, the HTC Dream does have advantages over the iPhone, such as being highly integrated with Google applications. The phone also features a physical qwerty keyboard, as well as a touchscreen interface, unlike the iPhone 3G, which only utilises touchscreen technology.

"The HTC also allows multiple applications to be run at the same time, compared to the iPhone, which only allows for one application to be used at a time," adds Smit. "The reason Apple gave for this is that it preserves battery life, which is something they hold in high regard for their products."

The iPhone 3G trumps the HTC Dream in terms of storage capacity, since the HTC comes with a standard 1GB microSD card and slot, which can hold a card with 16GB of space, compared to iPhone models, which start at 4GB of space and go up to 16GB.