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HTC One line to get the company back in the game

From the top of the heap to a company reinventing itself, HTC hopes the One line of Android phones will return it to the top.
Written by James Kendrick, Contributor

HTC is a company reinventing itself, and its One line of Android phones look to bring it back to the favored position it recently enjoyed. The One S is coming to T-Mobile and the One X looks to be a solid entrant for AT&T. The One X derivative for Sprint, the EVO 4G LTE, is a deserving bearer of the successful EVO name.

The troubles for HTC in the Android space can be traced to the company trying to do too much at a time. No OEM has produced more handsets than HTC the past few years, and it spread the company thin. Making strange moves like investing $300 million for Beats Audio technology didn't help either.

HTC has always produced great hardware, some of the best phones I have owned and tested come from its efforts. I still believe the original HTC EVO 4G was one of the best phones I have ever owned. Both the HTC One S and One X remind me of that original EVO, and are outstanding phones.

Matt Miller has a great review of the HTC One S from T-Mobile, and is a good place to start for those interested in that phone. It impressed Matt in his daily use, and that speaks volumes.

Both the One X and EVO 4G LTE have a big 4.7-inch display that show the utility of Ice Cream Sandwich running the lighter Sense 4.0 UI. They are nice phones for AT&T and Sprint, respectively, and may be the best Android phones currently available.

Hopefully the HTC One line will get the company back on top of its game. The HTC design is stellar, and the build quality is second to none.

If anything the situation with HTC shows how difficult it is for Google's partners in Android to play in the smartphone world. Not only do they have to warily eye the 800 pound gorilla in the space, Apple, they have to compete with each another. While HTC is blaming the success of the iPhone with its problems, it can't help that Samsung has been going great guns, too.

The very nature of business in the Android world doesn't work in HTC's favor either. While the One X and EVO 4G LTE are basically the same phone, the two carriers involved force HTC to in essence make two different models out of it. That prevents customers from identifying them as one product, and that doesn't work in HTC's favor. It also forces two different support efforts for the two similar models.

Hopefully, concentrating on a reduced product line will get HTC back in the black. The company makes great phones, and has some outstanding talent on staff. It will be great to see them climb back on top of the Android space.

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