HTC’s New Social Media Phones

Sydney, Australia – 1 July, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa built entirely to be social, combining the simplicity, ease-of-use and depth of HTC SenseTM with the power and connectivity of Facebook®, launched exclusively on the Vodafone network.

“HTC understands the growing value of social media and has taken that to a whole new level by introducing HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa. These two new devices bring customers a refreshingly easy user experience and a more immediate way to engage with Facebook through a mobile device,” said Ben Hodgson, Country Manager, HTC Australia and New Zealand. “These innovative, intuitive devices come with a dedicated Facebook share button which enables contextual sharing of all content including status, photos, messages, web pages, locations, music, and videos with a single push.”

“Vodafone are committed to delivering innovative new products that allow customers to engage with their devices in simple, easy and fun ways. The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are perfect for social networking and are sure to excite and engage our customers by allowing them to use Facebook in a simple, easy and new way through their mobile,” said Ross Parker, General Manager Devices and Pricing, Vodafone. “We are thrilled to add these two new devices, with their innovative social media features and high-end performance, along with competitive price points to our current HTC range.”

The new devices feature Android Gingerbread 2.3, 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 dialler 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 existing contacts on your phone to help connect with them on Facebook or personalise your handset further with a number of new, Facebook-branded widgets.

The Facebook share 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. 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 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. The device also features the Facebook share button and its illumination effects. Capture special moments in crisp detail or video chat* with your friends using the dual cameras, including a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. The HTC 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, the HTC Salsa provides a fast, high-performance smartphone experience. Based on the iconic HTC Legend, the HTC Salsa features a unibody design in addition to the dedicated hardware Facebook share button.

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.

HTC ChaCha Key Features:

HTC Salsa Key Features:

Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) with HTC Sense™
800 MHz processor
5 megapixel colour camera with auto focus and flash, VGA front camera
microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
120 grams with battery
3.4-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution

Availability

The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa will launch Wednesday 6th July

The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa will be available on the following plans:

$0 upfront on the $29 Cap over 24 months (Total Min Cost $696) ** or

$0 upfront on the $45 Infinite over 24 months (Total min cost $1080) ***

The HTC ChaCha will also be available as a prepaid offer at $299 through Vodafone and Dealer Stores (Unlocking fee applies)

For further pricing and information please go to http://www.vodafone.com.au