HTC to date has two Android devices, that are known as Facebook phones, the Cha Cha and the Salsa. Whilst the rest of the worlds social networking seems to revolve around Facebook and Twitter, in China the big player is Sina Weibo.com. While this may seem trivial, this deviation from the norm by HTC makes a lot of sense. Weibo which is probably more of a Hybrid of Facebook and Twitter, has had a foothold on the internet in the region due to bans on Facebook and Twitter that have only been recently allowed into the region. Obviously, HTC being based in the region, obviously has it’s finger on the pulse of what it’s customers want. The Salsa will also be rebranded the ”Weike”
Pricing will run around 3,380 Yuan ($525) and will come with similar features of that of the HTC Salsa such as HVGA touchscreen display, 5MP camera with autofocus, 800MHz processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and a dedicated social networking button
Whether HTC and Facebook had to come to some sort of agreement for this change to happen, or if it will affect Facebook uptake in the region is yet to be seen. Whatever the answers to those questions, you can see HTC playing it smart here, and hitting the market with what counts, a strategy to add local colour to devices in Asia. I wonder if we’ll see any fallout from this change?
Via MobileTopSoft
