HTC thinks cloud computing will play a major role in the smartphone ecosystem, and the company's CEO embraced the concept, which is gaining widespread support from many wireless companies.
HTC CEO Peter Chou said cloud computing will allow smartphone makers to expand their reach and functionality. "Cloud computing will play a critical role in the smartphone experience," he said at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress, according to GSMA Mobile Business Briefing. "As the mobile becomes more powerful we can't store everything on the device; we need the cloud."
That Taiwanese company, currently the world's No. 4 smartphone maker, unveiled a cloud-based initiative in September called HTCSense.com. The website will allow users to back up and view text messages and call logs, remotely wipe the phone, send map coordinates and easily locate a lost phone. "HTCSense.com is about the connected service experience, linking the phone to the cloud," Chou said.
Other smartphone companies are keen to jump on the cloud bandwagon, especially for media services. Hewlett-Packard executives hinted in September that HP will deliver a cloud-based streaming music service to its Palm webOS smartphones. HP reportedly bought streaming music service provider Melodeo this summer for an undisclosed amount.
Google also has indicated it plans to add a streaming music service to Android, though it has not said when it will do so. Media reports have indicated that Google has pitched record labels on a solution that would include both a la carte downloads as well as a subscription service boasting a cloud-based locker, enabling consumers to access their song libraries via any connected device.
For more:
- see this GSMA Mobile Business Briefing article
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