Some of our top engineers have investigated video performance on our devices and have discovered a fix that they claim will dramatically improve performance for common on-screen tasks like scrolling and the like. Their fix would help most of our recent touch-screen products including the Touch family of devices and TYTN II / Tilt, Mogul / XV6900. The update is in testing and we hope to release it soon. However this fix is not a new video driver to utilize hardware acceleration; it is a software optimization. Video drivers are a much more complicated issue that involves companies and engineers beyond HTC alone. We do not want to lead anyone to believe they should expect these. To explain why we are not releasing video acceleration instead of the optimization I offer you our official statement... "HTC DOES plan to offer software upgrades that will increase feature functionality, over the air wireless speeds and other enhancements for some of the phones being criticized, but we do not anticipate including any additional support for the video acceleration issues cited in customer complaints. It is important for customers to understand that bringing this functionality to market is not a trivial driver update and requires extensive software development and time. HTC will utilize hardware video acceleration like the ATI Imageon in many upcoming products. Our users have made it clear that they expect our products to offer an improved visual experience, and we have included this feedback into planning and development of future products. To address lingering questions about HTC's current MSM 7xxx devices, it is important to establish that a chipset like an MSM7xxx is a platform with a vast multitude of features that enable a wide range of devices with varied functionality. It is common that devices built on platforms like Qualcomm's will not enable every feature or function. In addition to making sure the required hardware is present, unlocking extended capabilities of chipsets like the MSM 7xxx requires in-depth and time consuming software development, complicated licensing negotiations, potential intellectual property negotiations, added licensing fees, and in the case of devices that are sold through operators, the desire of the operator to include the additional functionality. To make an informed decision about which handset suits them best, consumers should look at the product specification itself instead of using the underlying chipset specifications to define what the product could potentially become."

[Phone Mag]

• Moto Q9m and Q9c are the CDMA versions of the Q9h, and the consumer and business models, respectively. Q9m probably dropping by the end of the month; Q9c available Q4.

• UTStarcom SMT5800 (HTC Libra) is a WM6 smartphone with both a numeric and sliding QWERTY keyboard, 2MP cam, 128MB flash, 64MB RAM, EV-DO (upgradeable to Rev. A). Most likely available in Oct.

• Samsung i760 is hitting in Sept.

• Another HTC phone, a Verizon version of the Mogul (UTStarcom XV6800)—same specs as Sprint's model it seems, also dropping in October.

• Palm Treo 755p will be in available in November, running Palm OS 5.4.9.

• RIM BlackBerry 8130 Pearl is another Verizon version of older phone, though it comes with a 2MP cam and EV-DO—still, not so exciting with the Pearl 2 around the corner probably the Pearl 2. No release date mentioned, oddly.

• Moto Z6c Jackques is EV-DO CDMA but packs GSM for jetsetters who can wait until Nov. Its cousin, the Z6tv, um, has TV features, available "second half" of '07, we presume.

• Verizon CDM-8630 is an entry level with a simple UI and one-touch dialing, also second half of '07.

• Samsung SCH-U410 and LG VX5400 are two mid-level clamshells due by year's end, replacing the U340 and VX5300, respectively. The LG VX8300 is also getting bumped in that time frame, by the VX8350.

• Ending the list is a pair of Samsung phones: a CDMA version of the U700 and the U900, which looks to sport a 3MP cam and high-res camcorder. Both are slotted for the last half of '07.

Okay, end spoilers. [Phone Arena, Image via Flickr]

George says the update makes the phone slightly more responsive as well, but that's only one man's take. Make sure you've got enough battery life left in your phone before you update, since it takes up to 25 minutes. Oh, and make sure to back up all your contacts and data as well, just in case. [HTC - Thanks George!]

It's the shortest of the bunch (the PPC-6700 is actually taller when you count the antenna), and definitely the thinnest. It's still relatively bulky if you're not used to carrying around an HTC slide-out smartphone, but it's definitely thinner than anything that's come before.

Larger image after the jump.

– Jason Chen

Thanks to Sizeasy!

The Mogul, or Titan, is the next generation of slide-out QWERTY phones from HTC. It follows up the HTC TyTN/Hermes (confusing naming, we know) by making the keyboard slide to the right and adding the caps lock/function key indicator lights to the top. It's quite similar to the T-Mobile Wing in the way it slides out, but it's definitely closer to the Cingular 8525 than anything else we've seen.

With Windows Mobile 6 and the 400MHz Intel/Qualcomm CPU, this phone is probably one of the snappiest WM phones we've used yet. But like being the tallest dwarf, it's not really an achievement you should be bragging about.

The keyboard is more rubbery than we saw on the 8525, but definitely still ranks among the best QWERTY keyboards for text input on the phone. It's spring loaded, like the T-Mobile Wing, but unlike the T-Mobile Wing, the function menu keys (top left and top right when open) are actually in the right place—on the top edges of the keyboard instead of in the top middle. And they're big too, which is fantastic.

Call quality is HTC's usual goodness, which means it's clear even when driving and has excellent speakerphone capabilities. There is one quirk that I'll note later, though.

Sprint's special features like EV-DO Rev. 0 (Rev. A to come with a software upgrade) are fast, but loading Web pages really depends more on the processing power platform than the connection on these types of phones, we think. There's Sprint's Software Store, where you have to pay for add-ons, and Sprint's Music Store, where you can pony up some cash for mobile tunes. AudibleAir and AudiblePlayer are also in there, for Harry Potter on the go. And as customary with WM6 phones, Windows Live is also included.

One thing we really like is the inclusion of the "Internet Sharing" app, which lets you use your phone as a USB or Bluetooth modem to your laptop. We're not sure whether this is Mac compatible, but we'll check that out and report back. Update: Yep, it's Windows only.

Sprint has the default theme set up to their atrocious yellow scheme by default. Luckily we weren't blinded enough to not be able to switch it to the Windows Mobile 6's sea green motif we're used to.

Another odd thing I noticed that never existed on other HTC phones was a weird echo of my own voice if I placed the phone up to my head and angled the speaker right into my ear canal. Move it a centimeter away in any direction—still touching my ear—and no echo. I tried calling a bunch of other phones to make sure it wasn't the other party, and it was the same thing. Definitely strange.

But quirks aside, if you're on the aging PPC-6700 and want to stick with Sprint and Windows Mobile, the Mogul is definitely a good upgrade. If you're thinking of switching to Sprint and you're wondering if there's a good WM6 phone for you? This is it. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Sprint]

First, the specs. It's got the slide-out QWERTY like the PPC-6700, but it slides out to the right (like the T-Mobile Wing) instead of the left—something HTC's made a conscious decision to switch all its new phones to. It's 4.33 x 2.32 x 0.73 inches, weighs 5.8 ounces, has an Intel PXA-263 processor, 64MB RAM, 256MB ROM, 800MHz and 1900MHz CDMA, EVDO Rev. 0 (upgradeable to Rev. A with a free update next month), 802.11b/g, 1500 mAh battery, microSD expansion slot, 2-megapixel camera, and a 2.8-inch QVGA display.

Its Sprint-centric features are the Sprint Music Store downloads (coming after the launch), On-Demand sports, weather, news, movies and various Handago apps customized for the provider.

As for how it's better than the 6700, there's 20% longer battery life, twice as much internal memory (256MB vs. 128MB), a thinner body, an internal antenna, higher resolution camera, EV-DO Rev. A (eventually) and the scrolling thumbwheel that people loved on the Cingular 8525.

On paper, it seems to be more than a worthy successor to the PPC-6700. Stay tuned for our hands on to see if it's better than everything else we've seen from HTC, and whether it's worth your $399. – Jason Chen

The best news would probably be that it has Windows Mobile 6, but the worst news would be that it costs $549, or $399 with a 2-year contract. Still, it's not too shabby of a device if you're into the standard slide-out HTC handset form factor. Since it's not from an "official" Sprint news release, we'll still have to call this unconfirmed for now. But it seems pretty solid.

– Jason Chen

Thanks tipster!

That sense of cancerous entitlement inspired Thomas Pink's "Mogul Shirt." It's got a small pocket for a cigar on the chest, making sure you never are without a stogie when you need one. Just make sure you have a stack of $100 bills around to light it with for the full effect. –Adam Frucci

Thomas Pink [via Book of Joe]