HERE's a recent news item I wrote for the Infotech section of the Manila Bulletin about the new HTC concept store that opened just last August, slightly tweaked.
HTC OPENS VERY FIRST CONCEPT STORE
By EDWIN P. SALLAN
IN what seems to be an indication of its steadily growing presence in the country as well as the increasing popularity of smartphones as a whole, the Taiwan-based handheld device specialist HTC in partnership with local distributor SIS Philippines has recently opened its first concept store at the 4th floor of the Cyberzone Annex of SM North EDSA in Quezon City.
“Currently we see a growth in the consumer segment and in order for us to enhance our reach to our end users, it’s vital for us to roll out in the retail market as well,” says HTC Country Manager Mark Dewey Sergio in explaining the rationale behind the new store.
While Sergio did not disclose the actual market share figures of HTC in the Philippines, he did say that with the new HTC Store, consumers will be able to experience the brand’s newest smartphone innovations. “They will also be able to experience an interactive demonstration of our TouchFlo 3d UI featured in the latest HTC Windows Mobile devices in our Diamond 2 mock up which is displayed in the store as well.”
Depending on model, HTC phones currently ran in two platforms, the Windows Mobile and Google’s Android OS. In both touchscreen and non-touchscreen configurations, HTC smartphones are providing stiff competition to sought-after models particularly the Apple iPhone to which certain touchscreen models are most often compared with.
“What is even more exciting about this new store opening is that also coincides with a lot of innovations that have been recently introduced by HTC in the market,” Sergio enthuses. “Innovations like the Touchflo3D,the HTC Footprints and the People Centric Communication are just some of our answers to our consumer needs.”
With special offers and discounts on models like the HTC Touch Viva, HTC Touch 3G, HTC Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2, the launch also featured a free educational training on the first Android-powered device, the HTC Magic. Another significant feature of the new store is what Sergio describes as the “dedicated service corner.”
“Here, customers who wish to optimize and enhance the performance of their HTC devices can bring them to the HTC Concept Store for on-site diagnostic testing,” he announces. “This diagnostic test will easily determine the time required for repairs. In uncomplicated cases, repairs can be finished within two working days while more complex cases may require a longer time. But with our speedy turn-around guarantee for all service repairs conducted at our store, we will provide our customers with a loaned unit during the repair waiting period.”
As for older HTC units and Dopods, Sergio says that after-sales service will soon be available for these devices at the concept store. Aside from the Android platform training, other special activities that took place during the three-day launch of the store are Touch and Click Sessions, customer briefings on Windows Mobile and a special concert by the band, Itchyworms.
“We will also be offering promos for selected HTC devices so that will be something to watch out for,” Sergio further reveals. “And we will be launching new and exciting phones for the last quarter under the Windows Mobile and the Android Platform where social networking features are readily available so that’s good news for those who are into sites like Facebook and Friendster.”
And here's a video review of the new HTC Magic smartphone:
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