HTC Hears That People Want 3.5mm Headset Jacks
We’ve debated HTC’s headphone solution in the past, and while some don’t mind the mini-USB adapter often found on these handsets, it’s all about to change. MobileCrunch recently got this comment from an HTC representative:
“The vast majority of devices we launch after Hero will have a 3.5mm jack. Devices that we have already announced but that still come out after Hero will not necessarily be a part of this change.”
That news is music to many ears. I’d expect that the HTC mini-USB port won’t be going away on new devices, as it’s used for charging and moving data to a computer. But the inclusion of a standard headset jack means you won’t need that little mini-USB adapter to plug in your headphones. It’s not that the adapters are expensive, since we’ve seen them for as little as $5 in the past. HTC sometimes includes them as well. But adapters are just one more thing to carry or lose. And the current solution forces your headphones to be plugged into the bottom of the device. For some, that doesn’t matter, but I personally prefer a 3.5mm jack at the top of my device.
I would think by now that most people using a headset have gone with Bluetooth and the 3.5mm jack wouldn’t be necessary on any phone.
Most people don’t even know that they can use blue tooth for stereo music. I think its a travesty that HTC still puts out devices that don’t have a 3.5 headphone jack. I have a Dash and a G1. I know several people that wouldn’t purchase either because of the lack of a headphone jack.
I’ve avoided Bluetooth headphones because they’re one more device to worry about charging and having BT enabled is a battery drain on my phone. Wired headphone offer better sound quality at a cheaper price point as well.
That’s great news for me as I’ve been hanging on the fence for a while now over the Touch HD and the Touch Pro 2. I need a winmo device with a hard keyboard and headphone jack. I may, however, still need to sit on that fence further because right now it’s still an “either or” with these two models. I’m curious if/when HTC decides to update the TP2 with that headphone jack – those adapters really are a nuisance to deal with.
Not sure that it’s news (at least I thought I have known this for months) but definitely good.
Now all I need is music software that supports ogg, gapless playback, and browse by folder, and a 32/64gb microSD card, and I may give up my cherished H140.
i’m holding right now a yet to be released HTC device and it does have a 3.5mm headphone jack.