A growing number of HTC device owners are finding that the performance of their new devices leaves something to be desired. They have begun to coordinate their efforts to pressure HTC to address their concerns or file a class action lawsuit if the former fails. At the heart of the complaint is the claim that HTC has neglected to include the necessary drivers needed for the devices to come to their full potential according to the web site that they have set up.
The lawsuit web site lists the HTC TyTN II, HTC Touch Dual, HTC Touch Cruise, HTC S730, HTC S720 and HTC S640 among the devices that are affected by this issue.
There is even a bounty now being offered over at the xda-developers forums to the one who can get hardware-accelerated display drivers working on the HTC TyTN II. The bounty now exceeds USD$4000.
HTC has responded to the claims with a statement that will likely do little to calm this storm down:
HTC is committed to delivering a portfolio of devices that offer a wide variety of communication, connectivity and entertainment functionality. HTC does not offer dedicated or optimized multimedia devices and can confirm that its Qualcomm MSM7xxx-based devices do not use ATI’s Imageon video acceleration hardware.
HTC believes the overall value of its devices based on their combination of functionality and connectivity exceeds their ability to play or render high-resolution video. These devices do still provide a rich multimedia experience comparable to that of most smartphones and enable a variety of audio and video file formats.
HTC values its customers and the overall online community of mobile device enthusiasts and fans. HTC plans to include video acceleration hardware in future video-centric devices that will enable high-resolution video support.