Dongles. In-line adapters. Proprietary headset ports. If it’s an audio port on a mobile handset and it’s not 3.5mm, it’s junk. As we declared back in May, we’re done with all of it. Now HTC, sire of the T-Mobile G1, myTouch, and countless other smartphones plagued by non-3.5mm jacks, is done with it too.
If you’ve been keeping up with your Android handset news, you might already know that the HTC Hero will be the first HTC-made Android handset with a 3.5mm jack. As it turns out, it’s just the first of many; beginning with the Hero, HTC is moving away from requiring users to pump audio through their modified miniUSB port.
We’d heard this mentioned as a possibility at past press events. This was HTC’s response when we reached out for comment:
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.
So it sounds like we may still see a few handsets hit the shelves with worthless audio ports – but aural salvation is on the way. This is a hugely important move for HTC and, seeing as they’re the most fruitful supporter of the platform so far, for Android. People like using their own headphones, but hate carrying around 2 extra inches of an oh-so-easy-to-lose adapter cable. If you make using headphones a pain, the media playback functionality of the handset/platform tends to be abandoned. Long live the 3.5mm port!
Finally!
Wow, your May article wrote a book about proprietary plug-ins… over zealous no? but im glad 3.5mm is finally “in”
Eh. I don’t see what the big deal is. Just support Bluetooth headphones and get rid of any and all audio jacks.
stereo bluetooth sucks. bad audio quality, battery drain, interference issues. also, if you want to plug your device into your car or portable stereo, your f’d. 3.5 FTW
Actually your not screwed if you want to connect your stereo bluetooth to a car or portibale stereo. For Example: http://www.geekalerts.com/bluetooth-fm-transmitter-by-satechi/
Bluetooth sound quality isn’t bad, you do get better with a physical connection but without higher end hardware it isn’t noticeable.
Though It can be a pain to connect bluetooth if you have multipule devices in the same area.
Do you want to buy me a Bluetooth radio or reciever? I thought not. My stuff already has 3.5 mm jacks.
Bluetooth audio also cuts out the FM radio. I don’t know if the hardware is in the Android handsets, but a 3.5mm jack has a lot of value in that regard. Then again, so do torrents.
Why hail the 3.5 MM plug if it forces us to have two plugs in the phone – including one for power? What currentlyist being standardized across some areas of the planet is MicroUSB – no need at all for an extra 3.5 mm…
There are so many phones sold each year that not far into the future MicroUSB plugable headphones will become as abundant as 3.5 are today.
seriously, you’re a moron
That’s all great, except when you want to listen to the device while it’s charging. Which is most of my work day, especially since I’m using the battery-hogging HTC Dream.
Don’t most HTC devices come with a little adapter you plug into their usb port that allows you to charge and listen to 3.5mm at the same time? That is what the HTC Diamond came with before I returned it.
I think 3.5 mm is pointless. As the OP said we will need two plugs on the phone instead of one. I also hate 3.5mm because the jack seems to always stop working after a year or so.
Yes they include an adapter, as is mentioned specificly in the articale, but the problem is they disapear easily. >_<
Thank goodness, that is one of the reasons I do not use the audio function on my G1.
I will be snapping up a handset with 3.5mm on it, and the HTC Hero looks like it’s gunna be one hell of a phone.
My goodness HTC, as a proud owner of an HTC Touch Pro (and my wife with her HTC Diamond)…. TAHNK YOU SO MUCH for finally moving to a standard port for audio, rather then your proprietary crap connector.
Alas, I shall have to wait a year or 2 before I’ll benefit from this, but I look fwd to it.
Oh.. Finally, they do.
It should be pleasure news for new potential HTC users.
Hurray for common sense!!
That’s all well and good, but the myTouch 3G doesn’t have it.
Hoooray … :-D
That’s all fine and dandy, but how does that work if you want to use the phone as GASP a phone? I don’t know of too many 3.5mm headphones that have a builtin mic that does’nt require a separate cable. Willl you have to have another plug for a hands-free set?
5 years ago was already too late!!
I remember owning a Motorola E398 with the worst earphones in the world. So much for the mp3 playback…
It’ll be nice knowing you can store music on your device and if you’re ever at a friend’s house, car, boat, and they have an aux input and a male to male cable (like for playing any other mp3 player) that you can play it. Who carries an adapter with them every day just in case this comes up?
Standardization is always better for products on these non-strategic, non-differentiating features. All it has done is create drawers full of cords and chargers that have not been used in years, but might be used in the future. 3.5 will always have a place in the world until Bluetooth X.0 finally becomes reliable enough to keep me from swearing at my phone for the crappy connections it STILL provides. I’ve gone to the extreme of wiring my car to avoid Bluetooth.
Funny. I just recently changed my mind on such things after years of internal screaming for a 3.5 in cars and on my devices. Headphones should evolve already. Why are we crying for an extra old analog hole on our digital devices to listen to digital audio? Cans should use mini usb and those crying for charge-it-while-listen-to-it functionality can get splitters.
Well unless you have digital ears it has to be converted to analog some where along the path. If you have invested in a good set of ear/headphones then having a standard jack lets you move between all your players with ease. If HTC is serious about it’s media functionality they will use a standard audio connector for audio playback, as they have now adopted.
What you guys are talking about ? I thought the HTC HD had the 3.5 jack before the Hero ! please someone correct me if I am wrong .Thx
yes the htc hd has 3.5 jack but they are talking about phones with the android os on it.
“HTC Hero will be the first HTC-made Android handset with a 3.5mm jack”
Thanks for the clarification
3.5mm jacks?
That isn’t evolution or revolution.
We are now stuck with a tech that is decades old.
3.5mm jacks are good when ur using high end earphones compared to lousy sounding proprietary headsets. i’d vote for ease of use & sound quality, but if ur going for tech, yea it’s waay antique.
A 3.5mm should be standard on all HTC devices. Now if we can only get a flash for the camera to be standard, then we’d be set.
I for one am all about having the 3.5mm jack on my phone and I don’t care if there is an extra port for charging it. I wish the MyTouch had a 3.5mm jack because I’d probably be pre-ordering that phone instead of waiting to see if T-Mobile is going to get the Samsung i7500 which I think really looks pretty cool although I’m not too sure about it’s D-pad controller or whatever it’s called.