We just met up with Pharrell at the studio for a quick interview and we covered a wide variety of topics. From his gold iPhones and BlackBerrys, to this new online art gallery he put us onto, to world-traveling, we got it on camera! We also drop a few hints at the end about what we’re working on…It’s going to be war out there on the streets!

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We caught up with recording artist Sean Kingston here at CES who was performing for a Sony Corporate showcase. He’s definitely on the ball when it comes to gadgets; an iPod Touch, Sidekick LX, Sony Ericsson phones, and a home recording studio. Now, where are all those "Beautiful Girls" he talks about…

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We got a chance to sit down, so to speak, with HTC America’s VP, Jason Mackenzie Monday evening. There was this little, tiny announcement you might have missed, and we wanted to pry in a little deeper with one of the new partners of the new Open Handset Alliance. Known for their superior Windows Mobile devices (let’s face it, that WinMo device in your hand is most likely made by HTC), they are diving in to Android-based devices to expand their portfolio. How does this play out with their Windows Mobile line-up? Is HTC going in a new direction? Better yet, when will we actually see an Android-based device? All the answers, friends, are after the jump in our interview!

Q: HTC is the #1 Windows Mobile manufacturer in the world. You guys basically set the bar for other smaller Windows Mobile manufacturers to follow. How do you think this will affect Android-based devices and what sort of split do you see between research and development of Windows mobile devices, and Android devices?

A: Windows Mobile will always be a big part of HTC. We have a significant share of 75% worldwide and expect that to grow. Android will be complimentary to Windows Mobile and we’ll focus on a new market share with the Android platform.

Q: You have manufactured devices for Palm and done other white label work in the past before, so how comfortable are you working with over 34 partners and possibly sharing some of the secret know-how that keeps you, HTC, as a company above the competition, to the whole alliance now?

A: We will continue to innovate in this space just as in Windows Mobile, and we’ll share some innovations with Android. TouchFLO example will be kept proprietary, and they appreciate the openness of that.

Q: There is a ton of talk over this “Dream” phone, and ever since the first Google phone rumor emerged it seems that HTC was always thrown in the middle. Is there anything specific you can tell us about the device you promised would ship by the middle of 2008?

A: Only thing to share, is that we will be the first manufacturer to launch a product built on the Android platform. In terms of specifics, it is too early.

Q: How do you feel about leaks in your company? There are 2 sides of the argument, and one is that leaks let competitors know your next move, and the other side is that if you have a great product, it generates an unbelievable amount of hype that simply couldn’t’t be obtained through a traditional marketing campaign. We have the guilty pleasure here at The Boy Genius Report of obtaining HTC devices long before most other sites, and the enthusiasm of our readers and commenters for some of these handsets has been unbelievable.

A: It’s a double-edged sword. We don’t sponsor them or advocate them, but on the other hand, it is also a little bit flattering. We build devices that people are passionate about, and because of that it is difficult to avoid leaks.

Q: It sometimes seems that HTC Europe and HTC America might not communicate as effectively as they need to. Do you see the HTC America market less important than say, Europe?
 
A: It is different in the sense that in the America region, we have the operators who are the core of the wireless business in the US. Almost 90% operators. In Europe, it is 50%, but you also have the unlocked retail channel. It is that facet that contributes to the feeling that it is disjointed. In the US, everything we are doing is through the operator, and we have to be respectful of their product announcements.

Q: Do you have any plans to do direct distribution in the US?

A: Definitely something we would consider. We already started doing it with Amazon and CompUSA with the Advantage, and the upcoming HTC Shift. We’d also like to sell handsets through HTC.com.

Q: There is no marketing here in the US for HTC directly. We might maybe see a carrier-supported campaign, though that is rare. Do you have any plans to concentrate on establishing and expanding the HTC brand here a little more than you might have done in the past?

We’re moving in that direction. You’ll see us now trying to focus more on the brand. For instance, HTC is now prominently featured on the Sprint Touch, and the T-Mobile Shadow. We haven’t been as aggressive since we work closely with the operators but we’re looking to be more front and center.

Q: Thanks for your time, Jason.

A: Thank you.

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We were on Power 105.1 FM last night with DJ Clue, and went over everything from the hottest holiday gadgets, to the new BlackBerry 9000 series, and even took listeners calls! To everyone that called in, thanks! We had such a tremendous overload of callers that we were only able to get to one person! The whole audio from last night is below. Let us know what you think!

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We were supposed to be on last Friday, but some things came up, which ultimately delayed us from going on air. Well, we’re ready to rock tonight at 7PM with DJ Clue on Power 105.1, and we’ll be on the radio for the first time ever! Make sure you tune in, and even hit us up, ‘cuz we’re taking calls! If you want to be on live with yours truly and the world-famous DJ Clue, call up Power 105.1 starting at 6:30 PM at 1-800-585-1051. If you live outside the NY / NJ / CT area, you can stream it live at the link below! Also drop some comments if you’ve got any questions you’d like answered on air.

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Yeah, you heard right! We’re going to be on Power105.1FM in New York City tonight at 7PM with DJ Clue. We’ll be going over the hottest new phones for the holiday season, talkin’ trash, and best of all, taking listener’s calls! If you got a question or just want to hit us up live on the radio, call Power 105.1 at 1-800-585-1051! If you’re not in the NY / NJ / CT area, you can stream it live by clicking over to Power 105.1 below, and hitting the "stream live" button!

UPDATE: Due to some unforseen issues, we’re rescheduling our Power 105.1 appearance! Stay tuned!

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We recently had a chance to speak with TeleNav’s Communications Manager and self-proclaimed "best publicist in the world," MaryBeth Lowell. The conversation moved from TeleNav’s software (and it’s rapidly expanding features) to their plans to support the iPhone.

Additionally it seems that the have added a Quasi-Helio Buddy Beacon feature that enables users to broadcast their location to friends and even supply directions on how to get there. Our big question was in regards to the BlackBerry 8820 GPS locking and if TeleNav played a role in that. TeleNav agreed to give us (5) 3-month licenses for any device for 5 of our lucky readers, so if you would like to be included just leave a comment on which feature you would like included in a future version of TeleNav and we’ll pick the 5 people with the best ideas. Hit the jump for some highlights of our conversation!

• Did TeleNav know that the BlackBerry 8820 would be GPS-locked to only TeleNav ? We were advised to contact AT&T, which we did, but for the most part, TeleNav had no knowledge of this. 
• They’ve added a new feature that allows users to broadcast their location to friends and provide directions as on how to get there as well.
• TeleNav is making a big push to bolster and create additional features instead of just straight real-time GPS navigation. One such feature is Biz Finder which provides a search feature to find nearby restaurants, movie theatres and more. The "Reviews" feature is one of the coolest components of the technology….Say you’re in Los Angeles and search for "sushi". When the results come back with the nearest restaurants, you will have access to reviews for the specified restaurant, and can even add a review right there from your phone.
• We asked TeleNav what they thought of InfoSpace’s FindIt! program. We were told the difference is that FindIt! doesn’t provide turn-by-turn directions and real-time navigation. (They do, however, provide turn-by-turn directions by voice)
• TeleNav would love to support the iPhone, but obviously at this time there is no internal GPS, and an external Bluetooth device won’t work either. They’re hoping an upcoming iPhone will sport internal GPS and therefore make compatibility and integration more feasible.
• TeleNav offers software on every national wireless carrier in North America except for Verizon (due to Verizon’s notorious stranglehold on GPS and other features). However, strangely enough TeleNav does function on some BlackBerry devices on Verizon as long as you buy the software directly from TeleNav.

Want to get your real-time GPS on? Hit us with some ideas to improve TeleNav, and we’ll pick 5 winners!

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That’s what we’ve been told! You remember the Sprint BlackBerry Pearl 2, right? It should have integrated GPS, but apparently WiFi won’t make its way into the mix. Since the date we were given was more like a timeframe, please consider it such. Anyways, you just might be able to pick one up before you have to go see those people you see once a year. You know, the ones called family? If this helps lighten your day, I guess we can reveal it…In addition to the news on Sprint’s BlackBerry Pearl 2, we got word that the CDMA Curve is planned for release early in Q1 of ‘08. Possibly on Sprint.

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Yeah guys, it’s that same HTC Kaiser we’re talking about. The intel from our always-reliable-super-excellent-slightly-demanding HTC source, is that the HTC Kaiser is now delayed from July, to August. Not much is known at this point just why HTC has made that decision, but it could be because of some carrier pressure to not give up on their current HTC TyTN variants quite yet. Also you can best believe their trying to get a really solid OS ready for such an impressive device. Viva la HTC!

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Here’s yet another RAZR variant just in time for your weekend trip to the club. This tricked out Motorola V3i is designed by Peter Aloissen, the diamond-encrusted-phone-master, and features a gold-plated stainless steel case covered in 855 hand set diamonds, amounting to 3.8 carats of total weight. Nothing else has been altered, so once the luster of the outer case wears off you’ll find yourself left with a regular, run-of-the-mill Motorola V3i, a revelation sure to cause a bit of pain and soul searching. This handset is a relative steal among custom fashion phones, setting you back a mere $10,000.

[Via Luxist]

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Check out the latest interview that I did with BlackBerry Cool. At the least, it has some exclusive BlackBerry info…

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There’s luxury, and then there’s Luxury. Raymarine’s new HDTV antenna system is firmly aiming for the latter. Trying to bring Hi-Def television to your yacht, this system employs DMB (Dynamic Beam Tilting) and WRS (Wide Range Search) to ensure that you’ll receive this week’s episode of Desperate Housewives, in even the most bleak and choppy seas. This amenity, including antenna, control unit, and DirectTV should run you between $7,000-$9,000.

[Via newlaunches]

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Wanted to give everyone a heads up on an interview I did on BlackBerry Cool. Talked about the Apple iPhone, upcoming devices from RIM and carrier marketing strategies for these new products. It’s a good read.

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Check out this new interview I did with Just Blaze last night. Filmed again at the famous Baseline Recording studios Just jumps into his favorite device and a not so hot one. Watch the interview to find out!

We also answered a ton of questions that were left in the comments and that part of the interview should be up before the weekend

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