Before smartphones became slabs of glass that all felt the same, there was a company that made phones feel experimental, personal, and genuinely fun. That company was HTC.

In this episode of Tek With Josh, I take a step back from news, rumors, and specs to talk about the brand that made me fall in love with smartphones in the first place. From Windows Mobile devices like the T-Mobile Dash and HTC Mogul, to the early days of Android with the G1, Hero, and the legendary EVO, this is a personal walk through an era when phones invited you to tinker, customize, and actually learn how they worked.

I talk about rooting phones, swapping batteries, kickstands, trackballs, physical keyboards, early 4G launches, and what it felt like working retail when HTC phones could stop a city block. We also look at how HTC helped shape Android itself, their role in Google’s Nexus lineup, and how pieces of HTC’s DNA still live on in modern Pixel phones.

More than anything, this episode is about why phones felt different back then—and why innovation sometimes costs companies everything.

If you’ve ever missed when phones had personality, or if HTC was part of your journey into tech, this one’s for you.

For more episodes, blog posts, and deep dives into tech past and present, visit BooksByJosh.com and check out the Tek With Josh section. If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show and stick around — there’s more reflective tech history and commentary coming.