Review HTC has released two ‘Facebook phones’ of late – the Qwerty-packing ChaCha and the Salsa, the latter being a compact bundle of fun, which wears its dedicated Facebook button just beneath its screen.
HTC’s Salsa: spiced with Facebook favours
While the designers of the ChaCha had obviously looked over the shoulder of a BlackBerry owner or two, the Salsa’s style keeps things in-house with a nod to the HTC Desire’s odd little chin at the bottom of the phone, which seems to be getting less pronounced with each incarnation. Read the rest of this entry »
Review If there is such a condition as telephonic incontinence then HTC is clearly a sufferer, as it churns out a handset for just about every conceivable demographic. With the ChaCha, the company is focusing on text warriors with a hard Qwerty keyboard and some social networking tweaks.
Upbeat performer: HTC’s ChaCha
This Android 2.3 smartie is a funky frolic of a phone with a slimline form factor (114 x 65 x 11m and 124g) that curves in the middle to give it an ergonomic lift in the palm. Its white rubberised plastic and brushed aluminium casing give it a zesty modern feel. While the top half is typically Android – with the four familiar control buttons nestling beneath the touch screen – the 40-key Qwerty keyboard that takes up the lower part looks decidedly different for a Googlephone. BlackBerry users may feel a certain déjà vu, however.
The keys are made of HTC’s comfortingly tactile rubberised plastic, and each one is raised proud of the casing. They’re easy to find and press, both with the tip and the flat of the thumb, and offer good feedback with reassuring clicks for each press. They’re nicely spaced too, so they’re just as easy to use with two thumbs as one. Read the rest of this entry »
Review With HTC churning out a different handset for seemingly every demographic, the original Wildfire was ‘the weeny one’. The recent Wildfire S updates the concept with improved screen and processor, the latest (almost) Android 2.3 Gingerbread, plus GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G, at half the price of a high-end handset.
HTC’s Wildfire S: offers a speed bump and a higher res screen over the original
The pricier handsets might be fighting each other to see just how big they can make a screen that will still fit the in the average pocket, but the Wildfire S makes a virtue of its petite proportions. Read the rest of this entry »
The revised version of HTC’s more than capable Desire offers an updated look and runs Gingerbread, the latest Android 2.3 OS. What the Desire S brings to the mix is a faster, more responsive handset with improved keyboards and video calling options, all for a reasonable price.
Android appeal: HTC’s Desire S
The casing is made from a single piece of aluminium, rather like HTC’s previous Mozart and Legend – very classy, if a little cold. It’s also in complete contrast to the rubbery countenance of the recent Incredible S. There are a couple of plastic panels at the top and bottom for the aerials and the bottom one is removable for access to your hot-swappable Sim and Micro SD cards. Read the rest of this entry »
The Incredible S is latest in HTC’s extensive line of Android handsets. It runs version 2.2 of the OS, includes a 1GHz processor, 8Mp Camera and lots of clever tricks, but despite its distinctive rubbery look, it isn’t hugely different from its siblings. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, since it’s still got plenty going for it.
Rubber in hand: HTC’s Incredible S
Yet it’s those acres tactile rubberised plastic – used more sparingly on other HTC handsets – that really set it apart; taking up the entire 120 x 64 x 12mm casing. This phone isn’t sliding anywhere when you put it down. At the front is a large 4in touchscreen with the four Android buttons below it on a touch sensitive strip – their orientation rotates when you turn the phone on its side – not essential, but nice.
Around the sides are a volume rocker and micro USB power/sync slot, with 3.5mm headphone jack and power button on top. The back bulges out slightly and housing the Camera lens, dual LED flash and loudspeaker. Read the rest of this entry »
