Review HTC has just about the fullest range of Windows Mobile smart phones on the market at the moment with a wide variety of types and prices. The HD2 is at the apex of its range, offering arguably the most bang, but also demanding a considerable amount of bucks. It lines up as HTC’s most complete package to date though, with a huge screen, the latest Sense UI, Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, HSDPA 3G, a 5Mp Camera, Wi-Fi, FM radio, GPS and social networking integration.
Quite a display – HTC’s HD2
There’s no getting around it, the HD2 is a large handset and looks as if it’s well on the way to becoming a notebook PC. HTC has sweetened the pill however by making it exceptionally slim and fairly light, so it measures up as 121x67x11mm and 157g. It’s still a handful, but not a huge jump from the iPhone and, in practise, we found it surprisingly pocket-friendly.
The capacitive LCD touch screen is a mighty 4.3in with 480×800 pixel resolution and both looks and feels fantastic. The display is clear and sharp for viewing but it’s also sensitive enough that it never seems to have any trouble distinguishing between brushes and strokes – not something that you’ll find on all Windows Mobile touch screen phones (are you listening Acer?). It is a bit of a fingerprint magnet however, seemingly lacking the sort of anti-grease coating that the iPhone revels in. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Android smartphones are fast losing their novelty status as more manufacturers get to grips with Google’s open source operating system and go the widget way, often developing their own individual take of the basic style. Motorola and Samsung have been recent converts – with their Dext and Galaxy, respectively – but Taiwanese firm HTC was the first, and has been churning out variations on the theme with steady regularity.
HTC’s Tattoo: Android for the mainstream?
The Tattoo marks a change of positioning for HTC, since the handset aimed very much at the mid-range, and is the cheapest Android yet. It seems to have sacrificed remarkably little in doing so, since it comes with HTC’s popular Sense user interface, HSDPA 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 3.2Mp Camera.
The Tattoo breaks with the tradition established by HTC’s previous Androids by forsaking the distinctive style of the likes of the Magic and the Hero with their quirky little chin. Instead, HTC has here opted for the more classic look of HTC’s Windows Mobile handsets. Beneath the 2.8in, 240 x 320 touchscreen sits a circular navpad, a control mechanism not usually seen on Android handsets, and certainly not HTC’s. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Windows Mobile 6.5 is now with us but its reception has been far from ecstatic. The general view is that Microsoft is playing catch-up and will have to do something spectacular with Windows Mobile 7, due to debut next year, if it’s to really challenge its rivals.
HTC’s Touch 2: aspiring to touchphone greatness
However, that hasn’t stopped a flurry of new smartphones from gaining the updated OS. HTC has two handsets in the fray: the large screened HD 2 and the more svelte Touch 2. It’s the latter we’re looking at today, two-and-a-half years on from the launch of the original Touch.
The HD 2 marries Microsoft’s revamped OS with an updated version of HTC’s own TouchFlo user interface. It isn’t always easy to tell where one begins and the other ends, though the new colour icons on the vibrant main screen’s horizontal shortcuts scrollbar are HTC’s, as is the six-person favourite contacts display. The main slide-to-unlock screen is Microsoft’s, as is the so-called ‘honeycomb’ applications menu. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Another week, another handset from HTC, or so it seems. The Taiwanese manufacturer has been churning out new Windows Mobile smart phones with indecent haste of late, and seems to be showing no signs of flagging.
HTC’s Snap: keep up with your inner retinue
The latest is a break from the firm’s Touch series and instead more closely resembles the classic BlackBerry look, with front-mounted Qwerty keyboard and trackball. Inside, it’s all Windows Mobile, though of a slightly more basic stripe than much of HTC’s Touch series, but it also packs in HSDPA 3G, A-GPS, Wi-Fi and a 2Mp Camera.
Looks-wise, the Snap is all puritan business black, though the austere effect is leavened a little by the rubberised plastic of the casing, which feels warm and welcoming to the touch. It’s a slimline, fairly lightweight device at 117 x 62 x 12mm and 120g, and nestles comfortably in the hand. The sides are uncluttered, with only a volume rocker and mini USB power/headphone socket covered by a sturdy grommet to break up the smooth lines. Read the rest of this entry »
Review It seems like ages since the first Google Android phone appeared as the T-Mobile G1 at the back end of 2008. But now the HTC Magic has arrived on Vodafone and it’s an altogether different beast: lighter, sleeker, more powerful, with more memory, a 3.2Mp Camera and Stereo Bluetooth.
HTC’s Magic: all about the touchscreen – despite the extra buttons below the screen
But though the HTC Magic is certainly better than its predecessor, with the next-gen iPhone expected in a month or so’s time, is it doing enough to keep up? Read the rest of this entry »
