HTC Aria Reviews

The HTC Aria is the second Android OS phone to join the AT&T lineup. This petite powerhouse includes a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera with video capture, GPS, Wi-Fi wireless networking, and Bluetooth.

It is currently available from AT&T for $130 with a new two-year contract.

I've only had this model for a short time, so I'm not yet ready to do a full review. Even so, this smartphone has already impressed me with its small size and usefulness.

BUILD & DESIGN

The first thing you'll notice when you pick up the HTC Aria is that it is tiny in comparison to most of the recent smartphones. It is significantly shorter and narrower than the HTC EVO 4G, and though it's roughly the same size as my old LG Dare, it is much thinner. It is also very light, weighing in at just 4 ounces.

The back of the case is covered in a soft material that is comfortable to hold and helps to improve grip. The back does tend to get rather warm, especially when used for long periods such as catching up on the news with MobiTV. Once you stop using the phone for a while,though, it quickly cools down.

Display

The display is bright and vibrant, and even looks good outside. the video service MobiTV looks great, with sharp images. I didn't see any ghosting or pixelization issues during my initial testing.

Keyboard

The HTC Aria doesn't have a physical keyboard. The on-screen virtual keyboard is well laid out, but somewhat difficult to use since the screen on this device is relatively small. It works far better in landscape mode, and this orientation allows me to keep a better grip on the phone.

Other Buttons & Controls

The Power and sleep/wake button is on the top, as is the standard headphone jack. The volume up/down control is on the left side of the device.

The Home, Menu, Back, and Search "buttons" are actually touch-sensitive areas on the front, just under the display. Below that you'll find the optical joystick, which works fairly well, but seemed a bit too responsive and "twitchy" during my initial tests.

I was concerned at first that the back cover of the phone could be difficult to remove because the each corner has a screw with a triangular head. Fortunately, they appear to be more for show more than function, because the back cover of the phone is easily removed. The battery compartment is shocking yellow, and the SIM card slot and microSD card slot are located just below the battery in the same compartment.

PERFORMANCE

The Aria is definitely snappy, with fast performance. It is extremely responsive to my every command, opening apps and loading web pages very quickly indeed.

This smartphone runs Google's Android OS 2.1, with the HTC Sense user interface layered on top. Rather than replacing Google's standard UI, HTC's enhances it with additional homescreens and widgets.

Thanks to Google's operating system, it comes with a suite of communication, entertainment, and productivity software, as well as access to 50,000 additional apps on the Android Market.

Wireless/Call Quality

Call volume is very good, but there has been a persistent low hiss/static evident in my test calls. I hear the party on the other end loud and clear, and they can hear me, but they can also hear a persistent low hiss, even when I'm in a very quiet environment like my office. It is impossible to tell at this point whether this is a serious issue or a random glitch; AT&T coverage in my area can be somewhat spotty. Further testing will enable me to make a better determination on this, so be sure to check out the full review as soon as it is published here on Brighthand.

Productivity

Of course all of the standard Google mobile apps are included on the Aria, such as Gmail and Google Maps. Calendar, contacts, a calculator, and a clock keep you organized and on time. There is no task management app preloaded on the phone.

The Quickoffice viewer for Microsoft Office documents and an Adobe PDF Viewer come preloaded, as well as Mobile Banking and a stock tracker. AT&T includes a Wi-Fi hotspot locater, FamilyMap, AT&T Maps, and AT&T Navigator.

Entertainment

A music player is a standard part of the Android OS. The volume and quality on the external speaker are slightly disappointing, with significant distortion at higher volume levels. Sound quality is much better with headphones.

As mentioned previously, the streaming video service MobiTV looks great -- the picture is surprisingly sharp and clear.

The Aria also includes Facebook and Peep, a Twtter client, plus Friendstream, AT&T Radio, and a built-in FM radio.

Camera

The 5-megapixel camera on this smartphone has face detection and is also capable of video capture. I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet, but my first photos came out rather nicely.

Since there is no camera button on the side of the device, you take photos by pressing the optical joystick. It works well, minimizes problems with camera shake, and is much easier to use than a side button.

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HTC 7 Mozart Reviews

The HTC 7 Mozart is going to be half of Orange’s offering for Windows Phone 7 in the UK. It is an exclusive handset, so if you want the particular features that this phone offers, you’ll have to do it via Orange. The other Orange handset is the Samsung Omnia 7. We’ve seen the HTC 7 Mozart before, but only briefly at a group preview behind closed doors, and we decided to wait until we’d had the phone in our hands for longer than 10 seconds before passing any sort of judgement.

HTC has split its offerings three ways: the HTC 7 Mozart with Orange, the HTC Trophy with Vodafone and the HTC HD7 with O2. Each operator has exclusivity, which ultimately means that unless you want to switch to a new network, you’ll have limited choice when it comes to which Windows Phone you are going to get.

Of course, HTC isn’t the only manufacturer, you’ll also get LG and Samsung in the mix - and eventually Dell - and we wouldn’t be surprised if more manufacturers appeared later in the year or early 2011. With Microsoft dominating the user experience, technically we could see a number of handset manufacturers joining the fray.

Being limited in which handset you get might not make that much difference, because essentially Microsoft have kept Windows Phone 7 on a tight leash. Andy Lees, president mobile communications business at Microsoft, today said that Microsoft wanted to be “accountable for the total experience”.

That’s a bold move from a manufacturer that in the past has seen some of the greatest benefits from the value added features that manufacturers added. The greatest ever Windows Mobile device was HTC’s HD2, heavily layered with HTC Sense, obliterating the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS lurking beneath. But that’s history, as Ashley Highfield, MD consumer and online at Microsoft UK said today that the approach with Windows Phone 7 is about a, “relentless focus on the consumer”.

The HTC 7 Mozart is every bit an HTC phone, externally, at least. It sees the aluminium unibody design we’ve seen on the likes of the HTC Desire and HTC Legend, and more recently the HTC Desire HD. The anodised finish feels luscious in the hand, every bit as strokeable as the Desire. The slight oddity, however, lies around the back.

Two corners of the handset are formed from black textured plastic. This doesn’t detract from the overall look and feel, but it is slightly odd. We assume that it is to avoid any sort of signal problem like you get on the iPhone 4. As a result, we can’t help feeling that from behind it looks like a pair of metal pants pulled over a black rubber bottom. Let’s hope that image doesn’t stick in your mind too long, but take a look at it.

As we’ve become accustomed to from HTC, the build quality is excellent. The handset is free from creaks and everything seems tightly put together. There is no avoiding the fact that it looks and feels like a premium device, from the body work to the screen, it is a good looking handset, baring a resemblance to the HTC Desire, which it now rivals.

Around the front you get yourself a 3.7-inch, 800 x 480 pixel resolution display. This is the resolution of all the current Windows Phone 7 handsets, and the experience across handsets is very similar visually. The Samsung Omnia 7, the other Orange handset, has an AMOLED display at 4 inches.

Needless to say it packs a punch. There may be little difference across the Windows Phone 7 range, but that’s almost a positive thing: all the handsets look excellent, which was Microsoft’s intention. Across the bottom of the display are the regulation three buttons: back, “Start” and search. At first you might find yourself scratching your head looking for a menu button, as we did, but it takes almost no time to find your way around.

Of course this is territory where we’ll reserve judgement until we’ve had some time to live with a handset and find the real quirks. But when we dived off to find a Wi-Fi network, we had no problem navigating to the settings menu, or finding the camera, or browsing Windows Marketplace. These are encouraging signs from a new operating system. Microsoft has struggled with ease of use in the past and things appear to be different with Windows Phone 7.

Windows Phone 7 was silky smooth to navigate, we found the on-screen keyboard to be hugely responsive, as responsive as we’ve found on our favourite Android handsets and the iPhone, but we’ll reserve final judgement here too: there may be a few oddities hiding in there that we need to route out.

With differentiation closely tied down, the HTC 7 Mozart doesn’t have much scope to stand out from the rest of the bunch. But flip the handset over and you’ll find an 8-megapixel autofocus camera, backed by a Xenon flash. This positions the HTC 7 Mozart as more of a “camera phone” than most of the other handsets. Whether the specs result in images of notable quality remains to be seen and is something we’ll look at when we get the phone in for a full review. We did fire up the camera and found the interface was simple to use and flipping over to the camcorder offers up 720p video capture, keeping pace with other smartphones on the market.

With Microsoft ruling with an iron fist, differentiation also falls into individual hubs. In this case we have the HTC hub and as soon as you open it you are greeted with a familiar clock. Within the HTC hub you’ll be able to get to those applications that HTC is going to offer you and they all have a familiar feel: 3D super-animated weather, stocks, notes, amongst others, and a Sound Enhancer App.

With a name like Mozart, sound has to come up somewhere. The Sound Enhancer App lets you customise the sound profile, taking advantage of Dolby Mobile or SRS technologies. Whether that actually makes any difference or not remains to be seen, but it is in these little details that you’ll have to decide which Windows Mobile 7 phone is for you.

Those who are serious about their music might gripe at he 8GB of storage and wish for more, but for those in the UK you’ll be seeing the integration of Zune and with Zune Pass you’ll be able to stream all the music you like. Of course you also get that Xbox connection too, although these services will probably grow as Windows Phone 7 matures.

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HTC Salsa Review

Introduction:

Salsa is your friend. You put it on nachos; you do it on the dance floor. The word conjures up images of socializing, music and fun times. We're guessing that's why Salsa is the name of HTC's latest social media, and more specifically, Facebook phone. With more explicit Facebook integration than most, the HTC Salsa, along with its sibling, the HTC ChaCha, carries a physical Facebook button to tie whatever's going on in your hand to the world of Facebook. Sitting between the HTC Wildfire and the HTC Desire S, is the Facebook button enough to make us want some Salsa on our social networking or would we be better off ignoring this friend request and going for a more established model?

Design:

The first thing that strikes us about the design of the HTC Salsa is its build quality. This isn't a half baked chunky plastic job, it's every bit as well built as the HTC Desire S with an HTC Hero-esque styling. Until, that is, you arrive at the jarring blue button on the lower part of the fascia that makes it very clear what this phone's all about. But we'll come onto that later, now, lets talk about the screen.

With HVGA resolution (320x480) and 3.4 inches of screen, the HTC Salsa delivers good overall contrast and brightness levels though isn’t very sharp. Viewing angles hold up pretty well and the capacitive display is certainly responsive enough to make the overall experience good, but it’s in the league below WVGA displays out there.

As far as the physical design goes, as mentioned, the HTC Salsa resembles a slightly squat HTC Hero with a chin that houses the all-important Facebook button. Directly below the display are 4 capacitive buttons while above is the front facing camera, light sensor and in-call speaker. There's a volume rocker and micro USB port to the left, while to the right is one of the best camera buttons we've seen on a phone, offering a large, easy to press, two stage shutter release. The power button and audio jack lie up top, while on theback is a 5MP autofocus camera, single LED flash and loudspeaker. The handset feels ergonomically curvaceous, though may be a bit thick and heavy for some. This all makes for a hardy mid-range bit of kit with a conspicuous Facebook button. That said, with the lackluster screen, we're hoping for some pretty special functionality to justify the HTC Salsa’s upper mid-range price-point.

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HTC Dream Review

First Impressions, Basic Phone Functionality

Let’s get this out of the way… there isn’t any wow-factor when you take the phone out of the box. Walking around town with the phone, there weren’t the people dropping their jaws when the phone was pulled out. The G1 is a 2006 version of the HTC Wizard, the AT&T 8125, and the PPC-6700 on Sprint and Verizon. The only major difference, is that it has a spring loading keyboard, and a trackball. In short; it’s thick, it’s a brick.

But, the wow factor starts when you hit the power button. Normally, when you think of an HTC device, you think of a tank. It’s big, it’s slow, but eventually it gets the job done. It took the threat of a class action suit for HTC to realize that drivers actually matter in a Windows Mobile phone. The G1 is a new beginning for HTC.

Powering on the phone for the first time, you notice the quick boot time, about half that of a Windows Mobile phone. The G1 boots in about 49 seconds, compared to iPhone 3G at 54 seconds (time from powering on, to main screen). You’re given a quick welcome screen, and asked to enter in your Google Account, so that you can have sync services. More on that later. After that, you’re dropped right to the “desktop”.

The desktop is not like the home screens on any other cell phone. It’s much more akin to the desktop of a modern computer. You have icons, a menu bar, an application dock, folders, and widgets. Like the iPhone, you flick your finger to scroll through these things. And, that’s the next major thing that sets the G1 apart from any other HTC phone yet; it’s designed for your finger. It only responds to a human touch.

Usage-wise, it’s almost natural to immediately open the keyboard when using the device. I only found myself using the G1 with the keyboard closed… was when I made a phone call. Regardless of scrolling with the trackpad, or flipping with the finger… widescreen was the way to go. That’s mostly because of the weight balancing on the G1. But, it works surprisingly well… All three inputs; keyboard, touch screen, and trackball, are all easily accessible.

Unfortunately, we can’t really weigh in on call quality as of yet. Same with battery life. Why? T-Mobile has said that the Sacramento market will be 3G when the G1 launches… but as of yet, we haven’t seen a any 3G coverage. It is a bit concerning that T-Mobile is committing to launching a 3G network, but hasn’t opened access less than a week before launch.

The mini-USB port at the bottom carries a port cover. It’s a nice addition, and despite some who had concerns about it, the port cover was easy for us to open and plug things into. Unfortunately, as had been rumored, the standard Ext-USB port adapter (which allows the USB port to be used as a 3.5mm headphone jack), is absent from the included accessories. This is simply unacceptable; HTC bundles this with every Windows Mobile phone… Android should be no different. Ideally, T-Mobile should rectify this and offer to mail all G1 owners an adapter.

Advanced Features

There’s a lot of advanced features in the G1. First and foremost, is the ability to switch applications easily. By holding the home button down, a task switcher (very reminiscent of alt-tab or command-tab on Windows and Mac OS X) appears. This allows for several applications to be running at once, applications quit after not being used for a prolonged period. This allows you to maintain an IM session, while looking up a web page, while on hold in a phone call. And, it just works.

In short, the G1 has shown that a smartphone really can multitask. That’s something that most of the competition has simply failed at… one way or another.

Wi-Fi. I thought that iPhone really was the best Wi-Fi implementation that could be crafted. Well, Google one-upped Apple. Wi-Fi base stations that come into range, show up in the menu bar. A quick flick of the menu bar lets you connect to new base stations in range. There’s no nagging notification dialogue that interrupts what you’re doing. If you want to wardrive, just flick down the menu bar. If you want to keep using 3G, you don’t need to do a thing.

Camera: This was an interesting one… as there is no video recorder. It’s shocking how Google and HTC could have missed the need for one, after watching iPhone attacked endlessly for this. However, with still photos, it has an excellent interface. The pressure-sensitive camera button handles the auto-focus with ease. In fact, the only interface elements in the camera application, are a green light that appears when there’s an auto-focus lock… and a balloon that appears to tell you where the camera button is initially.

Also, the Camera application supports grabbing GPS location data, and gives fairly good response times. Is the much-more-expensive Touch Diamond better? Maybe… but it’s certainly close. And, again, this really shows what Android can do, considering the age of the G1′s hardware.

The G1 ships with IM, Google’s first instant messenger that reaches beyond the walls of Google Talk. While it includes Google Talk, it also supports other instant messaging services.

Shockingly, we were not informed that IM services other than Google Talk do indeed use text messages, as opposed to data. There was no mention (in the application) that IMs sent via Google Talk would be free (using unlimited data), but that AIM/Windows Live/Yahoo messages would be charged SMS rates.

Mail was one of the key areas where we hit some bugs. First, there are two Mail applications. One for Gmail, one for all other IMAP/POP3 email accounts. Both appear to be using the same source code, with the Gmail app having a different interface (with Gmail specializations). Unfortunately, Mail is a bit buggy. It has some of the same IMAP root path bugs that iPhone had when it first shipped. Worse, we couldn’t work around them with hard-coding… each inbox called itself INBOX.Mail.something.

The media players are a bit interesting… and a bit of a letdown. The Music player is only marginally better than the now-ancient Windows Media Player. There is no video player, aside from an early version in the Android Marketplace. YouTube is the only video player on the phone. YouTube does, however, work quite well. It pulls video from the same H.264 path that iPhone uses.

Speaking of the Android Market, this is where Google starts to turn things around. Android Market is fast, reliable, and we only encountered one time where we had to re-launch the Market, in about a week of usage. While there are only a few apps listed now, it does pale in comparison to Apple’s App Store, this is largely due to the G1 not being out yet. Unlike iPhone, developers haven’t had a chance to test software on the device itself… something key to testing and approving software.

Sync services are a good start, but still quite a ways from MobileMe. Google needs to have Windows and Mac OS X desktop integration, to close the loop. Right now, Android is great with syncing to the online cloud… but the cloud isn’t good at syncing back to your computers.

Maps works great, our only problem was with the GPS taking awhile to acquisition. It has poor in-building penetration. Outdoors and in a car however, GPS locks on quickly. Maps on Android is comparable to Google Maps for Mobile 2.3, and includes Street View. And, a hidden option allows for enabling Compass mode, which lets the accelerometer use Street View in a panoramic mode; browsing the Street View simply by moving the device around in a circular fashion. Compass mode didn’t really work well. This could be due to the fact that most apps don’t really use the accelerometer… as was noted above, landscape is the natural mode for most applications.

And, finally, the web browser. Google has said that Android is not using Chrome, but a different branch of Apple’s Web Kit browser. However, we question that a bit… Google may be holding back on calling Android’s browser Chrome, but that may be so that we’re compelled to report on that announcement later. It’s pretty clear that much of the advances in Chrome stem from Android’s web browser. In fact, Android even works flawlessly with Google Gears, on standard desktop web sites. If they are different browsers, the same people helped make them.

Warning: Android is about to be compared to iPhone, a lot. This is because Safari and Android Browser share the same core browser code. It is an extremely valid basis for comparing the two devices.

The web browser works great. It zooms, sizes text well, and scrolls robustly (with both the touch screen and trackball). Tabbed browsing is pretty much identical to iPhone, as is the ability of the browser to load and render web pages. However, they do size text differently…

Android does not benefit from the Resolution Independence technology, introduced in Mac OS X. Instead, Android changes the size of the text based on the zoom level. This works about 75% as well as Safari on iPhone. However, because the G1 benefits from being primarily used in landscape mode… it isn’t as much of an issue.

Scrolling on Android Browser is about as elegant as Safari. However, because the display is not multi-touch, zooming is accomplished by buttons that appear whenever the finger is touching the display. Android also provides a magnifying glass feature, common on third-party browsers such as Opera Mini. Touching the magnifying glass (which appears next to the zoom controls), zooms the page out to a maximum level, and then provides a magnified box which the user can scroll. This allows the user to quickly jump to, for example, the bottom of a long web page. While functionally the magnifying glass is a bit of a hassle… it’s less of a hassle than scrolling 25 times to get to the bottom of a web page in iPhone’s Safari.

Both iPhone and Android include Google search. iPhone has search built-in to the scroll bar, and so does Android. Android also comes with a desktop widget to search right on the desktop… and we actually found it quite useful. The search bars also support Google’s suggestion features, so search queries appear as you type. Moreover, we found searching on Android to be faster than iPhone 3G… even on T-Mobile’s EDGE network. This is because iPhone defaults to the desktop version of Google web search. Android however, defaults to the AJAX-powered mobile version. So, while iPhone is desktop-perfect, Android doesn’t need to reload the entire page, and thus, can search faster.

Note: iPhone users can take advantage of AJAX mobile search by pointing their browsers to unlockdon. And, iPhone also has a dedicated Google Search Application, which replicates the utility of the search widget on Android’s desktop.

And, like Safari, Android’s Browser is pretty devoid of extensions. There’s no Flash support, and worse… PDF support is missing. In all, iPhone’s Safari wins out clearly… but not by the glaring distance compared with other browsers. And, unlike iPhone, Android allows for unsigned code… so there’s nothing stopping Adobe from adding PDF and Flash support on their own.

In the first section, I noted that the G1 was a 2006 phone hardware-wise. Well, this is what a 2006 phone can do with good drivers. Make no mistake about it, Android is a game changer. When IÂ criticized Microsoft for not updating older Windows Mobile devices (there is no reason a 2003 Windows Mobile phone couldn’t run the latest version), I coined the phrase that iPhone wants to be updated. Android takes that to a whole new level. Android doesn’t wait to be plugged into a computer, it has an auto-updater running in the background.

Conclusions

Some will ask flat-out, is Android better than iPhone? Some will yell at us for bringing up that question (yes, we read your comments… all of them). The answer is two-fold. As a not-yet-released phone, the G1 and Android do not have the polish that Apple has been able to build with a two year lead time. But, that said, the G1 has the promise to beat the iPhone down the road.

Like iPhone, Google has promised to continually improve Android, and HTC is in turn obligated to release those updates. A2DP Stereo Bluetooth is on its way for the G1, and Android Market will fill in some of the missing applications. Moreover, Android will let groundbreaking apps be released without hinderance. That will drive developers to the platform, and their innovations will drive users to it as well.

Clearly, Android needs a little polish. There are just some bundled applications that should be there. There isn’t any default program for Weather or Stocks. The clock tool is just a basic Alarm Clock. However, with a Market, we don’t need to knock the phone for missing these… AccuWeather already has a full weather app on Market, and Namco is even offering Pac-Man as a free download.

Probably the worst real problem with the G1, is the lack of pervasive 3G coverage… but, come next year, G1 variants will be headed to each and every carrier. The future is bright, Google has shown they can raise the bar, and the G1 will leave those on T-Mobile without feeling the urge to switch carriers, just to get one of the best phones on the market.

The important thing is that the platform is stable, it’s fast, it’s responsive. It just works.

On one final note, we would like to thank Google, T-Mobile, and HTC for giving us the opportunity to have an unprecedented early access with the Android platform. Android really has grown on us, but in one way Google may not have wanted to tip their hand to. Near the start of the review, I noted Android’s home screen resembled a conventional desktop. It has become clear to me, that Android is Google’s total operating system play. It could replace a desktop operating system tomorrow, and would overnight become the most popular version of Linux. Of course, Google wouldn’t be content with that… but it is nice to know that Google has their desktop platform, and it’s maturing on today’s cell phones.

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HTC Desire Reviews

A touch of 'One' style

The HTC Desire is arguably one X of the best looking pre-paid handsets available on the Australian market right now. The phone features some key design from HTC's more expensive 'One' range, Particularly the One S. Like that phone, the Desire: slightly curved X HAS profile it That Makes Both distinctive and comfortable to hold. This curvature is subtle yet elegant - it's hard to notice if you look at the phone forehead as only the top and bottom of the device curves upwards When it's laid flat on a desk or table.

The bevelled edges, curved corners and smooth, rounded styling makes the Desire X Almost inviting to pick up. Particularly we like the white, plastic finish, contrasts nicely with Which the silver bezel on the front and the gloss black border surrounding the display. The build of the Desire X Gives the feeling That It is a uni body, polycarbonate back of the goal box the phone is removable. This Provides two advantages over HTC's more expensive and One X One S phones - the battery is removable and therefore replaceable and there's a micro SD card for extra storage.

HTC HAS Placed the power / lock button at the top of the Desire X, right in the middle. This looks odd at first, as thesis are buttons to the right Positioned Usually gold left. However, this position is perfect for one-handed use due to the shape and curvature of the Desire X. Touch-sensitive back, home and multitasking shortcut keys sit below the display, while a volume rocker is located on the right side. We were not a fan of the spongy feel of thesis volume buttons, Which Often rendered unresponsive em. During testing, we found They required a firm press to activate Rather.

Pre-paid Android phones are Compromised Often poor quality screens with a goal the HTC Desire X does not go down That path. It comes with a super wide 4in LCD screen with a resolution of 800x480. The use of technology in a SLCD phone retails for under $ That 300 is without a doubt The most appealing aspects of the Desire X. The display is vivid, bright and has excellent viewing angles. It can not display the same super crisp text as more expensive smartphones, aim at this price point it is a clear leader.

Ice Cream Sandwich makes Sense

The HTC Desire runs Google's X 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software and once again features HTC's Sense 4.0 UI overlay. The user experience is very similar to HTC's MOST of more expensive range, with A Few exclusions. HTC Has not STATED When the Desire or if X will be upgraded to the latest 4.1 version of Android Jelly Bean Given this purpose is a pre-paid smartphone, we would not expect it to be made a priority over more expensive models just yet .

We love some of Sense's less advertised keys, Such as Asking Whether you'd like to save year incoming phone number as a new contact, the convenient dock icon oven shortcuts on the lock screen and a slick suite of widgets, Including HTC's now iconic clock and weather widget.

More importantly, the Desire X Is not A slow or sluggish smartphone. It has a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and comes with 768MB of RAM and this Seems to keep things ticking over nicely. Everyday activities like unlocking the phone, opening and closing apps and swiping through home screens does not result in too much lag or slowdown. X The Desire Certainly Is not as fast as HTC's top-end models, it was never intended to be and we Intended think performance will not ask for the year after wide majorité of users.

While Sense is definitely user friendly, we still feel HTC Has Made plenty of changes for exchange sake. The phone offers excellent app linking contacts from multiple sources of the interface feels cluttered purpose and does not Achieve Any consistency with the regular Android UI. The default keyboard Ice Cream Sandwich has-beens mittal by HTC's keyboard and Neither is better looking or designed. Thankfully, the X uses the regular Desire Android multitasking menu Which is better Both Implemented and more efficient than the versions used on the company's Higher One end phones.

The HTC Desire HAS X 4GB internal memory of only a paltry goal is 1.11GB available for app storage. You'll definitely need a microSD card if you want to install plenty of apps. Our review unit did not come with a microSD card and without it There was not enough memory to install some larger games like GTA 3 and Need For Speed Shift for example.With just 282MB of apps installed, we HAD only 852MB of storage space left on our review unit.

Decent camera, good battery life

The HTC Desire X HAS 5-megapixel camera That borrows some features from the One range. This includes the Ability to capture still pictures while recording video (called "dual shutter") along with a burst fashion That Will take pictures every 2.5 second. We also like The ability to add a ranks of real time effects Including distortion, vignette, and depth of field sepia.

Performance is efficient goal we did notice there was slight shutter lag When capturing photos. Colour reproduction is acceptable in Many boxes and vibrant, purpose Image noise is a real issue and leaving MOST grainy pictures lacking in detail. Disappointingly, the HTC Desire X lacks a front-facing camera for portrait photos and video calls, while the rear camera can not record HD video. We found video auto-focus very erratic and it Struggles to Deal With Any exchange in light.

The HTC Desire comes with X and Dropbox integration includes 25GB of free storage for two years. The phone aussi includes Beats Audio qualities, Which Enhances bass noticeably and works in all applications, not just the music player. However, Unlike some other HTC models, the X does not come bundled Desire with a pair of Beats headphones.

The HTC Desire X HAS reasonably impressive battery life. We managed to Achieve Almost a full day of moderate use before Needing a refill. Power users will still need to recharge Undoubtedly before the end of the day, view other users MOST should be well served.

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HTC Desire x Reviews

A touch of 'One' style

The HTC Desire is arguably one X of the best looking pre-paid handsets available on the Australian market right now. The phone features some key design from HTC's more expensive 'One' range, Particularly the One S. Like that phone, the Desire: slightly curved X HAS profile it That Makes Both distinctive and comfortable to hold. This curvature is subtle yet elegant - it's hard to notice if you look at the phone forehead as only the top and bottom of the device curves upwards When it's laid flat on a desk or table.

The bevelled edges, curved corners and smooth, rounded styling makes the Desire X Almost inviting to pick up. Particularly we like the white, plastic finish, contrasts nicely with Which the silver bezel on the front and the gloss black border surrounding the display. The build of the Desire X Gives the feeling That It is a uni body, polycarbonate back of the goal box the phone is removable. This Provides two advantages over HTC's more expensive and One X One S phones - the battery is removable and therefore replaceable and there's a micro SD card for extra storage.

HTC HAS Placed the power / lock button at the top of the Desire X, right in the middle. This looks odd at first, as thesis are buttons to the right Positioned Usually gold left. However, this position is perfect for one-handed use due to the shape and curvature of the Desire X. Touch-sensitive back, home and multitasking shortcut keys sit below the display, while a volume rocker is located on the right side. We were not a fan of the spongy feel of thesis volume buttons, Which Often rendered unresponsive em. During testing, we found They required a firm press to activate Rather.

Pre-paid Android phones are Compromised Often poor quality screens with a goal the HTC Desire X does not go down That path. It comes with a super wide 4in LCD screen with a resolution of 800x480. The use of technology in a SLCD phone retails for under $ That 300 is without a doubt The most appealing aspects of the Desire X. The display is vivid, bright and has excellent viewing angles. It can not display the same super crisp text as more expensive smartphones, aim at this price point it is a clear leader.

Ice Cream Sandwich makes Sense

The HTC Desire runs Google's X 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software and once again features HTC's Sense 4.0 UI overlay. The user experience is very similar to HTC's MOST of more expensive range, with A Few exclusions. HTC Has not STATED When the Desire or if X will be upgraded to the latest 4.1 version of Android Jelly Bean Given this purpose is a pre-paid smartphone, we would not expect it to be made a priority over more expensive models just yet .

We love some of Sense's less advertised keys, Such as Asking Whether you'd like to save year incoming phone number as a new contact, the convenient dock icon oven shortcuts on the lock screen and a slick suite of widgets, Including HTC's now iconic clock and weather widget.

More importantly, the Desire X Is not A slow or sluggish smartphone. It has a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and comes with 768MB of RAM and this Seems to keep things ticking over nicely. Everyday activities like unlocking the phone, opening and closing apps and swiping through home screens does not result in too much lag or slowdown. X The Desire Certainly Is not as fast as HTC's top-end models, it was never intended to be and we Intended think performance will not ask for the year after wide majorité of users.

While Sense is definitely user friendly, we still feel HTC Has Made plenty of changes for exchange sake. The phone offers excellent app linking contacts from multiple sources of the interface feels cluttered purpose and does not Achieve Any consistency with the regular Android UI. The default keyboard Ice Cream Sandwich has-beens mittal by HTC's keyboard and Neither is better looking or designed. Thankfully, the X uses the regular Desire Android multitasking menu Which is better Both Implemented and more efficient than the versions used on the company's Higher One end phones.

The HTC Desire HAS X 4GB internal memory of only a paltry goal is 1.11GB available for app storage. You'll definitely need a microSD card if you want to install plenty of apps. Our review unit did not come with a microSD card and without it There was not enough memory to install some larger games like GTA 3 and Need For Speed Shift for example.With just 282MB of apps installed, we HAD only 852MB of storage space left on our review unit.

Decent camera, good battery life

The HTC Desire X HAS 5-megapixel camera That borrows some features from the One range. This includes the Ability to capture still pictures while recording video (called "dual shutter") along with a burst fashion That Will take pictures every 2.5 second. We also like The ability to add a ranks of real time effects Including distortion, vignette, and depth of field sepia.

Performance is efficient goal we did notice there was slight shutter lag When capturing photos. Colour reproduction is acceptable in Many boxes and vibrant, purpose Image noise is a real issue and leaving MOST grainy pictures lacking in detail. Disappointingly, the HTC Desire X lacks a front-facing camera for portrait photos and video calls, while the rear camera can not record HD video. We found video auto-focus very erratic and it Struggles to Deal With Any exchange in light.

The HTC Desire comes with X and Dropbox integration includes 25GB of free storage for two years. The phone aussi includes Beats Audio qualities, Which Enhances bass noticeably and works in all applications, not just the music player. However, Unlike some other HTC models, the X does not come bundled Desire with a pair of Beats headphones.

The HTC Desire X HAS reasonably impressive battery life. We managed to Achieve Almost a full day of moderate use before Needing a refill. Power users will still need to recharge Undoubtedly before the end of the day, view other users MOST should be well served.

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H.T.C Desire C Reviews

Design and Build

The design and feel of the phone is heavily inspired from the Explorer. The Desire C has the same pebble-shaped rubberized body except for the Addition of the chrome strip along the bezel That sits. The phone feels light at just 100g and is very comfortable to hold. The rubber back Also adds to the grip, so it will not slip out of your Easily hand. We have the three capacitive buttons in the front and a proximity sensor and ambient light sensor but no front camera.

A handsome looking phone

The microUSB port, volume rocker and power / sleep buttons along the sides are Placed Along with the 3.5mm headphone jack on the top. The placement of the ports and buttons are quite ergonomic and everything is Within Reach. In the back we have a 5MP fixed-focus camera and the speaker grill beside it. The Desire C is available in different color trims, out of Which We like the black and red theme the most. The rear panel snaps back to reveal the removable battery, SIM card tray and a microSD card slot. Overall, HTC's done an excellent job With The Design and build of the phone.

Interface

We were quite surprised to see HTC bundle Along with Android 4.0 Sense UI on a phone powered by 600MHz CPU just to. By today's standards, this is way too underpowered and Usually phones Expects That one cost around 6-7K to use this kind of CPU. And it's not like it's a new one either, HTC has used an older MSM7227A SoC With An even older Adreno 200 GPU. Thanks to the 512MB of RAM, the UI is manageable and while it's not the best ICS experience, you will not find yourself tearing your hair out either. With Sense 4.0, you get all of the bundled apps we've see in phones like the One S, One V etc.

Sense 4.0 Gives You a very familiar experience

The 3.5-inch screen features a resolution of 320 x 480, Which is a bit low so icons and menus are not the sharpest but not too bad either. There is a major color banding issue, Which is very noticeable across MOST color backgrounds, Especially white and black. We'd have expected HTC to fit a better quality screen for the price tag they've attached to this phone, but sadly They have not. Multi-tasking is present as well, with the dedicated task switcher key.

Average

You get the new media player thanks to Sense 4.0, Which is a complete overhaul of Their previous versions of Sense. We now have TuneIn Radio, SoundHound and 7digital, Which are integrated into the default music player. A simple tap fetches you the music info, the option to purchase music, lyrics and find similar artists as well as locate tour dates. A couple of them, Including the similar artists and music info PROVED to be quite useful to get more out of your existing music library. There are not any preset equalizer any more - You Only Have the options to enable or disable Beat Audio. The audio quality is good but for more Flexibility in tweaking the sound, we'd recommend something like Poweramp.

Good half playback options

The stock video player will only playback MP4 and AVI and that too only up to 480p. 720p playback will but with a lot of stutter. The Beats Audio option is available in the stock video player as well. HTC does not bundle the Beats in-ear headphones anymore, so to get the MOST out of it, we'd recommend a good pair of IEMs.

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