The Third Android Phone will be a Hero
Posted in News on June 26th, 2009 by admin – Be the first to comment
Well that’s the name of the next model phone from HTC anyway. The next incarnation of the iPhone’s closest rival was unveiled yesterday and it looks a beauty!
Although the heart of the phone runs Android, HTC have added a layer which they call ‘Sense’. HTC themselves say it adds “an intuitive and seamless experience for users”. Checking the phone out shows that the Sense layer does add some functionality and character to the UI and is a cinch to use, although it is a little similar to TouchFlo.
The phone itself is sleek and slim at only 112 x 56 x 14 mm is size with a 3.2” TFT LCD with a resolution of 320×480 taking up most of the real estate. There is also an odd looking 15 degree curve on the lower part of the phone, which HTC advises makes it ideal for holding. Well I don’t have much trouble holding a phone without the neat little bend in it so I’ll take their word on that one!
The handset also sports a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, trackball, GPS, WiFi and all the usual expansion ports. It doesn’t come with built in memory but a quick SD upgrade will take care of that. It also has a full size 3.5mm headphone jack which will allow proper headphones to be used when listening to music. A nice little touch. WiFi is 802.11b/g or up to 7.2mbs though HSDPA 3G if the carrier supports it. The phone is also quad band GSM enabled so can be used anywhere in the world where there is coverage.
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The one available at launch looked good, with a silver frame around the screen and a white Teflon coated back that will purportedly protect it from most disasters. While not earth shattering, it should improve the longevity of the phone for those millions of us that walk around with them in our pockets.
The onscreen keyboard is quick and probably one of the best around, even without the little simulated bounce when you touch a key. Despite having no actual keyboard, typing was easy enough to do on the screen, easily matching the Nokia N87 or the iPhone 3g. Overall the interface was fairly quick and easy to use. It has a profile setting that you can split between ‘home’ and ‘work’. Both will show the applications relevant to each phase. This is quite a clever idea and will make dividing the two just a tiny bit easier.
One of the biggest marketing features being lauded around the launch is the native Flash support. This will allow YouTube and the like to be played natively on the screen.
It will eventually be available in seven colors, white, black, yellow, pink, gold, red and turquoise and will be released in Europe in July and later in the year in the US, just in time to compete with the 3G S.
