HTC Amaze 4G Display

HTC Amaze 4G contains a 4.3inch qHD super LCD touchscreen of 960 x 540 pixel resolution. The screen brightness is expected to be comparable to other smartphones. HTC Amaze 4G looks similar to the Sensation 4G, in terms of its form factor. With curved edges and a recessed front, this device looks sleek and should fit into the palm of the hand easily. The left side of the device houses the microUSB port while the right side contains the volume rocker and the camera keys. The rear of the HTC Amaze 4G has a soft touch at the top and bottom, with a shiny metal portion in between. This smartphone has a solid build and feels sturdy enough. It is available in two colors, black and white.

Processor and Memory

HTC Amaze 4G runs on a 1.5Ghz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor. This processor will definitely speed up operations on this device. The smartphone has 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.

Features

This device uses the Android Gingerbread OS and the familiar HTC Sense UI 3.0. T-Mobile’s fast and upgraded HSPA+ network is expected to touch speeds up to about 42Mbps. Most functions are quick on the interface and there is hardly any lag. This smartphone contains an NFC (near-field communication) chip. Several interesting apps are expected to be available on HTC Amaze 4G.

Camera

It was rumored that HTC Amaze 4G would provide a really fantastic camera experience and indeed this is so. This smartphone has an 8MP camera, with dual LED flash at the back of the device. There is also a front facing 2MP camera for video calls. Not only is there a dedicated camera button, there is also a video button. Full HD video recording at 1080p is also promised on this device. Thanks to zero shutter lag and a backlit sensor, image quality is superb, even under poor light conditions. With features like SmartShot and PerfectPics, users will be able to choose the best photo from those they have taken and organise them in their display.

HTC Amaze 4G Release

Orders for HTC Amaze 4G, earlier touted as HTC Ruby, began from October 10. This smartphone can be purchased at T-Mobile stores and from other dealers. Currently, HTC Amaze 4G is available at $259.99 with a new two-year contract. This price is arrived at after a $50 rebate.

With Samsung’s Galaxy S II also releasing on the same day, there was a great deal of speculation about the device which would steal the day. However, HTC Amaze 4G appears to have lived up to its name.

Design and Quality

It is commonly believed that HTC Fuze is the AT&T version of HTC Touch Pro, with many similar features between the two of them. Both devices do have a similar design, with the HTC Fuze having a pure black look that makes it look sophisticated. The rear of this device has a textured diamond look. The display on HTC Fuze is dominated by a 2.8″ TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen. Image and text look bright and clear on this device. Below the screen there are the Talk and End keys and Home and Back button, with a directional pad at the centre. The accelerometer helps in effortlessly changing the orientation of HTC Fuze from portrait to landscape mode or vice versa. While the power button is located at the top of HTC Fuze, the bottom contains the USB port/charging port and the left side houses the volume rocker and push-to-talk key

HTC Fuze Specs

HTC Fuze measures 4″×2″×0.7″ and weighs 5.8 ounces. It functions on a Qualcomm processor running at 528 MHz. There is 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM on this device.

Features

HTC Fuze uses HTC’s TouchFlo 3D interface and runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition. Contacts can be stored on this device, limited by available memory, with multiple entries per contact. Thanks to quad-band world roaming facilities, this device can be used easily by the travelling businessman. Standard services such as Microsoft Office tools and Adobe Reader are available. Email can be easily accessed from this device and Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger can be used for instant messaging. Apps can be launched with just one touch, with users having a wide variety to choose from. Connectivity options include WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS.

Keyboard

The HTC Fuze has a 5 row QWERTY keyboard that slides out from below the screen. Instead of a dedicated number row, the numbers are embedded onto alphabet keys while the top of the keyboard contains the punctuation buttons. This keyboard design may or may not be appealing, depending on preferences. Users may also use the onscreen keyboard for entering data. Overall, the QWERTY keyboard looks compact and keys offer good tactile feedback.

Camera

HTC Fuze has a 3.2MP camera, with autofocus and flash. Picture quality is average on this device, but video quality is not too great.

HTC Fuze Battery

HTC Fuze has a talktime of 445 minutes and a standby time of 367 hours on GSM. For heavy users, the battery life may be a concern.

Overall, HTC Fuze is a competent device for a business user. While there are some concerns with the design of the device and a few performance issues, most tasks on this smartphone can be performed with satisfaction. There are also entertainment options that can be utilized.

Design and Quality

HTC Touch Viva looks similar to HTC Touch. This smartphone has a 2.8″ TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen. The QVGA display has 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The touchscreen is recessed, protecting it slightly from scratches. Colors look bright on the Touch Viva, but screen visibility is poor outdoors. The touchscreen responds well, but activating it from the side is difficult without using the stylus. Below the screen there are the physical Send and End Call keys and the 5-way D pad between them. While the power button is located at the top of the device and the microUSB port at the bottom, the left side houses the volume rocker. Overall, this mobile phone feels study enough and fits into the palm easily.

Specifications

HTC Touch Viva measures 104.5 mm X 59 mm X 15.75 mm and weighs 3.8 ounces. It has 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM. Memory can be extended by using a microSD card. This quad band device runs on a TI’s OMAP 850 processor at 201 MHz.

Features

HTC Touch Viva is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device that runs on the HTC TouchFLO 2D interface. While users may be disappointed that this version of TouchFLO lacks the cool 3D animation effects, they will be happy with the speed of the interface. Internet browsing is convenient with the default Opera Mobile browser. Zooming into pages, to get a closer look, is easy. The music player is quite standard, but in the absence of earphones users will have to depend on the average volume of the loudspeaker.

Camera

HTC Touch Viva has a 2MP camera lens at the back of the device. This camera has fixed focus but no flash. Image quality is average and so is the quality of videos recorded.

Battery

This device has a talktime of 480 minutes and a standby time upto 270 hours. Battery life is decent, providing about two day’s usage before it needs to be charged.

While HTC Touch Viva has the basic features in place, the absence of 3G on this device is sorely felt. Unfortunately, headphones are also not provided with this device and it comes without GPS. But when all is said about this device, it comes across as a decent buy for users who are happy with the basic features in place.

Design and Quality

HTC Rhyme is expected to strike a chord with those looking for a stylish device. This purple handset has been specially launched with a focus on accessories such as a docking station that can also turn into an alarm clock and a music player, a cable-free Bluetooth headset and a glowing charm to notify about calls and text messages received. The display is dominated by a 3.7″ screen having 480×800 pixel resolution. Around the display there is a smooth purple bezel that is also present at the back as a thick band in the center. The display is bright and sharp enough, with decent viewing angles. However, it doesn’t compare to the Super AMOLED displays. Below the screen there are the usual HTC touch-sensitive controls: Home, Menu, Back and Search. Although this device looks delicate, it feels solid enough in the hand. While the right side of this device houses the volume rocker, the left side of the HTC Rhyme contains the microUSB port and charging port. At the top of this smartphone there is the power button, headset jack and noise cancelling microphone.

Specifications

HTC Rhyme measures 119mm × 60.8mm × 10.85mm and weighs 4.6 ounces. This smartphone runs on a 1GHz processor and has RAM 768MB and available storage upto 1GB.

Features

HTC Rhyme is an Android smartphone running the Sense UI. Even with a single-core processor, most functions are performed at a decent speed. The homescreen has been slightly changed from earlier HTC devices. The big clock display has been changed to include customizable widgets. While there are some HTC apps users have access to, they may also visit the Android Market for more. Call quality is good on the HTC Rhyme.

Camera

The rear of HTC Rhyme contains a 5MP camera lens. Image quality is average, provided there are good external lighting options. Editing options can help in altering images. Video recording experience at 720p is also average.

Battery

HTC Rhyme is powered by a 1600mAh battery and has a rated talktime upto 620 minutes and a standby time upto 295 hours on GSM. This device can easily take in a day’s usage before it needs to be charged again.

With its delicate purple look, HTC Rhyme looks likely to impress females more. Though this device comes with some average specifications, the exciting accessories make up for slight shortcomings in performance. Overall, this mid-range device is here to please users.

Design and Quality

HTC Explorer is a compact smartphone with a plastic build, in black or dark blue, that can be held in the hand easily (due to the rubber texture at the rear of this device) and can be slid in the pocket with equal ease. This device has a 3.2-inch touch screen with 320 x 480 pixel resolution. Unfortunately, the size of the screen is not too great and image and text quality is average. Internet browsing may seem slightly difficult on a screen that is not only on the smaller side, but not too sharp either. Below the screen there are the usual four touch-sensitive Home, Menu, Back and Search keys. The camera lens is located at the back of the HTC Explorer.

Specifications

HTC Explorer measures 4.05″ x 2.25″ x 0.51″ and weighs 3.8 ounces. This device runs on a 600MHz processor, with 512MB RAM and available storage upto 90MB. This quad band device supports HSPA/WCDMA networks.

Features

HTC Explorer runs on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, coupled with its Sense interface. Users can go the Android Market to download apps, apart from using the pre-installed ones. Homescreens can be customized, with users placing widgets and icons of their choice. Accessing email on this device is easy, with options being spelt out for first-time users and icons also available, for those who want their display to look stylish. With support for WiFi, users can remain within their budget while accessing the internet, instead of using 3G services all the time. HTC Explorer also has a dashboard to show users how much data they have used. Wireless connectivity options include Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and tethering.

Camera

HTC Explorer has a 3MP camera lens at the back of the device. Image quality is average, with basic photo editing options.

Battery

HTC Explorer has a rated talktime of 460 minutes and a standby time of 485 hours on GSM.

For the moment, there is no clarification whether HTC Explorer will be available in the US, although it will be available in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This device had a global launch in India first. There has not been any official confirmation about the price of this smartphone so far.

Design and Quality

HTC Cha Cha has an average design, but what makes this smartphone different is the presence of an f button, below the QWERTY keyboard. While the blue texture of the f button makes it stand out, it is also located in a separate line, to draw attention to it. The screen looks small at 2.6″ and has the QWERTY keyboard below it. At 320×480 HVGA pixel resolution, colors look bright on this smartphone and text appears clear, although size of the text may be too small at times due to the small size of the screen. The touchscreen is quite responsive and many viewing angles allow the user to comfortably use this device. While the white color of this device gives it a pristine look, the rear portion contains a silver band with the HTC logo on it. On the left of the HTC Cha Cha users will find the volume rocker and the microUSB port while the top contains the power button and headset jack. HTC Cha Cha slides into the hand easily and its interesting design prevents both the screen and the keyboard from touching anything when it is placed on a hard surface.

Specifications

HTC Cha Cha measures 4.5″×2.54″×0.42″ and weighs 4.37 ounces. It runs on an 800MHz processor, with 512MB ROM and 512MB RAM.

Features

HTC Cha Cha uses HTC Sense 2.1 with Android’s Gingerbread. Fortunately, the screen unlocking system follows Sense 3.0, although accessing apps could have been made smoother on this smartphone. By clicking on the Facebook button, users can upload their status messages, upload images and chat with friends easily using Facebook chat. Users can shuffle between seven homescreens and customize them. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS.

Keyboard

HTC Cha Cha has a full QWERTY keyboard, with each key slightly raised to differentiate it from the others. The keys respond well when they are pressed.

Camera

HTC Cha Cha sports a 5MP camera lens at the back of the device. This camera comes with autofocus and LED flash. There is also a front facing VGA camera. Image quality is good, with the colors looking bright and images looking crisp.

Battery

HTC Cha Cha has a rated talktime upto 240 minutes and a standby time up to 120 hours. This smartphone can handle about a day’s usage before it needs to be charged again.

Overall, HTC Cha Cha offers a good experience, with a few minor areas where this smartphone could have been improved.

HTC Flyer Design, Display and Quality

HTC Flyer is a sophisticated looking tablet which feels sturdy enough, weighing 14.82 ounces. It has an interesting aluminium unibody construction, with the white plastic accents at the rear of the device adding to its pristine look. This tablet has a 7″ LCD display, having 1024×600 pixel resolution. Obviously, colors look brilliant on this device and text looks sharp and crisp. Moreover, with excellent viewing angles and great screen visibility outdoors, HTC Flyer can be used anywhere with ease. The Magic Pen (touchscreen stylus) that is provided operates on pressure sensitivity, allowing users to use it effortlessly. While the left side of the HTC Flyer houses the 3.5mm headset jack and power button, the right side contains the microUSB port. On the top of the HTC Flyer are the tablet’s two microphones and volume rocker.

HTC Flyer Specifications

HTC Flyer measures 195.4mm x 122mm x 13.2mm (7.7″ x 4.8″ x 0.52″). HTC launched the Flyer in a WiFi only version, with 16GB or 32GB storage. With the WiFi printing option, emails can be immediately accessed and printed.

HTC Flyer Features

This tablet runs on a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and uses HTC’s Sense UI. It operates on Gingerbread, as opposed to the usual Honeycomb OS used on tablets. However, thanks to the updated version of the Sense UI and the fast processor, users will not feel the absence of Honeycomb strongly. HTC Flyer responds quickly and accurately and the amazing 3D effects keep users mesmerized. It comes stocked with 1 GB RAM. Users have access to seven homescreens and with the improved notifications bar, apps can be accessed quicker. Even standard apps like the calculator and clock have been improved and integrate more functions in them. Thus, not only is there a change to a sleeker look, but also one that functions better.

HTC Flyer Camera

HTC Flyer has a 5MP camera lens at the rear of the tablet and a 1.3MP front facing camera. Unfortunately, image quality is not always great, though there are many special effects provided by HTC to jazz up the photos. Video quality is also average.

Battery Life

HTC Flyer has a playback time upto 8 hours and a standby time upto 480 hours on the WiFi version. Battery life is quite impressive, with the tablet able to put in about two day’s usage before it needs to be charged.

HTC Flyer comes with a solid build that differentiates it from other Android tablets. Overall, this tablet is very competent, though there are a few features that fail to live up to user expectations.

Design and Quality

The design of this smartphone is quite similar to what is found on HTC Diamond2. The display on HTC Pure is dominated by a 3.2″ LCD screen having WVGA resolution. Unfortunately, the screen is resistive, requiring more accurate pressure to respond. Below the screen there are four touch sensitive buttons: Talk, Start, Back and End placed below a zoom slider. Above the screen there is the LED light indicator, speaker and light sensor. While the left side of HTC Pure contains the volume rocker, the right side houses the speaker grill and the top contains the power button. Unfortunately, a 3.5mm headset jack is missing on this device.

Specifications

HTC Pure measures 4.25″ x 2.09″ x 0.54″ and weighs 4.15 ounces. It has a ROM of 512MB and a RAM of 288MB, with support for a microSD card upto 32GB. It works on a Qualcomm MSM 7201A processor, running at a speed of 528 MHz.

Features

HTC Pure works on Windows Mobile 6.5, an upgradation from earlier versions of the operating system. The user interface on this OS is easier to use and the browser works better and faster. Either Opera Mobile or Internet Explorer can be used for browsing. However, those looking for heavy multimedia usage will find this device slow. HTC’s TouchFlo 3D may also be used as an alternate interface. The Lock Screen is a useful feature on Windows Mobile 6.5 that shows notifications, even when the HTC Pure is locked. Microsoft’s MyPhone is a useful service as it helps to create a backup of phone information and apps downloaded. Typing without the stylus on the onscreen QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode may be slightly difficult due to the cramped nature of the keys. In landscape mode it is easier. This quadband device has Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi as connectivity options.

HTC Pure Apps

In order to download apps, users can visit Windows Marketplace for Mobile. One can download apps over the air or buy them online. There are also AT&T apps (such as AT&T Music) and other apps like MobiTV.

Camera

On the rear of HTC Pure is a 5MP camera with autofocus. Unfortunately there is no camera flash. Picture quality is average, with plenty of editing features. Images taken in adequate external light look good.

Battery

HTC Pure has a talktime upto 5.6 hours and a standby time upto 15 days on GSM.

Users who are looking for a device where they can check work emails and interact with friends will be satisfied with the HTC Pure. Not only does it look smooth, it performs well on many counts too. However, for those who are seeking a greater technological device, the HTC Pure may seem limiting.

HTC Sensation

HTC is known for its supreme quality and when they announced the launch of their pre- MWC 2011 range, not everyone was satisfied. Not only were the devices underpowered and mid range, they also lacked the superior technology and innovation that is synonymous with this Taiwanese giant. The HTC Sensation comes as an answer to all these.

HTC Sensation Design and Quality

The Sensation is similar to the Desire HD by HTC and has a unibody aluminium chassis, 4.3 inch 540X960 resolution, SLCD touch display and qHD. The exact measurements of the Sensation are 126.1 X 65.4 X 11.3mm and it is much lighter at 148g than the heavy 164g Desire. The entire back panel can be slid off and the battery, SIM and Micro SD slots can be accessed. This is contrary to the unibody claim but is convenient for the user. The front screen is bigger than the 480X800 of Desire and displays crystal clear details with amazing and precise colour saturation. The entire front screen is made of Gorilla Glass which makes it resistant to any form of scratches or scuffs. The back panel is two tone and is light to hold. It is less bulky than Desire and has a classy and edgy look. It matches the rest of HTC’s range of handsets very well. It has download speed of up to 14.4 Mbps and uploads speed of up to 5.76 Mbps.

HTC Sensation Features

The latest innovation in the HTC Sensation is the HTC Sense 3.0 user interface. Not only does it have a newer and better look, it also has a few new features added to it. There is a new type of lock screen on which applications like Messages, Twitter, Browser and Camera can be pre-loaded. The Sensation also displays improved and newer animations. Now it is possible to see widgets which are 3D-like on all the usual features of the UI Stocks, Weather or Friend Stream. A Sense theme can also be set to liven the lock screen and animate it along with live updates. HTC claims that there is a drastic improvement in the virtual keyboard of the Sensation when compared to the previously launched models like Desire S and Incredible S. But apart from more spacing which provides more comfort and layout changes, there are no apparent or obvious differences that can be seen. There is a new feature in the Sense user interface that has a nice carousel effect and has 7 home screens. The carousel effect has a pseudo-3D arrangement that allows users to spin between home screens quickly. It not only looks good but is also very convenient. The camera of HTC Sensation is 8 mega pixels and has a dual flash and auto focus. For video conferencing a VGA camera is present at the front. One unique feature that the sensation has is ‘Instant photo’ which allows users to capture photos without any delay.

The HTC Sensation is the first phone to have the HTC Watch. This is a video on demand service (VOD) and claims to have a huge collection of DVD and TV titles for download. HTC has strived to make the Sensation as safe as possible by including a lock on the boot loader similar to the previous versions of Incredible S and Desire S. This makes sure that it is not possible to flash the handset with custom ROM’s. The HTC Sensation is the very first one to have a 1.2GHz dual core Qualcomm MSM 8260 processor which makes it quick to the touch, without any delay, as expected. The battery is a 1520 mAh, which is the largest one put on a phone. HTC has a 495 min talk time and 400 hrs standby claim. The ROM is the usual 1 GB but the RAM has been increased to 768 MB. It will also have an 8 GB microSD which can be extended to 32GB. Other notable features include a Micro- USB port with a MHL or mobile high definition video link for USB or HDMI connections, video recording ability of 1080p.

Mobile World Congress 2011

This year Apple’s iPhone4 won the Best Mobile Device award and HTC won the Device manufacturer of the Year in the Mobile World Congress 2011. Though a whole host of new Android phones from mobile giants such as LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and HTC, Apple’s iPhone 4 was highly praised by all the judges for a sharp design, great screen phenomenal ecosystem especially for all app developers and fantastic materials that is used in the phone and it is one of the best Smartphone’s 2011. However this Smartphone had some issues with its reception early on.

Some of the best Smartphone’s that were showcased in the Mobile World Congress 2011 are given below:

Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung Galaxy S II from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2011 is touted to become one of the best Smartphone’s in the market. The device is considered to be the world’s thinnest gadget and is also a stylish device. Samsung Galaxy S II comes in two versions with different storage capacities i.e. 16 GB and 32 GB.  Similar to the other Samsung Galaxy mobiles, Samsung Galaxy S II has a dual core application processor and has a 2 mega pixel camera in the front and an 8 mega pixel camera at the back. This Smartphone has the popular Super AMOLED 4.27 inch screen with WVGA. Other features include Android 2.3 – Gingerbread operating system, accelerometer, GPS with A-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and HS, Wi-fi and an NFC (near field communication) chip.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Amongst the best Smartphone’s 2011 launched at the Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona this year, Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play was a popular Smartphone, especially amongst gaming enthusiasts. Also considered to the first gaming phone, this Smartphone combines the android technology with the Play station gaming experience. This Smartphone also something for music lovers with its next level Walkman style music application. Specifications include a touch screen 4 inch display with 480 x 854pixels, 1 Ghz Snapdragon CPU, Android 2.3 operating system, 5.1 mega pixel touch focused camera with LED flash, storage capacity of 8GB, Adreno 205 GPU and more. Features of the phone also include wi-fi, twitter and Facebook apps.

LG Optimus 3D

LG Optimus 3G that was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2011 this year is one of the first 3D handset’s in the world. This is also one of the best Smartphone’s unveiled this year and it offers a dual core, dual memory, and dual channel configuration. It has a 4.3 inch display that supports 3D. LG Optimus 3D is supported by Android 2.2 – Froyo- operating system and offers Digital Living Network Alliance and High Definition Multimedia Interface that helps in 3D video sharing. Other features include 5 mega pixel dual lens camera at the back, 1 Ghz dual core OMAP4 CPU, A- GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. With its extraordinary features, the LG Optimus 3D is indeed one of the best Smartphone’s 2011.

HTC Salsa

HTC Salsa, the much touted Facebook phone was also unveiled at the Mobile world Congress 2011 this year. This best Smartphone has a dedicated Facebook button allowing users to have an easy access to the world’s most popular social networking website.  With easy access to Facebook, users can now update their status, check into places, upload photos, share articles and more by just pressing a button.  This is truly the right phone for a diehard Facebook fan.

Facebook service is integrated into all parts of the phone, whether the user is listening to a song or is on a call, the user can share it on Facebook by pressing a button. Users also have access to new Facebook widgets. HTC Salsa is an all touch Smartphone and has a 3.4 inch display that has a 480 x 320 pixel resolution. The phone runs on Android 2.3 and has front facing VGA camera and a back facing 5 megapixel camera.

Motorola Droid Pro

Motorola Droid Pro was another one of the best Smartphone’s that was showcased at the Mobile World Congress this year. Motorola Droid Pro features MotoroBlur UI and has been designed keeping in mind the business users and has both Qwerty keyboard and a touch screen. This feature makes the Motorola Droid Pro one of the most user friendly android based smart phones in the world. This Smartphone also has built in encryption and seems to be a serious contender to the likes of Blackberry’s models in the business sector. The phone offer dual mode functionality and supports both GSM as well as CDMA technologies. The phone as built in memory of 1024 MB and an expandable memory of up to 32 GB. Apart from a compact 3.1 inch screen that has a display resolution of 320×480 pixels; it also has a 5 megapixel camera and is supported by Android 2.2 operating system.

Skate

The Mobile World Congress 2011 also saw ZTE launch its flagship low cost and best Smartphone, Skate. This smart phone as a screen size of more than 4 inches and an 800 Mhz processor. The phone weights just as much as the Samsung Smartphone and also has a 5 megapixel camera, internet access through HSDPA and A-GPS.