Top 4 Handsets from Mobile World Congress 2010
HTC Desire – ‘In Your Face, Google!’
Google must be livid- barely had the white-hot buzz on their HTC-manufactured Nexus One started to cool, when leaks came through of the HTC Bravo, which looked undeniably similar.
Officially announced at MWC as the HTC Desire, the handset is essentially a Nexus One, but better. Underneath the stunningly vivid AMOLED screen, there’s a superfast Snapdragon processor, the latest version of Android OS, enhanced 3G capabilities and WiFi and a sharp 5MP camera.
The main improvement however, is the sleek optical track pad which, combined with HTC’s super-easy to use Sense UI, makes for one of the most delightful navigations since Blackberry replaced their trackballs.
With the Nexus One only available to order over the internet, the HTC Desire is poised to clean up this year.
Available on preorder from a variety of retailers now, expect to see the HTC Desire arrive in April.
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Form Factor Acrobatics from Motorola’s Backflip
Sporting a unique design, with a track pad nestled on the reverse of the QWERTY keypad, the Motorola Backflip has certainly drawn a lot of curiosity, but going into MWC, we still wondered if it would be any good.
After a hands-on in Barcelona last week we reckon the Backflip is a winner!
First of all, the Backflip’s form is as comfortable as it is quirky. Meanwhile, the QWERTY is of the best we’ve used – with large spaced out keys, perfect for fat fingers like ours.
Sure, it might not tote the latest version of Android (it runs v.1.5) but as Motorola’s third Google-based phone, this is Motorola’s chance to get the formula right.
Gone are the lag-inducing visual fireworks as experience on the Milestone and as a result it feels similar to the original DEXT – with simple widgets sitting atop an uncluttered UI.
The overall result is that Motorola have produced a refreshing handset in an increasingly clone-like market.
Could the Backflip be the phone to bring Motorola back from the brink? Quite possibly.
Available on these shores from April.
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X10 Mini Pro –World’s Smallest Android Makes Us Drool
After hearing bits and bobs about the X10, the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini came as a bit of a surprise to us.
Not only does it hold the prize for smallest Android handset, but we can also confirm that it is – THE BOMB. But a very small bomb… an incendiary device perhaps?
Sony Ericsson offer a highly customisable version of Android, in contrast to Motorola’s stripped down presentation of google’s OS. At it’s centre is a Social-Media Time-Scape which allows you to manage all your communications with contacts from a single place.
Moreover, the X10 Mini offers customisable shortcuts in the four corners of the device’s cute 2.5” QVGA screen, making navigation even more simple and going some way in sidestepping the frustrations of having to operate a tiny handset with multiple button-pushes.
And if you feel you need a QWERTY, then Sony Ericssson have thrown that in with the Mini Pro too.
You won’t have to wait long to get your mits on this little beast either… expect to see Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro and X10 Mini deals on Omio at the beginning of April.
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Despite more entry-level phones now claiming to grant you access to all your favourite social networks, few of these actually deliver a satisfactory experience. HTC Smart on the other hand, offers the first smartphone experience at a low price, with uncompromised functionality:
The HTC Smart represents the future of entry-level handsets.
Conceived and executed around the concept of HTC’s “people-centricity”, the HTC Smart features the ‘Sense’ UI, which at it’s core features an integrated friend stream that pulls together all your phone conversations, email, SMS and IM’s into one place.
Clean compact design on the outside is then mirrored on the inside with a clean and efficient BREW MP Operating System, courtesy of Qualcomm.
At half the price of other smart phones, the HTC Smart punches way above it’s weight.
HTC are confident that this is the phone that will entice the youth market away from PAYG and into the wider world of social messaging on the move. Having tried this handset out at MWC, we’re inclined to agree.
Expect to see HTC Smart deals available on O2 from April.
