Omio News Blog

Mobile Phone Review Round Up: LG Optimus 3D, Nokia E6, LG Optimus Chat, Motorola ATRIX, Nokia X7

TechRadar

LG Optimus 3D review

Verdict

If you’re happy to take a punt on glasses-free 3D being here to stay, the 3D features of the LG Optimus 3D are certainly enough to warrant its high price. The 3D video’s great, with a genuine sense of depth coming across in the footage.

The worry is, if you take a load of 3D photos and videos now, are they going to be viewable five or 10 years down the line? Or will you be left with a big, undocumented gap in your life, where all your photos and videos were taken in a format that no new devices support?

Also, for those looking for a high-quality smartphone as well as a 3D conversation piece, there are many better, faster, longer-lasting options out there – for less money.

The success of the LG Optimus 3D boils down to how willing people are to pay a premium for its nice 3D features – and whether they are happy to sacrifice style and battery life in return.

- Check out all the LG Optimus 3D deals at OMIO today!

Nokia E6 review

Verdict

The Nokia E6 is a well-built, very capable business phone with plenty of apps and features to suit business users. It’s built for text heavy users, with a powerful camera for good light photography.

However, while Symbian Anna is a step forward, it still feels like it’s hamstrung by previous iterations with a slightly clunky feel and long time to open some applications still present.

With MeeGo, Nokia has proven it can make a more modern smartphone interface, and while the thumb-friendly touchscreen is an ace move, we still can’t recommend the Nokia E6 if you’re looking for a next-gen smartphone rather than just an above-average communication device with decent camera

- Check out all the Nokia E6 deals at OMIO today!

Cnet.co.uk

Samsung Tocco Icon review

Conclusion
The distinction between smart phones and feature phones is usually quite clear, but the Samsung Tocco Icon certainly blurs the line somewhat. Samsung has been able to factor in a considerable number of smart phone hallmarks into this cheap device, including a slick and customisable UI, powerful email options and live widgets.

For the price, the Tocco Icon stands head and shoulders over fellow feature phones, but when placed alongside the new breed of sub-£100 Android handsets — such as the Samsung Galaxy Fit and Mini — it makes less sense.

You may wonder why you should settle for a smart phone impostor when you can have the real thing, but it would be unfair to totally dismiss this likeable handset. Like the Tocco Lite before it, the Icon could well provide younger mobile users with the experience they need before they graduate to a fully-fledged smartphone.

- Check out all the Samsung Tocco Icon deals at OMIO today!

LG Optimus Chat review

Conclusion

The LG Optimus Chat stands out from other budget Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Fit and Vodafone Smart, thanks to its QWERTY keyboard. If you’ve struggled with touchscreen typing in the past and hanker for the feel of proper, physical buttons, then it’s well worth a look. Just don’t expect cutting-edge hardware and software.

- Check out all the LG Optimus Chat deals at OMIO today!

Samsung Galaxy Fit review

Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Fit manages to outclass the Galaxy Mini with a larger screen, better camera and more attractive appearance. In terms of raw power, though, the two phones are practically identical.

The market in cheap Android phones is becoming increasingly crowded, but the Fit’s solid design and excellent camera make it a viable choice if you’re shopping on a shoestring.

- Check out all the Samsung Galaxy Fit deals at OMIO today!

Nokia E6 review

Conclusion
The Nokia E6 is most definitely an improvement over the E5, offering a touch-screen interface, improved Symbian^3 ‘Anna’ OS and a more robust and aesthetically-pleasing design. It’s just a shame that Nokia didn’t see fit to bolster the anaemic processor and add in an auto-focus camera.

The E6′s natural rivals are the ageing (yet still popular) BlackBerry 8520 and the BlackBerry 8900, but the presence of a QWERTY keyboard puts it in direct competition with similar phones, such as the Android-powered Acer beTouch E210.

Compared to all of those devices, the E6 fares extremely well, and if you can put up with its faults you’ll come away reasonably contented with your purchase.

- Check out all the Nokia E6 deals at OMIO today!

LG Optimus 3D review

Conclusion
The LG Optimus 3D can stand tall as the first phone in Britain to deliver glasses-free 3D. If you’re planning to invest in a 3D camcorder anyway, or you’re a 3D addict with a telly to match, the Optimus 3D does a solid job creating and displaying 3D on the move. But if you’re not that bothered about 3D — or the paltry content that’s currently available — the Optimus 3D isn’t much to get excited about. It’s a powerful, zippy Android smart phone, but it’s on the chunky side and it lacks stylishness inside and out.

We’ll have to wait until the autumn before the Optimus 3D’s main competitor, the HTC Evo 3D, shows up on shelves. In the meantime, we prefer the slicker, lighter, 2D-only Samsung Galaxy SII or HTC Sensation to the Optimus 3D.

- Check out all the LG Optimus 3D deals at OMIO today!

Trusted Reviews

Motorola Atrix review

Verdict

As a standalone phone, the Motorola Atrix competes well against the dual-core Android competition due to its high res screen, unique fingerprint scanner, great battery life and comfortable form factor, though is let down by a mediocre camera, some unnecessary interface tweaks and limited video support. As such, it rather depends which you prioritise. Add in its dock accessories, though, and it shines out brightly. There is something undeniably cool about having one device perform so many of your daily functions. Unfortunately these docks don’t come for free and the lapdock in particular simply can’t compete for functionality with a laptop, netbook or even tablet. If and when Android updates come that more comprehensively support it then it could be amazing but as it stands, it’s a nice to have, not a must have

- Check out all the Motorola Atrix deals at OMIO today!

Reghardware

HTC ChaCha review

Verdict
The HTC ChaCha is a sturdy little smartphone with a fine QWERTY keyboard and a good-looking, if rather squished screen. The Facebook facility is well integrated and though it doesn’t offer anything really different, it does make posting simpler and quicker. The small display means it’s a bit of a jump from a standard smartphone, but BlackBerry users will certainly want to take a look

- Check out all the HTC ChaCha deals at OMIO today!

Nokia X7 Symbian Anna smartphone

Verdict
There’s no denying it, Nokia is a class act, capable of delivering some of the best-looking handsets around. This metal-cased phone is well-designed and has great build quality. There are lots of features, all handled well and Nokia’s ability to make a smartphone run for a decent length of time should not be underestimated. In many ways, the Nokia X7 is a simply terrific phone, if a bit on the large side.

But it’s powered by Symbian and although this is the best version of the operating system yet, and the version which should have been on the N8, it feels creaky. In the autumn, when Nokia releases its first Windows Phone handset, expect the world to change.

- Check out all the Nokia X7 deals at OMIO today!

Mobile Phone Review Round Up: Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo, HTC Salsa, Vodafone Smart, HTC ChaCha, Nokia E6

TechRadar

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo review

Verdict:

With a slightly better-lit screen, the media features of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo might have wowed us a little more. As it is, it’s a functional little mite, with high usability and simple, one-handed navigation and operation.

The cost is still a little higher than we’d have liked to see for a phone of this caliber, with £30-£35 per month on a contract quite a lot for some retailers. However, at £300 on PAYG this a much better buy, so we’d recommend you look at it if you’re willing to pay a bit more to lose the hassle of a contract.

- Check out the latest Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo deals on OMIO!

HTC Salsa review

Verdict:

We love the hardware and HTC’s Sense interface runs exceptionally smoothly on top of Android 2.3, plus the HTC Salsa works very well indeed as a mobile web browser and can handle the demands of Angry Birds’ physics code with ease.

If the camera worked a little more smoothly and if there was a touch (well, a lot) more app storage space, it would be the perfect mid-sized Android phone.

It’s a well-made phone that’s enjoyable to use and a breath of fresh air in the world of bland black slabs – but today’s app-hungry smartphone users will find its lack of on-board memory a daily frustration.

- Take a look at the latest HTC Salsa deals on OMIO!

Cnet.co.uk

Vodafone Smart

Conclusion:

When you consider its astonishingly low price, it’s easy to forgive the Vodafone Smart‘s shortcomings, such as its low-res screen, lack of multi-touch support and relatively weedy processor. After all, it’s about the same price as many far more basic phones — for example, the Motorola Gleam and Nokia C2-01. For those shopping on a shoestring, the Smart is an excellent way to get into the wonderful world of Android.

- See the selection of Vodafone Smart deals on OMIO!

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo

Conclusion:

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo is a thoroughly agreeable smart phone. It more than holds its own in the esteemed company of other mid-range handsets like the HTC Desire S and HTC Salsa.

HTC ChaCha review

Conclusion:

The HTC ChaCha‘s screen takes some getting used to, but the excellent QWERTY keyboard and Facebook button mean it’s a very appealing device. If you already use a phone with a large touchscreen, you may find the transition to the ChaCha too painful to bear, but BlackBerry users looking for a route into Android will be absolutely bowled over by this phone.

- Look at the latest HTC ChaCha deals on OMIO!

Trusted Reviews

HTC ChaCha

Verdict:

The HTC ChaCha has many likeable features. Its keyboard is first class, the Facebook integration is good and the camera is better than you might have expected. However, we’re still not convinced that the messaging form factor works all that well with the Android OS. That said, if we were to pick an Android messaging phone from those currently available, the ChaCha would definitely be the one we’d go for.

Reghardware

Nokia E6

Verdict:

There are a few loose ends, and one potential show-stopper of a bug. My review Nokia E6 didn’t always answer phone calls – with the phone hanging up before I had a chance to answer it. I’m not alone in experiencing this.

Other bugs are cosmetic, but annoying. When you put the phone into Offline mode it will repeatedly tell you: “Conn.lost”. Er… thanks. Then, when you put the phone back into a General (online) profile using the status indicator still tells you the phone is “Offline” – even with the signal indicator showing five bars.

The sun might be setting on Symbian, but the E6 plays to its traditional strengths, and marks a return to form for a product line where battery life and call quality are valued. I can see it going on forever – if Nokia can fix the bugs.

- Check out the latest Nokia E6 deals on OMIO!

HTC EVO 3D Launched, ‘Multimedia Superphone’ Scheduled For July Release

In addition to jumping into O2′s recently vacated Slough premises, Taiwanese manufacturer HTC announced their new handset, the EVO 3D earlier this week.

As the name suggests, the HTC EVO 3D is an ‘evolution’ of their current Android-powered dual-core device – the Sensation – with a fresh take on the Sense user experience, multimedia capabilities through HTC Watch, as well as a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Oh, and it also does glasses-free 3D.

By ‘does’, the HTC EVO 3D not only enables users to view 3D content on the 4.3-inch touchscreen display, but also purchase content via the aforementioned HTC Watch, and even create 3D images and record 3D videos via the dual 5-megapixel cameras on the rear of the device.

Exciting functionality is added to this duo of snappers, with the promise of a ‘TiltShift’ option that enables parts of images to become blurred, somehow making them look like miniatures…here’s a sample of some of the best tilt-shift photos on the web.

With a rugged and arresting form factor, the EVO 3D certainly fits within HTC’s range in terms of striking aesthetics, and an exciting new feature like glasses-free 3D tech might well be enough to spark interest back up in the busy smartphone market.

With a release for the HTC EVO 3D confirmed to be as soon as July 2011, it won’t be long to find out…

Mobile Phone Review Round Up: HTC Salsa, HTC ChaCha, HTC Sensation, LG Optimus 3D

Pocket-Lint.com

HTC Salsa review

Verdict

So let’s get to the nitty-gritty. What is the HTC Salsa – is it a Facebook phone? It is if you want it to be, but then Facebook isn’t exactly alien to the Android world. There isn’t anything here that you can’t do elsewhere. Putting it against the INQ Cloud Touch, the other current “Facebook phone”, is a little unfair.

The Salsa is a higher spec device, offers a better Android experience reflecting HTC’s experience with these types of devices, but the Facebook experience is less cohesive than INQ’s. The INQ Cloud Touch manages to feel unique, whereas the Facebook experience on the HTC Salsa feels familiar, only fractionally removed from their existing features, so it all looks and feels like the adaption of HTC Sense that it is.

But that said the HTC Salsa is a great Android smartphone, a good example of how great the Android experience can be on a mid-range affordable device. It isn’t going to compete on the multimedia front with its bigger brothers, but in the core Android experience it responds well. We prefer it to the HTC Wildfire S, it offers more power and a few interesting tweaks that give you a little more to play with.

We’re not sold on the weird split colouring on the back panel, but otherwise, whether you’re a Facebook fan or not, the HTC Salsa is a great little phone.

HTC ChaCha review

Verdict

When thinking of the HTC ChaCha, it’s worth setting the “Facebook phone” elements to one side. The ChaCha is a more important device than just Facebook and if the button was removed, you’d still have all those features anyway.

You get all the benefits of that connected Android experience, tying into your Google accounts and filling your phone with your contacts, email and calendars. HTC Sense has been sensibly scaled to fit onto this phone and that all works well, but we can’t help feeling that something is lost in the experience. If you have seen Android on larger devices then visually you miss-out with the ChaCha. Android might look cute, but you’ll find yourself struggling for space at times.

But that might be a sacrifice worth making if you crave a proper keyboard. We have a few problems with the keyboard, but none of them are critical. Annoying yes, but it’s still usable. Side-by-side with a BlackBerry and we prefer the keyboard on our Bold and the use of screen space, although much more basic visually, often means that you see a little more of what you are doing.

For those looking to venture into something a little different their BlackBerry then it has a lot of offer. However, the touchscreen experience offered by it’s sister handset the HTC Salsa is difficult to ignore, resulting in a richer experience with the benefit of a much better mobile internet experience.

Techradar.com

Vodafone Smart review

Verdict

If the Vodafone Smart proves anything it proves one thing, it’s that we were oh so right to sing the praises of the Orange San Francisco.

Yes, it’s £29 more, but the difference between £70 for the Vodafone Smart and £99 for Orange’s little lovely is all the difference in the world. Pay the extra and you won’t regret it.

The budget smartphone market is set to become a really fierce battleground in the coming months, so once you’ve broken the £120 price barrier we’re starting to see some really nice handsets indeed for the cash.

While the Vodafone Smart is alright-ish for the money, unless you’re desperate for a back-up Android phone we’d recommend you save up for a month or two more and take a look at something like the Samsung Galaxy Ace too

HTC Sensation review

Verdict

Whether it’s just that we’re getting spoilt by the quality of the HTC range or that the brand simply can’t innovate at the electric pace it managed when it made Android smartphones good enough for the masses, the HTC Sensation doesn’t get our pulses racing like other models in its range have.

HTC Watch needs to a larger range of movies and TV shows before we can even begin to assess whether it’s going to take off or not – and the price seems a little high at this early stage.

We love the Sense UI still, and the ‘Unlock Ring’ is a cool addition to the party – we still want the notifications to be more interactive, but overall it’s still a neat idea.

The design of the phone is different and, in our eyes, pretty premium with the metallic feel and steel grill – the weight feels solid in the hand and the screen size is impressive and sharp.

It’s still not one of HTC’s best, but one we’d definitely recommend over a number of other phones in the marketplace and if you’re an HTC fan or just looking to get one of the cutting-edge dual core devices, we suggest you seriously think about the HTC Sensation.

HTC ChaCha review

Verdict

The ChaCha is not a revolutionary device. Yes, the Facebook button is new and a few of the elements in there are premiered here but ultimately, it’s an evolution, not a revolution.

Having said that, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. You know what you’re getting here – a stable OS with an extra skin on top that has proven to be more than competent. And for the 14-21 year-olds who have their eye on this ‘Facebook phone’, it’ll be enough.

The price certainly is closer to the budget end of the scale, which we really like, and the quirkiness of the phone makes it a real breath of fresh air in a sea of indentikit black-slab touchscreens.

However, with the cramped screen it feels like the HTC ChaCha is a one trick pony at times – get bored of the Facebook integration and you’ll probably start casting envious glances at your friends’ whizzbang phones and thinking ‘do I really love having a keyboard?’

When you turn the ChaCha on, you’re greeted with HTC’s logo and slogan: “Quietly Brilliant”. There’s certainly nothing quiet about the ChaCha – and while ‘brilliant’ may be pushing just a little, it’s certainly not far off for the Facebook generation

Cnet.co.uk

Vodafone Emporia RL1 review

Conclusion

No camera, no Internet, no touchscreen — the Emporia RL1′s specifications read like something from the depths of mobile history. Don’t expect a pay as you go handset to challenge the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Mini and Orange San Francisco -– the RL1 has been designed to please elderly consumers rather than young gadget fiends. We can’t help feeling the relatively high price tag is slightly exploitative, making too much of the phone’s simplicity.

Still, if you favour usability over functionality, this could be your dream handset. But if you feel you’re able to master something a little more demanding, explore some of the other budget options out there, such as the Motorola Gleam or Sony Ericsson Cedar.

HTC Salsa review

Conclusion

The HTC Salsa offers decent power, impressive battery life and a good screen, as well as handy Facebook features. If you’re after a Facebook-focused phone, we reckon the Salsa’s a better bet than the HTC ChaCha and INQ Cloud Touch. Even if you abhor social networking and shun status updates, that friendly blue button is easy enough to ignore when the rest of the package is so appealing.

Samsung Solid Immerse review

Conclusion

The Samsung Solid Immerse is well hard, but it’s let down by its disappointing software, a dismal camera and lacklustre battery life. If you’re deadly serious about acquiring a phone that you can depend on when Mother Nature turns nasty, we’d recommend the Motorola Defy. Should your budget not stretch to a smart phone, the Solid Immerse is a worthy contender — just make sure it’s fully charged before you go for a long walk in the hills alone.

Trusted Reviews

HTC Salsa Review

Verdict

The HTC Salsa may be a smaller, budget device, with Facebook at its core but it’s actually a surprisingly grown up smartphone. It’s smartly styled, speedy in operation, packed full of features, and can get you to Facebook nirvana quicker than you can say toasted Tortilla. Whether your desire for Facebook fripperies is strong enough to overcome the slightly high price is more of a personal preference issue but if you do like the idea then it’s very well executed.

HTC Sensation review

Verdict

The HTC Sensation is a frustrating device. Why? Because it comes so close to perfection but doesn’t quite manage it. The high resolution screen is great but the quality of it lets it down a tad, some of the software tweaks are great but yet video support is poor, and while the performance is amazing, battery life isn’t so much. Nonetheless, if battery life proves to be better once usage has settled down then the screen quality issue is certainly something we can overlook as the rest of the device is so delightful. It’s beautifully made and styled, it’s incredibly fast, the camera’s good, and call quality isn’t half bad either. All told, despite a few niggles, it’s definitely up there with the best dual-core smartphones.

Reghardware

Motorola Atrix dual-core Android smartphone

Verdict

The Motorola Atrix may look standard at first glance, but a feast of features, along with those accessories, offer hidden depths. Whether this mobile gadgetry will set the tone for future, more powerful smartphones remains to be seen. But as far as roadmaps go, Motorola has certainly taken an interesting turn.

LG Optimus 3D dual core Android smartphone

Verdict

The stand-out feature, obviously, is the gimmick that is 3D and it’s very well-executed. And yet the LG Optimus 3D has a lot more going for it, thanks to a great screen, easy connectivity for video playback on a flatscreen TV and a fast dual-core processor. Lest we forget that whopping 4.3in screen means this is a big phone: if you’re one of those people who finds the iPhone largish, this one is a behemoth in comparison. Get it in your hand before you buy – anyway, you’ll want to check the 3D out first, too. If the size suits you, this is a highly attractive phone.

HTC Sensation dual core Android smartphone

Verdict

Another quality handset from HTC and this is the hero of the bunch, with a fast dual core processor, the latest Sense user interface goodies, Android 2.3 and, for once, the company manages to build a half-decent camera.

HTC ChaCha salsa’s its way on to Three

The Android-powered HTC ChaCha phone has arrived on Three, with deep social networking integration and a dedicated Facebook button for quick and easy uploading of photos, videos, sharing music and checking-in to various places.

HTC’s ChaCha provides the best of both worlds for the fast fingered Facebook lovers, with a QWERTY keyboard for text, emailing, chatting with and a multi-touch 2.6-inch touch screen plus 5-megapixel camera to boot.

The mobile has also been pimped up since the handset was announced at Mobile World Congress this year, as the ChaCha now has a 800Mhz CPU from the 600Mhz mobile launched in February.

The HTC ChaCha is available from just £20 a month, whilst for £29 a month on The One Plan you can get all-you-can-eat data, 2,000 any network minutes, 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes and 5,000 texts.

Check out all of the HTC ChaCha deals today on OMIO.

HTC Sensation Now Available On Vodafone

Vodafone is now exclusively selling HTC’s first ever dual core Sensation mobile phone, on a £35 a month contract.

The HTC Sensation handset runs from the latest Android Gingerbread operating system, with HTC Sense 3.0, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB memory and an 8-megapixel camera that can record video at 1080p – which viewable on its 4.3-inch 540×960 touch SLCD screen.

Vodafone jointly launched Sensation with HTC, where the mobile phone network was first thought to be the exclusive carrier only now Three will be offering the handset on a contract next month.

The dual core HTC Sensation is available with Vodafone with a 900 minute anytime allowance, an unlimited text message deal along with a 750MB mobile broadband bundle.

Amazon lists two new HTC mobile phones

Pre-ordering of the HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha ‘FaceBook’ handsets have opened up on Amazon, with an arrival date of 26th June; SIM free and unlocked.

HTC’s ChaCha and Salsa both arrive with the Android Gingerbread versions, with the updated HTC Sense theme and an actual Facebook button that launches access to that social networking website.

The Salsa has a 3.4-inch full touch screen and the ChaCha has a smaller 2.6-inch touch screen, only with a Qwerty keyboard that looks rather like an early BlackBerry Curve or a more recent Bold.

Both handsets run from a 600Mhz CPU, with a 5megapixel camera and more of a low price point than other HTC handsets as the HTC ChaCha runs in at £249.99 and the HTC Salsa is £319.99.

Check out all of the HTC Salsa and ChaCha deals at OMIO today!

HTC Flyer available to order

HTC’s first ever tablet is now around to order from Expansys.com, with the Flyer costing just £479.99 for the 16GB WIFI model and £599.99 for the 32GB 3G version – both SIM free and unlocked.

The HTC Flyer made is first public appearance at Mobile World Congress this year, along with 5 other new handsets from the Taiwanese mobile phone maker.

HTC’s Flyer runs from Android ‘Gingerbread’ 2.3, although the more recent spate of tablets all run the Android Android ‘Honeycomb’ 2.3 OS that has been designed solely for these products.

The Flyer comes with a 7-inch 1024×600 LCD capacitive touch screen, with a 1.5GHz processor, a 5MP camera and HTC Sense v2.1.

This tablet is just one of the plethora of large touch screen devices to arrive this year to take on the Apple iPad 2; with the Xoom from Motorola, another two Galaxy Tabs from Samsung and the TouchPad from HP – to name but a few.

Check out all of the HTC Flyer deals at OMIO here.

HTC Sensation Exclusive To Vodafone In May 2011, Other Operators From June

The HTC Sensation will be released exclusively on Vodafone in the UK and Europe in May, at least initially.

HTC’s all-singing all-dancing Android ‘multimedia superphone’, previously known to tech watchers as ‘Pyramid’, will be available a month later in June on T-Mobile and Orange according to Pocket Lint.  3 Mobile have also announced a vague ‘summer’ release period, and whilst O2 have announced their intentions to stock the handset to CNET today, they had no dates to give.

The Sensation, with its 4.3″ qHD screen (960 x 540 pixels) will take the throne of flagship handset from the popular Desire HD. It sports a smokin’ fast dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, that should keep things running quicker than your fingers can press things. Video calling will be a doddle with the front-facing VGA camera, and you will be able to capture memories with the impressive 8MP camera at the rear, in full 1080p HD video at a smooth-as-eggs 30fps. The Sensation will also include the latest version of their widely praised Sense overlay for Android OS, which adds further tweaks to streamline the user experience.

Most interestingly, the handset will come preloaded with HTC Watch, a multimedia portal for renting or buying movies and TV shows on the move. However, despite the handset having HDMI out and wireless DLNA, DRM restrictions will not allow downloaded videos to be streamed over to your massive TV/monitor.  Whilst this may turn out to be something of a deal breaker for some, many more will love the convenience of being able to watch  from a large library of content on the handsets spacious 16:9 screen.

Pricing is still unknown at this point, but we will post any news up as it arrives. Alternatively, you can sign up for information on the HTC Sensation, as we get it, on OMIO’s deals page.

MWC 2011: HTC Booth Tour – Smartphone Iteration With Tablet Innovation

This time last year Taiwanese manufacturer HTC blew everyone away with bold new designs, a fresh ‘Sense’ user interface, and a barrage of handsets targeting all tiers of the market.

Needless to say, the mid-range Legend, entry-level Wildfire and well, desirable Desire (not so much the WinMo-powered HD mini) went on to run things in 2010, spearheading the charge of Google’s Android into the hands of many.

This time around however, HTC seemed to be playing it incredibly safe, with tweaks, iterations and reboots of familiar hardware and software in their 2011 range. Even the promise of a exciting 7-inch tablet wasn’t enough to quell the fear that the manufacturer might have been spinning its wheels a little…

HTC Incredible S – This flagship phone has already experienced some success on the other side of The Pond as the Droid Incredible, and it is admittedly as sexy looking as a top-flight HTC handset can get.

The form factor is slick and unique, with the handset’s frame looking almost vacuum formed over the internal organs, whilst still housing an expansive 4-inch Super LCD display on the front. It felt awfully familiar to use, and the presence of the usual tropes of an HTC smartphone were what made it slightly underwhelming to get ahold of.

The specs are looking decidedly less incredible now that dual-cores are all the rage, so the 1GHz Qualcomm processor and 768MB RAM get the Android-powered Sense UI moving at a rate of knots. It felt sturdy enough and the built-in surround sound was admittedly impressive when looking at a demo video, the styling was unique, but very little in terms of features and functions held any sway over some impressive competition.

Check it out in motion.

HTC Desire S – If the Desire HD was a bigger budget remake of the original Desire, then the Desire S is the soulless sequel, riding off the earlier installment’s name. A ‘Titanic 2‘, if you will.

Whilst the Desire S looks every part the gorgeous HTC handset (the spirit of the awesome Legend lives on once again in the unibody aluminium frame), the changes in specifications are really very incremental. Running a 1Ghz Qualcomm processor, the performance was snappy but a little samey, whilst the decent Sense UI makes a return, but with few new flourishes.

Sleeker and looking more like the original Desire than the widescreen HD, the 3.7-inch display and 5-megapixel camera will be familiar features to those owning the first iteration, albeit now sporting an even more rubberised frame.

Playing with it was like meeting an old friend, but one that you’d only seen the week before and had very little new to say…

HTC Wildfire S - It’s very tough not to like this cutesy refresh to the entry-level Wildfire, as the Wildfire S hits all the right notes to make for a great affordable device. Arriving in a range of colours, the Wildfire S has a 3.2-inch display, but with a beefed up resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, so an end to those super-blocky fonts and massive icons.

It makes for an even more comparable user experience to its bigger brothers, whilst the 600Mhz processor does more than enough to keep the handset nippy when multitasking or browsing the web. It did feel a little fiddly at times to get the virtual buttons at the bottom of the display going, but it was more to do with the size of our hands than the device itself…

The 5-megapixel rear camera is becoming standard at the lower pricepoints, but combined with its wi-fi connectivity, Android 2.3-powered Sense UI and a great feeling of fun, the Wildfire S is one reboot that I’d happily sit through.

HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa – Now the much-vaunted ‘Facebook phones’ were incredibly interesting, despite being aimed at texting teens rather than smartphone-loving grown ups.

The dedicated Facebook button enables one-touch integration to everyone’s favourite timesink, enabling quick status updates and swift Facebook Chat IMs via a special client.

The ChaCha sports a familiar screen and QWERTY-keyboard design, but this time the 2.6-inch HVGA screen is full touch, giving users the best of both worlds. The Salsa is a little more current with a 3.4-inch full-touch layout, but both possess 5-megapixel cameras with LED flash.

These were under cover of glass when we were at the booth, so didn’t manage to get any hands-on time, but these little handsets for social butterflies seemed the most interesting, and the most indicative of where the market is headed…

Take a look at the promo video to get an idea of how connected these two are…

HTC Flyer – Now this got the blood pumping a little… A 7-inch tablet, looking every part the blown up HTC Legend but endowed with some awesome new features.

The connection to HTC Watch for streaming movies and OnLive for full-fat gaming via the cloud, the stylus and HTC’s Scribe technology allowing for scribbling wherever you are in the device, as well as a revamped Sense UI for tablets reignited the excitement felt by the Taiwanese manufacturer when they took the wraps off the Desire 12 months ago.

If they can inject some of this tablet innovation into their smartphones, HTC might be unbeatable. As it is, HTC’s new phones were a step forward in hardware, software and services – OnLive aside – whilst the competition are taking massive, somewhat risky leaps ahead…