Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information

Right now, Apple and BlackBerry are still on top of the Smartphone industry as the two try to battle it out for supremacy. However, not far behind is the Taiwan-based manufacturer HTC. They have continually supplied us with excellent Smartphones that match, and in some cases even outclass the likes of the iPhone. One of the best mobiles to ever come out of their busy kitchen is the HTC Desire.

Truly Desirable

One look at this Smartphone will almost instantly give you a desire to get one for yourself. The compact design is impeccable and the 3.7” AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays the most vivid of colours (resolution is at an amazing 480 x 800 pixels). 3G HSDPA, EDGE and GPRS are all on board the HTC Desire as is high speed WLAN compatibility.

The proprietary HTC Sense user interface is definitely a feature that will make this Smartphone the envy of your peers. It doesn’t only deliver user friendliness at the highest level, but its aesthetic value is also way up there.

At Par with the Big Boys

The HTC Desire is definitely at par with the big boys in today’s Smartphone scene. In fact, one could even make a case that it is even better than the BlackBerry’s and the iPhone’s out there. Alongside this mobile’s highly rated Google Android mobile operating system (version 2.1 or Eclair) is a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

With an astonishing clock speed of 1 GHz, this remains to be the most powerful processor in the market today. The HTC Desire even has a 5-Megapixel camera on board (complete with geo-tagging, an LED flash, autofocus, etc.) which is far better than the iPhone’s 3-Megapixel built-in snapper.

The HTC Desire is truly a remarkable Smartphone and we wouldn’t be surprised at all if this device bagged the awards as 2010’s Smartphone of the year.

A lot of critics and consumers alike consider the HTC Desire to be one heck of a Smartphone. As much as we’d like to bash on this Taiwan-based piece of technology, the truth is, we totally agree with the Desire advocates. The Desire is as impressive as they come.

Multimedia Mad

Aside from all the voice and data connectivity options on mobiles, one defining aspect of an excellent Smartphone is its multimedia features. In this regard, the HTC Desire definitely doesn’t disappoint. It starts things off with its highly impressive 3.7” AMOLED touch screen display which delivers 480 x 800 pixels of resolution. The Desire also packs in a functional 5-Megapixel camera which sports features such as geo-tagging and smile detection. The pre-installed multimedia player is also noteworthy as is its external memory which goes up to 32GB.

Sensing a Difference?

One more thing that makes the HTC Desire stand out is its user interface. Not only does it sport the highly-acclaimed Google Android operating system (version 2.1 or Eclair), but it takes things a step further by combining it with HTC’s proprietary Sense UI. The two work together amazingly well as they bring out the best features out of one another – much like how we expect all our romantic relationships to be. Joking aside, the Android hasn’t looked this good and surely, Google has to thank the Sense UI for this vast improvement.

Bang for Your Buck

Lastly, the HTC Desire is very reasonably priced. It was launched just this March and today, it retails at approximately £400. At this considerably affordable price, you can already get your hands on a wonderful Smartphone that gives you all the features you’d need and want. It’s even over a hundred pounds cheaper than the iPhone 3GS which retails at over five hundred pounds.

A week or so ago, Apple filed a lawsuit against HTC. The Taiwanese manufacturer was accused of stealing patented technology with a patent infringement case that covers up to 20 different patents from Apple.

Obviously, with 20 patents being put on trial at once, it is obvious that Apple has been preparing this case for quite some time. No doubts about Apple’s ownership of the patents obviously, but they will still have a long way to prove that HTC did infringe on those patents knowingly or before the patents were approved.

HTC has already been in the mobile industry for a long time, something that the CEO of the company has brought into spotlight when giving a statement about the lawsuit. With their reputation and credibility as a manufacturer on the line, HTC is reminding us that they are innovators in their own right and would not ‘steal technology’.

The full quote from CEO Peter Chou is as follows: “HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible.”

“From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

Google has taken a stand on this matter and declared that they will be supporting their industry partner HTC.

Get to know more about the HTC’s reaction to the Apple lawsuit at GSM Arena.

It is bad enough that the average person comes across malware, spyware or any of the derivatives of a virus on a daily basis. If you thought installing a firewall or rushing over to anti-virus store outlets were bad enough, check out what just happened to a factory sealed mobile phone.

An employee from anti-virus software company Panda Research has reported her discovery of some malware called “Mariposa” installed on her new HTC Magic phone carrying the Google Android OS. She got her mobile phone from the British multinational mobile phone operator Vodafone according to the official Panda Research blog.

It appears that the employee’s Panda Cloud Anti-virus software detected the malware after she plugged her fresh-out-of-the-box mobile phone to her work computer for the first time. Autorun.inf and autorun.exe files were the cause for the anti-virus notification as well as a Lineage password stealing malware and a Confiker virus variant. The mobile phone was set up to infect any PC the phone was connected to as well as any other PCs in the network.

After the problem was isolated, it seems that the micro SD memory card that came with the mobile phone was to blame. The phone itself and the Google Android operating system were in the clear.

Because of this incident, Panda Research is planning to do check other HTC Magic phones to see if others are infected as well. So far, no other reports have been posted, and it is most likely an isolated incident. Perhaps the carrier just did a sloppy job of wiping the memory of a refurbished SD card or they just received a bad egg from their suppliers.

Either way, it seems that the problem will be contained because Vodafone has just recently discontinued their HTC Magic line. It creates a new issue though because the only Android OS device in its stocks right now is the Tattoo.

Head over to Engadget for more information about the malware found in the Magic.

Vodafone is one busy mobile network operator with plenty of new devices coming this March and April.

The Apple iPad is a definite top biller with Steve Jobs’ latest gizmo taking the headlines just before the Mobile World Congress. The only drawback to Apple’s tablet device is that most people do not even know what to do with it. While this gadget has the potential to change the way we look at daily published materials such as newspapers and magazines, the average folk is still not aware that this expensive and impressive device is not capable of something as basic as multi tasking. But many expect to see this device to get more users once people start realizing how nice it is.

The Google phone Nexus One is also headed to Vodafone though many of us wonder how much good this will do for the dying Google Android handset. While the device is impressive with its 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, 5 mega pixel camera, speech recognition software and noise reduction system, the fact that the only way to obtain the phone is through the online store is pretty discouraging. Expect many to pass this for the HTC Desire.

Speaking of HTC, Vodafone will be bringing us a winner of an Android this March as the HTC Legend will finally hit the shelves. The much anticipated successor the HTC Hero will be offered by Vodafone in various deals. The device comes complete in all its aluminum covered glory. The Legend has a 3.2 inch AMOLED touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera and a Qualcomm 600 MHz processor. It also uses the HTC Sense user interface on top of the Android operating system.

Read more about the HTC Legend Android smart phone at Mobile Choice UK.

There are some companies that are really worth taking focus on. Taiwanese manufacturer HTC always seems to come out with all sorts of odd useful and not-so-useful stuff.

The big news today is that HTC is working with O2 to create a brand new mobile phone. While details on what the specs is nowhere to be found, many are expecting specifications slightly below the high end threshold. While HTC can easily make a high end device, it would be hard for a phone seller to sell incredibly expensive phones. Instead well priced mobile phones are the way to go.

HTC has plenty of upcoming mobile phones that can be used as a basis for the O2 phone. As some of you may remember; the Nexus One is based after the HTC Bravo smart phone. The two devices share very similar specs, but the Bravo comes with 720p HD video recording that is not found on O2 phones.

Speaking of other devices, it is possible that the Salsa, Buzz, Tide, Photon, Trophy and the Tera could be the next device for O2. HTC has also been working on a couple of other devices as well, the HTC Espresso Android phone is a remake of the Hero with a slide out keyboard and the Touch.Brew is a completely new device using the Brew OS.

As much excitement as this phone gives, it is likely that the device will not be coming out during the Mobile World Congress due to the fact that O2’s phone will be region locked anyway. So far, things have not been looking up for O2. Since the company ended its exclusivity on the Android phone, they are reportedly losing plenty of market control.

Read more about the new HTC and O2 tie in to create a brand new mobile phone at Know Your Mobile.

Just because a phone is called a smartphone, does that mean the phone is actually smart?  Nobody really knows but the phone would have to be remotely useful to be considered a smartphone.  HTC has decided to take a risk but namely with the HTC Smart.  HTC has decided to release the HTC Smart sometime in the first quarter of this year, around the spring.  The HTC Smart will be able to reflect off the user’s moods and attitude with the Scenes app that will allow users to customize their phone.

People will be able to use the phone for their everyday lives, such as; email, calendar and the web browser.  I give HTC Smart two thumbs up for the newly integrated web features that we need to accomplish the smallest of tasks.  HTC has predicted that, without the features; we as consumers would not feel complete without the daily usage and accessibility of the Internet.  HTC is still one step behind the phones that are already popular but it seems that they are just testing the phone according to consumer reviews that will offer feedback.  The feedback given by consumers will no doubt give HTC the insight needed as to what features and apps the consumers desire the most.

The windows of the phone will allow the user to see all the email, Facebook updates, and text all in one page.  Granted, everyone wants usability instead of having to wade around all the apps and closing the apps that prevent from doing these things.  The phone is not really expensive but will cost at least around €200.  I would say that it is just the right price considering the limited but usable features the phone will come with.  The phone should hit the markets in Europe and Asia before it reaches the United States.

So is the HTC Smart, actually smart?  Maybe, maybe not, but the phone will offer users to handle their business in a smarter, faster and effective way.  Even though the phone is relatively the same as any other HTC phone, the operating system is based on the BREW platform.  The phone has the basics of any popular phone; 2.8 inch touch screen, 3 MP flash camera, 300MHz processor, Bluetooth stereo, microSD slot, and a 3.5mm jack for a headset.

HTC Smart is definitely a new chapter in the history of HTC and if they can make their platform a success, then they very well may be revolutionizing the phone market.  So far, the phone allows 6 hours for your talking pleasures, and 25 days for your phone to standby on a 3G.  It is very light weight and weighs around 108 grams.  The phone only supports HTML usability and that is enough to support most of Google apps.  The best part of the apps relies on the multi-media players that are compatible with MP3s, WMA, and AAC files.  Can’t wait to see what they come out with next.

HTC’s mobile phones are sprouting like mushrooms after the rain.

January started with the released of what is probably the most anticipated mobile phone of them all, the  Nexus One -which ironically did not sell much, only 20,000 units were sold in the first week. The news was later followed up by the confirmation that HTC’s Bravo (the HTC branded Snapdragon Android phone) would be launching at the end of Q1 this year.

Now, not more than four weeks later, there is news about the HTC Espresso, Obsession, HD3, Supersonic and plenty of other HTC phones. The reports range from confirmed to the incredulous; the HTC Obsession images are a hoax, the WinMo phone’s images clearly show an Android UI.

Anyway, images of the HTC Bravo and the HTC Supersonic (which are not hoaxes) have been revealed recently. The two phones are expected to be announced formally at the Mobile World Congress in February that will be held in Barcelona, Spain.

The specs of the HTC Bravo have already been confirmed since the device was leaked last year along with the rest of the HTC 2010 roadmap. The Bravo will come with the 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, the latest Android operating system, a 3.7 inch capacitive AMOLED touch screen and a 5 mega pixel camera with 720p HD video recording. Specs wise, the Bravo and the Google Nexus One are pretty much on par with each other with the Bravo having only the HD video recording as an advantage. For those who are not too keen on getting the Google phone through the online store, the Bravo makes for an excellent alternative.

As for the HTC Supersonic, details on this first ever WiMax Android phone are still scarce, but the initial images show a pretty stylish mobile device that is certainly worth checking out.

Get the full details and the rest of the news from Softpedia.

There have been quite a few leaks for the HTC recently, as mobile phone enthusiasts would have noticed the leakage of their 2010 Roadmap spread like wildfire across the gadget communities on the internet. As more details emerge of the latest Android phone of the Taiwanese mobile giants, we have discovered that the HTC Bravo has actually surfaced to be the same device as the leaked handset named Passion.

The big news for the HTC phone fans first appeared in DigiTimes, which hold that the Bravo would be introduced as HTC Passion in the US markets in the first month of the year 2010. While the US users would be able to access the Android-run handset, it will not be any sooner than the end of April 2010 that the phone will reach the shelves of the European markets by the name of Bravo on T-mobile.

The HTC Bravo, or Passion, if you will, will be one of the more than 60% of HTC handset models to be released in the year 2010 that will be featuring the Android operating system. This according to the leaked HTC Roadmap will be the strategy for the next year, while the Windows Mobile phones will make up even lesser than 40% of the planned releases. Many pundits are watching the expected release of the HTC Bravo as a significant step from HTC to the gradual replacement of Windows Mobile phones with Android phones.

Just as we adjust our minds to the news of Bravo and Passion being one, it is rather ironical as analysts on the internet were speculating about the 3.5”size of Passion’s screen, and reporting that HTC may delay it for refining its software. The new leaks report the Bravo to be featuring a 3.7” AMOLED touch-screen which clearly varies from the earlier rumors. But despite the contradictions and the fact that Passion and Bravo are the same handsets or not, if the device appears in January 2010, it will not be long before you come to hear the truth about the latest HTC Android phone.

Information reaching us is that the new HTC HD2 Windows phone will be made available in-store at 02 shops as from today.

O2 today revealed that the Windows 6.5-powered HD2 will now be available over the phone and also ready for purchase within O2 store as from today. The HTC HD2 has really impressed everyone especially due to its large touch screen feature. This large and highly interactive capacitive touch screen is powered by the Windows Mobile Operating System which is frequently believed to be tricky to go along with.

The screen which is 4.3 in implies that it might be too large to put into some small pockets even though the 11mm thickness implies than it should fit into those baggy pockets without much ado.

As at the time of writing, the HD2 still hasn’t made it into 02’s website although there are great assurances you will locate it in-store.

It is also worthy of note that the HTC HD2 can be got free of charge on contract, however considering the highest-end phones we have witnessed in a while, it is largely expected for one to be paying as much/low (whichever) as £35 a month before you can expect to own this black beauty.

HTC’s skill for creating touch screen devices really excelled greatly since android give the green lights to the Taiwanese company to implement capacitive screens

The HTC HD2 is the first of its kind in the series of Windows-powered devices to include a capacitive screen and the world is definitely thankful for that.