Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information

Android smart phones are the best answer to many mobile phone needs. It handles basic internet browsing, casual gaming, social networking, media recording and playback, document processing and of course, all the fun Google extra features.

And while it may seem like an easy task to simply go out and grab the latest Android smart phone from any major phone maker, there are certain devices that truly stand out over the rest. With that said, the HTC Desire is as ‘Android’ as an Android smart phone can be. The device rivals Google’s Nexus One in terms of both specs and user experience, providing users with the best that the Android OS has to offer.

A Close Look

The spec sheet on the HTC Desire is basically the new standard for what many other mobile phone makers consider as the basis for high end devices. First off, the Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 CPU; clocked at 1GHz, this processor is responsible for keeping the handset running fast and smooth.

But even with the speed and the power of the chip, there is one more important feature that the Snapdragon has: better energy consumption rates. Even with its top level performance, the handset will last for hours on a full charge.

HTC has also provided the phone with a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display, giving it high quality visual output and of course, serves as the primary user input. This multitouch capable display supports gestures such as ‘pinch to zoom’ which allow users a more convenient way of browsing the phone’s contents.

Wrapping Up

While the HTC Desire is pre-installed with the Android 2.1 Éclair, it is recommended that users upgrade to version 2.2 Froyo. This installment provides the handset with ever higher quality video recording, improved apps and most importantly, a massive boost to the performance in terms of speed and stability for the UI and in web browsing. The upcoming HTC Desire Z and HTC Desire HD are expected to ship with Froyo pre-installed.

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.

When it comes to the Android, anyone who is familiar with technology would have plenty of reasons to praise and be happy with this mobile platform. From its open source nature to the fact that it supports so many standards, it is hard for any tech junkie to not like any product that is sporting the little green robot from Google.

But for the general public, the Android is just another name, and being open source is hardly a reason to choose an OS. In order to figure out what makes and Android smart phone so good, here is a quick layman’s look at Google’s operating system.

First off, the Android is an operating system. This is basically the digital foundation upon which all apps, functions, features are accessed and run from. The iPhone and many other smart phones all have their own operating system, and aside from the hardware features of a mobile handset, the operating system is an important factor to consider when buying a phone.

The Android is unique from the iPhone OS as it is an open source platform. For the consumer, this technical term may not mean much, but the bottom line here is that open source operating systems tend to have more apps that can do more things. Literally speaking, the phone will be more “open” to developers. This means that the people that make apps will have access to more of the phone’s features, like the camera, music player, and other valuable resources. In turn, this will allow for the creation of a wider range of apps.

Another reason why Google’s Android is so good is because Google made it. This means that all (well, most) of Google’s online services are accessible from an Android device. Be it Gmail, Google Buzz, Google Chat, Google Earth, Maps, Street View, YouTube, Picasa and everything else is compatible with the system.

Finally, no mobile OS would be worth much without a decent set of handsets that employ it, and the Android certainly doesn’t fall short here. At the high end, phones like HTC’s Desire provide an impresive array of features, while phones like the upcoming SE XPERIA X8 allow access to to this powerful OS on a budget.

When Samsung announced the Bada operating system, many believed that the Korean phone manufacturer would be so focused on their proprietary operating system that they would slow down in the production of smart phones for other mobile platforms. However, it seems that the general assumption was quite wrong and Samsung is making plenty of mobile handsets for the Google Android operating system.

With the launch of the i7500 Galaxy last year, Samsung has begun its series of high end devices that would be making use of the open source mobile platform. The device would later be followed up by the Galaxy Lite (also known as the Galaxy Spica) and now, the series is expanding with many new handsets added to the list.

First to join the ranks is the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S which is basically the Korean manufacturer’s answer to the Nexus One and the HTC Desire This smart phone not only matches the 1GHz CPU and 5 mega pixel camera, but they also bring in their new super AMOLED capacitive touch screen display. According to recent reports, there will be a Samsung Galaxy S Pro smart phone that will be released soon and that the phone will come with a slide out QWERTY keyboard.

Speaking of super AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays, the Galaxy Tape is set to have the largest one around at 7 inches. The Galaxy Tape is considered to be a tablet despite having phone call capabilities. With the Android 2.2 Froyo, a front facing camera and a better resolution display, this is perfect answer to the Apple iPad.

Aside from high end devices, the Galaxy series is also offering more common midrange phones like the Galaxy Apollo which was recently put in a teaser by Orange Mobile UK. The device is the same as the Samsung Galaxy 3 though the two have different number designations. Last on the list is a Corby Galaxy smart phone, the i5500 Galaxy 5.

Vodafone’s mobile device offerings for April are several Android devices along with the Apple iPad tablet. The UK based mobile network operator’s official website is already promoting the devices for their upcoming launch.

Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10 is already confirmed for April and it looks like Vodafone might also offer the X10 Mini devices when they launch later this year. The XPERIA X10 may be the first Android smart phone from SE, but it looks like the joint venture have made a pretty good device for the open source OS. It has already been reported that despite the phone having only version 1.6 Donut installed, an update to the latest version will be made available within the next few weeks.

The HTC Desire and the HTC Legend are two of the Taiwanese manufacturer’s most anticipated devices. Both were first revealed last year when the HTC 2010 roadmap was leaked (along with several other devices). Both phones were showcased at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain.

The Desire is pretty much like the Nexus One in terms of specs, both phones have Snapdragon processors running at a full 1GHz, both use 5 mega pixel cameras and the two devices also have 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays. Many are considering the Desire to be the perfect substitute to Nexus One.

The Legend on the other hand is a mid-range smart phone that may sell even more than the Desire. Despite the hardware advantage of the Desire, the Legend is expected to be priced at a more reasonable rate. It is also the successor to the HTC Hero. Both the Desire and the Legend will be using the Sense user interface.

Get to know more about HTC Legend, Desire and Vodafone UK’s other offerings at Know Your Mobile.

While it is very common for us in the mobile industry to see new devices and innovations being announced and released one after the other, there is a definite charm in being able to have a good idea of how the industry will be shaping up a few months ahead in time. Events like last January’s CES (held at Las Vegas) and Feb 14’s Mobile World Congress (held at Barcelona, Spain), has given us plenty of new things to look forward to.

Samsung’s Wave phone got a head start in exposure with plenty of its posters being put up just a day or two before the big event. Looks like the Korean manufacturer has gone all out to deliver its promise of making a “smart phone for everyone” –the new Wave phone is hardly lacking in features, it has a 1GHz processor, a super AMOLED touch screen and Samsung’s spiffy new proprietary operating system, the Bada. Open source and ready to go, the Bada made a pretty successful debut last Sunday.

Though when it comes to debuts, nothing comes as close to the amount of fanfare and critical reception of the new Microsoft mobile platform, the Windows Phone 7 series; the new name is a telling sign of how many things have changed for the OS previously known as Windows Mobile. Presenters onstage constantly repeated the phrase: “the phone is not a PC”, emphasizing heavily on their new approach to reinvent the way users see their mobile devices.

Google’s Android operating system also made a pretty heavy showing, in actual devices too. HTC and Sony Ericsson will be launching major devices this coming March as the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 and the HTC Desire will be going head to head. Both devices run on Snapdragon processors. The HTC Legend and the X10 Minis will be following shortly too.

See MWC product images at the Guardian UK.