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HTC Droid Eris Review

melissa — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:01:22 +0000

If you can live without a hardware keyboard, the HTC Droid Eris is an affordable and feature-packed alternative to the Motorola Droid.

The HTC Droid Eris marks the second in Verizon Wireless’s parade of the Droids. Also due this week from Verizon, the Droid Eris ($100 with a two-year contract, price as of 11/5/2009) shares the Droid moniker and many features of competing Android phones, but it also adds some touches that improve the experience for business users.

The Droid Eris touchscreen handset (a CDMA version of the HTC Hero) has dimensions similar to, and much of the same functionality as, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G GSM unit, also made by HTC. Side by side, the first thing that jumps out is the Eris’s brighter, sharper-looking display. While both handsets have a 3.2-inch, 480-by-320 pixel screen, the Droid Eris supports 262,000 colors while the myTouch 3G has just 65,000 colors.

Unlike the myTouch 3G, which has six hardware keys on the front plus a roller mouse button, the Eris replaces the top four buttons (Home, Menu, Back, and Search) with embedded softkeys. In practice, the four software keys were usable, but not as easy to activate as their hardware counterparts. I’ve found the myTouch 3G’s real Send and End buttons and roller mouse (which glows if you have an incoming text message or other notification) more useful than the Droid Eris’s softkeys when fumbling around in the dark. (The Motorola Droid lacks any front-panel hardware buttons.)

The Droid Eris has a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM 7600 CPU, while the myTouch 3G has a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM 7201A chip. The Eris has a 5.0-megapixel camera (up from a 3.2-megapixel camera), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0; includes a GPS receiver; and supports the 800MHz and 1900MHz bands on the Verizon Wireless network. It also has a standard headset jack, something the myTouch 3G lacks.

Under the hood is the Android 1.5 operating system, not the Android 1.6 (Donut) update or Android 2.0 (on the Motorola Droid). (T-Mobile has already pushed out the Donut update to its G1 and myTouch 3G customers.) However, some of the improvements tossed in with Donut are in the Eris anyway. For example, the updated Google Maps application, which includes transit directions, comes with the phone; and the video and still cameras are accessible through the same interface, as is the case with Android 1.6. Not present here is the Google Maps Navigation turn-by-turn application that comes with Android 2.0.

What sets the Droid Eris apart is how it caters to business users. For example, it allows direct calendar and contact synchronization with Microsoft Outlook. This means that, unlike Google-branded Android phones, you don’t have to sync your data with your online Google account first before downloading it to the phone–a boon for users. Also, Verizon has preinstalled an Adobe PDF file viewer, a link to Verizon’s Visual Voicemail, a “Stocks” link to financial market information from Yahoo Finance, and support for Microsoft Exchange corporate e-mail.

Also preinstalled: A Peep application for Twitter and Footprint, which allows you to capture an image, attach comments, and use the phone’s GPS capabilities to log its location and create a map, all of which can be shared.

Interestingly, the Droid Eris has the now-familiar pull-down Android notification screen, but the home screen behaves differently. Instead of having a pull-up menu containing all of the applications, the home screen instead offers a link to the application menu display.

While the unit can’t match the Motorola Droid’s 420-by-854-pixel display, the HTC Droid Eris performed well with standard and high-definition YouTube videos, depending on the quality of the data connection.

The 5-megapixel camera lacks a flash but performed adequately, capturing reasonable images under adequate ambient light. The virtual keyboard, which offers haptic feedback if desired, worked well in portrait or landscape mode. At just 4.2 ounces and measuring 4.5-by-2.2-by-0.5-inches, the unit fits comfortably in a shirt pocket.

If you want a cheaper Android-based alternative to the Droid and can live without a hardware keyboard, the Droid Eris is a good choice at $100.

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HTC HD2 Unlocked Cell Phone

melissa — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:24:10 +0000

If you have the HTC HD2 phone already but do not want to be saddled by a specific provider then here’s just the pone for you. We are talking about the HTC HD2 phone which will finally reach consumers unlocked.

Te unlocked HTC HD2 phone will be seen first in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom and then in Spain. American consumers would have to wait longer though as the phone will come to the US shores by next year. Starting November 11th, you can already get the phone unlocked for only $740.

The phone may come in a slightly higher price but then again you wouldn’t have to think twice when you realize what it can do. Those in the US can get it when it drops next month but only with EDGE connectivity. But with a little patience, you can already get the HTC HD2 phone with 3G connectivity in 2010.

The HTC HD2 phone comes with a Windows Mobile 6.5 appropriate for the touch screen. If you are a stickler for size then you will realize that the 4.3-inch screen of the HTC HD2 phone dwarfs even the iPod touch. Everything is in fact an improvement in this phone, from the screen size to the processor power, as it now sports a Snapdragon processor with a speed of 1GHz. 3

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HTC Touch Pro2 Review

melissa — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:17:32 +0000

HTC’s popular Touch Pro2 has been released for T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. It offers a large touch screen, great 3.2-megapixel camera and the company’s revolutionary dual-microphone, dual-speaker “Straight Talk” technology for boardroom-like conference calling.

The handset runs on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5 platform for plenty of business-friendly features. Users can edit and view Office documents, read PDF email attachments, follow email and threaded instant messages from up to five accounts, create presentations, check stocks and the weather, plus check the time around the globe and search the Web on one of two browsers through 3G Internet or Wi-Fi.

The Verizon version has the advantage of EV-DO Rev. A for faster Internet speeds. The Sprint version has the advantage of Sprint TV service to make the most of watching videos on the high-resolution screen. The T-Mobile version, which is reviewed here, has web2go services, such as application downloads, a home page editor and Internet browsing access.

The Touch Pro2 is great for business, but doesn’t have a lot to offer in the entertainment realm. It has mostly quick Internet service but can get held up on occasion, and there’s not much memory available at the start. Its size may be a drawback too. In the end, consumers will have to decide if they’re all business or looking for something a little more slim and fun.

Design
HTC Touch Pro2 ClosedThe Touch Pro2 is a big and heavy phone. It won’t fit into a pocket easily but the size does come in handy when it’s time to write long messages, edit documents, watch videos in full screen or browse the Internet — all viewed on its large 3.6-inch screen.

The back of the handset features a 3.2-megapixel camera lens, dual speakers and a key that activates dual microphones for conference calling.

There’s a USB/wall charger outlet on the bottom, with volume keys and a microSD memory card slot on the left side. A power on/off button sits on top.

Sliding out from under the screen, a QWERTY keyboard with large, easy-to-hit keys that are backlit can lay flat or be propped up at a slant.

The handset’s large touch screen is ideal for consumers looking for a bigger, sleek device. But the keyboard is almost too big and the heft may be too much for some people.

Out of the box the HTC Touch Pro2 comes with a Li-Ion battery, SIM card, USB cable, audio/charging cable, stereo headset, carrying case, start guide, tips & tricks guide, user guide CD and terms and conditions pamphlet.

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HTC Imagio Is Television At Your Palm

melissa — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:39:27 +0000

If you want a multimedia-centric smartphone that’s powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 then get your hands on this phone as soon as it lands. The HTC Imagio phone supports Verizon’s V CAST Mobile TV based on MediaFLO which is available to subscribers for only $15 monthly. The TV service can be accessed using the double duty antenna of the phone, which also acts as a viewing kickstand.

If you’re a TV addict then you would welcome the 3.6-inch touch screen display of the phone which will provide you larger images compared to the smaller-screened phones. Aside from clearer images as a result of the phone’s resolution of 800 x480 pixels, you will also get excited about the more than 19 networks to choose from.

The HTC Imagio phone is the only phone you’ll ever need with its 5.0 megapixel camera for your digital photography news. The camera comes with camcorder capability so that makes it twice the fun.

If you’re in the habit of traveling then the HTC Imagio phone is a must-have since it is a quad-band phone that comes with world roaming support, on top of the speedy EV-DO Rev.A 3G network of Verizon. It also has WiFi connectivity so connecting to your network of family and friends, not to mention business colleagues, is not a problem at all.

The HTC Imagio phone will initially set you back by $199.99 but of course that’s after the $100 mail-in rebate and the attached 2-year contract. Start looking for this phone when it drop son October 20th in various Verizon Wireless retail stores.

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