The HTC Desire P, which you can see in the promo image above, has a 4.3-inch display with a low WVGA resolution. Inside, users will find a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Around back, there’s an 8-megapixel camera in addition to a front camera, and there’s also a microSD card slot for expanded storage, although the internal storage capacity wasn’t revealed.

The HTC Desire Q (pictured below), meanwhile, is a smaller version of the P, measuring in with a 4-inch display and reportedly the same specifications as the P. The Desire Q’s specs weren’t specified, but we do know that it’ll be available in white, black, and red. Word has it the handset will be priced at $235, which is lower than the Q’s approx. $365 USD.

Both handsets run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and feature Beats Audio. The Desire Q will be available in China via China Mobile, while it is believed the Desire P will be available in Taiwan first. Don’t expect the phones to make their way to the United States – at least not in the near furture. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated when more information on the handsets surfaces.

[via Android Community]

This device will appear with 4GB of internal storage and 768 MB of RAM. You’ll also be getting 25GB of cloud storage free with Dropbox for two years. You’ll be able to expand your memory with this device’s included microSD card slot as well by 32GB. The HTC Desire X has a 3.5mm headphone jack with which you’ll be accessing Beats Audio high quality sound delivery.

Beats Audio continues to be a part of the HTC experience with enhanced Bluetooth 4.0 stereo audio quality – APT-X CODEC for BT A2DP included. You’ve also got HD voice here (if your chosen mobile network allows it) and FM radio. Also under the hood is a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and G-sensor. The battery in this device is a lovely 1650 mAh unit that HTC says will bring you 10 hours of talk time in 3G or 20 hours in 2G, with 34 days of standby if you’re using 3G or 31 days using 2G – strange!

This device is also able to connect with a standard 5-pin microUSB cord – included in the box – and is DNLA compliant for sireless media streaming. You’ve got wi-fi connectivity in addition to 2G and 3G and Bluetooth 4.0 here allows you PBAP as well for phonebook access from your brand new car kit – we’ll see more about that situation soon.

Then there’s the camera – here with the HTC ImageChip, the same one included in the HTC One series for awesome media capturing abilities, you’ll be rolling hard with your 5 megapixel camera. Your camera also uses a F2.0 aperture, wide angle 28 mm lens, and an LED flash with SmartFlash. This SmartFlash functionality allows five level of flash that are automatically set by your camera detecting distance to the objects at hand.

Your camera also has a BSI sensor, one-press continuous shooting with up to two frames per second, face and smile detection, geo tagging, and WVGA video recording. This camera also has the ability to work with intelligent group shot mode, Video Pic (allowing photos while you’re capturing video), and Instant Capture. This device allows you to access your camera from the lockscreen and shoot quick so you never miss a shot!

Stay tuned as we check this device out up close and personal here on SlashGear soon – meanwhile check out the HTC One tag to see the history of that lineup, and compare it to the Desire X as you do so!

HTC will be offering the missing apps separately, as well as the wallpapers, and the Facebook app will be available to download from the Android Market. Any operator customizations previously present have also been stripped away, and HTC warns that SMS/MMS may not work post-update; we’ve a feeling that’s because the company’s engineers may have taken out the default settings list to save more space, which would simply be a case of re-entering them, but it could be a sign of something more limiting.

That, perhaps, is why HTC is only recommending the update for “expert users” and even then “for development only and not for general public use.” You’ll lose all your apps and data in the process, though your microSD card will be saved, and those who picked up their Desire in Germany (from Deutsch Telekom), North America, South America, South Korea and Japan won’t have access “due to concerns raised from our partners.”

Still, we’re glad to see HTC did the legwork in releasing the ROM, even if it’s not quite the simple update Desire owners may have hoped for. You can download it – if you’re feeling suitably brave – from http://developer.htc.com/.

[via Android Community]

“Hi all- We’re excited to share that we are testing our build of Gingerbread for HTC Desire and will start doing quality assurance for it this week. When we have an update on availability we’ll post another announcement. Thanks for your support!” HTC

The update has had something of a tumultuous history. HTC surprised owners by announcing earlier this month that the Gingerbread update had been cancelled, over concerns that limitations in the Desire’s memory meant that the company’s software engineers weren’t able to both provide Android 2.3 and the full Sense experience. Unsurprisingly the decision met with considerable backlash, and HTC reversed its position overnight.

As a result, though, Gingerbread for the Desire will feature fewer apps than on other HTC handsets, as the company shaves away bulk in order to make the core functionality fit. The exact details of which apps will be present and which will not haven’t been revealed, and of course users will be able to download alternatives and store them to the Desire’s main ROM and an SD card (which HTC is unable to use).

[via Android Community]

According to HTC’s Facebook page, “to resolve Desire’s memory issue and enable the upgrade to Gingerbread, we will cut select apps from the release.” The exact nature of which apps will make the final ROM and which will not is unclear: we’re guessing they’ll more likely be culled from HTC’s own Sense selection.

HTC’s original argument is that the Desire’s 512MB of ROM was insufficient for both Android 2.3 and its own Sense modifications, if it wanted to deliver “the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect.” Owners argued that unofficial firmware releases had done just that, though many overspill the Desire’s ROM into microSD storage. That’s not an option for HTC’s official release.

“Look for status updates starting next week” HTC suggests, going on to “apologize for any confusion.”

[Thanks Toby!]

“Contrary to what we said earlier,” HTC’s short statement says, “we are going to bring Gingerbread to HTC Desire.” The reasons behind the decision are not given, but we’re guessing very vocal customers saying they’ll never buy HTC handsets again proved to be quite the motivator.

HTC is yet to announce a timeline for when the Gingerbread update for the Desire will be released. The company’s argument yesterday was that the Desire had insufficient memory for both Gingerbread and a satisfactory HTC Sense experience, a statement that met with ridicule when owners pointed out the various unofficial ROMs on offer which delivered just that.

We’ve checked with HTC and the change of mind is true, though the company says it has no further details on timing or anything else at this stage.

“Our engineering teams have been working hard for the past few months to find a way to bring Gingerbread to the HTC Desire without compromising the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect from our phones. However, we’re sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to accept there isn’t enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire. We’re sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you.” HTC

Responses from Desire owners have been unsurprisingly negative, with many pointing to xda-developers where various unofficial Gingerbread ROMs for the smartphone are already circulating. Sure enough, the forums are jammed with options, including some which package together both Android 2.3 and elements of Sense.

Still, HTC has obviously decided that the user experience isn’t strong enough to warrant releasing an official upgrade. It’s a disappointing blip after the company had earned some developer kudos by agreeing to unlock bootloaders on its new devices.

[via Android Community]

The news will come as a relief to HTC Desire owners, who have already seen their handsets updated once before – from the Android 2.1 the smartphone launched with, to Android 2.2 Froyo – and faced the prospect of the phone being left behind after the Desire S announced at MWC 2011 last week. The Desire HD is several months old (as is the Desire Z), and is expected to be replaced later in 2011 with the dual-core smartphone believed to be codenamed the HTC Pyramid.

Finally, the HTC Incredible S was only announced last week, and the only device of HTC’s MWC launch that came with Froyo pre-installed rather than Gingerbread. The HTC-made Google Nexus One is currently being updated to Gingerbread as well.

There’s also a new, front-facing camera for video calls, and HTC has updated its Sense interface and widget suite with a new app called “Mirror” that, as the name suggests, allows you to quickly turn the Desire S into a mirror replacement. What you don’t get is NFC; while Google is pushing for the short-range wireless technology’s adoption by Android OEMs, HTC told SlashGear that it felt the extra bulk an NFC module would introduce wasn’t worth it given the limited availability of NFC services.

There’s 1.1GB of phone storage and 768MB of RAM, together with a microSD card slot. Pricing and specific availability are yet to be announced, but we do know that Vodafone in the UK will be offering the HTC Desire S.

Press Release:

HTC LAUNCHES THREE NEW SMARTPHONES WITH HTC SENSE

HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S deliver premium style, power and speed

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today unveiled three new versions of its most popular and advanced smartphones – HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S. The new smartphones continue HTC’s commitment to expanding the market for advanced smartphones while providing distinct choices in design, power and value. Each phone also includes HTC Sense, HTC’s unique customer-focused user experience that puts people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way.
“HTC developed the HTC Sense experience to bring cutting-edge innovation to our customers in simple and natural ways that just make sense – this is what HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S represent best,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “These new phones offer an exhilarating mix of style, innovation and features that extend people’s mobile experience in ways that feel personal and completely original.”

HTC Desire S
As a successor to the popular and award-winning HTC Desire, the new HTC Desire S blends stunning design with power and speed. Inspired by the HTC Legend™ smartphone’s aluminium design, the HTC Desire S is sculpted out of a single block of aluminum making it feel solid and natural in your hand. With Qualcomm’s new 1GHz 8255 Snapdragon™ processor, the HTC Desire S offers snappy performance and power. It offers dual front and back cameras, High-Definition video recording and the 3.7-inch WVGA display presents multimedia content brilliantly.

HTC Wildfire S
Building on the popularity of the HTC Wildfire™ smartphone, the HTC Wildfire S smartphone is an affordable, compact and playful device that packs a powerful smartphone experience. It enables people to maintain and build connections and friendships through popular sites like Facebook®, as well as through voice and text messaging. You can instantly tag your friends in photos before posting them on Facebook, or share your latest discoveries from the Android™ Market at the touch of a button.

HTC Wildfire S is one of HTC’s smallest phones ever – measuring just 10.13cm long and 5.94cm wide – and boasts a distinctive 3.2 inch, HVGA display.

Celebrate your individuality and choose from a wide variety of colors including black, purple and white. The phone’s home screen is fully customizable with your favorite apps, widgets and content, while a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus, expandable microSD™ memory and support for a variety of audio and video formats make a great all-around multimedia device that slips easily into any pocket.

HTC Incredible S
The alluring HTC Incredible S smartphone combines cutting-edge design with a premium mobile experience for those who dare to be different. Showing what can be achieved when engineers and designers work together to raise the bar for mobile phone design, the HTC Incredible S smartphone features a stunning, contoured body that highlights the internal hardware components of the device. Capturing and viewing video in crystal clear High-Definition has never been so easy and a bright 4-inch WVGA Super LCD display and stereo surround sound bring a vibrant cinematic experience to the palm of your hand.

HTC Incredible S also takes high quality pictures with its 8-megapixel camera with dual flash, and it easily enables videos, photos and music to be shared from the handset direct to a TV using DLNA® technology. Thanks to the HTC Incredible S’s front facing camera and video call functionality, users will constantly be able to chat with their friends face-to-face.

Availability
The HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S smartphones, will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets during Q2 2011.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

Exact specifications are in short supply, but there’s a front-facing camera next to the smartphone’s earpiece and a row of touch-sensitive buttons running underneath the display. Screen size is unclear, but it could well be a 3.7-inch replacement to the HTC Desire, announced at MWC 2010 and one of the devices we’re expecting to see replaced at this year’s show.

[via Android Community]

Beyond the different color schemes both handsets are functionality identical to their regular predecessors, which means Android 2.2 and HTC Sense, WiFi, UMTS/HSPA and 5-megapixel cameras.  They’ll both go on sale via various European carriers starting this month.

[via Android Community]

The Nexus One port seems to be the most advanced right now, though the UI doesn’t take advantage of the hardware acceleration on offer and so is a little slower than you’re likely used to from Android.  There are also a few errors, while although the touchscreen is working it does require rotating.

There’s more information on the various installations – and their current limitations – at xda-developers.

There’s also an 8GB microSD card, 5-megapixel autofocus camera, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, along with Flash Lite support in the browser.  HTC had tipped the Desire’s August US debut back in June, at the time only saying that a regional operator would be offering it.  For more on the Desire, check out our full review of the European version.

[via Android Community]

According to previous leaks, the HTC Desire HD will be a larger version of the existing Desire, with a 4.3-inch WVGA display like the US-only HTC EVO 4G.  There’s also an 8-megapixel camera and 1GHz Snapdragon processor tipped, together with Android 2.2 Froyo as the OS with HTC’s own Sense interface on top.

SlashGear will be at the HTC event on September 15th 2010 so we’ll have all the details as to what exactly they’re planning then.  Whether it’s WP7 or the Desire HD, one thing is for sure: the big-screen Android smartphone is coming.

Last month the company insisted to Android Community that they would continue using Samsung’s AMOLED screens alongside Sony’s SLCD alternatives, though there’s no mention of AMOLED in this newest press release.  Instead, the company suggests that SLCD offers “a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7 inch displays with some additional benefits including battery performance.”

In fact, they say SLCD battery usage is five times less than regular LCD; considering one of the major selling points of AMOLED is its power frugality, that could be a big draw.  HTC tells us that they’re “committed” to both display technologies, and that we can “expect to see both types of displays in current and future HTC devices”, but we’ll have to wait until the first SLCD handsets arrive in order to find out just how comparable the technologies really are.

“HTC believes that both technologies offer exceptional user experiences, and we will employ both types of displays concurrently within our current product lineup.” HTC statement

Press Release:

HTC INTRODUCES SLCD DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY TO ITS PORTFOLIO

New Displays to be integrated into HTC Desire and Nexus One

Taoyuan, TAIWAN – July 26, 2010 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today introduced Super LCD display (SLCD) technology into a variety of HTC phones including the HTC Desire and global Nexus One later this summer. The SLCD display offers an exceptional natural balanced colour, clear contrast, broad viewing angles and improved power efficiency.

“HTC is experiencing high-demand for many of our phones, specifically our phones with 3.7 inch displays. The new SLCD display technology enables us to ramp up our production capabilities quickly to meet the high-demand,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The SLCD displays provide consumers with a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7 inch displays with some additional benefits including battery performance.”

SLCD is the latest generation of LCD technology that offers improved performance from earlier LCD panels including approximately five times better power management. SLCDs also offer an enhanced viewing experience with wider viewing angles that are enabled by Sony’s new VSPEC III™ technology.

About HTC

HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

The HTC Ace had previously shown up on a leaked UK retailer roadmap devoid of any specifications; the list of abilities we now have are all pieced together from rumor, rather than anything official from HTC, but they do sound reasonably legitimate.  The HTC Desire HD is supposed to run Android 2.2 and support 720p HD video recording, Xvid playback, SRS surround sound and Flash 10, and have automatic face tracking in the camera and 4GB of internal storage.

It’s also tipped to have a “unibody aluminium design” which sounds a whole lot like both the HTC Legend and, indeed, the HTC 1 fan concept we saw earlier in the week.

[via Android Community and via Twitter]

Video demos after the cut

As you might expect, neither build is perfect yet.  Audio seems to be the biggest hurdle right now, with in-call sound not playing ball properly.  The Froyo ROM’s 3G data also seems to have issues, though they’re apparently not present on the Eclair ROM.

HDBlog.it shot a video demo of each ROM running on the HD2, which you can see below.  As for downloading the new firmware, check out the xda-developers thread.

Android 2.2 Froyo on HTC HD2:

Android 2.1 with Sense on HTC HD2:

[via Android community]

According to both this new leak and the original information, the Vision will have the same 3.7-inch touchscreen as the Desire – which we’re presuming means AMOLED too – together with a 1GHz processor, 1.2GB of onboard storage and the HTC Sense UI.  It also gets the Desire’s optical trackpad, though replaces the physical shortcut buttons under the display with a row of touch-sensitive keys similar to the Nexus One (though different in order).

No word on when we could expect the HTC Vision to reach shelves, but we’re just glad that the company is actually listening to feedback.  Keyboard-equipped Android devices have proved popular in recent months, and we’ve been looking forward to HTC making their play in the segment.

[via Android Community]

“We are working hard with our partners to update the HTC Sense experience on Froyo and distribute it to our customers as fast as possible. We expect to release updates for several of our 2010 models including Desire, Legend and Wildfire beginning in Q3″ HTC

The exact schedule for the new firmware’s release hasn’t been specified, only that HTC expect it to be launched sometime in Q3 this year (i.e. from July 2010 onwards).  Google announced this week that it was pushing out Android 2.2 Froyo as an OTA update to the Nexus One.

[via Android Community]

First and foremost, HTC is still planning on using AMOLED displays. They are in no way completely phasing them out of their future plans. However, they have to b realistic: As of right now, the Droid Incredible is currently on back-order until the end of July, and as far as we’ve heard, there’s no telling when that will steady itself. So, what’s the best way to fix the situation? You change the display. That’s where Sony’s Super TFT LCD comes in. According to HTC, there’s no discernible difference between the AMOLED and Super LCD displays, so that should mean customers won’t get too upset with the alteration.

While Samsung is pushing Super AMOLED right now, it seems that manufacturing of AMOLED displays have taken a bit of a backseat. It does make sense, though. Samsung needs to push their own AMOLED and Super AMOLED display phones, and obviously they’re going to take precedence against anything else. Or any other manufacturer, for that matter. But, HTC has a plan, and if they’re accurate about the non-difference between the two displays, then it looks like they’ve on the right road.

There are still unanswered questions, though. Unfortunately, HTC doesn’t quite know how they are going to explain, or package, the change in displays to its customers. While many people may not see the difference, you can’t put on the box that there’s an AMOLED display tucked away inside if there isn’t. HTC is currently ironing out the details, but for now, it seems that everything is still in the planning stages. And, as for the Super LCD display themselves, HTC says they’ve got a working demo of the new handsets almost ready to go, and right now we’re just waiting to see that demo for ourselves. We’re curious as to how they managed to get the same color saturation out of the Super LCD that’s so prevalent on the AMOLED displays. We’ll be sure to stay updated on the situation, so stay tuned.

[via Android Community]

The Desire has a 3.7-inch AMOLED WVGA capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, multitouch support and 3G; it replaces the Nexus One’s physical trackball with an optical joystick, but otherwise is functionally very similar to the Google-branded phone.  More details on the Desire in our full review, here.

HTC Desire hands-on:

[via Android Community]

The Legend’s screen brightness was also a cause for concern, mustering 253 cd/m2 in comparison to the Hero’s 310 cd/m2.  Both the Hero and the iPod touch use a more traditional LCD panel, rather than the AMOLED technology used in the Legend and its larger sibling the HTC Desire.

Unfortunately Tweakers didn’t have a Desire to hand to include in the testing, though anecdotal reports from some owners suggest it too has patchy grayscale support.  One point where the AMOLED displays do deliver is in blacks, however, out-performing both other devices in testing.

[via Android Community]

Assuming that’s the only main difference, that would leave the Vision with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, capacitive touchscreen and HTC Sense, along with what’s likely to be a 5- to 8-megapixel autofocus camera.  The handset is unlikely to arrive as the Vision, however, that being an internal codename.

What would remain to be seen is whether the Vision would run Android 2.1, as with HTC’s current line-up, or the newer Android 2.2 Froyo officially announced yesterday at Google IO.  The company has said that it is working on the new version for “future devices” while confirming that 2010 model year Android devices would also likely get a 2.2 upgrade.

[via Unwired View]

“If your phone was launched this year, we will most likely offer an upgrade for it to the Froyo version. This includes popular models like the Desire and Droid Incredible as well as hotly anticipated phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming models. We will announce a full list of phones and dates once we are closer to launching the upgrades. We are working closely with Google and our other partners to ensure we have the earliest access to everything we need to provide a complete and solid Sense experience on Froyo. We expect to release all updates in the second half of this year but can’t be more specific yet.” HTC

That’s the official word from HTC as told to Android Central, with the takeaway message being that if you haven’t got a 2010 model year Android handset from the company then you perhaps shouldn’t hold your breath.  What that means for the popular HTC Hero – still awaiting its Android 2.1 update in Europe – is unclear.

HTC are apparently prioritising the Droid Incredible and Desire, according to Pocket Lint, though owners shouldn’t get their hopes up for an imminent release.  Android 2.2 with HTC Sense won’t be ready until the second half of 2010, unfortunately.

[via Android Community]

The Best of R3 Media

HTC Desire Gets Rooted: Promises being kept is always a good thing, and MoDaCo has kept its word. You can find the “official” instructions on how to root your HTC Desire at Android Community right now, so if you’re into that kind of thing, you should go take a quick glance. Actually, you should read it carefully, because there’s definitely some major steps to the procedure, and you don’t want to mess it up. After all, you want your device to work after you do it, right? Unless you need a paperweight or something. [via Android Community]

Gizmodo May Sue Police After Raid: Looks like people aren’t necessarily happy with the San Mateo police department, and obviously the online publication Gizmodo are a few of those people. It’s being reported now that they will actually be suing the police department for their raid into one of their editor’s homes earlier in the week. This will take several more interesting turns, so stay with us as we bring you the latest. [via Everything iPad]

Is Windows Phone 8 Already in the Works? There’s a job posting that is looking for a Customer Experience Engineer, looking to shape the next generation of Windows Mobile. Yep, that’s right. Sure, Windows Phone 7 isn’t even out yet, but that’s not stopping Microsoft from going ahead and looking into the future. Or, as we may actually tend to believe more, it looks like Microsoft is looking to fill the spot for the mobile Operating System that isn’t out yet. That’s just our thought. But, hey, forward thinking never hurt anyone, right? [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

Temperature-Sensitive Battery Mug Rocks: Want to know how warm your coffee is after you’ve left it on the table for awhile? Then you need this mug. It’s a temperature-sensitive mug, with a battery indicator on the side. If your coffee is warm, the battery is full. As the temperature drops, so will the battery’s monitor. Pretty ingenius if you ask us. Then again, we get distracted easily. [via Unpluggd]

BlackBerry Partners Fund Wants Super Apps: So, you want to build apps for the BlackBerry OS? Good. BlackBerry Partners, and the giant fund attached to it, wants to make sure that you’re happy with that decision. So happy, in fact, that they want you to create Super Apps, and they’ll reward you generously if you do so, as well. So, go check out the full details and get cracking. [via CrackBerry]

Touch-Sensitive Faucet is Ridiculously Sexy: In the aim to make everything uniform, and create this sense of ridiculous wealth and technology, we would like to introduce you to this touch-sensitive faucet. Yes, as you can see from the image above, it really is that awesome. Sure, it might be glossy and attract fingerprints galore, but that’s what you get with things that you touch. So . . . Deal with it. Considering there’s a battery in this thing that gets charged with hot water, how could you not want this thing? Exactly. [via DVICE]

The Best of R3

Dell Introduces the Thunder, Flash, and Smoke: We’re going out on a limb here and saying that Dell obviously wants to make sure that they’re a presence in the smartphone market again. And, if they release even one of these Android-based devices, we’ll firmly admit that they’ve made it. The Dell Thunder is an Android 2.1-based handset, with a 4.1-inch WVGA OLED screen. It has an 8MP camera on the back, and it features Dell’s “Stage” User Interface, which looks eerily like HTC’s Sense UI. It’s going to be hitting AT&T later this year, and there’s even going to be an LTE model in the fourth quarter 2011. The Flash is a ridiculous piece of architecture, with Dell aiming to mold it out of a slice of curved glass. Yeah, sounds expensive, right? It will feature a 3.5-inch WVGA LCD screen, a 5MP camera, WiFi, TV-out, Bluetooth 3.0, and a Qualcomm MSM7230 processor running at 800MHz. And finally the Dell Smoke, which is like a Palm Pixi but that got beat with a sexy stick. Featuring a beautiful full QWERTY keyboard, with a 2.8-inch QVGA display. It’s also featuring Android’s Froyo version, which already makes it a highly anticipated device. The trouble is, the Smoke won’t launch until the second quarter of 2011. [Thunder via Android Community; Flash via Android Community; Smoke via Android Community]

100 iPads Ordered for California Hospital: The iPad is a perfect fit for the medical industry, and Nick Volosin thinks so, too. He’s the Director of Technical Services for the Kaweah Delta Health Care District, and after he managed to get there iPads over to his hospital to test out, they’ve now put in an order for an additional 100 tablets for their staff. Utilizing the Citrix Receiver, they can take full control of a virtual PC to watch over patient statistics, read X-rays, and look over EKG results while on the go. [via Everything iPad]

HTC Hero Won’t be Seeing 2.1 Until June: Bad day for the owners of the original HTC Hero. According to an email correspondence, it doesn’t look like the Hero is going to be seeing any kind of major update until June. They will be getting an update to prepare their handsets by some time in June, and then a short time later, the full Eclair update will be delivered to their devices. A long way from February or March, if you ask us, and considering the HTC Desire is already out and about, we can’t see why customers are still waiting. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

Android Lives on the iPhone: It’s about time, right? According to a recent posted video, the notorious iPhone hacker planetbeing has successfully booted the Google mobile Operating System, Android, onto a fully functional iPhone. And, everything works. You can watch in the video as he tries several different features, such as a Skype call. Planetbeing even says that Flash could be supported. As of right now he is able to actually dual-boot, and choose which mobile Operating System he wants to load. It’s good to have choices, right? [via Quick Pwn]

Even Washers of the Future Are Awesome: We’d have to say that perhaps “thinner isn’t better” when it comes to washing machines, as the idea is to get as much done in a single load as possible, but we can’t argue a sexy piece of technology when we see one. For example, this Electrolux washing machine is just about ridiculous, and we can’t stop staring at the beautiful illuminated ring of light. It changes color depending on what cycle your wash is in, so you’ll always know, just by a quick glance, what stage your clothes are currently being washed. A great idea, especially considering there’s a wall-mounted model, as well as one that fits into the cabinets. Great ideas that we hope to see come to fruition soon. [via DVICE]

Microsoft Planning a Live TV Channel for Xbox 360: As video game consoles go, there’s definitely several different features for each of them. And, while Sony has already tried their hand at original video content, it seems that Microsoft wants to test out the action, too. According to a recent report, it seems that Microsoft is in current talks with former President of News Corp., Peter Chernin, to create a dedicated TV Channel for the Xbox 360 LIVE network. The channel would be jointly owned, and would not only have new, original content, but also air reruns of old shows, so that there is always something playing. Customers would have to pay an additional one, or two dollars a month to access the channel, though. [via TG Daily]

The Desire has a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, HSPA, WiFi b/g and Bluetooth, along with HTC’s Sense UI and accompanying widgets.  If you’re still on the fence about the HTC Desire, check out our full review (plus lashings of video) from earlier this week.

HTC Desire Sense highlights:

[via Android Community]

He also confirms that the regular HTC Desire will drop from early in April 2010, which is around the same sort of timescale that we’ve heard other UK carriers will be sticking to.  The regular Desire has a metallic brown fascia, and we imagine there’ll be plenty of people interested in its Vader-esque sibling; no word on how much they’ll have to shell out, however.  More on the HTC Desire in our full review.

[Thanks Bill!]

The Desire measures in at 119 x 60 x 11.9 mm, which is just the tiniest broader and thicker than the Google Nexus One at 119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm. Thanks to the rubberised back-panel, however, the Desire feels chunkier in the hand than the numbers might suggest; everyone we asked told us they thought the Nexus One was significantly thinner. Build quality is high, with sturdy front-panel buttons and a creak-free casing, and the soft-touch back does make it a little easier to keep hold of than the slippery Google phone. Our one point of concern is taking off the battery cover, which causes it to flex and pop dramatically.

HTC Desire unboxing video:

It’s something you’ll have to do if you want to switch microSD cards, though, which like the SIM are trapped by the battery itself. The Desire has 512MB of ROM and 576MB of RAM, and takes up to 32GB microSDs; there’ll be an 8GB card in the retail box. The battery itself is a 1,400mAh pack, just like the Nexus One. Ports include microUSB on the bottom and a 3.5mm headphone/headset socket on the top, and in the box there’s a set of wired headphones with call/music control buttons.

HTC have switched the Nexus One’s touch-sensitive front panel buttons and trackball for four hardware keys and an optical mouse. The physical keys are far easier to hit than the buttons on the Nexus One, and though we predominantly used the touchscreen for navigation, the optical mouse worked well. Speaking of the touchscreen, at 3.7-inches and WVGA resolution it’s still one of the largest Android displays on the market today. As with the Google-branded device, colors on the AMOLED panel are rich and vivid, and HTC’s default Sense UI – complete with animated whole-screen weather effects – does a great job of showing off what the display is capable of.

HTC Desire first-impressions:

As on the HTC Legend, Sense gives you seven homescreen panes versus the regular five, and introduces a new Live View (or “helicopter view”) gesture – triggered with a pinch-zoom on the desktop – which shrinks all seven panels into a page of thumbnails. It’s more effective on the Desire than it is on the Legend, we found, since each thumbnail ended up larger on the comparatively bigger display. Sense also brings with it a range of widgets, many of which are familiar from previous HTC devices. The most significant change is Friend Stream, of which more on later, but HTC have also set up an on-device download system for browsing and installing more of their widgets. Obviously the usefulness of that will depend on how frequently HTC release them, however; we couldn’t spot anything new that hadn’t been available when we reviewed the Legend several weeks ago. Hopefully once both devices are broadly available, HTC will begin to update their catalog.

Even with all seven panes stuffed full of widgets, shortcuts and the rest, the Desire’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor never feels stressed. In fact, the homescreen whips from side to side with no delay, Live View is instantaneous and we noticed all of the data-heavy widgets seemed to update a little quicker than on previous handsets. When you first boot up the Desire, HTC ask for Facebook, Twitter and Flickr login details (as well as any POP, IMAP or Exchange email credentials you may want to use), and then the phone pulls in the latest updates together with contacts and calendar entries.

As with earlier HTC Sense devices, Facebook and Flickr updates are associated with the individual contacts responsible for them, while Twitter messages drop into HTC Peep, the company’s own Twitter client. Sense also attempts to combine duplicate contacts into single, unified entries, though you can also do this manually, linking and unlinking as appropriate. Fresh to the Legend and Desire, however, is Friend Stream, HTC’s answer to MOTOBLUR and Sony Ericsson’s Timescape; this pulls together updates from the three services into a single timeline, complete with a desktop widget that allows you to update one or more from a single UI.

Friend Stream certainly works, though as with other attempts to harness social networking on a mobile device, it’s nowhere near perfect. HTC Peep is a decent Twitter app – at least, unlike MOTOBLUR, you can set it to specifically alert you to @ replies rather than leave them in among the rest of the stream – but Friend Stream doesn’t do anything to prioritise messages from those people you’re most interested in. There’s no way to flag up certain people whose photos, tweets or Facebook statuses you’d particularly like to be alerted to, and since Facebook status updates are generally far less frequent than Twitter ones it’s easy to miss them.

Still, there are plenty of Twitter apps to chose from (as well as the official Android Facebook app) and if you don’t want to use Friend Stream then it’s easily avoided. It’s not the only example of HTC tweaking the underlying Android 2.1 experience, either. Their Exchange support is far better than what you get as standard on the Nexus One, pulling in not only email and contacts but calendar entries too. You can also view emails as conversations, pull out only those messages flagged or currently unread, set up a “VIP” group the emails of which are pulled together, and handle Exchange meeting requests. Given much of that functionality would require the purchase of a third-party app on the Nexus One, we have to give HTC some serious credit.

Of course, if you’d rather look to a third-party then the Android Market is available, and the choice of apps is getting more and more broad. Happily the Snapdragon chipset feels more than capable of keeping up with even gaming demands, though Android’s limitation to using in-built ROM rather than memory cards for app installation still rankles.

You could say that the mobile world is separating into those phones which support Flash and those which don’t, and if in-browser video and game support is important to you then the Desire should appeal. HTC have customised the Android browser with Flash Lite, meaning that together with multitouch (which you get on the Nexus One) you also get the ability to play videos from sites like YouTube and the BBC (which the Nexus One lacks). Playback performance can vary, with some clips coming through smoothly while others stuttered and jerked, but we generally found that allowing them to buffer entirely before watching settled things down. Otherwise, the Desire makes for an excellent browsing companion, with intuitive double-tap to zoom/reflow and speedy flips between portrait and landscape orientation.

HTC Desire: Sense highlights:

The browser is also a good place to check out HTC’s work on copy/paste and text selection. As on the Legend, tapping and holding on a block of text prompts a magnifier window, allowing you to highlight a single word; when you let go, you can then use two handles – one at each end of the highlight – to extend it. Above float three buttons, Copy, Look Up and Share; the first, obviously, copies the selection to the clipboard, while the last allows you to send out that snippet via email, SMS, Twitter or other means. As for Look Up, that opens a new dialog which offers a dictionary or Wikipedia definition, together with Google Translate options.

Some of HTC’s deepest changes have been to the Desire’s camera app. Where basic Android 2.1 handsets have rudimentary manual features at best, the Desire gets granular control over exposure, contrast, saturation and sharpness, together with ISO ranges from 100 to 800 and optional geotagging and face detection. However there’s no automatic linking of faces spotted in photos into their related contacts, however, as you get on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10. Tapping on the Desire’s photo preview lets you prioritise focus points or exposure, with clicking the optical mouse actually taking the photo, and it’s perhaps the most successful HTC camera to date. The LED flash is still of limited benefit – it has the same narrow “sweet spot” outside of which images are either over- or under-exposed – but that’s not a critique we can level solely at HTC.

Happily our other frequent Android complaint – the music app – has also come in for some work, and while it’s still not the best mobile media client, it’s a big improvement over the standard UI. In fact the Desire sounds a lot better than it looks, with healthy amounts of bass and surprising clarity in the mid-range. You’ll have best results by junking the uninspiring bundled headphones and plugging in a decent aftermarket set, of course, but we were more motivated to do that with the Desire thanks to its above-average audio quality. Video, meanwhile, looks great on the 3.7-inch WVGA display, and the Desire can handle .3gp, .3g2, .mp4 and .wmv content out of the box. There’s no video-out connection, however, so you can’t drive a TV or other display from the phone.

It’d be easy to forget that the HTC Desire is, in fact, a phone, given everything else it’s capable of. We had mixed expectations for the smartphone, frankly; HTC devices have delivered great audio quality of late, but the Desire lacks the noise-cancelling microphone array of the Nexus One, and we weren’t sure how it would fare in comparison. In the end, performance was on a par with other smartphones, though there was some background hiss that the Nexus One didn’t experience. Similarly, speakerphone performance proved strong, with the loudspeaker cranking up to sufficiently high volumes, but callers who had no problems on the Nexus One did occasionally ask us to speak up on the Desire. If you’ve never used the Nexus One then it’s unlikely to bother you, however.

Battery life seems likely to be the Desire’s main stumbling block, and at the risk of spoiling the punchline this is a device that you’ll be recharging daily. More specifically, longevity is a factor of how many data-heavy widgets and apps you have running at any one time. With Friend Stream doing its thing, pulling in regular Twitter updates together with periodic Facebook and Flickr checks, the Desire’s battery began to look perilously low in the evening. Reducing the frequency of updates, switching from push to timed email, or manually setting the screen brightness to low all made a difference.

HTC Desire vs. Google Nexus One:

However, one of the more surprising factors was the absence of docking cradle support as on the Nexus One. The Google-branded device has battery charging contacts along its bottom edge, which can be used with the optional docking station; the Desire lacks those contacts. Where we find we usually drop the Nexus One into its cradle periodically through the day, giving it a brief top-up as we go, we were less likely to plug in the microUSB cable to the Desire. It’s a similar behavioural change to what we observed with the Palm Pre and its Touchstone inductive charger: the easier it is to dock, the more likely you are to feed your phone at periods through the day.

Charging contacts aren’t the only omissions HTC have made with the Desire. Voice Search functionality is missing, which means you can’t make speech commands as you would on the Nexus One, and the Desire only has HSPA/WCDMA support for the 900/2100MHz bands. That means, unlike the Nexus One with its choice of 900/AWS/2100MHz T-Mobile USA support or 850/1900/2100MHz AT&T support, you won’t get 3G access on the Desire if in the US.

Still, it’s not all bad. We haven’t noticed any of the touchscreen glitches that can sometimes affect the Nexus One – where selections don’t match where your finger hits, or lists fly by without a touch – and the Desire has a little extra RAM in comparison. 64MB extra doesn’t sound like much, and to be fair there wasn’t any noticeable difference in our day to day use, but if you’re an avid multitasker then it may keep the Desire ticking along a little happier.

As we said in our HTC Legend review, we’ve grown to be wary of manufacturer customisations like HTC Sense. The UI may be excellent in its visual appeal, and add some great extra features, but HTC have shown with the Hero that bringing such devices up to speed with newer OS releases takes longer than for unmodified, stock-Android handsets. Yes, you should always buy the device that satisfies your needs today, rather than for what it might do six months down the line, but with Google pushing out Android builds at a rate of knots we could understand some buyers opting for the Nexus One simply because of the ease of updating it.

Nonetheless, in a move to pre-empt the future, such buyers would be missing out on a great user experience – and a great smartphone – right now. It’s hard not to be convinced by the HTC Desire; this isn’t just “good for an Android device”, it’s brilliant period. Having to think a little more than usual about battery usage is perhaps our biggest complaint, but with some experimental tweaking you’ll undoubtedly find a setup that gets you through the day with the features you most value active. With official launch dates for the Google Nexus One still MIA for Europe, the Desire offers most of what the Google Phone does and even throws in a couple of extras. Couple that to what will likely be competitive carrier subsidies for the Desire, and importing an unlocked Nexus One starts to make less sense for the majority of users. Anyone looking to travel outside of Europe and still use 3G, or who predominantly uses their phone for voice calls should probably look to the Nexus One, but for everyone else the HTC Desire does a very impressive job of balancing cutting-edge hardware, Android flexibility and Sense usability.

While HTC are responsible for the industrial design of both handsets, the Desire feels significantly different in the hand to the Nexus One. That’s predominantly down to the rubberised back cover, rather than the Google phone’s metal panel. It’s soft-touch and all very nice, but the Desire does end up losing some of the Nexus One’s waifish charm. Still, an improvement is the optical trackpad, which is just as responsive as the trackball (if not more so), and the hardware buttons which have none of the accuracy issues Nexus One owners have encountered with that phone’s capacitive keys.

HTC Desire unboxing video:

Obviously with spec sheets so similar – check out our HTC Desire vs. Google Nexus One article for the key differences – the biggest change is that the Desire runs HTC Sense. This is the same build (for Android 2.1) as we saw recently on the HTC Legend, but it looks even better on the Desire’s larger display. The “helicopter view” of zoomed-out homescreen panel shortcuts is more usable, since you can better see what’s on each thumbnail, and even after loading down those panes with HTC’s widgets, it doesn’t feel as cramped as the Legend sometimes could.

Sense also has better Exchange integration than Android 2.1 does as standard, including Exchange Calendar sync support, and of course there’s the same Friend Stream app pulling in Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates from your contacts into a single timeline. We’ll be putting that through its paces again in our full review, but until then enjoy the unboxing video, hands-on comparison demo and gallery, and let us know what questions you have about what’s undoubtedly one of HTC’s phones of the year!

HTC Desire first-impressions:

Both devices are eagerly anticipated, with the Desire only getting official at Mobile World Congress last month while Sony Ericsson announced the XPERIA X10 many months ago.  The X10 has a 4.0-inch capacitive touchscreen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8-megapixel camera and Sony Ericsson’s own Mediascape and Timescape apps to manage your content.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 hands-on:

Meanwhile the Desire has a smaller, 3.7-inch display but the same processor; the camera is also lower resolution, at 5-megapixels, and it has HTC’s well-esteemed Sense UI. Each handset is priced at free with a new, £35 ($52) 18- or 24-month agreement: more on the HTC Desire here and the XPERIA X10 here.

HTC Desire hands-on:

Currently listed as an exclusive from online retailer PDAshop.nl, the silver Desire is expected to begin shipping on April 9th and is priced at €449 ($620).  The regular brown Desire is believed to be arriving at some point in April in Europe generally; we’ve not heard of any carrier offering the different color variant.

Looking for more information on the HTC Desire?  Check out our hands-on report here.

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertwebbe/4426732591/[/flickrvideo]

HTC Desire hands-on:

[via SlashPhone and via xda-developers]

Pricing and exact plan details are yet to be confirmed, but we’re assuming Vodafone UK will be offering each handset “free” on at least one or two high-end monthly tariffs.  It’s also unclear as to how long Vodafone’s exclusivity agreement with HTC will last over the Legend; still, those who want to use the device on other networks should be able to find it unlocked.

Each smartphone runs the latest version of HTC Sense and has an AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with multitouch support: 3.2-inches and HVGA resolution on the Legend and 3.7-inches and WVGA resolution on the Desire.  We’re still waiting on HTC Desire review units to come through, but are chasing HTC about it now.

[via Android Community]

It’s hard to argue with the aesthetics. HTC have taken a solid block of aluminum and carved out a soft-touch, MacBook Pro-like shell; into that they’ve squeezed a 3.2-inch HVGA AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display, dualband HSPA, quadband GSM, WiFi and Bluetooth, along with GPS, a digital compass and accelerometer. Like the Hero before it, the Legend supports multitouch gestures, but hardware controls have been pared down a little: the function keys are a minimal strip underneath the display, and the trackball has been replaced with an arguably more reliable optical joystick.

HTC Legend hands-on:

Inside, though, there’s not the significant chipset update many hoped for (especially bearing in mind that HTC have used Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon in the Desire); the Hero used Qualcomm’s 528MHz MSM7200A, while the Legend gets a slight speed boost in the shape of the 600MHz MSM7227. In a mobile device it’s true that every little helps, but in terms of what rivals are offering it does push the Legend more into the mid-range rather than the flagship position the Hero once occupied. We’ll have to wait until the first review units with production software arrive to see if 600MHz is enough for Android 2.1 and the newest Sense build; our hands-on time at MWC 2010 seemed to suggest it was all reasonably slick, but that’s a long way away from daily use when loaded up with apps.

Of course, we’ve also seen the inherent drawback involved when you start to modify your core platform. HTC Sense, though receiving of excellent reviews – and, arguably, doing more to drive Google’s own Android UI development than anyone else – has left the company on the back foot when it comes to rolling out OS updates to those devices equipped with it. Other company’s Android phones may be less compelling than HTC’s, but users have grown to be cautious of devices with the potential for long upgrade delays.

Ironically, then, it may be HTC’s own software update schedule that presents the biggest challenge to the Legend. At roughly the same time the new smartphone goes on sale, HTC Hero owners should receive the long-awaited Android 2.1 firmware complete with much of the latest Sense functionality. HTC haven’t exactly defined which Sense attributes will be present and which will be missing on the Hero – all they’ve told us is that Hero owners shouldn’t expect to get all of the new tweaks seen on the Legend – but with the devices so similarly specified once you get past the unibody style, it may be enough of a compromise to leave users content with their older phones.

It’s tough to create a compelling, well-received smartphone that balances a generally-available OS with distinctive, home-grown customizations. It’s perhaps equally tough to then create a follow-up that manages to be sufficiently reminiscent of its successful predecessor, but suitably distinct in its own right to encourage upgrades.

Tempted by the HTC Legend? Planning to upgrade your HTC Hero to the new unibody phone? Or is the promise of Android 2.1 and a Sense update enough? Let me know in the comments.

As with any alpha-level software, there are some compromises to be made in return for speed of deployment.  Hardware incompatibilities are, unsurprisingly, few, with even the Nexus One’s noise cancellation system working as usual; however, the 5-megapixel camera is apparently locked at 3-megapixels, and the Desire’s 720p HD video recording hasn’t crossed over either.  You’ll need to root your Nexus One in order to install it, and the usual caveats about potentially bricking your expensive smartphone go along with that.

[via Android Community and via Redmond Pie]

In terms of specifications, the two devices are closer to twins than anything else. Each has a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, Android 2.1 OS and a slimline candybar form-factor. The Nexus One is slightly thinner – though we’re talking less than half a millimetre here – most likely due to its receding chinline, versus the Desire’s moderate curve. On that chin is one of the more obvious differences: the Desire has an optical joystick, the Nexus One a more traditional trackball.

You have to delve inside the chassis to find the main differences. The Desire lacks both the active noise cancellation and the triband HSDPA/WCDMA of the Nexus One, making do with just dualband 900/2100. That means it’s not much use – at least in terms of high-speed cellular connectivity – outside of Europe and Asia; take the Desire to the US and you’ll be stuck using quadband EDGE or hunting for WiFi hotspots. HTC told us that dropping active noise cancellation was a price consideration, but that since it would only really affect voice dictation – which is currently exclusive to the Nexus One anyway – it wouldn’t make much of a difference to Desire owners. The Desire does have more RAM – 576MB versus the Nexus One’s 512MB – and come with a bigger, 8GB microSD card in the box (the Nexus One comes with 4GB), and arguably they’ll make more of a day to day impact than noise reduction. The Nexus One has Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, compared to the Desire’s 2.1+EDR, though it’s unlikely to make much of a difference generally.

It also looks like HTC have tinkered with the power management in the Desire, too, since with the same 1,400mAh battery the two smartphones manage significantly different runtimes. 3G standby for the Nexus One is up to 250 hours, compared to up to 360 hours for the Desire, though 3G talktime is up to 420 minutes for the Google device but 390 minutes for the HTC. Real-world use is obviously not solely comprised of voice calls, but it seems that if you want a handset for basic phone duties you should look to the Nexus One, whereas the Desire may be a better all-rounder. We’ll have to wait for a real-world review of the Desire to see if that’s actually the case.

HTC Desire hands-on:

Obviously, HTC’s main adaptation to the Desire is their latest Sense build, the combination UI and software environment we’ve seen stretch across their Android, Windows Mobile and, most recently, Brew based devices. It’s certainly one of the more attractive customisations out there, and it also adds extra social networking integration; Sense pulls in Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates, injecting them into each Contact record together with combining them into a single Friend Stream feed that can be widgetized on the homescreen. It’s not the only widget, either; HTC arguably have some of the best mini-apps for homescreen use, such as a slick animated weather widget, integration with the SMS client, and their own Twitter client called Peep. Most recently, HTC added some extra visual gloss with the so-called “helicopter view”: a pinch-zoom gesture on the homescreen minimises all seven of the panes and displays them like Exposé on a Mac.

Like other OEM modifications, however, Sense has left HTC playing catch-up when it comes to core Android updates. Where basic Android phones have, in many cases, been updated as Google pushes out new official versions, OEMs have to rework their custom UIs to suit the changed platform; in the case of the HTC Hero, for instance, that means despite Android 2.1 having been available for some time now, the smartphone is still stuck on Android 1.5. HTC reckon the Hero’s update will arrive by the end of March 2010 (though availability and functionality will depend on whether it’s an unlocked or carrier-branded device) but you get the feeling that support for previous devices is less of a priority than developing new models such as the Legend, the Hero’s replacement.

Add in the fact that we’re already seeing – a couple of months in advance of the Desire’s official April 2010 release – hacked ROMs for adding Sense to the Nexus One, and for those willing to play the modification game the software differentiation is less of an issue. Of course, you could also say that the Desire will likely get unofficial Android update ROMs – complete with Sense – created by the mod community, before HTC themselves push out official releases. That’s one of the benefits of Android, certainly. Lacking, sadly, is native Exchange calendar support: while the Nexus One will pull in email and contacts from an Exchange server, you’ll need a third-party app to do the same for calendar entries. The Desire will support Exchange mail, contacts and calendar out of the box, and HTC have apparently been finessing their various apps to improve the experience over earlier versions of Sense.

Google Nexus One hands-on:

As for price, it’s made more complex by the fact that, so far, Google aren’t selling the Nexus One directly in the UK or the rest of Europe. Instead buyers have to import it from the US, opening themselves up to import duty and local taxes. In the UK, for instance, the Nexus One will apparently cost around £410 to import ($634); HTC haven’t announced pricing for the unlocked Desire, but it’s already showing up on Expansys – among other online retailers – for £440 ($681). Of course, many people will choose to buy the Desire with a new service contract (not something you can do with the Nexus One outside of the US) thus subsidizing the initial cost potentially to the point of “free” in return for a mid- to high-tier monthly payment.

Importing a device also presents some aftersales issues, and while in a perfect world nobody would experience any problems with their smartphone, the reality is that complex devices can often have complex faults. A Desire owner would be able to contact their local HTC division and seek technical and customer support that way; currently Google’s Nexus One support is online-only for those outside the US (their recently launched telephone support is US-only).

In the end, both devices are at the bleeding edge of smartphone technology today, and neither is particularly likely to disappoint. The Android Market is gradually racking up alternative skinning packages, so even if Nexus One owners aren’t willing to hack a Sense ROM onto their device, it doesn’t mean they’re stuck with the basic Android 2.1 UI. Similarly, even if HTC drag their heels updating the Desire to a later Android platform release, the mod community have proved more than up to the task themselves for those owners prepared to roll up their sleeves and do some DIY tweaking. Both devices are solid, reasonably attractive and have great touchscreens.

For those in the US, the Nexus One remains the obvious choice. The Desire lacks US 3G/UMTS support and HTC told us that they have no plans to release a specific version of the handset with that added in; that doesn’t mean, of course, that they won’t come up with a carrier-branded adaptation, similar to the Sprint release of the HTC Hero. Considering how long the Sprint Hero took to arrive though, versus the European release, we’d plump for the Nexus One ourselves.

If you’re in Europe or Asia, where the Desire’s 3G will indeed function, the decision is tougher: the Desire comes with the undeniably attractive Sense interface (which can be turned off for the basic Android 2.1 UI if you prefer) together with local aftersales support and the potential for slightly improved multitasking thanks to the extra RAM. If you travel to the US regularly, and want to use your phone’s 3G there, it’s worth bearing in mind that only the Nexus One will allow you to do so. Still, with data roaming fees as high as they are, whether you’d actually want to take advantage of that higher speed is another matter.

The HTC Desire’s market success already seems assured; at their press conference last Tuesday, HTC revealed that pretty much all the carriers in the regions they plan to release the smartphone were interested in offering it. There’s undeniably a huge interest in powerful, media-capable handsets. Until Google officially release the Nexus One in markets outside the US, we’d say most European/Asian buyers would be better off picking up the Desire come April 2010.

The Legend comes in at £399.99 ($627) while its bigger Desire sibling is just a little more expensive, at £449.99 ($706).  As for the HD mini, the Windows Mobile 6.5.3 devices is cheapest of them all, at £349.99 ($549).

All three are being sold SIM-free and unlocked, but HTC have said that carriers in all of the regions they plan to launch the smartphones intend to offer them, so you should be able to pick up a subsidized phone if you’re willing to sign an agreement.  More details about the handsets in our videos, below.

HTC Legend hands-on:

HTC Desire hands-on:

HTC HD mini hands-on:

[via Android Community]

No word has been given on the actual shipping date of the Desire, but what’s apparent is that it’ll be sold on Amazon, at least in one way, indicated for now.  As Engadget mentioned, “Just under six Benjamins for a souped-up Nexus One?”  While you’re patiently waiting and anticipating, check out SlashGear’s hands-on impressions of the HTC Desire.

[Amazon.de via Engadget]

Like its Google counterpart, the Desire is slim but sturdy, with an aluminum chassis and sizeable 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display. The most obvious navigation difference is the optical joystick, which we found worked just as well as the Nexus One’s trackball. It also makes the front panel slimmer, and that means less prone to damage.

The 1GHz Snapdragon isn’t phased by Sense, and the seven homescreen panes flick past swiftly. HTC have obviously optimized their desktop widgets, since there’s pretty much no lag in their updating; the Desire also snaps neatly into the new “helicopter view”, triggered with a pinch-zoom gesture from the homescreen. The most frustrating aspect is going to be the absence of US-spec 3G connectivity; we can see many would-be US buyers wanting to pick the Desire over the Nexus One.

Availability is set for April 2010, and we’ll hopefully have a review unit before that, so we’ll be able to see whether HTC’s enhanced social networking integration works well with the new Friend Stream desktop widget. Until then, check out the hands-on gallery and demo video below!

HTC Desire hands-on video demo:

As on the HTC Legend, the company’s newest Sense build does duty with improved social network integration and the new Friend Stream unified update app. HTC have also done some work on their browser, adding the intelligent text-reflow support missing from the regular Android app, as well as Flash Lite 4, pinch-zoom and the ability to long-press and select webpage text then instantly perform a Google search, Google Translate or look it up in the dictionary.

The Desire also gets the tight corporate support partially absent on the Nexus One, with Exchange email, calendar, contacts and task functionality, and HTC have added in new Mail tabs – to show unread or flagged messages, or those with an appointment request – together with tweaking their threaded message support. Meanwhile there’s also a new Calendar widget which now offers list view as well as month view.

What you don’t get is voice text entry, which is currently a Google-exclusive feature, nor support for US 3G bands. The Desire has quadband GSM/EDGE and dualband (900/2100) UMTS/HSPA, along with WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS/AGPS.

HTC reckon that, because they’ve left out active noise cancellation, they can sell the Desire at a cheaper price than the Nexus One. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but the Desire should arrive in European and Asian markets “on just about every carrier” starting April 2010, as well as exclusively on Telstra in Australia. No word on any version suited to North American 3G bands – HTC say they have “no plans” for a straight US version, though they’re not counting out specially tailored carrier variants – but we wouldn’t be surprised to see Nexus One ROMs hacked to include HTC Sense proliferate around the time of the Desire’s launch.

We’re headed off for hands-on with the HTC Desire now, so check back soon for live photos and video.

Press Release:

HTC UNVEILS ENHANCED HTC SENSE EXPERIENCE ON NEW ANDROID SMARTPHONES

HTC Legend and HTC Desire take Android 2.1 to a new level with HTC Sense

BARCELONA, Mobile World Congress – February 16, 2010 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today introduced an enhanced HTC Sense experience that will be available on two new smartphones that take Android to the next level, the HTC Legend and HTC Desire.

“At its essence, the mobile phone is the most personal item you have in your possession. HTC Sense was created to magnify your ability to create and define your own unique mobile experience,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer of HTC Corporation. “HTC Legend and HTC Desire take Android to another level in both substance with HTC Sense and style with HTC Legend’s revolutionary crafted aluminum uni-body design.”

HTC SENSE
HTC Sense is a user experience focused on putting people at the centre by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. This experience revolves around three fundamental principles that were developed by observing and listening to how people live and communicate. These core tenets of Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected continue to be the key to the new HTC Sense experience.

The new HTC Sense experience continues to focus on improving your interactions with your most important people. This begins with a new HTC application and widget called HTC Friend Stream that seamlessly aggregates all of your social communication including Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr into one organised flow of updates. This simple aggregation makes it easier than ever to focus on what friends are doing as well as to view the images and links that they share. In addition to Friend Stream, people can be organised into specific social circles, such as groups of friends, colleagues or any other way that makes sense.

The new HTC Sense experience also introduces broad improvements to applications including the browser, email client and others. In addition, the new version of HTC Sense includes a new newsreader application and widget, as well as a new seven-screen ‘Leap’ thumbnail view for quick and easy access to specific screens.

HTC Legend
Built around a newly enhanced HTC Sense, the HTC Legend boasts a unique design with a smooth, continuous surface, machined from a single aluminum block into a seamless compact frame. To complement its looks, the HTC Legend includes a stunning 3.2 inch, AMOLED HVGA display. The traditional trackball has also been replaced with an optical joystick, surrounded by a narrow button to improve usability without interrupting its unique design.

HTC Desire
HTC Desire is the richest way to visually experience news, friends, photos, favourite places and whatever else is important on a mobile phone. With one of the most advanced displays available on a phone today, HTC Desire is designed with a large 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA display to enhance and maximise content, whether it is pictures and videos, browsing the Web or checking on friends’ status updates. HTC Desire is powered by a one gigahertz Snapdragon processor and is Adobe Flash 10.1 ready. As with the HTC Legend, the HTC Desire also includes an optical joystick.

Patrick Chomet, Group Director of Terminals for Vodafone said, “HTC is a valued partner for Vodafone and has made a strong contribution to the growth of the mass market appeal of smartphones. Vodafone endeavours to offer our customers the widest and most compelling choice of smartphones and to that end the HTC Legend, the HTC Desire and the HTC HD Mini will be ranged in selected Vodafone markets across our footprint. I’m particularly pleased that through our collaboration with HTC, Vodafone customers will experience a differentiated experience on the HTC Legend which will come customised for them with pre-loaded Vodafone 360 Internet services.”

Availability
The new HTC Legend will be available in Europe through Vodafone and in the direct channel beginning in April. It will roll out to other parts of the world including Asia in early Q2. HTC Desire will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets in early Q2. The HTC Desire will be exclusively available in Australia through Telstra. The enhanced HTC Sense experience will also be offered as a free upgrade on the HTC Hero in Europe and Asia.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the centre of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.