This preview program will be expanded to other devices in the near future as well, each of them also being updated to the newest Android, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. We’ll likely be starting to see hands-on previews of the software working on the two Sensation models inside the next 48 hours. As HTC noted to us today:

“HTC is doing something new and pretty cool in the coming days: we’ll be releasing an “early access preview” of our ICS upgrade for the Sensation and Sensation XE. This will be limited in scope (just a few hundred users and only in Europe) because we’re still scaling up back-end resources for general availability worldwide, and our hope is people will play with it and enjoy getting used to the ICS experience with Sense. We’ll be doing similar previews for other devices in the future, too.” – HTC

We’ve not yet seen a full official preview of Android 4.0 on an HTC Sense-carrying smartphone, so it’s an exciting prospect for HTC users worldwide. Have a peek at our timeline below to see other HTC Sense with ICS updates as they will be appearing at Mobile World Congress 2012. Tasty treats galore!

As well as wallpapers, ringtones and other customizations exclusive to HTC devices, there are also signs that HTC has been tweaking its shortcuts system. The lockscreen now shows not only the four app shortcuts as in previous versions of Sense, but a choice of either individual contact shortcuts – as shown below – or notifications.

HTC refers to the two layouts as “productivity” and “contacts”. There are also new, squared-off widgets, losing the bubbly, over-designed stylings of HTC’s older UI and replacing them with cleaner lines to match native Ice Cream Sandwich graphics.

The wallpapers are higher-resolution, too, fitting in with talk that the Endeavor – among other new HTC phones – will have a 720p HD display. 1GB of RAM, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and Dropbox integration are all tipped too.

We’re expecting to see full details on the HTC Edge/Endeavor at Mobile World Congress later this month.

[Thanks ibolito!]

HTC also fits a VGA front-facing camera, and the Ville is running – in this prototype form, anyway – Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich. Aesthetically, it’s a lot like an ironed HTC Sensation, flatter than the 2011 flagship but still showing the traditional HTC unibody styling.

As for HTC Sense 4.0, details – though not photos – of the updated interface leaked earlier this month, and now we have a chance to see exactly what was being talked about. The updated interface has new screen transition animations and a tweaked shortcut bar on the homescreen, with the HTC widgets now somewhat pared down rather than the overly-stylized versions seen in previous iterations of Sense.

The HTC Ville is expected to make its official debut at MWC 2012 in late February, and then tipped to head to T-Mobile USA shortly after. We’ll know more from the show in Barcelona next month.

[via HTC Hub]

Some of the changes are said to address common complaints like landscape homescreen orientation support and putting notification menu access into the lockscreen (as well as alerts, shortcuts to apps and contacts, and task lists). However there are also more fundamental improvements, such as 50GB of free DropBox space automatically granted when you first activate your phone, and treated as another “local” drive by apps.

HTC’s email app is apparently much improved, with a new Smart Sync option that learns from your usage patterns and shuts down push-email so as to save battery life and data. A Guest Mode can lock down usability to certain apps and block access to personal data, for when you hand your shiny HTC over to someone to play with.

Read Later and Watch Later options in the browser, plus ditching hardware keys in favor of on-screen buttons as in Ice Cream Sandwich, are also promised. All in all, it’s a big step forward from what’s become quite a cumbersome addition to Android devices, however distinctive, and we should get to see it properly at MWC 2012 in late February.

HTC is arguably at a disadvantage from the off in comparison with its mobility rivals. The smartphone market, outside of Apple for the most part, has become a vast game of spec-sheet bingo, with flagship, mainstream and budget products competing on how many buzzwords they can tick off. Advanced users familiar with the tech look for key features like the current generation of high-speed dualcore processors and pixel-dense displays, while the less involved can only compare long lists of checkboxes in stores to figure out which of the increasingly identikit devices is “best.”

When your worth is the sum of your components, HTC’s shortfall in manufacturing begins to drag. Samsung has a huge advantage in producing its own displays, camera modules, chipsets and memory, while LG has its NOVA display prowess. Apple has not been shy in flexing its mighty bank balance and tying up the latest and greatest in hardware for its phones and tablets. In comparison, HTC has been left to pick up what suppliers will allow it to have.

Meanwhile, its lead with Android – founded on the very first Android smartphone, the G1/Dream – has lost momentum. Samsung usurped HTC’s Nexus role with the Nexus S and leveraged its leading-hardware position to produce the Galaxy Nexus after it; Motorola Mobility, now in Google’s pocket, looks increasingly likely to produce the fourth Nexus device, despite Andy Rubin’s protestations that it will be an independent decision.

Where HTC should have pushed ahead was in software and services; in fact, at one point it showed all the signs of doing so. HTC Sense was the perfect sop for the smartphone-naive public, back in the days when Android’s own UI was more hotchpotch than holistic. The company even led the way for features Google later integrated into Android itself, such as synchronizing Facebook details with individual contacts.

With HTCSense.com and the investment in OnLive, it looked like HTC was doing its best to innovate on software and services to balance out its shortcomings in raw components. The online Sense service was to be a cloud hub of contacts, messages and content, offering free tracking and remote access if your lost your phone or left it in your desk drawer at work, while offering a distilled selection of apps that HTC had picked out of the Wild West melee of the Android Market. With the addition of gaming it could have been a legitimate selling point, not just to first-time smartphone buyers drawn in by HTC’s eyecandy-rich UI, but to upgraders too. After all, why jump ship from HTC to, say, Samsung if you lose access to all those useful cloud services in the process?

Unfortunately, Sense online ran out of steam and HTC seemed to lose interest. What could’ve been a strong differentiator – something that would have a powerful impact on users’ daily experience with their phones – it became little more than another pointless pop-up in the notification bar. For most, the only reminder that HTCSense.com is there is the “Matched Contacts” dialog that periodically appears, asking you to link new profile information on your phone with that of other registered Sense users in the cloud. Problem is, once you’ve gone through and signed off on the links, nothing actually happens. It’s smartphone busy-work, another missed opportunity for HTC to put its merits front and center before an audience near-addicted to tapping on their phones.

With Ice Cream Sandwich receiving rave reviews, the Sense UI is losing some of its schtick. HTC is still positioning it as the straightforward, multimedia-rich way to interact with your device, but the OS it covers up no longer really demands such short-cuts. Instead, with fragmentation the platform bogey man of the moment, it introduces a cavalcade of delays to updates.

That’s easy to gloss over when you’re writing about the mobile industry, or investing in it. When you’re a user, less than a year into your 24-month agreement, watching your friends get OTA updates bringing shiny new features to their smartphones and wondering where yours might be, you may not know it’s called “fragmentation” but you definitely know you don’t like it. After two years of that, it’s perhaps enough to make you look elsewhere for your next smartphone hit; that’s when HTC’s value-added services should be coaxing users back into the fold, but we’ve already seen how that’s not happening.

Based on the latest batch of leaks, HTC’s 2012 line-up shows real promise. Gone are the “big screens for the sake of big screens” of me-too handsets like the Sensation XL, replaced with top-tier hardware, aesthetically pleasing design and an apparent recognition that more-of-the-same is a shortcut only to mediocrity, not a consistent cash-flow. We’re seeing devices that can legitimately compete with the spec sheet prowess of Samsung and Motorola phones, for instance.

Hardware is only half of the story, though, and we still need to see whether HTC can deliver the second part. The company needs to screw its courage to the sticking place, and trust in the strengths of its software and service acquisitions. In today’s market, that means recognizing that a smartphone or a tablet is part of an ecosystem: communications, entertainment, gaming, social media and more. HTC has stuck a toe in before: OnLive for cloud gaming, the MediaLink DLNA-streaming adapter, HTC Watch for movie purchases and rentals. Now it needs to commit to them in a way that convinces carriers, investors and – most importantly – customers that there’s more to company strategy than a scattershot of ad-lib devices and ephemeral services.

There’s also said to be HSPA+ and Beats Audio, along with a 1,650 mAh battery. That’s all inside a chassis tipped to be less than 8mm thick, though there’s apparently no NFC support because of HTC’s decision to use an all-metal casing.

Of particular note, of course, is the absence of any physical or touch-sensitive buttons under the display, since Ice Cream Sandwich shifts those controls onto the touchscreen itself. That’s in contrast with the leaked image of the HTC Edge, which still show dedicated controls; that could indicate an older render, and indeed the design of either device – if they turn out to be legitimate – is likely to change before any official announcement.

The HTC Ville will apparently be unveiled officially – under a different name, Ville being just a codename – at Mobile World Congress in February 2012, alongside the HTC Edge, with a commercial release expected in April. Rumors earlier today suggested that the Edge – which is tipped to run NVIDIA’s new Tegra 3 processor and have a 4.7-inch display – would go on sale in March or April next year.

HTC CEO Peter Chou announced HTCdev back in June, at Uplinq 2011, though the project itself has only really been running for the past sixty days or so. In that time the site has seen 500,000 unique hits, though Jones wouldn’t say exactly how many of those went on to register as developers. Initially, HTCdev is focusing on three key areas. Firstly there’s the OpenSense SDK, consisting of APIs and tools to access the 3D capabilities of devices like the EVO 3D, the digital pen on the Flyer and Jetstream, and the common controls in HTC Sense. Second, is the unlocked bootloader, with HTCdev being the central point for people wanting to unlock the core software on their phones. Finally, there’s the kernel download, a mandatory requirement for open-source software providers.

For developers, the promise is hitherto unseen access to HTC’s roadmap, engineers and core software, and the opportunity to create apps that take advantage of the differentiating hardware in some of HTC’s latest devices. Perhaps more importantly, there’s also the potential for access to markets that are currently closed, such as China, where Google’s official Android Market isn’t operational. One of the most common queries from developers, HTCdev told us, is how they can get into HTC Likes and the HTC Hub for distribution on Android devices, a very real possibility for those using the OpenSense SDK.

Cultivating developers is undoubtedly the strategy HTC sees as most likely to maintain its position in the smartphone market. Unlike Samsung or LG, the company lacks a direct link to component manufacturing, leaving it dependent on suppliers for the hardware choices in its devices. We’ve already seen one recent side-effect of that: the HTC Sensation XL’s WVGA resolution was pretty much decided, the company told us, because securing sufficient numbers of higher-res 4.7-inch panels was too difficult today. In the meantime, Samsung is preparing to offer a 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED HD display on the Galaxy S II HD LTE (and, if the rumors are to be believed, on the incoming Google Galaxy Nexus). Motorola, meanwhile, has all the benefits of being Google-owned to look forward to.

HTC Sense was the first example of the company using custom software services to in effect “lock in” users: after giving owners a taste of the free phone tracking, remote access and other value-adds, HTC hoped they’d be less likely too look elsewhere when it came time to upgrade. Unsurprisingly, then, the HTCdev project is being operated closely in tandem with HTC’s product development, with the software team paying visits to the company’s hardware and software labs to see exactly what’s in the pipeline.

Mention custom software and Android, and the specter of fragmentation is seldom far behind. That’s something the HTCdev team are quick to counter, however: they reckon it’s possible to develop not only with custom hardware in mind, but still for the mass market too. “Differentiation without fragmentation” Jones calls it: apps that work across all Android devices, but better on HTC’s. Developers can choose whether to broaden their appeal by making the pen or 3D capabilities entirely optional, or target it more specifically by baking HTC’s APIs in more deeply.

HTC isn’t the only company looking to third-party devs for software support, of course. Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy Note will have an S Pen API SDK, the Korean company confirmed at the oversized smartphone’s launch, allowing coders to take advantage of the digital stylus input option. HTC has “a healthy respect for competition” Momii says, and points out that calls for multiple APIs can co-exist in an app and be summoned depending on the device being used. The company hopes that eventually the APIs will coalesce with Google’s core Android codebase; still, for the moment that leaves some hard work for developers to integrate every API implementation.

A carrot or two to encourage that isn’t beyond HTC, and indeed HTCdev has a few sweeteners to help seal the deal. “We get very excited when developers use our SDK” Jones admits, “we answer their calls.” In addition to the prospect of extra attention, hardware loans, local testing labs and access to virtualized HTC devices in order to make sure apps run as intended, there’s also the potential for being signed up as one of the company’s key developers and then being invited on stage, Apple keynote style, to demo your wares at the launch of future devices.

Also in the pipeline, the team is pushing for earlier access to APIs and a more visible “what to expect” timeline for developers: giving as much of a heads-up as possible (while still preserving roadmap confidentiality) so that software can be prepared in advance. That’s likely to incorporate a growing HTC device ecosystem, for instance more peripheral and connectivity kit like the MediaLink. “Anything a developer can control, we would like to give access to in apps” Jones says, though refused to be drawn on whether HTC’s growing list of services – including OnLive streaming gaming and Watch video rentals – would mean the company would finally deliver on the “digital home” concept its been hinting at since late 2010.

We finished up by asking Jones and Momii what their own immediate hopes for HTCdev might be. “Log in and give it a try” is the message both had for developers, “show us what you can create.” You can register for OpenSense SDK access here.

Other specs include 3G, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, along with GPS and a microSD card slot to expand the minuscule 483MB ROM. No front-facing camera, of course, and the 512MB of RAM is minimal, though you do still get Android 2.3.5 and HTC Sense 3.5. The latter, as we saw on the HTC Rhyme, prioritizes ease of use, with simple homescreen shortcuts and – on the Explorer – Smart URL Prediction that guesses the address you might want to visit based on the top 100 sites.

HTC has used the Explorer to quietly debut a couple of new apps, the most useful of which for the budget smartphone’s target audience of students and prepay users is likely to be Data Monitor. This keeps track not just of how much mobile data you’ve crunched through, but how many SMS messages and voice minutes. Unfortunately you’ll have to actively check the app, since it lacks either alerts or a homescreen widget. The second new addition is Best Deals, HTC’s play at the local deals market, though we weren’t able to test it in our limited time with the Explorer.

The 1,230 mAh battery is hidden behind a rubberized, textured soft-touch cover that at launch will be available in either blue or black. Different colors will be offered later down the line. No word on pricing at this stage, when the HTC Explorer drops from October in Europe and Asia, but expect it to be cheap.

Update: Vodafone UK tells us they’ll be offering the Explorer, though still no word on how much.

This device is set for a very possible late September or early October release and will be amongst the first to work with Beats integration. We’ve still to find out exactly what that means – unless, of course, you count the release of the HTC Sensation XE, an upgraded version of the already released device, this new version given the hands-on treatment by Chris Davies just a few days ago. Take a peek at this paragraph about the Beats integration, then head down to the Runnymede video and see how you like it:

The big change, beyond the CPU, is the audio. Beats Audio has had three main parts to play in the Sensation XE: the bundled headphones, the DSP and the audio profiles. Gone is the janky, throwaway hands-free kit you’d normally find packed in a new cellphone box, replaced by a tangle-free rubberized Beats set in eye-catching red, with an in-line remote – for answering calls as well as controlling media playback – and comfortable earbuds with a selection of three different sized tips. They’re a welcome change from what would normally be included, certainly, with plenty of bass and solid mids and trebles.

Here’s the video of the Runnymede – aka the Bass:

Looks to me, by the carrier above the time, vodafone UK, that this device will be coming to England first. Look like a winner, the winner for you?

From the outside, things look solid. HTC’s unibody design language is evident, and the plastic and metal components are creak-free. It’s definitely very similar to the Incredible series, though more like the original rather than the second-generation model, and the soft-touch finish to the majority of the phone is pleasing in the hand.

HTC Rhyme hands-on

You can’t argue with HTC’s consistency, either: the wired stereo headset matches, in the same shade of purple, as does the Bluetooth headset and even the odd little “charm” that blinks discretely to warn you there’s a call or message incoming. It’s eye-catching, but it’s hardly new technology; we’ve seen light-up keychains before, though that the Rhyme’s slots into the headphone jack for safe-keeping is neat. Still, the desk cradle is likely more useful overall.

Unfortunately, that sense of “old tech dressed as new” continues in force when you get to grips with the Rhyme. Specifications that would have looked fresh twelve months ago don’t exactly do much to impress: a single-core 1GHz Snapdragon, WVGA LCD display and 5MP camera with single LED flash fall well short of what we’ve seen on other recent Android phones. “You don’t want power for power’s sake” HTC said in the press conference, and Gingerbread does feel snappy, but with no dual-core and no 4G LTE like, say, the DROID BIONIC we’re concerned you may find your phone struggling with future, more demanding versions of Android and apps.

HTC Sense 3.5 makes its debut, as consistent and glossy as always, cleaning up the homescreen with simplified widgets and a tabbed shortcut bar running down the left edge of the display. The icons are dynamic, so change according to the most recent caller, message or photo, while each pulls out to show app-specific options. HTC’s work to boost mobile camera performance continues, with the Rhyme promising 5 shots in the space of 2.5s in burst mode, auto backlight correction, and automatic upload to a user-designated Facebook gallery. Still, considering the Rhyme is only barely smaller than the HTC Incredible 2, though, we’re struggling to see why you’d opt for the purple phone instead of that.

It’s the purple, in fact, that’s most confusing. HTC has offered purple devices before – the Wildfire S, for instance – but usually as part of a range of finishes. The company is making no specific case for the Rhyme being targeted at a specific demographic, and that seems oddly short-sighted. Verizon’s $199 price tag doesn’t seem enough to make the Rhyme appealing: it has to be put into a context that makes sense, especially when you consider that it’s hardly competitive against the iPhone 4, never mind the fast-approaching iPhone 5.

HTC is having a busy month, and that looks set to spill over into early October with the promise of high-end devices and the first Beats Audio device to be designed from the ground up with the music tweaking system in mind. We can’t help but wonder whether the company would’ve been better off developing just a couple of excellent smartphones rather than a larger selection that includes several mundane ones.

The HTC Vigor is believed to feature a 4.3-inch 720p HD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. It should also be running HTC’s Sense 3.5 UI on top of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread.

It’s expected to feature Beats Audio technology as part of a $300 million exclusive partnership between HTC and Beats in the mobile phone sector. The HTC Runnymede, a whopping 4.7-inch handset also expected to debut at the September 20 event, is expected to feature Beats Audio as well and is believed to come in multiple SKUs with some packaged with a compatible Beats Audio headset.

[via PocketNow]

Noticeably different from our expectations of the HTC Bliss is the color of the handset. The rumored Bliss for Verizon is expected to be a pale green, while the image clearly shows a device that is silver and white. Again, this could be because it’s an international model as the weather widget is showing Singapore.

Otherwise, the overall design looks very much like what we’ve seen of the HTC Bliss in previously leaked images and it’s also sporting the HTC Sense 3.5 UI as expected. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the date displayed on the screen is September 20. This supports rumors that the device will be unveiled at the major HTC press event scheduled for that date.

According to Wang, HTC is better placed to integrate an acquired OS into its product range because of what HTC Sense brings to the table. Originally a simple UI reskin, Sense has evolved into a comprehensive interface as well as a suite of apps and services. With investments and acquisitions in streaming media and cloud gaming platforms, such as HTC Watch and OnLive, the company is able to differentiate not just on aesthetics but on a package of functionality rivals can’t replicate.

“We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform” Wang suggests. However, the chairwoman doesn’t necessarily believe that having its own in-house software is a prerequisite for success. “Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS” she continued.

Nonetheless, HTC isn’t the first smartphone manufacturer to mull its software strengths in the light of Google’s recent acquisition of Motorola Mobility. Last month, details of internal Samsung meetings suggested that the company was reconsidering its software “competitiveness,” with chairman Lee Kun-hee telling his board that “we must pay attention to the fact that IT power is moving away from hardware companies such as Samsung to software companies.”

Samsung later denied any intention of buying webOS and instead says it is looking to strengthen its own bada platform. Earlier this month, the company unveiled its latest bada-based phone, the Wave 3, though the handset was overshadowed by Samsung’s Android announcements.

HTC, meanwhile, doesn’t have a home-grown OS to focus on, though Sense is arguably evolving to offer the distinctive top layer of one. Last month, CEO Peter Chou suggested that rather than OS it was ecosystem that was most important to a device’s success, reiterating HTC’s support for the Google/Motorola deal.

[via The Next Web]

What’s noticeably gone is the three-button Sense launcher bar that normally sits at the bottom of the screen. In its place there is instead two separate dedicated buttons for an app drawer and phone. There appears to be a new method for adding and removing home screens while the widgets also look to have been tweaked.

Overall, the update isn’t a dramatic change from the current HTC Sense 3.0. The first handset expected to run HTC Sense 3.5 UI on top of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is the HTC Bliss, which is expected to launch in late September. Other upcoming devices to sport the new UI include the HTC Holiday and the HTC Vigor.

Previously we’ve heard just a bit about this device, specs that seem fairly possible given the current progression of things at the moment: a 4.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 2 megapixel front-facing camera, 8 megapixel back-facing camera, and HTC Sense 3.5 running on top of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread. We also heard that its size would be similar to that of the HTC Thunderbolt – minus the kickstand of course.

As you can see in this leaked roadmap for 2011, the HTC Vigor is set to be released on 10/5/11 and will, as the list says, be “replacing the HTC ThunderBolt.” Certainly there can be no room for 2 HTC devices running LTE in the same small western town now, can there be? Time for a shootout.

Another thing to note is how similar this device looks to the smaller DROID Incredible 2, a device released earlier this year on Verizon. The red rim around the lens in the back, should this device be carried by Verizon, may indicate that this is a DROID device and that at long last, the DROID Incredible HD may be surfacing.

Here’s another thing, on the other hand. This device is certainly taller and/or less wide around the hips than the HTC ThunderBolt – place your device flat out on the block and you’ll find that it’s true. What we’re seeing here therefor is a slightly different shaped device than we’re used to. HTC, are you starting to stretch out your devices? We’ll see!

Meanwhile, waiting for the Verizon 4G LTE dual-core device of your dreams and have your heart set on an HTC device? This may be your future ticket.

[via DroidLife]

Another bit of information we’ve learned recently is that this device will likely go by the name HTC Skyrocket internationally. There’s always several names for a device such as this, one from the manufacturer to identify it before its ready for release, another from the carrier if it has mobile network capabilities, and another for each carrier its on. Plus there’s another possibility of there being a name for the device outside of the USA. That’s a lot of potential names for a simple device whose names then signify the network bands more than anything.

We can also see here that HTC will be using a relatively new interface for its Settings panel, and from what we’ve seen in past screenshots, we know this tablet will be the first to have an HTC Sense look at Android 3.0 (or 3.2+ by the time it’s released), something we’ve been waiting for since our hopes for an HTC Flyer Honeycomb experience were dashed several weeks ago. This tablet will more than likely land inside 2011, and you can bet we’ll have our hands on it for review right at the start!

[via PocketNow]

The new suit follows Apple’s success at the ITC over a previous suit against HTC, in which it was ruled that the company infringed on two patents. HTC subsequently claimed that it would not only fight the ruling in the appeal courts, but that it had reworked the contentious technologies and that they would no longer be an issue in its 2012 range.

Apple hasn’t escaped censure in the ongoing patent wars, however, with judges finding it itself infringed on certain patents held by new HTC acquisition S3. HTC then filed a legal suit against its rival in the UK courts.

Apple has requested that the USITC issue both an exclusion order and a cease & desist order, a move which could have implications beyond HTC’s own range of phones. Other Android adopters – including Samsung, which is also embroiled in a long-running legal spat with Apple – are watching closely, cautious about Android’s stability in what are increasingly litigious times. Google has accused Apple and others of turning to patent suits instead of fostering their own innovation - and ignited a war of words with Microsoft’s legal team - but there are reports that some OEMs are considering hedging their bets by looking to Windows Phone 7 and MeeGo.

The S3D SDK will allow developers to access the dual-camera functionality on the EVO 3D, just like the phone itself can shoot 3D photos and video, as well as create content for display on the glasses-free 3D screen. Meanwhile, the Pen SDK is intended for use with HTC’s Scribe active stylus, currently limited to the HTC Flyer but, our sources suggest, a lock-in for not just the HTC Puccini tablet expected in the near future, but models in the pipeline for 2012 too.

There’ll also be full access to the kernel source code for each of HTC’s Android devices, along with all the documentation you could hope for. The company confirmed earlier this month that it would be supplying future Android handsets with locked bootloaders and offering the unlock solution via the web, kicking off with the global HTC Sensation, followed by the T-Mobile Sensation, and then the EVO 3D.

Registration and support is free, and HTC is obviously hoping that developers get on board to create apps that will further distinguish its Android phones from those of rival OEMs. The company has already hinted that it has further ambitions with the direction it will take Sense in; recently it confirmed that it would acquire cloud sync and remote-access specialist Dashwire.

The HTC Puccini could be the very first 4G LTE tablet for AT&T, but given that AT&T may have at most 15 4G LTE markets by year-end, that may not be a huge deciding factor for many folks. The tablet is expected to come with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor running Android Honeycomb. However, no official details have been confirmed yet.

But as for its custom interface, it looks like the HTC Puccini will have plenty of AT&T bloatware preloaded, including AT&T Code, AT&T Family, AT&T MyText, and AT&T Navigation. It also appears that HTC has added its own stylus icon on the bottom of the screen where we typically expect the multitask switcher icon. This confirms the inclusion of Scribe, meaning the tablet will have a stylus-capable multi-touch display similar to the smaller HTC Flyer.

Additonally, HTC’s custom interface adds a full ten-key number pad to the right of its virtual keyboard. Although not much else is known about the tablet, it’s expected to hit later this year in time for the holidays.

[via PocketNow]

The Dashwire system supports remote access of contacts, SMS, calendar, calls, voicemail, multimedia, memory card content and social networking integration, and in effect allows users to sync their data with the cloud as well as access it through various browser-based widgets. There’s also Dashpush, a push-API which promises to deliver text, photos, apps, music and advertising in real-time to a mobile device, regardless of platform or carrier.

HTC already has HTCSense.com, it’s online portal allowing users of recent Android devices to log in, track their phone’s location, lock it, read SMS messages and send them, and access contacts. With Dashwire’s technology, that interactivity could be increased more fully throughout the smartphone.

Samsung experimented with a similar technology on the Galaxy S II, in the shape of Kies air, which provides browser based access to content stored on the handset. However, Kies air demands that both computer and phone be on the same local network, and has only basic multimedia sharing and social networking functionality.

HTC is yet to say exactly what it intends to do with Dashwire, only saying that “HTC expands cloud services with Dashwire long-term investment.” Nonetheless, with custom software, sync and cloud services being one way of differentiating Android devices, and manufacturers from each other, we’re expecting the firm to rapidly bolster Sense with the new technology.

There’s also the same 1.2GHz Qualcomm dual-core processor as in the Sensation, paired with 1GB of ROM and 1GB of RAM. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and dual-band HSPA/WCDMA, capable of up to 14.4Mbps downloads and up to 5.7Mbps uploads, network depending. The microUSB port supports MHL HDMI – and will pump out both 2D and 3D footage to your TV, if it’s compatible – and there’s a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera rather than the Sensation’s VGA resolution camera.

In comparison to the Sensation, it’s a bigger, chunkier device. The HTC EVO 3D measures 126 x 65 x 12.05 mm and weighs 170g, with squared off edges versus the curves of the Sensation. On the plus side, you get a sizable and tactile camera shortcut button, along with a dedicated 2D/3D switch. HTC told us at an EVO 3D pre-brief last week that the handset was targeted at multimedia and photography enthusiasts, though of course you get lower-resolution stills and 2D video than the Sensation (which offers 8-megapixels and 1080p).

OS is Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense, and you get the same clever active lockscreen with shortcuts and weather animations. HTC has thrown in some 3D-specific tweaks, like making the gallery flag up which clips are in 2D and which are in 3D, and you can send images and footage in either 2D or 3D format over Bluetooth. The Video Trip app also works with 3D clips, and the camera can create 2D stills from 3D originals so that they can be shared with those people who don’t have a 3D device.

HTC Watch, the company’s movie download and rental app, will have 3D content, and some European countries will find a copy of The Green Lantern in 3D preloaded onto their EVO 3D. However there won’t be 3D games, though HTC tells us that they’re in the pipeline. Similarly up in the air is the bootloader: according to HTC, the EVO 3D was already in development when the decision to open bootloader access was made, and it’s not certain what will happen with this particular device.

The HTC EVO 3D will drop in European markets from July 2011, pricing tbc (though we’re assuming it will be in line with Sensation pricing, since the handsets are so similar). For more on the phone, check out our review of the CDMA version which is, radios aside, identical.

The 8-megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash is still present, complete with 1080p Full HD video recording (with stereo sound). The EVO 4G+ also has stereo speakers for playback, as well as supporting MHL for HDMI connections via the microUSB port. Other connectivity includes Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, a microSD card slot and quadband GSM/EDGE.

The dual-core processor is paired with 1GB of internal ROM, and there’s HTC Sense with access to the HTC Watch download/rental movie store. DLNA streaming and the clever active lockscreen are also present.

No word on when, exactly, the EVO 4G+ will arrive in South Korea, though HTC is taking the wraps off of the phone officially today.

[via Android Community]

The keyboard comes in for some praise as well, described as “amazing”, while the phone itself is said to be “surprisingly fast.” Weight is a little greater than the T-Mobile G2, though the keyboard feel is on a par, while there’s an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and a dual-LED flash on the back.

Formerly known by its codename, the HTC Doubleshot, the smartphone was spotted crossing the FCC at the start of the month. A July 6 release has been suggested, though not yet confirmed, by a leaked T-Mobile USA roadmap. Other specs are expected to include HSPA+ 4G and a dual-core processor.

[via Android Community]

Hardware

I’ve had the pleasure of carrying around the HTC EVO 3D for the past few days and I must admit that so far I really like it. If you are HTC how do you build on the success of the original to get all its followers and new buyers alike — you build an amazing phone that looks strikingly similar to the original, but better. That sounds easy enough right HTC? Right! For you readers wondering that is exactly what they have done. They took the original EVO and added a few fancy new features like 3D and a high-res screen and made it as close to the original as they could.

The new EVO 3D is only a few millimeters taller and its almost the exact same thickness. The weight is the same and it looks just like its older brother like we mentioned above. They managed to pack all the goodies into basically the same size package and I’m thinking most of you will love it although you kickstand lovers might be a little sad as the EVO 3D is missing that convenient feature.

The screen is a 4.3″ 540 x 960 qHD display that features glasses free 3D to boot. It has those hard to miss twin 5 MP cameras on the rear and a 1.3 MP front shooter for video chat. The capacitive touch buttons on the bottom are exactly the same as the EVO so that should make you all happy. Next up is that processor inside — it features a dual-core 1.2 Ghz Qualcomm MSM8660 CPU with the Adreno 220 GPU along with 1GB of RAM as well as a 8GB MicroSD card out of the box. Then it has all the usual things like volume rockers and Micro USB port but the new additions to the family are the huge dedicated camera button and shiny aluminum 2D/3D toggle switch.

While we are talking about hardware make sure to head over and check out our EVO 3D hands-on and unboxing as well as the HTC EVO 3D vs Optimus 3D battle.

Software and Performance

The EVO 3D comes crashing in with the latest in Android, 2.3 Gingerbread, as well as the new and improved HTC Sense UI version 3.0 to round things off and make it look good. We should all be pretty familiar with Android 2.3 Gingerbread although Sense covers up basically all visual changes so I’ll focus on Sense. The new Sense 3.0 is pretty fancy, I think HTC might have outdone themselves. The lockscreen alone is probably my favorite feature hands down. Being able to quickly and directly access things like phone, camera, or Gmail is a very nice touch and something I’ve been doing with 3rd party unlock screens apps for over a year. You add the new features in the weather app and widget and you have my main visual needs covered — well that and the high-res screen.

There isn’t much for 3D software as the phone knows when your sliding through your gallery what picture is 3D and what is 2D and it displays the correct type for you. When on a 3D image you can toggle 2D/3D with a on-screen command. There is a few 3D photos that come pre-loaded on the device as well as some 3D games like Spider-Man 3D but the Optimus 3D did have more games included.

The homescreen carousel is perhaps a little too easy to trigger, although it was much harder to get started on the Sensation 4G and I’m not sure why. You can see what I mean in the video above. All the Sense animations are extremely smooth and fluent. It is almost so smooth that sometimes I pass the panel or setting I want by accident and it moves to the next, but I can’t really complain.

The quadrant benchmarks were pretty average clocking in at 2115 and slightly less the second time around. That is on par with the Sensation 4G testing as well. I know some of you might be thinking the Samsung Galaxy S II review shows the SGSII blowing that score out of the water but I want to remind you the Galaxy SII is a lower resolution 480 x 800 vs the EVO 3D and Sensation running 540 x 960. That isn’t enough to make a huge difference but it does take some toll on performance.

Camera and 3D

Now for the part many of you have been waiting for and that is 3D. Is it just a gimmick or is it an actual function that you can use from day to day — that will most likely be up to you the users. Packing twin cameras on the rear this thing is ready for action, flip that 3D toggle switch and instantly start recording in 3D. I must admit at first I had some mixed feelings on the entire 3D thing. The camera takes a hit in performance and you have dual 5 MP sensors vs the 8 MP sensor in phones like the Sensation 4G and Galaxy S II and I feel the camera overall is lacking because of that. You can see from my HD video test below that the 5 MP camera just doesn’t quite cut it, but then again the main area of focus is on 3D.

I’m getting ready for a backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming so I took a photo of some of my gear in a medium lit room and you can see just how poor the single 5 MP camera really is, but outside in natural light things get a little better.

Capturing images in 3D is where the good stuff is right? I went ahead and took a few photos in 3D and although they don’t turn out that great on a PC you can see in the photo below things do get a little grainy but that is just the effect on the glasses free 3D screen. Using any video or pictures from the device on something like my 27″ 3D LCD they look much better but then I’m using glasses.

The fact that they’ve added the toggle switch for 2D/3D is a nice touch, it really makes things simple and easy for users wanting to go back and forth between the two with ease. On the Optimus 3D you have to actually close out and launch the 3D camera so kudos to HTC.

HD Video Test

So are the 3D features worth it you ask? Again, I would have to say if that is a feature that you can see yourself using, or are already into 3D then yes the 3D is a sweet bonus and really makes for some interesting photos. I will however mention that even if you don’t plan to use the 3D all that much its always nice to be future proof, and the HTC EVO 3D is still a top tier and amazing device with 3D aside. It still outperforms almost everything else on the market and would be a great addition to your EVO collection.

Phone and Battery

I’ll keep things short and sweet regarding battery life. I know that was a huge concern for many of the original EVO owners but the new 3D packs a 1,730 mAh battery and it will get you through an entire day of solid use. I’ve done some browsing, made multiple phone calls, recorded some video in 2D and 3D, took around 40 pictures and even played a little Spider-Man 3D and I’m sitting around 7 hours right now with a decent slice to spare. I will mention that I did NOT have 4G enabled so 4G is another story. That will probably kill your battery a little faster but the increase in size should help the EVO 3D outlast the usage of the original.

A few mentioned call quality in my hands-on comments so I’d like to comment on that. I feel that call quality and speaker quality is on par with most other HTC phones. I was able to hear callers loud and clear and I’d even say the EVO 3D seems to have a better earpiece than the Sensation 4G or it has better placement. The speakers for listening to music or speakerphone sound better than I expected — as usual with a small speaker on a phone it does sound a little like a tin can speaker, we don’t get much bass but I wasn’t expecting any to begin with.

Wrap-Up

Is the HTC EVO 3D your next device or should you wait to see what comes next, is that what you all want to hear? Does the 3D alone make this a worthy upgrade from my original EVO might be another question you’re all wondering. I’d have to say yes — the HTC EVO 3D would be a great replacement for your aging EVO. Whether you use the 3D features or not it is still the best device on the carrier.

It packs plenty of punch with a dual-core processor, upgraded graphics, that amazingly clear and beautiful qHD high-res screen and it has Sense 3.0 so what else do you need? The 3D feature may seem like a gimmick to some, and in a way I’d almost agree with them but the games sure are fun. The build quality is as good as it gets just like all of HTC’s hardware. The phone feels great in the hand, I wouldn’t call it heavy but it has a nice and comfortable “solid” feel to it.

HTC has done a great job making the 3D aspect of this device only part of the package and for those that need it, it is there and easy to access with the toggle button all while flipping through pictures the phone knows when they are 3D or not. For those that wont use this feature just leave the camera on 2D and go about your day because, as I said above, the phone is still the best option in the lineup.

First Impressions:

First off I’ll mention the specs of this bad boy. It features a 4.3″ qHD 540×960 high-res display, a 1.2 Ghz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB SD was included (expandable to 32GB as usual), dual 5MP cameras on the rear and a front facing 1.3 MP camera. It runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has the new and cool HTC Sense UI 3.0 to round things off.

Basically there are two things to focus on here and those are the dual-core 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon CPU, and those dual 5MP cameras on the rear to capture 3D video. Right away I can tell you the phone seems blazing fast and that is probably mostly thanks to the dual-core CPU, even things like flipping through the Sense UI homescreens until it starts spinning was smooth as can be and better than on the Sensation 4G for some reason.

Then you have those dual cameras around back that will shoot regular photos and video and you can use the toggle switch to quickly access 3D video capture. They feature autofocus and take some pretty amazing photos. The dual LED-flash will come in handy in those low light situations as well.

In the video below you can see I compare the HTC EVO 3D to the newly launched Optimus 3D that I recently unboxed. Overall both 3D phones are quite similar in size as well as weight but the EVO 3D was slightly smaller and once again the curved edges of the back make it not only feel better in the hand, but smaller as well.

Wrap Up:

From my limited time playing with the HTC EVO 3D it does carry on that same amazing build quality HTC is known for, all while staying true to its older brother the original EVO. The overall design is obviously familiar and I think all you EVO fans will love this new addition to the family. It does have a few extra buttons that the EVO did not and those are that huge and hard to miss aluminum dedicated camera button, as well as the 2D/3D switch. Something tells me they want you to use this often because they make it hard not to notice. Do take note that the Micro USB slot for charging is also a MHL port but sadly we didn’t get a converter like we expected and did with the Infuse 4G. Enough talk for now, check out all the photos below and let us know in the comments what you’d like to see in the full review.

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 PlayBook has been praised for its straightforward interface, but also criticized as culling much of the concept behind that interface from rival systems like webOS. Meanwhile, the company’s smartphones – although improved in the latest version of the BlackBerry OS – still come under pressure from Android and iOS interface design.

Late last year, RIM acquired The Astonishing Tribe, another user-experience firm. What, exactly, RIM, TAT and YOU i Labs will be working on together remains to be seen. YOU i Labs’ recent blog posts talk about the potential for glasses-free 3D tablets and the UI considerations around them, though a 3D PlayBook still seems unlikely.

Hardware

Out of HTC’s two Facebook-centric phones, the Salsa is perhaps the less inspiring design-wise. Reminiscent of the HTC Legend, it has a unibody metal chassis with a plastic “chin” section, camera surround and battery cover/antenna, all finished in various shades of purple. Considering it’s intended to be a relatively budget device, build quality is surprisingly high: the 4.3 x 2.32 x 0.48 inch, 120g handset is just as creak-free as the range-topping Sensation.

Up front is a 3.4-inch 480 x 320 touchscreen, with the usual row of touch-sensitive Android keys – home, menu, back and search – underneath. On the chin, however, is the new Facebook button, a physical key which can light up depending on when HTC’s custom Facebook services can be used. A volume rocker is on the top left-hand side, above a microUSB charge/sync port, while the power/lock button is on the top edge by the 3.5mm headphones socket. Finally, there’s a dedicated camera shortcut on the right edge, a rare – and welcome – addition to HTC’s Android line-up.

HTC Salsa overview:

On the back is a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, while a VGA resolution camera upfront takes care of vanity shots and video calls. Inside, HTC sensibly upgraded the original 600MHz processor for a faster 800MHz chip, obviously short of the 1GHz or higher dual-cores we’ve seen lately, but sufficient for an affordable device. It’s paired with 512MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM, along with a microSD card slot.

Connectivity includes HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 and quadband GSM/EDGE, along with WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0. There’s A2DP support for stereo Bluetooth audio connections, along with a g-sensor, digital compass, proximity and light sensors.

The display may run at a lower resolution than the WVGA we’re used to from current mid- to high-end Android phones – or, indeed, the qHD of the Sensation – but it’s still reasonable quality. Viewing angles are broad without discoloration or inversion, though colors are only average for a regular LCD. It’s not going to scare off Super AMOLED Plus, but it’s better than many budget Android phones we’ve seen.

Software

Like HTC’s other recent Android handsets, the Salsa runs 2.3.3 Gingerbread. There’s a modified version of HTC Sense, too, though it’s v2.1 rather than v3.0 as on the Sensation, with a number of Facebook-specific features that other HTC devices won’t share.

You get the same active lockscreen with four app shortcuts as in v3.0, though not the animated weather, gallery or Friend Stream updates, and the seven-pane homescreen doesn’t endlessly scroll or have the eye-catching 3D effects. That’s probably a sensible decision, given the limits of the processor. There are all of HTC’s usual custom apps – Friend Stream pulling in Twitter, Facebook and Flickr updates, Peep for Twitter, the HTC Hub and HTC Likes apps for downloading new themes and widgets plus getting recommendations, the Mirror app for using the front-facing camera to check your eyebrows are equally bushy, and the WiFi hotspot app – and the augmented notification drop-down with recent app shortcuts and quick settings access, together with some new widgets and functionality for the social networking obsessed. What you don’t get, though, is HTC Watch, the company’s movie purchase/rental service, nor OnLive streaming gaming.

Facebook

A dedicated Facebook prompt has been added to HTC’s startup wizard, and the usual homescreen clock widget has lost its weather info in favor of a Facebook status update from one of your friends. There’s still the same Friend Stream widget, along with the smaller Friend Channel widget, but now HTC has added a Facebook Chat widget and accompanying app, since the Salsa supports real-time IM through the social network. As you’d expect, this shows online status and allows you to have text conversations, though not share photos or other multimedia like BBM or Apple’s upcoming iMessage for iOS 5. Oddly, HTC’s Chat client only supports portrait use, not landscape.

HTC is betting on the dedicated Facebook button being of most interest to users, however. One tap and it opens up the Wall Post dialog, allowing you to quickly post a message to your own wall or, by choosing their name from the drop-down list, the wall of one of your Facebook friends. You can also upload photos, either taking one there and then with the Salsa’s camera, or choosing an existing shot from the gallery. If you’re listening to music at the time, hitting the Facebook button automatically shares what track is playing to your wall; similarly, pressing it while in the browser shares the page you’re currently viewing, and pressing it while viewing a photo allows you to upload the shot. You can choose an existing or a new gallery to add it to, adjust the privacy settings and add tags and a description to each picture.

HTC Salsa Facebook integration demo:

A long-press on the button, meanwhile, and that lets you check in using Facebook Places. You can either choose from a list of nearby locations already registered, or add a new location (complete with a description). It’s worth noting that Google’s Latitude alternative to Facebook Places is also preloaded, as is normal on Android devices, though there’s no way to use the Facebook button shortcut to post to both services.

It all works, but there are still some gaps. For a start there’s no Facebook Group or Page support: if you’re the owner of a fan page, you can’t add updates to it or respond to comments using the page’s “identity”. Similarly, there’s only support for a single Facebook login at any one time, so you can’t load a second set of credentials for a different account.

We’d also liked to have seen broader support for the button itself. The music sharing works with the default Android media player app but not third-party apps, so you can’t share what you’re listening to via Napster, Spotify or DoubleTwist, for example. Similarly there’s no ability to share a business result from Google Maps, an app listing in the Android Market, or a YouTube video from the official Android YouTube app.

There are also some frustrations around metadata and what you can edit: share the track you’re currently playing, for instance, and some will have links to Amazon listings along with album art thumbnails, while others will merely say “Listening to [ track ] on [ album ] by [ artist ]” pulled from the ID3 tags. The latter you can edit yourself, whereas the former cannot (aside from flipping through multiple album art, if available).

Some of our lingering complaints about Friend Stream – and, indeed, how smartphones generally handle social networking aggregation – persist. The Salsa is Facebook-centric, but there’s no way to get Friend Stream to prioritize news pulled from Facebook versus Twitter (or vice-versa); it’s all too easy for recent Facebook updates to get lost amid the – generally more frequent – tweet onslaught. Right now, the only workaround is to use separate apps for Facebook and Twitter. Similarly, you can’t share to both Facebook and Twitter using the dedicated button, though you can via the regular Friend Stream widget.

Camera

The Salsa’s 5-megapixel camera can shoot stills or up to 720 x 480 video clips, a far cry from the 720p or 1080p HD of other handsets we’ve been looking at recently. The dedicated hardware button is a nice touch, offering two-stages to lock focus and then fire off the shot, though there’s a little longer between actually pushing it all the way and the frame being captured than we’d like. We ended up with some blurry images by overestimating the Salsa’s eagerness.

Hold things steady, though, and daytime pictures are good. Colors could do with being a little more vivid for our liking, though that’s easily tweaked with some post-processing; odder was the noticeable purple tint the Salsa gave the overcast skies in our sample shots. Meanwhile the exposure and white balance can be sluggish to react to changes in lighting. Give it a few seconds longer, though, and it generally catches up.

Video, meanwhile, is fair but can be jerky during faster pans, and the same lagging exposure issues can leave clips murky and showing more noise than necessary. Audio is prone to wind noise. At least the low resolution makes for speedy uploads to Facebook, triggered with a tap of the sharing button.

Phone and Battery

In-call performance was solid but nothing special, with the Salsa’s single microphone lacking any fancy active noise-cancellation abilities. The loudspeaker is underwhelming, meanwhile, making music sound crackly and tinny, while calls aren’t as loud as we’d have liked.

The standard Li-Ion battery is a 1520 mAh pack, which HTC rates for up to 474 minutes of WCDMA talktime (up to 540 minutes GSM) or up to 530 hours of WCDMA standby (up to 445 hours GSM). In practice, with push Gmail turned on and HTC’s defaults for Facebook/Twitter updating, we managed two full days of use out of the handset, impressive indeed.

Pricing and Value

Pricing for the HTC Salsa is yet to be confirmed at time of writing, though HTC has previously said that it intends the handset to slot in-between the Wildfire S and Desire S in carrier line-ups. That would indicate somewhere between £185 ($300) and £300 ($489) SIM-free and unlocked, pre-tax, or “free” on new agreements between around £10 ($16) and £18.50 ($30) per month depending on carrier.

We’d certainly opt for the Salsa over the Wildfire S. The larger display and front-facing camera are obvious benefits, as is the faster processor: the Wildfire S is 200MHz behind the Salsa. HTC has also been able to fit a larger battery to the Facebook phone, and the construction is sturdier. Of course, you’re also getting all the same Android/HTC functionality and more on the Salsa, though if you’re not an avid Facebook user then that might not be too great an advantage.

Wrap-Up

The Salsa is an odd little phone. If HTC hadn’t bothered with the extra Facebook garnish, and instead made a low- to mid-tier Android handset with the sturdy chassis of the Legend, two-day battery life and most of the more appealing features from HTC Sense 3.0 only with a more affordable price tag, we would’ve readily said it probably had a best-seller on its hands.

The Facebook integration, though, muddies the waters somewhat, if only because it doesn’t quite make sense in this first iteration. Support for the dedicated button is limited, and while the new widgets work well, there’s little here that the official Facebook app for Android doesn’t offer on its own, albeit with maybe a key-press or three more to access it. If we could remap the button to suit our own social network of choice – make it a Twitter key, for those who have that as their addiction, say – then that would add some extra flexibility. As it stands, though, the Facebook part of the Salsa feels half-baked.

Still, you’re under no obligation to use it, and that leaves us with a low-cost, functional device that cocks a snook at plastic-bodied rivals. Facebook messaging addicts may want to wait for the HTC ChaCha, with its physical QWERTY keyboard, and the 800MHz processor may not be up for heavy-duty gaming or HD video, like the dual-core high end devices on the market, but everyday users are getting a solid all-rounder with admirable longevity on a single charge.

The Sensation 4G was shown off at Uplinq 2011, pretty timely given it’s Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz dual-core processor that debuts in the phone, and HTC CEO Peter Chou was on hand for a keynote in which he described the relationship between the two companies as “like brothers.” Since then I’ve been using it heavily alongside the Galaxy S II.

Now, we’ve already thoroughly reviewed the HTC Sensation at its European launch, and bar the T-Mobile logo and the 4G suffix, the two handsets are identical. Even though the Euro version doesn’t mention it in the name, it’s capable of the same potential 14.4Mbps downloads and 5.76Mbps uploads of the T-Mobile USA Sensation 4G, network depending.

That also means the same 4.3-inch qHD 960 x 540 display, 1.2GHz MSM8660 asynchronous dual-core, Adreno 220 GPU, 768MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, along with an 8-megapixel rear camera (with autofocus and a dual-LED flash) and a VGA front-facing camera for video calls. On paper, the Sensation 4G falls short in some key areas versus the Samsung – less RAM, less internal storage, regular LCD rather than Super AMOLED Plus – and when I first saw the benchmark results coming out I thought my skepticism was warranted. Despite the same core clock speed, and HTC’s hyperbole regarding the asynchronous benefits of its Snapdragon, the raw numbers suggested Samsung’s phone was still ahead.

Unboxing time, and my first surprise. The measurements don’t communicate how good, how compact, the Sensation 4G feels in the hand. Yes, it’s a thicker, heavier device than the GSII, but the rounded-off corners and subtle curve to the edges of the display make it somehow organic and pebble-like. If the Samsung feels like a small tablet, the Sensation 4G feels like a phone, even though the display is the same size and, most importantly, can fit more on-screen thanks to the higher resolution panel. The sacrifice is in colors, with Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology making for a more vivid, saturated display that’s achingly good at showing video and photos. The Sensation 4G backlight also tends to default to its brightest setting, even if the ambient lighting is low, which isn’t great for battery life and can prove uncomfortable if you’re trying to read the HTC in bed.

T-Mobile Sensation 4G unboxing & hands-on:

Spec for spec, the Galaxy S II may match or exceed the Sensation 4G in many areas, but in daily use the HTC never feels like it’s falling behind. The most obvious change in HTC Sense 3.0 is the new Active Lockscreen, and it’s the most useful too: four shortcuts that make jumping straight to your messages, the camera or the phone a one-swipe action, and then various weather, social networking or gallery effects above. If you’re a new dad like me, seeing family photos swoop around the lock screen as HTC’s beautiful 3D effects work their magic is guaranteed to get you showing off the Sensation to anyone nearby.

A lot of HTC’s other 3D and animation changes do feel somewhat forced, like the company’s software engineers added them in simply for the sake of it. There’s no apparent hit on performance, at least in this first week of use, though it’s hard to say whether that’ll hold true after the Sensation has been loaded up with apps. HTC’s widgets are a lot more polished than those which come with TouchWiz or other custom apps, though it’s frustrating not to be able to use the email widget with Google’s Gmail app. You can use HTC’s own Mail app with a Gmail account, but you don’t get push notifications as you do with the official app.

The 1080p Full HD video recording of the Galaxy S II has already retired the 720p camera on my iPhone 4, but its achievement may prove short-lived. The Sensation 4G produces great Full HD footage, but is particularly strong when it comes to low-light scenes. Although it’s possible to use the dual-LEDs as a video light, most of the time I haven’t needed to: indoor and night-time clips are surprisingly clear. Even zooming in resulted in little lost quality. Qualcomm had brought along Weezer to close out Uplinq and even with lights flashing and the room otherwise dark, HTC’s sensor handled everything with ease.

Sensation 4G sample 1080 video taken at Weezer concert (disregard the sound quality, I way too close to the stage):

So, is the Sensation’s 4G moniker deserved? T-Mobile USA’s HSPA+ network isn’t going to be as fast as, say, Verizon’s LTE, but it’s not necessarily a slouch either. I’ve seen 3.8 to 4.85 Mbps downloads which, while obviously well short of the carrier’s theoretical speeds, are respectable for an HSPA+ device. Uploads, meanwhile, have come in at between 1.3 and 2.7 Mbps. Individual experiences will vary, of course, depending on coverage.

While I can’t help but wish Verizon was offering an LTE version of the Sensation, the battery life payoff would probably make it unwise. As it stands, T-Mobile suggest up to 400 minutes of WCDMA talktime or up to 495 minutes of GSM talktime; there’s no standby guess from either carrier or manufacturer, though stats for the European phone suggest up to 400 hours of WCDMA standby or up to 350 hours of GSM standby.

Real-world battery life has been tricky to judge while at a conference you’re usually looking for any opportunity to top up your charge, since you never know when you might come across a spare AC outlet again. Still, a solid day using a mixture of 3G, 4G and WiFi looks possible, complete with push email turned on, some browsing and photography, and IM logged in. Our London editor Chris Davies has been using the Euro Sensation since its launch, and is regularly able to go a full day and beyond.

In our original Sensation review, we suggested that while the Galaxy S II appealed to the geeks and modders, the HTC handset was Android for the everyman: an all-round performer with a brilliant balance of performance, battery, build and functionality. HTC’s attitude towards third-party mods was the lingering sour point, but now that the company has changed its tune – even announcing the HTCdev program to encourage experimentation – that factor has fallen by the wayside.

I asked, at first, whether the Sensation 4G would be enough to defeat my skepticism. In fact, within the first few minutes the hardware had turned my head, and the polished user-experience persuaded me over the remainder of the week. The Galaxy S II is still ahead when it comes to third-party modifications, and there are unofficial ROMs which will make that smartphone fly, but for everyday use – whether you’re an Android beginner or a stalwart – the T-Mobile Sensation 4G hits all the right buttons.

For instance, HTC had promised that third-party developers would be able to code apps that take advantage of the digital stylus accompanying the HTC Flyer, and it’s the OpenSense SDK which will unlock the APIs for them to do that. It will also allow them to use the 3D display as on the EVO 3D.

Right now, interested developers can sign up for more information at HTCdev.com ahead of both program and SDK going live in the next few months. The project follows HTCpro, launched last year to offer mobile consulting and app development, and comes on the heels of HTC’s announcement that, moving forward, it would be unlocking the bootloaders on its Android phones.

[via Android Community]

Press Release:

HTC Announces Mobile Developer Support Program and SDK Toolkit

HTC launches HTCdev and announces HTC OpenSense SDK to support developers’ innovation in mobile apps and experiences across HTC portfolio of devices

SAN DIEGO, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today launched HTCdev, a program designed to support mobile developers through tools, resources and community. HTC also announced the HTC OpenSense SDK, which will allow developers to harness software and hardware innovations on HTC phones to develop more richly integrated mobile applications and experiences. In launching HTCdev, together with the HTCpro program launched last year, HTC is creating a network of resources to help developers and businesses meet challenges and opportunities across the mobile space.

“HTC is a company of engineers excited about the possibilities of the mobile space with the goal of fostering choice through innovation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “We believe in openness and the power of imagination to create that innovation and are excited that HTCdev will extend new tools to mobile developers, helping them create the next wave of mobile experiences.”

The HTCdev program will support developers across the industry and around the world, from individuals to large enterprises. The new program website, www.HTCdev.com, is scheduled to launch in summer 2011 and will feature an extensive resource library of tutorials, best practices, documentation and support. The site will also offer a user feedback channel to HTC for ongoing investments and improvement to the developer toolset and program resources.

The core offering of the program will be the HTC OpenSense SDK, which will enable Android developers to more deeply integrate into the HTC Sense 3.0 experience. The framework will also provide APIs and sample code for 3-D display and the Tablet pen. The HTC OpenSense SDK will be released in parallel with the launch of the new HTCdev.com site, and will have regular updates and expansions based on inputs from the developer community. Users can visit www.HTCdev.com today to sign up for a release alert for availability of the HTC OpenSense SDK.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones and tablets 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.

HTC and the HTC logo are the trademarks of HTC Corporation. All other names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Hardware

In many ways, HTC’s approach with the Sensation is the antithesis of Samsung’s strategy. Where the Galaxy S II aimed for the “thinnest smartphone” title, compromising hand-feel in its rush to shed ounces, HTC has come up with a thicker device that feels far more in keeping with the flagship positioning. At 4.96 x 2.57 x 0.44 inches and 5.22oz, and combining a unibody metal chassis with soft-touch plastic inserts, the Sensation is slightly longer, slightly deeper, slightly narrower and a fair bit heavier than the GSII.

Opinions proved divided when we asked people for their favorite, some liking the waifish construction of the Samsung and others preferring the reassuring solidity of the HTC. It’s worth noting that the more curved chassis of the Sensation helps disguise its size and actually makes it feel smaller face-on than the Galaxy S II. It’s creak-free, too, and unlike the fiddly pop-off doors of previous HTCs, the entire rear panel unclips and the guts of the smartphone lift out to allow access to the battery compartment, SIM slot and microSD slot.

Up front is a 4.3-inch qHD 960 x 540 resolution LCD display and four touch-sensitive buttons underneath, fronted with a sheet of Gorilla Glass that tapers up to the edges. This meniscus helps keep the glass off the table when you flip the Sensation face-down – handy, since doing so automatically silences incoming calls – as well as giving your thumb some tactile feedback when it’s approaching the edge of the display. The panel itself is bright and crisp, the extra pixels leaving graphics and text smooth and very readable. It’s particularly useful in the browser, where pages can often be read without first zooming, though ebooks and videos look great too.

HTC Sensation unboxing & hands-on:

Things are advanced inside, too, with the Sensation providing the first real outing for Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon MSM8660 processor. A 1.2GHz dual-core chip, the MSM8660 differs from rivals in offering asynchronous cores that can run at different frequencies and voltages, unlike most synchronous processors on the market today. HTC reckons that adds up to reduced power consumption, since it can scale to suit whatever app you’re running in a more granular fashion. It’s paired with Adreno 220 graphics, and altogether makes the Sensation HTC’s most powerful Android device so far.

There are some glaring flaws, however. Where the GSII pairs its 1.2GHz dual-core with 1GB of RAM, the Sensation makes do with 768MB. Similarly, while Samsung have packed 16GB of memory into their flagship, HTC leaves users with just 1GB baked inside; instead you get a preloaded 8GB microSD card. Unfortunately, there’s just no way that even a fast microSDHC card can be as quick as NANDFlash connected directly to the logic board, and that leaves the Sensation at a speed disadvantage.

By relying on external storage, HTC has also bypassed the EXT4 filesystem, one of the factors which we saw speed up performance on the Galaxy S II. EXT4 support arrived in Android 2.3, but the Sensation’s microSD card still uses FAT and the 1GB of internal memory is too small for a journaled filesystem.

Connectivity includes 900/AWS/2100 HSPA/WCDMA support – the Sensation 4G for T-Mobile USA will have HSPA+ – along with quadband GSM/EDGE, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0. The microUSB port on the lower left edge, under the long (and easily pressed) volume rocker doubles as a 1080p HDMI output if you have the correct MHL adapter cable (which is unfortunately neither bundled in the box nor available to buy separately yet).

Then there’s the usual gamut of sensors, including GPS, gyroscope, G-sensor, digital compass, proximity and ambient light, along with a pair of cameras – 8-megapixels with autofocus and a dual-LED flash on the back, and a VGA fixed-focus camera up front for video calls. An FM radio – which uses the bundled wired hands-free kit as an antenna – and SRS virtual surround sound round out the key specs.

Software and Performance

HTC has slapped Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread onto the Sensation, complete with the latest version of HTC Sense, v3.0. As we saw on the Flyer, the newest Sense brings with it a useful Active Lockscreen with app shortcuts, more 3D effects in the seven-pane homescreen, and various tweaks throughout the UI that smooth over some of Android’s ruffles.

In general, the improvements are welcome. The Active Lockscreen – which allows you to pin four icons above the launcher hoop, unlocking the phone and opening the app in one swoop by dragging the shortcut down to the bottom of the screen – makes for a handy way to get into your commonly-accessed apps, and it also makes missed calls and SMS messages more obvious. The homescreen (viewable in portrait orientation only, unlike the Flyer’s landscape layout) whips around in a continuous loop, which slick 3D animations that change the viewpoint the faster that you swipe, and there are multiple skins and scenes to change the layout and theme (as well as more to download in the HTC Hub store).

The drop-down notifications bar has the same two tabs as on the Desire S, for alerts and quick access to settings, as well as a list of recently-opened apps. We did find that the curved glass could make quickly flicking the notifications pane down a hit-or-miss affair sometimes. There’s also HTCSense.com support, HTC’s free service which offers remote phone access, sync and tracking, among other things.

Preinstalled apps include HTC’s Dock Mode – which shows a recent Facebook update pulled from FriendStream along with weather and media shortcuts, and is designed to be used as a desktop or bedside clock; it can also be set to automatically launch the Mobile Hotspot app too – and Flashlight, which uses the LED camera light as a torch. There’s also Locations, HTC’s offline mapping system (which demands a subscription if you want the same turn-by-turn functionality that Android offers free with Google Maps Navigation), the Teeter game and HTC Watch.

Just as on the Flyer, Watch allows access to purchased or rented movies and TV shows, complete with streaming trailers (that can be viewed over 3G or WiFi connections; full content downloads can only be made over WiFi). If you’ve already got an account from your Flyer – or, indeed, another HTC phone when the company rolls Watch out on other devices – then you can access existing content you’ve bought (though not rented) on the Sensation. On our UK unit, movies were priced between £7.99 and £9.99 to purchase or £2.49 to £3.49 to rent; TV shows were generally £1.49 to buy.

Watch works well, though right now there’s not a huge amount of content to choose from. It’s also worth noting that, at present, there’s no way to get the video off your phone or tablet and onto a different platform: it’s locked to Watch on the Sensation or Flyer. If you and your family all use new HTC devices then perhaps that makes sense, but other platforms offer greater flexibility with their digital content.

The HTC Reader app is present, though lacks the clever annotation support of the Flyer. It has an ebook store powered by Kobo, with titles ranging from free classics to new bestsellers. Obviously you can also download Amazon’s Kindle app or another ereader app from the Android Market if you prefer.

Finally there’s the Mirror app, which turns the Sensation into a very expensive way of checking your eyebrows match. With HTC’s video calling app still missing-in-action, it’s up to third-party apps to fill that gap. Qik Video Connect works, though we found it sends the front camera image upside-down. We’re guessing the company will address that in an update, since we’ve seen similar teething pains with other new handsets to the market.

HTC Sensation vs Samsung Galaxy S II:

We had high hopes for the dual-core 1.2GHz processor, but the benchmarks paint a less impressive picture than on the Galaxy S II. In Quadrant Advanced, the Sensation scored 2245 overall versus the Samsung’s 3504. Memory and I/O sub-scores were also telling, with the HTC managing 1794 and 2408 respectively, while the GSII came in at 3823 and 4472 respectively; that suggests that the Samsung will handle heavier loads and more frequent data reads/writes better than the Sensation can.

In SmartBench 2011, the Sensation scored 2340 against the GSII’s 3878, though the HTC did hold its own with a score of 47.257 MFLOPS in Linpack Pro versus the Samsung’s 46.939 MFLOPS. As we’ve seen on HTC’s Android phones before, JavaScript benchmark tool SunSpider doesn’t seem to play nicely with the customized browser, coming in with a 6481.8m/s score (almost twice the GSII) that we suspect is artificially sluggish.

What the raw figures don’t communicate is how responsive the Sensation feels in daily use. Side-by-side with the Galaxy S II, and it’s hard to tell the difference between the two phones: apps load quickly, webpages render at the same pace (in fact the Flash-heavy NYTimes.com frontpage finished on the HTC before it did on the Samsung). Even loaded down with simultaneously running apps, we didn’t feel like the Sensation was gasping for breath (or, indeed, for more RAM).

Out of the box performance is only half the Android story, of course. The platform has built a dedicated following of modders, for whom a factory-fresh device is a challenge not a treat. Here, HTC’s attitude to third-party Android ROMs may see them suffer: the Sensation comes with a locked bootloader, meaning it’s more difficult to install unofficial versions of Android. In contrast, Samsung has left the Galaxy S II more flexible in what it will run. We’re already seeing GSII overclock hacks stretching the processor out to 1.4GHz and higher; HTC’s decision is likely to leave the modding market to Samsung.

Camera

The Sensation’s 8-megapixel camera arguably has two key challenges: not only changing a run of lackluster optics on previous HTC-made phones, but taking on the extremely proficient imaging abilities of the Galaxy S II. Happily HTC’s shooter marks a significant step up in quality in both stills and video.

No more drab colors or middling detail; no more murky indoor shots. Colors are on the cool side on-screen when the Sensation is side-by-side with the GSII, but viewed off the phone and they look far more accurate. Close-ups are clear and crisp. The Sensation prefers bright lighting – as do most cellphone cameras, to be fair – with the overcast weather in some of our sample shots prompting a little more processing than we’d prefer to see.

The Sensation lacks a physical camera button but with the shortcut a lockscreen default it loads quickly all the same. HTC claims to have shaved away at the startup time and reduced the lag in-between tapping the on-screen button and the frame being captured, though in our (admittedly reasonably unscientific) head-to-head tests against the GSII it was neck-and-neck going from the homescreen to a shot being taken. Fast, but not the revolution in cameraphone photography that HTC seemed to imply.

Video, meanwhile, is recorded at up to 1080p Full HD resolution. Panning can lead to some tearing or jerkiness of the footage, though when steady there’s plenty of detail and the stereo microphone array is – as the wind noise in the sample clip below attests – perhaps a little too ambitious. Still, it’s a marked improvement over previous HTC devices. There’s integrated video trimming support in the gallery, and DLNA streaming to your TV.

As for the front-facing camera, finally, at VGA resolution it’s hardly promising much, and the end results are as pixelated as you’d expect. Over the same WiFi network, video calls using Qik Video Connect looked significantly better using the GSII’s 2-megapixel front camera than the Sensation’s camera.

Phone and Battery

We had no issues with phone performance on the Sensation, with both parties sounding clear. Speakerphone performance, meanwhile, is reasonably loud but prone to some distortion at top volume.

HTC quote up to 495 minutes talktime or up to 400 hours standby from the 1,520 mAh battery; having experienced two days use from a single charge on the Galaxy S II, we were eager to see how well HTC’s power management would perform on the Sensation. In practice, with push email turned on, periodic social network refreshes, some Google Maps and browsing use, and after 30 minutes of streaming TV using the BBC iPlayer app (using the Sensation’s speaker rather than headphones), and by the evening the handset was still showing around quarter of its charge.

That suggests that, with some judicious power management, you could get some way into the second day with the Sensation on a single battery. Not quite the performance of the Galaxy S II, but decent compared to the previous HTC Desire HD which was quite the glutton for juice.

Pricing and Value

The HTC Sensation launches as a Vodafone exclusive in Europe initially, with the smartphone offered “free” on £30 ($48) tariffs with a two-year agreement. That undercuts the Galaxy S II by around £5 per month, or £120 ($194) over the course of the contract. SIM-free sales are yet to begin, with stock expected toward the end of June; the Sensation expected at around the £498 ($800) price point, including VAT.

Pricing for the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile USA is yet to be confirmed, though we’re expecting it to follow the usual $199.99 pattern with a new, two-year agreement including a mandatory data plan.

Wrap-Up

It’s a good time for Android smartphone fans. The Galaxy S II has already proved that devices running Google’s OS are certainly capable of stepping out from underneath the shadow of the iPhone, and the HTC Sensation is evidence that Samsung’s win can’t be dismissed as a one-off aberration. In Gingerbread form, Android has matured into a stable platform with growing choice in the Android Market to support it.

With strong devices, of course, come difficult decisions, and choosing between the Sensation and Samsung’s Galaxy S II is perhaps the most difficult to-date. Both have their hardware strengths: the Sensation’s qHD display lends itself well to browsing and ebook reading, while the lower-resolution Super AMOLED Plus of the GSII is better suited to multimedia. Samsung offers more RAM and internal storage, but the Sensation never felt at a loss aside from in the benchmarking apps themselves. Meanwhile, HTC Sense feels more thought-out and complete than TouchWiz, and the out-of-the-box experience with the Sensation is more polished than that of the GSII.

Neither is a bad device nor a bad choice; our gut reaction is to think of the Sensation as the consumer’s phone and the Galaxy S II as the Android fan’s phone. Broad brushstrokes do neither any great favors, though. HTC’s attitude to mods may dissuade the Android faithful, but those looking for a solid, well-designed smartphone with a premium feel and refined combination of hardware, software and services will be served excellently by the HTC Sensation.

In the box there’s the usual sparse selection of accessories: a USB AC adapter, USB to microUSB cable and a wired stereo headset with in-line controls. We’d like to have seen the MHL-to-HDMI adapter bundled too, like AT&T sensibly did with the Infuse 4G, but that’s still an optional accessory; you do get DLNA streaming support over WiFi b/g/n, though. HTC will offer a charging dock – you can set the Sensation to automatically boot into Dock Mode, with weather and Facebook updates shown, and even optionally turn on the Mobile Hotspot functionality – though right now it’s not on sale.

HTC Sensation unboxing & hands-on:

Construction is solid, with a sheet of toughened glass up front that rises to a slight lip at the edges of the screen. That serves double purpose: keeping the display raised slightly off the table when placed face-down, and also giving some tactile feedback as to when your thumb is swiping toward the very edge. Responsiveness is good, and the whole thing is creak-free. Unlike the somewhat fiddly slide-off doors of recent HTC devices – the Flyer was a particular chore to open up – the Sensation pulls out of its rear chassis entirely, revealing the microSD slot and SIM slot.

Android and Sense moves swiftly on the dual-core chip; the jerkiness we spotted when pulling shortcut buttons down to the launcher ring on the Flyer’s lock screen is non-existent on the Sensation. The 3D animations on the homescreen are smooth and menus open without delay. Similarly, the browser renders even heavy pages quickly, and thanks to the qHD resolution you can read, say, SlashGear homepage articles without having to zoom in from the full page width view. Just to whet your appetite, we ran benchmarking tool Quadrant Advanced and the Sensation scored 2245 overall, with 5918 in the CPU category.

We’ll be putting the HTC Sensation through its paces over the next few days in time for the full SlashGear review, but for now let’s just say this: the Samsung Galaxy S II has got some serious competition.

Hardware

The Flyer’s HTC heritage is clear, looking at first glance like an oversized Desire S with its unibody-style aluminum and white plastic insert-sections. It’s 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.52 inch chassis is a little longer and thicker than that of the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, and it’s heavier as well at 14.82oz. Still, that’s because of the metal used in the construction, and the upside is a far sturdier, more expensive feeling slate.

It’s certainly not too large to hold in one hand, and in portrait orientation we could easily grip the edges; alternatively, the screen bezel is just the right width to hold the Flyer like a book without accidentally tapping the screen. Physical controls are limited to the power/lock button on the top edge (which also has a nifty integrated status light) and a volume rocker on the right edge; you also get a 3.5mm headphones socket on the top, and a microUSB port on the bottom. The latter can be used with the unusually-shaped plug on HTC’s included AC adapter, or with a regular microUSB cable; the Flyer will charge from both, though faster with the former.

On the back there’s a 5-megapixel autofocus camera (which lacks an LED flash) together with stereo speakers. The lower plastic section pulls off to reveal the SIM slot for the triband HSPA/WCDMA (and quadband GSM/EDGE) modem in our 3G review unit, as well as the microSD card slot. Internal storage is 32GB, though the WiFi-only Flyer has half that, at 16GB. Both pack WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, an ambient light sensor, g-sensor and digital compass, as well as a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls.

HTC Flyer Unboxing & First-Impressions:

Unlike the bigger Android tablets we’ve seen in recent months, HTC has avoided dual-core processors and instead opted for a single-core, 1.5GHz chip for the Flyer. Qualcomm’s MSM8255, it’s paired with 1GB of RAM. It’s worth noting that the Flyer can’t be used as a phone, with its 3G radio only for data connectivity.

Like the Galaxy Tab, the Flyer has a 7-inch 1024 x 700 capacitive touchscreen. This uses an LCD panel, and comes through bright, clear and with decent colors. The Flyer doesn’t get the rotating button icons of the Incredible S, but it does pack a second set of the touch-sensitive keys: hold the tablet in landscape orientation and you get backlit home, menu, back and “stylus” buttons underneath the short edge of the display; rotate it into landscape orientation and you get the same buttons underneath the long edge. It’s all very clever, though ironically considering how we found ourselves holding the Flyer, we wished we could choose which set of keys were active since often it would’ve been easier to reach the alternate set.

The mention of the “stylus” button should have given it away – if you’ve not been following the Flyer’s gestation – but HTC offers a “Magic Pen” with the tablet for text entry, annotation and sketching. Using N-Trig’s active digitizer technology, that allows for far greater accuracy (as well as pressure sensitivity) when writing on the screen. It also automatically shuts off the regular, multitouch capacitive touch panel when the pen’s nib is near, so that you can rest your palm on the display without accidentally triggering anything. In Europe, the Magic Pen will be bundled with the Flyer; in the US, it will be a roughly $80 accessory.

If your mouth has already puckering with distaste at the thought of a stylus, don’t be so quick to judge. The Flyer’s pen is leagues away from the nasty plastic toothpicks of old-style resistive touchscreen devices. Its smooth nib glides nicely across the Gorilla Glass of the Flyer’s display, accurate and lag free. HTC took responsibility for adding digital pen functionality to Android, and they’ve done a solid job; we’ll cover exactly how they’ve integrated them in the software section.

What HTC hasn’t accommodated is the stylus itself. Unlike tablet PCs and resistive touchscreen phones, there’s no slot or silo for the Flyer’s digital pen to hide in; instead, HTC bundles a leather slip case with a magnetic flap and a tightly-fitting loop into which the pen can tuck. While we like the idea of a bundled case, it’s not entirely ideal. For a start, the white finish – although matching the Flyer’s color scheme – seems to invite scuffs and blemishes; leaving the pen on the outside and, for the most part, unprotected also feels risky. Finally, although reasonably close-fitting, it still adds some bulk. That can make the difference when it comes to pocketability: bare, you can easily slot the Flyer into an inside jacket pocket or even the back pocket of your jeans, something that can be trickier or even impossible when the case gets involved.

Software and Performance

The Flyer is smaller than the other recent Android tablets, and it runs older software, too. Rather than Android 3.x Honeycomb, as on the XOOM, G-Slate and Galaxy Tab 10.1, HTC has opted for Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the latest version intended for smartphones. They’ve not left it untouched, of course; HTC Sense makes its usual appearance, though here with some significant modifications to the familiar UI to take into consideration the tablet form factor.

Unlike HTC phones, the Android homescreen now works in both portrait and landscape orientation. Both get a carousel-style interface, with endless rotation; flick the homescreen fast, and the perspective pulls back to show the eight panes spinning. A pinch-zoom gesture shows all eight thumbnailed. It’s slick and swift, the 1.5GHz processor showing its grunt. Pull down the notification bar and there are shortcuts to the last ten apps used as well as settings shortcuts and alerts; in portrait orientation the latter are on different tabs, while in landscape they’re all visible at once.

Along the bottom of the display there’s the app menu button, then shortcuts for HTC’s new Notes app, HTC Reader and HTC Watch, which we’ll cover separately later. There’s also the usual Customize button, which allows you to change the wallpaper, add icons, shortcuts and widgets – both the standard Google fare and HTC’s own – and, for the first time, tweak the lock-screen. That, as we saw on the HTC Sensation, can now show the weather along with four app shortcuts – user assignable, of course. To unlock the Flyer normally, you drag up the large ring at the bottom of the screen; to instantly unlock and load an app, you drag that icon down to the ring. It works well, though we did spot some glitchiness in the animation before the apps loaded.

The usual HTC array of software is preloaded, so you get FriendStream with Facebook and Twitter feeds, the Media Control app for handling DLNA streaming, and the heavily-animated Weather app complete with homescreen widget. There’s also Amazon’s MP3 store app, HTC Hub for wallpaper, ringtone and other downloads, HTC Likes with suggestions, Locations, the Teeter game, a Task Manager app and WiFi Hotspot, for sharing the 3G connection with up to eight WiFi-tethered clients.

Some of the standard Android software comes into its own on the Flyer. The Car Panel, which offers chunky, finger-friendly shortcuts to navigation and multimedia for use while driving is particularly suited to the tablet’s 7-inch display. HTC also throws in Dock Mode, which shows weather, recent FriendStream activity and some app shortcuts (plus has a backlight dim button so that you can use the Flyer as a bedside clock). It can be set to automatically load when you drop the slate in the (optional) dock – which we didn’t have to review – as well as optionally turn on WiFi Hotspot sharing as well.

In addition to the standard camera and camcorder apps, there’s Snapbooth, a somewhat gimmicky app that uses the front-facing camera to take vanity shots that can be mangled with various special effects. It’s good for a few minutes fun, at least. HTC’s online Sense suite also gets an outing, offering remote access, tracking and locking of the Flyer. Unfortunately, you can only have a Sense account active on one HTC device at a time – signing in on the Flyer prompted us to unlike the account from the HTC phone it was currently being used with. Considering the Flyer lacks phone functionality on its own, that means the HTC-faithful will have to pick whether they want to use their Sense account with the tablet or their smartphone, rather than having it on both.

HTC Flyer Highlights:

Most of the time, HTC’s extensive reskin means that the absence of Honeycomb isn’t felt. Still, that’s not always the case. Like Samsung did on the Galaxy Tab, HTC has reworked its Mail and Calendar apps to suit the greater screen real-estate on offer, with a two-column email view when the Flyer is held in landscape orientation, and various day, week, month and year views in the calendar. Both support multiple accounts and are far more usable than their phone cousins. The gallery, too, uses the same two-column layout, with albums on the left and previews – with sharing buttons – on the right. Similarly, the browser has a tab preview bar along the top, showing live thumbnails of all your open pages.

Unfortunately, you don’t get Google’s own tablet-version of Gmail, instead the regular smartphone app. That’s fine on a phone, but is stretched and wasteful with space on the Flyer’s 1024 x 600 panel. Similarly Google Talk is the basic phone version. 7-inch displays are often ideally-scaled to type on with both thumbs, and the Flyer is no different. HTC’s custom keyboard doesn’t stretch to a dedicated number row, but does have navigation keys, sensible auto-predictions like @ and .com in email text boxes, and simple access to Android’s voice recognition. The auto-suggestions are also accurate, with prompted words popping up with no lag or delay.

Performance overall was mixed, depending on quite how much we stressed the Flyer with multiple-running apps. In Quadrant Standard, the tablet scored 1817, while in Quadrant Advanced it managed 2166. Linpack Pro came in at 55.009 MFLOPS. That puts it in the same ballpark as what we’ve seen from Tegra 2 based Honeycomb tablets.

Magic Pen

Say stylus and most people immediately think of the fiddly toothpick that came with Windows Mobile phones. The Flyer has more in common with Windows tablets, though again, don’t let that put you off. Basically, rather than a resistive touchscreen that simply responds to pressure, or a capacitive stylus that pretends to be a blunt fingertip so that the screens used by the iPad, XOOM and other recent slates are tricked into recognizing them, the Flyer uses a special battery powered “Magic Pen” that communicates with a second layer sandwiched with the regular, finger-friendly touchscreen. That second layer knows not only where the pen nib is, but also how hard you’re pressing: that way, lines on-screen are thin when you press lightly, or thick when you press harder.

The pen itself matches the Flyer’s brushed aluminum, and has a pair of buttons on its side. One puts the stylus into highlighter mode, the other text selection. It runs on an AAAA battery – HTC reckons you should get a few months use out of it. Places where the pen can be used are flagged up by the stylus button turning green; tap that, and a radial menu of pens, tools and colors pops up in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

In most places, the pen is used to grab screenshots or “Scribbles”, triggered by tapping the pen once on the display. The resulting image can be doodled on and annotated and then instantly shared – using the normal Android options – or pasted into a new Notes document (more on which later).

It all works, but it’s not perfect. While the Flyer uses a similar active digitizer to what you’d find in a Windows 7 tablet PC, it doesn’t feel as accurate. That usually means making your handwriting slightly larger, which is frustrating on a 7-inch display. Meanwhile, although HTC claim a couple hundred levels of pressure sensitivity, there’s little visible difference between the two extremes. There’s also no handwriting recognition, and you can’t handwrite emails or jot into text-entry boxes.

More frustrating, though, is the confusion between finger-touch and pen-touch. 99-percent of the interface is intended for finger control, but even if you’d prefer to use the Magic Pen, the Flyer won’t allow you – instead, it just takes a Scribble shot of the screen you’re looking at. When you’re actually in that screenshot, however, and you want to either paste it into Notes, share it or delete it, you can’t tap the buttons with the pen – instead you have to use your finger.

It doesn’t sound like much, but it means lots of flipping between the two, finger and stylus. Even after hours of use, we still found ourselves taking accidental screenshots when we wanted to open menus, simply because the pen seemed the obvious tool as it was the one we were using at that moment. We’ve a feeling HTC took this somewhat draconian attitude in an attempt to prevent commenters from saying the Flyer was a pen-tablet, one of the old-school. In their haste, however, they’ve made it more infuriating to use.

Ironically, it’s an issue many Windows 7 tablets address, and in a perfectly reasonable way. Models with dual-mode pen and finger touchscreens allow either input method, shutting off the finger-control when the stylus is active. The Flyer already knows whether the pen nib is near, so it wouldn’t take much to flip between the two methods accordingly. We’re hoping HTC at least offers the flexibility with a settings option in the future.

HTC Notes

Notes is where the Flyer’s Magic Pen comes into its own, and is arguably the center-point of the whole tablet. As we said, HTC took it on itself to add active stylus support to Android, and Notes is where that energy pays off. On the face of it, it looks like any other memo app: a place for a title then room for notes. However, on the Flyer those notes can either be thumbed in using the on-screen keyboard, or written in using the Magic Pen. The same radial menu of pen types, colors and other tools – offering highlighters, pencils, felt-tips and more – pops up, and you can sketch or scribble away to your heart’s content.

There’s also audio recording, which is indexed according to your note-taking. As you scribble, the Flyer automatically creates bookmarks through the recording that match text with audio: you can either see a thumbnail of the relevant note as the audio plays back, or skip to the relevant section of the audio by tapping on the note. It works, but it lacks granularity: a Livescribe pen, for instance, goes directly to the point of the audio recording, while the Flyer is a little less aggressive with its timestamping. Finally, there’s a shortcut to the camera so that you can shoot an image, have it instantly pasted into a new note, and then annotate it as you see fit.

HTC’s masterstroke, however, is partnering with Evernote, the online digital notetaking service, to manage the jottings created in Notes and allow them to be accessed from other platforms. Evernote is a free service – there are paid subscriptions if you’re a heavy user – with apps for Android, iOS, PC and Mac, among others, allowing for multiple digital notebooks, note tagging, audio clips and more.

There’s also comprehensive search, not only of regular text but of handwritten notes and of text included in images. Once synchronized with Evernote’s servers – where the OCR is done – you can search for, say, “recipe” and see all notes where that’s been typed in, scrawled on or included in a photo. Evernote treats handwritten notes from the Flyer as images – that means you can’t open them up and edit them in, say, the OS X version of the Evernote software – and so can include them in searches. You can also easily review them on other platforms.

HTC Reader

If you’re a Kindle, NOOK or other ereader platform user, you can obviously load up your app of choice on the Flyer from the Android Market. HTC, though, would rather you use its Reader app, offering a variety of titles – both free public domain ebooks and newer, paid ones – for download direct to the slate.

Reader is also the second app in which the Flyer’s Magic Pen gets a proper outing. You can annotate and sketch, either keeping neatly to the margins or scrawling all over the place, as well as highlight passages. Reader automatically slots in a bookmark on any page you write on, so that you can more easily find your notes later.

HTC Watch

Tablets are generally used for browsing and for multimedia consumption, and so HTC Watch is the company’s attempt to make some money off the latter. Basically a movie and TV episode store, it offers both rentals and purchases – depending on title – with prices ranging from £7.99 to £9.99 to buy 720p movies in the UK or £2.49 to £3.49 to rent them. TV episodes come in at £1.49.

Previews can be streamed over 3G or WiFi connections – there’s about 5-10 seconds of buffering before they play – but purchases can only be downloaded over WiFi. Unfortunately once you’ve bought something you can only watch it on an HTC device; there’s no way to transfer it to your laptop, for instance, or even another Android gadget. Rentals can only be viewed on the device they’re bought on.

OnLive

Streaming gaming service OnLive is currently only available in the US, and so we were unable to test it on our UK Flyer. When the US version of the tablet goes on sale, it will offer the chance to play full games – the sort you’d normally need a beefy PC or a proper console – on your slate while on the move. We’ll revisit OnLive on the Flyer when the service is operational.

Camera and Multimedia

The Flyer’s main camera may pack 5-megapixels, but we can’t help but suspect some of them have flown the coop. Camera performance is plain disappointing, falling well short of what HTC’s current crop of 5-megapixel smartphones can manage. Stills are fuzzy, lack definition and have uninspiring, muted colors, while video is somehow even worse. HTC claims the Flyer is shooting 720p HD, but as you can see in our sample clip below it hardly looks that way.

Although that would usually be enough to give any gadget the kiss of death, the Flyer does have one saving grace. Close-ups of text – such as grabbing a snapshot of a magazine article – come out reasonably well; that’s handy when you then import that shot into Notes, and sync it over to Evernote for OCR. Treat the Flyer’s camera as another aspect of the notetaking experience and its flaws are easier to stomach.

Media playback is another mixed bag. HTC says the Flyer will work with AAC, AMR, OGG, M4A, MID, MP3, WAV and WMA audio files along with 3GP, 3G2, MP3, WMV, AVI and Xvid video files, up to 720p, and indeed we had no problems with those. Trying more ambitious files, however, and the Flyer’s processor began to struggle. The stereo speakers lack voice, sounding insipid and reedy; better to plug in headphones or use an A2DP pair.

Unlike Tegra 2 based tablets we’ve seen, the Flyer lacks a dedicated HDMI output. However, like the Samsung Galaxy S II, its USB port apparently supports MHL, the new standard which – with the right adapter – allows you to plug into an HDTV or projector via HDMI. MHL-compliant sets should be able to control the Flyer’s playback using their own remotes; right now, though, the Flyer’s media adapter is in short supply, and we were unable to test it for this review. If you have HTC’s MediaLink DLNA box, you can of course use that instead.

Battery

The Flyer’s 4,000 mAh battery is non-user-replaceable, and HTC reckons users should see up to four hours of video playback or between 820 and 1470 hours of standby. Bear in mind there are no voice calls being made, though of course there’s plenty of background updates being pulled in for Gmail, Facebook and other services over the 3G network.

In practice, we found that with a mixture of push email turned on, various social network apps updating, and a fair amount of GPS mapping, browsing, music and video playback and some camera use, the Flyer made it comfortably through to the end of the day. With lighter, more sporadic use – as is perhaps common for tablets – would probably see it run for a couple of days on a single charge. HTC has thrown in some sensible power management options, including the ability to turn off email checks overnight (something we remember fondly from Windows Mobile) when you’re unlikely to need the very latest messages.

Wrap-Up

All too often we criticize new tablets for trying to take on the iPad by photocopying its specs. Apple’s slate has undoubtedly changed – and dominated – the consumer touch device market, but it seems that sales success has blinkered many rivals to the possibility that there are other ways in which tablets can find a role in our lives.

It’s a criticism you can’t level at HTC, and whether you believe the Flyer’s “Magic Pen” is a boon or a blunder, at least the company is trying something different. In its first iteration, what the software delivers doesn’t quite live up to the hardware’s promise, but we like the direction in which HTC looks to be taking it. Although many tableteers are content using their fingers, there are plenty of others who would like the flexibility to use an on-screen keyboard when that makes sense and then a digital pen when it feels more appropriate.

Yes, there are some frustrations: the camera is an embarrassment, the speakers underwhelming, and the single-core processor does give us a little pause for thought when we consider the sort of demanding apps likely to be coming down the pipeline for Android slates. Still, HTC obviously believe it’s potent enough for Honeycomb, since an update to the tablet-centric OS is expected in reasonably short order.

What will really make the difference is HTC’s commitment to Magic Pen functionality. Sensibly, the company has decided not to keep its pen magic all to itself, and to instead open up the APIs the Flyer uses to third-party developers. That will hopefully mean more apps that take advantage of it, broadening the Flyer’s appeal beyond mere note-taking. Before that will happen, though, developers will want to see that there’s a market worth their time: that will probably take more just the Flyer alone. HTC needs to be clear that dual finger and pen interfaces are integral into its vision of tablets. Users will only stomach the added cost and bulk of the digitizers – pushing the 32GB 3G Flyer in the UK to a heady £599.99, while the 16GB WiFi-only model comes in at £479.99 – if they’re confident that HTC won’t abandon the idea down the line.

Even as it stands, though, there’s a lot to like about the Flyer. The 7-inch size fits just as nicely between smartphones and 10-inch tablets in terms of functionality as it does in the hand, and the stylus adds a new layer of possibilities of which HTC Notes only scratches the surface. It’s likely to remain a niche model for the moment, but those who find the iPad’s interface more like finger-painting than fine-art will find plenty of appeal in the HTC Flyer.

The HTC Sensation features an aluminum unibody chassis powered by a 1.2Ghz Qualcomm dual-core processor. It sports a 4.3-inch contoured glass touchscreen qHD display, which gives you 35 percent more pixels than a typical display and provides true 16:9 widescreen dimensions. It has an 8-megapixel back camera capable of 1080p HD video recording.

All those hardware specs are impressive, but this new HTC “Closer Look” video smartly focuses more on what those specs can do for you. Emphasis is really placed on the enhanced user interface, Hi-Fi audio, and the overall multimedia experience that comes from the new HTC Sense 3.0 UI layered on top of Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.

There have been no shortage of pundits proclaiming the stylus dead and the finger-paradigm its successor, and a quick glance at the iPad dominated market might suggest they’re right. Still, after the near-identical Honeycomb tablets we’ve seen of late, the Flyer is enough to have us intrigued. Based on the phone version of Android, Gingerbread (though a Honeycomb upgrade is in the works), it runs the risk of following in the footsteps of the premature Samsung Galaxy Tab, perhaps.

Yet the Flyer’s pen wants to prove it can be more than a relic from resistive touchscreen days, and our first impressions are that it has some promise. The digital ink flows smoothly, despite HTC opting for a 1.5GHz single-core Snapdragon processor rather than the dual-core chips we’re seeing in high-end phones and tablets of late, and the slate is full of neat touches like the twin set of fascia buttons – rotating automatically to suit portrait or landscape orientation – the Evernote integration with its handwriting recognition, and the sturdy, paperback-scale chassis.

It’s not all perfect, mind. For a tablet with such a resolute focus on the pen, the fact that there’s no place – bar the bundled slip-case – to store the stylus is faintly ridiculous. The absence of broad app support for it is also frustrating: you can shoot screenshots by tapping the display just about anywhere in the system, but only a couple of apps will actually allow you to ink into them.

We’ll be putting the Flyer through its paces properly for the full SlashGear review, so until then enjoy the unboxing and hands-on video!

The first countries to get the Flyer include the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. A US launch will follow on soon. It also sees the debut of HTC Watch, the company’s media streaming store.

The 3G Flyer is priced at €649 ($929) or $599.99  while the WiFi-only Flyer is priced at €499 ($714) or £479. That undercuts the iPad 2 in mainland Europe, at least. We’re also expecting to see the Flyer show up with subsidized carrier deals.

Update: Carphone Warehouse has confirmed it – and Best Buy – will be offering the Flyer in the UK from today. It will be priced from £129.99 on a £25 per month (24 month) contract with Talk Mobile, which includes 5GB of data, or for £599.99 stand alone.

Update 2: Looks like that Apple-competitive pricing is in mainland Europe only. In the UK, where the iPad 2 16GB WiFi is £399 and the iPad 2 32GB WiFi + 3G is £579.99, the Flyer is more expensive.

Press Release:

HTC FLYER, THE FIRST TABLET WITH HTC SENSE, IN STORE FROM TODAY

Aluminum unibody design with HTC Watch video service and HTC Scribe Technology hits the shelves across EMEA

LONDON, UK – May 13, 2011 – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has announced that its first tablet, HTC FlyerTM, will be available in-store from 13th May. Blending HTC’s trademark design language with an all-new HTC Sense user experience that has been reimagined for tablets, the HTC Flyer combines natural touch and pen interaction in either a combined 3G and WiFi or WiFi-only model. As well as being available to purchase in retail outlets, HTC fans will also be able to order Flyer direct through the HTC.com website.

“We are delighted by the positive reactions that HTC Flyer has received since we first unveiled it in February and are pleased to be able to bring it to major markets across EMEA,” commented Florian Seiche, President HTC EMEA. “HTC Flyer is completely different from any other tablet on the market and we look forward to hearing about the different ways in which our customers use HTC Flyer in their daily lives – for both work and play.”

The combined 3G and WiFi HTC Flyer features 32GB of onboard memory which can be expanded with a microSD card of up to 32GB and will retail at €649. A second variant will be available for €499 and features WiFi connectivity and expandable 16GB memory. Both versions will come with the HTC Flyer Magic PenTM that will work with HTC’s Scribe Technology for an alternative to fingertip interaction.

From 13th May, HTC Flyer will be available in the following territories, both in-store and through HTC.com: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

Premium Design and Performance
Weighing as little as a paperback book and encased in sleek aluminium, the HTC Flyer exudes the style and premium build quality that have forged HTC’s reputation in the smartphone market. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have been waiting for a tablet that is both compact and powerful.

HTC Sense for Tablet
HTC Flyer’s tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen. Similar to the experience unveiled on the new HTC Sensation, a unique carousel of widgets puts your most important content and information at the visual center of the experience and offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5.

Streaming Mobile Movies with HTC Watch
The HTC Flyer is the first tablet to premiere HTC Watch, HTC’s new video download service, offering more than 600 premium movies and TV shows from major studios. Video content can be bought or rented and watched immediately through progressive download. Once purchased, movies are stored in a “cloud locker”, allowing up to five registered HTC devices to download and play the same content.

HTC Scribe Technology
HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it easy and natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or even write on a web page or photo. Note-taking has been made smart for the first time by synchronising natural onscreen handwriting with Timemark audio recording. Tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording, ensuring you can place your notes in the context of any conversation or meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so when there is an appointment reminder you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off. In an industry first, the HTC Flyer tablet also features built-in synchronization with EvernoteÄ, the world-leading notes application and service.

For more information, see www.htc.com

According to Sutton’s sources, HTC was offering the Flyer without its Sense modifications to the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS that it will launch with; in fact, it would have supposedly been offered with Honeycomb on the giveaway units. Samsung did the same thing with its Galaxy Tab 10.1, the slate coming without the Live Tiles and other modifications that will be present on the commercial version released in early June. Google, it’s said, restricts what’s being handed out at I/O so as to avoid the event “becoming a freebie frenzie.”

Now, none of this is confirmed by Google itself, and we can’t imagine either Samsung or HTC going on the record one way or another. If true, though, we can’t help but wonder whether Google’s decision to opt for Samsung instead is a reaction to the extensive customization HTC has done to Android for the Flyer, though of course Samsung is current Google-flavor-of-the-month thanks to the Nexus S collaboration.

Update: We asked HTC but the company tells us that it “does not comment on rumour and speculation.”

Remember, you can win our Limited Edition white Galaxy Tab 10.1 in our Epic Unboxing War giveaway!

Hardware

As HTC found with the Tattoo, making a budget device is arguably far harder than making a new flagship. While the company could throw the latest kit at the HTC Sensation’s spec sheet and then attach a price to match, the Wildfire S has to be cheap enough to lure those considering a first-time upgrade from increasingly capable featurephones. Meanwhile, with smartphones getting more powerful all the time, it also had to ensure the handset could keep up with the latest in apps: no point in having a “smart” device if it plays dumb when it comes to running half of what’s in the Android Market.

The result is a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, a faster and more refined update to the Wildfire’s 528MHz MSM7225, paired with 512MB of RAM (up from 384MB) and 512MB of ROM. More noticeable, perhaps, is the better display: a 3.2-inch HVGA 320 x 480 panel versus the QVGA 240 x 320 of the old phone. Unfortunately you can still easily make out the individual pixels, but it’s a considerable improvement nonetheless.

On the back is a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, while inside there’s WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, dualband HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100) and quadband GSM/EDGE. There’s also the usual g-sensor, digital compass and proximity/ambient light sensors, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB port, as well as a microSD card slot under the battery cover. An LED indicator hides behind the speaker grill.

HTC Wildfire S overview:

It’s a better constructed, more handsome device than before, as well as being a little smaller and lighter at 3.99 x 2.34 x 0.49 inches and 3.7 oz. The family resemblance to the Desire S is unmistakable, with the Wildfire S looking like a palm-scale mini-me handset in comparison. The slight chin has lost the optical trackpad of before but keeps the four touch-sensitive buttons; unlike the Desire S there’s no front-facing camera above the screen. Rather than HTC’s unibody style, the whole back panel is a single piece of plastic. It feels sturdy, though obviously not as “premium” in the hand as the Desire S, but we’re more disappointed by the somewhat sharp edges; the ridge around the edge is a design choice rather than poor fit, but we’d prefer smoother sides. At least the volume and power/lock buttons don’t follow in the diminutive theme, being large and easy to press.

Software and Performance

Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread is HTC’s OS of choice for the Wildfire S, with the familiar widgety goodness of HTC Sense 2.1 layered on top. There’s HTCSense.com integration, too, so that you can remotely access content on your phone, track its location, lock it and more. The HTC Hub download store is also present, and WiFi Hotspot functionality to turn the Wildfire S into a 3G MiFi.

The UI scales well on the compact display, and we had no problems with the touchscreen recognizing our taps on the smaller icons or on-screen keyboard. Unfortunately the pixel shortage does mean there’s more zooming to be done if you want to read webpages: whereas we could make out legible words at the default zoom level when viewing SlashGear on the Desire S, we had to zoom in closer to do the same on the Wildfire S.

Performance is reasonable, though this isn’t the handset for speed-freaks. The browser rendered the SlashGear homepage more slowly than side-by-side with a Desire S (both on the same WiFi network) while apps load with less haste. Gmail messages can take a couple of seconds or more to open, and rendering in Google Maps is noticeably slower than on other recent Android devices, and while there’s Flash Player 10.2 support this isn’t the phone to tackle anything more than the odd animation.

Raw benchmarks help tell the story, with the Wildfire S scoring a conservative 756 in Quadrant Pro – better than the original HTC Desire, but short of the Samsung Galaxy S – and 7.272 MFLOPS in Linpack Pro. JavaScript testing tool SunSpider regularly crashed the Wildfire S’ browser, proving unable to complete its benchmarking.

Camera

The camera app is carried over from HTC’s other recent Sense devices, though with a couple of tweaks. Since there’s no front-facing lens, you get an automatic self-portrait mode that waits until it spots a face and then gives you a beeping countdown to shape your mouth into as close a smile as you can manage. With no mirror on the back, though, it’s tricky to line things up without resorting to trial-and-error.

Regular photography is better, and the camera app loads and is ready to shoot surprisingly quickly. Expect sub-5s from tapping the homescreen shortcut to shutter release. There are a handful of manual settings, including ISO, white balance, flash mode, sharpness, saturation, contrast and exposure, though we found the menu for the latter four was unusually slow open. HTC’s regular array of effects – including sepia, negative and solarize – are present, each with real-time previews.

The end results are average at best. On a fairly overcast day, colors proved dull and, like the hue of our test unit, unusually purple-tinted. The crisp limes, power blues and reds in the scene below come through muted and uninspiring in the Wildfire S’ photo. Close-ups are better, with some decent detail, though we wouldn’t suggest anybody should replace their point-and-shoot with the HTC.

Video can be shot at up to 640 x 480 VGA resolution – no 720p HD here – and the ensuring footage is jerky and with the same flat colors as photos. Sound pickup is good. Of course there’s no HDMI output – it would be wasted, frankly – but you do get easy one-touch upload to YouTube.

Phone and Battery

Small it may be, but the Wildfire S did a good job grabbing and keeping hold of a signal for voice calls. The earpiece is clear and ramps up to a decent volume, while the speakerphone performance also belies the HTC’s scale. There’s no fancy noise cancellation or dual-microphone processing, but we had no complaints from callers.

HTC quotes up to 350 minutes 3G talktime (430 minutes GSM) or up to 570 hours 3G standby (360 hours GSM) from the 1230 mAh battery (down 70 mAh on the Wildfire’s). In practice, you’ll get a solid day out of the Wildfire S, likely more. That’s probably in no small part down to the display, which is obviously less demanding than a bigger screen, but we also found ourselves using the phone less than with other, larger handsets. Browsing on the 3.2-inch panel is workable, certainly, but less enjoyable than on, say, a Desire S.

Price and Value

Price is obviously a key obsession for HTC in building the Wildfire S, and it has resulted in a comparatively cheap smartphone. On contract in the UK, the Wildfire S is offered “free” on a new, two year £20 ($33) per month agreement; that’s the same as the original Wildfire was offered. SIM-free and unlocked, and the Wildfire S comes in at around £240 ($400) with tax.

That’s cheap for a new phone, though price-conscious buyers should also consider that they can pick up the original HTC Desire – with a bigger screen, faster processor and HD video recording, among other advantages – for free on an £18.50 ($31) per month. A Samsung Galaxy S is free for the same £20 per month. As with the original Wildfire, the competition isn’t so much today’s new smartphones but yesterday’s; still, in most cases, excellent devices, simply superseded by even higher-specified models.

Wrap-Up

Back in our original Wildfire review, we concluded by praising the phone but saying we’d still opt for an HTC Legend. That didn’t seem to stop the Wildfire from selling well nonetheless, helped no doubt by a strong carrier push. The HTC Wildfire S has a similar balance to make: it may be new but its specs aren’t, and it may be cheap but other smartphones match it, older perhaps but, thanks to aiming higher in the first place, still outclassing it on paper at least.

In daily use, the off-the-boil performance is less of an issue. HTC isn’t positioning the Wildfire S at the advanced Android hacking crowd, for whom CPU potency is a key element in squeezing out the very last drop from their phone. Instead the target is a more average user, and for them there’s plenty of appeal in the combination of compact form-factor and the allure of a handset fresh to the market. Although smartphones with huge displays – like the 4.3-inch panels we’ve seen on the Galaxy S II, Sensation and others – are popular with some, others prefer more pocketable devices, and the Wildfire S certainly fits into that niche.

Those users are less likely to be concerned whether the Wildfire S’ low-end processor will scupper its chances for further Android updates, or indeed whether it will run the increasingly system-intensive games we’re seeing arrive on the platform. As a gateway drug into HTC’s compelling combination of local apps and cloud services, however, it makes good sense, and while most SlashGear readers will probably find more to their liking with the Incredible S or Sensation, their less cellularly-obsessed friends and family may well discover the HTC Wildfire S does everything they need.