Best HTC Blog

Nexus One smart phone owners might be enjoying the newest version of the Android operating system, but the HTC Desire is also about to get its update this next month. According to HTC, the new 2.2 Froyo update will be available for downloads by June 23. It is still a little far off, but compared to the XPERIA X10’s September update schedule, this is already early. Regardless of the upgrade there are still plenty of HTC Desire deals still on offer online.

So far, Google has yet to explain why the Desire will not be getting the update anytime earlier but many believe that this might be because they want to encourage sales of the Google Nexus One handset –which has only been recently made available for retail purchase. The handset was originally exclusive only to the Google online store.

Anyway, the Desire is certain to be able to run Froyo without any foreseeable problems, considering that the Nexus One and the Desire share very similar hardware specifications. Both smart phones run on a 1GHz Snapdragon processors, have 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen displays and have 5 mega pixel cameras.

The HTC Desire sports the Sense user interface (which might be a bit too much for some Android purists) but both phones run fast and smooth.

The Froyo update is much anticipated by many Android phone owners because it will bring native Flash 10.1 compatibility to the Android OS. This also means that a lot of online features that are unavailable on Apple products such as the iPad, iPod Touch and the iPhone.

Aside from the addition of Flash support, Froyo will also bring new features such as tethering and WiFi syncing of data –users can easily download content directly into their Android smart phones without having to use any desktop software.

This is major advantage of the Android OS over their iPhone counterparts as Apple requires the use of the iTunes desktop software for transferring content to the iPhone.

Tech website Engadget has shown off a few teasers of a leaked web document which gave out three new names of HTC handsets: the Vision, LED and Glacier. It is impressive, but so far, the details are mostly lacking –with the exception of the Vision. It seems like a Dutch site has been able to scoop out the details on this upcoming HTC Android smart phone.

So what’s the deal? Rumors are saying that the HTC Vision is practically the HTC Desire with a slide out keyboard. It was already impressive to see the Wildfire –which is basically a Desire Mini smart phone. The Vision on the other hand, will be delivering the full Desire experience, but with the addition of the full, slide out, QWERTY keyboard.

For quite some time, people have been hoping for QWERTY keyboard on any of HTC’s impressive handsets. But since the initial rumors of the HTC Lancaster (which is basically the HTC Magic with a keyboard), nobody ever gave much hope that the Taiwanese manufacturer would be fulfilling any keyboard wishes. Now, it seems that there is a reason to hope once again as the Vision could potentially be the phone that everyone has been hoping for.

Specs wise, the phone is pretty predictable. As a clone of the Desire, the Vision is slated to have similar hardware. Expect to see the Snapdragon 1 GHz CPU, the 5 mega pixel snapper and of course, the 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display. For now, the Desire is still limited to the Android version 2.1 Éclair; though an update to the Flash capable 2.2 Froyo is expected sometime within the next few weeks.

Details on the two other Android devices; LED and Glacier are still unknown at the moment. Sadly, with HTC’s track record of scrapping planned devices (like some of the devices shown at the leaked HTC Roadmap last year) it is highly possible that we never see these devices ever sold on shelves.

Open world games are one of the least likely genres you would ever find in a smart phone, but here it is Gangstar: West Coast Hustle is the illegitimate child of smart phone gaming and Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series.

The relation between the Gangstar title and the fact that GTA was developed by Rockstar is no coincidence as Gameloft has designed this game from top to bottom to be a tribute to the open world legend. To settle expectations, this game is not a big or as grand as any of the 3D GTA titles, but with that said, Gangstar is still an impressive game to play.

Players take on the role of P. Thug (yes, we are not kidding you), and the point of this title is to explore the simulated streets of Los Angeles in any vehicle you like. Just like with GTA, players can run around city, steal any car they want and even run over people.

The graphics are pretty good for smart phone graphics, though it would be a good idea not to have any other app running in the background if you want performance. Just like GTA, Gangstar allows players to listen to radio stations when driving in a car, there is even a station that will play the music in your mobile phone.

The only drawback in this fun title is the controls. Sadly, there are time when you will want to bash this game in for its clumsy driving and impossible run and gun mechanics. Driving around for fun is easy, but when you need to do some high speed chases, expect to run into walls a lot as the controls of do not lend well to the turning mechanics at all.

Gameloft’s official website says that this 3D open world title will be available soon on the Android market.

While HTC has not exactly labeled the new phone as a Desire Mini, many cannot help but feel that the newly announced HTC Wildfire is exactly that –a redesigned HTC Desire that is made for the mid range smart phone market.

Most of HTC’s most recent releases have been on the high end spectrum, while it has certainly earned the company plenty of great reputation in the tech industry, they are still alienating many of the general market who is not looking to get an Android smart phone packed to the brim with the latest tech and hardware.

This is why the Wildfire is a great smart phone –it balances features with sensibility and practicality in terms of hardware. The mass appeal is hard to deny as well; the phone focuses heavily on social networking and sharing features more than any HTC handset.

Below is a quick snippet from the official press release from HTC:

“HTC Wildfire helps you stay connected with those who are most important to you through HTC Sense, a user experience focused on putting people at the centre by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. HTC Wildfire enables you to stay up to date with your friends’ posts, comments, alerts and photos, wherever you are.”

The new phone is stated to take hold of the mid range Android market –a position previously dominated by HTC’s Hero smart phone. It was originally expected that the HTC Legend would be a mid range device (technically, it is) but the Hero successor was priced at a slightly higher cost than expected. Many are hoping that the Wildfire will be cheaper.

The big new feature on the Wildfire, as one might have guessed from the above, is the new social feature that the Wildfire has. The “Friend Stream” app will give users an instant overview of current activity on their social networks, allowing people to easily join the conversation and catch up with the latest things that are happening to their contacts. Of course, with this new function, it is equally easy to also share one’s own experiences through the smart phone.

HTC have today announced that they are to release a budget Android handset named the HTC Wildfire. It will essentially be a smaller version of the Desire, with a few less features for a lot less money. We reckon this will come with a price tag of between £150.00 and £200.00 so you can expect to get this one for free on a contract of between £15 and £20 per month. We had a little play with the Wildfire earlier today and it has a lot of the same functionality as the Desire and indeed the Legend. OK it doesn’t pack as much processing power, and the screen isn’t as big, but for an entry level version smartphone, you do get a lot for your money. The great thing about the Wildfire is the ability to customise your handset with a growing number of Android APP’s, which incidentally are usually cheaper than the Apple equivalent. More to follow…