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When it comes to recommended Android smart phone devices, it is hard to miss out on the HTC Desire. The impressive Taiwan made handset has been the very basis of the Nexus One and is still a great example of how an Android smart phone should be.

In a very generous effort to make the HTC Desire even more accessible, T-Mobile has just announced a new price tag for the mobile phone, turning the Desire into one of the most reasonably priced high end handsets of today.

According to Know Your Mobile, T-Mobile is offering new contracts for the handset. The first is a 20 Pound, 18 month contract that will give subscribers 1GB of data (officially, the website says unlimited internet, but that is subject to the internet fair use policy, hence only 1GB). It reportedly also has 100 minutes of talk time and 100 text messages. This deal will have the handset available for 35 Pounds Sterling.

The second deal will net users the HTC Desire at a slightly higher 50 Pound price tag, but gives users a nice 25 Pound monthly deal that gives 600 minutes of talk time, 500 text messages and once again unlimited internet access that is subject to the fair use rule.

For those who are wondering about the specs on the HTC Desire. This impressive little handset comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a 5 mega pixel camera and a 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screen display and the Google Android 2.1 Éclair operating system. No specific date has been given on when the Froyo update for the HTC handset will be available.

In other HTC related news, several devices from the Taiwan based manufacturer that are UK bound have been leaked. The phones include the HTC Ace, Vision and the Gold. While details on the Ace are minimal, the Gold is said to be the formerly announced WP& Mondrian and the Vision is an Android handset with a slide out keyboard.

Sure, the HTC Desire is an awesome-looking device. It also has a number of highly impressive features such as a built-in 5-Megapixel snapper which might put other Smartphones to shame. However, what makes the device a cut above the rest has got to be its remarkable software suite which is nothing less than top class.

The Android Difference

It is undeniable the Google Android is slowly making its way to the top of list of mobile operating systems in the market. One of the Android’s newer releases, the Eclair, is the version that has been installed in the HTC Desire. It boasts of a whole lot of improvements from the already impressive Android Donut (version 1.6) which includes enhanced hardware speeds, an optimized virtual keyboard, a new browser, as well as an optimized version of the celebrated Google Maps application.

Heightened Senses

What makes the Android Eclair even better on the HTC desire is the Sense user interface on the device. It is pretty much a perfect match as the two work together to deliver an excellent overall user experience. One of the best features of the widget-based UI is its ability to provide you with whatever information you may be looking for in an all-in-one search function. It doesn’t only search through your entire mobile phone, but it also looks into your social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. So all you social networking addicts should check out the HTC Desire deals available!

Backing it All Up

The HTC desire doesn’t only have an awesome set of software features. It makes sure that its hardware is able to back up all the glitz and glamour of its soft side. On board the desire is a hefty 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which happens to be one of the most powerful processors ever installed in a mobile phone. With a combination such as this on the Desire, the sky is definitely the limit for this truly splendid device.

Little is known about the recently announced HTC Mozart. The phone was just spotted in a small announcement by Australian network carrier Telstra which marks the device due for an October release date –right on time for Microsoft’s scheduled launch of the first WP7 handsets.

The news is confusing as it has no mention of HTC’s other WP7 handset, the previously announced Mondrian which is expected to sport some rather impressive hardware. The Mozart looks pretty much like a basic handset which means that it is likely that the phone only sticks the specified minimum hardware requirements given by Microsoft. The HTC Mondrian on the other hand is expected to have a 1.2 GHz CPU and other hardware specifications that will make it one of the most advanced smart phones to be released this year.

The Mozart comes with a basic smart phone form factor –that of a simple touch screen device with a large display and some buttons on the bottom. This makes the Mozart a type-1 chassis according to the standards that have been set by Microsoft.

In other Windows Phone 7 news, it seems that Xbox Live Games will be playing a much larger role in the new mobile platform. There have been reports that all app games for the OS will be going through this system and that the achievements system will be implemented across all games.

While it is confirmed that existing XBL users will be able to access their accounts and their avatars, many believe that the gamer points earned from the console will be counted differently from the ones they earn playing games from this smart phones. As for games, it is expected that WP7 will have plenty of app support (thanks to the early release of the SDK and WP7 handsets being handed out to some developers) despite initial reports that the new OS is hard to program for.

HTC were behind the Google Android flagship phone, the Nexus One, and their HTC Desire handset is equally popular, so many are eager to see what they’ll be able to come up with for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 OS.

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.

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.

The Taiwanese mobile phone manufacturer has been making waves in the industry thanks to their amazing devices.

From the Hero to the upcoming Legend, HTC’s line up of Android smart phones have ranged from super high-end to well balanced devices that covered almost every single market range available. Even their Windows Mobile smart phone, HTC HD2 has been sought after –thanks to the use of the impressive HTC Sense user interface that made using a capacitive touch screen on a WinMo device possible.

All in all, there is no doubt that HTC is practically reaping gold with their smart phones. Google has acknowledged HTC’s dedication and capabilities as a manufacture and has teamed up with the Android supporter to create the Nexus One smart phone –which explains why the Nexus and the HTC Desire share very similar specifications.

Speaking of the HTC Desire, the Snapdragon powered Android smart phone is not available on store shelves along with the Legend (the successor to the Hero). WinMo fans may be feeling a little left out after it was confirmed that the device cannot be updated to WP7, but HTC has let out a teaser that they are currently working on a new WP7 handset (presumably the HD3).

Even Apple recognizes HTC as a threat –being a major developer of Android handsets. The Cupertino based giant recently filed a lawsuit against HTC regarding the infringements of several patents own by Apple. Expect to see development on this issue later this year.

A recent report brings out the cold hard numbers on HTC’s Q1 sales and has shown that the company’s profit growth is continuous –gaining over 19% more than it did last year for the first quarter. Expect to see the numbers to keep rising as HTC’s new phones come out this 2010.

Read more about the Q1 sales performance of HTC at GSM Arena.

Carphone Warehouse has already revealed some pretty nice pricing information about the upcoming HTC Desire Android smart phone for the Taiwanese manufacturer and from the looks of things, there will be some pretty tempting deals under T-Mobile that might just get a lot of attention from phone users. A deal for two years at 30 Pounds per month delivers unlimited internet access and the device for free –it also comes with free 500 messages and 900 minutes of talk time.

Looks like things are all green for the Desire’s upcoming launch this April with many people already hoping to try out the new Android smart phone. Vodafone and Orange have also confirmed that they will be offering the device when it launches so expect to see more good deals for the phone by then.

With HTC still embroiled in that big legal dispute with Apple suing them for 20 patent infringements, it would be a good idea to go purchase the Desire as soon as possible in case Apple manages to squeeze out an order that would hold back the sale of HTC devices –many experts believe that Apple is aiming to cripple the distribution of HTC devices as a blow to Google (as HTC is a major supporter of the Android OS).

Lawsuit or not, plenty of people are already looking forward to the release of the Desire as the device is placed as an excellent option to choose instead of having to get the Nexus One over the internet. While some say that Google’s decision to stick with an online store was made to avoid direct competition with manufacturers, they have also painted the Google phone into a corner with its inaccessibility.

Get to know more about the HTC Desire Android smart phone and its various price offers at Mobile Choice UK.

HTC Desire

For users considering buying a Google Nexus, or those who are jealous of a friend that already owns a Nexus, good news is at hand: HTC has unveiled a new handset that overtakes the Nexus and some wags have even referred to the new HTC device as the Nexus Two. The new phone which had originally been pencilled as the HTC Bravo has been unveiled with the name HTC Desire and is set to both impress and enthral tech junkies and casual users alike.

With such similar specifications to Google’s Nexus One the questions circling around for many people were ‘what extra will you get from the HTC Desire that you don’t get from the Nexus?’, ‘Will it be worth it when it eventually arrives in shops?’, and ‘Is the extra wait of a couple of months going to be worthwhile?’ Fortunately, tech journalists and reviewers got a taste of the new HTC Desire at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to help provide some greater insight into what the Desire has to offer as well as get some hands-on experience with the new model.

Google Nexus One

On first impressions the HTC Desire appears to be almost the spitting image of the Nexus One, with an almost identical 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED screen as well as similar rounded curves and the top-positioned power button. The Desire’s internal specifications are also very similar to those found in the Nexus, featuring as it does the same 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor allowing for ultra-rapid applications and browsing as well as a microSD slot for performing memory capacity upgrades. GPS and AGPS functions and 512MB of flash memory as well as 256MB of RAM help round off some of the device’s other key features, though one other big plus for many users is the device’s integral compass which can be readily and easily used along with the various different augmented reality applications found on the phone.

The Desire is also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA ready, as you might expect from a high end smartphone. It also comes complete with a 5-megapixel camera, which is a decent spec, and features a useful LED flash – great for those low-lighting snaps. The camera is even capable of capturing 800×480 video and can be accessed via the feature shortcuts which can be found on the home, menu, back and search options.

So, to one of the principle questions: What actually is the difference between the Desire and the Nexus?

HTC Desire

The first point to mention here is that Google’s device scores points for its active voice cancellation, and the user cannot use voice recognition to text on the Desire. This， however, is just one (not especially major) point, and HTC’s Desire has trimmed and improved upon some of the features found on Google’s device to make this slight drawback seem un-noteworthy. For example, the Desire has done away with the front-positioned mechanical trackball and the on-screen touch-sensitive button and has replaced them with actual shortcut keys. There is also an optical navigation button on the Desire, which works much more precisely than other hardware-based alternatives.

HTC have clearly sensed the way the wind is blowing in the market in replacing the trackball, and it is a decision that Blackberry themselves have also taken. There have long been concerns that trackballs are apt to fail and break which can atrophy possible phone usage – not something a user on an 18-month contract want s to happen. The Desire, however, provides the user with such great touch response from the on-screen display that users might never actually use the navigation button at all.

HTC Desire

The Desire’s handset also features HTC Sense UI, the same as is found on their Hero handset, although it has been improved to suit the Desire’s design in particular. It is faster on the Desire, for instance, and with extra added contract features it blows the Nexus One out of the water. Sense also features what is known as a helicopter view, and it operates in much the same way as Expose does on the Mac. The user simply pinches the home screen in order to display all home screen pages currently running and can then simply tap in order to go to the desired program or pinch back out again as needed as multi-touch is fully supported.

The inclusion of Flash Lite 4 also allows the user to view videos straight out of the box (a feature still not offered by the much-celebrated iPhone) and you can also select text on-screen and get it instantly translated or look it up on Wikipedia – two great little bonuses for those dealing with large amounts of information regularly. Along with the ultra-fast Android 2.1 operating system the Desire is completely user-friendly, and runs at a great lick.

HTC is pretty much a big name mobile phone manufacturer these days. The Taiwanese company has been busy with Google’s Android operating system and is also expected to be coming up with new Windows Phone 7 device.

They were part of the Mobile World Congress this February at Barcelona, Spain. They showed off the HTC Desire and the HTC Legend. The two Android devices have been expected to arrive by March so it was not surprising to see them being readied, though it was a bit of a news that the Desire got a name change (it was originally the Bravo).

The Desire runs on a Snapdragon processor clocked at 1GHz. It uses a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen and a 5 mega pixel camera with 720p D1 video recording capability. It is considered to be the basis for the Nexus One. The Legend on the other hand is a successor to the Hero with its 600 MHz processor, 3.2 inch AMOLED touch screen and 5 mega pixel camera. One new device at the MWC is the HTC HD Mini which features the new Windows Mobile 6.5.3 Maldives operating system.

Aside from the devices shown at the MWC, HTC has also a couple of new smart phones coming later this 2010. The first is the HTC Scorpion that is expected to arrive sometime later this year as a high end competitor in the Android market. The HTC Incredible on the other hand boasts specs closer to the Desire.

It will also have a 3.7 inch touch screen, a 1 GHz Snapdragon and a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash. The Incredible is currently a Verizon exclusive for now, though we would not be surprised if it gets a new name and is brought over to the UK soon.

Get to know more about the HTC Incredible at Tech Radar.