HTC Desire: Elegant and Abundant Features

Following the Legend, HTC continues its Android 2.1 lineup with the Desire -- a gorgeous cousin of the renowned Nexus One. We can trace our drool all the way back to the Desire's leak in December, but there have been some changes since then that made it slightly less desirable -- DivX support and 720p video capture never made it to the final build, but it's not like the company laid down any official promise on them, right? Anyhow, there's still plenty to be loved here, namely the speedy 1GHz Snapdragon, the large AMOLED screen, and HTC's latest revision of Sense UI that we've already seen on the Legend. Now, there are probably two questions floating in the minds of our readers: is the Desire worth the extra moola over the Legend? And is it any better than the Nexus One? Let's all find out together.

Hardware

The Desire has so much in common with the Nexus One that it feels like we've seen it all before. Spec-wise these two Android 2.1 phones have the same processor, 1,400mAh battery, 3.7-inch 800 x 480 AMOLED screen, 5-megapixel autofocus camera and 512MB of ROM, while externally they have very similar CMF (industrial shorthand for "color, material and finish") and weight (4.76 ounces). As for differences, the Desire packs 64MB more RAM than the Nexus One (512MB), lacks a second mic on the back for noise cancellation (more on this later), and dons physical buttons plus a clickable optical trackpad below the screen. We certainly prefer these real buttons since the Nexus One's touch-sensitive keys do sometimes miss our inputs; on the other hand the Nexus One may offer a better single-hand operation with its keys closer to the screen. Funnily enough, it looks like the Legend has the best of both worlds.
A closer look will also reveal the general structural differences between the Desire and the Nexus One -- in theory, the latter's unibody frame should be stronger than the Desire's old-fashioned assembly, but we haven't dared to apply more force on either solid devices to prove this (unless our good friend Peter Chou gives us his blessing). That said, if you're into hardcore tight jeans, then the stone-cold Legend should probably outlast the other two phones with its greater unibody coverage on the back.

To get to the battery, SIM card slot and the spring-loaded microSD slot, you need to rip open the back cover using the top slit, just like on the Hero. It's not a pleasant experience, as you'll see in the video below -- in the early days it felt like either our fingernail or the cover could break, and we'd kill for a slide-and-pop mechanism like on the Nexus One's smaller cover. Leaving this annoyance aside, both covers have similar "soft touch" suede-like textures -- certainly a warm welcome in the cold mornings, and it gives a comfortable grip as well.

Underneath the cover you'll see that the camera, LED flash and loud speaker are at the same positions on both devices, except for the missing noise-canceling secondary mic on the Nexus One. Are we missing much with just one mic? Not really -- in our comparison test, we noticed that calls made on the Desire (using the same O2 SIM card) are muddled only ever so slightly, and the phone certainly doesn't peeve your ears with distorted background noise as produced by the Nexus One. Have a listen yourself:While we're on the topic of audio quality: both speakers on the Desire do their jobs well -- we had no problem with the earpiece for phone calls, and the loudspeaker on the back is, well, pretty loud and clear. The handsfree kit, however, fails to impress as it barely fits in our ears, and the sound quality is on par with the cheap iPod earphones -- it lacks bass and clarity, making the stylish three-button remote control (backward, play / pause / call, forward) a bit of a waste. Too bad this is also bundled with the Legend and the Nexus One.

The Desire's screen needs no introduction -- we've already gone through the ups and downs of AMOLED in our Legend and Nexus One reviews, plus it appears to be identical to the Nexus One's anyway. Just for comparison's sake: the Desire offers sharper image than the Legend due to its higher pixel density (240 dpi versus 160 dpi), but both screens are equally hopeless when used in daylight -- basically, you'll most likely be seeing your own face while you try to watch the Trololo guy on YouTube. Let's hope that HTC will hook us up with some Super AMOLED love in the near future.

For our battery tests, we followed a similar routine as we did with the Legend -- occasional web browsing on 3G connection, took some photos and videos, almost continuous music playback (with the occasional FM radio), Twitter auto-updating, Gmail push notifications and no live wallpaper. This way we managed to squeeze six hours out of the battery, which is coincidentally what we got from the Legend and the Nexus One as well. We also did tests based on a more realistic usage -- same background apps, occasional web browsing on WiFi and no or little music playback -- and this got us two more hours. Needless to say, it's best to keep the charging cable handy throughout the day.

In general, the photos were of fair quality despite the aforementioned color issues. Daytime photos were slightly under-exposed but reasonably sharp, while nighttime shots looked great but also marked with a bunch of noise lines. Close-up shots were surprisingly good (see the keyboard photos), especially when you could go all creative using the tap-to-focus function in the camera app -- something badly needed on the Nexus One. All in all, you can't expect premium photo quality from the Desire (or any HTC devices, it seems), but the camera's there if you need it.

Camera

Given that all three phones have a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, we expected the same picture output from them all, but HTC's full of surprises. For starters, the Desire captures 5:3 wide still images, while the Legend does a narrower 3:2 and the Nexus One takes the good-old 4:3. Similarly, for video capture the Desire, Nexus One and Legend offer 800 x 480, 720 x 480 and 640 x 480 resolutions respectively. There's a mixture of color accuracy as well, with the Nexus One performing the best out of the three, whereas the Desire's photos tend to have a colder tint. That said, one thing that they all have in common is the weak filming performance in dark environments -- as with the Legend, you'll see reduced frame rate in videos recorded by the Desire under low light level. This could be HTC's attempt to compensate darkness by extending the exposure time, but we're pretty certain that many would prefer a smoother video.

Software

We don't need to say much here as we've already praised the latest Sense UI's new features -- the Friend Stream app, Leap (homescreen switcher, as pictured below), great keyboard and the enhanced text highlighting tool -- in our Legend review. Similarly, the Desire and the Legend both support the same wide range of audio file formats (AAC, AMR, OGG, M4A, MID, MP3, WAV and WMA) -- note that the Nexus One doesn't support Apple's M4A. Update: turns out the Nexus One supports M4A as well, but this wasn't mentioned on either Google's or HTC's spec pages. Given how smooth the general Sense experience was for us last time, we haven't noticed any significant performance increase on the Desire. That said, with the Desire packing 576MB of RAM while the Legend only has 384MB, it's safe to say that the big daddy can handle more apps at any time. We've also spotted some minor differences between the Desire's build of Android and the Legend's -- like the Nexus One, you can apply live wallpapers on the Desire as well, whereas the slower Legend lacks such option (although the Legend is the only one out of the three that lets you have a dedicated lock screen wallpaper). As with most sophisticated eye-candies, the live wallpapers do make the OS slightly choppy from time to time, and needless to say they'll have an impact on the battery life as well, so it's not something you'd want if a charging source is out of reach for some time.

Like the Legend, you'll also get the Flash Lite plugin on the Desire. As you might've already seen in the video earlier, Flash definitely performs better on the Desire thanks to the faster Snapdragon processor, but there's still a lot of work to be done here. Out of the several sites that we tested with, only the videos on BBC News' website had an acceptable frame rate, so using Flash on the Desire is pretty much a gambling game on the video data rate. (You can see our Flash plug-in hands-on in the first video.) On a similarly annoying level, the Desire lacks voice-to-text input as found on the Nexus One and other "Google experience" phones -- not the end of the world for us but some drivers may miss it.

Wrap-up

The Desire is yet another fine piece of work from HTC – build quality is top notch as usual, and there's little to complain about the software except for the Flash performance. Some may argue that the Desire lacks freshness since the Nexus One's already shown it all, but we'd disagree – at the end of the day it's mainly about the software and service, plus the Desire is available from more carriers to begin with (outside the US, anyway).

So, circling back to our earlier questions, for the extra cost of the Desire over the Legend you get a larger and sharper screen, faster processor, live wallpapers and video capture at a slightly higher resolution. On the other hand the Legend's button positions may provide better single-handed operation, and some may even prefer its silver metallic look and feel to go with certain Apple products (sorry, it's unavoidable), so you'd best get your hands on the two devices before handing over the cash. As for the Nexus One, despite the fancy dual-mic noise cancellation, unibody frame, touch-sensitive buttons and a trackball that glows, the only real advantages we see in it are its voice-to-text input and its slightly better camera (and this might only apply to certain batches since HTC might be sourcing from multiple sensor suppliers). We prefer the Desire with its more natural call voice (with its single mic), buttons that respond better, durable optical trackpad (which may not be everyone's cup of tea), and an excellent social networking aggregation service.

Of course, if you're really into the Nexus One's little glowing ball and touch-sensitive buttons, you can always try flashing the Desire ROM onto it (at your own risk, naturally). Have fun!

Review by Richard Lai
Link: www.engadget.com Read more

i Pad : Wifi vs 3G

As most everyone has heard, Apple, Inc. has just released it’s latest product, the Apple iPad. Rumors about such a product have been around for the last ten years or so, and it is finally here. Before it was released, many were trying to guess the name for this new form of computer. These names included the Apple Tablet, Canvas, and the Slate. But the final decision was made, and the name iPad was decided on. The iPad seems to be a cross between the iPhone and the MacBook. Some have described it as an expanded version of the iPhone.


The Apple iPad is equipped with a 9.7 inch multi- touch screen. It comes with three flash storage capacities-16, 32 or 64 GB, depending on the model chosen. Its many built in apps were designed to work specifically with the large screen and advanced capabilities of the product. These apps can be used with the screen in any orientation, which makes it very different from other devices. The split screen works well when viewing e-mail, and the LED-backlit display allows for an enjoyable viewing experience whether looking at photos one by one, or as a slide show. The iPad is also perfect for watching HD movies, podcasts, music videos and even TV. Books are available from the iBookstore for use with the iBooks app which is free from the App Store. The iPad is capable of running almost all of the apps which are available from the App Store. However, there are a limited number of drawbacks with these first generation iPads. One feature which many feel should have been included is an internal camera, but others feel this is an unnecessary extra. Of more concern with the current iPad is the inability to multitask. It is unable to run more than one app at a time. This will most likely be addressed in future versions. Additionally, some are not comfortable with the on screen keyboard, but if necessary, they can purchase an external keyboard from Apple.


When Apple designed the iPad, it was decided to make two versions-the iPad WiFi, and the iPad Wifi 3G. Depending on who will be using it, and what it will be used for, one has to decide which version is best for his/her needs.


The first version to be released was the iPad WiFi. Many will find that this basic model will fill all their needs in regard to using the iPad. With this version, one will need to have access to a WiFi network in order to be able to make use of the internet and to gain access to the iPad store. If one will be using the iPad via a wireless router in their home, at their office, or in other known wifi hotspots, this version of the iPad will be perfect. When connecting to the internet, the iPad WiFi is much faster than the 3G. The experience of using the iPad WiFi in this manner is the same as when using the typical laptop computer for wireless computing. It works well when one needs to move large files on a local network. Many of those who are now using the iPhone 3G feel that there is no need to purchase another 3G service. Thus, one who has the iPhone can save money when buying the iPad by purchasing the WiFi version rather than the 3G version. In general, those who have not had the need for a 3G smart phone for a job or other reason will be well served by the Apple iPad WiFi.


However, there are many instances when one may find it necessary to have a service more dependable than WiFi. As mentioned above, for ordinary everyday computing, an iPad WiFi will be a sufficient computing device. But for those who are not always in a WiFi hotspot and need internet access no matter where they are, Apple has designed the iPad WiFi 3G. The “3G” stands for the third generation of cellular technology. This technology will allow the iPad 3G to connect to mobile networks such as AT&T, with whom they presently have a “data only” agreement. In this way, if a WiFi area is not accessible, the user will still be able to connect to the internet if the area is covered by the AT&T plan. This would be especially important for those whose business requires them to travel extensively throughout the U.S. Another added feature which comes with the iPad 3G is a GPS system. The GPS apps which are available for the iPhone will also work with the iPad 3G, thus allowing the user to make use of the navigation and location services.


The biggest difference between the iPad WiFi and the iPad WiFi 3G is the price. Depending on the size of the flash storage, the price of the WiFi ranges from $499 to $699, while the price for the 3G ranges from $629 to $829. For $130 extra, one will be able to buy the 3G version rather that the WiFi. However, that does not include the fee for a subscription for service from AT&T. As of this time, there are two 3G data plans available from AT&T for the iPad. The first plan includes 150 megabytes of data per month for a $14.99 plus taxes and any other fees. The other plan is for unlimited data at a monthly cost of $29.99 plus taxes and fees. But unlike most cell phone subscriptions, one is not committed to paying that fee every month. Because of the agreement AT&T made with Apple, one only has to pay the monthly charge if he/she wishes to make use of the 3G service that month. If one wishes, they do not ever have to use that feature. There are no contracts required. In addition, there is a “auto-cancel” setting so that one’s use of the 3G service for one month will not automatically carry over to the next month.


As can be seen, the Apple iPad is the most innovative computing device available today. Its computing capabilities are similar to those of the iPhone, and it is much more portable than the popular laptops. Both versions of the iPad have their pros and cons, and one must look at their lifestyle and computing needs before deciding between the WiFi and the 3G version of the iPad. No matter which iPad is chosen, when one owns an iPad they are on the threshold of a brand new computing experience.
(www.freeipad.net)
Read more

Acer Liquid E: Android Inside

Size and Weight

Height: 115 mm

Width: 64 mm

Depth: 12.75 mm

Weight: 135 g

Features
• Unique, lightweight Ferrari design (just 135g)
• Acer Liquid E Ferrari Special Edition comes preinstalled with the superb Acer Media Player widget that gives you instant access to all your digital media and also the Acer Web player widget that lets you thumb through page previews of your web bookmarks and then load them with a simple tap.
• Prepare yourself for a whole new level of instant communication and social media with the latest Facebook® and Twidroid applications.
• Qualcomm snapdragon™ 8250 processor reduces CPU power consumption.
• Exclusive Spinlets™ application provides free streaming of worldwide music that can be shared with friends and family via the web or e-mail.
• 'Fooz Creator' lets you create a "virtual look-a-like", or your Fooz Avatar, and share it on Facebook®, MySpace and other social networks. You can also email it to your friends.


Available exclusively in glossy Ferrari F1 Red
3.5” high-definition (WVGA) capacitive screen. Unique, lightweight design (just 135g) . 5MP camera with autofocus and geo-tagging

Android Éclair
The Acer Liquid E Ferrari Special Edition was designed from the outset to keep you in touch and in control of your mobile communication unlike any other phone out there. To do just that, we've equipped it with the highly intuitive Android™ Éclair Operating System for a whole new level of interactivity and mobile freedom.

(www.mobile.acer.com)
Read more