HTC Magic Google Android Mobile Phone for Free on Vodafone
Mobile Phones » FREE Line Rental » HTC Magic » • HTC
Best deal: Free HTC Magic with 7 Months Half Price line rental (by redemption discount worth £140.00!) on Vodafone on Anytime Talk MI 40
Plus Unlimited Landline Minutes
Plus Unlimited Mobile Internet
View all Vodafone pay monthly plans & order>>
HTC Magic features:
3.2″ TFT Touchscreen
3.2 Megapixel Camera
3G (HSDPA), EDGE, GPRS, HSCSD and Wi-Fi technology
HSDPA packet data service with a maximum transmission rate of 7.2Mbps
HSUPA packet data service with a maximum transition rate of up to 2 Mbps
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Handwriting recognition
Built-in GPS
MP3 Player
Document viewer (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF)
Messaging: SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM
microSD Card Slot (TransFlash)
Dimensions: 117.7 x 55 x 13.7 mm
Weight: 118.5 grams
Standby Time: Up to 420hrs
Talk Time: Up to 7hrs 30mins
The T-Mobile G1’s claim of being the only Google Android mobile phone on the market is about to become a thing of the past, as HTC bring out their second Android-powered device, the HTC Magic. Properly unveiled during Mobile World Congress, the Magic is an evolution of the Dream and its design suggests a more conscious effort by HTC to take on its two big touchscreen rivals, the Apple iPhone and the BlackBerry Storm.
Why You Should Buy the HTC Magic
•It uses Google’s Android as its operating system.
•The 3G phone has HSDPA support at 7.2Mbps and a Wi-Fi connection.
•The camera is 3.2 megapixels.
•Built-in GPS and a digital compass.
•Easy access to Google’s online application suite such as Mail, Docs, Maps and Search.
The HTC Magic is going to be a Vodafone exclusive release in the UK and around Europe and will again be co-branded by Google. The G1 was a brave design, with its unorthodox chin and oddly satisfying keyboard slide mechanism, but the Magic sticks to far more conventional design philosophy and in doing so, has reduced weight and increased attractiveness. The lozenge-shaped phone weighs 118 grams, is a reasonable 13mm thick and the 3.2” screen displays at a resolution of 320×480.
But it’s what the screen displays that makes the Magic one of the most anticipated and desirable handsets of 2009 – Google’s Android OS. As the Magic doesn’t have a physical keyboard, this version of the operating system will be carrying the Cupcake firmware update which amongst other things, incorporates a virtual keyboard. Although Cupcake is expected to be spread to existing Android users, it’s looking increasingly likely it’ll be seen here first. Android is a smooth little thing too, with the capacitive touchscreen only needing the slightest touch to slide screens or enter features. We also love the drop down panel which contains all updates and new events in one place.
So, the design is a good one, the trackball and touchscreen top-notch and the OS one of the best out there, how do the features compare? Connectivity plays a big part in the Magic’s feature list as it’s a 3.5G handset with HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPRS and EDGE plus Bluetooth support for your wireless headset. Although there is only 192MB of RAM onboard, the Magic has a MicroSD card slot ready for cards up to 16GB in size, however we would have preferred a larger amount of internal storage in addition to this.
Flip the Magic over and above the Google script you’ll see the lens for the 3.2 megapixel camera. It’s equipped with an LED flash and autofocus as one would expect and in a blow to the iPhone, it has video capture enabled too. Inside the phone is a GPS receiver which uses Google Maps to guide you to your destination, along with a digital compass. The Android suite also has direct access to Google’s Mail, Docs and Seach, plus a competent MP3 player and a battery tipped to provide 430 hours of standby and over 7 hours of talktime!
Summary of the HTC Magic
Anyone seriously looking at the HTC Magic has a wealth of alternative choices to consider, from the iPhone and the Storm to Samsung’s Omnia, Sony Ericsson’s Xperia and even the Nokia 5800. For the Magic to emerge victorious, it needs to have something over and above its competition and it does, Android. Even with the launch of the Android Marketplace and the Cupcake update, Android still has plenty more to come. It really is a joy to use and inside the Magic, it looks to have found the ideal phone to showcase itself.
