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Cowboy Caleb Reviews The HTC Magic Phone
Nuffnang kindly asked me to review the HTC Magic mobile which has been touted as an alternative to the Apple iPhone because it sports the Google Android Operating system. So here goes, and note that my usual phone is a Blackberry.
The general feel
The phone feels solid, and it is thin. Much thinner than the iPhone so it’s more lady-like in that sense. There is no keypad, but the onscreen keyboard feels great on the touchscreen. SMS’s were very very easy to send!
The Android Operating System
The HTC Magic is powered by the Android operating system, which was created by Google. The user interface is pretty amazing. Flicking the screen with your fingers allows you to move and navigate fluidly. The applications are always easy to access. And there’s the Android Market, which is like the Apple App Store, but more user-friendly with plenty of free things to download and explore. The shelves in the Android Market are quite full and most of them are very useful.
Google Internet Services
Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps etc are also present on the HTC Magic, but they feel… much more tightly integrated into the phone. Maybe because everything comes from Google?
For the busy execs
As with most busy people, mobile phones these days are being increasingly used for emails. Don’t worry because you’ll have 3G, HSPDA and also Wi-fi with this mobile. The HTC Magic also handles word, excel, pdf’s just fine so don’t worry about not being able to read anything you receive. And the internet browser included will allow you to surf all websites with no problem at all. In fact, I think the internet browser on the HTC Magic is better than the one on the iPhone!
Trackball
The HTC Magic has a very useful trackball that alerts you when you have a SMS or a missed call by lighting up. The trackball also allows you to view the web page easily by pressing on the trackball twice. The web page zooms out to fit the height of the screen and the magnifying window appears. A very nice touch methinks.
Locking/Unlocking
The phone allows you to customize your own pin using a pattern instead of just numbers. Very very ingenious.
Viewing & Recording Media
A 3.2 megapixel camera will allow you to take great-looking photos and record videos. Don’t worry about running out of space because there’s a microSD card slot on the phone.
Battery Life
The HTC Magic got me through an entire day of constant calls and several 2 hour long conference calls before I had to recharge it. Impressive is you take into the account all the whiz and bangs that is already running on the phone.
Conclusion
The HTC Magic is a light and slim phone with great productivity and connectivity. I had great fun reviewing it. The Android operating system certainly is polished, and I’m seriously thinking of switching over to it soon.
Look out for the 3 HTC trolleys this weekend at Suntec City from 1 – 7pm and next weekend at Orchard Road from 1 – 7pm.
Ask for a demo of the new HTC Magic, experience the various applications that you can download from the Android Market and stand a chance to win the HTC Magic too!
There will be magic performances by the magician Azim to promote the HTC Magic!
[click to enlarge]
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