Mobile Phone :HTC Legend Review

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:43:20 +0000

The HTC Hero was a defining handset for the Taiwanese manufacturer; it demonstrated a real commitment to the Android platform, and that HTC were capable of delivering handsets that had strong market appeal on a platform that was in essence, still in its infancy. One thing that really

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The HTC Hero was a defining handset for the Taiwanese manufacturer; it demonstrated a real commitment to the Android platform, and that HTC were capable of delivering handsets that had strong market appeal on a platform that was in essence, still in its infancy. One thing that really made the Hero stand out, apart from the protruding chin design, was the inclusion of the HTC Sense user interface, a smooth looking easy to use colourful UI, which really made its stamp on the industry.

The HTC Hero has since become one of the top selling devices around the world, and now HTC are ready to build on its success and take it to the next level with the HTC Legend. The Legend had been rumoured for a while, and was officially announced to the mobile world at the recent Mobile World Congress. Sporting the same trade mark ‘chin’ look made famous by its predecessor, the Legend has a few pointers of its own that will help it make its own mark within the industry. And the most instantly noticeable of these is the design.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The HTC Legend is made from one piece aluminium, delivering on a concept that HTC call ‘Hidden Power’. Like most marketing terms, it sounds like a grand phrase without really meaning anything at all! But what HTC are getting at is by using a single block piece of aluminium for the casing of the phone, it means essentially there is no need for a separate frame and cover for the phone, the unit is ‘one’, and this leaves more room for components on the device. And to be honest, it really delivers, giving the HTC Legend a desirability factor that the Hero was never really able to achieve.

The new style casing on the Legend has also allowed HTC to deliver a handset that is almost 10g lighter than the Hero, at only 126g, and almost 3mm thinner, the Legend measuring up overall at 112 x 56 x 11.5mm. Another area where the Legend improves on the Hero is the display. The display size, 3.2 inches, and resolution, 320 x 480 is still the same, but the Legend delivers with a high quality 16 million colour AMOLED Capacitive touchscreen, and the difference will be noticeably better. The Legend uses the most current version of the Android Operating System, 2.1, known by the codename Éclair. On top of this is the new version of the Sense UI, with multi touch support and a new way of browsing through the seven standby screens, much the same as found on the HTC Desire. At least here, HTC Hero owners can take heart, as HTC have promised Hero owners an upgrade to the new Sense UI which is due imminently. A welcome relief for loyal Hero users who are still running Android OS 1.5.

The surge in popularity in social networks over recent months has in some way been related to the ease of access offered to these sites by bespoke software on mobile phones. Rather than relying on a mobile web browsing experience, most modern phones these days offer tight integration with popular online services, allowing you to receive updates from friends online, as soon as they are posted. On the Legend, HTC have revamped their social networking experience, delivering through FriendStream, which offers live contact updates, images and link reading to posted items. Like all Android phones, the Legend is constantly connected to the data network, so as well as instant notification of updates on social networks, you can also utilise traditional Instant Messaging services as well as receiving push email notification, which works particularly well with the Google Gmail service.

Powered by a Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz processor, the Legend delivers an excellent all round entertainment experience. The media player supports multiple media file formats for both audio and video, and the Legend also includes a stereo FM radio. There is a 3.5mm audio jack included, and the Legend supports the latest version of Bluetooth, 2.1. A built in GPS receiver with aGPS support delivers an excellent SatNav experience, using the excellent Google Maps, which also allows for geotagging support on the camera. The camera itself is pretty much as found on the HTC Hero, a 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash and video recording facility.

Any smartphone worth its salt needs to deliver in the connectivity department, and the Legend does not disappoint, offering full HSPA connection with up to 7.2 Mbps for downloads and 2.0 Mbps for uploads, plus there is full support for WiFi 802.11 b/g, which is all backed up by Class 10 GPRS and EDGE. There is ample memory available on the device, with 384 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM, plus memory expansion via MicroSD memory cards, up to 16GB confirmed.

It is a bit of a brave step, marketing wise, to call a handset ‘Legend’, but HTC may truly have a device on their hands that can live up to the name. Not only a handset that delivers in terms of features, and functionality, but also in terms of looks and styling too. If the HTC Legend is on your radar for your next handset, you shouldn’t have to wait too long before you can own the device, as it is slated for release during April 2010.

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Mobile Phone :HTC Legend Review