Telstra has announced that it will be bringing out its first 4G phone running Windows Phone, parterning with HTC to bring the TITAN 4G to Australia – beating the Lumia 900 (which has been announced on Optus, but will run on its 3G network as opposed to its upcoming 4G LTE network) as the first WP7 phone for Australia.

The HTC TITAN 4G features a 4.7-inch display running on a 1.5GHz processor, a 16-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, autofocus and image stailisation, and features the latest version of Windows Phone – version 7.5 Mango.

HTC was the first phone manufacturer to produce a 4G phone for Telstra, with the HTC Velocity 4G. That phone has been wildly successful for Telstra – and now we’re seeing that slowly expand with more phones.

Consumers can get the phone for $0 upfront on its $79 Freedom Connect plan under a 24 month contract – and this will get you 2GB of data, $800 worth of calls and unlimited SMS. Business customers can also get this under its $79 Business Mobile Maximiser plan, which has the same features as above, for $0 upfront.

It will come out on May 29 – next Tuesday. Full press release below:

TELSTRA AND HTC TO LAUNCH AUSTRALIA’S FIRST 4G WINDOWS PHONE

24 May 2012 — Windows Phone fans will soon be able to surf the mobile web, respond to email and access work documents faster than before on the HTC Titan4G – Australia’s first 4G Windows Phone which launches next Tuesday 29 May on the Telstra Mobile Network.

Will Irving, Group Managing Director, Telstra Business said HTC Titan 4G is the first business-geared 4G smartphone to launch in Australia.

“Australian small businesses have embraced smartphones to help them work where they want and to stay responsive to customers and new business opportunities. The launch of the nation’s first 4G Windows Phone means small businesses can perform even more advanced tasks from the palms of their hands – like handling larger emails on the go, capturing and sending high-resolution images and video  and accessing emerging cloud-hosted services direct from their smartphone screen.  Best of all, Windows Phone is incredibly easy to navigate and immediately familiar to anyone who uses Microsoft’s popular Office software,” Mr Irving said.

“We were the first company to launch Australia’s first 4G smartphone – the HTC Velocity 4G – and we are very proud to have  chalked up another first by introducing Australia’s first 4G-enabled Windows Phone, the HTC Titan 4G,” said Ben Hodgson, Country Manager, HTC Australia and New Zealand. We have already seen how 4G speeds improve the smartphone experience and when you include the benefits of an easy user interface, a 16 megapixel camera and all the great Microsoft applications, you have a really compelling smartphone.”

Megan Howard, Windows Phone Lead, Microsoft Australia commented on the launch: “ We are thrilled to have the HTC Titan 4G added to the Windows Phone portfolio – adding more speed and power to the platform’s capabilities.  Microsoft is dedicated to providing consumers with choice and variety when it comes to their phone options and the platform’s first 4G capable handset is key to that offering.

“Microsoft also has the fastest growing app marketplace in the country with more than 80,000 apps ranging across productivity with Lync, Skype and SkyDrive, practical apps like Go Catch and Pizza Hut and fun with Xbox LIVE,” Megan said.

The HTC Titan 4G enhances connectivity, efficiency and productivity for busy people, with its large on-screen keyboard and built-in Microsoft® Office Mobile software. Customers can use mobile email with Exchange ActiveSync to view work emails by conversation and to view all, unread, flagged, or urgent messages. In addition they can search for emails that aren’t stored on their phone but are available on their email server.

Owners can also access, change, and share Office documents and notes easier and faster when in 4G coverage areas. The built-in Office Hub brings together Office documents and notes in one convenient place. Customers can take and sync notes using OneNote Mobile and easily view, edit, comment on, and sync Office documents back to their SkyDrive.

Packed with advanced imaging technology, the HTC Titan 4G features a 16-megapixel camera, a wide-angle lens, autofocus, dual LED flash, red eye reduction, image stabilisation, a backside-illuminated sensor and a physical camera button, allowing customers to leave digital point-and-shoot cameras at home. The HTC Titan 4G delivers a number of features that HTC has developed to help people capture perfect photos in a variety of conditions; for instance, panoramic shot for sweeping landscapes and burst shot for action photography.

Customers using the HTC Titan 4G in 4G coverage areas (capital city CBDs, associated airports and more than 80 additional regional and metropolitan locations) can access typical download speeds ranging from 2Mbps to 40Mbps and typical upload speeds from 1Mbps to 10Mbps. When outside 4G coverage areas the Titan 4G uses HSPA+ Dual Channel technology to serve up Australia’s fastest 3G download speeds which range from 1.1Mbps-20Mbps in all capital CBDs and much of the associated metropolitan areas and many regional locations. Outside these areas speed ranges will be less.

HTC Titan 4G Key Features:

• Lightning fast 4G speeds in 4G coverage areas
• Windows® Phone 7.5 OS
• 4.7 inch WVGA super LCD  capacitive screen
• 16-megapixel camera with dedicated button, auto focus and dual LED flash; 1.3 megapixel front facing camera
• 1.5 GHz processor
• 720p HD video recording to capture video with incredible quality and detail

Pricing and availability:

The HTC Titan 4G is available from Telstra Stores and online from Tuesday 29 May.

Business customers can purchase the HTC Titan 4G for $0 upfront after using their MRO bonus on our $79 Business Mobile Maximiser™ Plan. This includes $800 worth of national calls and MMS, unlimited SMS to standard Australian numbers and 2GB of data for use in Australia each month. Min cost over 24 months is $1,896.

Consumer customers can purchase the HTC Titan 4G for $0 upfront on the $79 Freedom® Connect Plan (after using an included MRO Bonus), with $800 worth of included calls and MMS, unlimited SMS and 2GB of data, all to standard Australian numbers (excludes use overseas) each month. Min cost over 24 months is $1,896.

4G coverage is currently available in all capital CBDs (meaning within 5km from the GPO), associated airports and selected regional areas (meaning within 3km from the regional town centre). For details on 4G coverage locations, visit: www.telstra.com/mobilebbcoverage.

Nokia has launched a whole bunch of lawsuits against HTC, RIM and Viewsonic, claiming that they violate (collectively) 45 of Nokia’s patents. It has not revealed what patents each case entails, but all the cases are either in the US or in Germany.

It has filed its US cases against HTC with the International Trade Commission, and HTC and Viewsonic in the Federal District Court in Delaware. In Germany, it has filed cases against HTC and RIM in Dusseldorf’s Regional Court and against all three companies in the most-popular court in patent law – the Mannheim Regional Court, in addition to another three cases in Munich.

In all, it has filed a total of 11 lawsuits against the three companies – all launched in one day. Pretty big effort on Nokia’s part.

The full press statement is below:

Nokia takes new steps to protect its innovations and intellectual property

Patent suits filed against HTC, RIM and Viewsonic in the US and Germany

Espoo, Finland – Nokia has filed claims in the United States and Germany alleging that products from HTC, RIM and Viewsonic infringe a number of Nokia patents.

“Nokia is a leader in many technologies needed for great mobile products,” said Louise Pentland, chief legal officer at Nokia. “We have already licensed our standards essential patents to more than 40 companies.  Though we’d prefer to avoid litigation, Nokia had to file these actions to end the unauthorized use of our proprietary innovations and technologies, which have not been widely licensed.”

Nokia’s actions include a complaint to the US International Trade Commission (ITC) against HTC, suits against HTC and Viewsonic in the Federal District Court of Delaware, US, against HTC and RIM in the Regional Court in Dusseldorf, Germany and against all three companies in the Regional Courts in Mannheim and Munich, Germany. In total, 45 Nokia patents are in suit in one or more of the actions.

Nokia proprietary innovations protected by these patents are being used by the companies to enable hardware capabilities such as dual function antennas, power management and multimode radios, as well as to enhance software features including application stores, multitasking, navigation, conversational message display, dynamic menus, data encryption and retrieval of email attachments on a mobile device.

“Many of these inventions are fundamental to Nokia products,” Pentland concluded. “We’d rather that other companies respect our intellectual property and compete using their own innovations, but as these actions show, we will not tolerate the unauthorized use of our inventions.”

The HTC One X smartphone has been confirmed to be on Optus’ network, and now we know when. Optus has announced that users can preorder the smartphone today on its website, and will start selling the device in April.

If users preorder it before March 29, then users will get the phone on April 2 for metro users and April 4 for those in regional Australia.

In terms of plans, Optus is having no handset repayments on its $59 Optus Cap plan and Business Complete plan. In addition, users will get two months free access – three if you are a business customer. Under the $59 plans, you get 2GB of mobile data, unlimited SMS and $750 worth of calls. Business customers get free intra-fleet calls and unlimited voicemail access.

The HTC One X features a polycarbonate unibody, a Tegra 3 Mobile Processor with a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1 quad-core processor. It also includes a 4.7-inch, Gorilla Glass-coated screen. It will also include BeatsAudio, promising to deliver an “authentic sound experience” and will run Ice Cream Sandwich.

You can preorder the phone from its website.

The HTC Titan II has been confirmed to launch in Australia, after its chief product officer Kouji Kodera revealed that the company plans to release the phone worldwide to other LTE networks.

In an interview to Pocket-lint, he made mention of Australia as one of the countries that would be getting the phone.

The phone is most likely then go to Telstra, as the company has a small, but substantial 4G network covering regional centres and capital cities – albeit only the CBD for capital cities. In addition, Telstra already has an HTC phone on its 4G network, the HTC Velocity 4G and that phone has sold really well.

The HTC Titan II is an upgraded version of the HTC Titan, with a 4.7-inch display and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S2 processor. It also includes a 16-megapixel rear-camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

HTC may be pushing more and more Android phones, but it will still have its fingers on the other mobile OS, Windows Phone. The company has recently confirmed to two different media sources that it will continue making phones with the Microsoft-backed OS, despite HTC’s overall financial woes with tough competition with Samsung and Apple.

The mobile maker’s CEO, John Wang, told TechCrunch that the company will not give up on the OS – despite the news being made at MWC by HTC was the launch of its Android-powered HTC One series. Telling reporter Ingrid Lunden, Wang said “Today, the news happened to be Android, but we have not given up on Windows Phone.”

But when will HTC make new Windows Phones? Well, Pocket-Lint has said that the company told them that it will release new devices when Windows Phone 8 (Codename: Apollo) emerges later this year.

“For Windows Phone we haven’t decided on the branding yet, but you will see a new range of Windows Phones from us when Microsoft release their new Apollo operating system,” Kouji Kodera told the website.

HTC was the first pick by Microsoft for its relaunch into the mobile sphere, replacing the long-struggling and tired Windows Mobile OS. Now, Microsoft has found a better partner for the OS – Nokia, and quickly the Lumia line has proven to be popular, topping 1 million already despite a small launch in Europe in late October.

Nokia even managed to take the crown from HTC despite only being in the market for one quarter. So, what does HTC have up its sleeves? We’ll wait and see.

HTC has announced its brand new line of Android phones, touting excellent sound quality thanks to its Beats Audio investment and brilliant photography. Called the HTC One series, the phones are expected to roll out in April, and HTC has announced that all three major carriers will have the series on their networks. Which one, however, is still up in the air.

Above is the HTC One X, and it features a polycarbonate unibody, a Tegra 3 Mobile Processor with a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1 quad-core processor. It also includes a 4.7-inch, Gorilla Glass-coated screen. The HTC One X will also have an LTE version that will have a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU from Qualcomm since it supports LTE.

Then we have the HTC One S, that also features a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It has a 4.3-inch display, and a metal unibody that is only 7.9-mm thin (apparently, the thinnest phone HTC has ever made).

Finally, the last product in the line is the HTC One V, which has an “amazing camera and authentic sound” and a simple unibody made from aluminum. HTC hasn’t gone into detail with the specs, so expect this to be the cheaper one of the lot.

And if you were wondering, these phones will all run Ice Cream Sandwich – so yes, now the phone manufacturers are releasing phones with it. Also included is Dropbox integration with 25GB free for two years.

Full press release and gallery below.

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Mobile World Congress – HTC, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled its new HTC One series of smartphones that represent its most premium mobile experience with a new level of iconic design and amazing camera and authentic sound experience.

“The best moments in life are captured with a photo or remembered by a song, so it was key for the HTC One series to improve these emotional experiences with an amazing camera and authentic sound experience,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “We are very focused on creating a camera and audio experience customers will love and use often and we believe the HTC One series delivers this in a way never seen on a phone before.”

With HTC’s most premium experience, the HTC One series integrates Android 4.0 (ICS) with HTC Sense™ 4, the new version of HTC’s branded user experience that is introducing HTC ImageSense™, a new suite of camera and imaging features that set HTC One apart from other phones. HTC Sense 4 also includes broad enhancements to audio quality and simplifies how people listen to music on their phone.

Amazing Camera

With ImageSense HTC One rivals traditional digital cameras with improvements to every part of the camera, including the lens, the sensor, the software, and even integrating a new custom HTC ImageChip. These enhancements combine to deliver our fastest image capture, best image quality under adverse conditions and easiest interface that enables quick access to capturing stills and videos with side-by-side photo and video capture buttons.

• Superfast Capture - HTC One dramatically reduces the time it takes to capture those key moments. In just 0.7 seconds you’re able to take a shot, and with a new superfast 0.2-seconds autofocus, continue to take nearly unlimited continuous shots simply by holding the shutter button.
• Good photos in adverse conditions – HTC One delivers dramatic enhancements in image capture quality even in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting. The f/2.0 lens on the HTC One X and HTC One S offers best-in-class performance, capturing 40 percent more light than the f/2.4 lenses available on other high-end phones. HTC One also includes HDR, a market-leading technology, for taking great photos even when there are varying levels of brightness.
• Video Pic (Concurrent Video/Still Capture) – With Video Pic you capture a photo and shoot video at the same time. Now, while you’re shooting HD video, all you have to do is tap the shutter button and it snaps a high-resolution still photo while the video continues to shoot. You are also able to capture a photo frame from a previously recorded video.
• Dropbox integrated with HTC Sense - HTC One gives you an easy way to save and share your photos and videos. HTC has integrated Dropbox into HTC Sense 4 enabling HTC One customers to get 25 gigabytes of free Dropbox space for two years. That’s enough to keep more than 10,000 high-quality photos. Dropbox is also integrated throughout HTC Sense 4, so it’s easy to edit, save and share your documents and other kinds of files.
• Sharing your photos and more – HTC One gives you a new way to share your photos and videos. When you plug in HTC’s wireless Media Link HD* accessory into your TV’s HDMI port, you can easily share your photos, videos, or anything else on your phone with your friends, family or colleagues regardless of the television’s brand as long as it has HDMI.

Authentic Sound

With HTC One, Beats By Dr. DreAudio™ integration is enabled for the first time across the entire experience for richer, more authentic sound whether you’re listening to your favorite music, watching a YouTube™ video or playing a game. HTC One also makes it easy to get and listen to your music on your phone with the built-in HTC Sync Manager software that automatically installs to your computer when connected. Once connected, it is easy to transfer songs, artists and playlists from your music library.

Of course, people today no longer just listen to the songs stored on their phones; they use streaming services and tune into Internet radio. So HTC One lets you customize the new Music Hub with your favorite services and music applications, like the latest Soundhound technology, giving you one place to go for all of your music.

HTC One lets you take all of your music anywhere, including the car. With HTC One, you get an easy way to bring your mobile music to your car’s sound system with the HTC Car Stereo Clip*. It also lets you connect to your music through more than 50 thousand online radio stations worldwide or play music from any service or app on your phone through your car speakers. All this makes HTC One the one place to enjoy all your music, wherever you are, with the power of Beats By Dr. DreAudio and HTC Car.

HTC One X

The HTC One X features a beautifully crafted polycarbonate unibody that has the ruggedness of metal but is super lightweight. With seamless construction, the unibody combines a unique high gloss ‘piano’ finish and a matte back. HTC One is blazing fast with the new NVIDIA® Tegra 3 Mobile Processor for clear graphics, faster applications and longer battery life. It includes a 1.5GHz Super 4-PLUS-1™ quad-core with an integrated fifth Battery Saver Core and a high-performance 12-Core NVIDIA® GPU. The HTC One also has an amazing 4.7-inch, 720p HD screen crafted from contoured Corning™ Gorilla Glass. HTC One X will also be available in select 4G LTE markets with a LTE-enabled Qualcomm Snapdragon S4™ processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU’s.

HTC One S

The HTC One S is for people who want a high-end smartphone in a more compact size. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU’s. It also includes a 4.3-inch screen crafted from contoured Corning™ Gorilla Glass. HTC One S brings HTC’s innovative metal unibody styling to a new thin 7.9-mm design, making it HTC’s thinnest phone yet. The HTC One S sports two new finishes that break new ground in mobile phone innovation. The first is an ultra-matte black Ceramic Metal surface that is the result of a microarc oxidation (MAO) process originally developed for use in satellites. It transforms the surface of the aluminum unibody into a ceramic, super-dense crystalline structure that is four times harder than anodized aluminum, enabling the HTC One S to look great over time. The second finish for the One S takes anodizing to a new level with a new patented process that creates a light-to-dark gradient fade that looks gorgeous and sophisticated.

HTC One V

Utilizing the classic, award-winning design of the HTC Legend, the HTC One V brings top-end design to a smartphone with broad appeal and a premium experience that delivers an amazing camera and authentic sound. It features a simple, iconic aluminum unibody design that exudes craftsmanship and quality.

Global Availability

With unprecedented excitement, the HTC One series will begin shipping in April with broad global availability available beginning in April through more than 140 mobile operators and distributors globally. For more information and to pre-register for HTC One visit www.htc.com.

HTC One Series

Europe, Middle East and Africa - A1 Austria, BH Telecom Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bite Lithuania, Bouygues Telecom France, Cellcom Israel, Cosmote Greece, Cosmote Romania & Global Bulgaria, Cyta Cyprus, E-Plus Germany, Elisa Estonia, Elisa Finland, EMT Estonia, Euroset Russia, Everything Everywhere UK, H3G Austria, H3G Denmark, H3G Ireland, H3G Sweden, H3G UK, KPN Netherlands, Turkcell Turkey, LMT Latvia, M-Tel Bulgaria, Meteor Ireland, Mirs Israel, Mobilezone Switzerland, Avea Turkey, MTN Cyprus, Netcom Norway, O2 Germany, O2 Ireland, O2 UK, Omnitel Lithuania, Orange Austria, Orange France, Orange Israel, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Slovakia, Orange Switzerland, Pelephone Israel, Play Poland, MTS Russia, SFR France, SiMobil Slovenia, Sunrise Switzerland, Svyaznoy Russia, Swisscom Switzerland, T-Mobile Austria, T-Mobile Croatia, T-Mobile Czech Republic, T-Mobile Germany, T-Mobile Hungary, T-Mobile Macedonia, T-Mobile Netherlands, T-Mobile Slovakia, TDC Denmark, Tele2 Estonia, Tele2 Latvia, Tele2 Lithuania, Telefonica Czech Republic, Telekom Slovenia, Telenor Denmark, Telenor Hungary, Telenor Montenegro, Telenor Norway, Telenor Serbia, Telenor Sweden, Telia Denmark, Telia Sweden, TIM Italy, Tusmobil Slovenia, Vipnet Croatia, VIP Mobile Serbia, VIP Operator Macedonia, Virgin UK, Vodafone Czech Republic, Vodafone Germany, Vodafone Greece, Vodafone Hungary, Vodafone Ireland, Vodafone Italy, Vodafone Netherlands, Vodafone Romania, Vodafone Turkey, Vodafone UK, Wind Greece North America: AT&T, Bell Mobility, Best Buy, C-Spire, Cellcom, Fido, Metro PCS, Bluegrass, OpenMobile, RadioShack, Rogers Communications, T-Mobile USA, Target, TELUS, U.S. Cellular, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Mobile Canada Latin America: Cellcom, Claro Argentina (America Movil), Claro Peru (America Movil), Claro Puerto Rico (America Movil), Entel Chile, Iusacell Mexico, Movistar Chile (Telefonica), nTelos, Telcel Mexico (America Movil), Telecom Personal Argentina, Telefonica Brazil, Asia-Pacific: AIS, Bharti Airtel, China Mobile (TD-SCDMA), ChungHwa Telecom, 3HK, CSL, DiGi, DTAC, Fareastone, Globe Telecom, Indosat, M1, Mobifone, Maxis, Optus, SingTel, Smart, Smartone, StarHub, Taiwan Mobile, Telkomsel, Telstra, Viettel, Vinaphone, Vivo, Vodafone Australia, Vodafone New Zealand, XL Axiata, TRUE

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corporation (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC’s portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense™, a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

*HTC Media Link HD and HTC Car Stereo Clip are sold separately.

Okay, it’s now our turn to review HTC’s 3D phone. It records, takes pictures and plays 3D content without the need of those awkward and annoying glasses; and it also touts some top-of-the-range hardware specs. However, does it stand out from the crowd with its 3D, or is it just a gimmick? Terence Huynh reviews.

Design and Features

The HTC EVO 3D is unapologetic in being ‘bulky’ in comparison to the iPhone 4S, and moves away from the trend of slimmer smartphones with beautiful designs. A rubber back and an assortment of buttons everywhere, the phone feels very manly. And it’s heavier, weighing at 170g. It is wrapped in a dark-grey body with just a bit of red where the camera.

However, packed inside is a 1.2GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, 1GB of internal storage that is also expandable via microSD, and support for 3D with two 5-megapixel lenses. I’m guessing the second camera is adding to the thickness to the phone. As well, it features a 4.3-inch qHD display – one of the biggest screens from HTC – where the colours are vibrant.

The phone is one of the few 3D phones out in the market, and will let you play 3D content, take 3D pictures and even record 3D video in 720p video quality. And don’t worry, you will not be wearing any glasses to get it working. The company uses something the Nintendo 3DS uses, and it’s called parallax barrier technology. Downside is that it does cause some eye-strain if you are using it for too long, and that you’ll have to get it in the right angle or else the effect disappears. However, the effect is really good for video and games.

In terms of multimedia, you’ll not going to be impressed. Despite having some big specs, for some reason, it only can play out 720p files not 1080p files – which you would want if you were going to play these on your phone. Granted, it’s a minor issue. There is no HDMI output on this phone, but you can always buy an adapter for its microUSB port to HDMI (again, that feels like another hurdle).

The Camera

The quality of both picture and video is great, though not excellent. You can switch between 3D and 2D modes with a mechanical switch, and there is a dedicated physical camera button – which is something that I would love to see on phones. It does have auto-focus, so it’ll constantly adjust the lens – the sound does get a tad bit annoying. However, it doesn’t adjust to compensate for the dual LED flash when taking photos in a short range. So, you should be accustom to your flash options.

The camera also comes with some effects – including some effects that you can find in Instagram or Camera+ for iOS. The effects vary in effectiveness – such as the soft-focus feature. You can see one instance of the effect below.

Making your own 3D content, however, is another story. The pictures look alright, but you can’t really tell the difference between taking the same photo in 2D. And as well, staring at the screen for a long time, especially for video, does hurt your eyes – so you’ll not going to get a good video to share to your friends.

Performance + HTC Sense

The phone performs really well with no lag issues, and this is because of its 1GB of RAM and 1.2GHz dual core processor. The phone runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with its HTC Sense UI – and of course features its own applications. I should point out that its own applications – including its own Twitter application Peep is not a good replacement for the Official Twitter application. So I suggest you go and download that app first. Other novelties you may find on this phone include a Flashlight, which is using the dual LED flash from the camera.

I personally felt the keyboard to be awkward to use and that could be because of its size, but also the sensitivity of the keys. Pressing the right key I want shows me another key next to it sometimes.

Battery life on the phone is okay, but better than some other HTC phones. Heavy users can expect this phone to last them around a day. Lighter users can expect to see this phone’s battery life expand to two or three days.

Conclusions

The phone may be fat – in comparison to other smartphones in the market – and 3D is a bit of a gimmick (one that can hurt your eyes), the phone still proves to the phone with the required features we want – a camera that works, a phone that does not lag and it is usable. The iPhone 4 and 4S encompasses all of these qualities that what every consumer wants in their phone, so the HTC EVO 3D does not fail to impress.

Telstra’s first 4G smartphone from HTC has now got a name and a release date. Called the HTC Velocity 4G, the phone features a 1.5GHz dual core processor, a 4.5-inch touchscreen and an 8 megapixel camera.

The phone also has 16GB of internal storage that is also expandable via an SD card slot, and will run – on the images – Android 2.3 Gingerbread rather than Ice Cream Sandwich. It has a front-facing camera, which has a 1.3 megapixel lens. In addition, it has the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB port and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi support.

Telstra is now accepting orders – but the smallest plan will see you paying an addition $10 on top of the $59 plan for the “handset payment”. The other plans do not have that – but at least you’ll get 2GB of data or more.

The phone will be launched on January 24 at its stores and via its partners, but preorders are being accepted now. Also, do remember that 4G isn’t everywhere – so if you don’t live 10km within the metro areas, then it will fall back onto 3G data.

Originally, the Radiant name was trademarked by HTC in April 2011. But more recently, in more leaked news, the HTC Radiant was expected to be announced at CES 2012, alongside a number of other LTE Windows Phones for US carrier AT&T, such as the Nokia Lumia 900 and a Samsung Mendel.

While this could easily be a fake, because of how similar HTC phones look, there are a few small changes when compared to the Titan, such as the move of the dual-LED flash to the right side of the camera, a non-removable battery, a slightly different colour and some other small changes.

Telstra is the only Australian carrier with LTE, even then they only have USB modems for now. But on their LTE page, as well as with press releases, it has said that they will be getting a HTC LTE phone this year. While we could be getting a different phone, and that could be a possibility given Telstra’s lack of focus for Windows Phones, this could be a candidate for Australia’s first LTE phone and the source has said that it will be coming to Telstra too.

Remember that TECHGEEK.com.au will be having all of the CES 2012 coverage on TECHGEEK.com.au and our CES Hub. If anything is announced, we’ll have all of the news on the site.

The Samsung GALAXY Nexus (Image: Samsung/supplied)

I’ve been a user of an Android phone, HTC Desire, for sixteen months. I bought it with a contract and as a way to step into the smartphone world, first as a user and potentially later on as a developer. I love my HTC Desire, but HTC has proven to be a company that thinks about bells and whistles first and foremost, making me consider a change. I was originally thinking about waiting until sequel to Galaxy S2 is released next year, but now have decided to buy the phone Google developed in cooperation with Samsung, the Galaxy Nexus (available for pre-order at Amazon (UK)).

HTC Desire has been a great phone to use and earned many accolades. It proved me that Android is a really good smartphone operating system and a great alternative to Apple’s iPhone. I loved that HTC put design in forefront of their phones, creating a visually attractive user interfaces on top of Android operating system, which seemed to be lacking in visuals ever since its release. But today I am convinced that HTC has lost its way, becoming too focused on visuals and features that do not actually enhance the user experience on the phone. Their 3D-effects galore of their new main screen and audio related enhancements to the phone are more about the fancy list of features than enhancing the usability of the phone the way we use it today.

Now that the new version of Android operating system (4.0, also called the Ice Cream Sandwich) has been released, it has become more apparent than ever before. HTC was initially hesitant about when they plan to upgrade their phones and if it is even possible, due to how much HTC needs to do to make their Sense UI skin work with the new version. While they did change their initial stance about the updates later on, one must wonder if Sense UI is really worth it now that Android looks very good with its native user interface. And there are also signs that HTC wishes to develop its own operating system, which could be interpreted that they want more control which openness of Android does not provide.

But to return to my HTC experience, as a user of HTC Desire, I was disappointed with HTC’s lack of updates and the really long wait before updates arrived on my phone. In fact, the latest update for 2.3.3 Android did not even arrive on the phone through update channels and I had to reinstall the entire device to manually upgrade to 2.3.3. This type of update is not something an average user is easily able to do and it also voids warranty your phone might still have, thus many classic HTC Desire versions are still running a much older version of Android today.

Another issue that I had with HTC was that they had no foresight about the future of mobile handsets. Only a year later my phone was very outdated, being outperformed by dual-core phones and phones that had impressive amounts of internal memory. HTC Desire had very limited internal memory, which meant that I could only ever install around 20 new applications on the phone without internal memory running out. Some applications nowadays require 10MB of internal memory alone, such as Google+ Android App, which is just too much for an average HTC Desire user. The situation became worse with software updates and the only way out seemed to be to ‘root’ the device and install another version of Android without all the bells and whistles and this is again something an average user has a very hard time doing.

Another problem I had was that I also became interested in Android development, learning how to create new applications for the phone. But HTC’s phones are not very developer-friendly, as I lost days trying to figure out how to get proper access to my phone and make it work together with Android Software Developer Kit. HTC Desire was not compatible with Google’s released USB drivers for connecting the device with the computer and required custom drivers.

While newer HTC phones remedy some of those problems by giving twice as much internal memory, or in the case of HTC Desire HD, three times as much internal memory, it really is not enough, especially if software updates of the phone will start occupying that memory as time passes. They also seemed to be hesitant when it comes to upgrading their lineup of phones to the latest Android version, which is not only bad when compared to Apple’s iOS upgrades, but is also bad in comparison to other Android phone manufacturers, like Samsung. I simply do not believe HTC has the foresight to produce phones that will not feel horribly outdated just one year later, no matter how nice they look.

As an alternative I decided to look into Samsung line of phones, especially their S series. Galaxy S2 has been considered by many as 2011 smartphone of the year and with a new version of Android being released recently, there are news inbound that there will be a Galaxy S3 phone early next year. Now that Samsung has taken the market lead in mobile revenue, they have become a reliable phone manufacturer, even if their own TouchWiz custom UI for Android is less favored by users than HTC’s Sense UI.

With the release of new Android version, as has been the case with previous large releases such as Gingerbread last year, Google also released a new phone in cooperation with Samsung. The new device, named Galaxy Nexus, runs on native Android, so it does not have a custom UI skin built on top of the experience. With the enhancements Google has made, it does not look like it needs a custom user interface either, since it is very attractive to begin with, sporting a slick user interface and even a new system-wide font, together with other new features and updated applications. The fact that a well-established and successful phone-manufacturer, Samsung, is behind the hardware and Google brings native experience and updates to the phone before they arrive anywhere else, the choice became simple. I have decided to upgrade to Galaxy Nexus even before my contract runs out on my HTC Desire phone.

For those interested, Galaxy Nexus will be released in Europe on November 17 and can be preordered now.

Before you ask, no I did not consider the new iPhone 4S as an alternative. Android has become the most popular smartphone operating system today and when it comes to developing applications to Android phones, it is also more developer-friendly due to having a large community and a more marketing-friendly terms of use for using Android Market as a release platform.

The following article has been republished with the author’s permission, and all of the text and links remain the same from the original post published with some alterations for localisation and clarifications.

On the heels of its 4G network roll out, Telstra has announced a brand new phone that will be able to use the very new network it launched. No, its not the iPhone. It’s a phone made by its rivals, HTC, and is coming out in the first half of next year.

Dubbed the “HTC 4G” phone, Telstra is releasing very small details about the phone. Telstra, however, has confirmed that the phone will be powered by Android, and feature a 4.5-inch screen. It will also have a dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera, typical high-range smartphone features. The images also seem to indicate that the phone will have a front-facing camera.

“4G smartphones will bring the rich internet content Australians love on their home PCs to their hands and pockets,” CEO for Telstra David Thodey said in a press statement.

“In a matter of months, our customers will be able to stream their video and music collections over the mobile internet faster than before, access cloud-hosted applications and play fast-paced internet games direct from their smartphone screen. We’re delighted to be working with HTC on the first of many 4G handheld devices that are set to launch now the new Telstra 4G network is live in Australia.”

However, many have already speculated that this phone is in fact the HTC Holiday – also known as the HTC Raider 4G in the US and heading for AT&T. The phone has been confirmed to feature a 1.5GHz dual core processor and 16GB of storage. However, HTC is likely to make modifications – especially with the antennas as the US and Australia uses different bands for their 4G services.

You can register your interest by visiting Telstra’s own website.

New phones from HTC with Sense 3.5, such as the HTC Rhyme, will now recieve an extra 3GB of space on top of the 2GB default on Dropbox thanks to a partnership between HTC and Dropbox.

The extra storage will be given when the phone is connected to the service. This means that any upcoming HTC phone with their Android skin, Sense 3.5, will have the ability to sync up to 5GB of files and photos from the phone to the cloud. Users can also get up to 8GB of extra storage by asking friends to get Dropbox.

When Pocket-lint asked about the possibility of Dropbox storage on HTC Windows Phone 7 devices, the company said that the OS already has deep integration with Skydrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage solution which can handle up to 25GB of files.

There is no word on whether old Sense users will get 3.5 and/or Dropbox storage upgrades, but the deal does put HTC in a competitive space with Apple’s iCloud and Microsoft’s Skydrive.

HTC has announced the Rhyme, its brand new smartphone that promise to rival Nokia in being a multimedia powerhouse with advanced features and a sleek design with a feminine twist compared to many other manly Android phones.

Featuring a 3.7-inch super LED display and a 1GHz single-core processor, the HTC Rhyme isn’t aimed for those wanting a feature-packed phone, but simply that works. It will also feature a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, high-quality stereo surround sound, and comes with a variety of accessories – namely an armband and a charm.

Yes, a charm. The charm acts as a notifier when you get a call or message and attached to the phone via a cord. While we scoff at the idea of connecting cables to phones to do such a thing when Bluetooth can obviously replace it, I must remind you that Bluetooth is a pain in the arse to set up.

It comes in three colours: plum, clearwater and “hourglass” – whatever that is. The phone is heading to the global market in October. HTC has announced that Verizon will be the US carrier, but no Australian carrier has signed up yet.

Full press release is below:

HTC Unveils HTC Rhyme™, an Elegant New Phone Experience

HTC Rhyme integrates sleek new design, a refreshed HTC Sense™ experience and a family of integrated accessories with advanced smartphone features

HTC Rhyme to be available globally in October; exclusively in the U.S. from Verizon Wireless in the coming weeks

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile devices, today unveiled HTC Rhyme™, a new kind of phone created for people who require advanced features but want a phone that is sleek and fits seamlessly into their lives. The result is the elegant HTC Rhyme that delivers a fresh approach of integrating distinct colors, HTC Sense™ and complementary accessories for a natural personal experience.

“HTC Rhyme represents an entirely new approach, based on recognition that there is a substantial group of consumers who want their phones to be more personal and complimentary to every moment of their day,” said Scott Croyle, vice president of design, HTC Corporation. “HTC Rhyme is focused on delivering this through a fresh new style and experience that includes a family of innovative accessories like the HTC Rhyme Charm and Docking Station that are meant to naturally integrate into people’s lives.”

Sleek, Fresh and Stylish

HTC Rhyme offers a smart, elegant unibody design with every detail carefully crafted to deliver a unique sensory experience. The materials, the curves, and the dimensions are all designed to feel great in your hand, without sacrificing advanced features. HTC Rhyme comes in three colors: Clearwater, Hourglass and Plum, the color Verizon Wireless will be offering in the U.S.

“The HTC Rhyme is an exciting new approach to the mobile lifestyle that integrates hardware, software and accessories in a unique way,” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “We believe this clean, intuitive experience and signature design is a testament to HTC’s ability to interpret what customers have said they want in a mobile device. We are thrilled to offer the HTC Rhyme exclusively on the nation’s largest, most reliable network.”

HTC Sense

HTC Rhyme is not only defined by its soft, simple design and distinct color scheme but by the refreshed HTC Sense experience. This unique twist on HTC Sense carries over the visual language of the hardware design and includes an all-new home screen that provides a clean and uncluttered way to interact with the essentials. The home screen enables quick, uncluttered previews of your appointments, messages or whatever is important to you. HTC selected custom wallpapers to offer a variety of original art to complement the HTC Rhyme experience.

With a beautiful 3.7-inch WVGA, super LCD display and high-quality stereo sound, HTC Rhyme also offers advanced imaging capabilities that begin with its 5-megapixel camera that includes auto focus, power LED flash and instant shutter for capturing those memorable moments whenever they arrive. In addition, the camera features a number of photo-taking and sharing elements, including face detection, which ensures that friends are always in focus, action burst scene, which automatically takes five consecutive shots of a scene, and panoramic mode, which lets users stitch several photos for those larger-than-life views. The HTC Rhyme’s locked home screen can be customized to display the most important content, making it quick and easy to see social updates, photos, snapping a photo or the weather forecast by simply turning on the display.

HTC Rhyme makes entertainment come to life through HTC Watch, which features a wide selection of movies and TV shows that can be downloaded for instant viewing.

Integrated Accessories

HTC Rhyme’s suite of accessories is designed with the same sensory focus in both function and style. Created to help you experience HTC Rhyme as a natural part of your life, the integrated accessories make your phone more personal than ever before.

• HTC Rhyme Docking Station – The Docking Station simultaneously recharges the phone while turning the Rhyme into an alarm clock and music center so you can wake to your favorite songs played directly from the built-in Bluetooth capable speakers.
• HTC Rhyme Charm – The Charm is an innovative approach for discretely alerting you to incoming calls or messages while the HTC Rhyme is deep in your bag. The Charm is a small light-emitting cube that attaches to the phone by a cord that can dangle from your bag and also be used to quickly pull the phone out of your bag. It also makes it easy to find your phone buried in your cluttered purse or backpack.
• HTC Rhyme Sports Armband – The Sports Armband allows you to work out in style while keeping your apps and music close to you.
• HTC Rhyme Tangle Free Headphones – The Tangle Free Headphones take the hassle out of listening to your favorite music.
• HTC Rhyme Bluetooth® Headset – The wireless headset follows the same design cues as the phone itself and enables for easy hands free use.
• HTC Rhyme Bluetooth® Car Speaker – The wireless speaker clips onto sun visor in your car for easy and safe driving.

Availability

HTC Rhyme will be available in the coming weeks in the United States, exclusively with Verizon Wireless, and across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific in October. In the U.S., the Docking Station, Tangle Free Headphones and Charm will be included in the box.

HTC has said that it is considering buying a mobile operating system. HTC have noted that the company has discussed this internally but will not act “on impulse”.

Now that HP’s WebOS device production has been discontinued, HP have been seeking licensees to purchase the OS and use it on their own hardware. It is speculated that HTC and Samsung are concerned about Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility and may wish to seek over operating systems to keep their competitive edge.

HTC’s Cher Wang told reporters: “We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform,” Wang said. “Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.”

At this current time, the only available OS that HTC could purchase is HP’s WebOS, as HP are open to offers. Who knows, maybe HTC will buy Symbian?

Source: TheNextWeb

WARNING: This will void your warranty. HTC will not repair your phone if you damage it by using this guide. TECHGEEK.com.au is not responsible for damage to your phone.

Guide is available here: http://lifeinthefastlaneok.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/new-htc-7-mozart-sd-card-memory-upgrade/

HTC has officially announced their new smartphone, it’s called the HTC Sensation and boy is it packed with features. This phone also has impressive hardware specifications, featuring a dual core Qualcomm MSM 8260 1.2GHz processor and a 4.3 inch qHD display.

It also has 768MB ram, two cameras (front facing and 8 megapixel camera with flash at the back), 1080p video recording, WiFi b/g/n and a 1520mAh battery. It also features the new HTC Sense UI and an active lockscreen showing you calendar information etc.

What do you think of this phone? Let us know in the comments. Check out the press release after the break.

HTC Unveils Multimedia Superphone,
The HTC Sensation™ 4G

HTC brings one of its most advanced smartphones ever to the United States exclusively to T-Mobile customers

BELLEVUE, Wash. – April 12, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today introduced the HTC Sensation 4G, a smartphone that shines a spotlight on entertainment with HTC’s new HTC Watch™ video service. Crafted with premium design elements, the HTC Sensation 4G features the company’s latest customer-focused HTC Sense™ experience that puts people at the center by making their smartphones work in a more simple and natural way. The HTC Sensation 4G will be available in the US exclusively from T-Mobile USA beginning this summer.

“Consumers have quickly transformed smartphones into consumer lifestyle hubs that are pocket-sized entertainment centers that enable people to take their favorite multimedia content with them wherever they go. The new HTC Watch service makes it fun and easy for people to access premium movies and TV shows while on the go,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The HTC Sensation 4G combines this great multimedia experience within the latest HTC Sense experience in a premium device that delivers a powerful and unprecedented smartphone to our customers.”

“The HTC Sensation 4G delivers the ultimate in speed and entertainment on America’s Largest 4G network,” said Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president of marketing for T-Mobile USA. “With a lightning-fast dual core processor and 4G speeds, customers will experience the difference when accessing rich media and content on the HTC Sensation 4G’s beautiful qHD display. We look forward to adding the HTC Sensation 4G to our industry-leading lineup of 4G smartphones.”

Premium Design and Materials
Tapping into HTC’s trademark design language, the HTC Sensation 4G’s premium look and feel is enhanced by its rounded edges, aluminum unibody construction and the touch screen surface is protected by a contoured screen that feels more natural as a finger is glided across it. The 4.3-inch qHD display delivers high-resolution widescreen viewing and gives the HTC Sensation 4G slender proportions that feel natural in a person’s hand. At the heart of the HTC Sensation 4G beats a powerful, 1.2-gigahertz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor, which enables gorgeous graphics and all-around fast performance.HTC Sense
Complementing the HTC Sensation 4G’s premium design is the latest HTC Sense experience that boasts a host of new features and enhancements, helping people to have more fun and get more done. For instance, HTC Sense introduces a customizable active lockscreen experience that transforms the lockscreen into a real-time window to the most important information and content, such as social updates, photos, weather or stock updates that are viewed by simply waking up the display. In addition, the new active lockscreen becomes a customizable gateway that lets people quickly jump to the most used features, like making a phone call, sending an email, taking a picture or anything else with the same quick gesture usually used to unlock the phone. For instance, the camera can be launched right from the lock screen with a single motion, saving precious seconds when you’re trying to capture the action. Sharper graphics, vibrant animations and new widgets make HTC Sense look better than ever and, by continuing to focus on all of the aspects, both large and small, that make HTC Sense special, HTC introduces a more cinematic and immersive weather experience with stunning imagery and audible weather effects.

HTC Sense also makes it easy to have fun by enabling people to capture and share special moments. The HTC Sensation 4G’s 8-megapixel camera doesn’t just shoot gorgeous photos but, with the new instant capture feature, lets people capture the moments they want without worrying about missing or keeping up with the action. The HTC Sensation 4G also shoots full HD video in 1080p resolution, with full stereo sound, at up to 30 frames a second, giving you smooth video that is better than many other phones. With the new Video Trimmer tool, people can crop their clips to the perfect size for easy sharing with friends and family.

HTC Watch
The HTC Sensation 4G is a smartphone that is built from the ground up for a sophisticated, evolved multimedia experience. The 4.3” widescreen display means that users can watch movies like they were meant to be seen – in their full cinematic glory, with no cropping or letterboxing. The HTC Sensation 4G is also the first smartphone to feature HTC Watch – an application and service that puts an entire library of the latest, premium movies and TV shows right at your fingertips, letting people discover the latest video content in an easy and visually engaging way. HTC Watch uses progressive download technology that makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for a huge file to finish downloading. HTC Watch offers the choice of renting or buying videos, and if purchased, lets you watch them on up to five different HTC devices.

About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones and tablets that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visitwww.htc.com.

If you happen to be an owner of the HTC HD2, you would be sad to see that you are stuck with the second-most unusable operating system, Windows Mobile (Not to be confused with Windows Phone 7). Well, now you can experience the freedom of Flash and other goodies with Android, as someone has managed to port version 3.0 Honeycomb to the device.

Of course, because it’s not supposed to be running on the device, not everything will work. Features such as the camera, the Wi-Fi, any audio playback and even the phone functions will not work. But you will be pleased to know that you can still interact with the phone, and even the LED lights and buttons still work. Also working, according to an Italian blog, is that graphics hardware acceleration and the browser works.

The port has been released on xda-developers, and the port authors are also working on Honeycomb ports for both the Desire and Nexus. You can see the video, after the jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpGBOjMdPlY&feature=player_embedded

It’s the premium Windows Phone 7 phone, but does it deliver the goods? HTC provided many phones for the new OS, and with the HTC 7 Trophy, are the only HTC phones out there with the OS – both ready for our reviews on the phones. But what will let it down, Microsoft or HTC?

Our verdict is after the jump.

Design and Features

The HTC 7 Mozart feels like the better one out of the lot that HTC has released for Windows Phone 7. Unlike the Trophy, it has a metallic casing that also has a unique pattern at the back that mixes a soft-touch layer and the metallic body. All of this is typical HTC – a brilliant body for a phone.

The phone also has a dedicated camera button, a volume rocker and a miniUSB port that acts as a recharger port. At the top, you will notice a huge grill that is to be your headset speaker, while also the place for the indicator, alongside a headphone jack and power button. At the bottom of the screen, you have the usual three buttons mandated by Windows Phone 7, the Search button, back button and Windows button (also known as a home button). However, we do wish there were physical keys.

It as a 3.7-inch display which shows the colours beautifully and had no issues with it in daylight or in artificial lighting indoors. The screen manages to change its brightness depending on its location, and we still could read text or see images really well.

The phone has 8GB of internal storage. And that’s all you’re going to get. It might be a sacrifice for the style factor, but the phone has no expandable slot – not even behind the battery. So you will be limited with 8GB of storage, so don’t expect to use this phone as like your multimedia player as well because you won’t have the room to do so.

Also included is an 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, and the camera is pretty much a hit-or-miss. In most pictures, they look stunning; but tweaking some of the settings and zooming in a bit, we noticed spots of fuzziness in the photos. Also noticeable is that the shutter sound goes off before the photo has taken, and that could be a problem for some – and there’s no way to change it. Shooting indoors is also a problem, but hopefully rectifiable with a software fix.

Of course, this phone is being touted as a multimedia phone, and features Dolby Mobile and SRS Surround Sound. This helps the music being played, but it’s a shame that you would not be able to push as many music files due to its limited capacity.

Microsoft’s approach of a mandated minimum set of features does have some drawbacks because it rarely distinguishes the phones using the operating system and also a confusing task for the consumer to get a good Windows Phone 7 phone.

HTC Differences

While HTC is not able to produce a skin for the device, it has produced a HTC Hub application. However, unlike the HTC skin, it is sluggish to use and offers limited stuff – such as weather forecasts and links to other applications available on the phone such as a Photo Enhancer, Sound Enhancer and a Stocks application. While these differences extend some of the basic features of Windows Phone 7. However, because they are standalone applications, why is there a need of a Hub. Other than that, HTC haven’t bothered in customising it that much.

If you are wondering about our review of the operating system – we have publish a separate review, because there’s not much of a difference between the phones.

Performance

Thanks to its 1GHz processor, the phone was able to load applications seamlessly and smoothly with no hiccups. Loading times were limited in certain areas, such as games, but most tasks were pretty snappy – such as opening Twitter.

When using the phone, we’ve noticed that the phone averages a battery life of a day or two, and this could be alright for some and not for others. This could be due to the fact that its constantly syncing data such as checking your emails, so pretty much try limit your exposure to data syncing and you would at least pack some more days in your battery life.

Real-world testing, we’ve noticed that data speeds were tremendously better than the HTC 7 Trophy, due in part with its carrier Telstra. We managed to download several news articles – full page not mobile-optimised pages – from the ABC News website and they loaded really quickly. Call quality is good, with voice on both sides clear and understandable.

Overall

HTC has packed a lot of its best components in Windows Phone 7, especially looking at the HTC 7 Mozart. However, while it may be argued that it is a waste of time to develop for a lackluster OS, the phone helps push the idea that Microsoft has started to change. So it is a good introduction phone for the OS, and hopefully the OS continues to change to make this even better.

Windows Phone 7 – it’s has been out since November and the first phones have started emerging. As part of their launch lineup, HTC created several Windows Phone 7 phones for different markets, and now we have two here in Australia, both ready for our verdict.

Does the HTC 7 Trophy stack up well with the other phones? What about the OS? Our verdict on the phone can be found right after the jump.

Design and Features

The HTC 7 Trophy features a sleak black body. The shell is plastic, though designed to look metallic, and features a soft-touch back – but like all HTC phones, they look really good. The screen is a bright 3.8-inch touchscreen display, and is able to display bright and vivid colours. The power button and headphone jack are on the top, unfortunately it seems that the usual placement of the power button on the right has been moved to the left. The headphone jack at the top does mean that it is more accessible to carry the phone in your pocket – which is an added plus.

At the bottom of the screen, you have the usual three buttons mandated by Windows Phone 7, the Search button, back button and Windows button (also known as a home button). However, we do wish there were physical keys.

It also features 8GB of internal storage, and that’s about it. You can’t expand that since there is no microSD card slot (and we looked everywhere for the actual slot, and even got people to try finding it), despite the fact that its the norm. The phone features a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. However, while it does come with a photo correction application, the photo colours are a tad muted compared to the HTC 7 Mozart (on Telstra), and the Flash does spoil some shots – especially in a bright light setting if you left the flash on. The interface is the stock-standard camera interface, so don’t expect any new additions from Windows Phone 7′s camera options – which does add a big difference to Android phones who have really good controls of the phones. Another feature is the integration of Dolby Mobile audio, creating the illusion of surround sound, and it’s pretty decent.

Microsoft’s approach of a mandated minimum set of features does have some drawbacks because it rarely distinguishes the phones using the operating system and also a confusing task for the consumer to get a good Windows Phone 7 phone.

HTC Differences

While HTC is not able to produce a skin for the device, it has produced a HTC Hub application. However, unlike the HTC skin, it is sluggish to use and offers limited stuff – such as weather forecasts and links to other applications available on the phone such as a Photo Enhancer, Sound Enhancer and a Stocks application. While these differences extend some of the basic features of Windows Phone 7. However, because they are standalone applications, why is there a need of a Hub. Other than that, HTC haven’t bothered in customising it that much.

If you are wondering about our review of the operating system – we have publish a separate review, because there’s not much of a difference between the phones.

Performance

The phone’s performance, thanks to its 1GHz processor, is really good and we have done some real-world testing. We found that it was able to do most of the tasks we put it through – browsing the web, updating Twitter and sending mail – all relatively fast and with no interruptions. We’ve noticed that the battery life drains about a day or two, which is alright for some and not for others.

However, using the internet, we noticed a considerable difference in download time with the HTC 7 Mozart – and this is due to the fact that it’s on Vodafone, while the Mozart is on Telstra. Call quality, despite being on Vodafone, is pretty decent and was able to hear the other side clearly, and the other side was able to hear me clearly.

Overall

The phone is pretty much a cheaper version of the HTC Mozart, carrying similar specifications with the exception of the camera and the design; and because of the non-differences between Windows Phone 7, it makes it harder to distinguish which one is good and which one is not good – something that could be Microsoft’s intention to have minimal specifications.

While Windows Phone 7 have some kinks, if you feel like to take the jump and be an early adopter, then feel free. Otherwise, there are pretty much other phones on the market, and maybe you should wait for Nokia to release their phones with maybe some slight modifications to the OS.

HTC will upgrade its most popular Android phones for the year with some new specifications and a slight design change. The HTC Desire S, Wildfire S and Incredible S were announced at HTC’s announcement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The HTC Desire S will feature the HTC Legend’s aluminium design but sculpted by a single block of metal. It will have a 3.7-inch display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 1.1GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot and running on Android. It also features a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording at the back, and a VGA camera at the front.

The HTC Wildfire S is a more compact and playful device, according to HTC’s press release. It will be also its smallest with a 10.13cm long and 5.94cm wide. Specifications include a 3.2-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, and a microSD card slot (it has 512MB of storage). It features a 600MHz processor.

The HTC Incredible S packs a lot of features, including a 4-inch Super LCD display, an 8-megapixel camera at the back with dual flash and 720p video recording, and a 1.3-megapixel camera at the front. It has a 1GHz processor and 1.1GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot.

All three phones will run Android (version unknown, most likely Gingerbread) and will be available in major European and Asian markets during Q2. The press release is after the jump.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today unveiled three new versions of its most popular and advanced smartphones – HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S.  The new smartphones continue HTC’s commitment to expanding the market for advanced smartphones while providing distinct choices in design, power and value. Each phone also includes HTC Sense, HTC’s unique customer-focused user experience that puts people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way.

“HTC developed the HTC Sense experience to bring cutting-edge innovation to our customers in simple and natural ways that just make sense – this is what HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S represent best,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “These new phones offer an exhilarating mix of style, innovation and features that extend people’s mobile experience in ways that feel personal and completely original.”

HTC Desire S
As a successor to the popular and award-winning HTC Desire, the new HTC Desire S blends stunning design with power and speed. Inspired by the HTC Legend™ smartphone’s aluminium design, the HTC Desire S is sculpted out of a single block of aluminum making it feel solid and natural in your hand. With Qualcomm’s new 1GHz Snapdragon™ MSM8255 processor, the HTC Desire S offers snappy performance and power. It offers dual front and back cameras, High-Definition video recording and the 3.7-inch WVGA display presents multimedia content brilliantly.

HTC Wildfire S
Building on the popularity of the HTC Wildfire™ smartphone, the HTC Wildfire S smartphone is an affordable, compact and playful device that packs a powerful smartphone experience. It enables people to maintain and build connections and friendships through popular sites like Facebook®, as well as through voice and text messaging. You can instantly tag your friends in photos before posting them on Facebook, or share your latest discoveries from the Android™ Market at the touch of a button.

HTC Wildfire S is one of HTC’s smallest phones ever – measuring just 10.13cm long and 5.94cm wide – and boasts a distinctive 3.2 inch, HVGA display.

Celebrate your individuality and choose from a wide variety of colors including black, purple and white. The phone’s home screen is fully customizable with your favorite apps, widgets and content, while a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus, expandable microSD™ memory and support for a variety of audio and video formats make a great all-around multimedia device that slips easily into any pocket.

HTC Incredible S
The alluring HTC Incredible S smartphone combines cutting-edge design with a premium mobile experience for those who dare to be different. Showing what can be achieved when engineers and designers work together to raise the bar for mobile phone design, the HTC Incredible S smartphone features a stunning, contoured body that highlights the internal hardware components of the device. Capturing and viewing video in crystal clear High-Definition has never been so easy and a bright 4-inch WVGA Super LCD display and stereo surround sound bring a vibrant cinematic experience to the palm of your hand.

HTC Incredible S also takes high quality pictures with its 8-megapixel camera with dual flash, and it easily enables videos, photos and music to be shared from the handset direct to a TV using DLNA® technology. Thanks to the HTC Incredible S’s front facing camera and video call functionality, users will constantly be able to chat with their friends face-to-face.

Availability
The HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire S and HTC Incredible S smartphones, will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets during Q2 2011.

HTC has announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona its much-rumoured Facebook phones, the HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha. While the Salsa is a touchscreen device, the ChaCha features a much more classic block phone with a QWERTY phone. Both, however, feature one-touch access to Facebook.

The Salsa features a 3.4-inch display with a 5-megapixel camera at the back and a VGA camera at the front. It has 600MHz CPU while also having only a measly 512MB of storage – though that is expandable with microSD. What Android version is unknown, but expected to be Gingerbread.

The ChaCha again features a 5-megapixel camera at the back and a VGA camera at the front, but will have a 2.6-inch screen due to the keyboard being taken up. The screen is also a touchscreen display, meaning that the keyboard will most likely be used for texting or sending messages. It has 512MB of storage and will be expandable with a microSD card slot. It also has 600MHz processor.

The ChaCha and Salsa will be release in major European and Asian markets in Q2 2011; while the United States will see both later in the year under AT&T. Press release is after the jump.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today announced two new phones built entirely to be social, combining the simplicity, ease-of-use and depth of HTC SenseTM with the power and connectivity of Facebook®.  As part of an extended portfolio of six new HTC Sense-based devices being unveiled at Mobile World Congress, HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa feature a dedicated Facebook® button for one-touch access to the key functions of the Facebook service that are integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience.

“HTC has always understood that different people want different things and the new HTC ChaCha and Salsa offer special new ways to experience Facebook on a mobile device,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “With more than 500 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become synonymous with the social web and we wanted to create the ultimate socially connected phones with mass market appeal.”

“We have worked closely with HTC for several years on bringing Facebook to their devices and HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are the next stage,” said Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook. “HTC has brought Facebook to these two new devices in an innovative way enabling people to connect and share easily whenever they want, wherever they are.”

The Facebook button on HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa is context-aware, gently pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. With a single press of the button, you can update your status, upload a photo, share a Website, post what song you are listening to, ‘check in’ to a location and more. For example, you can take a photograph of friends on your phone and upload it instantly to Facebook by simply pressing the button. Or let your friends know what song you’re listening to by pressing the button while listening to music on the phone. The track is automatically identified and shared on Facebook.

The new devices feature Android Gingerbread 2.3.3, the latest version, and use the latest iteration of HTC Sense to integrate Facebook throughout the HTC Sense experience. When you make a phone call, the dialer screen displays your friend’s latest status and photos, and even tells you if their birthday is approaching. The same updates are also displayed when you receive a call from a Facebook friend. You can also use your phone’s existing contacts to help you connect with them on Facebook or personalize your handset further with a number of new, Facebook-branded widgets.

The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones make it simple to stay in touch with your friends using Facebook Chat and Messages on your phone. Your Facebook messages and conversations are integrated within your phone and appear within your text and email inboxes alongside your regular conversations.

Stay connected with the smartphone for the Facebook generation – HTC ChaCha
The HTC ChaCha smartphone is designed to provide a seamless, social experience by enabling you to stay in touch with your friends anytime, anywhere. The unique tilt design shapes the display and physical QWERTY keyboard so it is easy to view and comfortable to type. Capture special moments in crisp, High-Definition detail or video chat with your friends using the dual cameras, including a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. The ChaCha smartphone also brings the Internet to your fingertips with a 2.6-inch, 480 x 320 resolution landscape touch screen.

Your Facebook friends never felt closer – HTC Salsa
Boasting the same deep Facebook integration as the HTC ChaCha smartphone, the HTC Salsa smartphone provides a fast, high-performance smartphone experience. Capture the moment in high-resolution stills or video with the 5-megapixel camera and immediately share it with friends on the generous 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 resolution touch display. Upload your photos to Facebook at the touch of a button. For face-to-face conversations on the move, the VGA forward-facing camera enables high-quality video calling.

Availability
The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones will be available to customers across major European and Asian markets during Q2 2011. In the United States, HTC plans to bring this unique user experience to market later this year exclusively with AT&T.

HTC, as part of its list of announcements at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, has announced a brand new tablet – despite the many other companies launching tablets this year. Called the HTC Flyer, the 7-inch tablet will feature the same interface as its phones – albeit some changes.

Internals include a 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, with 3G connectivity and Wi-Fi. It has two cameras – a 5-megapixel camera at the rear and a 1.3-megapixel camera at the front. What version of Android, however, is unknown – though expected to be Honeycomb.

What’s also included, and now unusual in today’s tablets, is the included pen. However, it should be noted that the tablet can use both natural gestures and pen gestures. But the pen feature will have full integration with Evernote.

The tablet will feature some HTC services – including HTC Watch, a new video download service allowing the watching of several HD movies on demand; and integration of OnLive, a cloud-based gaming system where the games can be run instantly without installing the actual game itself.

The tablet is to be out in the market in Q2. The press release is below.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced its first tablet, the HTC FlyerTM. HTC Flyer blends HTC’s trademark design language with an all-new HTC Sense user experience that has been reimagined for the tablets. Using an intuitive and innovative approach to tablets, HTC Flyer combines natural touch and pen interaction. HTC also announced HTC Watch, a new connected video service that will debut on HTC Flyer tablet, and will collaborate with OnLive, Inc. to launch the first cloud-based mobile gaming service on a tablet.

“Clearly, smartphones have transformed our lives but as we observed how people use smartphones, computers and other technologies, we saw an opportunity to create a tablet experience that is different, more personal and productive,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “We are progressing down a path as an industry when people will no longer be in a single device paradigm, but have multiple wireless devices for different needs; this is the direction we are moving.”

Encased in a sleek aluminum unibody, the HTC Flyer tablet exudes the iconic style and build quality HTC is known for. It is also ultra-light, weighing as little as a paperback book, and compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket only. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed HSPA+ wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have been waiting for a tablet that is both compact and powerful.

HTC Sense for Tablet

HTC Sense revolutionized smartphones by placing the person at the center of the experience. HTC Flyer’s tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen. A unique carousel of widgets puts a user’s most important content and information at the visual center of the experience. The HTC Flyer tablet also offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5.

HTC Scribe Technology

Touch interaction lights up the HTC Flyer tablet experience, but it also offers a groundbreaking pen experience. With the new HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet, people can rediscover the natural act of writing. HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it easy and natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or even write on a web page or photo.
HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet transforms traditional note-taking into smart note-taking by integrating natural onscreen writing with thoughtful and integrated innovations. A feature called Timemark enables you to capture the audio of a meeting in line with your written notes, so tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording of the meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so when there is an appointment reminder you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off. In an industry first, the HTC Flyer tablet also features built-in synchronization with Evernote, the world-leading notes application and service.

Streaming Mobile Movies with HTC Watch

The HTC Flyer tablet premieres HTC Watch, HTC’s new video download service. The HTC Watch service enables low-cost on-demand progressive downloading of hundreds of High-Definition movies from major studios. The intuitive, natural design of the HTC Watch service makes it easy to find the latest movie and video content, while advanced technology on the back-end enables instant playback over the HTC Flyer tablet’s high-speed wireless connection.

Mobile Cloud Gaming with OnLive

HTC takes mobile gaming to an entirely new level by being the first mobile device in the world to integrate OnLive Inc.’s revolutionary cloud-based gaming service. OnLive is leading in the home gaming market by letting people play top video games on their televisions and computers without the need to buy expensive gaming hardware or software. When integrated fully, the OnLive service will enable customers to pipe the OnLive service through the HTC Flyer tablet’s broadband wireless to their television sets, or let them play directly on the tablet. When integrated on the HTC Flyer tablet, people can play a variety of games, including hits like Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood™, NBA 2K11 and Lego Harry Potter™.

Availability

HTC Flyer will be available to customers globally during Q2 2011.

Stewart is sick for this episode – so officially ending his perfect attendance record. And Tom is doing the recording, and he expresses his outrage on his ISP – and if you see some bits of editing fail, you know who to turn.

We’ll see you next week on TECHGEEK Weekly. Don’t forget to subscribe!

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HTC ThunderBolt smartphone (Image: HTC/Verizon)

Motorola isn’t the only phone maker pushing 4G, Taiwan-based company HTC is also creating phones for the 4G network, and just like Motorola, creating one each for the 4G networks in the US – Verizon, Sprint and AT&T, with the HTC ThunderBolt, EVO Shift 4G and the Inspire 4G (respectively).

The ThunderBolt was showed off at Verizon’s press conference and will feature a 1GHz processor and runs on Android 2.2. It will have a 4.3-inch display, Dolby surround sound, 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording and DLNA support. It also will have Skype integrated as part of Verizon’s deal with the VoIP provider, and will also be able to be used as a mobile hotspot.

The EVO Shift 4G is the long awaited update to the EVO, and will include a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It will also feature a 3.6-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording and will be able to be used as a mobile hotspot. It will run on an 800MHz processor with Android 2.2. Customers on Sprint can get the phone now via pre-order and will ship on January 10 for $149.

The Inspire 4G is AT&T’s HTC 4G phone and will feature a Qualcomm 1GHz processor with Android 2.2. It will feature a 4.3-inch display and an 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD recording, active noise cancellation and Dolby and SRS surround sound. It will also have 4GB internal storage with a microSD card slot.

No word when the product will hit Australia, or have a 3G-only equivalent.