8:54 AM
HTC has gone from being an unknown manufacturer for bigger brands to one spewing out leading
Android smartphones. The Desire was a landmark phone in the fight against the
iPhone, but now tech has moved up a level - can the HTC Sensation stay at the sharp end?
With the launch of the
Samsung Galaxy S2, the
Motorola Atrix and (to a degree) the LG Optimus 2X, dual-core phones have become the darling of the tech enthusiast.
And
HTC has recognised that in bringing out a phone that ticks all the boxes for the most sought-after tech, bringing an 8MP camera, 1080p video recording, a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm chipset and a qHD resolution 4.3-inch screen.
Our colleagues at T3.com grabbed some HTC Sensation video footage, so check out the phone in all its digital moving picture glory:
Coming in at £35 a month on a two year deal, or £500 SIM free, it's matching the cost of other high end smartphones at the moment - but given it's HTC's flagship device, we'd expect it costing a little more than the masses.
The design of the HTC Sensation is a little bit larger than its rivals, in that it comes in at 11.3mm thick - noticeably thicker than the likes of the Galaxy S2, but still feeling comfortable in the hand.
The screen is also a different animal to most of the 4.3-inch offerings out there - with the qHD (540x960) resolution display, the Sensation is a thinner offering while still allowing movies to be played in widescreen.
The phone itself is encased in toughened plastic and aluminium (which feels more like plastic) through the stripe in the centre - the whole back of the phones pulls away from the main device, with the antenna and suchlike pumped into the chassis rather than on the phone itself.
Getting the back of the phone off through the little catch at the bottom is much harder than it looks, with the fingers needed to prise it apart almost holding it in place at the same time - wiggling and shaking is needed to get to the battery and microSD card slot.
The power/lock button is placed on the top right hand side of the phone, and sits probably a little too close to the chassis to be easily pressed - although it's more of a minor annoyance than a deal breaker.
HTC is one of the few brands that's still keeping faith with the dedicated search key, (the likes of the
Sony Ericsson Arc and Galaxy S2 have done away with it altogether) but the keys are touch sensitive like the HTC Desire S, and react instantly to a feathery fingering.
The headphone socket is at the top of the Sensation (rather than taking its design cues from the larger-screened phones like the Desire HD, which liked to plonk it at the bottom) but is probably a little close to the edge of the phone - getting a good grip when holding the phone to watch video can be a little hard.
HTC has long had a problem with screen visibility in direct sunlight, and it seems that issue has continued somewhat with the Sensation. It's definitely a step up, as at medium brightness you can make out what's on the screen, but compare it to the iPhone 4's Retina Display or the Super AMOLED Plus of the Galaxy S2 and it's miles behind. However, the resolution is definitely a step forward, and the sharpness of the text is impressive.
The
HTC Sensation isn't in the same 'thin and super light' category of many of today's smartphones - it comes in at nearly 150g compared to the helium-esque devices on the market today - but it's a solid build quality and one you wouldn't panic about too much if you saw it plummeting towards a carpeted floor.
With the HTC Sensation we're given our first look at the new version of the Taiwanese brand's overlay to Android. Running Android 2.3.3, the Sensation is perfectly up to date with the most recent version of Google's OS, and the new Sense 3.0 iteration is the next step forward for a user interface.
The main thing most HTC fans will notice is the new 3D scrolling - flicking through the many home screens will now see each one rotating around a virtual cylinder, rather than bouncing left and right in a linear fashion.
The widgets will even expand inwards and outwards to add to the effect, and really works to show off the dual-core nature of the 1.2GHz processor under the hood.
In standard HTC style, the Sensation reacts instantly under the finger - we're not talking
Nokia N8 levels of swiping and waiting here, the capacitive touchscreen leaps to do your bidding in nearly every scenario.
The lock screen has also been given a massive overhaul too - instead of dragging a bar upwards to open up the phone, you have a large ring to swipe upwards to get started.
But it's not just that - there are four application spaces to drop your favourite functions into, and you can drag these into the ring to jump into them instead of starting up in the home screen. This is brilliant for things like the camera (as there's no dedicated button) so you can start snapping as fast as you can.
It's not a perfect system though - we had a few instances where we couldn't get the ring to slide fully up with our touch, meaning we had to have multiple attempts to simply get into the phone.
The other annoyance is notifications - if you have a message or missed call, it shows in a big pop-up at the centre of the lock screen, which is cool. But you can't drag this into the ring to jump straight to the notification unless you have the phone or message application selected as one of your quick links - seems like a missed trick from HTC.
The drag-down notification bar, which is present throughout the phone and one of the key pieces of the Android OS, has been given another makeover by HTC compared to the likes of the Desire (although we've already seen the upgraded functionality on the Desire S).
This means you can drag it down to see emails, messages and application notifications, but also see a scrolling list of the most recently used applications in a sliding bar and access the music player controls if you've got some tunes playing.
However, there's also a little tab at the bottom to let you control oft-used elements of the phone - we're talking Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS etc all toggle-able with the touch of a check box. It's a little convoluted to get into (we prefer the Samsung TouchWiz version, where these controls are at the top of the drag down menu) but it's great to be able to activate Bluetooth without having to open Settings.
There's clearly been a great deal of effort made with the HTC Sense 3.0 user interface, and it shows - it's not as snappy as the Samsung Galaxy S2, but it's unflappable and we found very little slowdown throughout. If you're upgrading from another HTC Device, this is Sense on a whole new level.
Source (techradar.com)
HTC Desire HD is a great phone with some awesome features. Check out the
best 30 apps I use on my HTC Desire HD:
Advanced Task Killer: This is the app I use most on my Desire HD. With this app you can
kill all the tasks
opened on your phone with just a click. This app shortcut is well deserved to be on my home screen. By killing all the running tasks you can free the phone's memory, hence speeding up your phone and saving battery life.
Air Control Lite: This is a fun and addictive game. All you need to do is become a pilot and land the airplanes,
helicopters on their runways and helipads respectively without collisions.
Angry Birds Seasons: Angry Birds is the top free game for both Android and iOS. Seasons is the new version of angry birds with many seasons like Hogs and Kisses, Seasons Greedings, Trick or Treat etc.
Barcode Scanner: This is yet another app I use most on my HTC Desire HD to scan the QR codes while downloading apps for my phone. With this app you can
scan barcodes on products then look up prices and reviews, scan Data Matrix and QR Codes containing URLs,
contact info, etc.
Blogaway: This is the must have app for Bloggers on Desire HD. Though Blogger released the official app, this app has some unique features like editing and viewing older posts etc. Hence it can replace the official blogger app on your phone.
CamCard Lite: This app is used extract the scanned the business cards using Desire HD's camera and save all the info like name, phone number, fax etc into contacts. Also it will automatically trim and enhance
card image before saving it into contacts.
CamScanner: This app turns our HTC Desire HD into a document scanner machine. This app helps you to scan and manage your documents, whiteboard discussions and receipts easily. Also the smart image cropping and enhancement algorithm ensures that the scanned images are clear and recognizable.
Documents To Go: With this app you can turn your phone into a mobile office. You can view
Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Though the
free version is available for basic needs like viewing, it doesn't allow you to edit documents. You need to purchase full version to edit documents on a go.
Epicurious: This is the number one cooking app for both Android and iOS. The app has 28,000 delicious dishes along with shopping list support. You can simply view the recipe, add the required ingredients to shopping list and plan for your cooking accordingly.
FxCamera: This app will allow you to capture pictures of your friends in a funny way with various effects like ToyCam, Polandroid, Fisheye, SymmetriCam, Warhol, Normal etc.
Google Sky Map: This app turns your HTC Desire HD into a window on the night sky. All you need to do is just point your phone at the sky, and the app will show you the stars, planets, constellation etc that is there on the sky using your phone's GPS. You can also browse the skies in manual mode.
Handcent SMS: This is the best app for messaging on your android powered desire HD phone. I replaced the default messaging froyo app with this one on my phone. The app has great features like Group sending options, SMS Popup with quick text, iPhone look messaging system, photo and emoji icons support etc.
iBasket: I used to play this game on my friend's iPhone and now I am playing it on my Desire HD. Its a fun playing and addictive game. You can also challenge your friends right from your phone.
Instant Heart Rate: This app turns your phone into a heart rate monitor. The app uses the phone camera to calculate heart rate. Just place your finger gently over the camera for 10 seconds and your current heart rate will be displayed on your Desire HD. It was accurate and also tested by professional doctors.
Layar: This is an Augmented Reality app I use on my desire HD. Layar app uses camera, 3G and phone's GPS to display digital information lapped onto the phone's view.
MapDroyd: I was using
Google Maps before I found this app on the market. Google Maps requries 3G connectivity always while using it. But MapDroyd app provides offline maps solution to the Desire HD. It offers world-wide off-line maps powered by OpenStreetMap. Though it is not as good as Google Maps, considering data connectivity charges its a great alternative to it.
MyFitnessPal: This is a
calorie counter and diet tracker application. In-fact this app has the largest database of food and with its amazing features, this will help you in keeping your diet everyday.
NinJump: I loved this game playing on iPhone and now on my desire HD. This is a fun and addictive game. All you have to do is rise to the top by avoiding obstacles and become a
ninja master.
Paper Toss: This game is from same makers of NinJump. I think the makers, BackFlip studios know how to engage people by making fun and addictive games. In this game you need to toss a paper into dustbin. It has various levels of difficulites and various places like airport, basement, restroom etc.
Photoshop Express: With this app you can edit and share photos on a go. There are many editing options like crop, rotate, adjust color, artistic effects etc. This is a must have app on your desire HD if you are a photo-phobic.
Raging Thunder 2: If you love racing games, then this game is for you. It is an adrenaline pumping 3D racer. It also features cross-platform multiplayer gaming support.
Schedalls: This is a very much useful app to send messages to friends at right time. Suppose you want to wish your friend on his/her birthday at exactly 11:59 PM, this app helps you to schedule the messages and the message will be sent to them in the exact time. No worryings about forgetting to send an important message.
SpeedTest: This app is used to determine the speed of your 3G connectivity. Its an official app from popular site speedtest.net.
SuperBox: This app has 10 tools in total like Memory monitor, app2sd, cache cleaner, task killer, battery widget etc.
TeamViewer: This is a remote desktop application. With this app, I can access my home desktop from my HTC Desire HD while on a go.
To Do List: This is a free and simple to do list app for Desire HD. With this app you can add, edit or delete tasks, write notes, set alerts and even make calls.
TubeMate: This is the best application for downloading youtube videos on your phone directly for offline viewing.
VitalPlayer: This is the best media player I use on my desire HD. It supports almost all video and audio codecs. The
powerful software codecs in the app provides smooth quality video.
Winamp: The old winamp desktop app is back for android phones. With this app you can play, manage and sync music from your desktop to your Desire HD.
WorldWars: This is a fun and addictive game for your Desire HD. I finished the game with difficulty 1 at 2nd attempt but when I increase the difficulty level, the game is really hard to play and we have to think our own strategies to defend against stronger side.
What apps you use on your
HTC Desire HD that I had missed?
Sourece (internet)
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