HTC Aria Review

Introduction

Android or iPhone? The Aria is an Android phone thrust into Apple's land, namely AT&T. As HTC's flagship phone, the device competes directly with the new iPhone 4. They both have a large touch screen display, 5.0-megapixel cameras and music players, Wi-Fi and high-speed HSDPA Internet and Bluetooth and GPS capabilities.But there are slight differences between the two -- the iPhone 4 has a higher-resolution screen, while the Aria has an expandable microSD slot. Android integrates Google's online services -- Gmail in particular -- along with a sense of openness and hardware choice. Apple's iPhone has a best-in-class user interface, a stylish build quality, the largest available mobile app catalog and tight media integration through iTunes.

There is no doubt these two phones are top-of-the-line. So smartphone buyers will, no doubt, be asking: How does the Aria stack up against the iPhone?

Design

HTC decided on a minimalist design. The Aria sports a black and chrome look, with a slytlish dark face. It's also small -- nearly 10 percent shorter and 20 percent lighter than the iPhone -- for a very pocketable and very good feel in even the smallest of hands.But the trade-off is a smaller touch screen. And the Aria's 3.2-inch display is nearly a half-inch smaller than the iPhone's.

Below the display, four capacitive-touch buttons -- home, menu, back and search -- are etched into the glass. They're completely smooth, which means users will have to look at which button they're pressing. An optical joystick below that helps users navigate through the menus.

The back of the Aria has a 5.0-megapixel camera, without flash, and a speaker grille. When the back cover is removed, the battery and microSD card are revealed -- both which aren't accessible on the iPhone.

Around the sides of the device, there's a micro-USB port for charging and connecting to a computer, a 3.5mm headphone jack to use headphones and a volume rocker.

Overall, the Aria is a well-designed visual package: from the hardware to the software, everything is black with chrome accents and gives a cohesive and professional feel, rivaling the industry-leading iPhone.

It's also very light and won't put a strain on your hand if you talk for hours. While the Aria is not a top-end smartphone, it can hold its own against its more expensive devices.

Out of the box, the HTC Aria comes with a standard battery, USB wall charger, headphones and the customary user guides and manuals. and an envelope to recycle your old phone -- all encased in an eco-friendly package.

Camera The Aria sports a 5.0-megapixel camera, but it lacks the LED flash for low-light conditions. In properly-lit environments, even artificially-lit, the camera performs admirably. But it's unusable in dim environments.The auto-focus found its target quickly and consistently. The face detection didn't always find its mark, but the people in my photos were almost always properly focused. The photos captured, while far from aren't ready for the Whitney, will do perfectly for the Facebook, Flickr, or Twitter amateur photographer's needs. The camera has a few options as well. Users can adjust the resolution of the shots, brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, ISO, and white balance. They can add various effects, including Sepia tone and Black & White. This is a nice range of options and settings.To take a picture, users press the optical joystick. HTC could have included a dedicated camera button, but that would have taken away from the minimalist design. The company could have also added an on-screen shutter button, similar to the Evo 4G, but with such small screen space, every pixel ought to be taken up by the image. Overall, HTC included some thoughtful design choices. The Aria can also capture video, albeit at the low-ish 640 x 480 pixel resolution. This is roughly "standard definition video," just below DVD quality and far below the HD resolutions offered by the cameras on the Evo and the iPhone 4. I was disappointed by the lack of HD capture here; video-philes should look elsewhere for their HD capture needs. Basic Features The Aria is one of the most responsive smartphone on the market. There's zero delay between the fingers and the phone's response -- functions such as the on-screen keyboard, the app launch times, the different home screens, the notification bar, activating different widgets, and every other feature you can imagine -- they all performed instantly, without any delay or lag. This is an impressive feat, and something on which the Aria gets the highest of marks. If performance is important to you, the Aria is a serious contender.What can you do with all that responsiveness? That's the Android operating system with HTC's customized "Sense" interface. Android can be customized to an almost ridiculous degree. Every single part of software can be replaced or modified by hardware manufacturers, wireless carriers, and even individuals with the time and expertise to modify their mobile's operating system. Android organizes the phone around "home screens:" editable rectangles of various bits of information. So, when you look at your phone, you might see a few shortcuts to app, a weather box, a clock, and a little picture frame -- all on the same screen. You can then use the optical joystick or your finger on the screen to swipe right, and you are greeted with another home screen -- there are seven in total. You can then add some more shortcuts, applications, or widgets to this screen. Perhaps you have a widget that displays the most recent sports scores, or the news in your area, or your friends' updates to social networks like Twitter or Facebook. These widgets display "at a glance" information, which means you won't have to launch an app or tap anything to get them to do their magic; they just update in the background, at your specified update frequency, so their information is ready as soon as you unlock the phone and swipe over to their screen. The effect of all this home screen widget customization is that you get quick information without waiting. This is a very convenient way to organize your life: you can have a "calendar" home screen with upcoming events, a "sports" home screen with various scores and standings; a "people" home screen with quick links to call or message your friends, and so on. This makes the Aria, and other Android phones like it, very easy to use: you don't have to launch an app to find out what your friends are doing, or how the Yankees did last night. Combined with the its unbelievable speed, this makes the Aria a very enjoyable handset to use. There were no problem calling up Twitter updates, Facebook pictures, and so on, all with blazing speed. And this is the Aria's biggest strength: the myriad information available to you in a very small amount of time beats every other kind of smartphone -- including the new iPhone 4. Kudos, HTC. All of the basic phone functions are easy get to on the Aria: text and multimedia messaging, phone calling, dialing, and so forth. HTC's Sense adds a "phone" shortcut to the bottom of every home screen, so it is very easy to jump into the phone and make a call. That small screen size gives the Aria a leg up on the competition when it comes to power consumption. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and under light use, I drained only 20 percent of the Aria's battery in 24 hours. This speaks well for the Aria; battery life is a plus here. Heavy users should have no problems lasting the work day. Screen At 262K-colors, the Aria's screen is bright enough, though not as vivid as, say, the iPhone 4's 16.7 million colors. It also has one-fourth the resolution, at 320 by 480 pixels, than the iPhone 4's 960 by 480 pixel display.While it sounds bad, it isn't so much the Aria's inferior screen as it is the iPhone's superior display. In fact, aside from the iPhone, the Aria's display is considered high-end. Text on the Aria is crisp at about 10-inches away from your eyes; move the handset closer, and it gets progressively blurrier. Unfortunately, since the Aria is so small, more than 12-inches means the text is unreadable, even with my corrected-to-20/20 eyes. Combined with the relatively small screen size, the Aria's screen displays text clearly and images and video beautifully, though a tad cramped. If you have good eyes and don't read much, then the Aria is perfect for you. If you do a lot of reading on your mobile, then you might want to consider the iPhone 4. Messaging The Aria's on-screen keyboard looks small, but it gets the job done very well. You might think that a larger display, such as the Evo 4G, with its extra 1.1-inches of diagonal space, would be worlds better. But it also means users will have to move their fingers longer distances when typing. I was able to type just as quickly and accurately on the Aria as I have on the Evo and the iPhone. HTC has done a great job here of tuning the auto-correct dictionary to predict exactly the word I need nine times out of 10. That, combined with its ability to learn new words and store them for future predictions, makes the keyboard on the Aria a very attractive feature. When you first power on the Aria, you are asked to enter your Google account username and password. For the millions of Gmail users in the country, this is a familiar process. If you don't use Gmail, or any other Google services, you will have to create a Google account and associated Gmail address in order to use the phone. This might sound cumbersome at first, but I had no trouble creating a new Google account right on the phone. The entire process takes about three minutes, and is as painless as can be. Once Gmail is activated, the Aria is an absolute dream. The new mail notifications come in instantly, and the Gmail app supports all the familiar Gmail features -- such as archiving, conversation view, and so on. The app is lightning fast, even with large inboxes. You can also add other non-Gmail accounts via the popular POP3 and IMAP4 email delivery protocols. HTC has added support for Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync protocol for mail and contact syncing. Unfortunately, the amazing Gmail app is only for Gmail. Other email accounts you add will be handled by a separate "Mail" app. This app is capable, and supports some handy widgets, but it is not as fast-performing or easy to use as the Gmail app. I am not sure why Google hasn't extended its Gmail app to the rest of Android's email functions.

HTC Wildfire S Review

Its small size won't please everyone, but the HTC Wildfire S is a decent, entry-level Android smartphone for a very affordable price.

Dual-core and 4G smartphones might dominate the headlines these days, but the fact of the matter is that not everyone is after the latest and greatest. Some don't need all the bells and whistles; some are just making their first jump to a smartphone. There's also the fact that the higher-end devices come with premium price tags, so there's certainly a market for affordable, entry-level devices. The HTC Wildfire S is one such device. At $79.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate, the Wildfire S brings a wallet-friendly Android smartphone to T-Mobile's lineup. It's certainly not the first--the carrier also has such models as the Samsung Gravity Smart and the LG Optimus T--but the Wildfire delivers better build quality and updated features. If you're on a budget or new to smartphones, the Wildfire S is certainly a good option, though its petite size will be a turnoff to some.

Design
At 4 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.49 inch thick and 3.7 ounces, the HTC Wildfire S is a nice break from today's mammoth devices. The petite handset easily slips into a pants pocket and feels very comfortable to hold. The Wildfire also has a very nice build quality--not plasticky or cheap--and is available in black or a cool white.

The flip side of the Wildfire's compact size is that it's not going to be for everyone, especially with its smaller display. The 3.2-inch HVGA (480x320 pixels) touch screen makes it a bit difficult for people with larger digits to navigate through the menus and type messages on the cramped onscreen keyboard. Reading text and viewing Web pages and media are also a bit more challenging on a smaller screen, but at least the display offers pinch-to-zoom support and a built-in accelerometer. The smartphone also comes with the Swype keyboard, so you don't have to peck away at the smallish buttons.

Below the display, you get four touch-sensitive navigation keys for the home, menu, back, and search functions. On the left side are a volume rocker and a Micro-USB port. The top of the device houses the power button and 3.5mm headphone jack, and on back you'll find the camera and flash. There is no front-facing camera for video calls.

T-Mobile packages the HTC Wildfire S with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a 2GB microSD card, and reference material.

Features
The HTC Wildfire S delivers a decent set of features for the price. As a phone, it offers quad-band world roaming, a speakerphone, speed dial, smart dialing, voice commands, conference calling, and text and multimedia messaging. With support for Wi-Fi calling, you can also make calls over a Wi-Fi network. The feature is free, but be aware that minutes are deducted from your regular voice plan. In addition to Wi-Fi, the Wildfire has Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/AGPS, and 3G support.

The smartphone ships running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with the HTC Sense user experience. The Wildfire doesn't feature the latest version of Sense, which is found on such devices as the HTC Sensation 4G, so you won't get some of the new enhancements like the revamped lock screen. Still, Sense provides an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use interface.

HTC HD7 Review

The hardware could use a bit of updating, but the HTC HD7 for T-Mobile combines the power of Windows Phone 7 with a large touch screen and delivers satisfying performance.
The HTC HD7 is T-Mobile's first Windows Phone 7 device and makes its debut on November 8, along with the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround for AT&T. The HD7, however, holds the distinction of having the largest display of any Windows Phone 7 handset in the U.S., and certainly the extra screen real estate plays well with the platform's multimedia and gaming abilities. That said, it doesn't have the crispness and vibrancy of some of the latest smartphone displays, and in general, we would have liked to see more improvements or upgrades to the HD7 in comparison to its predecessor, the HTC HD2, as the two phones share the same screen, processor, and battery. Still, the HD7 performs well and as we discussed in our review of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's revamped mobile operating system is solid, so if you crave a big display, the HD7 is the way to go. The HTC HD7 will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Design
Of the Windows Phone 7 devices we've reviewed so far--the Samsung Focus and the HTC Surround--the HTC HD7 is certainly the most eye-catching. For one, it's the largest of the group, taking after its predecessor, the HTC HD2. The smartphone measures 4.8 inches tall by 2.7 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick and weighs 5.7 ounces. The size won't appeal to everyone, as it is a handful, but to HTC's credit, the company kept the handset pretty thin so you can still manage to slip it into a pants pocket. The build quality of the phone is solid, and the soft-touch finish on the back prevents it from feeling too plasticky and slick.

Of course, the whole reason for the HD7's bigger size is the 4.3-inch touch screen. It's currently the largest display offered on a Windows Phone 7 device here in the U.S. There are several benefits to that. The extra screen real estate makes it great for multimedia, playing games, and Web browsing--features which are well-implemented on Windows Phone 7. When the Amazon Kindle app for Windows Phone 7 is released, you'll also be able to read e-books right on the phone.

Another advantage is that you get a larger keyboard. Windows Phone 7 already offers a pretty great and accurate keyboard, and we had no problems using it on the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround, but we did find we were able to type much faster using the HD7. One thing that doesn't change, however, is the number of tiles and apps that are viewable from the Start screen and apps menu list. They're simply enlarged on the HD7, so you're seeing the same amount that you would on the Focus or Surround.

The touch screen is responsive. Apps and hubs launched as soon as we tapped on the tiles or shortcuts, and we were able to quickly move through the hubs. Scrolling and pinch-to-zoom were also smooth. Overall, the display is bright and clear, showing off 480x800 pixels, but we definitely noticed a difference in quality compared with some of the higher-resolution displays on some of the today's latest smartphones. It just wasn't as sharp or crisp as some of the latest smartphones, and colors looked a bit dull compared with the Super AMOLED screen on the Focus. It's not a deal breaker, and the touch screen works well with Windows Phone 7; we just think the experience could have been that much better with a sharper display.

Below the display, you will find the back, start, and search buttons, which are required by Microsoft. They're of the touch-sensitive variety, but there are also several physical buttons on the device, including a volume rocker and a camera key on the right side, and a power button on top of the phone.

Rounding out things is a Micro-USB port and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack on the bottom, and the camera and dual-LED flash on back. HTC cleverly incorporated a metal kickstand around the latter. There's a small gap where you can use your finger to pop the kickstand open and lay the phone on a flat surface so you can enjoy videos and music hands-free. The phone's speakers are visible just above and below the touch screen.

The HTC HD7 comes packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a wired stereo headset, and reference material.