Mobile Computing News

Photo: HTC

With embargos dropped, and wide availability across the UK, the opportunity to thoroughly review the beloved HTC Desire has come about. And, to little surprise, it does not disappoint.

Slim, sleek finish

The slim phone, measuring in at (in mm) 119 x 60 x 11.9, weighs a mere 133g. It has a rubberised grip, which is prone to slipping at inopportune times, and only has only six buttons on the phone: four front-facing buttons, which are standard fare on all HTC Android devices, and two side buttons.

More than a Nexus One clone

Photo: HTC

It must be prefaced that the similarities between this phone and the Google Nexus One – both are manufactured by HTC – are striking and for some, the addition of HTC’s Sense UI makes for a better device, whereas others would prefer it was not present. Sense is essentially HTC’s multiple home screens interface, that lets you widgetise all the apps you use frequently. You have seven screens you can alternate between, themed as you want, for quick access to groups of applications you use frequently.

The HTC Desire runs on Android 2.1, just like the Nexus One. It has a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 800 x 480, just like the Nexus One. It also has a 5-megapixel camera with native autofocus and 512mb of ROM, just like the Nexus One, too.

Where it differs from the Nexus One is in its optical track pad, which is fun to use for the rare occasions you will need to use it, and sits flush with the rest of the phone’s surface area.

Operating system and interface

Photo: HTC

Not much more can be said about Android 2.1 than has already been said. It’s a solid operating system, highly customisable in its ability to drop widgets to the home page as you need and, now with over 30,000 apps, finally has a decent base of applications for purchase. The phone’s touch screen is highly responsive and though it feels more ‘resistive’ than the iPhone’s, it works very well. Whether Sense UI is for you depends entirely on your preference.

Camera

The camera shoots images at an attractive 5:3 widescreen aspect ratio, which is different from the Nexus One’s 4:3 aspect ratio and the Legend’s 3:2 aspect ratio, even though all three phones have 5-megapixel cameras. The HTC Desire shoots videos in 800 x 480, which, though it isn’t quite 16:9 (it’s 15:9, for those who are interested), gives off great widescreen videos.

Thoughts

The HTC Desire is a smashing phone, in more ways than one. It is so well engineered, so well put together, that the fact that it’s a modified Google Nexus One fades very quickly from memory.