TechGazing

One of the biggest complaints we have had about Android devices in the country has been the fact that they have generally cost a packet and have more often than not come with older versions of the operating system. Well, HTC’s latest Android handset, the Wildfire, cannot be accused of either of these shortcomings. The phone which was released in the Indian market recently in collaboration with Reliance, runs Android 2.1 (yes, we know that Android 2.2 is out but it is available on a handful of devices as of now), has a 5 MP camera with a flash and comes at a price of Rs 16,990 (it is actually available in some parts of the market for about Rs 15,500).

Also among the goodies onboard are a digital compass, the HTC Sense interface (which many consider to be one of the best for Android), a 3.2 inch touchscreen, 512 MB memory, support for 3G and FM Radio. Pretty good, we think, and easily the best value for money Android device that we have seen in the Indian market, easily outstripping the Samsung Galaxy Spica, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini and the LG GW 620, all of which were in the Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000 price range.

As the number of Android phones in the country increases, a rather disturbing trend is becoming evident - a number of smartphone manufacturers are selling their devices with older versions of Android and what’s worse, are not providing any option to the user to update them to newer versions. In simple terms, just imagine that someone not only sells you a computer that is running an older version of Windows (say Windows 98) but also prevents you from updating it to a newer version. Sounds ridiculous? Well, that is exactly what seems to be happening. Of all the Android devices in the country, only two - the HTC Legend and the Motorola Milestone - are running the latest version(2.1) of Android. Of the rest, only one - the Samsung Spica - has been updated to the latest version. The others - HTC Hero, HTC Tattoo, HTC Magic, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, LG GW620, Samsung Glaxay, Acer Liquid - are all running older versions of Android (either 1.5 or 1.6). Continue reading »

After being idenitifed largely with high-end enterprise phones, HTC today has dipped its toes rather daintily in relatively lower segment waters. The company has released its HTC Smart handset, which runs on Qualcomm’s Brew Mobile Platform operating system, sports a 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution and is equipped with a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack. The HTC Smart also includes a 3.0 megapixel color camera with fixed focus and flashlight. It comes with HTC Sense, the company’s trademark interface that lets users get stacks of information on the homescreen itself. And best of all, it costs around Rs 9,990, which is remarkably low for a new HTC phone. Yes, it is not a smartphone in the Windows Mobile or Android category, but it still does a lot for someone looking for just a good Internet browsing experience and easy access to social networks.
Still, we cannot help but get a sneaky feeling that this release comes a bit late in the day as far as the Indian market is concerned. With LG’s Cookie Zap and Samsung’s Corby series offering similar features at relatively lower prices, and even Nokia coming to the party with the super 5233, the Smart is going to have its work cut out, convincing Indian users that it is a better bet than the competition. Indian consumers are not going to be complaining, though.