Mobile Phone Reviews : The Regulars

The HTC Incredible S smartphone operates on the Android system, and focuses on imaging and communication as its unique selling point.  It is similar in form and design to other HTC phones and this model also boasts great integrated features. 

Almost any HTC Incredible S review on the internet is extremely positive.  The large touch screen fills almost the entire section of the casing (which is 12cm by 6.4cm; four inches from corner to corner).  Again, HTC have produced a very vibrant and engaging phone, with the screen able to display up to sixteen million colours.  Touch sensitive keys at the bottom of the screen allow users one key stroke access to the home page, a keypad, back option and an instant search facility.

This device excels in the imaging and media department.  Not only is it equipped with the high resolution 8 megapixel camera (as well as a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video calling), but the phone also has functionality to play a wide variety of video formats.  The camera itself features an image stabiliser, automatic focus, flash and tagging and colour settings.  Music too is well catered for in this model with the music payer and radio feature and high quality sound.

This model supports multiple email accounts, as well as push email and instant messaging.  It integrates well with popular social networking sites via easily accessible applications.  The model also performs well in terms of technology spec, enabling easy Web surfing and offering Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.  Internal memory is small – only 1.1GB – but can be supplemented by a Micro SD memory card.

HTC is a company based in Taiwan that produces smartphones.  They were involved in the collaborative effort that aided Google in producing the Android OS.  The HTC Dream was the very first smartphone released which featured the Android operating system.  

Although Android is widely known about, new HTC mobile users often have to ask, ‘What is HTC Sense?’  It can be basically described as a graphical user interface that sits on top of the Android framework.  It incorporates touchscreen technology in order to enhance the customer’s user experience.

The HTC Wildfire is essentially a budget version of the hugely successful HTC Desire.  It has a lot of functionality, with a GPS, 5-megapixel camera and quick internet browsing.  It has lower screen resolution and battery life, though.

The HTC Desire S is the successor to the best-selling Android phone, the HTC Desire.  It is lightweight, has a 3.7-inch screen size, and comes with the latest version of Android, Gingerbread.  It has two cameras.  One is for video calling, and the other is a higher specification camera with five megapixels that is great for photographs.

When you are looking for a reliable source of information on the latest offering by HTC, Motorola, Samsung or Sony Ericsson, where do you go? When you need a good, up to the minute review of a mobile phone, there are many options available. 

Recombu is a ideal example of a website featuring the latest breaking news and information on popular mobile phones, such as the HTC Radar 4G, Motorola’s Droid Razr and Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus. It has up to date mobile phone reviews and comparisons. The comparison tool provides information on important features, such as the internal memory space, camera resolution and flash. The guide also informs the consumer on the size and weight of the phone, a useful feature for people who prefer to shop online instead of going into a phone shop. 

Recombu is the obvious choice when it comes to learning about the latest developments in mobile phone technology. There are reviews on all the newest releases from the leading players in the industry, whether it is an entirely new phone or an upgrade to an existing model.

The Desire S from HTC is one of their latest models. It was originally released in early 2011 in the UK market. It is essentially an upgraded version of the hugely successful Desire, one of the biggest selling Android smartphones.

The phone comes with two different cameras. One of the cameras has 5 megapixels and is capable of recording 720p HD Video. The other one is ideally suited for video calls. It has an improved capability to select text and cut or paste it, which means correcting spelling mistakes is straightforward. Browsing the internet is easy and trouble free, apart from the typical lags occurring in areas with less than perfect 3G coverage.

The HTC Desire S does not come with a dual-core processor, unlike some other smartphones being released at the moment. This means it is not great for the latest games, but it is capable of running them. The pictures taken by the camera are sometimes not great unless there is a lot of natural light, even with the flash turned on. Internal memory is only 1GB but you can buy a memory card to improve this.

The Desire S is a good-looking phone with some great specifications. If you are interested in the phone there will undoubtedly be some HTC Desire S deals available soon. Only if you are a hard core gamer would you perhaps look for a different type of mobile.

Unlike the HTC norm, the body of the Incredible S is designed with a moulded shape where the battery is located and the camera lens (8 mega pixel) is curvy; the overall effect of this design is super cool, masculine, robust and just a little different from the usual.  The Incredible S is super comfortable to use when making a call. The texture of the Incredible S is different too, soft rather than hard metallic and the shape does feel comfortable in the hand, although perhaps a little larger than others of its ilk.  The Incredible S at 120 x 64 x 11.6mm is hardly a ‘brick,’ it weighs in at 135 ½ grams and includes a 1GHz processor in its formidable package.

The Incredible S has a 4” Super LCD display and handy innovative buttons that rotate to landscape or portrait, making watching video a smooth experience.  The inbuilt camcorder is state of the art and you can view your videos in HD on the cinematic screen in brilliant sharp colour.  The HTC Incredible S also offers the option of sending videos and photos to the TV or laptop via DLNA. 

With the HTC Incredible S webpages load, scan and zoom with rapid ease and apps load with no-nonsense professionalism.  Zoom resizing works seamlessly and video play is effortless.

Battery life is around 380 minutes talk time from full charge although with mixed usage the HTC Incredible S is more than capable of lasting a day. Compared to its contempories the longevity of the Incredible S is an absolute bonus.

The HTC Desire HD is a follow-up to the HTC Desire, one of the most popular Android based handsets to enter the market.

The physical unit is 68mm wide by 123mm long by 11.8mm thick. The screen is 4.3inches, with four touch sensitive points located at the bottom. These take the place of the physical keys found on the original Desire.

While the front of the phone is taken up by screen, the back features an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash. Video can be recorded in 720 pixel high definition. While there is a speaker on the front of the handset, the one on the back seems to be the primary source of sound.

The HTC Desire HD uses Sense UI and features additional widgets and a series of home screens to play with. Navigation through the screens is made easy with a pinch motion, which brings up a screen overview page. The notification bar provides easy access to your most recently used icons. These are just a few of many new features.

For gamers, the HTC Desire HD comes with a built-in GPU, which means it can handle fairly heavy graphic processing.

Overall, the HTC Desire HD features a virtually flawless interface with superior web browsing capabilities; offering everything Android is best known for. The handset is let down by the battery life and some people will not like the size of the unit or the screen. However, for a latest and greatest phone that works well, HTC Desire HD is a good choice.

This Android smartphone from HTC is one of the latest from this company. It is part of their new ‘S’ range of phones initially revealed in Barcelona in February. It is pitched between the HTC Desire and the more powerful HTC Desire HD in terms of its specification and price.

The screen is reasonably sized and is fairly bright. There are two cameras, the front-facing camera perfect for videophone calls. It comes with the HTC Sense system. For those who don’t know what HTC Sense is, this is the graphical user interface now incorporated into all of the Android and Windows Mobile phones from HTC. Battery life on this phone is impressive. Memory storage is catered for with an 8GB microSD card, ideal for all the music and apps you could want.

The Android app market is obviously not as developed as Apple’s apps, but it is growing and there are some good android sat nav apps around. Some will unfavourably compare its looks to the iPhone 4, but this is a minor criticism. Although the camera has 8 megapixels, the pictures do not seem to be much of an improvement from previous phones.

At the moment this phone is only available from Carphone Warehouse, though there should be some HTC Incredible S deals available. This is a great phone despite a few minor faults. It is definitely worth considering if you want a new mobile.

What’s new in the mobile phone market changes almost as often as we change our socks; so it can be a full-time job keeping up with latest trends. With so many new handsets coming out, we thought we would take advantage of the time spent to compare the latest mobile phones by providing a list of nine of the most popular smartphones for 2011. So here we go, in no particular order:

•    Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc – impressive hardware, compelling good looks, good photography and one amazingly fantastic screen make this phone highly desirable.

•    Samsung Galaxy S2 – the original was great; the sequel is amazing. 4.3inch Super AMOLED screen and dual-core processor are just the beginning.

•    LG Optimus Black – sleek and lightweight design, 4inch NOVA display, and Android 2.2 all combine to make an east to use, efficient, and affordable smartphone.

•    Motorola Atrix – one step closer to mobile computing, the Atrix features 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM and a built-in desktop OS. Docking stations round out the experience.

•    HTC Incredible S – the first UK offering to provide a 4inch touchscreen, the Incredible features Sense UI and a high-quality screen.

•    Samsung Galaxy Ace – excellent budget ranged offering with 800MHz processor and Android 2.2 OS.

•    LG Optimus 2X – dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 8.0 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording and Android 2.2. Great phone, especially for video.

•    HTC Desire S – Taking over for its predecessor, the HTC Desire S is the Desire and a little bit more.

The HTC Wildfire is one of HTC’s budget handsets, improving on the company’s previous budget offering, the HTC Tattoo, by taking its cues from its upscale older brother, the HTC Desire.

Sporting Android 2.1 OS and the popular Sense user interface, the HTC Wildfire features a 3.2inch QVGA capacitive touch screen with an optical track pad to assist with navigation. The camera is 5 megapixels with an LED flash.

Slightly smaller than the original HTC Desire, the Wildfire is a social networking phone, with Facebook features integrated into just about everything, from caller ID to the calendar. The phone also makes it easy to share your favourite apps from Android Market with friends.

Because it features Sense UI, navigation and interaction is easy. There are seven customisable home screens and the most popular widgets, news, favourite contacts, weather, etc., come pre-installed. However, it is easy to move or remove them altogether if desired.

When it comes to comparing the Wildfire to similar ranged handsets, the Wildfire takes the lead, having borrowed inspiration from the beautifully designed HTC Desire. Its social networking integration will appeal to anyone who loves their social media and the superb web browsing will appeal to just about everyone. What lets the handset down is the screen resolution; it is not a phone we would recommend to anyone who watches a lot of video from their mobiles.

While certainly not in the league of higher-end phones of its era, like the Desire or iPhone, for a budget ranged handset, the HTC Wildfire really delivers.

Reading an HTC Desire S review is a good way to find out how this upgrade compares to the original HTC Desire.  The original phone was, at one time, the best-selling Android-compatible model, and the new version of the Desire seems to promise similar popularity.  Users have cited the sleek, lightweight design, the photo capabilities and the updated operating system as good reasons to invest in this phone.

A Sleeker Design

One of the things that many users appreciate about the HTC Desire S is how compact the design is.  The casing is made of sturdy aluminium, with a sleek black colour giving it a high-tech look.  The current version is a few millimetres shorter than the previous one, enhancing its compact look.  The buttons have been designed to blend in with the casing better.  The screen measures 3.7 inches, allowing for a nice display.

Top Quality Features

The HTC Desire S has features that make it a useful, multi-function device.  The Android OS is installed on the phone, running the Gingerbread 2.3 version.  This makes it easier to access your favourite applications and programs.  A 1GHZ processor, 786 MB of RAM and 1.1 GB of built-in memory allow for faster performance.  The built-in camera has a resolution of 5-megapixels, and support for a number of media file formats is provided.  You can easily use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a USB connection to access the internet.