Review of HTC Desire by Gizmodo

Of course, you can say that this review already exists . In the end, basically it’s just a slightly updated Nexus One, right? But figushki. The HTC Sense interface, Adobe Flash support and optical trackpad create a completely new impression.

Twins, but only by blood.

Comparing Desire and Nexus One, it should be noted that both gadgets have capacitive 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED displays. The cases of the devices are also similar in size (although the Nexus One is barely thinner and has touch-sensitive buttons, instead of physical ones), they both carry the same OS on board - Android 2.1. Both boast a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash. And the main gingerbread is that both devices think the same powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD 8250 processors, which is in a gigahertz clock frequency. And as a result, both brothers are extremely fast in their work. However, Desire does not have an active noise cancellation mechanism, but at the same time it holds more RAM - as much as 576 MB against the Nexus 512. In general, the fellows are similar.

Addition in the form of interface HTC Sense makes a serious difference. This is the very thing that makes me love Android so much - after it, I just don’t want to go back to things like MOTOBLUR, Mediascape or S-Class. This shell completely changes the concept of the system and the approach to it, and this is what gives Desire that purebredness that the Nexus One does not have. Although, until you put a ROM on your nexus with the same add-in .
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HTC Legend is the only device with the same version of the android and such an interface, which, by the way, is analyzed in our review of the "legend" . Among other things, the “helicopter view” is noteworthy - a feature reminiscent of Exposé on MacOSX, FriendStream’s social networking combine and an updated contact system.

Made to last?

Desire was exactly in the middle of the design preferences of HTC. The back cover is slightly rubberized, and the front is decorated with a metal frame of the screen, along with silver buttons and a thin rim. This is not Legend for you, with its solid aluminum “unibody”, but in a place with that “desire” is well assembled and its dimensions make it ideal for viewing content. Being a lover of physical buttons, I was always nervous, typing long letters on the touchscreen. But on Desire, I made significantly fewer mistakes than on other gadgets - typing on such a screen is a pleasure. Here, the virtual keyboard is more tangible, and thanks to the responsiveness of the screen, a light touch is enough to trigger the letters.

But the speed and smoothness of the device only enhances the desire to tear out the iron filling and enclose it in a Legend case. I know that many people prefer plastic cases with metal inserts like the Nexus One and Desire, but after the “legend” review, the latter seems cheap in comparison. Although, these sensations are still not enough to belittle the device - it has more than enough strengths to block small personal preferences in one or another case material.



The change of the old “ball” trackball optical turned out to be a good move: the new sensor provides a pleasant and accurate pickup. The reasons for the departure of HTC from the concept of the ball are quite obvious - let us remember at least the BlackBerry, in which the trackball in some time became clogged and began to fail. The new version is also very convenient when working with text and e-mail. However, I didn’t have to rely only on trackpad: the quality and responsiveness of the screen is top notch, as well as the speed of the processor - I didn’t have any problems with the program loading time or switching between them.

Flash, may the Savior come?

There is support for Adobe Flash 10.1 Lite. This means that the animated banners on Gizmodo.com are visible, any embedded video was played either directly on the browser page, or in a special Flash-browser (opened by clicking on the video).

Youtube, with its full-screen playback, is more like a special YouTube player that comes with all Android devices and the iPhone. I preferred to watch the embedded video in a special Flash-browser, because from time to time it behaves much slower in a standard browser and even, I’m not afraid of the word, is buggy. (Such is Flash Lite!) Video players of some sites refused to work at all, like BBC iPlayer, which is completely tied up with support for Shockwave Flash.

To desire or not to desire?

Cash registers never rang from the sales of Nexus One since its release in January, mainly due to a lack of information about the phone. While HTC acted intelligently, creating an almost identical gadget under its brand, with only a few minor improvements. If you choose between two devices, the solution is clear and obvious. Many, of course, will like the classic Android without the Sense shell, but you can delete it . HTC hit the Nexus One quite painfully, releasing the Desire in the United Kingdom. At the same time about the plans for the release of the device in the states so far nothing is heard, which is a pity.

Desire is one of the fastest android backgrounds on the market today. With its large responsive screen and Flash support, surfing the web leaves the best impression. It is equipped with one of the best camera module among android backgrounds. It is controlled by an intuitive and constantly evolving operating system, the best of its kind. It complements your contacts with social networking data as efficiently as possible. So yes, it is definitely worth your wish - no matter how pretentious and awkward its name may be.

A few photos. Thumbnails are clickable, refer to the large gallery on gizmodo.com: