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Samsung Galaxy Note. First Look
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First Look at HTC AceHTC's official announcement contains no new information for those who take a keen interest in the Android world. One could enter "HTC Desire HD" as a search phrase in a browser and get some live images of the HTC Ace as long as a month ago. Of course, back then the Taiwanese company didn't bother confirming or denying the rumors about the device, but many already knew that a flagship was underway and what it would look like. And the looks are exactly what I will begin this brief overview with. Contents: Design and MaterialsAs you know, HTC products are the ones I praise the most, and that is not due to some personal motives (although I do tend to like the devices in general) but due to a sound combination of several elements: design, materials and user interface. There is also something to blame them for – that is, a poor battery life and excessive prices – both are the common problems among HTC products, the latter being especially true for the Russian market. What is the HTC Ace? Judging by the characteristics (the functionality and expected price), it is the company's new Android flagship. As it was written a few month ago in the quick preview of the HTC EVO 4G, the company did make a variation of the device with 3G support for Europe and Russia.  You can call the smartphone any way you like or use some dull cliches like flagship or top model. In a nutshell, it is the most technological HTC device to date if the HTC EVO 4G is not taken into account. But as far as its design goes… I find the company's recent idea about painting the insides of the casing parts (e.g. in the HD mini and HTC EVO 4G) a successful one. It is funny, unusual, and something that the company can use to draw some extra attention when short of other tricks. Up until now, the company has been fairly prudent with the design of its devices. In my opinion, the sliding block of the HTC Legend was more of an exception to the general tradition of utilitarian casing with designer elements kept to the minimum. I find the company's flirting with new shapes in the HTC Ace futile. I can't say that I don't like the design, but it raises questions and is not as universal as that of the HTC HD2 or Desire, which can be called boring but not tasteless.    The rear panel of the smartphone is covered with some patches; you can see them around the camera lens, on the right (where the battery is) and at the bottom (the SIM card and memory card module) of the device. It's quite understandable that the patches are not a fashion attempt but a necessity: the device is skinny and made of metal (it's the main material used), yet the patchwork is too much for my taste.  The build quality of the engineering sample is not the best; the sliding panels (or the aforementioned casing patches) are not flush with rest of the panel. Certainly, the issue will have been addressed by the time the phone hits the shelves, but the problem is there. Some owners of the HTC Legend know what I'm talking about: every now and again, the battery cover would move away from either side of their device. The HTC Ace has two such covers, and henceforth you should check how tight and flush they are when purchasing your unit.    The build quality of the engineering sample is not the best; the sliding panels (or the aforementioned casing patches) are not flush with rest of the panel. Certainly, the issue will have been addressed by the time the phone hits the shelves, but the problem is there. Some owners of the HTC Legend know what I'm talking about: every now and again, the battery cover would move away from either side of their device. The HTC Ace has two such covers, and henceforth you should check how tight and flush they are when purchasing your unit. Back to the table of contents >>> ControlsThe HTC Ace uses the same control system as the HTC EVO 4G, that is a block of sensor keys beneath the screen. The keys are separated, backlit and handy. The power button can be found on the top of the device, whereas the volume controls are on its left side.     The camera doesn't have a dedicated button and needs to be activated from the menu. The microUSB slot and 3.5 mm audio jack are located on the bottom.  Back to the table of contents >>> DisplayThe smartphone is equipped with a 4.3-inch display that supports multi-touch. As of this writing, the display type is uncertain; it is likely to be either a regular TFT screen or the latest make from Sony that the company has been installing on the HTC Desire for some time now. As far as the engineering sample is considered, the screen is fairly good. Although it is not as sharp and vivid as the Samsung Super AMOLED, I like it even better. The viewing angles are maximal and it is more than bright. The display is covered with glass (or some special plastic, to be precise); it won't scratch but gets dirty. Back to the table of contents >>> CameraThe HTC Ace features an 8-megapixel camera with bi-LED flash. It's too early to give any comments on the image quality, but you can take a look at some picture samples below. Please remember that they were taken with an engineering sample and the performance of the retail version may differ. Knowing HTC's perspective on mobile photo, one shouldn't expect anything exceptional from the HTC Ace's 8 MPs, though.
Back to the table of contents >>> User InterfaceThe smartphone is powered by Android 2.2 with the latest version of the proprietary HTC Sense interface. With the engineering sample in my hands, I could hardly see anything new, save for smaller icons in the preferences menu, which allows for 10 info rows in the HTC Ace as opposed to 5-6 in the HTC Desire with the same WVGA screen resolution. Back to the table of contents >>> PlatformThe device is based on the Qualcomm MSM 8255 platform with a 1 GHz processor. It has 768 MB of RAM and 1.5 GB of user available memory. The RAM amount is huge and in my opinion, should be more than enough for any task. The wireless suite is standard for a contemporary Android smartphone – i.e. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. There is hardly any sense to talk about the working speed or video playback capabilities until the final version arrives.   Back to the table of contents >>> ImpressionsThe HTC Ace is slated to be available in mid-October at a price of approximately RUR 30,000 (translator's note: ~EUR 750) in Russia. The smartphone may be called a replacement of the Desire (or Desire HD, as some have named it), but it is a completely different device actually, one of a higher class, akin to the HTC EVO 4G. With the release of the Ace, the company targets the high-end segment, where only the Samsung Galaxy S has been running the show so far. In the present light, the HTC Desire is to be shifted to the mid-hi-end (sorry for the play on words but there is no other way to put it). Who is the HTC Ace made for? Just like the HTC HD2, the device is almost sure to become popular regardless of its steep price and dimensions. The HTC Company created a smartphone for those who want it all and at once. I may be exaggerating a little bit, but you get the point. Just as the HTC Desire has become one of the most balanced Android products, the Ace is to become one of the most top-notch ones. Be that as it may, I am still negative about those patches on the casing…  Description:
Do you want to talk about this? Please, go to our Forum and let your opinion be known to the author and everybody else. Back to the table of contents >>> Artem Lutfullin ([email protected]) Published — 15 September 2010 Having something to add?! Write us... [email protected] |
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