[ADV] HTC Magic Review
First of all, I would like to thank HTC and Nuffnang for choosing Jialat dot Com to do this product review. My 1st time, to be honest. Secondly, I am a nerd to smartphone. I have never used any smartphone before this. So if there is any part in this review looks silly to you geeks out there, do bear with me.
My 1st impression of HTC Magic is, it is much smaller in size than I have expected. Take a look at the following photos:
It is as broad as a Ezlink card. Actually, Ming’s namecard seems slightly bigger than it, hehe.
The 1st thing I tried out is the touch screen. It is fast, and responsive. Like what my colleague who has been using smartphone for a while told me, we will get hooked to touch screen and never what to use normal phone again. This is very true, at least for myself. Then I tried the virtual qwert keypad. It took a little bit of time for people like me to get used to it. Initially, I kept searching for the key that I wanted, and I kept keying the wrong keys. But after I get used to it, I can seriously do my typing, sms-ing very fast now.
Something very embarrassing for me is, on the 1st 2 days that I have gotten the Magic, I was still not very familiar with the function of touch screen. I didn’t know about that I can actually “slide” the screen. What I did was using the trackball at the bottom. And I like it. I find it very easy to use, and very easy for me to find what I want. Of cause, that was until I got to know that I can “slide” the screen. Nonetheless, the trackball is a very useful tool for those who are not used to touch screen.
I find the whole Android user interface very user friendly. Even though this is the 1st time I get to use an Android phone, I encounter no problem navigate around, even without the help of user manual. Whenever I see a small bar at the bottom, I know that I can select it to bring me to more options. Whenever I want to go back to the previous screen, I press the “Back” button on the phone, or I can press the “Home” button to go back to the desktop (or shall I call it “phone-top”). Whatever settings that I need, I do it in the “Settings” tab. The “Notification” on the top of the desktop is very useful. It basically tells users what’s happening at the time, and what users may do. For example, it tells me there is Wi-Fi around and if I was connected, or the phone was connected to a USB cable and what I can do with the SD card storage to have it detected by my laptop, or the status of new application that I was downloading/installing from Android Market.
Talking about the Android Market, it is FUN! I enjoy using it to search for useful applications or fun games. For example, I downloaded the SBS Next Bus apps and installed in the Magic. That is useful when I am outside waiting for bus. Of cause, I have to be on 3G or Wi-Fi in order for the application to work.
For pre-installed applications, I love PDF viewer, Quickoffice and Maps. PDF viewer allows me to read my ebook on Magic. This is very convenient for me since I am actually preparing myself for some certificate exams. I can save the ebook in the SD card and basically study anywhere, as long as I have the phone with me. Quickoffice enable me to read, view Microsoft Office documents on the phone, which provides the convenience as well when I am on the go. The pre-installed Gtalk, Gmail and Calendar applications let me check my Google mail, Google Calendar without opening web browser. But of cause, I will have to set up my account before anything can be used. All these are very useful functions/applications for working adults like us. If I need to surf internet to check on Jialat, the browser is there for me. The interface is simple to use. I can open multiple pages at the same time. Whenever I want to check out a link, I just touch it. Whenever I need to key in something, I touch the space, then the qwerty key pad will auto come out for me to use.
Honestly, I don’t expect much from a camera on a smartphone, especially when it is only 3MP. However, Magic surprises me. Just some photos I took when I was at Clarke Quay:
I know that it is not fantastic, but it is reasonably good as a smartphone camera.
One last thing I really have to mention here is the handwritten Chinese input function. It is COOL! Every now and then I need to SMS people in Chinese. I always use Han Yu Pin Yin input to type Chinese word. But not for Magic! Even though my handwriting is kind of messy sometimes, it manages to recognize it. This is good and I love it!
Simply put, I love this phone. If I was given the chance to keep, I definitely will.
By the way, there will be a pool set up at the sidebar coming Monday for you guys. I think that positive feedback to HTC is very important so that they can produce even more fantastic products like Magic. So, please cast your vote when the pool is on coming Monday.
For more details on the specifications of HTC Magic, please visit HTC Magic Overview.
For those who are interested to know more about HTC Magic and Android platform, HTC will be hosting a “The Magic of Android” workshop this coming Saturday:
Date: 27 June 2009
Time: 2pm & 4pm
Venue: Suntec City Singapore Meeting Room 301/302
Registration via email to htc_events@htc.com
Participants have the chance to win a HTC Magic! Quick, register now!
The Magic of Android poster. Click to enlarge (1.1MB):
Some more juicy activities by HTC:
Look out for our 3 trolleys this weekend at Suntec City from 1 – 7pm and next weekend at Orchard Road from 1 – 7pm.
Ask for a demo on the new HTC Magic, experience the various applications that you can download from the Android Market and stand a chance to win the HTC Magic too!
