Manual For Technology

HTC have now released their upgrade handset to the Hero which is also known as the Touch G2 on T-Mobile, the new HTC Legend takes on a very similar design but incorporates some new technology and features not found in the original model.

The manufacture of the HTC Legend is also different to that of the Hero handset and closely resembles the recently released Google Nexus One (which is also manufactured by HTC) in as much as both phones are moulded from one piece of aluminium for extra robustness and strength.

The Legend handset has been released alongside the new HTC Desire as a more compact phone using the original dimensions of the Hero’s touch screen at 3.2 inches. This seems to be pretty standard with many manufacturers such as the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, Nokia X6 and Motorola Milestone.

A major improvement over the previous HTC Hero is the inclusion of a new optical trackball rather than the rubbery one which is also found in the Nexus One phone, this new feature lets you simply slide your finger across to navigate the phones many screens and features. This same technology id also present in the HTC Desire and means that even with extended use there is no chance of the wear and tear found on the older trackball solution.

The HTC Legend features a similar 5.0 mega pixel camera found in the older model which offers geo-tagging, auto focus and an LED flashlight for low light situations, the handset runs on the latest Android 2.1 operating system as found on the HTC Desire and Nexus One phones and over the top the manufacturer has included its own Sense user interface which make menu navigation a breeze.

This new HTC device also incorporates the new FriendStream application which pulls together updates from social networking sites like Facebook, tweets from Twitter, emails and text messages for a continuous stream of friend activity all in one place.

Unlike the previous Hero phone, the new HTC Legend’s brushed aluminium body is far superior to the plastic finish of the older model, this should ensure the phones popularity as bringing this handset out of your pocket is likely to draw some attention.

The distinctive angled base of the phone remains unchanged from the Hero handset and although many think it is to bring the microphone closer to the mouth when in conversation it actually acts as a protector to the main touch screen when the phone is sat face down.

Competitors to the Legend include the HTC Desire form the same stable as well as the newly released Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, there are also good Android alternatives from other manufacturers including the Motorola Milestone, Samsung Galaxy Portal, Acer Liquid and LG GW620.

The Legend is now available on a range of third party Vodafone pay monthly tariffs from free with further network launches expected over the coming days.

The HTC HD Mini is a compact unit that manages to incorporate a wide range of useful technology into a small casing. The handset is only 103 mm x 57 mm wide and is 11 mm thick. It offers effective functionality by virtue of its Qualcomm 7227 600 MHz processor and Microsoft Windows mobile 6.5.3 professional operating system.

The handset comes with an impressively vibrant 3.2 inch TFT touch screen that displays 65,000 colours and their variants within a screen which is 320 x 480 pixels in size. Thehandset also includes accelerometer and proximity sensors which automate certain tasks including automatic shutdown, to save battery power and image aspect orientation. As its primary means of navigation, the touch screen utilises the sense user interface which is aneffective multi-touch input method that is both responsive and efficient.

The phones 384 MB of internal memory is supplemented by the fact that the integrated microSD card slot can be utilised to increase memory storage capacity up to 16 GB. Thehandset provides a myriad of connectivity options which include GPRS and EDGE, both of which are class 10 in addition to the integrated blue tooth and micro USB connections. For those who require internet access, this is available by virtue of the Wi Fi and HSDPA connections with speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps available. The GPS function which comes with A-GPS support offers satellite navigation as standard.

Audio and visual entertainment is offered by virtue of the included stereo FM radio and MP4/MP3 media player. The radio comes with RDS capabilities whilst the media player supports all major audio and video file formats. In addition several games are also included, providing additional entertainment options. Thishandset also provides social media integration in the form of Facebook, Flickr and twitter applications.

The HTC HD Mini, is an effective handset, that bears similarities to its sister handset the HTC HD2. The premise behind this mini version of the popular handset is the fact that it squeezes into a small and compact body, a wide array of useful technology that provides the means to perform numerous tasks whilst on the move.

Sony Ericsson announced launch of two Walkman phones, the Sony Ericsson Zylo and Sony Ericsson Spiro. Other than its focusing on music features, the walkman phones are also following the trend with integration of social networking capability to follow your friends or update your status.

Compare to Spiro, the Sony Ericsson Zylo has a higher specifications with 2.6-inch display, UTMS/HSPA, Gesture Control, 3.2 megapixel camera, Track ID, microSD card slot and FM Radio Receiver. It supports FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) audio codec for high quality music listening on top of MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAc+/WMA format. The Zylo also has an interesting feature, letting you play an background sound while you are chatting with your friends. It is preloaded with sounds so that you can pretend to be at work, walking on street or in a restaurant. Sadly, 3.5mm headphone jack is not available on this model. You will have to rely on Sony Ericsson’s own connector to use other headphones. The Spiro will be available in Q3 with Jazz Black, Chacha Silver and Swing Pink.

While the Spiro Walkman phone does not support the FLAC format, it comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, FM Radio receiver, 2 megapixel camera, microUSB port, TrackID and microSD card slot. It can only supports GPRS/EDGE connectivity though and will be available in Q3 with Contrast Black, Sunset Pink, Spring Green and Stealth Black colors.

Sony Ericsson’s new portfolio of phones was unveiled by Kareena Kapoor, its newly appointed brand ambassador for the region. The phones include the much awaited XPERIA X10, XPERIA X10 mini, XPERIA X10 mini pro, Vivaz and Vivaz pro.

Hirokazu Ishizuka, Corporate Vice President & Head of Asia Pacific region, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication, said, “The proliferation of social and digital media is changing the consumer experience with mobile phones and the portfolio that we present today takes communication and entertainment to the next level.”

Actress, Kareena Kapoor said, “I love my new feature-rich Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 that allows me to easily keep in touch with my family and friends, while keeping myself entertained on the go.”

The new portfolio also introduced the UX platform that creates a unique user experience by combining entertainment features with applications and integration of social media services. Among the many new features, the new phones introduce signature applications like Mediascape and Timescape that let consumers organize everything on a phone in an intuitive way.

With India projected to become the second largest telecom market globally, Sony Ericsson sees immense potential in the region for its new portfolio. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number of telecom subscribers in the country increased by 3.5% in December 2009, in comparison to November 2009. It is estimated that around half the country's population would own a mobile phone by mid 2012.

Sony Ericsson is partnering with content and application providers such as Hungama, MTV India, UTV, Shemaroo, Electronic Arts, Indiagames, and Disney mobile among others to deliver entertainment content. The company already has over 200 active partners in India spanning the entertainment, functional and technical verticals.