Snapdragon Powered HTC Desire Sets the Standard

Open source mobile platforms are taking a solid cue from the Android operating system. And with smart phones like the HTC Desire placing a new benchmark for the technology, it is hard to deny the fact that other handsets being released are simply following the example that has been set.

Understanding what makes this smart phone so special is not just looking at one simple facet of the device as both the hardware and software are equally impressive.

Android Operating System

On the software side, the Android operating system delivers a mobile phone experience unlike any other. It allows for the easy access of a wide variety of Google’s web features such as email, Maps, augmented reality, search, as well as access to file hosting and media sharing sites such as Picasa and YouTube.

The Android Market also provides users with a wide array of apps to choose from –apps that would allow users to customize battery usage, better screen brightness controls along with other practical add-ons.

Even better is the fact that the HTC Desire is upgradeable to the Android 2.2 Froyo. This version of the Android platform provides better performance thanks to better resource management capabilities (Google boasts of an outstanding speed boost of up to three times faster than version 2.1 Éclair). Naturally, the improved performance makes this the version of choice and you can expect future handsets like the HTC Desire HD to come pre-loaded with it.

Web browsing using the Android WebKit is also a lot faster with the new Java API.

Specs and More

In terms of hardware features, the HTC Desire is the first mobile phone to place the Android operating system on a Snapdragon CPU aside from the Google Nexus One. Speaking of the Google branded Android, the two phones are so similar to each other that choosing one over the other is a simple matter of wanting to have the Sense user interface or not.

While some Android purists might not like having a custom UI, HTC’s newly launched Sense UI features not only makes the custom interface look better, it also provides plenty of new security features not originally available in the OS such as remote device access.

Tags: 5-mega-pixel, AMOLED, Android-2.2-Froyo, Google-Android, HTC, HTC-Desire, Qualcomm-Snapdragon

Google Shuts Down Online Store

The Google Online Store only sells one product: the Nexus One Android smart phone. Now, the store has been taken down and the Nexus One is no longer available through this specific channel.

When asked about the move, Google stated that the Nexus One has already achieved what Google wanted and expected of the handset. With many other Android devices already being released, it is hard to imagine that the Android community would insist that the handset stay available.

Either way, Vodafone UK is still offering the handset on certain contracts. Since it has not been announced how much stocks they have or how long they plan on offering the Nexus One, those who intend to own this Google branded smart phone ought to get one as soon as possible.

The Nexus One, despite not being a major selling handset, is actually an impressive piece of technology. The device comes with a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display, providing users with both amazing visual quality as well as responsive and accurate touch controls. The 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7227 Snapdragon CPU gives the Nexus One all the necessary power and speed to handle any app and feature without skipping a beat.

The handset also comes with a 5 mega pixel camera, support for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and all the usual smart phone features. Google has added in an upgraded version of the speech detection software –which gives the Nexus One speech to text features. Users can even use speech commands to initiate search queries as well.

This handset is loaded with Android 2.1 Éclair, and is compatible with the new Android 2.2 Froyo update. Froyo makes the Android OS run faster (both the UI and browser has been upgraded), and it will also be compatible with the newly launched Adobe Flash Player version 10.1.

Tags: 5-mega-pixel, AMOLED, Android-2.1-Eclair, Android-2.2-Froyo, Google, Google-Android, Google-Nexus-One, Qualcomm-Snapdragon, Vodafone