HTC Legend official: AMOLED & “Hidden Power” design
2/16/2010 08:47:00 PM
kenmouse
, Posted in
The HTC Legend, successor to the company’s widely-loved Hero, has been made official at Mobile World Congress 2010 this week. A little smaller than the Hero, the Legend has a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with multitouch support, dualband UMTS/HSPA (900/1800) and a frame milled from a single block of aluminum. In fact the Legend is an example of HTC’s “Hidden Power” design ethos, a concept whereby good looks are delivered through slick functionality; in this case, the aluminum is not only the shell but the chassis, meaning HTC can make their devices smaller.
The Legend comes with Android 2.1, and debuts a new version of HTC Sense. As before, Sense augments the standard Android UI and adds various active desktop widgets; in this new build, there’s now an Exposé-style “helicopter view” which – with a pinch-zoom motion – shows all seven homescreen panes at once, with a tap taking you straight to that pane. There’s also more flexibility in HTC’s widgets: you can now place any Contacts group on the desktop, not just the Favorites, for instance.
Most noticeable is HTC’s new app, Friend Stream; where before Sense’s Contacts app pulled in Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates to be viewed on a per-contact basis, Friend Stream puts them all into one single feed. It’s a little like Motorola’s MOTOBLUR “happenings”, and there’s a desktop widget as well as a full app. You can also reply to or comment on any update directly from the app itself.
The Hero’s trackball has been junked in favor of a less damage-prone optical joystick, which HTC reckon has the same accuracy as the previous, physical control. It’s not the only neat design touch; since the antenna panel needs to be plastic rather than metal, HTC have integrated it with the battery cover. HTC have slightly updated the Legend’s processor, to a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227, though it’s not the significant jump to Snapdragon that we might have hoped for. Still, when we had a pre-brief with the company last week, the demo units there felt swift and responsive. An obvious – and somewhat confusing – omission is Flash Lite 4, which the Hero (and the new HTC Desire) had but the Legend lacks.
Other specs include WiFi b/g, Bluetooth, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and a microUSB port. HTC say the Legend will arrive in Europe through Vodafone and other carriers, together with as an unlocked handset in April 2010, with broader availability – including Asia – in early Q2 2010. No plans for a US 3G version, however, and no news on pricing.
We’re heading off for some hands-on time with the HTC Legend, so check back soon for photos and video!
The Legend comes with Android 2.1, and debuts a new version of HTC Sense. As before, Sense augments the standard Android UI and adds various active desktop widgets; in this new build, there’s now an Exposé-style “helicopter view” which – with a pinch-zoom motion – shows all seven homescreen panes at once, with a tap taking you straight to that pane. There’s also more flexibility in HTC’s widgets: you can now place any Contacts group on the desktop, not just the Favorites, for instance.
Most noticeable is HTC’s new app, Friend Stream; where before Sense’s Contacts app pulled in Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates to be viewed on a per-contact basis, Friend Stream puts them all into one single feed. It’s a little like Motorola’s MOTOBLUR “happenings”, and there’s a desktop widget as well as a full app. You can also reply to or comment on any update directly from the app itself.
The Hero’s trackball has been junked in favor of a less damage-prone optical joystick, which HTC reckon has the same accuracy as the previous, physical control. It’s not the only neat design touch; since the antenna panel needs to be plastic rather than metal, HTC have integrated it with the battery cover. HTC have slightly updated the Legend’s processor, to a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227, though it’s not the significant jump to Snapdragon that we might have hoped for. Still, when we had a pre-brief with the company last week, the demo units there felt swift and responsive. An obvious – and somewhat confusing – omission is Flash Lite 4, which the Hero (and the new HTC Desire) had but the Legend lacks.
Other specs include WiFi b/g, Bluetooth, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and a microUSB port. HTC say the Legend will arrive in Europe through Vodafone and other carriers, together with as an unlocked handset in April 2010, with broader availability – including Asia – in early Q2 2010. No plans for a US 3G version, however, and no news on pricing.
We’re heading off for some hands-on time with the HTC Legend, so check back soon for photos and video!
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