The HTC is powered by Android™ - upgraded in this version of the phone - and designed to include the Google suit of services like Mail, Search and Maps. Specifically made for surfing the internet the HTC Magic is designed to be as easy to use as possible.

The phone has a ‘triple’ effect home page screen which can be moved left or right, showing the icons on both side-pages with a simple swipe off to one side or the other. The icons are easily rearranged into position to suit the user. The simplistically designed touch screen really shows its design merits by the ease with which this is done - either by dragging or double tapping where appropriate.

Google search enables you to be up to date with the latest information, for example finding night club or concert information. With integral Bluetooth, the HTC Magic supports tunes via wireless headsets, and allows video capture. Videos can be emailed, sent by MMS or even published on YouTube™ directly from the phone. Social events are thus easily recorded and communicated - this is the ultimate phone for the socially-orientated person.

We liked:

- The touch screen. We found it to be really excellent, both in terms of its functionality and the ease with which the interface works. It responds to light taps when they are required, and harder taps and hold-downs make dragging and dropping really simple to do.

- The Android upgrade. For once we have a system designed specifically to do what it is intended for. The result is a speedy system, easy access, and simple searching on the web. Why can’t all phones be designed this way?

- Easy messaging.

- The interface is one of the nicest we have seen. Simple enough for the least IT savvy person to learn, and intuitive in its design.

- The keyboard is good. HTC made a good choice - not only is the keyboard well spaced, doing away with the physical keypad gives the added bonus of a super-lightweight phone that is sure to please those who are tired of sagging pockets and stretching handbag straps. In fact, until you get used to it, the phone feels a little too light in the hand.

- Tight Google integration. We’d expect nothing less from a phone designed for the job. We were more than impressed with what we found.

- Slim and lightweight.

We weren’t too impressed with:

- No 3.5mm headphone. For people who are used to one - this comes as a bit of a disappointment.

- 2 year contract: Two years in today’s world is a very long time - especially considering how fast technology develops. We were disappointed with this, and feel it will put many potential users off what is really a very nice handset.

- Some people have complained about touch screen response issues. We didn’t experience any, at the time of our test - in fact the phone was very responsive.

- Some might find it slightly lightweight. We felt this was a boon - at last we have a phone which will not ruin your clothing, or feel as though you are dragging a brick around with you.

Android

Never before has any platform drawn so much attention as Android and the new platform is sure to delight the smart phone users. The platform is optimized for the touch screen and has a user friendly user interface. The platform makes the web-based communication applications (email, chat, You Tube) mainstream though Orkut is a notable omission. Google’s mobile strategy is clear – Popularize its online PC properties like search, email, maps on the mobile by providing the same experience across the two platforms. Google wants its user base on PC to use its properties while they are online using the mobile. It also wants to attract new users by riding on its brand equity and its strong position in web based communication applications. The Google id gives automatic access to email, chat and Youtube and there is no separate log-in required at the time of usage.

The response of the system is fast and one never has to wait for the mobile phone to transit from one screen to another. It is not clear if the response is fast due to the processor or the Android platform.

The best part of the new platform is its browser. The browser gives a near PC experience to web browsing. It has the capability of opening multiple browser screens and it is easy to switch between the screens with relative ease. It is possible to zoom in/out the screen to suit the individual preference in terms of the font size. The text adjusts to the screen size at any zoom level. Touch and the track ball enhance the navigation experience (Kudos to the track ball. It mirrors the mouse experience).

The phone lacks the features for business users e.g. there is no Microsoft Exchange Server, no synchronization with Outlook e-mail, Calendar, Contacts, etc.

SMS is a pleasant experience. It provides conversation threads in the same screen. Composing SMS is like composing a mail and it provides the facility of attaching a file to the SMS (converts into MMS). This is similar to Symbian but it allows the users to create slides to be attached to the SMS. However, it is not possible to forward the SMS which is not only surprising but also shocking. Also, there is no facility of delivery notifications. There is no on-screen input and hence the keypad needs to be used for typing any message

Though the platform provides a clear benefit to the web users, it is on a weak wicket when it comes to the call management and contact management. The call management suite of Symbian gives a much better experience e.g. the option of sending SMS/MMS using the call log is not possible in Android. The call log is confusing as it lists dialed, received and missed calls in the same list. In the contact management, it is not possible to send the contact as a business card.

Applications: Android has a Marketplace from where the applications and games can be downloaded (freeware as well as paid). The quality of the applications is good and a number of useful utilities are available for free but the number of such applications is limited. The users can set shortcut keys for the application launch. However, it is not possible to make folders and hence management of applications and multiple files is a problem.

HTC Phone

The phone has an excellent touch screen and innovative form factor. The track ball on the phone for navigation takes the experience up several notches. However, the phone lacks a good speaker. The signal quality is poor and the keypad is hard to use. The battery life is poor and does not do any justice to the functionalities that Android has to offer. The GPS did not work properly during the test period. Camera quality is poor and taking pictures is a challenge. There are no camera settings like focus, zoom, etc. and video recording is also not possible. No option for video call.

Verdict: Go for this phone only if you want a good web experience. The platform still needs to improve on basics of a good phone but it is a good start by Google and it seems that the next battle would be fought on the platform – who will be the winner Symbian, Android and Microsoft.

2GB MicroSD card for HTC Magic

The same Qualcomm MSM7200A 528MHz processor is used as with the G1 providing the users access to the same 192MB of system memory, the capacity of the ROM has been increased from 256MB to 512MB and storage is expandable to 8GB through a microSD card slot located under the battery cover.

Its ultra-small size consumes very little power from your handset, to give you longer battery life on your phone.

A great way to share your content collections with friends, family and colleages easily.

This MicroSD Card is specifically designed for the HTC Magic.

“The carrier said the phone will be free when customers sign up for a two-year contract with fees of about $51 per month. The plan includes unlimited web use, 700 minutes of calls, 250 text messages and unlimited calls to landlines and other Vodafone customers.”

So how many of you are going to purchase one of theses super Android smartphones? The price is nice (free), for those that are willing to enter the two year contract (compared to the price that the G1 cost in the US even with a two year contract). I expect that these will be hot little numbers, and I can’t imagine that they won’t be far behind in releasing them for the US Market. I mean, we can’t have our European friends having cool new phones that we can’t get!

It’s a very nice phone! Great design, thin and light - it feels and looks high-end. Although I’m a diehard iPhone user, I’m also a diehard Android fan. The combination of the HTC Magic and Android is a tempting package that could lure me away from my iPhone. It would probably succeed if the email client was on a par with the iPhone’s. Video shows the HulloMail Android app working in its full glory. With HulloMail Sync enabled all your GMail contacts and messages are synchronised with GMail….

I demo all 3 keypads for texting…FREE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30th, 2009