Camera Phones Plaza

The 2009 edition of the Mobile World Congress proved itself to be exactly how many of us expected it: a chain of nice surprises coming from all major cell phones manufacturers from all around the world. And HTC Corporation doesn’t make an exception whatsoever.

After we got the chance to see a couple of leaked images of the HTC Magic, branded with another famous name, Vodafone, it seems that the smartphone has been given the official treatment. Magic is the first Android-powered HTC cell phone (ok, smartphone) sold by Vodafone which is expected to attract many customers with its keyboardless design. The lack of a QWERTY keyboard makes it a whole lot simpler and more elegant than the T-Mobile G1, for example.

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As far as the features are concerned, the HTC Magic has on board: GSM and HSDPA connectivity, a 3.2 inch TFT touchscreen display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels, a 3.2 megapixel camera, an on-screen virtual QWERTY keyboard, GPS connectivity, Wi-Fi, trackball navigation, webkit browser, services and applications like Android Market, Google Maps, Google Search, Google Mail and easy access to YouTube.



“Delivering an unbeatable mobile internet experience for our customers is a priority for Vodafone, so we are very excited to be introducing our first Android-powered smartphone in the spring”, says Patrick Chomet, Global Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group. In addition, he said that “following our joining of the Open Handset Alliance, we have worked very closely with HTC to bring this cool new phone to the market. Our customers want to access a wide range of the most attractive mobile devices to help them make the most of their time – the HTC Magic helps meet that need”.

The Android-based HTC cell phone will be sold first in countries like UK, Spain and France (the white version), Germany (the black version) and Italy (in both colors). However, it is expected to become available in other Vodafone markets in the next couple of months.

(Source: Press release)

Remember the Xda device that I was writing some time ago, which was expected to be released under the name of O2 Xda Guide in Germany (sometime in February, this year)? Well, let me tell you that the handset has just been officially announced by the producer, HTC Corporation, which you all know very well. This is the company’s most recent personal navigation handset that comes equipped with an integrated GPS.



I suppose you’re a little bit confused because of the name, but you can be sure this isn’t a mistake. This HTC Touch Cruise phone is another version of the HTC GPS, a popular device that was launched in 2008. The only difference is that the new handset features “a more compact design and a host of new capabilities to offer a richer and more intuitive experience in one powerful package”, as we’re told in the press release.

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A novelty that the new HTC Touch Cruise phone brings to the public consists of a genuine application experience, called the HTC Footprints. You probably don’t have a clue about this application, so let me tell you a few words about it. The Footprints allows their users to “permanently chronicle their special moments”. And you’re wondering how you’ll be able to do that? Well, it’s easy: you can capture a digital postcard on your mobile phone and the application gives you the possibility to take not only a couple of notes, but also an audio clip of the place that you’d like to remember in detail over the years.

To be more precise, Footprints identifies the geographical location of a certain place, giving you the GPS co-ordinates and, in addition, it “also auto-names each postcard with its general location or area”, being perfect for both outdoor and indoor use.



As far as the features are concerned, the HTC Touch Cruise is equipped with WCDMA/HSPA connectivity (900 / 2100 MHz, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps), the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, a 2.8 inch TFT-LCD touchscreen (which comes with QVGA resolution), a 3.2 megapixel camera with fixed focus, GPS and A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, a Qualcomm MSM7225 (528 MHz) chipset, an internal memory of 512 MB and a microSD card support for expandable memory (SD 2.0 compatible).

Measuring 102 x 53.5 x 14.5 millimeters and weighing 103 grams, the device comes with an 1100 mAh battery that provides up to 400 minutes of talk time and up to two weeks of stand-by time. When it comes to the availability, the phone is expected to become available all over the world sometime this spring. Unfortunately, the HTC Touch Cruise price is still unknown.

(Source: unwiredview.com)

Cell phones of all sorts, from basic ones to those which are featured with the most advanced technologies possible, they are now available on the market for anyone who likes to purchase a device that is meant to facilitate communication.

The guys from T-Mobile Germany have just announced the release of a new handset, the MDA Basic, which is, in fact, another version of an older device, the HTC Touch Viva. What is makes the Basic distinguish itself from the Viva is the price, a whole lot more attractive and affordable. You would be astonished to find out that the phone can be yours for only 4.95 euros, with a condition and a condition only: a two year agreement.

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The name is more than suggestive, letting you all know that you’re dealing with a basic handset, far from being part of the high-end line. Still, there are some features that make it quite impressive, such as the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, a 2.8 inch QVGA touch sensitive display, Wi-Fi connectivity, a 2 megapixel camera, GPS, TouchFLO 2D and GSM / EDGE. As far as the internal memory is concerned, there’s no more than 256 MB available, but you should be thankful that you are given the possibility to increase the storage capacity with a microSD card of up to 4 GB.

When it comes to the availability, the MDA cell phone customized by T-Mobile is expected to become available starting February 2009 on the German market. Fortunately for the British people, rumors say that the Basic will be also launched in the United Kingdom sometime in the future. God knows when, ‘cause we don’t. For now.

(Source: unwiredview.com)

North Americans might never have the opportunity to put their hands on the HTC Touch HD, but fortunately for them they are not completely neglected by the Taiwan-based manufacturer, as a couple of other well-known handsets are released in the United States.

Therefore, the company has just unveiled the HTC S743, an interesting mixture of style and power, which is the American version of another HTC device, the S740. The cell phone combines a traditional keypad with 12 keys and a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and works with the Windows Mobile 6.1. On the other hand, the S743 comes with HSDPA support, so it works on 850 / 1900 frequencies.

The features of this HTC cell phone include, among others: a 2.4 inch TFT QVGA display (that isn’t equipped with touch sensitive capabilities), a 3.2 megapixel camera, the full QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Wi-Fi, POP3 and IMAP4 email, SMS and MMS messaging, support for a couple of instant messaging standards.

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“While others are content focusing on a single design or user interface, HTC is dedicated to bringing the benefits of mobile convergence to all consumers, without forcing them to use a device that doesn’t truly fit their lifestyle”, said Jason Mackenzie, the vice president of HTC America. In addition, he said that “the HTC S743, which packs high-design and high-performance into a trim 4.9 ounce package, is a great example of HTC’s rejection of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ philosophy”.

The HTC S743 is expected to become available unlocked starting the first quarter of this year, via a wide variety of retail outlets such as Dell and CDW. Unfortunately for those who are already anxious about this handset, there are no details yet about the price of the S743.

(Source: unwiredview.com)

If you’re a business professional, here it is a brand new device designed and developed for you and for you only: the HTC MAX 4G. HTC’s latest product is a hybrid between a normal Pocket PC and a WiMAX handset, and it’s not only pretty, light and refreshingly sharp, but it’s also said to be the first integrated GSM/WiMAX device.

Resembling HTC Touch HD, this new handset will be exclusively released in Russia, by Scartel Yota, a leading provider of mobile WiMAX. The company was set up in 2007 to provide mobile broadband Internet services based on the leading-edge next-generation Mobile WiMAX technology (IEE 802.16e-2005 standard). Scartel uses its purpose-built Mobile WiMAX network to deliver these services which are the cornerstone of the company’s business.

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HTC MAX 4G runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 and uses the same TouchFlo 3D interface that HTC has embedded into all of its latest high-end devices. Using the Yota Mobile WiMAX network, HTC MAX 4G can not only offer advanced telephony services, but also high-speed Internet access and high-quality multimedia services.



Even if the MAX 4G is not a multimedia monster at the Touch HD, the phone is still impressive. However, the main disadvantage of this new handset is that it lacks the 3G support, but this shouldn’t be an issue for its Russian owners, as there is still no active 3G network in Russia. On the other hand, they get the Mobile WiMAX, which is something like the Wi-Fi, only its coverage is much wider and can span across whole cities.



The tri-band GPRS/EDGE HTC MAX 4G differs from the HTC Touch HD by several key features. MAX 4G has 8 GB of user available memory, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera and a proximity sensor for auto screen turn-off during calls – much like on the iPhone. The phone is equipped with a 3.8 inch TFT touchscreen display with 480 x 800 pixels, GPS, motion G-sensor, front-facing VGA camera , Bluetooth 2.0, media player, 3.5 mm headset jack and FM radio. As far as the dimensions and the weight are concerned, they remain nearly the same, measuring 113.5 x 63.1 x 13.9 millimeters and 151 grams (with battery).

In addition, the device also features some extra services, granted by the Yota Center, Yota Phone, Yota TV and Music, Yap-Yap, Video and so on. HTC MAX 4G will be released exclusively for the Yota Network in Russia in the end of November and it will have a rather hefty pricetag of about 840 euros (meaning $1,050), with a two year contract.

(Source: cellphonebeat.com)