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7th April 2009 Author: Kinny Cheng - - Views:

Actually, it’s just really one - being the Android-based ‘Magic’, which debuted in a joint announcement with Vodafone at their press conference on Tuesday.

(Obviously, this is by far an indication that the Magic holds any lesser importance than its Windows Mobile cousins announced a day before.)

HTC Magic (for Vodafone initially)

[ phone bios: UMTS900/2100 (Asia/Europe) + quad-band GSM radio with HSPA (7.2 Mbps down / 2 Mbps up) | 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen @ 65,536 colours | microSD | Bluetooth 2.0 | WiFi | aGPS ]
[ platform: Google Android v1.5 (aka ‘Cupcake’) ]
[ media: 3.2-megapixel AF lens | New video recording support | ExTUSB multi-connector ]
[ major features: Integrated Google-based services (Gmail, Calendar, Contacts) | virtual keyboards for text-based input ]
[ available colours: White ]
[ expected release: 1H 2009 ]

(Note: the *live* photos of the Magic is a pre-release unit, and may not exactly reflect the details of the commercial version to be released by Vodafone.)

This second Android phone doesn’t deviate far from HTC’s initial design, the Dream (or the T-Mobile G1, as it’s known in their respective markets) - only with the primary exception of the slide-out QWERTY (thumb) keyboard being forgone. The ergonomics, finishing, and the basic design elements are still very much maintained with the Magic, along with that curved-up section on the bottom-side which I personally found to be quite practical.

“In a nutshell” differences of the HTC Magic:

Physical:

No more slide-out QWERTY keyboard (the key differentiating design element, obviously);
Bigger battery (yay!) - lithium-ion @ 1340mAh versus 1150mAh on the Dream;
The four round, hard buttons below the display aren’t flush anymore, but are thin, protruding horizontal strips that take on two groups of two;
“Menu” button isn’t flush either, and now sits below the left “group of two” button set;
Trackball is now larger, and recessed slightly deeper into the case than that of the Dream’s (possibly to improve its overall usability and ergonomics for this particular design); and
The multi-level camera shutter button is gone, with the job of commanding the virtual shutter now re-assigned to the trackball device or the on-screen virtual button, which can also be held-down-to-focus-and-lift-to-shoot.

Software:

The Google Android OS has been updated to v1.5 (aka “Cupcake”);
A new soft (virtual) keyboard and almost-full-screen handwriting pad (for inputting Chinese characters) are used for text input
Updated Gmail, camera and media viewer (now called ‘Gallery’) app, plus a brand new Picasa app;
Both Camera and Gallery apps have been updated to support the Magic’s new video capture capabilities;
Added menu transitions when opening/closing/switching between applications; and (most importantly);
Improved system response times.

Initially, it will be available exclusively - in White - with Vodafone, in countries where their networks thrive. Just like how it was with T-Mobile, we hope that this latest Android device will make itself available throughout the different international markets in the not-too-distant future.

FYI : HTC Magic specs @ HTC.com

HTC Magic - physical overview (and comparison) with HTC Dream

HTC Magic - short UI demo

HTC Touch Cruise (09)

[ phone bios: UMTS900/2100 (Asia/Europe) + quad-band GSM radio with HSPA (7.2 Mbps down / 384 Kbps up) | 2.8-inch QVGA resistive touchscreen @ 65,536 colours | microSD | Bluetooth 2.0 | WiFi | aGPS ]
[ platform: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional ]
[ media: 3.2-megapixel with fixed focus lens | ExTUSB multi-connector ]
[ major features: HTC Footprints “life” feature | GPS-enriched capabilities (NaviPanel) ]
[ available colours: standard (one only) ]
[ expected release: Q1 2009 ]

The fact that HTC has chosen to call one of their newest models a name they had used before is beyond me. But the Touch Cruise (09) is indeed an impressive device, especially if you are into GPS and navigation.

It’s pretty much a Touch 3G with a slightly-different physical design, one that also feels and works better as a navigation-based product. For example, the larger buttons below the display, plus the selection spin wheel, are usable whether the device is in the hand, or when sitting inside its car cradle.

Above the green “answer” and red “end” keys are the Cruise’s primary features. The left button, with the compass silhouette, represents the built-in GPS mapping software (for the North American model, Garmin is used - while for the rest of the world, including Greater Asia and Europe, the TomTom software is pre-loaded). On the right, the button with a footprint is a quick access key to the new HTC Footprints software.

In short, Footprints is a life application that can help users jot down the places they’ve been to, by associating an image (taken with the on-board camera) with the respective longitude and latitude coordinates of where the shot was taken. Subsequently, these images and the associated information are saved, which can be referred back to whenever required.

FYI : HTC Touch Cruise (09) specs @ HTC.com

HTC Touch Cruise (09) - short UI demo