Slim, sexy and easy to use (HTC Magic)

Member Name: Gav86

Product:	HTC Magic
Date:	09/10/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Android, marketplace, google integration, great screen

Disadvantages: No 3.5mm headpone jack, battery life

Looking at my previous reviews, you will see i reviewed the Nokia N96. Which was a great bit of kit, let down by poorly coded network branded software. I managed to get an upgrade mid contract and chose the HTC Magic from what was available.

Opening the box, you will find:
- The phone!
- Battery
- Charger
- Hands Free Kit
- USB Cable
- Pouch
- Instructions Booklet, obviously sized for use by the Borrowers. Its tiny!

I see with some options, an SD card is supplied with the phone, but this was not included with mine. Luckily i had a spare 1 GB card at home, which is plenty for the amount of photos and other items i would be taking and saving.
The phone itself is white (on Vodafone - abroad on other networks it is available in black) slim, surprisingly light and it feels sturdy and durable. Its a good size and comfortable to hold.

The front of the phone has the touchscreen plus 7 buttons:
Home takes you to the main screen werever you are
Menu brings up application specific menus depending on which application is open
Return takes you back one screen or page
Search opens up a search box - for Google, the Market etc
The green call button activates calls
The red call button ends calls, closes programs and puts the phone to sleep/powers it off
Then theres is the trackball. An alternative to teh touchscreen, it acts almost like a mouse on a computer screen, and it can be clicked down to select. It also lights up when a notification appears!
There is also a volume button located on the left side of the phone.

The screen itself is large, bright and very sharp. The touch element is responsive and allows for Apple-esque scrolling and flicking between items.

On the back of the phone is the camera lens... and not much else!
The bottom of the phone has HTC's funky shaped mini USB port. Used for charging, connecting to PCs, and connecting headphones/handsfree.

All in all i was very happy with the size, layout and usability of the phone out of the box. Everything feels sturdy and located well.

Tech specs you ask?! Well, they follow...
- GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSIPA/HSDPA
- 528 MHz Processor
- 512MB ROM, 288MB RAM
- Micro SD Slot
- Connectivity - WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, Mini USB
- 3.2" Capacative touchscreen
- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus
- GPS
- Google, Google, Google!
- Android Operating System

And as you can see, there is alot of technology crammed into that little space. It runs quick, its responsive and overall a joy to use.

Android is the mobile operating system developed by Google which is used on the Magic. It comes with a bundle of preinstalled items and software, most of which (understandably!) are Google based, and this isnt a bad thing.
Once you input your Google account information, you are always connected to it. Your emails are pushed directly to the phone, along with your calendar and Google Talk contacts. Its all very integrated. Very useful as well considering i have my Google calendar synced with my Outlook calendar in the office. Everything appears everywhere!

The Google Maps application is repsonsive and the Google search bar on the home page does what you think it does!
As you may have guessed, the phone is always connected to the 3G connection, which makes everything very easy to get to!

The other items on the phone are the standard smartphone offerings. Calculators, alarms, photo gallery etc etc.

The camera on the Magic is good, but not spectacular. There is no flash or zoom, but the autofocus is very good and the image quality isnt bad either. Photos you take can easily be uploaded to Facebook/Twitter/Picasa and all the usual places with ease.

There is no physical keyboard on the Magic, and it is all on the touch screen. At first, ill admit, i was quite worried about this. Ive always been quick at rattling off texts and liked the feel of a physical keyboard.
In portrait mode, its hard and fiddly to use. Much like the keyboard on my iPod touch which i dislike.
However, flip the phone into Landscape, the accelerometer realises this and flips the screen and keyboard. Here the buttons are larger, i can get my hands around the phone and use my thumbs to text. I love it. I can type really quickly, and any errors are usually corrected by the phone. Its the first on screen keyboard i have ever been happy with.

One of the big selling points of the phone is the Android market. Much like the big application store out there for that other phone, it offers many paid and free applications for different purposes. Games, everyday items, finance, music etc etc. Theres a ton of choice and each item is reviewed and has a descriptions, so you know if it is what you are wanting. Got a few things downloaded so far, and its quick and painless.

Now, there are a few negative points about the phone.
As already mentioned, the camera doesnt quite match other cameras on phones on the market, and the keyboard in portrait mode is a total pain.
There is no 3.5mm jack on the phone. The handsfree kit fits in the mini-usb port, but to listen to music you must use these supplied headphones, or buy an adapter to plug in a standard set of phones.
Newer HTC phones have 3.5mm jacks, this does not.
Battery life isnt stellar. Now, this can be said for all phones of this type, so it isnt fair for me to single out the Magic. And this does last longer than the iPhone under heavy usage. Keep it charge to 100% for the 1st few days and it does wonders.
Heavy internet usage, calls and games yesterday and the battery was only at 50%.
The other downside isnt really the Magics fault either. Data limits. Be careful to what plan you are on, or if your 'unlimited plan' has a fair usage policy. Always being connected and the appeal of having the internet and Facebook right there can let your bandwidth usage climb slowly. But general everyday use shouldnt be a problem.

Overall im more than happy with this phone. Its better in every department than my old N96 and the whole Google integration makes it a great bit of kit.

Summary: A great smartphone with a huge list of features

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