HTC Magic - Google Android Smartphone Comments

Wow, to be honest I wasnt expecting such a positive review - given the previews. I'm on vodafone and my Storm although great when it works, has already developed some serious hardware faults. Maybe I'll try and get one of these out of Vodafone C.S. though I don't fancy my chances.

I need to ask why are all the images of the phone rendered images rather than images of the physical handset?

Although it maybe somewhat superficial to say but the general interface of this and other android smartphones seems toyish in comparison to the slick and professional looking winmos and iphones

Been waiting for this review. Looks great and I'm really tempted but have to see what Palm pull out of the bag first. Also the Samsung Android phone looked slick too.

@ffrankmccaffery
I agree in part - i wonder if skinning will be the next big feature?

Good review guys. It's a nice handset, though I'm hoping the better looking, slightly better specced samsung i7500 will have the edge over this.

Shame this review was written by a freelancer who didn't have a vodafone magic (or if he did - hasn't mentioned the limitations of the Vodafone build). Recommend anyone looking a getting one of these should check out Vodafones e-forum on the magic to see the chatter this has generated. Changing from a winMo to the vodafone magic some of the things you lose are - Exchange Activesync (without a paid app), voice dialing) - I should know - I have one! If you can live without these things - it's a great phone (I'm learning to get by) - just be aware of the vodafone specific nuances!

Does anyone know of phone rental service? I want to really try out a touch screen phone before I commit and a 5-10 min demonstation in the shop just doesn't cut it.

@Williamn: never heard of one but you can buy a phone and get 7 days or so to return it no questions asked, not 100% sure if this is just online (i believe it can be bought in the shops as well but recently have heard different but that could be a sales person lying tbh) it doesnt hurt to ask what the returns policy is if the phone does not suit your needs.

I had a few minutes with a friends one the other day. Its a nice handset (a bit girly in white), very nice interface and screen, good apps and store. The feel is quite different to the iPhone, but its the first OS I've used that comes close. It'll be an exciting match between those two and the pre....

I guess there's no pleasing some people, eh... ffrankmccaffery ?

I must say that I am a little surprised by the review. As I was reading it, the 'negatives' or 'slight downsides' repeatedly mentioned by the author were mounting up and seemed to outweigh any positives by far. By the time I finished the article I was very surprised about the '9 out of 10' and 'Recommended' rating.

This rating may be appropriate when comparing it to the only other Android phone currently available but surely not deserved when comparing it to the other host of Smartphones out there, whether WinMo or otherwise.

I've been using HTC WM phones for a few years now with my current one being the Diamond2 and therefore don't really know much about the Android OS, but after reading the article there doesn't seem to be anything the HTC Magic can do that my Diamond2 can't (but there's quite a lot my phone can do that the Magic can't!) - so why the high rating?

@Williamn
My brother bought a Touch HD online from Orange a few months back and he had a week in which to return it. He called up within the seven days to give it back but they took nearly a month to send him the pre-paid packaging to return it. He loved the phone and waited a little for the phone to come out before buying it. It might not work if you buy from a shop as it may have something to do with the distance selling regulations but just ask before you order. I'm tempted to do the same thing with the Magic.

I have an iPhone and a Blackberry Bold. I have just got my HTC Magic and have to say that its a great handset. Email works better on the Magic than on the iphone. The OS feels so much newer and advanced than the Bold. For me its a good mix of the two. I was a bit worried about the white handset but I think it looks better than my white iPhone.

@Floriank
You're not meant to stick up for WinMo on TR!

@ravmania: I do! I rather like WiMo 6.1, especially the Diamond2 ROM that I have running on my HD. Multi-tasking FTW!

I've also recently loaded a very very rough "emulation" of Cupcake Android (probably a ROM dump from the Magic) and I'm impressed with how fast the limited amount of functionality runs. Scrolling around the home screen is lightning fast and smooth! Fingers crossed XDA-Developers pull through and get it working 100%!

@ravmania
I agree, WinMo at present is a complete disaster and I wouldn't entertain using a WinMo phone without HTC's brilliant frontend or some other 3rd Party GUI (have used SPB stuff in the past) but I still think it's saving grace is it's depth of functionality, which is still unmatched by anything else out there.

I think the Diamond2 comes pretty close to giving the phone a pleasant GUI experience for all whilst still offering the under-the-hood advantages of WinMo.

"...but it ties you into a relatively long 18-month contract."

We have 3 year contracts over here. So quit your complaining! :(

I wish it could be found on even slightly cheaper plans, as I'm really interested in either this or the Samsung I7500, but £35p/m is just slightly too expensive and I'd prefer a cheaper plan even if it meant a small upfront fee.

I was just looking at dialaphone and they are doing it cheaper than vodafone at £30 with 600 mins, unlimited txt and mobile internet? very tempting