When HTC first entered the mobile industry, it was mainly making branded smartphone handsets for various networks, such as the O2 XDA range, and MDA handsets for T-Mobile. This quickly gained HTC a reputation as a producer of fine smartphone devices, and soon enough HTC were selling handsets under their own brand name. HTC were fore-sighted enough to see the possibilities that the Android operating system offered and were one of the founding members of the Open Handset Alliance that worked with other software and hardware producers in bringing the Android OS to market. Whilst HTC have done a lot for the fortunes of Windows Mobile, it can be argued that the more popular HTC successes have come with handsets running on the Android OS and the flagship handset in that range would be the HTC Desire.
Recently HTC announced two more handsets that would be marketed under the Desire name, the HTC Desire HD and HTC Desire Z, and we are going to take a closer look at the HTC Desire Z right now.
If there could be one criticism of the original HTC Desire, it would be the lack of a proper keypad for messaging. Whilst there have been many developments to help make texting on a touchscreen device a much more enjoyable user experience, there remains a large group of mobile users who hanker for a proper keypad, either the traditional alphanumeric keypad or a QWERTY keyboard. The HTC Desire Z adds a QWERTY keyboard to its line up of features, and will be a real boost to those who rely on messaging as their main form of communication.
Along with the QWERTY keyboard, there are a couple of other improvements on the HTC Desire Z, and the most notable of these is an updated version of the proprietary HTC user interface, HTC Sense. The main display of the Desire Z measures in at an impressive 3.7 inches, and has a pixel resolution of 480 x 800. Using S-LCD technology, the display presents crisp and clear, and has colour support for up to 16 million colours. The device overall is a good size for a smartphone, measuring in at 119 x 61 x 14mm, and weighing in at 180g, slightly on the heavy side, probably due to the aluminium unibody casing.
In keeping with HTC tradition, the Desire Z is a capable media device, with a strong set of media features, without really excelling in any one area. The device is equipped with a 5.0 Megapixel camera, with support for autofocus, geotagging and face detection, and has an LED flash. Video recording is enabled, up to HD quality, and there is ample storage space available for storing media, with 1.5GB of internal memory, expandable by Micro SD memory cards. The Desire Z also includes a very capable media player, which has a simple to use interface. Media on the device can be sorted into various categories, including by album, artist or genre. Complimenting the onboard media player is a stereo FM radio with RDS, and there is a 3.5m audio jack.
Connectivity options on the Desire Z are well covered, with all the major data connection options included, with Class 10 GPRS and EDGE, plus HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA at up to 2.0 Mbps, as well as WiFi 802.11 b/g/n. Bluetooth 2.1 is included, with A2DP support, and cable to PC connection is handled with a Micro USB cable connection.
Other notable features on the HTC Desire Z include a built in GPS receiver with aGPS support and the inclusion of a digital compass. All the main Google mobile applications are included, with Google Maps, Gmail, Google Talk, YouTube pre installed, and Picasa support is integrated in the Desire Z album application.
It is clear that the HTC Desire Z is a top class, main contender smartphone, and a worthy handset to be branded with the Desire label. Initially the HTC Desire Z will be available in Black, and is expected to market imminently.
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