HTC Hero mobile phone was launched on 24th June 2009, in London, by HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile phones. It presents itself with variant selection of widgets on the screen of the phone. You can alternate the designs and sizes to suit your personality. HTC Hero is an Android phone and prior to it HTC G1 was having this facility. Hero introduces a unique blend of functions which improves the Android experience. Android is an operation system, functioning on Linux kernel, initially developed by Google and later on by Open Handset Alliance.

The merits of this phone lie in its simplification of the operation system thereby making easier for the users. In this phone you need not scroll around to search a name. All you have to do is type a few letters of the name and you get the name. When you search your mail in the inbox, unlike a list of e-mails, you will find a list arranged systematically, important notes flagged and a library for the documents along with the attachments. The search button easily finds the tweets in Twitter and searches through your appointments in the calendar. Operating the phone, you have a custom made experience. Hero is primarily a touch screen device.

The hardware which is added to its features are the screen, a 3.2-inch TFT-LCD display with 320 x 480 resolution, 5 mega-pixel auto-focus camera, 3.5 mm audio jack, and a custom built HTC user interface. With its 3.2-inch display, the HTC Hero is optimized for Web and multimedia. Adobe is, also, working with HTC to make sure that the Hero can run Flash. Which implies the Flash elements and components on the web will run smoothly on the Hero. Users will be able to observe YouTube and various videos and video shows.

You will only realize about the phone when you see the specifications. It has 512MB ROM /288 MB RAM, Internal GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP support, 900/2100MHz HSPA and Quad-band GSM, 802.11b/g WiFi with 3.5mm Audio Jack, 5 mega-pixel auto-focus camera, micro SD expansion, G-sensor and many modern applications.

Improvised on a culture of innovation, HTC Heroshapes the mobile experience to a new generation gadget. To get the best of mobile phone deals and demonstration of Flash working, visit dialaphone.co.uk.

Source: articlealley.com/article_964969_45.html

If you have seen the latest video demonstrations for Windows Touch and other multi touch application software, you have probably been wondering when the technology will finally land on the mobile phone. HTC brings an end to this wait by launching the new HTC HD2 smart phone. This mobile device has a 4.3 inch capacitive multi touch screen and is currently running the HTC Sense interface on Windows Mobile 6.5.

We are hoping for an upgrade compatibility with the upcoming Windows 7 in order to make full use of its multi touch features. Multi touch alone does not make a great mobile phone, and the HD2 is a pretty expensive device to boot. Fortunately for us, HTC has packed some pretty serious hardware in the HD2 to make everyone happy.

Everything but the Memory

The HD2 is jam packed with great hardware that makes it a powerful smart phone. The Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor makes everything run smoothly, even the clunky Windows Mobile operating system. Expect insignificant load times and no slow downs in graphic intensive programs. If you are familiar with the HTC Touch, consider the HD2 as its big bad cousin. The only problem with the HD2’s specifications is that it only has 512MB of internal memory, forcing you to rely a lot on the microSD transflash card slot for storing larger files and media.

HD2 Hardware Specifications

The HTC HD2 has support for HSDPA and GSM network bands (similar to its Asian release counterpart). It will connect to EDGE, GPRS, 3G HSDPA and wireless LAN networks. It has GPS capabilities and is supported by HTC’s navigations services such as HTC Footprints, Digital Compass and the NaviPanel.

Thanks to the large screen of the HD2, you can use this mobile smart phone as your navigation device while driving. It also has Bluetooth device compatibility allowing you to use hands free headsets for greater freedom of movement. The external casing of the HD2 carries a nice black finish with texture that is easy to hold. At 0.43 inches thick, it’s slim enough to fit into most pockets.

Software Specifications

HTC has also designed integrated applications for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube allowing users to instantly access their accounts for quick updates. The HTC Sense is very easy to use and thanks to the capacitive touch screen, it responds quickly to commands. We are still going to see if it has been modified for multi touch input as well.

You should check out some of the fantastic HTC HD2 contracts if this phone is of interest to you. Best Mobile Contracts are a good place to look as they are the UK’s leading mobile phone price comparison website. They also compare mobile broadband ensuring that you are always connected.

Source: articlealley.com/article_1202910_45.html

A fun Windows Phone game can be hard to find these days. But the one reviewed here today is a real gem, and best of all it’s completely free wvga game. Totem Star Lite is a simple but fun puzzle game for the Windows Mobile platform. Totem Star Lite does it’s thing perfectly on the WVGA resolution, and as an enthusiastic gamer who loves the new WVGA devices, and games that work on these phones I just had to do a review of this puzzle game.

Totem Star Lite is obtainable for free via the developer website – Touch Dimensions. Where you can find the game as a .cab file for your phone. The game in cab format can be either downloaded to your mobile phone or copied over via Windows with Bluetooth or Active Sync. This WVGA game requires that you have Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 3.5 installed on your Windows Mobile Smartphone device. You can get it by searching around in the search engines or the Microsoft site.

This WVGA Game that used to be known as “Dream Catcher Lite” but for unknown reason was renamed to Totem Star Lite. In this game you lead the destiny of your fellow tribesmen through the stars or so say the creators of this game. Totem Star is set in the Native American desert sunset. The goal of the game is to draw patterns around stars of similar shape or color. You can also make combination in as the authors say – ‘an infinite variety of patterns’ which in the real world will is quite finite. But there are plenty combinations possible and a lot to be found out in the game play.

Totem Star Lite does not have a steep learning curve at all, but you will soon discover that the game is much deeper as it seems to be from the beginning. The goal of the game is to make a lot of patterns from the stars that appear in the game area. The combinations can be found in the bottom right corner of the screen. Just below a totem pole that you have to fill up to have your fellow tribesmen build more buildings, which results into a new pattern and a higher score.
Sometimes a certain star color is not available and you can make combinations to force it to spawn and complete your goal. The combinations you can make in the game can be found on Touch Dimensions site that you can find through Google.

The game play is fun, and keeps you busy for quite some time. The background music is very relaxing and the entire atmosphere of the game is just great. These days finger friendly applications and games are really hot. But because of how the game is made it’s often better to use the stylus. The patterns you have to draw can be quite small and thus your finger can be in the way. The game plays fine with your finger as long as you are not that concerned about getting the best high score that day. In the options menu of the game you can view your current high score and switch between music/sound disabled or enabled. Other than that it’s just a great little WVGA game that works on all devices it was tested on, WQVGA and more. Be sure to try this gem of a game, which on top of it all is free.

This game was tested on the following devices: HTC Touch HD, HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Touch Diamond 2, Samsung i900 (Omnia), Samsung Omnia 2 and Samsung Omnia Pro. And will most likely work on the HTC Touch HD 2.

Enjoy the gaming!

Next to the great buzz going around the internet HTC also released a new Android hand set. The HTC Tattoo. Rumors and screenshots have been going around the web for some months now, but a couple of weeks ago HTC officially announced the Tattoo and it has landed in our hands (albeit it being for only one week).

The Tattoo looks great, it's a standard design phone and feels great in the hand (and pants!)

What it boils down to is that HTC Tattoo is the cheaper smartphone version of the HTC Hero. The hardware it sports is a little bit less impressive then it’s bigger brother. The biggest difference here is the screen type and screen size. More on that later.

Design
The design of the HTC Tattoo is great, it looks really basic but that just means that it’s sporting a proven design that has worked in the past and still holds true. The device has all the buttons we always see from HTC, search, home, menu, back a call and end button. Instead of a trackball this time they choose to install a 4 way navigation pad which works, but just really feels less ‘smooth’ then the HTC Hero/Dream and the HTC Magic. It works though, the interface is as snappy as the HTC Hero (and HTC Hero Sprint) with their current software upgrade. One thing we haven’t seen before though is the removable covers, HTC is really trying to get to the ‘general public’ with this affordable and personal looking device (well if you choose to find another cover for it).

The Screen
Ok now we get to the one thing that really makes this phone different and we guess cheaper then the other Android smartphones HTC has released thus far. The screen is only 2.8 inches diagonal and runs at a resolution of 320×240 (QVGA) where all the other Android phones released thus far have a resolution of 480×320 (HVGA). This is quite a drop in resolution also considering these days lots of smartphones have been coming out with WVGA screens, though not in the Android segment yet.

The screen is also of the resistive type instead of capacitive, meaning the screen is pressure sensitive and it’s not made of  hard glass. The screen does seem quite responsive but not as responsive as the devices with capacitive touch screens. The screen does the job though, considering this is for HTC standards a budget phone.

The Hardware
The HTC Tattoo Smartphone is built around the same CPU as all their Android phones so far released (the Qualcomm MSM7225) and quite frankly does the job. But we are waiting for the first HTC Android cell phone that sports a Snapdragon CPU (HTC Dragon is rumored).  Enough of the sidestepping now, the CPU does its job, and considering the Tattoo has a smaller resolution then its predecessors the UI should actually run smoother then the Hero, though as said before it’s smooth, and smooth is smooth.

The camera is 3.2 megapixels and it’s abit of a downgrade comparing it to the Hero but it makes decent pictures and it’s fine for using it for twitter/facebook and other social networking from your mobile device. The battery life is the same as any other android phone we tested so far from HTC, with heavy use you get a day, with smaller usage you get 2 days and that’s fine. There is nothing more to say without basicly just copying it from the other HTC Android set reviews, it seems to be a lot of the same thus far.

The Conclusion
The HTC Tattoo Smartphone is positioned as a low end Android device, and even though it has the same CPU speed as all its predecessors the device really is just that. Everything is a bit worse than the other Android phones out there. Lower resolution, less megapixels then the Hero(the other phone with HTC Sense UI). The resistive screen is a letdown, but other than that it’s a good device. Then again why not put down 150 dollars more for a HTC Hero (or a little more expensive contract)? We would certainly recommend it if you don’t have any problems with paying a little bit more.

Some time ago we wrote an article on some must have applications for the HTC Hero, of course there are many articles written about this in the past. But since android just got a lot more users in the form of the Sprint users getting a HTC Hero it’s time to find some great and currently popular games. The two games reviewed below are two of the best, and are currently on the top of the download list in the Android market. Thousands and thousands are enjoying these games, and I’m sure you will too.

Android Game: Robo Defense Free

Robo defense is a standard tower defense games. There is a home screen where you can find achievements and rewards game. You gain points by defeating opponents and levels. In the free version you can choose your difficulty (basic level).  As you start the game you get instructions how to use the game. Then you get a map where you can place your robots/turrets. On the screen you see the points you have accumulated on this round and your ‘health’ which basically is means how many hits your structure can take before the foes run from one side to the other side of the screen. So the goal is to make sure these enemies don’t pass and destroy you. There is different kinds of weapons some do area of effect damage and some just do straight up damage to one foe. The game is really the most awesome tower defense game you can find on Android. Feel free to try the free version and if you enjoy tower defense games I’m sure you will spend the $2.99 on it.

Android Game: Colorix

Colorix is a puzzle game which right of the bat looks amazing. It’s a tetris kind of game instead of different shapes you get these balls that fall down the screen and you have to make certain combinations that are explained before you start the first level. The interaction with the game is dealt with in two ways. You swipe up or down to change the order of the marbles and to move them left or right you swipe to the left or right. So the game play is really simple, and let’s face it – that is what mobile gaming is all about. Gaming on mobile devices is all about the simple puzzle games that are easy to control, these games are always the best in gameplay and value. Every try a 3D shooter? Haven’t been much fun for us at least. In this category Colorix is one of the best games out there. You can puzzle your heart out for ours and ours. And the game will only set you back $2.99.

Hopefully if you are a new HTC Hero Sprint owner you have all ready tried or bought these amazing games. If not be sure to try these games out, and keep on gaming!