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!

Windows Mobile 6.5 has been officially released for some time now. And we already had the launch event last week (together with Windows Mobile marketplace, together with Windows Mobile Marketplace this has been the biggest thing since the release of well.. Anything Windows Mobile and phone related.

Microsoft has woken up and smelled the competition, although many feel they acted a little bit too late. Luckily Microsoft is well known for putting major funds into projects and getting them back on track in record time. Although Windows Mobile 6.5 could have been more, everyone agrees that it is a huge improvement over Windows Mobile 6.1. So what phones will be getting an upgrade?

First let’s have a look at the amount of windows mobile phones that a company like HTC has launched over the course of 2 years:

HTC Touch Diamond
HTC Touch Diamond 2
HTC Touch HD
HTC Touch Cruise
HTC Touch Pro 2
HTC Touch Pro
HTC Touch Dual
HTC TyTN II
HTC Snap

And the list goes on and on, there are about 5-6 lesser known Windows Mobile powered phones released by HTC over the last 2 years. So what devices are getting an upgrade? Sadly not too many HTC already released a press release about this and stated that only the Touch Diamond 2 and the Touch Pro 2 are getting an upgrade. Probably the only reason for this is that they had promised this to the audience when these phones went on sale.

They call the other phones like the Touch HD to be dated technology even though it has the exact same hardware as the Touch Diamond 2 and the Touch Pro 2. So basically it’s all about the money. HTC has no intention in spending time and money on bringing out updates for older devices because that would only hinder their sales. For a company standpoint it’s pretty clear but from the consumer point of view it’s a bit disappointing.

Microsoft has released a list of devices that are getting an official Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade. The list can be found here.

Please note that although they say that the devices are outdated and therefore not getting an upgrade a lot of people are already running Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade on their HTC phones for months. If you are interested in this go find out if your device has a custom rom available on the best message board out there xda-developers.com.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment, we have been flashing our devices for years and are willing to answer any question about this issue.

What are you looking at!??! Oh the chin..

So are you one of the lucky few people that already has their HTC Hero Sprint phone? If so I bet you have been tweaking and configuring to try and make your Sense UI look great and personal. So what is next? You heard the android app store is filled with amazing applications that you can get for free. But where to start? There is a most popular listing but of course this doesn’t store all the previous months and what applications you should get.

For our HTC Hero Sprint friends who joined us in the Hero community (Europe has had the phone for some months now) we devised a list of must get applications for your fresh new non-chinned Hero. And don’t worry nobody blames your chinless model.

SMS Popup
SMS popup is an application that allows any android user the luxury of having their Short text messages popup on the screen like the iPhone. Some people prefer this, some people don’t. It sure is a real fast way to reply to a message as you get the 3 options on your screen “Close, Delete, Reply”. The application looks great on the HTC Hero, sprint and chinned edition alike. Choose wisely when your girl or boyfriend texts you.

Twidroid
A freeware twitter application. Yes we know HTC Hero Sprint and chinned has an included twitter client. But this one is fast, has all the options and on top of it all it’s free. Try it, if you don’t like it you can blame the Germans.

Appmanager
AppManager is a valuable instrument to assist you back up your application/programs to your expandable memory card. Like to the application program manager in ASTRO but this is a free alternative, you are able to pick out individual apps or choose all apps and back them up or install from the SD card at any time. I use this day in and day out for saving certain apps to the backup memory card.

Mobile Defense
So now you have this amazing smartphone, obviously you realy want to keep it safe. I Recall checking Mobile Defense on the Android Market some time ago, just never went around to setting it up as it required establishing an account. After I took the few mins install, I realized all this time I have been leaving my telephone at jeopardy for getting lost or stolen. Mobile defense is the best security app for your Android smart phone. It installs a application that’s hidden (so people don’t know it’s installed), and you are able to access administrative controls on your phone via a browser at http://www.mobiledefense.com. If you lose your phone, load the website using a computer and access the administrative controls you have over your lost phone. Not only does it enable GPS and show you where your phone washes up, it’ll in addition to tell you the battery life left, and pass you data about the SIM card owner if the SIM card is changed. On top of that, you are able to enable “alarm”, which turns on the volume on your phone and activates a siren sound so you’ll be able to place it. There’s also “Lock”, which turns on the pattern lock on your phone to secure it. I’m astonished at all the characteristics this application offers up, and as well the other features if you upgrade to the paid version (remote backup, remote wipe). Your Sprint HTC Hero smart phone should not go without this application installed.

I know, it’s 4 apps but top 5 just sounds so much better. See you next time for some more recommendation for your brand spanking new HTC Hero Sprint.

Brain training - Progress Page

Recently (15 September) SPB released their new iteration of SPB Brain Evolution, they are now up to version 2.0. As we haven’t done a review of Brain Evolution yet, this will be a complete review of the game. As you might have guessed from the title of the game, this is a brain game which means that you have to complete all kinds of exercises and puzzles and like many other of these games your ‘brain age’ is measured and is used as a motivator to improve your scores. Let’s begin to say that this game works very well for Windows Mobile WVGA devices.

The game was tested on a Touch HD, Touch Diamond 2 and a Touch Pro 2 from Sprint. The game worked flawless on all these devices but the actually in-depth game test was performed on a Touch Pro 2 which is the current favorite at the moment.

Brain Marking
The games features two modes. The first is ‘Brain marking’ which basically is what you get as you first start the game or make a new profile. You will be tested in five different games to get a quick status of your brain. The following games are some examples of what you will face in this mode:

One of the better games in Brain Evolution, quadronica

Quadronica
Quadronica Shows you a screen with a lot of cubes on it. In these cubes you can make rectangles of the different color blocks, the bigger the blocks the more points you receive for this exercise. In the case of this game the screenshot will clearly show what you have to do.

Memory Trainer
The memory trainer shows you different objects on the screen. You then have a bit of time to remember as much as you can. When the time is up you are asked a certain question. Questions include – How many blue items were on the screen, how many items were rotating to the right – how many awesome WVGA games will HTC Smartphone review in the future? Ok we will be honest that last question is sadly not in the game.

Math
You get what you expect from the math game. There is a certain number of questions you have to answer, these answers slide down on the screen and you have to calculate them and give the correct answer as fast and correct as you can. The better the time and the better the results make the number of points you will receive.

After these tests you receive a brain index that will be used throughout the game. What is new in version 2.0 of Brain Evolution is that you can upload your results to either Twitter or the SPB website so you can compete against your friends or anyone on the web.

Brain Training
The brain training mode has twelve mini games that you can play each day and improve your brain index with. There are some great looking statics pages that look vibrant and are informative on your WVGA device. As you get better and better results in the brain training mode you unlock more games which will definitely motivate you to keep on going and improve yourself. Another fun feature is that you receive a little fact after every day of training you perform. Of course we will not spoil these for you, play the game and you will see even a little addition like this can really complete a game.

New in version 2.0
For people already familiar with this game, here is a small overview of what is actually new in version 2.0 of the game.
- Geometry (exercise)
- Full game statistics and user recommendations
- Online high scores and twitter support

One of the new features in Brain Evolution!

SPB Brain Evolution is a game that you and really your entire family can enjoy. You don’t have to sit down and play for hours and hours. It is a little similar to for instance the Nintendo Wii, often you can just sit down (or stand) and play for 30 minutes and there is nothing keeping you from turning it off. This makes the game really suitable for casual gamers, you can come back every day – but you don’t have to.

The graphics and audio of the game look equally impressive on the WVGA phones we tested this on. This really is one of those gems in the world of Windows Mobile (HTC Compatible) WVGA phones that you enjoy playing and looks great.  The screen is responsive (can be different on any device of course) and the audio is very suitable and not distracting too much, it blends in great with the game which is how it should be.
Check out this post for some more HTC Windows Mobile WVGA compatible games. We hope you have enjoyed this review, for suggestions or anything else feel free to leave a comment.

Looking for more WVGA Games? Check out the following posts:
>> Free WVGA Games you can download now
>> New HTC Compatible WVGA Windows Mobile game – SPB Quads
>> Top 5 Touch HD Games