HTC Magic | Reviews | Techie.com.ph
5:36 PM | Friday | 30 July 2010

Here it is, our first hands-on with an Android phone a.k.a. Googlephone. Our expectations are high and it can't be helped - the HTC Magic has a lot to live up to.

Fresh from reviewing the Symbian-based Nokia N97, we test another iPhone killer in our gadget lab. This time, the iPhone challenger is borne from the cooperative and individual efforts of HTC, Google, and Smart.

Exterior

The HTC Magic is the second smartphone in Android's portfolio and is the first to be officially launched in the Philippines. It sports many of the same features as its older brother, the Dream, except that it's smaller, lighter, and lacks a physical QWERTY keyboard.

On the outside the Magic looks like a typical PDA phone. On the front are six silver buttons etched with icons that are self explanatory. At the center of it all is a trackball that acts as a supplementary cursor/input device to the touchscreen a la Blackberry Pearl. Most of the time it's difficult to use, so it's best to use the touchscreen instead. All the other keys are backlit except for the ball, which glows a soft white whenever you receive a message.

Just like its predecessor, the Magic sports a prominent "chin" when you look at it from the side. We're not entirely sure whether we like it or not because on one hand, it protects the screen and the trackball by elevating the lower part of the body. On the other, it makes the phone look like Ai-Ai Delas Alas.

The glossy finish is quite irritating because it makes the phone prone to smudging. The last time we saw smudging on this level was with the JVC Everio, which we reviewed a few months back. We didn't like it then, and we still don't like it now.

At the bottom of the phone is a multipurpose mini USB jack where the PC, headphones, and charging cables plug in. Hooray for non-proprietary connectors!

Touchscreen

The HTC Magic is one of the few devices available that uses a capacitive touchscreen. It's the same technology found in the iPhone and in the Palm Pre that allows for multi-touch operation - not so however, with the HTC.

The Magic is not capable of recognizing multi-touch gestures so don't expect pinch and zoom capabilities. This is a big let down because it defeats the purpose of slapping a capacitive touchscreen on the phone. It's no different from the older (and inferior) resistive touchscreen, except now you can't use a stylus.

Another thing you shouldn't expect is the same fluid operation as that of the iPhone. We'll be blunt: it's only marginally more responsive than the N97.

The onscreen controls are counter-intuitive especially during web browsing. For example, to bring out the zoom controls you need to swipe your finger up or down anywhere on the screen first to make the "+" and "-" buttons appear. Only then can you tap on the buttons to zoom in or out. But as we kept tapping, we had a hard time making the buttons respond.

We even mistakenly pressed the Google Search button several times thinking it was the zoom. That magnifying glass icon is pretty misleading.

Keyboard

One flaw that affects the Magic's usability is its small screen. It's only a third of an inch smaller than the iPhone's, but it makes a big difference, especially when you're using the keyboard.

Whether in portrait or in landscape mode, the smaller screen makes it hard to accurately press keys. We  found ourselves misspelling words, even short ones. Fortunately, once you start typing, the Magic's predictive text input kicks in. Word suggestions are displayed above the keyboard in tab style.

We also love the haptic feedback mechanism wherein each key press has a corresponding vibration so you'll know you pressed it successfully (although not necessarily correctly).

One iPhone 3.0-ish feature of the Magic's keyboard is when you hold down a key, variations of the type/letter will pop out.

Browsing

We've mentioned how the screen is a big disappointment and it's the same story when it comes to web browsing. Pinch-and-zoom is sorely missed especially when links are located in close proximity to each other. There's a big chance you won't hit the right one given how tiny links are on the screen.

The only time browsing becomes remotely comfortable is when the site has a mobile version. In which case, the Magic gets a passing grade.

Google searches are mighty easy to do especially with the dedicated search button. One press and the search box pops out. You can even access it from the home screen by swiping your finger to the left. It's good that the Magic has this ability because otherwise, it wouldn't be that useful as a MID. Google connectivity is this phone's ace up its sleeve.

Camera

Although it may not look like it, the Magic's three-megapixel camera is capable of auto-focusing. Rolling the trackball up and down activates the zoom and pressing it activates the shutter. It sounds simple enough to use, but the ball is too stiff and whenever you try to half-press, you end up taking the shot even before the lens has adjusted on your desired subject. The Magic does score points though for having autofocus at all.

Typical for mobile phone cameras, indoor shooting is not advisable since the phone has no flash or light source of any kind. In fact, if you're not shooting a stationary or a well-lit object, forget about using the still cam. Snap-happy phone users should be used to this though.

Finally, it's weird how the video and still cam functions are not connected. Most camera phones have a single program that runs the camera that allows users to switch from video to still mode and vice versa. With the G1, you'll need to open a separate program to switch between modes - more hassle from a feature that's already a hassle to use.

Market Missing!

Apps are a big part of the Android experience and Market brings that to the HTC Magic. Fresh out of the box, there are hardly any applications installed. The most office-oriented apps you'll find are the PDF viewer and QuickOffice (on this front, they're miles ahead of Apple).

Unfortunately, the demo unit we have did not have the Android Market app installed so we couldn't install any additional programs. According to Smart's official PR representatives, the units that were "shipped to Malaysia and to the Philippines will not have as much apps in the HTC Magic as the ones released in Singapore". We're guessing one of those missing/dropped apps is the Android Market app.

We were also informed that the Market App cannot be manually installed by users. If you're an app junkie and if you have plans to download a bunch of stuff online, then the Magic probably isn't for you.

Pricing and availability

As you might have read from our past news entry, there have been controversies regarding which company was the first to bring in the Magic. It's really no biggie since both networks have their own merits, but for a first-of-its-kind release like this, it may be better to stick with the officially appointed telco.

Smart (New Connection)

• Plan 500: P27,000
• Plan 800: P24,000
• Plan 1200: P20,000
• Plan 1800: P15,000
• Plan 2500: P9,500
• Plan 3500: P3,000

Smart (Retention)

• Plan 500: P26,500
• Plan 800: P23,500
• Plan 1200: P19,800
• Plan 1800: P14,800
• Plan 2500: P9,300
• Plan 3500: P2,900