Updated 14 Feb, 2012, 6:01 pm IST

MWC 09: HTC Reveals New Android Powered Handset - HTC Magic

18 Feb, 2009, 4:50 pm IST | Shayne Rana |

Vodafone and HTC Corporation have announced the HTC Magic smartphone, Vodafone’s first Android-powered mobile, which will be available in the spring. The introduction of the HTC Magic is the result of a successful relationship between Vodafone and HTC, and Vodafone’s joining, late last year, of the Open Handset Alliance.

“Delivering an unbeatable mobile internet experience for our customers is a priority for Vodafone, so we are very excited to be introducing our first Android-powered smartphone in the spring,” says Patrick Chomet, Global Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group. “Following our joining of the Open Handset Alliance, we have worked very closely with HTC to bring this cool new phone to the market. Our customers want to access a wide range of the most attractive mobile devices to help them make the most of their time - the HTC Magic helps meet that need.”

“The HTC Magic embodies the compact style and sophistication for which HTC has come to be known, with the powerful and intuitive internet experience for which the Android platform was designed,” says Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corporation. “We are proud of our partnership with Vodafone and excited about making the Android-powered HTC Magic available to Vodafone customers in Europe.”

"The announcement of the HTC Magic is an important step for Android and the Open Handset Alliance," says Andy Rubin, Senior Director of Mobile Platforms at Google. "With it, Vodafone is opening up the mobile web for consumers across Europe and giving more third-party developers a platform on which they can build the next wave of killer applications."

The HTC Magic has -

a 3.2-inch QVGA touch screen display
Features a trackball and navigational buttons for quick, easy access
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Handwriting recognition
MicroSD card support
Wi-Fi, 3G, EDGE/GPRS
Bluetooth only for mono headset, USB (mini)
3 megapixel AF camera
GPS

The HTC Magic includes a variety of email options such as Google Mail, POP3 and IMAP. In addition, Android Market allows for quick and easy downloading of games and applications utilizing Vodafone’s� network.

The new handset is exclusive to Vodafone in the UK, Spain, Germany (Black) and France where it’s available in White. It’s also going to be out in Italy on a non-exclusive basis in both colors – Black and White. Customers can ensure that they are the first to receive information about the HTC Magic’s availability, pricing and pre-ordering by registering their interest via their local Vodafone website from today. Full details of availability and pricing will be available in the future in local Vodafone markets.

Tags: MWC 2009 , Android