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HTC Legend Mobile Phone
There are those few instances when a mobile handset comes my way and I honestly enjoy actually using it not merely for test purposes but on a personal level. The HTC Legend was one of such handsets. It’s designed to look good, feel good and function exactly the same way. Here’s a closer look.
Form Factor
Sticking, in part, to the traditional HTC design of the ‘chinned’ handset the Legend’s body is also constructed out of a single block of aluminum. This has its benefits when it comes to style but it does tend to make the handset a little hard to grip thanks to its smooth texture. A small portion of the rear pops out and a compartment has to be opened to access the battery, MicroSD and SIM card slots. Unfortunately this is not a hot swap option. HTC has gone with an optical track pad for navigation instead of a trackball like with the Hero. The 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display sports a 320 x 480 pixel resolution and multi-touch for most features. On one side are the volume/Zoom keys and a 3.5mm handsfree socket and screen lock button are located on the top with a micro USB port at the bottom.
Irrespective of the slightly slick surface, the Legend is a really good looking handset that makes a bold style statement in its aluminum casing.
Features and Performance
Interface
With its Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz processor, the Legend runs Android v2.1 fairly smoothly. The only place I noticed a slight delay was in the music player. When flipping through songs, the track changed immediately with the name following a second or so later. Other than that, accessing any and all functions; be it customizing HTC’s Sense UI to your specific needs or switching to personalized desktops that you can create using the Personalization function it’s all good. Android 2.1 or Éclair as it’s called is not all that different from previous editions but it does add a little more color to the settings options and the widgets are far more spectacular than before. Sense UI is by far one of the best interfaces for mobile handsets.
Media
The music player is capable of providing clear audio at a decently high decibel level. All tones are audible at a very balanced level. I still think it’s about time Android allowed for customization of audio with EQ presets or a customizable option. The preloaded FM radio picked up signals quite clearly in most places even while on my commute. The voice recorder allows you to comfortably keep the handset at least three feet away from you and still get clear voice recordings. 3GP and MPEG4 videos including those MP4 videos formats for the iPhone played without a hitch. However, I think it’s about time HTC took on DivX and XviD codec support so we wouldn’t have to convert videos all the time. HTC’s Teeter ball game is the only one preloaded. For games, apps etc. you can download off of the Android Market. One minor issue is that the ringer/speakerphone is a bit low.
Connectivity
The Legend has got it all when it comes to connectivity – from 3G with HSDPA speeds up to 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA up to 2 Mbps (not that that matters just yet) to EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and of course USB 2.0 for data transfer or hooking the handset up to your laptop for internet. Push Mail aside you can also access MS Exchange, ActiveSync and any other POP or IMAP supported accounts. Social networking on an Android handset, especially with an HTC is well managed and the Legend doesn’t disappoint. Facebook and Google account address integration with your phone book is a snap. Of course it’s not 100% as there will be a few contacts here and there that will need to be linked manually. Even then the system provides quite a bit of assistance.
Aside from the standard Facebook and Twitter (HTC Peep) apps that are preloaded, HTC has also included FriendStream, which allows you to simultaneously update both your Twitter and Facebook accounts from one app. The browser is still a pleasure to use but for an even better surfing experience you might want to go with Opera. It’s not preloaded but it’s available via the Android Market. A separate Gtalk application is also available for chatting and a YouTube app for watching streaming videos from the site. HTC’s weather application integrates with one of the clocks for the desktop and also has a stand along full page widget. Images can be uploaded and shared to all of your social networking websites like Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Picasa or sent as emails right from the picture itself. A preloaded app to another new Social Networking site called Plurk is also available. An RSS feed reader is also on board.
The Legend also comes with a built-in GPS module for Google Maps and GeoTagging images. HTC’s Footprints app is also preloaded to make tagging and updating images with data a lot easier. Every kind of communication option from email to social networking, finding your way around a place or searching for places in an area and of course email and basic net searches are very well managed in the Legend.
Misc. Features
Mundane features like a calculator, a Calendar that syncs automatically with your Facebook and Google accounts and desk clock feature complete with alarm are all present and accounted for. A version of QuickOffice is available for viewing MS document files including .PPS and .PPT formats. A .PDF reader is also present. Information can also be backed up onto your memory card in case you need to format or reset the handset for whatever reason. It also supports Text to Speech.
Camera
Another asset to the handset's set of features is the 5 megapixel camera with its LED flash. It comes with touch-focus White-Balance, ISO settings up to 800 and a Self-timer. Picture quality is really quite good. Colors are quite vivid and the level of sharpness is quite good for a mobile phone camera.
Battery
One of the issues with the handset isn’t so much the battery life but the heat it generates when it’s in use and while it charges. If you’re one of those avid social networkers who constantly need to be in tune with their online lifestyle and update the world with every moment of their lives or are constantly sending or receiving emails you’ll get as much as a day and half for usage. If you’re normal and live in the real world, just talk time averaged in at over 4 hours.
The Bottom Line
With a price tag of Rs. 25,990 the HTC Legend is a great handset for those who like Social Networking and a comfortable arena to do it in while on the go. Media-wise the handset also has quite a bit to offer starting with a good music player and pretty good camera. In its price range, the Legend is going to be a tough act to beat.
Form Factor
Sticking, in part, to the traditional HTC design of the ‘chinned’ handset the Legend’s body is also constructed out of a single block of aluminum. This has its benefits when it comes to style but it does tend to make the handset a little hard to grip thanks to its smooth texture. A small portion of the rear pops out and a compartment has to be opened to access the battery, MicroSD and SIM card slots. Unfortunately this is not a hot swap option. HTC has gone with an optical track pad for navigation instead of a trackball like with the Hero. The 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display sports a 320 x 480 pixel resolution and multi-touch for most features. On one side are the volume/Zoom keys and a 3.5mm handsfree socket and screen lock button are located on the top with a micro USB port at the bottom.
Irrespective of the slightly slick surface, the Legend is a really good looking handset that makes a bold style statement in its aluminum casing.
Features and Performance
Interface
With its Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz processor, the Legend runs Android v2.1 fairly smoothly. The only place I noticed a slight delay was in the music player. When flipping through songs, the track changed immediately with the name following a second or so later. Other than that, accessing any and all functions; be it customizing HTC’s Sense UI to your specific needs or switching to personalized desktops that you can create using the Personalization function it’s all good. Android 2.1 or Éclair as it’s called is not all that different from previous editions but it does add a little more color to the settings options and the widgets are far more spectacular than before. Sense UI is by far one of the best interfaces for mobile handsets.
Media
The music player is capable of providing clear audio at a decently high decibel level. All tones are audible at a very balanced level. I still think it’s about time Android allowed for customization of audio with EQ presets or a customizable option. The preloaded FM radio picked up signals quite clearly in most places even while on my commute. The voice recorder allows you to comfortably keep the handset at least three feet away from you and still get clear voice recordings. 3GP and MPEG4 videos including those MP4 videos formats for the iPhone played without a hitch. However, I think it’s about time HTC took on DivX and XviD codec support so we wouldn’t have to convert videos all the time. HTC’s Teeter ball game is the only one preloaded. For games, apps etc. you can download off of the Android Market. One minor issue is that the ringer/speakerphone is a bit low.
Connectivity
The Legend has got it all when it comes to connectivity – from 3G with HSDPA speeds up to 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA up to 2 Mbps (not that that matters just yet) to EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and of course USB 2.0 for data transfer or hooking the handset up to your laptop for internet. Push Mail aside you can also access MS Exchange, ActiveSync and any other POP or IMAP supported accounts. Social networking on an Android handset, especially with an HTC is well managed and the Legend doesn’t disappoint. Facebook and Google account address integration with your phone book is a snap. Of course it’s not 100% as there will be a few contacts here and there that will need to be linked manually. Even then the system provides quite a bit of assistance.
Aside from the standard Facebook and Twitter (HTC Peep) apps that are preloaded, HTC has also included FriendStream, which allows you to simultaneously update both your Twitter and Facebook accounts from one app. The browser is still a pleasure to use but for an even better surfing experience you might want to go with Opera. It’s not preloaded but it’s available via the Android Market. A separate Gtalk application is also available for chatting and a YouTube app for watching streaming videos from the site. HTC’s weather application integrates with one of the clocks for the desktop and also has a stand along full page widget. Images can be uploaded and shared to all of your social networking websites like Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Picasa or sent as emails right from the picture itself. A preloaded app to another new Social Networking site called Plurk is also available. An RSS feed reader is also on board.
The Legend also comes with a built-in GPS module for Google Maps and GeoTagging images. HTC’s Footprints app is also preloaded to make tagging and updating images with data a lot easier. Every kind of communication option from email to social networking, finding your way around a place or searching for places in an area and of course email and basic net searches are very well managed in the Legend.
Misc. Features
Mundane features like a calculator, a Calendar that syncs automatically with your Facebook and Google accounts and desk clock feature complete with alarm are all present and accounted for. A version of QuickOffice is available for viewing MS document files including .PPS and .PPT formats. A .PDF reader is also present. Information can also be backed up onto your memory card in case you need to format or reset the handset for whatever reason. It also supports Text to Speech.
Camera
Another asset to the handset's set of features is the 5 megapixel camera with its LED flash. It comes with touch-focus White-Balance, ISO settings up to 800 and a Self-timer. Picture quality is really quite good. Colors are quite vivid and the level of sharpness is quite good for a mobile phone camera.
Battery
One of the issues with the handset isn’t so much the battery life but the heat it generates when it’s in use and while it charges. If you’re one of those avid social networkers who constantly need to be in tune with their online lifestyle and update the world with every moment of their lives or are constantly sending or receiving emails you’ll get as much as a day and half for usage. If you’re normal and live in the real world, just talk time averaged in at over 4 hours.
The Bottom Line
With a price tag of Rs. 25,990 the HTC Legend is a great handset for those who like Social Networking and a comfortable arena to do it in while on the go. Media-wise the handset also has quite a bit to offer starting with a good music player and pretty good camera. In its price range, the Legend is going to be a tough act to beat.