Pixel Concept

It’s been over three months since I wrote a post for this blog, but life just got in the way. Now that my schedule has opened up a bit, I finally set some time aside to catch up on a few posts. I’ve gotten a few devices in the past three months, three of which are new enough that I can get away with posting up some pictures and impressions on them. First up is the HTC HD2 aka the HTC Leo. As HTC shows you in the packaging, it is BIG. As much anticipation as there was for this device, I still was not prepared for the sheer massiveness of this phone. Check out the unboxing gallery for some comparison shots to the original HTC Touch HD and the iPhone 3G. I won’t promise a full review of the HD2 since there are already plenty out there (and even a good segment on TDL Mobile 019); but I will likely post some impressions on the sexy beast. Also, stay tuned for some shots of two other recent devices.

HTC HD2 Unboxing Gallery

It’s been about a month since the almighty Hero came to rescue me from the N97, yet the gadget lust has not worn off. That alone should give an idea of my first impressions of this device. I must say, I am impressed. Though the design may seem like a slimmed down version of the Dream, the build quality of the Hero really stands out. The device is solid and feels good in the hand. The teflon coating gives a bit of that soft-touch feel to the back, and does a great job at fending off dirt and fingerprints. I must admit, the reorganized button layout does not make much sense. The ‘Back’ button should be easily accessible at all time; unfortunately, this is not the case. Hitting the ‘Back’ button requires a very agile thumb, and just feels unnatural when reaching for it. It’s not impossible to reach, but it could be easier. Of course the true appeal of the Hero is HTC’s new Sense UI. In short, HTC has scored a homerun with Sense. The multitude of widgets and additional home screens make the Hero extremely customizable right out of the box. Many reviewers seemed frustrated with speed issues and overall system lag, but I have not experienced that. Every once in a rare while an app will hang up, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary and so far seems to be more of an app issue than a Sense UI issue. Overall I am very happy with the HTC Hero and only plan on switching phones when I receive the Nokia N900. I will be writing a full, in depth, review in the coming weeks of the HTC Hero, so stay tuned.

The tech world has been waiting for someone to step up and take the lead on the possibilities that the Android OS holds. Even though HTC was the brand behind the first Android device, it seemed to be in name only since the hardware was not up to the standards that HTC had set for itself. The HTC Magic changed that a bit, with its HTC style looks, but the OS was still the same ol’ vanilla flavor. Enter the HTC Hero. An device with HTC sprinkled all over it; on both the hardware and the software. Though the unboxing gallery doesn’t show off HTC’s customized Android build, it does put on display HTC’s design prowess. Check out the gallery for some unboxing shots and stay tuned for first impressions and a full review.

HTC Hero Unboxing Gallery

After weeks of waiting, a white Nokia N97 was finally delivered to me today. Announced in November 2008, the N97 has been one of Nokia’s most anticipated devices. The N97 is also the first device that has been released to the U.S. market before their usual European preference. Only time will tell if this phone is worth the high price tag, or if Nokia needs to perform a hard reset. Click on for the unboxing gallery below.

Nokia N97 Unboxing

Spending a full month with the E75 can hardly be called “First Impressions” but I am impressed so far. Nokia’s foray into the QWERTY candy-bar slider is a good one. Following up the acclaimed E71 is no easy feat, and although I still prefer the E71 overall, the E75 stands out all on its own. The build quality is what you would expect from an E series device. It feels great in the hand in both portrait and landscape mode. The E75 retains the stainless steel back of the E71 but uses hard plastic for the rest of the chassis. Although I would have liked a full stainless steel phone to retain the new E series design language, I can understand the need to use softer materials to accommodate the sliding mechanism for the QWERTY keyboard. (continue reading…)