HTC today, in a media event, announces HTC Magic in Singapore. This event was held at Raffles Hotel. We could see the effort from HTC as they actually invited a real Magician and flying in top HTC executives from Taiwan. Singapore is one of the earliest to get the HTC Magic, the second Android phone from HTC. Video of the Magic show after the break.
The event was held at Ballroom. It has a nice embience and BTW, the door gift for this event is the stack of cards that you saw above. Very nice.
Here is the stage (see below) that I mentioned. Very nice colour combination.
The event begins with Elizabeth Tan welcoming us and the Media, followed by Magic Show by a renowed Magician from Singapore.
Following on, is a speech by Mr. Kelvin Hou, the Managing Director, South East Asia of HTC.
Next, followed by Mr. Jason Juang, Executive Vice President of Global Sales.
The next speaker is Melvin Chua, Country Manager of HTC giving us more insight of this HTC Magic that comes with Andriod 1.5 (Cupcake) version. Finally, the Q&A session.
Questions were raised on why the devices are named Dream or Magic and I was surprised that this naming decision is actually after gathering information/suggestion from the bottom level to the top level of HTC. Kudos to HTC for being a employee oriented company.
Another very interesting question is on how HTC feels about Samsung who has just announced the i7500 which is also Android-based phone. The answer is short and sharp. HTC has been working very closely with Google (who designed Android) for the past 3 years and HTC believe that such close partnership could enhance the user experience of the device.
One other important question is regarding who who be responsible for pushing out updates on Andriod OS. HTC answered that Singtel will be taking care of HTC Dream while HTC will be taking care to update users on Magic. In my opinion, managing by HTC definitely is a better candidate.
The event ends with a small reception. Yummy..
However, how could we leave without asking more questions on HTC Magic. I guess HTC knows and listens to consumers. We had another session of questions and answers with Melvin.
Melvin Chua has been helping with the developer of Android applications for the past years. He mentioned that till 2nd April 2009, there are 2,999 applications in the Android market. And according to him, as opposed to some of the news that we heard, Android phone application does not necessary be confined to Andriod Marketplace. This is refreshing. We were given a live demonstration of how Magic can access application other than from Andriod Marketplace.
As you can see below, the Android OS has incorporated security measures should it found that certain applications, other than those approved by Google, is about to be installed onto the phone. It will let you decide if you want to go ahead.
And for those who wants to know where to get software other than Android Marketplace, below is the URL. BTW, as long as the software is with .APK, it should be able to install on an Android phone (correct me if I am wrong).
http://www.slideme.org
According to Melvin, there is no plan yet on paid apps. And also, we were given a recap on the history of Android OS. It started with TeaCake, followed by CupCake and the future will be Donut. And it seems that the direction on the next OS will be video streaming and social networking.
A question was raised on the pushing of mails to Android handset. Apparently, it seems that pushing mail on Dream has an impact on the battery life. However, Melvin explained that this issue was taken care of by a better battery management system on Magic.
And also, we touch on local apps. There will be more local apps coming end of the year, if the information is correct.
We also touches on enhancement made by HTC on Android phone. Based on Magic, it will have 6 keyboard layout, Smart Dialer and the most important thing is that it now support Microsoft Exchange!! So, push mail is not a problem anymore. Input in Chinese is no problem on Magic as it recognize the handwriting. Good!
One important information was on the design of Magic or Dream. I asked a question on why HTC did not consider a 3.5mm earphone jack. One of the immediate answer is that the jack will made the phone thicker (at some area) but the most important factor is that it was not a strong request at the time of design. Future phones will have this 3.5mm jack. Another question that I raised is on the shape. I asked about why is there a tilt on the phone. Reason for asking is because I have heard some people hate it. Answer from HTC is that with the tilt, it rests on the palm more comfortably. Another factor is because of the trackball. With the tilt, the trackball can function more comfortably. It is up to you to agree or disagree with them.
I think that it is great that HTC allows us to communicate to them at this level. The overall discussion is more engaging and fun.
Anyway, the star today is the HTC Magic. Below are some of the pictures that I have taken on the Magic (mostly on the White unit). My opinion is that the white one looks better. The black unit is a fingerprint magnet, as you can see in some of the pictures.
Streaming on Starhub TV is surprisingly smooth.
This is the black unit with the red (or maroon) strip.
This is what I am talking about. Look at the fingerprints and compare it with a white unit.
Testing the G-Sensor which I think works very well. The G-Sensor is also able to be used with the PDF reader software. So, far, I have not seen Multi-touch gesture on it (although we know that it is a capacitive screen). BTW, the scroll adds as a zoom in and out button for the camera too!
This is the pouch that will be given with every Magic.
And to finish off, I always compare them with my HTC Touch HD.
Click Here for More Information on HTC Magic
Hope that you enjoy my media coverage on the HTC Magic
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