HTC Wildfire - My Experience

This will be a very short update on HTC Wildfire as I promised to give my view and share my experience with it like what I mention earlier in this post. Because I'm too busy this few weeks so I didn't had the chance to really update this. As mention in my previous post this HTC Wildfire is no doubt a beauty/handsome phone, the looks is an easy reason to fall in love with it. But this Wildfire is also no doubt a lower end HTC smart phone and compare to others in the line up like HTC Legend and Desire, some features has been not included in Wildfire. As I've used HTC Tattoo before this Wildfire can be said to be a replacement of Tattoo or an enhance and upgraded version of Tattoo. As most of the HTC user know Tattoo is one of those low end and among the cheapest when Android phone was first introduced by HTC in their line up.

 

Compared to its predecessors, the Tattoo, Wildfire look more advance and matured in term of design (like Tattoo have grown up hehehe). So here are some of the upgraded feature of this Wildfire:

1. Running on Android 2.1 (Tattoo on Android 1.6) but the processor is still the same as Tattoo

2. Bigger 3.2 inches screen compared to Tattoo's 2.8 inches screen but sadly the resolution is still the same old 240x320 QVGA.

3. No more four way navigation button, Wildfire equipped with HTC's latest Optical Trackball, a very nice new addition.

4. New 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash, Tattoo only have 3.2 megapixel camera without auto focus and flash so this is a very good upgrade.

5. Improved battery capacity from 1100 mAh in Tattoo to 1300 mAh in Wildfire.

For more technical features of Wildfire, check it HERE.

From those five major upgrades, although it is a low end smart phone, this Wildfire is still a sophisticated multi-function phone. It got the good looks and it featured with some good features. So enough for the technical specifications, now what I really like about this phone after a week playing with it? Here's what I like:

1. Optical trackball! Innovative addition by HTC, I like it because it is something different, not a typical kind of navigation button on a typical phone.

2. Android 2.1, what great OS on a rather cheap phone, even low budget person like me can have a taste of the great Android.

3. Super-sensitive capacitive screen, no need to press the screen too hard.

4. Five megapixel camera with auto focus and flash (which can be turned into a flashlight when needed)

5. All of the social networking apps were pre-installed, such as facebook, twitter and plurk.

6. Awesome social networking widget the "Friend-Stream" where all major social networking site account updates can be view on one widget.

7. New enhance caller-ID, integrate their facebook and birthday into their contacts detail and every-time they called the update will be shown.

8. The new "Leap View", like it because it is something new :p

9. Something HTC called "Polite Ringer" and it does really polite, when someone called, the phone ring, you pick up the phone and the ringer volume will automatically drop and when you're still sleeping and someone nagging you by calling in 4.30 a.m just to remind you to bring important files when you're already put it in your car the day before, you just have to turn your Wildfire over and the ringing will stop altogether :p

10. A lot of useful and awesome apps in the android market which can be useful in your everyday life with Wildfire :p

..... and many many more like-able things

Yes, that were the 10 things I like about this Wildfire, not only it's a pretty/handsome phone but it still a sophisticated phone. But like other things in this world, nothing is perfect and so does this Wildfire, it also has its own downsides. Furthermore, this Wildfire is not the high end smart phone, that's the thing that should be kept in mind. It shows how concern HTC are, they even come with a phone which a low budget person (like me) can buy and have a taste of the great Android 2.1 :p (I'll praise them more if they give me free HTC Evo or Nexus One myahaahaha).

Ok now the sad part of this phone:

1. Because the processor is still the same old processor, running too many apps at one time can make this phone lag.

2. The installation of any apps will be installed into the phone little memory and can't be installed into memory cards, so you might not be able to installed all the apps you want (this happen to be the downside of Android 2.1 and they'll fixed it in Android 2.2 I think)

3. Small phone memory (for apps installation)

4. Quiet a small QWERTY pad in vertical mode so for more comfort of typing use horizontal mode.

5. The touch screen panels at the bottom part of the screen is too sensitive and rather a troublesome although it is a good substitute to the button kind of thing. You can easily mistakenly accidentally pressing the search button when you operate it with you right hand and the even worst when using left hand you can accidentally pressing the Home button especially when typing in vertical mode.

So that's the 5 things I don't like about that phone but what I like about it were 10 things so the likeness still win hehehehe

Using phone with Android 2.1 one can never run away from the feel to really find a good apps to suits their preference. Android market have so many free apps which can be an additional awesomeness to your phone and in this case the Wildfire. So here are some recommended apps:

1. Dolphin Browser HD - Advance web browser with translation capabilities, sharing text and web url into the social network and with many extension and of course the best of it is, it's free! Click HERE for more info.

2. Taskiller - For killing apps running in the background to make the phone faster. Personally this is a must have apps

3. Document To Go - For viewing, creating and editing documents such as words, sheets and slideshow.

4. PicSay - For editing and getting creative with your photos

5. Yahoo! Mail - For those using yahoo mail service (Gmail user need not to worry, it's already in the phone.

6. Seesmic - For those who wants different Twitter client apart from the already-installed HTC Peep and Friend Stream apps.

7. Facebook - Official Facebook apps for Android

8. Bluetooth File Transfer - The name says it all :p

9. OI File Manager - Managing file inside your phone.

10. PhotoFunia - Having fun with your photo

That are 10 recommended apps for Wildfire, more than that do feel free to browse in the Android Market. As for games, I would not suggest any, simply because everyone have different preferences and again do browse the Android Market for any games you like :)

So that's all about Wildfire that I would like to share and any suggestion or comments are very much welcome (though I know I might be last to share about this phone :p ).

Conclusion: This phone is for those with low budget but want to have a taste of Android platform phone, with not much concern over using it to the extreme level, only do light web surfing, social networking (Facebook, Twitter etc..), not for hardcore mobile gamers, not much multi-task and those who seek something different or switching from older platform phone such as Symbian and ordinary phone. And for me, so far I'm satisfied with my Wildfire :p

HTC Wildfire - 1st Impression

This will not be a review post for this HTC Wildfire (that I just acquired) but rather a short post on to express my opinion at the very first sight seeing and feeling this phone. It won't be too technical and in depth yet until I really experience it. HTC Wildfire is one of the latest models introduced by HTC alongside other models such as the HTC Desire and Nexus One. But Wildfire is not actually fit to called Desire and Nexus One's siblings though, it would be rather come between those two or derived from them. What I mean is seems that some part of Wildfire was taken from Desire, another from Nexus One and even from other earlier phone like the HTC HD2. Hard to be digested? Well wait until my review on this phone (after a few days playing with it) then I'll explain more as I will be able to detect which part belong to which phone and "paste" onto the HTC Wildfire.

So yeah, Wildfire is a good looking, handsome/pretty android phone, no doubt, with its sleek and neat design with not-overdone curve side which is identical to most of HTC phone. When looking at this phone before actually touching it and have never tried HTC phone before, one can fall in love easily with this phone especially the one in red color. As for me, I'm tired of the black, gray and silver colored phone now though my favorite color; one of them; is black. This time I told myself I'll go for something different so I go for red. Think that red is sissy or gay? Nah!!! What this this phone called? Yes Wildfire, so because it is a Wildfire so red is more relevant, right? Whatever, I like it red this time.

If anyone asked me why buy this phone? Because it is HTC, simple answer, I've used HTC before, the HTC Tattoo and this Wildfire is actually for me to replace that Tattoo (not tattoo on my body ok :p ). If we line up all the current HTC android phone and categorized them in group such as entry level, armature, semi-pro and pro, this Wildfire will be easily and without doubt fall into the entry level category. Why? because first: it is the cheapest among the current HTC android phone, two: the specifications is quiet a low end and three: it lack of some advance features such as those fitted into the higher end model like HTC Legend and Desire. But this is not a simple and worthless phone. It still a sophisticated and multifunctional smart phone which for me personally can shake the more expensive phone like Iphone 3G and even Iphone 3GS though it might not win the battle :p

Wildfire runs on Android 2.1 and it's only a matter of time for the latest Android 2.2 to be available for upgrade. Physically this phone exterior are pretty much straight forward without any unappropriate buttons. Although there's no shutter button for the camera but this will not be a big problem as the optical trackpad took over the job. Did I mention optical trackpad? Well this is one thing that I like in HTC's new ranges, innovative I must say :p The 3.2 QVGA capacitive screen is good enough to compliment this phone and the style of this phone look more mature than it's predecessor the HTC Tattoo. I do admit, when it come to looks, Wildfire is not disappointing at all. 

So I'll play with this beauty for a few days and I will sure to go back to give my opinion on it and share my experience. It will not be long, if I'm too impressed or too disappointed with it, tomorrow I'll write a post about it :p So anyway, just wait for it then and for those who can't wait for my review and want to go and grab this Wildfire first, go ahead or those who already experience living with it, all your opinion and sharing are very much welcome. Adios for now... peace....

**all pictures are taken from www.htc.com**