India will finally get its first and much awaited smartphone that runs on Google's Android platform. In September I had profiled (on this blogsite) the HTC Dream that was then tipped to be India's first 'G phone'. The phone also started making appearances on all the Mobile retailer sites in the Coming Soon section with price points of 25 to 30K. But it is now certain that the HTC Magic and not the Dream will be India's first Android phone and is expected to hit the shelves in the next day or two. The pre-launch buzz suggests that the Magic is more refined than the Dream and is certainly a better product. Here are some of the key specs and what you can expect:
- 3.1 inch screen with 320 x 480 HVGA Resolution; lots of Screen Real Estate
- 3.2 Megapixel Camera. (Surprisingly no Flash)
- 528 MHz processor (Same as the HTC Dream)
- 512 MB ROM, 288MB RAM
- Touchscreen, 6 keys and a Trackball with enter key for navigation.
- Dimensions: 113 (Height) x 55.6 (Width) x 13.7 mm (Depth/THickness). Nice and light; Just 116 gms
- Customisable Homescreen with widgets and a Touchscreen keypad
The HTC Magic is priced at (approx) Rs 30,000 in India; the Singapore retail price around SGD 1000. Expect a lot of interest in the phone with its all new user experience. What about Windows Mobile Loyalists like me? Time will surely tell...
