PC World Philippines » HTC Magic

Motorola Droid Still Leading the Android Pack

Fei — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:59:27 +0000

By JR Raphael
April 29, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO – It may no longer be the hot phone du jour, but Motorola’s Droid appears to still be leading the way when it comes to Android devices.
A new report by mobile ad company AdMob measures the amount of ad traffic sent from different smartphones in March — and the Droid’s blinking red eye is going to be very pleased with what it found.

AdMob and the Android Lineup

First up, let’s be clear about what exactly we’re discussing here: AdMob measures the number of ad impressions served by applications and mobile Web sites using its platform. In nondipstick speak, that means it’s counting the number of times its little ads show up on apps — you know, the ones that are free and thus ad-supported — as well the number of times they pop up on smartphone-specific versions of Web pages.

That said, here’s what AdMob discovered: The Motorola Droid accounted for nearly a third of all the company’s Android-oriented traffic during the month of March. No other handset even came close to matching the Droid’s 32 percent stronghold: The HTC Hero came in second place, with 19 percent of the traffic. The HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1) and HTC Magic (myTouch 3G) tied for third, with 11 percent each.

Next came the Motorola Cliq, with 10 percent of the total March traffic. Then you have the Samsung Moment, at 6 percent; the Samsung Behold 2, at 2 percent, and the Nexus One, also accounting for only 2 percent of all Android-based AdMob traffic.

Android’s Expanding Options

What’s interesting about this data is how it shows the increasing spread of popular options within the Android ecosystem. Just seven months ago, two handsets were responsible for nearly all of AdMob’s Android-based traffic. Now that same traffic is divided among nearly a dozen different options.
This is truly the key to Android’s inevitable mobile market dominance: choice. I’m not talking about the choice to customize a device and use it the way you see fit (though that’s certainly relevant, too). What I’m talking about here is choice in hardware: Whereas certain unnamed platforms present you with only one basic form, Android devices come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors; there’s something to meet practically any desire.

Case in point: keyboards. Turns out more than half of AdMob’s March Android traffic came from devices with physical QWERTY keyboards — namely the Motorola Droid, Motorola Cliq, and T-Mobile G1. The physical QWERTY keyboard is one reason why I personally prefer using the Droid over newer and more technically impressive handsets such as the HTC Incredible. It’s all about the options.

The Android-iPhone Comparisons

Now, I like a good Android-iPhone smackdown as much as the next guy — but one thing AdMob’s data doesn’t do, contrary to what some reports floating around the blogosphere suggest, is imply that Android has now surpassed the iPhone in overall Web traffic.
In addition to the Android-specific data, you see, the AdMob report breaks down March ad impressions based on mobile operating systems. For the first time, Android does come out ahead of the iPhone, with 46 percent of all U.S.-based traffic compared to the iPhone’s 39 percent. But let’s consider what that really means.

AdMob, as I pointed out early on, measures the number of ad impressions served by applications and mobile Web sites using its platform. The important phrase to take away from that: “using its platform.” When you’re looking within a single operating system like Android, you can draw some general conclusions by treating the data as a broad sample. But when you’re looking from one platform to another, it’s just not a consistent comparison.

AdMob, after all, very well could serve far more apps on Android than it does on iPhone. Developers have options as to whether to include ads and — if they do go the ad-supported route — which mobile ad provider they want to use. Differences in the number of and popularity of AdMob-using apps on each platform would clearly skew any meaning a cross-platform comparison would have.

So, sorry to disappoint, but there’ll be no crown-changing bragging rights awarded here today. That doesn’t mean Android and Apple fanboys can’t still call each other names, though, and mock each others’ platform limitations. Just don’t do it in Apple’s App Store; I hear uttering the word “Android” there can get you banned.

HTC & SMART bring the HTC Magic to the Philippines

Jon — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:23:03 +0000

Philippines’s leading operator SMART Communications and HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today unveiled the first Android-powered mobile phone the HTC Magic to Philippines’s market. A tablet-style device, with a sleek design and unprecedented compactness for a smartphone featuring the Android platform, the HTC Magic enables a superior mobile internet experience.

Further enhanced with Outlook synchronization, Smart Dialer, and an onscreen keyboard with predictive text, the HTC Magic is a true entertainment and communication powerhouse.

Providing broad flexibility for personalization

The HTC Magic has a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen display and features a trackball for easy access, a 3.2megapixel camera and GPS. It provides full fidelity PC browsing experience, where users can expand and personalize their phone to fit their lifestyle.

“The HTC Magic embodies the compact style and sophistication for which HTC has come to be known, with the powerful and intuitive internet experience for which the Android platform was designed,” says Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corporation.

“To truly maximize the power of advanced, all-in-one devices, they need to be powered by innovative operator technologies – offering the HTC Magic through SMART Gold is a natural fit,” said Annie P. Naval, marketing group head of SMART.

Superior support and unbeatable mobile internet experience

HTC Magic features a trackball with zoom in/out function. It also provides fit the width rendering, and auto screen rotation for easy navigation and internet browsing.

Simply Better

HTC Magic is now enhanced with cool HTC goodies like Smart Dialer and a versatile on-screen keyboard. Smart Dialer lets you call people in whatever way you think, by either dialing their phone number or by dialing the first few letters of their name. The versatile keyboard lets you choose your favorite way to type and the predictive text completion helps you write faster than you can finish your thoughts.

Choose Your Connections

Take your inbox or inboxes with you wherever you go. HTC Magic makes it worry-free with easy account set up, multiple mailbox support and Microsoft Exchange server synchronization for email, calendar and contacts. Simply put, with HTC Magic, you can always keep your personal and office emails flowing.

Pricing & Availability

The HTC Magic will be available for New Connect and Retention subscriptions through Smart Gold Plans 500, 800, 1200, 1800, 2500, 3500. The postpaid line will be under a 24 month lock in period. Standard retail HTC Magic package will come with a 2GB microSD card.

Specifications

Processor	Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528 MHz
Operating System	Android
Memory	ROM: 512 MB RAM: 288 MB
Dimensions / Weight	113×55.56×13.65mm / 116g
Display	3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensetive screen (320×480)
Network	HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz (Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent)
Device Control	Trackball with Enter button
GPS	Internal GPS antenna
Connecitivity	Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and A2DP Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Camera	3.2megapixel camera with auto focus
Audio supported formats	AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC-LC, MIDI, OGG
Video supported formats	MP4, 3GP
Battery	Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery Capacity: 1340 mAh Talk time: Up to 400 minutes for WCDMA Up to 450 minutes for GSM Standby time: Up to 660 hours for WCDMA Up to 420 hours for GSM (the above are subject to network and phone usage)
Expansion Slot	microSD card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter	Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 47/63 Hz DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features	G-sensor Digital Compass(3^rd party software is needed)
Value Added Applications	Microsoft Exchange synchronization for email, calendar and contacts, PDF Viewer, Quick Office, Smart Dialer, SlideMe Application Manager and Teeter game

Globe introduces the HTC Magic to the Philippines

Jon — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:08:54 +0000

In its aim to deliver the most advanced services and the latest technologies and devices to consumers, Globe Telecom has introduced the HTC Magic to the Philippines.

The highly anticipated smartphone is feature-packed with entertainment and communication functions and runs on Google‘s Android mobile operating system. On the productivity side, it allows you to view Microsoft Word, Excel and PDF documents and support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync with push e-mail, calendar and contacts synchronization. It has a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a trackball for easy navigation and utilizes an onscreen keyboard with predictive text and recognizes cursive handwriting.

In addition, it has a chic 113×55.56×13.65mm body that tips the scale at 116g and comes in black and white. The embedded 3.2megapixel camera is paired with autofocus for capturing still photos and videos, and audio playback supports an array of formats including MP3, WAV, OGG and WMA among others.

The HTC comes free with Globe’s GPlan and GFlex 7000 and can be availed at the Globe telecom Business Center in Megamall’s Cyberzone. You can also log on to www.globe.com.ph for more details.