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There are those few instances when a mobile handset comes my way and I honestly enjoy actually using it not merely for test purposes but on a personal level. The HTC Legend was one of such handsets. It’s designed to look good, feel good and function exactly the same way. Here’s a closer look.
Form Factor
Sticking, in part, to the traditional HTC design of the ‘chinned’ handset the Legend’s body is also constructed out of a single block of aluminum. This has its benefits when it comes to style but it does tend to make the handset a little hard to grip thanks to its smooth texture. A small portion of the rear pops out and a compartment has to be opened to access the battery, MicroSD and SIM card slots. Unfortunately this is not a hot swap option. HTC has gone with an optical track pad for navigation instead of a trackball like with the Hero. The 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display sports a 320 x 480 pixel resolution and multi-touch for most features. On one side are the volume/Zoom keys and a 3.5mm handsfree socket and screen lock button are located on the top with a micro USB port at the bottom.
Form Factor
Sticking, in part, to the traditional HTC design of the ‘chinned’ handset the Legend’s body is also constructed out of a single block of aluminum. This has its benefits when it comes to style but it does tend to make the handset a little hard to grip thanks to its smooth texture. A small portion of the rear pops out and a compartment has to be opened to access the battery, MicroSD and SIM card slots. Unfortunately this is not a hot swap option. HTC has gone with an optical track pad for navigation instead of a trackball like with the Hero. The 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display sports a 320 x 480 pixel resolution and multi-touch for most features. On one side are the volume/Zoom keys and a 3.5mm handsfree socket and screen lock button are located on the top with a micro USB port at the bottom.
Irrespective of the slightly slick surface, the Legend is a really good looking handset that makes a bold style statement in its aluminum casing.
Features and Performance
Interface
With its Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz processor, the Legend runs Android v2.1 fairly smoothly. The only place I noticed a slight delay was in the music player. When flipping through songs, the track changed immediately with the name following a second or so later. Other than that, accessing any and all functions; be it customizing HTC’s Sense UI to your specific needs or switching to personalized desktops that you can create using the Personalizationfunction it’s all good. Android 2.1 or Éclair as it’s called is not all that different from previous editions but it does add a little more color to the settings options and the widgets are far more spectacular than before. Sense UI is by far one of the best interfaces for mobile handsets.
Interface
With its Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz processor, the Legend runs Android v2.1 fairly smoothly. The only place I noticed a slight delay was in the music player. When flipping through songs, the track changed immediately with the name following a second or so later. Other than that, accessing any and all functions; be it customizing HTC’s Sense UI to your specific needs or switching to personalized desktops that you can create using the Personalizationfunction it’s all good. Android 2.1 or Éclair as it’s called is not all that different from previous editions but it does add a little more color to the settings options and the widgets are far more spectacular than before. Sense UI is by far one of the best interfaces for mobile handsets.
Media
The music player is capable of providing clear audio at a decently high decibel level. All tones are audible at a very balanced level. I still think it’s about time Android allowed for customization of audio with EQ presets or a customizable option. The preloaded FM radio picked up signals quite clearly in most places even while on my commute. The voice recorder allows you to comfortably keep the handset at least three feet away from you and still get clear voice recordings. 3GP and MPEG4 videos including those MP4 videos formats for the iPhone played without a hitch. However, I think it’s about time HTC took on DivX and XviD codec support so we wouldn’t have to convert videos all the time. HTC’s Teeter ball game is the only one preloaded. For games, apps etc. you can download off of the Android Market. One minor issue is that the ringer/speakerphone is a bit low.
The music player is capable of providing clear audio at a decently high decibel level. All tones are audible at a very balanced level. I still think it’s about time Android allowed for customization of audio with EQ presets or a customizable option. The preloaded FM radio picked up signals quite clearly in most places even while on my commute. The voice recorder allows you to comfortably keep the handset at least three feet away from you and still get clear voice recordings. 3GP and MPEG4 videos including those MP4 videos formats for the iPhone played without a hitch. However, I think it’s about time HTC took on DivX and XviD codec support so we wouldn’t have to convert videos all the time. HTC’s Teeter ball game is the only one preloaded. For games, apps etc. you can download off of the Android Market. One minor issue is that the ringer/speakerphone is a bit low.
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