With big name manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and now LG jumping onto the Android bandwagon, the future of Google’s smartphone OS is looking very rosy indeed.
And the influx of Android devices coming into the market looks like it’s not going to let up anytime soon. Just announced to be available soon are two new Android handsets, one, a high-end 1Ghz Snapdragon packing LG slider and the other a somewhat lower mid-range device coming from what could be the world’s most prolific Android device manufacturer – HTC.
Here’s a run down on these two new Android devices.
LG Optimus Q
LG is pumping out more Android powered devices and to us, that’s a good thing. The Ally is looking pretty good and recently it announced the flagship Optimus Q, it’s Android powered smartphone packing 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor simillar with one in the Nexus One, HTC Desire, Droid Incredible and the HTC EVO 4G.
Not much else is known about the Optimus Q apart from its QWERTY keyboard slider form factor and a fairly large touchscreen.
The Optimus Q will first debut in Korea at the end of this month. No pricing has been revealed and we’re not too sure if it will make it to Malaysian shores.
HTC Wildfire
The Wildfire is HTC’s new generation entry-level Android device but don’t let the term-entry level fool you. On paper, it looks like the Wildfire is a very capable and very contemporary device. On the display department there’s a 3.2in capacitive QVGA screen sporting a so-so 320 x 240 resolution.
Connectivity wise, the Wildfire supports all the 3G standards you can possibly want with quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS plus HSDPA (up to 7.2Mbps) all accounted for. There’s WiFi b and g as standard plus Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR and GPS including a digital compass all built-in. The standard set of sensors you’ve come to expect in any smartphone worth its silicon are also present – ambient light, proximity and G sensors
Processing power comes from a fairly decent 528Mhz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor with 512MB ROM and 384MB RAM. Enough to ensure a pretty smooth user experience in our oppinion. Storage comes in the form of ubiquitous MicroSD up to 32GB in capacity.
Running the show is an Android 2.1 OS skinned with HTC’s very own and much loved Sense UI with the adition of multi-touch support and “Leap View” feature as seen on the Legend. In addition, the Wildfire also comes with a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED Flash.
The Wildfire comes in four colour options, with the red and grey looking very good. No word on pricing just yet but rumour has it that the Wildfire will be priced very close to the base model Tattoo (which it will be replacing). This makes the Wildfire a very appealing proposition given its features.
If HTC Malaysia priced this device right, the Wildfire could very well be the device that brings Android trully to the masses, possibly the most bang-for-the-buck Android smartphone on the local market. We can’t wait to get our hands on one!
Here’s the official demo video of the Wildfire from HTC.
