• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

HTC Desire: What the Nexus One SHOULD HAVE been...

sooper_droid12

Android Expert
Nov 25, 2009
1,227
73
At first glance, the HTC Desire looks much like a re-packaged Nexus One. To a certain extent it is: It still packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform SoC and is clocked at 1 GHz. It sports Android OS2.1. It shares the same amount of ROM memory as the N1. Beyond those things however, the HTC Desire is the phone that the Nexus One should have been.

large1.jpg


On the surface, bravo HTC for including an optical track-pad/operable button, instead of sticking with the track-ball, circa 1990s technology. A clunky, prone to malfunction track-ball has no place on a 21st century device. What would appear to be the same camera on the back (probably is) has enhanced functionality, including face recognition software. Additionally, the front of the device includes hardware keys, instead of the soft keys of the Nexus One. A boon for those who do not want to deal with the inaccuracies of the Nexus One soft keys. In this commentator's opinion, hardware keys provide the user an assured experience, i.e. what I press is what I get. Bravo, HTC, again!

large4.jpg

Internally, the HTC Desire comes with Android OS2.1, but also with a revamped Sense UI overlay. I have never been a huge fan of Sense due to its memory gobbling and resource hungry nature. But coupled with the 1 GHz Snapdragon and 576 MB of RAM, long ago are the days when Sense bogs down the device. Taken from hands-on videos, the device continues to appear snappy, no matter what tasks you are asking it to do. Is this what Android OS2.1 should have been? No, this is obviously an HTC concoction. However, this does not bely the fact that a device of this nature should incorporate the kind of UX everyone is expecting: better mail/exchange handling, better gallery experience, better music experience, etc. The Nexus One should have delivered it and did not. The HTC Desire did and has.

large5.jpg

The HTC desire also brings to the table a host of new ways to improve the UX, including HTC's home-built widget store. The widget store provides the user with even more ways to customize their device according to their personal needs and whims. Other improvements like bringing pinch-to-zoom to the surface of the UX, enables one to navigate their home screens with a simple gesture. These very details that HTC has worked out for the Desire has created a device truly deserving and befitting its name.

sooper_droid12-albums-sooper-s-album-picture679-large1.jpg

It is not hard to find yourself desiring this device. It is perhaps a small iterative step from the Nexus One, but it is the attention to detail in this device that really causes this device to outshine its nearly identical cousin. Where I cannot recommend the Nexus One, the HTC Desire has enough going for it to warrant that look. Likely to be found in-store at carriers, you know this device will not suffer from the service setbacks the Nexus One experienced. With the ability for consumers to see and get their hands on one, the Desire has the makings of out-pacing the Nexus One. This is the phone the Nexus One should have been... and it is cheaper (according to HTC).
 
doesn't have dual mics for noise cancellation... that in itself is a HUGE advantage for the Nexus... you know, for those of use that actually make PHONE calls :D

It's true that the Desire doesn't have dual mics for active noise cancellation. However, the cell phone industry has gotten by and along very well without ANC for a long while without any negative fall-out. In fact, tens of millions of consumers bought an iPhone and its not equipped with dual mics. It really wasn't until the DROID and N1 that dual-mic ANC became en vogue. I don't think the ordinary consumer will miss it considering no one's really noticed it showing up. Except for the minority of tech geeks that go spec-hunting, I don't see this as a key feature that will diminish the overall popularity of this device.
 
Upvote 0
I didn't read your whole review, but it sounds like you chose an outcome and then tried to write a review to get there.

For instance, "the front of the device includes hardware keys, instead of the soft keys of the Nexus One. A boon for those who do not want to deal with the inaccuracies of the Nexus One soft keys."

I mean, really, "the inaccuracies of the Nexus One soft keys?" Has anyone with a Nexus experienced inaccuracies with the soft keys? I don't think I've ever once had an "inaccuracy". They have haptic feedback! And then while you fault the Nexus for having the soft keys instead of hardware keys, you then go onto to fault the Nexus for having a hardware trackball instead of a software one! Did you see the making of Nexus videos where they showed how they test the trackball?

And while you're correct that most people aren't aware (yet) of the excellent noise reduction offered by the Nexus (better than the Droids, by the way--again watch the videos that explain how the mics were intregrated with the special chip and software), that doesn't mean that it isn't a really, really useful feature. Personally, having experience the N1's noise reduction, I would never buy another phone without it.

Don't get me wrong, the HTC Desire looks nice, but you're nitpicking.
 
Upvote 0
It's true that the Desire doesn't have dual mics for active noise cancellation. However, the cell phone industry has gotten by and along very well without ANC for a long while without any negative fall-out. In fact, tens of millions of consumers bought an iPhone and its not equipped with dual mics. It really wasn't until the DROID and N1 that dual-mic ANC became en vogue. I don't think the ordinary consumer will miss it considering no one's really noticed it showing up. Except for the minority of tech geeks that go spec-hunting, I don't see this as a key feature that will diminish the overall popularity of this device.
We're supposed to be moving forward, not backwards. I like dual-mics for noise cancellation. It's a shame they couldn't have the best of both worlds.

I wonder why phone companies always short change their phones.
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones