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It's hard to argue that Android is powering some of the most exciting new mobile phones. Sure, the iPhone is terrific, but it's just one phone from one company. We love competition, and that's what we think Android brings--certainly more so than Windows Mobile or Symbian currently do.
With its two most recent handsets, HTC has set the bar very high: Both the Magic and Hero are superb little devices. They are small, well-built and aesthetically pleasing, but most importantly of all, they bring smartphones kicking and screaming into 2009.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Although it might seem trivial, the Hero isn't badged "with Google". This is because the build of Android on this phone is modified.
Google denies that it's Exchange support that stops a phone from carrying the Google logo. But whatever, this is still basically an Android handset with access to the Android Market and terrific Google apps.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Notice that the Hero on the left has a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Magic does not, much to our dismay.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Charging is done in the same way though, via mini-USB sockets on the bottom of the phone.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Here you can see the HTC Hero's chin. This is a point of some controversy because in the original press shots it looked like it was inspired by Bruce Forsyth.
In person, or in Android, as we should say, it looks lovely, and the chin is really not a problem at all. HTC also claims that it helps with call clarity, and some other techie stuff. A Brucie Bonus, you might say.
It's also relevant to say that the trackball on the Hero is smaller than the one on the Magic, and not as nice to use.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Even the lock screen is slightly modified on the Hero. You drag that bar downward to unlock it, whereas on the Magic you simply press the Menu button.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Both of these home screens have been slightly customized from the default settings. The Hero comes with quite a bunch of widgets by default, and you get more vertical home screens, too--six as opposed to three on the Magic.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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The Hero has its own custom HTC widgets. These are added to the desktop in the same way as the Android widgets are.
HTC also provides widgets for switching off Wi-Fi, GPS and putting the phone into Airplane mode. On the Magic, these have to be downloaded from the Android store.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Here, you can see the customization that Vodafone uses to ruin the Magic.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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The two phones are about the same size. They both have that wonderful balance between authoritative weight and comfort for long-term use.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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SIM card placement is different in the Hero, too. You have to insert the card into a little metal holder. On the Magic, the card just slides into place, which we prefer.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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The batteries are very similar in terms of capacity. The one shown here on the left is the Hero's--it has about 10mAh more capacity than the one in the Magic.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
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Further highlighting the subtle differences between the two is this G-sensor calibration tool, which the Magic doesn't have.
Photo and caption credit: Ian Morris/CNET UK
HTC Magic
7.3 Editors' Rating
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