Telstra has revealed the addition of almost one million new mobile services in the six months to December 2011, but Sensis revenues plummeted 24 percent in 12 months.
3 Mobile’s Magic also has a “smart dialler” which it demos as a video on its “Magic” news page, and 3 also includes pre-loaded MS Exchange sync software, although both of these programs along with “thousands more” are available from the Android App Market for Vodafone users not wanting to miss out.
Now that Magic is here, and the world was spared the small screen and resolution of the Kogan Agora Android Phone, ever more development should flourish for this platform, helping it to better rival the iPhone which already has 43,000+ apps available. The future is definitely bright.
To store and run those apps you’ll need MicroSD memory as well. A Vodafone spokesperson confirmed that an 8GB MicroSD card would be in the box, while a 3 Mobile PR representative could only confirm a 2GB MicroSD card would be included, although now we know Vodafone will deliver 8GB, I wonder if 3 Mobile will have to reconsider?
Both models offer A2DP Stereo Bluetooth, something the iPhone will now match in the iPhone 3G with OS 3.0 and upcoming iPhone 3.0 hardware, but not for iPhone 2G owners.
And both, of course, offer the Android OS 1.5 “Cupcake” edition, with on-screen iPhone-like keyboard, and very accurate predictive text capabilities, just like the iPhone, too. Haptic feedback is on offer, too, something no-one yet knows if the new iPhone will match, or not.
Android offers Gmail, Google Maps, a browser, contacts, the Android Market App Store, a camera and a host of other familiar apps to any smartphone user.
While the Magic is still not as smooth as the iPhone and there’s no multi-touch on offer, Android powered phones still offer the additional freedom that Apple iPhones don’t. A higher capacity battery on the Magic means more battery life, too.
GPS is included, as is the "Compass" feature that the HTC Dream and Google made famous. Go into Google Maps, enter in a location, and as you pan around the Google phone front of you, from left to right or up and down, the onscreen image changes to match your perspective.
It's a slick trick and helps you be more familiar with a new place when you actually get there!
As with the HTC Dream, the Magic is still stuck with a USB audio jack, forcing an adapter onto those who want to use 3.5mm headphones, even though HTC happily uses 3.5mm headphone sockets on its own HTC Touch HD, although HTC says it will transition to 3.5mm sockets on future models.
All in all, the biggest thing against the Vodafone is a bit less RAM, but better specs everywhere else bar a couple of extra included programs, and at the unlimited price point, the best value for money.
It will be interesting to see which offer is more popular, and whether Vodafone decides to extend its unlimited price plan, or end it on June 30 this year as it has announced!
Following this are the specs, but what do you think? Has the HTC Magic tempted you to make your money perform its own disappearing act in exchange for the most advanced piece of portable Google gadgetry on the planet right now?
These specs are for the Vodafone HTC Magic, but they should be identical for the 3 Mobile version save for the RAM.
There only appears to be a 2100MHz/900MHz model for now, perhaps a 2100MHz/850MHz model or one with all three bands will come in the future.
Dimensions: 113 x 55 x 13.65 mm
Weight: 118.5g (with battery)
Battery Type: 1340mAh Li-Ion battery
GSM Talk Time: 450 minutes
GSM Standby Time: 420 hours
UMTS Talk Time: 400 Minutes
UMTS Standby Time: 660 Hours
Internal Memory: ROM: 512Mb, RAM: 192Mb (3 Mobile version: 288Mb)
External Memory: MicroSD™ (SD2.0)
Bluetooth Version: BT2.0 A2DP
Wi-Fi: IEEE802.11b/g
FM Radio: N/A
Speakerphone: Yes
Other: TrackBall, Digital Compass, G-Sensor, Full Touch, Capacitive Touch Screen
Band: HSUPA 900/2100
GPS: aGPS
Maps: Google Maps
Email: Gmail™, POP3, APOP, IMAP
Audio Formats: AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC-LC, Midi, OGG
Video Formats: MP3, 3GP
Camera Megapixels: 3.2 Megapixel Auto Focus
Camera Zoom: No
Flash: No
Platform/Operating System: Andriod 1.5
PC Synchronisation: No Sync. Supports Drag & Drop
David Bass
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