HTC's Velocity 4G: will HTC be 'superfast' at delivering ICS 4.0 udpate?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 24 January 2012 19:48

Opinion and Analysis

HTC's Velocity 4G is the fastest smartphone in Australia, primarily because it's the first to offer a 4G LTE chipset, and while more 4G models are clearly on the way, the ironic 'wait' for ICS 4.0 to arrive with some velocity for the Velocity begins.

It's the fastest smartphone you can currently get, but instead of the smoking hot and presumably then melting Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 OS from Google, it has the Gingerbread OS 2.3 instead.

Now, for most intents and purposes, this makes no difference whatsoever to the everyday use of your superfast Velocity smartphone, but it is a shame that HTC couldn't have moved faster to get ICS out the door on day one.

After all, Asus with its Eee Pad Transformer Prime was able to deliver ICS 4.0 as an immediately available 'over the air' update to its tablet, but smartphones are clearly a bit more of a hassle.

The whole thing is a stark reminder of the fact that Apple can deliver its updates to virtually all users of compatible versions at the same time worldwide, while Android users have to suffer through an OS fragmentation that ultimately'¦ has affected some people a lot, and others, not so much.

Still, the promise of an upgrade that takes forever to come is always an annoying thing, especially when modern iDevices have no such wait, and even Microsoft seems to have gotten its Windows Phone 7 update act together, surprisingly enough.

Now, if you have a smartphone you're happy with, is there any need to upgrade to an HTC Velocity 4G?

Well, the obvious answer is no. Unless, of course, you absolutely must have 4G speeds, and you spend the vast majority of your time with the 4G coverage area.

If that's the case, then not only is an HTC Velocity going to be at the top of your list of priorities, the chances are high that you might already have one as we speak, having either pre-ordered, or gone into a store today to buy one.

If, however, you're in the market for a new smartphone, then speed may not be your only requirement, with 3G and Next G phones pretty fast as it is.

You'll have to weigh up app stores, dimensions, expected OS update timeframes, brand names and more. Perhaps Google's Nexus S smartphone, which comes with Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, and was the first ICS phone, will be the one you want.

Perhaps an iPhone 4S is more your thing. You might even be thinking of seeing what Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 offers, whether its from one of the existing players, or whether it comes in its new Nokia clothing.

Whatever you decide, it's good to note that HTC's Velocity is modern enough, with its 1.5Ghz dual-core processor for fast multitasking, a separate GPU, 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and special rear-illumination for better photos in low light and a 4.5-inch screen for a wider portable window into the online world we all live part of our lives in.

With plenty of smartphones and tablets due this year, HTC's Velocity 4G is but the first to arrive, and will be followed by many.

But until its competitors make their presence felt, HTC's Velocity 4G sits atop the 4G totem pole, tempting you to generate within an intense desire for Australia's fastest smartphone.

Let's just hope that the ICS 4.0 update arrives in a superfast timeframe too, something that will bring the joy of a new smartphone experience on top of the very fastest speeds currently available.