Inder's Internet Blog: Dec 27, 2011

NEW DELHI: Rhyme is the latest addition to HTC's portfolio and it comes with a 'Charm' of its own. Well, the charm is an accessory included in the box. It's a small cube that lights up to indicate an incoming call or SMS. It connects to the phone's 3.5mm audio jack - which obviously means that you can either use the charm or listen to music (even the loudspeaker switches off since the phone thinks a headset is plugged in).

It could be useful in meetings and maybe in the movie theatre where you can keep the ringer off and have the charm notify you of calls and messages. Honestly, we think it will just end up gathering dust after the first few days of use. Like most other HTC devices, the Rhyme has a great build quality.

At first glance, you can see that it is heavily inspired by the HTC Radar's design. The area around the display is all-metal and it stretches to one third of the back as well. The rest of the phone is plastic -including the back-cover. The battery is not user replaceable - which may irritate some users. Another annoyance is the tight pull-out cover for the microUSB port.

The 3.7-inch S-LCD display on the phone is impressive - sharp details with good sunlight legibility, but it really can't compete with an amoled display (Samsung offers the Omnia W Windows phone with same size super amoled display for Rs 20,900). The phone in itself is a standard affair.

It has a 1Ghz processor with 768MB RAM and 1GB internal storage (expandable via microSD card). Other features are what you would expect - 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS and FM.

The 5MP rear camera is a good performer with excellent images in daylight. The backlight HDR mode is a welcome addition and provided for images with well-balanced colors and sharp details.

Video recording is limited to 720p HD and again the output quality is excellent (though the lack of TV-out was disappointing, especially at this price).

What is irritating is that you need to insert a microSD card for the camera to save images, it does not save them on the internal storage. HTC reworked the 'Sense' interface, making it much more stable than what we saw on the flagship HTC Sensation.

The main menu is now divided into three segments for quick access - all apps, frequent and downloaded. There are just two icons at the home screen - one to access the app menu and the other to launch the call log - simple and convenient. Another strength of the phone is battery life.

With a full charge; data, calls, SMS and various apps running, the phone easily managed to work for a day and a half. HTC has priced the phone at Rs 29,990, which just seems stupid. If you are looking to spend a similar amount, get the Samsung Galaxy SII, which has a larger and better display, better hardware (1.2Ghz dual core, 1GB RAM & 16GB storage), better camera and similar battery life.

Specifications: 3.7-inch S-LCD display, 1Ghz processor, 768MB RAM, 1GB Storage + microSD slot, HTC Sense 3.5 5MP rear/VGA front camera, 3G, Wi-Fi with hotspot, Bluetooth, Android 2.3, 1600mAh, 130g

Price: Rs 29,990

Plus: Excellent build quality, battery life, great camera, sound output

Minus : Expensive, requires microSD card to use camera, no TV out, rigid microUSB port

Article Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/et-review-htc-rhyme/articleshow/11274441.cms

Inder's Internet Blog

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

ET review: HTC Rhyme

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