The Telus HTC Desire in the Flesh

As Mike reported on Friday, Telus released the HTC Desire. It is their latest Android device, and it is running OS 2.1. It has a 1Ghz processor, with a 3.7″ Super LCD screen. The following video walks you through my thoughts on the first full day of use.

AT&T’s HTC Aria Reviewed at Gear Diary

The HTC Aria is a recent addition to the AT&T line-up of devices, and while it’s not one of the larger screen devices that we are starting to see so much of, it still packs a pretty good punch. Our friends over at GearDiary.com have posted a great review of the device. There’s lots of pictures and information about the Aria.  Personally, I like the bright colors that HTC is doing under the battery door. The EVO has a nice red, the Incredible and the Aria have a nice yellow color. It’s a small touch, but it really adds character to the device.

HTC Desire Becomes Officially Available from Telus

It should come as no surprise to regular MobileJaw readers that Telus was going to be launching the HTC Desire. Well, if you’ve been holding out waiting for the day Telus has stock and is ready to sell you the phone, then today is your lucky day!

What I find most interesting is the timing of this launch. It’s just 1 short week after launching the iPhone 4 and there’s no question that Canadians are going crazy over the iPhone – many stores are reporting people are still lining up before they open to grab whatever stock came in over night. So with such a big draw already available, why would you launch something else, regardless of how great it is? I would have expected the carriers to hold off on launching any other devices for at least 4 weeks.

Anyway, if you’re looking for the Desire, you can grab it from Telus for $450 without a contract. That’s a pretty great price for this phone. With a contract the price drops to $400, $350, and $80 for a 1, 2, and 3 year contract. You can check out all the details at the Telus website.

HTC Desire Reviewed at MobilityMinded

“When I unboxed the HTC Desire and first saw the device my thoughts were: “HTC build an iPhone. NICE! I’ve always wanted to see something like this”. As I took the Desire out of the box it appeared that the dimensions of the Desire are getting very close to the iPhone’s dimensions. Since I’ve been using my 3GS for quite some while now, I was getting used to the ‘larger’ design of a phone. After pushing the power button the Android OS comes up pretty quickly, and a easy start-up wizard guides you through the very basics of the Desire. This is especially handy for the not-so-technical users. In fact not only the start-up wizard is user friendly, the whole device is very understandable for non-techies. So the first impressions of the HTC Desire are very well”

Paul Willen over at MobilityMinded has reviewed the HTC Desire. This is HTC’s version of the Nexus One that they produced for Google. The Desire is currently available in Europe and is coming to Canada very soon – thanks to Telus. If you’re interested in this device, you should head over to MobilityMinded and read Paul’s thoughts on the device.

WalMart to Sell Telus HTC Desire for $448

Some interesting news hit the web this morning – WalMart will be selling the Telus HTC Desire for $448.83 with out a contract. And, if you look closely at the screen shot, you will notice that WalMart’s cost for the Desire is $360. It’s nice to know the cost, but I don’t expect anyone at WalMart to be willing to negotiate on the price. If you’re more the contract type, the 3 year contract price is expected to be $79.99.

(Source = mobilesyrup.com)

Telus Brings HTC Desire to Canada

Telus and HTC have announced that the much loved Desire will be coming to Canada exclusively on the Telus network. The Desire was originally announced along with the Legend at Mobile World Congress back in February. The Android based phone has been available in the UK for a while now, is commonly referred to as HTC’s version of the Google’s flagship super-phone – the Nexus One.

The press release from Telus fails to offer any information about when the device might be available for purchase, or at what price. Although, I can’t really seem them charging more than the Motorola Milestone ($550 without contract). The full press release can be found after the break along with details on the specifications of the Desire.

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Going Hands on with the Android Based HTC Legend

HTC announced and started shipping the Legend in Europe earlier this year. Well, it’s finally arrived on North American shores and we have been putting it through the paces to see how it stacks up. The HTC Legend is current available in Canada from Bell and Virgin Mobile. While there’s no official word from HTC, it’ is expected that a US carrier will be adding the Legend to their line up. Bell and Virgin are selling the exact same phone – there are no external carrier markings on the device and the specs are identical. The only difference you will find between these two carriers is the price of the phone. Bell is asking $399 for the device without a contract, while Virgin (a discount carrier owned by Bell) is asking $349. I found the choice pretty easy to make and saved myself $50.

When it comes to hardware specifications, the HTC Legend is not considered one of these super-spec’ed devices that are currently hitting the market. However, the Legend has it where it counts, especially when you think about the price point of the device.

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Unboxing the HTC Legend from Bell and Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile and it’s parent company Bell, have launched the HTC Legend with North American 3G frequencies. Until now, if you live in the US or Canada and wanted the Legend, your only choice was the European version but with that version you never get the nice 3G speeds. Now that Virgin and Bell have launched a North American version, you can enjoy the device and the super fast 3G network that goes along with it. It appears that the only difference between the Virgin Mobile Legend and Bell’s Legend is $50 of your hard earned cash. So with that, I picked up the Virgin Mobile edition today and shot this unboxing video. Take a look and let me know if you have any questions. A more detailed review of the Legend will be coming along soon!

HTC Legend Available from Bell and Virgin Mobile

Late last week Virgin Mobile was the first to announce availability of the HTC Legend to Canadians. Now Bell has added the Legend to their list of devices. Of course, that’s not much of a surprise, as Bell is the parent company of Virgin Mobile. What is odd is the price difference between the two related companies. Bell is offering the Legend at an off contract price of $399 while Virgin has a price of $349.

The Bell/Virgin version of the HTC Legend is the first version of the device that supports North American cellular networks. The Legend supports Quad-band GSM/GPRS/Edge on 850/900/1800/1900 and for HSPA it uses 850/1900 with speeds up to 2 Mbps for uploaded and 7.2 Mbps for download. It’s powered by Google’s Android v2.1 on a Qualcomm 7227 processor at 600MHz. The body on the Legend is cut from a solid piece of aluminum and includes other features like 3.2 inch AMOLED screen with 320×480 HVGA, 512MB ROM / 384MB RAM, 5 megapixel camera with flash, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi 802.11 b/g, a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, a 1300 mAh battery. All of this is cramped into a footprint of 112 x 56.3 x 11.5 mm (4.41 x 2.22 x 0.45 inches).

The Legend is feature packed and at a price to move! The full press release for Virgin Mobile can be found after the jump.

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AT&T Announces Pocket Sized HTC Aria Smartphone

AT&T steps into the Android market with this new mid-level smartphone – the HTC Aria. The Aria is a small device with a 3.2 inch capacitive screen, weighing in at 4.05 ounces and just over 4 inches in length. Despite it’s small size, it’s still packed with some goodness – powered by Android 2.1, a 5 megapixel camera, and an optical joystick. The Aria is compatible with AT&T’s high speed network allowing for 7.2 Mbps download (HSPA). And if required, you can still connect the Aria to your local WiFi hotspot for faster download speeds.

The Aria will be available this coming Sunday, June 20th, for $129.99 after a $100 mail in rebate. If you’re looking for a good cheap Android device that works on AT&T or North American 3G network, the Aria looks to be a good choice. Personally, I was hoping for something with a larger screen like the HD2. But there’s little chance that would be available for this price.

Full press release after the break.

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