Review: HTC Magic

HTC finally released its successor to the G1 in the UK at the start of May, making it the second phone running Google's open-source Android mobile operating system.

The HTC Magic bears some similarities to the original G1, although it lacks the physical keyboard and the lines are a lot smoother. Like its predecessor, the Magic has a large 3.2in touch-screen, below which is a trackball and six keys to help drive the device.

The lack of keyboard makes the Magic a lot lighter and slimmer than the G1. It measures 113mm x 55mm x 14mm and weighs in at 119g, making it a lot more pocket friendly while packing a bit more of a punch under the hood.

Although it runs the same Qualcomm MSM7200A 528MHz processor and gives users access to the same 192MB of system memory, the capacity of the ROM has been increased from 256MB to 512MB and storage is expandable to 8GB through a microSD card slot located under the battery cover.

Like the rest of the interface, the virtual keyboard uses the built-in accelerometer to automatically adjust between portrait and landscape mode depending on how the phone is oriented. The keys in portrait mode are quite small, but are usually fine for short entries. In landscape mode the layout is excellent, but fast typists may struggle as the phone sometimes battles to keep up, occasionally missing letters if the typing is too quick. There is also an auto-complete and correct option to provide suggestions while entering text.

Running Android means that the Magic has very tight integration with Google's range of services. The potential downside to this is that you have to have a Google Mail account to use the phone, but if you are a prolific user of Google then over-the-air synchronisation with email, calendar, contacts and instant messaging is all completely automatic.

Although the HTC Magic showcases a lot of the improvements to Android over the past year or so, the platform is clearly not designed for business users. As yet there is no default support for Google Docs, although there is a third-party application that can handle it, and the normal email client is functional but may be lacking the polish that a heavy business email user would want.

One of the most attractive features of Android is the app store that has grown up around it. With hundreds of applications available from Android Market to cover just about every conceivable requirement, its easy to make the Magic a lot more than just a phone.

Interestingly, you are unable to close down applications running in Android. This generally doesn't cause a problem, as the operating system has a very good memory manager, but it can be an added drain on the battery and data usage. It can also be frustrating, for instance when using a navigation application which continues to give voice directions as you move around. Fortunately there are applications available from the Android Market designed to shut down running programs.

The touch-screen is responsive, and the display is perfectly acceptable for watching video clips, reading emails and surfing the web. The browser is slick and easy to use, with handy zoom functions but sadly no Flash support.

The Magic has all the usual handset features, including 3G support, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi and GPS. What is missing is a standard audio jack, which means that headphones have to be connected through the mini-USB port. A suitable set of headphones is included in the box, but if you want to connect your own headset you'll have to fork out for an adaptor or use a stereo Bluetooth headset instead.

Similarly, there is a completely average 3.2-megapixel camera on the back which has no flash or zoom. Picture quality is decent, but the limited functionality of the camera severely curtails its use. It's worth noting that the Magic has no camera on the front, so video calls are not an option.

The GPS combined with Google Maps makes finding where you are and navigating around very easy, and the Wi-Fi manager is very straightforward as well.

Battery life is decent, getting around two days with a fair amount of data usage. As you would expect, heavy GPS or Wi-Fi use kills the battery pretty quickly.

Ultimately, the HTC Magic is a worthy successor to the G1. The device is very attractive and, although Android is still a very young platform, it has already come a long way. Unless you absolutely have to have a physical keyboard, the Magic is a good choice for anyone looking for a good all-round smartphone, particularly if you are a user of Google's services.

Of course, if you're looking for an Android device you're currently limited to just the two HTC options. However, new phones based on the Google mobile platform are due from Motorola and Samsung later this year, bringing much needed variety into the market.

The HTC Magic is available now from Vodafone, with monthly contracts starting from £30 for those willing to sign up for 24 months. There is no charge for the handset.