HTC Magic Review
Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: The HTC Magic is the second Googlephone using
the Android operating system. It's exclusive to Vodafone. The Magic
is a touchscreen device with a virtual keyboard plus a trackball
and buttons, making it very easy to use. The phone has a wealth
of applications, from email to mobile browsing to Google Maps and
access to the huge Android Market of third-party apps. It's weaknesses
are the camera and the lack of video calling, FM radio and headphone
jack. But it's still a very highly recommended phone.
Review:
May 2009.
The HTC Magic is the second "Google phone"
to appear, running the Android operating system (the first was the
T-Mobile G1.) The G1 had a lot of
potential, but we gave it a "could do better" rating.
So we were very keen to see if HTC had done better with the Magic.
Well, the answer is yes!
Like the G1, the HTC Magic is completely Google-flavoured,
with Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Search, YouTube
and Google Maps seamlessly integrated into the operating system.
If you spend your time online and don't want to be offline ever,
then the Magic is for you.
Like HTC's other smartphones, the Magic is a touchscreen
phone, but it also has conventional buttons for making and ending
calls and other commonly used functions. It also has a trackball.
The combination of input options adds flexibility and makes the
UI quicker and easier to use. Unlike the G1, there's no slide-out
keyboard - you need to use the on-screen virtual keyboard. But the
UI has been thoughtfully designed and poses no problems. The display
is a good size - 3.2 inches - and the resolution is adequate, but
at 320 x 480 pixels it certainly can't match the definition of,
for instance the HTC Touch HD at
480 x 800 pixels. But the capacitive touchscreen is easy to use
and the combination of touchscreen plus trackball plus buttons makes
it as easy to use as the iPhone. The phone has a built in accelerometer
(or G-sensor) which detects which way is up and automatically rotates
the display accordingly.
It's difficult to pin down what the core functions
of the Magic are - it does so many things! And by and large it does
them all well. Let's start with web browsing, which it excels at,
naturally. The key ingredients that you need for successful mobile
browsing are all here: a large screen, fast data connection (WiFi
or HSDPA 7.2 Mbps) and a well-designed user interface. You could
argue that the iPhone offers a more refined web browser with multi-touch
capability, but there's not much difference to be honest. We feel
that the close integration with other Google apps more than compensates
for the lack of multi-touch. One of the best features must be the
in-built GPS receiver and it's integration with Google Maps, including
Street View and search. The phone is probably worth buying just
for the way that you can use it to navigate around and find information
about your immediate surroundings.
We're pleased to see that HTC have taken on board
criticism (from us and others) about the G1's inability to synchronise
with a PC. The Magic is capable of synching with Outlook, Windows
Address Book (Outlook Express), or Windows Contacts. It also works
with Microsoft Exchange Server for push email. But the Magic still
won't talk to Macs and even the PC integration isn't seamless. Android
still has some way to go here in acknowledging the world beyond
Google. More usefully, the operating system comes with Quickoffice
for viewing PDF and Office documents.
The Android Market is one of the key benefits of
the Android OS, providing access to a wealth of third-party apps,
many of them available for free. Android Market has expanded considerably
since the launch of the G1, and you'll find all kinds of useful
apps here, some of which will fill the gaps in the basic phone features.
The camera is still a weak point however, rated
at 3.2 megapixels and without a flash or zoom. It does have autofocus
though, which is an improvement on the G1,
and it's still way ahead of the iPhone!
The video camera is average and there's no front-facing camera,
so video calling is a no-no. The music player is easy to use, but
the phone is lacking a built-in radio and there's no 3.5mm audio
jack, so you have to plug in headphones via the mini-USB socket.
Other minor irritations include the lack of voice-dialling.
Connectivity is excellent. Not only does the phone
support HSDPA at 7.2 Mbps, but it's also quadband so you can use
it around the world even if a 3G network is not available. WiFi
support provides an alternative to 3G for fast data transfer. Other
options include Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and a mini-USB
2.0 connector, which is also used to charge the phone.
The built-in RAM provides 288MB of memory, and
you can add a microSD memory card for more storage. Battery life
is excellent for a smartphone and is massively better than the G1!
We came close to giving the Magic 5 stars. In many
ways it's an outstanding device. Highlights include the user interface,
Google apps and Android Market. But it's still let down by the camera,
the lack of video calling, FM radio and headphone jack, and the
sense that it's reluctant to share data with a PC or Apple Mac.
It's definitely a big step up from the G1, and it's a very capable
smartphone with loads to offer. But we're going to give it 4 stars
to reflect the fact that it has some limitations. Nevertheless,
if the downsides that we've listed don't put you off, you should
go ahead and buy it, as it's a brilliant device in so many ways.
Features
of the HTC Magic include:
- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus
- Video recording
- Display: TFT, 320 x 480 pixels (3.2 inches)
with auto-rotate
- GPS receiver with Google Maps and digital compass
- Music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA formats)
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email
- Ringtones: MP3 ringtones
- Internet: GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA (7.2 Mbps)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data
Rate, mini-USB 2.0, Wi-Fi
- Memory: 288 MB RAM plus microSD memory card
- Vibration alert
- Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) plus HSDPA/WCDMA
(900/2100 MHz)
- Size: 113 x 56 x 13.7 mm
- Weight: 116g
- Talktime: 400 - 450 minutes
- Battery standby: 420 - 660 hours
HTC Magic Consumer Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 54 reviews:
Reviewed by les horvath from england on 22nd Jun
2010
the new magic phone is an awesome bit of kit,its cool looks,and sleek
lines make it a joy to behold,the features are endless and very smooth,its
a hot contender for the i phone,its a great phone and im still learning
new things however the i phone,is a super piece of hardware and still
number 1 for now but the magic is going in the right direction.
Rating:
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Reviewed by shen from south africa on 12th Mar
2010
i loved this fone,it is awesome and i love touch screen and writing
with stylus.there was a problem,i lost it in a theft.i went to mcel
service provider and asked them to disable the use of phone but they
couldn't do it,does someone know how can i enter the serial number?
Rating: 
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Reviewed by James Davies from UK on 24th Feb 2010
I took on the HTC Magic as an upgrade to my HTC TyTN-2 on a Vodafone
contract. At first I was 'wow'ed by the big screen, good web-browsing,
and fun apps like Google Sky. However, day-to-day use soon exposed the
disabling immaturities of the the Android OS. Some of my problems with
the phone may be due to poor set-up from Vodafone (which I have attempted
to resolve), but some are undoubtedly weaknesses in the hardware or
Android OS. The e-mail function is simply appalling. If you want to
keep your own ISP e-mail account you have to use the obstructive HTC
built-in application with its many bugs eg: the Trash folder fills up
and cannot be emptied except by deleting your account! Otherwise you
can use Googlemail with its confusing interface and set up. This has
(inexplicably) stopped synchronising the contacts with my Google online
account, so I have stopped using it. Despite the article above citing
excellent connectivity, my Magic has the poorest reception of any phone
I have owned, and frequently drops to 2g (GPRS) while my TyTN-2 is still
receiving 3g+. The touch screen may be better than TyTN-2 on WM6.1 -
which requires a stylus - but it is annoyingly unreliable compared to
my iPod Touch. While using the Magic as a car satnav with CoPilot Live
8 (which I paid £50 for) the touch screen became so slow or unreliable,
when selecting route changes, that I nearly crashed the car, and ended
up throwing the phone across the car in anger. This last application
highlights another fatal flaw in the Android concept - there is very
little support for on-board mapping and navigation when you are out
of mobile phone coverage. The last straw in my problems with the Magic
came when we went on holidays to Sweden recently, and the phone first
refused to register at all with Vodafone SE, then after finding some
obscure setting in Android it would browse across the local 3g network,
but refused to send my e-mails. I have now returned to using my TyTN-2
(which worked fully in Sweden and has an excellent implimentation of
Mobile Outlook), and thrown the Magic to the back of a bedroom drawer.
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by Helen from Ireland on 28th Jan 2010
I love this phone. I was just out for dinner with 2 friends and one
of them has an i-Phone. My other friend was asking her about it (she
is currently in the market for a new phone) and so the i-phone friend
was showing it off. She took some paracetamol tablets out of her bag
to demonstrate the barcode finder app. But it failed. I quickly went
onto the android market, downloaded a barcode app in 10 seconds, scanned
the barcode in (without taking a pic like you have to on the i-phone)
and it came up with some google findings in super fast time. I won our
phone-off!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by parnaby from uk on 22nd Jan 2010
Had problems with my phone from the start with screen fade and the phone
getting hot when charging. After 4 months I returned it under warranty
as after an overnight charge the battery only lasted 2 hours. Advised
it was moisture damage and not covered under warranty. I had not had
this phone anywhere near liquid and had not dropped it. Advised by HTC
it could happen when used outside on a damp day!! I protested it was
not fit for purpose and was advised keep it in the cover. It cost me
£12 to have the phone returned and I now have 19 months left on a contract
£35 per month and the phone is almost useless. It pays for have insurance
but surely the phone should be fit for purpose. It can happen I was
informed by HTC if you come back from a warm country (i.e. holiday)
back home to winter weather! what sort of excuse is that. Do yourself
a favour and do not sign for such an expensive phone and read the small
print in the warranty in the shop before you buy. It states NOT COVERED
FOR WATER DAMAGE but I thought this ment if you split liquid on it or
dropped it in liquid but this statement includes moisture damage caused
by change in weather temperatures). My phone did not go in a bathroom
or anywhere damp. I believe it is a serious fault if the phone cannot
withstand UK winter conditions - if you are outside and your phone rings
should you ignore it until you are inside away from the elements?? RUBBISH
WARRANTY AND SPECIFICATION>
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Jamie from England on 9th Jan 2010
I got my HTC about 3 weeks ago and i figured before writing on here
i would hold out and really test the phone to its maximum and tbh i
am really impressed with it the lack of the 3.5 jack was a let down
to start with but i found that a couple of inner ear headphone pieces
attached to the headphones HTC provided made them alot more comfortable
to use as for the use of the phone itself hands down i have to say this
is probably one of the easiest and most comfortable devices i have used
in a long while and having come from using an iphone to this is saying
something granted the iphone is a brilliant phone but the P+P functionality
of this phone was awesome to have again rather than being limited by
itunes internet and streaming is brilliant as expected from a google
branded phone the only real let down is the 3g signal as sometimes it
will quite happily loose signal causing apps like weatherbug to fault
but as soon as it regains its composure its back on top of its self
and running full steam ahead one other "niggle" is the fact you cannot
close applications after use or atleast i haven't w0rked out how without
powering down the device this can be annoying at times and if you have
2 games running the internet the marketplace music and are trying to
find out the local weather causes the phone to lag for about 3-5 minutes
this was a bit of a let down for me but hasnt altered my thinking of
the phone it really is a easy to use phone with some excellent features
and functionality my most favorite thing about his phone compared to
my previously mentioned iphone is you can change the battery without
having to send your phone away to be repair then charged and the sim
card is alot easier to changed/remove the camera on the phone yes i
agree could have really done with a flash but to be honest if yo download
one of the photo apps ie FX Camera it gives you alot more control over
the picture taking like auto brightness adjusting indoor outdoor mode
an precision zoom ( double tap on what you wish to zoom in on and it
does so)
Rating:
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Reviewed by ozden from turkey on 4th Jan 2010
wasting all my time with this phone:) i m loving it!!!
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Reviewed by Paul from UK on 30th Dec 2009
This is the best phone ever, I don't care what people say. Just one
thing, how do you calibrate the screen? Or at least the keyboard? I've
tried in the Settings but there doesn't seem to be anything. :(((((
Rating:
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Reviewed by Conor from England on 5th Dec 2009
Incredible phone, does everything you need. Really fast and great to
use. Only downside is the camera not such good quality and no flash.
However, if you don't care about the camera then I highly recommend
this phone!
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Reviewed by Kimberley from Uk on 12th Nov 2009
This is the best phone I have ever had. It does everything! The only
problem I personally have with it is testing can be a bit fiddly if
your in a hurry as the keys are quite small. You can turn the phone
sideways however which does make them slightly easier to press. I just
had to get used to it as I've never used a touch screen before. Also
in respond to Andy's comment, there is a setting to change the hedging
functions so the phone does not try to predict what you mean (which
is useful if u use txt speak), if you go into 'settings' then 'locale
and text' and then into 'android keyboard' and turn off the 'quick fixes'
option and volia! Overall the phones positives far out weigh the negatives!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Cameron from UK on 9th Nov 2009
I have had the htc magic for around 2 months now, this is my second
touch screen phone my 1st been the samsung omnia which after using the
htc magic was clearly very flawed but im not writing about the omnia
so lets get on with the review. Firstly the bad points and there are
a some. 1. The phone is very light which i am not going to say is a
bad thing but some people like their phones to feel sturdy and heavy...ish
one complaint i do have is that the white cover can get damage quite
easily. I have a few scratches and dints in my magic but i have to say
i am not very careful with my phones so im sure if you take care of
it and leave it in its cover you will be fine. 2. They music volume
is not loud enough for my liking im not sure if there is anyway to change
this or not, this is not a major problem as the volume is acceptable.
3. Earphones provided are the (in my opinion) silly 1 earphone longer
than the other so you have to wrap around your neck, i hope i can find
another pair which will connect to the mini usb slot. These are the
ONLY 3 faults i can find with the htc magic and that is pretty remarkably
for a phone of this capability. Good Points. 1. The phone is very attractive
looking. 2. Battery life is good offering at least 2 days without charge
usually (with use of lots of apps at once) 3. App store is easy to use
and offers good attractive apps just like the iphone store. 4. Great
graphic quality. 5. The Camera. The camera may only be 3.2 megapixel
but i have recently been to florida and i assure you the camera is still
very good unfortunately it does lack zoom but you can zoom in on pictures
after taking them. All in all a good camera and media system. Now to
sum up the last good point really sums up the whole and why i love this
phone. 6. The interface- The user interface is unbelievably good id
even say its as good as the i-phones it is simple to use and all menus
are attractive, the music system is well thought out along with other
operating points on the phone. Now to finish this review i want to let
who ever reads this know that if you are looking for a touch screen
phone which is easy to use attractive to look at, good music and media
system and a decent camera then this is the phone for you....... at
least that is if you dont want an iphone. Whilst in florida i had a
play round with a iphone 3gs and im afraid to say the iphone will be
my next phone buuuuuuuuut the htc magic does everything the iphone does
just as well. They iphone only attracts me more by its worldwide appeal
and it is the leading phone in the market but only just and if htc carry
on they will soon take over the iphone. I have 9 months left on my contract
and i will look forward to deciding if i want the iphone which is out
then or the following series of the htc magic. So to all you consumers
wishing to buy a phone get the htc magic or the iphone.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 31st Oct 2009
I only had the phone for seven days,the apps,would freez,on down load,it
would choose its own words while typing a text,the battery got very
hot,the push-mail did not allow mail to be deleted!the only colour is
white!most of the free aps,would only work once!one day battery,very
frustrating phone,i am going back to nokia,
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Me from Uk on 23rd Oct 2009
Had the phone now for 3 weeks now and of is awsome compared to my brothers
iPhone it's much better and a complete phone. The speed, the apps, the
operating system all really kick a double s. The camera is a let down
but hey so is the one on the iphone but it's still given 5 stars also
you can download radio apps that don't buffer half song (my bros iPhone
does) can't fault it in any way and would recomend to anyone
Rating:
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Reviewed by alowen from UK on 2nd Oct 2009
I have had my magic for 3 weeks now and its fantastic. Its not comparable
to the iphone (which i also have) as its not meant to be a direct rival.
The android ui is slick and the customisation options are just great.
Im still learning new tricks and finding new stuff on it today. The
app store is great too and the emphasis isnt £££ as there are shed loads
of free and very helpful apps. Long live android, im a true convert.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Sally from England on 25th Sep 2009
Been a long, long time since I had a phone I liked, and I LOVE this
phone! Being a girlie I like that it isn't a solid, square 'brick' which
is hard to hold. This phone sits easily and comfortably in my hands.
The maps are great, I love the 'my location' feature because when I'm
lost, I'm SO lost that I don't know where I am!! I downloaded the compass
from the apps market for free too - which is so cool! I can honestly
say that having had it for about a month now I'd be lost without it.
The camera doesn't bother me, I have a very nice digital camera thanks
for taking pictures. Battery life is good and it's very clear for calls.
I also like being able to keep up with my personal emails wherever I
am. Great phone.
Rating:
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Reviewed by John L from United Kingdom on 17th
Sep 2009
I have had my Magic for about two weeks now. Initially I thought I had
made a bad mistake as the battery was losing 40% of its charge overnight
with no useage and would not last a day. However I then installed the
Poer Manager and Toggle Settings applications (both free) and I now
get at least two days out of the battery. Never leave the wifi or bluetooth
turned on when you don't need them seems to be the best answer. As for
using the phone, it is absolutely brilliant. By far the best phone I
have ever had. I get all my emails through it, the camera is not bad(a
couple of minutes on Picasa cures all), the huge range of applications
available makes this a real tool rather than just a phone. A very easy
5 stars.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Ham from England on 2nd Sep 2009
Got my Magic 4 days ago ummed and arghed on which handset to get, finally
chose this well happy i did does everything i want of it, and plenty
of things to tinker with. Worried about getting my itunes off of my
mac, but simply put them onto a memory stick and transfered them to
my windows laptop and just drag and drop into magic...Simples
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Reviewed by Vince Chan from England on 11th Aug
2009
This phone really is a huge letdown. I thought it would be incredible,
but it just failed to live up to expectations. I think I'm going to
have to replace my HTC Magic, with an iPhone, which is by far the obvious
choice for anyone looking to buy a phone. Shame.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Paul from England on 30th Jul 2009
This phone is the bees knees, awesome applications, easy to use,lightweight.
I can't put it down you can keep your I phone this is the business!
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Reviewed by Joaquim from UK on 24th Jul 2009
Ever since I have owned a mobile phone, the HTC Magic has made me the
happiest of them all. The Android software is just incredible. It has
not crashed yet. Easy to use, fast, very responsive to your finger movements.
It actually makes it very easy to use any functions or peruse the menus.
Great Google intergration. Syncs with Google contacts and calendar really
well. I had to change some settings on my home wi-fi (it only picks
up the wi-fi if the WPS, wi-fi protected setup, were disabled). The
build is ok but the white glossy finish feels really nice. The screen
is big enough for all internet uses which makes the phone not too big
and not too small. Not the most perfect phone but just right. I love
it. Completely love it.
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Reviewed by rachel from england on 3rd Jul 2009
it is amazing and excellant, has all of the stuff a phone needs, fits
excellant into your hand, and the internet is just great! dont know
how some people can give it a poor, it is just amazing!
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Reviewed by Goose from Scotland on 12th Jun 2009
Jonathan cheers for the update, I did work out the pics in the end!
Well I am connected at home via talk talk wifi and it drops in and out
all the time so I have just given up!
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Reviewed by Jonathan from Norfolk, UK on 11th
Jun 2009
Goose, 1. I've had no problem with WiFi it will 'seamlessly' switch
between WiFi and 3G depending on availability (WiFi has preference)
- though I did have just one instance of a page error during this. 2.
'Click and hold' the image then select 'copy attached to SD card' 3.
I've only seen 'G' or '3G' (though I believe 'E'DGE is also indicated).
It's possible the 3G denoted HSDPA when available.
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Reviewed by Goose from Scotland on 9th Jun 2009
Just got this phone yesterday but have had a solid look at it. The camera
as mentioned is pretty poor as is video, the touch screen is really
intuitive and works really well, I have had the occasional typo on messages
but there is an auto correct function so that comes in handy. The apps
store looks really good as there are plenty of things to keep you engaged.
The internet was the main selling point for me and it is brilliant.
Bluetooth does not work yet only for headphones, and my wifi kept dropping
last night which was a shame, the 3g is very quick though. All in all
a stunning looking phone! Just a few questions! 1. Has anyone got there
wi-fi working? Mine is set up but keeps dropping! 2. How do you save
pictures that are sent via texts? I cannot for the life of me find away
to do it! 3. The phone says 3g at the top for the signal I receive,
I know the phone does the HSDPA (7.2m) is this already activated or
do you have to set this up? A friend of mine has an H display on her
phone but she is on o2 with a Renoir.
Rating:
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Reviewed by David from Scotland on 9th Jun 2009
I'm very impressed with this phone. The camera is the only negative
for me. However, as I don't use it much, I'm not too bothered. There
are plenty of market place applications with the majority of them being
free. This means you have the ability to personalise the phone for your
requirements. As I do a fair amount of cycling I particularly like GPS
applications. The touchscreen works very well, and I can type faster
and more accurately than I ever could on proper mobile keyboards. Well
done HTC and well done Android!
Rating:
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Reviewed by MinMin from Newport, S.Wales on 6th
Jun 2009
Got my Magic for a few days, it is FAB!!!! I had a Samsung Tocco before
and hated it! There are so many free apps to download, it's amazing!
I still haven't figured out the Wifi connection yet, can't seem to connect
onto it without it automatically gets disconnected again. Can't link
up bluetooth either, I am sure I will somehow figure it out somehow.
Anyone else have these problems?? It is still a great phone though.
I am not too bothered about camera, it does its job, that's all I care
about! My contract with Vodafone is for 2 years, £30 monthly. With such
a great phone, I really don't mind!
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Reviewed by Bamboo from England on 5th Jun 2009
i got my magic 3 days ago and it's THE ONE! i never thought i would
come across a smartphone so power yet so easy to use! my mates who have
iphones do give it respect as well! it does everything, i mean what
does it not do? the only sin it has commited is not having a 3.5mm headphone
jack otherwise i agreed with everyone, ot should be given 5 out of 5.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Cat from England on 2nd Jun 2009
HTC magic is a great phone, very entertaining and smart looking. Internet
is great, very fast. Apps are cool too, however i have just sent mine
back because the camera and video is terrible. In this day and age i
do not see any excuse for a new phone to have anything less than a "good"
camera. Compared to the camera's on the sony ericsson's the magic is
just awful. Everything else is top notch though, would highly recommend
if your not bothered about the camera.
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Reviewed by Adam from Oxford, United Kingdom on
1st Jun 2009
I got my HTC Magic Friday from Phones4U on an 18month, £40 a month contract,
600 Mins, Unlimited Texts, Unlimited Internet + £55. The Phone is B-E-A-UTIFUL...
its the perfect size for your pocket, the touch screen is superb, email
is so easy to setup and use. I have had the iPhone, Samsung i8910 HD,
N96 etc and this phone blows all off them out of the water. I'm not
looking at this phone as an "iPhone killer" because I don't think we
need to "Kill" the iPhone, its as lovely phone and deserves to be up
with the best... but the HTC Magic for me beats the iPhone hands down,
better camera, better size, expandable memory, Battery cover... OK it
doesn't have 3.5mm headphone jack but if thats not a problem for you
then I would definatly look into buying the HTC Magic. It comes with
a 2GB SD-Card, Case and all the usual bits and bobs. Don't think about
it any longer just go out and buy this fantastic phone, you will NOT
be dissapointed!
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Reviewed by Harvey from United Kingdom on 31st
May 2009
Great phone, ggod size, looks good, reception great, good sound quality.
touch screen keyboard easy to use however does not support microsoft
exchange, excel, word or powerpoint. All of this and pdfs need to be
viewed using 3rd party applications all costing money! Vodafone can
not or will not help and HTC do not want to know! It looks as if I am
reluctantly sending my one back to vodafone as I can not use it as an
effective business tool. Looks like it is back to my old V1615 PDA (OMG)
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Sam from UK on 29th May 2009
I've had my Magic since launch day and I absolutely love it! The screen
is sublime and about a thousand times better than that on my old Viewty.
It takes a little while to set it up as you like, with the right apps
and icons on your homescreens. But when you do, it is just so easy to
do everything. I love being able to compare apps, find shortcuts, move
icons. And it's all so fast! The whole interface flows and just sticks
to your finger as you move around. 18 months is a long time to keep
a phone, but I'm sure I'll get another Android phone next time too!
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Reviewed by colourclash from uk on 28th May 2009
Had to return my first handset after 3 days as kept losing signal and
no internet access. Vodafone shipped replacement handset the following
day and everything seems hunky dory now. Loving the Magic, email etc
set-up a doddle and the Android marketplace quick and full of useful
apps. Texting is a bit of a learning curve as this is my first touch-screen
handset but gets easier especially in landscape mode (and i have big
hands!). Extremely happy with my Magic!!!
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Reviewed by DaveH from UK on 23rd May 2009
Sync with Outlook? NO, it WON'T! The Google version supplied by Vodafone
UK won't, to be more accurate. It's no good to me without Outlook sync.
Buyer beware.
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Reviewed by john from uk on 22nd May 2009
I'm doing the review on my htc magic...so please forgive any typos.I'm
still undecided on this phone,not sure of the build quality,the plastic
on the back of the phone is a bit weak(mine has a small crack already
after only a week!).No complaints about the UI yet though,its as good
as the iphone,I find I can type quite quickly in landscape! The sync
with my calender and e-mail are perfect,the browser is as good as safari
and pages load very quickly.Google maps is A1 but it kills the battery.Call
clarity is also very good.Yes I like this phone a lot....so why am I
going to exchange it for the iphone???? Answers on a postcard please.
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Reviewed by S Caddy from UK on 21st May 2009
I received my HTC magic today and was amazed how easy it was to set
up email accounts etc....I love it (so far)!
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Reviewed by mary from LONDON on 21st May 2009
i love the fone and i n ever want to exchange it for the rest of my
life OMG THIS IS THE BEST FONE eva i love it u should all buy the fone
if i were u :-) no more rude comments about the fone its amazing :)
:) :) :) :) :) :) :)
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Reviewed by hamid from iran on 21st May 2009
very very good.
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Reviewed by Alowen from Cornwall on 20th May 2009
Sorry Andrew but i totaly agree with Jonothan, until you've actually
used the device over a period of time theres NO WAY you can review it.
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Reviewed by Jonathan from Norfolk, UK on 19th
May 2009
Andrew, You're reviewing a phone you don't even have! If you actually
owned and used this phone on a daily basis you'd realise that the touchscreen
QWERTY keyboard is in fact extremely usable. Yes, you do get the odd
miss-type, but the 4-5 word visible suggestion means you don't have
to get it right 100% of the time! I'll post a ful review in a few days
but for the time being it's got to be 5 stars
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Reviewed by Andrew from UK on 18th May 2009
Wrote a review before but have just had a thought. This phone would
hit the mark if it didn't pretend, like other touchscreen phones, to
take on the blackberry by having a qwerty keyboard. It is just not possible
to type with but I have found that for the iphone as well. Why not just
have a virtual keypad that mimicks the keys on a normal phone i.e. you
have to press them once, twice or three times to get the letter you
want. I want to buy this phone but I can't buy a phone where I can't
type letters quickly and efficiently. If they just had that keypad it
would all be ok. I think the Blackberry Storm does take this approach
so that you can summon a virtual keypad where there are three or two
letters for each button. Thus the buttons are bigger and with our fat
thumbs we can actually type on it. I think I will just have to wait
for the next Android which has a real keypad (G1 was a bit low quality
for me). Unless the above comes to pass. Perhaps it could be a free
a pp??? Remember Android and Iphone - a virtual keypad will never be
as good as Blackberry so don't have a virtual qwerty keypad as it is
very hard to type with using fat thumbs.
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Reviewed by saki from UK on 18th May 2009
Having just received my Magic, it certainly does what it says on the
tin (as far as I have checked). In answer to HPS post, I have a 16gb
MicroSD card which shows up as 15,186 MB, so I assume that it's good
for at least that!
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Reviewed by Adam from UK on 17th May 2009
Well I have had to send my Magic back to Vodafone. I tried the phone
for just over a week and at first I really liked it. But using it on
a daily basis it has become annoying. Texting in portrait mode is almost
impossible to do quickly with many wrong key-presses. The battery has
not lasted much more than 24 hours, where on one day I only made a couple
of calls and sent 4 sms. The lack of voice dialling became a problem
when driving (which HTC say should be there). Therefore having to press
the screen when driving (not recommended) was almost impossible. It's
a shame. I really wanted to like this phone as I love the Google email/calendar
integration.
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Reviewed by HPS from London on 15th May 2009
Hi, Further to my review on this website, I have couple of questions
that I need help answering. Magic comes with built in GPS antenna. Does
anyone know how to use the GPS functionality i.e. can one get a voice
guidance on HTC magic (using google maps or install another program
to get this functionality working) Also, I spoke to HTC support and
according to them Magic can only support a max of 2gb MircoSD card.
Has anyone tried a higher spec card? Thanks for your help. (Not sure
if I will be allowed to post this here but I'll get it a try anyway)
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Reply by Mobile Phones UK from UK on
15th May 2009
We don't normally post "forum" kind of stuff, but we like
you HPS because you were the first person to review this phone!
Reviewed by Andrew from UK on 14th May 2009
This is a well-engineered functional phone which does stand out. However,
despite viewing it in a number of stores I have been unable to make
the plunge and have deducted one star from this review. It is a great
phone but I just felt it is lacking in some crucial areas and will get
superseded by better android phones in the coming months. What it does
do this phone does well. Google maps is great, the operating system
is brilliant and youtube is excellent. The negative points for me are
as follows. 1) Lack of flash on the camera. most people will use their
camera phones at night when they go out as they don't have the inclination
to carry a proper camera. Thus not having a flash makes having a camera
of little use. 2) Lack of standard earphone jack is a big waste. Apart
from texting and phone calls the key application is music really. That
is the point of a smartphone. 3) Lack of FM radio is another major loss.
This is supposed to be a smart phone. If I want to listen to the radio
somewhere I don't want to have to carry around another device. 4) I
personally found texting with a touchscreen hard. For this phone that
remained the case when I moved it around into landscape. In my view
then this phone will suit someone who doesn't want a lot of the applications
that a smart phone is meant to offer but really wants a phone as their
main priority and then some extra features just added on. I may yet
take the plunge with this phone as it is well engineered. However, I
think it could become dated soon so I will have to wait a few months
to see what else comes out.
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Reviewed by Martin from UK on 14th May 2009
I've had this phone for a couple of weeks now and I'm not as convinced
as everyone else. There are so many features that I love about this
phone, but unfortunately there are too many that I find annoying. Maybe
I'm just not used to having a touchscreen phone, but I am struggling
with the qwerty keyboard. It feels as though Google have decided to
let the Android app community come up with impressive apps rather than
including them as standard, but the app market is very much in its infancy
- a lot of the apps don't work because they were designed for the G1.
The web browsing is great if not a bit fiddly, I haven't found a way
of browsing my contacts when messaging (you have to type the first couple
of letters then select the contact), and although it can apparently
sync with a PC I couldn't figure it out. Overall I like the phone but
I don't think it's quite there yet and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone
who isn't tech savvy.
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Reviewed by David from London, UK on 14th May
2009
I sent a review on 6th May - perhaps a little hasty, as I'd not long
had the phone. I've now had it a week, have been using it constantly,
and can give a more considered review. In this regard, I'd have to up
my rating to 5 stars. The internet browsing is excellent, and usually
pretty quick. Twitter, Facebook, loads of free applications, including
an unofficial iPlayer, and the actual phone works just fine. I've gotten
used to the keyboard; and the predictive text works just great - often
if you muck up the spelling, the correct word is just there to choose
from anyway. Despite my initial concerns about the signal in my house,
I haven't had any connection problems at all.
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Reviewed by Peter from UK on 13th May 2009
Had this phone a few days now and also cannot understand why it has
not received 5 stars.i have not put the device down since i bought it.
It is so easy to use with like a wide screen 3 interfaced desktop in
one with your wall paper stretched across them. You can place you icons
on any of the 3 screens & slide across to each interface with your finger.
The android operating system is so easy to use & the screen is very
bright (can easily be seen in full sun!)Web browsing must be one of
its best assets,browsing is a dream,effectively its like having a computer
in the palm of you hand. I have checked everything it does & cannot
fault it so far. Camera produces good snaps even indoors. With thousands
of free apps & games available from the android market this makes this
phone even more appealing.
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Reviewed by Nic from UK on 11th May 2009
I have no idea why this phone has not received 5 stars. My brother has
it and it is amazing - the UI is simply brilliant and it does everything
you could want from a phone. Lack of FM radio doesn't matter because
all the packages come with unlimited internet so people are going to
be either listening to radio online or using last fm or some variant.
3.5m jack is annoying but plenty of other phones fail in this too -
not a massive issue. And many of us simply don't care about the quality
of camera on a phone because we have our own dedicated (full-size) cameras
to take photos with.
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Reviewed by Andrew from UK on 7th May 2009
Simply wonderful - goodbye Sony - it's been a rollercoaster. Hello Google
Phone. At last I can have my calendar and contacts the same on my laptop
and mobile easily. So many apps available to download, this phone does
everything. Touch screen was a worry and keyboard looks too small for
my sausage fingers but it know which letter i'm after each time -GREAT!
This phone is well built, works perfectly, and I have absolutely nothing
to moan about - FANTASTIC :-)
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Reviewed by David from London, UK on 6th May 2009
My phone arrived early this morning. I've been playing around with it
a fair bit since then. It's my first smartphone, so I don't have much
to compare it with, other than having toyed around with a few models
in the shops. My first impression was that it looks and feels much nicer
than I'd expected on the basis of the photos. It's fairly solid, and
I'd been expecting something a bit plasticky, rather like the G1. The
keyboard doesn't take too much getting used to - though maybe a bit
longer if you've been using something like a Blackberry Bold. I found
that I made more mistakes when I was trying to be careful with finger
placement - I was much more accurate when I just stuck the flat of my
finger right on the key. It's easier in landscape mode, although the
phone is a bit slow to switch into this mode. There seem to be loads
of apps. I use Google a lot on my computer, so for me this phone is
great - as soon as you've signed in, your desktop applications are synched
with the phone. My one slight apprehension is that the Vodaphone signal
doesn't seem very strong in my house - mostly just one bar, although
occasionally it gets better. I'll have to see how that goes over the
next few days, whilst I'm still in the 14-day cooling-off period. But
overall, a very nice phone.
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Reviewed by Matthew from United Kingdom on 3rd
May 2009
I got mine on a few days before it was due to be delivered but was unable
to use my vodafone sim due to it not being ported until a week later...
GOOD news is that it WORKS with a 3-sim straight out of the blocks and
with a little configuration accepts 3 data and MMS too so that will
keep me happy in the mean time. The phone is fantastic; no complaints
whatsoever although it does take some time getting used to typing on
a touch-screen device. (thankfully the Magic rotates the screen with
the phone to make the keyboard larger :D ) A must have -- definitely
as good as an iPhone.
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Reviewed by Holly from Leeds, UK on 3rd May 2009
I got my phone 2/5/09. I have never had a touch screen phone before,
or one that is like a mini computer, so to me this is something new.
I am starting to think that i will never need a PC again, most of the
day to day things i do can now be done through this mobile phone. The
screen resolution is great, the touch screen sensitivity is just right.
The whole thing is really customisable and i love the white casing.
i would recomend this phone to anyone, especially when buying an iphone
costs you £100 this is free. the only let down is that there is no flash
on the camera!
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Reviewed by HPS from United Kingdom on 30th Apr
2009
Got my HTC Magic earlier today. Really surprised to get it a day ahead
of offical launch date. Brilliant phone and easy to use interface. Touch
Screen is very sensitive, just like iphone. Loads of free applications
that can be downloaded from the market (Android). This phone will definitely
eat into iphone market share
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