Mobile Internet explorer
Taiwanese smartphone giant HTC chose New Delhi to launch its new budget Android handset, and that says all you need to know about its target market.
HTC has a solid pedigree at this end of the market, but it's not immediately obvious what the improvements are the Explorer over, say, the Wildfire. The answer must be price, which hasn't been disclosed, but if it's over £200 we can't really see the point.
The HTC Explorer has the latest versions of Android and the Sense UI, but it only runs a 600MHz application processor, a 3.2 inch screen and a 3MP camera. It will launch in Q4 and we've seen various reports saying at least a couple of UK operators have said they'll stock it.
"HTC Explorer is an easy-to-use smartphone that puts the customer in control, providing quick access to their most important content and information," said Jason Mackenzie, president of global sales and marketing at HTC Corporation. "HTC Explorer is simply a smarter phone for anyone and it represents another clear demonstration of HTC's global commitment to expanding the market for advanced smartphones."
Pix ‘n' spex
CPU Processing Speed: 600 MHz
Storage
Total storage: 512 MB
Available storage: up to 90 MB
RAM: 512 MB
Connectors
- 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
- Standard micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0)
Sensors
- G-Sensor
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
Multimedia
- Gallery, Music, and FM Radio
- SRS virtual surround sound enhancement
Audio supported formats:
- Playback:.aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9)
- Recording:.amr
Video supported formats:
- Playback:.3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3), .xvid (MP4 ASP and MP3)
- Recording:.mp4
Power & Battery
Battery type: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity: 1230 mAh
Talk time:
- WCDMA: Up to 453 minutes
- GSM: Up to 460 minutes
Standby time:
- WCDMA: Up to 445 hours
- GSM: Up to 485 hours
Network
HSPA/WCDMA:
- Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
- 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Platform
Android with HTC Sense
Camera
3 megapixel colour camera
Internet
3G:
- Up to 14.4 Mbps download speed
- Up to 5.76 Mbps upload speed
GPRS:
- Up to 80 kbps downloading
EDGE:
- Up to 236.8 kbps downloading
Wi-Fi:
- IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 3.0
- A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
- FTP and OPP (object push) for file transfer
- PBAP for phonebook access from the car kit
- Other supported profiles: AVRCP, GAP, HFP, HSP, SPP, SDAP
Social Networking
- Facebook for HTC Sense
- Friend Stream
- Share photos/videos on Facebook or YouTube
Location
- Internal GPS antenna
Tethering: USB tethering
Recommended Windows System Requirements
- Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP
- HTC Sync
