Pocket sized and packing the power of the Android 2.1 Build, the HTC Aria mobile smartphone for AT&T is offering a combination of lightning 3G speeds, a responsive capacitive touchscreen display and an optical joystick help you stay in touch on Facebook, Google Talk, Flickr, and more while on the go. Offering an very nice comfortable design, the HTC Aria weighs less than 4 ounces and measures less than a half-inch thin. The 3.2-inch screen is complemented by a seven-panel home screen that provides plenty of screen real estate for applications and widgets.
Through Android Market, you'll get access to thousands of useful apps, widgets, and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day. The HTC Aria also includes HTC Sense, a user interface overlay from HTC that offers even more ways to stay connected--including Friend Stream (which delivers Facebook), Twitter, and Flickr updates in a single, consolidated view.
In addition to accessing home and business networks with its Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11b/g), the HTC Aria will also receive AT&T Wi-Fi access at U.S. hotspots (with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots) included as part of an unlimited data plan. Other features include a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with video capture capabilities, Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, 2 GB microSD memory card (with support for optional cards up to 32 GB in size), and up to 6 hours of talk time.
With integrated Google technology, the HTC Aria brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services millions use every day, including Google Search by voice, Google Maps with Street View, Google Talk instant messaging (with presence capabilities), YouTube, and Picasa. The Aria also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail.
Customizable Widgets make my commonly used apps available any time ([...], Pandora radio, clock, weather, email, text messages, To-Do list(!), quick access to turn on or off wi-fi, GPS, and Bluetooth), right on the home screen - no need to launch and exit apps over and over again. Six fully customizable screens are great, but the ability to save multiple complete six-way Home screen arrangements is simply incredible. Personalization is the name of the game.
Android is an open platform. That means more competition and that means, ultimately, more (and better) choices for the consumers. If you go with iPhone you have one choice for hardware. If you go with Android, you can pick from a wide variety of features and sizes to get the phone you want. If two cameras on one phone isn't important to you then you don't have to pay for them. If you prefer a smaller phone (like me) there are some great options (like the Aria - which I think is a fantastic phone).
Fortunately, this phone is working for both of us. The Android OS has been great - although there are some features in the next version (Froyo) that I wish were on this phone already. I spent several hours yesterday figuring out how to 'root' this phone and I did end up getting it done last night. My wife's went a lot faster since I already understood the process.
Mobile Review blog. |