The new Android powered HTC Desire has now been released on a range of Vodafone pay monthly contract tariffs, the Desire is the latest phone to feature the Android 2.1 operating system alongside the Google Nexus One which is not that far off in terms of specifications.
Both phones are manufactured by HTC with the Nexus One re-branded by Google, the biggest difference between the handsets is that the HTC Desire comes with Flash 10.1 support straight out of the package and the manufacturers Sense user interface which runs over the top of the Android OS for a cleaner and smooth user experience.
Both phones feature a large 3.7 inch 800 x 480 pixel AMOLED touch screen display which is one of the highest resolution screens currently available as well as a 5.0 mega pixel camera with autofocus and flash not dissimilar to that of the Motorola Milestone.
Another difference between the two handsets is that the Nexus One opts for a trackball solution for its main navigation button rather than the HTC Desire offering an optical solution, the benefit here being that the trackball design is prone to wear over time. That said, there is no great need for the navigation button on either model as the Android OS takes care of most of the operation of the phones from the main touch screen.
Both phones also benefit from a powerful 1GHz processor that makes light work of loading applications and dealing with menu navigation, there is a comprehensive multimedia player and both models offer a 3.5mm jack for plugging in standard headphones.
The HTC Desire does also benefit from one other difference, this time in software. HTC have included their brand new Friend Stream feature which integrates all of the users social networking, text and email updates into a full info stream keeping them up to date with all of their friends activities in one comprehensive data stream.
The HTC Desire has now been released on Vodafone from free, there are currently three tariffs at just £25 per month which offer the handset free of charge as well as a range of free gift deals, the Nexus One can currently be purchased from Google directly and then the user inserts their own SIM card.
This can work well if they opt for a SIM Only package as not only are there 30 rolling tariffs available without the long term commitment but also the inclusive number of minutes and text are more than those offered by the standard network deals.
The Desire is to be joined very soon by two other new models from the manufacturer, these being the HTC Legend and HD Mini, the Legend is a direct upgrade to the HTC Hero model and makes for a great alternative for those not wanting a large screen device whilst the HTC HD Mini moves away from the Android platform in favour of a Windows operating system.
Tags: 1ghz processor, autofocus, brand new friend, data stream, email updates, google, handsets, loading applications, menu navigation, multimedia player, navigation button, optical solution, opts, social networking, stream feature