HTC Desire - iPhone Killer?

Many cell phones have come and gone, each claiming that they were the iPhone killer. We saw the much hyped Palm Pre, the LG Viewty, the Samsung SPH-M800, not to mention Nokia's N97 & N97 mini. Even Blackberry phones have been hyped as the phone that will beat the iPhone to the number 1 spot.

So far, none of them have managed it and it is got to the point that when I hear the term iPhone killer I just laugh. I suspect that the makers of these devices have a long way to go to get anywhere near the iPhone in terms of style, usability and mass market appeal but the drop the killer tag in the hope that their cellphone can replicate the hype and demand of Apple's all conquering device.

So when I heard that HTC had released an iPhone killer I nearly wet myself laughing. I've owned (actually still own) a HTC Blue angel and a HTC Wizard (MDA II and MDA Vario for those of you in the UK). These phones were good Windows PDAs but they sucked as cellphones - that is probably why I still own both of them in very good condition. They hardly got used as cellphones and therefore never got damaged. The kids use them now to play games, for which they are perfect.

Anyway, back to the HTC Desire, unlike its cousins, this phone is built around the Android 2.1 operating system - a stroke of genius I think. The thing that previous HTC phones had problems with was handling calls, acting like PCs they were fine because they were using a PC operating system.

Now I can talk about all the features but I think this video demonstrates them better - once you have finished reading this hub, watch this video.

If you couldn't wait and have watched that demonstration video, then you will know that the HTC desire is really an improved version of the Nexus 1. When I say improved it has physical buttons on the front including an optical mouse and they have boosted the Ram on the device. The Nexus 1 has 512 Ram whereas this has 576.

But enough about the Nexus 1, this hub is about the HTC desire and how it will take on the iPhone. Well stacked up against the iPhone, the Desire is looking pretty good. It has more than double the Ram than the iPhone 3Gs. It has a 5 megapixel camera which allows video capture and playback at 720p High Definition resolution - the iPhone has a 3 megapixel camera. It is 2 grams heavier at 135 grams but that is nothing.

Other goodies it has are an FM transmitter, and an Micro SD card slot, as well as GPS. So in some parts it is better than the iPhone and in others it is the same, and yet still in other parts the iPhone is better (like native storage capacity).

What sets it apart in my opinion from the iPhone is that it supports flash 10.1 - this will make the browsing experience on the Desire far richer than on the iPhone but will it take the iPod's crown?

In my humble opinion, it is as good as the iPhone if not better, BUT Apple have a huge lead which I think is too big for the HTC Desire to catch. However, this is a promising sign from HTC. No longer will I look at them as PDA makers who add a little phone capability. I think Apple are really going to have to do something special as finally someone is going to compete with them seriously.

So in conclusion, I do not think the HTC Desire will kill the iPhone even though it is an iPhone killer. If Apple did not have a lead, and both devices were released at the same time - I think the Desire would have come out on top. Certainly, If I had to choose between a HTC Desire and an iPhone, I would take the Desire.

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