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Review: HTC Radar, a Windows Phone Mango handset for the masses

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HTC Radar

Windows Phone 7 got a lukewarm response from all over the market and consumers. The critically acclaimed OS resulted in a loss for manufacturers and vendors due to its lack of buyer uptake. Now, the platform is improved with a new name-Windows 7.5 Mango and is available with a new array of handsets that can rejuvenate interest of the users.

HTC is the first one to release two new phones with the new OS. One of them is the HTC Radar that is a perfect example of brand’s solid build quality. Revealed at the IFA Tradeshow in Berlin, Radar is an impressive that packs a uni body aluminum chassis.

What is it?

The white and silver finish, thinner bezel and buttons and cleaner lines make it the perfect successor to the Trophy. It has the same specifications, especially the camera, memory, storage and display resolution, but one area where Radar surpasses Trophy is the design. With a fantastic weighting and construction, it immediately gets a thumps up from the first glance.

Key features

The 3.8-inch device comes with a WVGA S-LCD, 512 MB RAM, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5MP autofocus camera with a single LED flash. There is an f2.2 aperture on the Radar’s lens, touch to focus facility and wide range of modes such as Panorama, face detections, burst shots and other effects.

Radar works with a Qualcomm MSM8255 SoC (1GHz Scorpion CPU and Adreno 205 GPU) that is capable of providing a good level of responsiveness. The RAM is 512 MB that provides easy browsing and toggling even after multiple tabs or windows open and playing music in the background. The UI maintains its pace and you do not have to wait for a single moment. The screen has a resolution of 400×800 pixels and performs well with vibrant colors and different viewing angles.

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If we look at the exteriors, there is a micro USB port on the left, power /unlock button and 3.5mm jack on the top, and camera and volume keys on the right. It is sealed with a 1520mAh battery and has a built in memory of 8 GB, but there is no option for memory expansion. The body is made of aluminum and there are soft touch pads that sit on top and bottom of the back panel. There are three buttons located below the screen, none of them are physical and continues the trend of HTC. There is a grille and VGA camera above the screen and the loudspeaker is on the back. With a weight of 137g the dimensions of Radar is 120.5×61.5×10.9mm

The new phone also includes many apps, such as HTC Watch for streaming movies, available in nine counties right now. The number will increase to 11 by the end of October. HTC Footprint to take the notes and pictures of the places you visit. It comes with Internet Explorer 9, conversation view for email, threaded text messaging, social integration and much more.

What’s innovative

The new Windows Phone 7 operating system with many latest apps and functions is the most innovative thing in it; most remarkable is Internet explorer 9.

Price and availability

The handset is currently available for $458/S$569.

Accessories

The Radar has an optional dock that you can purchase with it.

The up side

Radar has a fast camera, bright display, gorgeous design and many useful as well as entertaining apps. It also has a good video recording quality.

The down side

The storage is not upgradable and you cannot remove the battery. Apart from that, the 1GHz processor is hardly a powerhouse and gives an average performance. The new OS is good but has a very limited OS support.

Our experience

We were impressed by the unibody design and the display. The display has vibrant colors, good level of responsiveness, and the pictures taken by the camera offers a great level of detail for the most part. The 720p video also performs well overall.

The bottom line

HTC Radar is a brilliantly made smart phone with Windows 7 OS that will attract new customer that are looking for something different because apart from this model there are no other handsets available with WPA7.5 except Samsung Omnia. However, Omnia lacks the premium feel of radar. With an affordable price, new OS, and the way it looks, the handset can satisfy the needs of a daily user. If not all, then at least most of them.

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