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As anybody who has read about the 2011 Mobile World Congress will already know, HTC's new venture into the world of tablet computers tastes like gingerbread, while the competition are all filling their new tabs with a honeycomb centre. With Google's Honeycomb version of Android being optimised for tablets, while Gingerbread is designed for smartphones, will this end in disaster for HTC or will the general public not really care about the difference?
The new HTC Flyer is only a 7" tablet. That is the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which also doesn't use Honeycomb. Hopefully this is just the beginning for HTC and they will have larger tablets in the pipeline. Otherwise they could be left behind. As this Cnet review points out, it is the Flyer's version of HTC's Sense user interface that will prove to be the key-
HTC Flyer
By Joseph Hanlon
HTC shrugs off Google's Honeycomb OS and opts for its own Sense user interface in the Flyer, a risky approach to the booming tablet market, but one that could certainly pay off.
First impressions
Developing tablets is a big gamble for the world's smartphone manufacturers this year, but HTC is stepping further out on a limb with a tablet that is considerably different from the rest. Rather than taking the safe and perhaps cheap route of using Google's new Honeycomb tablet operating system, HTC has redeveloped its Sense user experience for a larger tablet display to overlay the latest Android smartphone system, Gingerbread.
The gamble is HTC's assumption that those shopping for a tablet don't really know or care about the difference between Honeycomb, Gingerbread or even iPad's iOS system for that matter. For this wager to pay off in HTC's favour the Flyer needs to deliver a superior user experience, and from what we've seen so far it could do just that. The new Sense is great to look at and HTC has done a great job of optimising individual apps to maximise the available screen real estate.
Its smaller size and weight also differentiates the Flyer from the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the LG Optimus Pad. HTC's tablet sports a 7-inch display and weighs 415 grams, or the same weight as an average paperback novel, according to HTC. But do users want a screen larger than 7 inches? No one really knows, or is likely to know until the end of this year.
Beyond size, shape and operating system, the HTC Flyer will ship with a bevy of unique digital services installed. HTC Watch is a new streaming video service that gives users access to a library of feature films to rent and buy. Also, HTC's new partnerships with OnLive cloud gaming and TomTom could prove to be powerful selling points.
There's also the very interesting addition of the HTC Scribe touchscreen pen, which the company showed off at Mobile World Congress. Besides simply letting you draw on the screen, the Scribe pen also allows you to annotate web pages and send the results via email to friends and colleagues, as well as take audio notes in a very similar way to the LiveScribe pen we reviewed last year. We can't imagine that this will be a major drawcard for tablet lovers, but it does add a unique value that no one else can match.
Outlook
HTC's commitment to its Sense user experience defines the 7-inch Flyer and only time will tell if this commitment is a gamble that pays off or one that dooms the Flyer. The Flyer is also the smallest and lightest of the tablets we've seen from major manufacturers, a fact we believe will be a positive for HTC when tablet shoppers weigh up their options when the device is released mid-year.
HTC does seem to have created a fitting and unique tablet experience, starting with this 3D carousel-style home screen.
HTC Watch
Luckily, HTC Watch doesn't refer to a phone you wear on your wrist. HTC Watch is a new video-on-demand service for the HTC Flyer, offering users the option to buy and download feature-length movies to watch on their tablet.
Apps for Tabs
HTC proves Google isn't the only company with the skills to design a tablet-sized user experience, with apps like the gallery optimised to take advantage of the extra screen real estate.
HTC Scribe
There had been rumours that HTC's tablet would be called the Scribe, but today the company revealed it had saved that title for its central tablet accessory ? a pen to annotate documents and web pages on the tablet.
Scribe works a lot like the Livescribe technology, with the ability to record ambient audio while you take notes in a feature that HTC has dubbed Timemark. When you return to your notes later you can press on any section of your scribbling to hear exactly what was being said when you took that specific note.
OnLive = OMGAs we predicted, HTC's recent investment in cloud gaming service OnLive has produced a partnership that has the potential to make a huge change in the way we think about mobile gaming. The Flyer can connect to the OnLive servers and stream console games to play with customised on-screen controls.
Source: Cnet
The new HTC Flyer is only a 7" tablet. That is the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which also doesn't use Honeycomb. Hopefully this is just the beginning for HTC and they will have larger tablets in the pipeline. Otherwise they could be left behind. As this Cnet review points out, it is the Flyer's version of HTC's Sense user interface that will prove to be the key-
HTC Flyer
By Joseph Hanlon
HTC shrugs off Google's Honeycomb OS and opts for its own Sense user interface in the Flyer, a risky approach to the booming tablet market, but one that could certainly pay off.
First impressions
Developing tablets is a big gamble for the world's smartphone manufacturers this year, but HTC is stepping further out on a limb with a tablet that is considerably different from the rest. Rather than taking the safe and perhaps cheap route of using Google's new Honeycomb tablet operating system, HTC has redeveloped its Sense user experience for a larger tablet display to overlay the latest Android smartphone system, Gingerbread.
The gamble is HTC's assumption that those shopping for a tablet don't really know or care about the difference between Honeycomb, Gingerbread or even iPad's iOS system for that matter. For this wager to pay off in HTC's favour the Flyer needs to deliver a superior user experience, and from what we've seen so far it could do just that. The new Sense is great to look at and HTC has done a great job of optimising individual apps to maximise the available screen real estate.
Its smaller size and weight also differentiates the Flyer from the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the LG Optimus Pad. HTC's tablet sports a 7-inch display and weighs 415 grams, or the same weight as an average paperback novel, according to HTC. But do users want a screen larger than 7 inches? No one really knows, or is likely to know until the end of this year.
Beyond size, shape and operating system, the HTC Flyer will ship with a bevy of unique digital services installed. HTC Watch is a new streaming video service that gives users access to a library of feature films to rent and buy. Also, HTC's new partnerships with OnLive cloud gaming and TomTom could prove to be powerful selling points.
There's also the very interesting addition of the HTC Scribe touchscreen pen, which the company showed off at Mobile World Congress. Besides simply letting you draw on the screen, the Scribe pen also allows you to annotate web pages and send the results via email to friends and colleagues, as well as take audio notes in a very similar way to the LiveScribe pen we reviewed last year. We can't imagine that this will be a major drawcard for tablet lovers, but it does add a unique value that no one else can match.
Outlook
HTC's commitment to its Sense user experience defines the 7-inch Flyer and only time will tell if this commitment is a gamble that pays off or one that dooms the Flyer. The Flyer is also the smallest and lightest of the tablets we've seen from major manufacturers, a fact we believe will be a positive for HTC when tablet shoppers weigh up their options when the device is released mid-year.
HTC does seem to have created a fitting and unique tablet experience, starting with this 3D carousel-style home screen.
HTC Watch
Luckily, HTC Watch doesn't refer to a phone you wear on your wrist. HTC Watch is a new video-on-demand service for the HTC Flyer, offering users the option to buy and download feature-length movies to watch on their tablet.
Apps for Tabs
HTC proves Google isn't the only company with the skills to design a tablet-sized user experience, with apps like the gallery optimised to take advantage of the extra screen real estate.
HTC Scribe
There had been rumours that HTC's tablet would be called the Scribe, but today the company revealed it had saved that title for its central tablet accessory ? a pen to annotate documents and web pages on the tablet.
Scribe works a lot like the Livescribe technology, with the ability to record ambient audio while you take notes in a feature that HTC has dubbed Timemark. When you return to your notes later you can press on any section of your scribbling to hear exactly what was being said when you took that specific note.
OnLive = OMGAs we predicted, HTC's recent investment in cloud gaming service OnLive has produced a partnership that has the potential to make a huge change in the way we think about mobile gaming. The Flyer can connect to the OnLive servers and stream console games to play with customised on-screen controls.
Source: Cnet
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