Phones: Vodafone HTC Magic Phone – Review

It’s ironic that a phone dubbed ‘Magic’ performed a vanishing act after its New Zealand launch. Following a marketing campaign and its grand introduction at a huge Auckland party (with nude painted girls!), the HTC Magic promptly disappeared from shelves (and Vodafone’s website). Mystery has surrounded the reasons why it was pulled, with rumours of supply and commercial issues. Then suddenly it reappeared… just like magic.

Tricks aside, is this enchanted phone worth your investment? We’ve certainly found a lot to like about it. This is actually the second phone from HTC to run Google’s open source Android operating system (rather than Windows Mobile). The Magic runs the 1.5 version of Android (nicknamed ‘Cupcake’, though we don’t see the baking parallel), which is really nice to use and serves to propel this phone into the big league.

Speaking of which, now comes the part where we compare the Magic to the iPhone. They’re quite similar in looks, with both models possessing full touchscreen functionality and a similar build. The Magic has a slightly smaller screen, but that’s not really much to complain about. However, its lack of memory certainly is. With only a miserly 512MB of onboard storage, the Magic instantly loses face in the multimedia stakes. Fortunately, memory is expandable with a microSD card, and an 8GB card is packaged with the phone.

In terms of usability, like the iPhone the Magic is a delight to navigate. The touchscreen is highly responsive and intuitive, and sports a built-in software keyboard (which looks scary because the keys are so close together) but is actually really easy to use because of the great predictive text function. Tilt the phone and voilà , landscape view.

The HTC isn’t exactly a multimedia star. It has a fairly standard 3.2 megapixel camera and can play a limited number of media file types.  What really lets it down though (apart from the memory issue) is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which means you have the choice of using the bundled kit or, er, nothing.

Internet access is where the Magic really stands out. If you adore Google (who doesn’t?) and have a Gmail account you’ll get on really well with this phone. Syncing the handset to your account takes just a few seconds, and all your contacts are immediately imported.

Other Google services are preinstalled, like Maps, Calendar and GoogleTalk. A Google search box is actually a widget on the desktop, which is handy when you need to know something fast. Here’s a good place to point out that browsing is fantastic on the Magic; it’s fast loading and visually feels like you’re viewing via a computer desktop rather than a handheld device. Yep, the HTC surfs the web brilliantly, has a great OS, and if you aren’t fussed about its multimedia functionality, is well worth purchasing.

JESKA INNES

TECH SPECS

Vodafone HTC
Magic
Mobile Phone
$1099

NETWORK: Vodafone 3G extended coverage (3G over 900MHz)
MEMORY: 512MB (expandable to 8GB via microSD card)
BATTERY: 27.5 days standby, 400 mins talk time
GENERAL FEATURES:

• Android OS

• Wi-fi

• 3.2-inch touchscreen

• QWERTY keypad

• 3.2 megapixel camera

GPS

• Calendar and contacts sync

• Music player

• Alarm clock

SIZE: 113 x 55 x 13.65mm (H/W/D)
WEIGHT: 116g

CONTACT

www.vodafone.co.nz

PROS

• Awesome OS

• Web browsing is a dream

• A screen worth touching

CONS

• Measly onboard memory
• Where’s the 3.5mm headphone jack?

VERDICT

You may wish to make this phone your wand of choice