Is it the first step of the company towards the new pricing
policy or just one accessible model in the range of more expensive
handsets? What is HTC Wildfire and should you choose it as your first
"robot"?..
Live photos of HTC Wildfire
In the box:
- Smartphone
- 1300 mAh battery
- microUSB - USB cable
- Power connection unit (works as the charger together with the cable)
- 3.5 mm stereo headset
- microSD memory card (its capacity varies from shop to shop)
- Brief manual
Positioning
If you go to the website of HTC you will read that Wildfire as any
other smartphone of the company is aimed at "communication and exchange
of joys of life with friends". To some extent this is true as for any
other modern phone.
In reality HTC Wildfire is different from the rest of the company's
lineup. Without beating around the bush we can say that Wildfire is a
cheap HTC smartphone. PR departments ask not to use the word "cheap" and
substitute it by "inexpensive", but in the case of HTC Wildfire we have
a cheap smartphone. It is the most accessible solution among current
Android models of the company (I know the price of uncertified HTC Hero
and you can still buy Tattoo).
Design and Body Materials
Exterior is the strong point of HTC Wildfire. It does not only
resemble the flagship HTC Desire, which is a no mean feat, but uses
similar materials. It is pleasant to have the glass protected screen and
high quality plastic and metal in this inexpensive model.
The major part of the front is taken by the screen. Its surface is
protected by the glass (which is special plastic you cannot scratch by
coins, keys, etc.). The edge around the screen reaching the sides of the
body and the top of the smartphone are made of metal.
The battery cover is predominantly matte soft-touch plastic and the central part of the cover features a metal plate.
Several body colors are available for HTC Wildfire. Plastic and
metal edge has different colors. They can be grey as in the reviewed
sample or black, white and red.
In Russia only the grey version is sold, which is the most boring
from my point of view. Whether we get other Wildfire colors remains to
be seen.
Now I will add several words about the ability of the body to get
soiled. The battery cover and sides stay clean so even if there are some
fingerprints or traces there you will hardly notice anything. The
screen surface gets dirty easier, but it is not critical. You can see
any traces only if you look at the screen from a particular angle in an
appropriate illumination.
I do not have any complaints to the build as all parts fit each
other well. During a one month use I did not encounter any looseness or
squeaking in my sample.
Dimensions
HTC Wildfire is similar to HTC Hero and Legend in this respect, though it is a bit more compact.
- HTC Wildfire – 106,8 x 60,4 x 12 mm (4.20″x2.37″x0.47″), 118 g (3.79 oz)
- LG Optimus – 109 x 54,5 x 12,7 mm (4.29″x2.14″x0.5″), 115 g (3.69 oz)
- HTC Legend – 112 x 56,5 x 11,5 mm (4.40″x2.22″x0.45″), 126 g (4.05 oz)
- Apple iPhone 4 – 115,2 x 58,6 x 9,3 mm (4.53″x2.30″x0.36″), 137 g (4.40 oz)
The smartphone is convenient to carry in any pocket, bag, etc. It is also pleasant to hold during conversations.
Controls
As in HTC Legend and Desire HTC Wildfire uses optic trackball or
touchpad. To my mid the touchpad is convenient, but you have to get used
to it longer than to an ordinary joystick, navigation key or trackball.
This element is closer to sensor buttons with their artificial response
to touches or presses than to hardware buttons. Anyway, it is much
better than nothing at all as in LG Optimus, Samsung Galaxy S or HTC
HD2, to name just a few.
The touchpad in HTC Wildfire is combined with the hardware key (and
functions as such). If you press the touchpad you confirm an action in
the menu or move inside it. One press allows opening links, selecting
and running apps and so on. So we have an ordinary pressing of a
navigation key. The area to work with the touchpad is enough not to
touch sensor buttons above.
Buttons above the touchpad form a four strong sensor unit. All
buttons are separate and can be easily pressed without any interference
from neighboring ones. The end left button "Home" returns you to the
central screen or activates a window with six running apps (press and
hold). "Menu" button starts the context menu (press and hold to open or
hide the screen keypad). Then go "Back" and "Search" buttons. As in
other new models of the company Wildfire unfortunately has no hardware
buttons to answer or end the call.
Sensor buttons under the screen are highlighted by a white and soft backlight.
Now let's mention other body elements. At the top of the front we
have a grilled speaker. To the right and below come light and proximity
sensors. Light sensor helps to adjust the screen backlight automatically
and activate or switch off the keypad backlight. Proximity sensor
disables the screen during conversations when you move the handset to
your ear. If you move the phone away the screen starts again.
To the left and below the speaker you see the light indicator. It
gets orange during the charging or when connected to PC and flashes when
the battery is low. When the charging ends the color changes to green.
If you have new events: missed calls, unread messages or e-mails the
indicator will flash green. The indicator can be customized in the menu
where you can select the events it will show. The activity of wireless
interfaces is not displayed.
The left side of the smartphone has space for the volume control
button made of plastic with chrome effect. The button is easy to use by
touch when you speak. The music player volume can be set from the pocket
without activating the screen.
Here below we have a microUSB jack for a cable or charger.
The right side is vacant, while the bottom features a microphone and
a loop for a hand strap or wrist band. The top hosts a 3.5 jack for a
headset of headphones and the button to switch the screen on and off. If
you press and hold the button for several seconds you will open a popup
menu where you can turn the power off, go to the silent or flight
modes, activate the vibro and deactivate the data transfer, which is
useful in roaming.
There is no button to start the camera and it can be activated in
the menu by clicking the appropriate icon. The touchpad is used for
shooting and focusing. You can also use the screen or point the device
at the object and after 1-2 seconds the autofocus will do the trick.
microSD memory card slot is on the left side immediately under the
battery cover, so you do not have to take the battery out to change the
memory card. SIM card slot is under the battery.
Screen
The most controversial part of HTC Wildfire is its screen. It
features a 3.2" capacitive TFT touchscreen with the physical size of
65x48.5 mm (2.55″x1.90″) and QVGA (320x240) resolution. The screen is
bright and has good viewing angles, though at times the colors can be
affected if the angle is really acute. To be fair we have to acknowledge
that viewing angles are not as good as in HTC Hero or Legend.
In the sun the screen fades and it becomes increasingly difficult to read.
We have already mentioned the protective glass resistant to
scratches from keys and similar objects. The main question of HTC
Wildfire potential buyers is: "How does Android run with nonstandard
resolution?"
The reason why people mistakenly believe in the "nonstandard
resolution for Android" deserves a separate article, but we will not
speak about it now. What apps will not work well on HTC Wildfire due to
its screen resolution? These are 3D games, for example NFS, because I
could easily play something less sophisticated, take RoboDefence for
example. I heard that some applications may not work properly on
Wildfire, but could not find any first hand evidence. On my sample of
Wildfire everything worked great and on par with HTC Desire.
Internet surfing on HTC Wildfire
After we published out First Look on HTC Wildfire the forum
witnessed heated discussions of the gadget: its price, features and
especially the viewing of web pages on the screen with its resolution. I
sided with those who said that you can surf the web quite successfully,
though it is slightly less convenient in comparison with smartphones
which have more impressive screen resolution. After I have been using
Wildfire for a month I have to confess that I was wrong.
All fans of WM remember the days when all communicators were
equipped with 2.8″ or 3.2″ screens with QVGA (320x240) resolution. Three
or even two and a half years ago such screens were standard and we
considered such communicators as the best available options for Internet
surfing. But then VGA resolution came along.
If you have any experience with QVGA communicator or PDA then
Internet on Wildfire will not surprise you. Everything works well. But
if you missed the era of QVGA screens and moved from a keypad model to a
VGA screen or a QVGA on a small screen (let's say, Nokia 6500 Classic)
you will not enjoy web surfing on Wildfire.
There are no technical problems with the browser or Internet
connection. After high resolution screens or QVGA on small screens web
pages on Wildfire look poor. With the standard scale used by the browser
to open a page you will not be able to read anything, because the text
will consist of dots, lines become lopsided and everything will get into
a mess. You have to zoom in and the amount of information which fits
the screen decreases.
The main problem is the following. On any handset with HVGA, VGA or
WVGA screen you can scale the text the way you like. You can zoom in a
bit to keep the letters small or opt for considerable magnification. In
HTC Wildfire you do not get this kind of freedom. To read the text you
have to zoom it in a lot as you cannot exchange the small font for a
bigger piece of info on the screen.
Camera
The smartphone boasts a 5 MP camera with autofocus and flash. The
camera used in HTC Wildfire is identical to HTC Desire. Our followers
know that this comparison is hardly a compliment. Briefly, the camera in
Wildfire is mediocre, but it is good enough for simple pictures if you
do not have anything else at your disposal.
The camera module slightly protrudes from the body and the camera
hole is situated inside the ring. Camera interface is typical of any HTC
smartphone. In the viewfinder mode the screen shows an icon of flash
modes and scaling accompanied by a gallery icon. To activate the
settings click the slider to the left or "Menu" button under the screen.
The settings panel will appear in the left side of the screen and
parameters can be selected in popup windows.
The following resolutions are available for photo:
- 5 M – 2592x1952
- 3M – 2048x1536
- 1M – 1280x960
- Economy – 640x480
The quality of pictures (influencing mostly the size of resulting files):
White balance:
- Auto
- Incandescent lamp
- Fluorescent lamp
- Daylight
- Cloudy
Effects:
- Shades of grey
- Sepia
- Negative image
- Sunroom
- Posterization
- Blue
Exposure metering:
- On the center
- Integrated
- Spot metering
Apart from the abovementioned settings you can change the degrees
of contrast, saturation, color tones and acutance on a 5 grade scale.
You can disable the shutter sound, choose grid display in the viewfinder
mode, use timer assisted shooting and support picture taking with
geotags courtesy of GPS (while viewing you will know the camera angle).
The quality of pictures can be assessed by the samples below, which I consider average.
To take a picture of a page long text you need 5-10 attempts to get one precise shot (see sample below).
Video
Video can be recorded in MP4 or 3GP formats (mp4v or h.263 codecs)
at the average speed of 20 frames per second. The sound recording is
enabled by samr. codec.
The following resolutions are available for video:
Video settings are similar to those in the photo mode. You can
disable or enable the sound recording, limit the recording by its length
or file size.
Scaling for video is also supported. This feature is unavailable
during the shooting itself and you have to suspend the recording to
change the scale. You can judge about the video quality by the samples
below. Battery
The smartphone has a 1300 mAh Li-Pol battery. The manufacturer
claims up to 8 hours of talktime (GSM) and 480 hours (19 days) on
standby.
In real life (30-40 minutes of talktime a day, 10-15 text messages
sent, activated Gmail and MS Exchange accounts with push-mail mode) my
HTC Wildfire worked around 2 days from one charging, which is a good
result compared with absurdly short operation time of HTC Desire and
Legend. It is surely an entry level smartphone, which has to last longer
than flagships, but the difference is really staggering.
Performance Efficiency
The smartphone is built on Qualcomm MSM 7225 platform with the
frequency of 528 MHz. It has 384 MB of RAM with 100-120 MB free for user
applications on a new system. I think that the performance is efficient
enough in the majority of cases. No delays were experienced during the
ordinary activities – checking mail, web surfing, starting apps and
their operation. Complicated graphic apps do not run on Wildfire as
smoothly as on HTC Desire or EVO 4G. One of such applications is
universal compass Ulysse Gizmos.
To download music, images, video and other user data the current OS
versions employ the memory card only, while the apps utilize just
internal memory in the amount of 512 MB, where users can have around 100
MB to install software.
There is no point in discussing the video playback on HTC Wildfire.
Even short pieces look awful on a QVGA screen. The overall performance
speed was fine for me and during one month I did not find any serious
issue, so Android 2.1 on a slightly outdated MSM7225 platform runs well
on HTC Wildfire.
Interfaces
The smartphone supports GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and UMTS (900/2100)
networks, while EDGE and HSDPA are also available. Different
communication modules can be switched on and off in the settings menu or
with the help of widgets (standard or from HTC) to be dragged onto the
desktop. A standard Android widget looks poor on a QVGA screen. I got
rid of it in favor of two buttons (activation/deactivation of WiFi and
Bluetooth), while on Desire I used a standard widget.
Data transfer and synchronization with PC is carried out via USB
2.0. Copying of a 10 MB file to the memory card in the disc drive mode
takes no more than 2-3 seconds. When the smartphone is connected with PC
you can choose the connection via HTC Sync to charge, transfer data to
the memory card (disk drive) or use the device as the modem (for
Internet connection via 2G/3G channel).
In built Bluetooth 2.1+EDR supports all main profiles, including A2DP, transfer of objects (contact cards, etc.) via Bluetooth:
- Audio Gateway (AG) – main profile for the headset
- Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol (AVCTP)
- Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) – control of music playback from the wireless headset
- Generic Audio/Video Distribution Profile (GAVDP)
- Audio/Video Distribution Transport Protocol (AVDTP)
- Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) – transfer of stereo sound via Bluetooth
- Hands-Free Profile (HFP). Connection of Bluetooth headsets and hands free devices.
- Headset Profile (HSP). Connection of Bluetooth headsets for
easy commands– making or answering a call, volume control.
- File Transfer Profile (FTP). Viewing of other devices files
systems and access to its own file system via Bluetooth.
- Object Push Profile (OPP). It is used to transfer objects, for example calendar entries or contacts.
Operation of the smartphone with the stereo headset is traditional.
The sound quality through the wireless stereo headset is decent.
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g). I cannot complain about the
operation of WiFi module either. In the smartphone you can customize the
rules of WiFi moving into the sleeping mode, the exclusive use of the
static IP address during the connection and add security certificates.
WiFi barely warms up during its operation.
Navigation
GPS is standard for all HTC smartphones as before they
wholeheartedly adopted microUSB and 3.5 mm jacks. HTC Wildfire is not an
exception. The model has gpsOne chip on Qualcomm platform. Google Maps
serves as the simplest navigation software.
It allows making routes (without voice prompts), searching for
street names or places (restaurants, cafes, names of institutions,
etc.). The advantage of Google Maps over heavyweight navigation apps is
its availability from the web and theoretically you can use maps of all
big cities in the world no matter where you are. The first and foremost
is Internet access, which is the main downside of Google Maps. It cannot
operate offline.
Sound
Frankly speaking I wanted to skip this point, but I will say the
traditional words. To my mind (or ear) the sound in HTC Wildfire does
not differ from HTC Desire or Legend.
Software
The smartphone runs on Android 2.1 with the latest edition of HTC
Sense as an interface. The same shell is used in HTC Desire: you can
read a detailed review of Sense with all features typical of appropriate
Android smartphones. Unlike Desire Wildfire does not support live
wallpapers. Even if you download live wallpapers from Market you will
not be able to install them as such, because this option for wallpapers
on the model is not available.
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Detailed review of HTC Sense on Android 2.1 |
New feature in HTC Wildfire is an opportunity to exchange links to
apps with your friends. Start the eponymous app (Apps Exchange), choose
the app from the list and indicate the link transfer method: e-mail, SMS
or Tweeter. The link will point to the app page in Market.
FM radio
The smartphone boasts FM radio. During the first launch of the app
the frequencies are scanned automatically and the list of found radio
stations is formed. New stations can be added manually and each can be
assigned its name, which will be displayed when you choose it or in the
general stations list.
Information on the radio playback is indicated in the system bar.
Radio works with or without headphones. The reception quality in my HTC
Wildfire was good. It is one of the few models from HTC with good radio
reception quality.
Rivals
The official price of HTC Wildfire is $422. Traditionally for HTC an
uncertified Wildfire can be had for $357. What are its rivals? I will
rule out Sony Ericsson X10 mini. Those who saw the model and held it in
hands understand my rationale. It belongs to another class and has other
objectives, so do not be confused by the similarity of features between
X10 mini and other "inexpensive" robots.
So, we are left with two models from Korea - Samsung GT-i5700 Spica
and LG Optimus (GT540). Samsung costs around $390 and will be gradually
withdrawn from the market, but LG model has just arrived and costs $292
and even less than $260 in some shops. I will not compare all features,
but if you like I can easily offer a verdict on HTC Wildfire vs Samsung
Spica vs LG Optimus. Wildfire attracts with its design and quality
materials and is also a convenient phone for calls, which supports MS
Exchange from the box. Samsung Spica has the edge in terms of its higher
resolution capacitive screen, while LG Optimus is considerably cheaper,
though it offers similar features.
If you need a smartphone for everyday operation choose HTC Wildfire.
Frequent Internet surfing requires Samsung Spica or LG Optimus. Afraid
to be bored? Go for Spica provides broad possibilities for entertainment if you want to improve the model on your hands.
Conclusion
I do not have any complaints to the signal reception quality. The
loudspeaker is above average and in the majority of cases you will hear
the ringtone. The speaker volume and vibro are average, though I
occasionally missed the latter on the go.
Priced at $422 HTC Wildfire is interesting, but equally
controversial. Its doubtless advantages include good body, high quality
materials, universal design to suit a business person and a student (you
cannot say the same about plastic LG Optimus). Another high point is
operation time. The only disadvantage is the screen and it serves as the
main factor during the choice. If the screen looks normal to you and
its low resolution is not an issue I can definitely advise Wildfire.
Alternatively, if its screen makes you depressed and you cannot get
images of WVGA out of your head, another model should be bought instead.
I will add some personal impressions. I have been using HTC Wildfire
as my main phone for a month after switching from HTC Desire. Owners of
WVGA devices will understand me, because it is extremely difficult to
downgrade after WVGA experience. Nevertheless, after several days of
withdrawal syndromes I got accustomed to Wildfire and its screen. A
habit of web pages scaling took more time to develop.
Description:
- Class: OS Android based smartphone
- Form factor: candybar
- Rivals: Samsung Spica, LG Optimus
- Case materials: matte soft-touch plastic, metal
- Operating system: Android 2.1, HTC Sense shell
- Networks: GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS/HSDPA 900/2100
- Platform Qualcomm MSM7225, 528 MHz processor
- RAM: 384 MB
- Internal storage for data: 512 MB + microSD memory card slot
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP), microUSB
(USB 2.0) jack for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm jack for the
headset
- Screen: 3.2″ capacitive TFT touchscreen with QVGA (240x320) resolution, automatic backlight adjustment
- Camera: 5 MP with autofocus and flash, video recording in CIF resolution
- Navigation: GPS on gpsOne chip of Qualcomm platform (with A-GPS support)
- Add-ons: FM radio, accelerometer, light and proximity sensors
- Battery: user-replaceable Li-Ion of 1300 mAh
- Dimensions: 106,8 x 60,4 x 12 mm (4.20″x2.37″x0.47″)
- Weight: 118 g (3.79 oz).
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