HTC Magic Sighted in the Philippines: Pics and First Impressions

By Rico, 9:09 am Tue Jul 7 2009 - Featured, Rundowns - What Do You Think?

The HTC Magic is the first Android phone to hit the Philippines (as claimed by Smart). Thanks to Jayvee, I got to play with one last night. Pictures and some first impressions follow.

It’s easy to categorize the HTC Magic as a PDA phone, thanks to its shape and large touchscreen. Testing the camera yielded 700kb picture 2016 x 1344 in size (2.7 megapixels). The phone’s casing is very minimalist, generously white on the top and bottom framed by silver-colored siding. The only distinctive features of the exterior were the camera lens, the USB port on the bottom, the up-down switch on the right side, and the navigation controls on the bottom of the screen. A small trackball facilitates navigation.

A few minutes of use revealed a very responsive interface. The Android OS is very easy to pick up, especially for long-time gadget users, though the inability to send a photo via Bluetooth right in the image gallery was a bit baffling. A virtual keyboard reminiscent of the iPhone’s facilitates text input, with slight vibrations indicating presses.

It’s impossible to judge the HTC Magic’s value from a few minutes of use and some snapshots. Hopefully I’ll secure a review unit soon and get back to you with a full review. The HTC magic is available for P3,000 under Smart Gold’s Plan 3500—higher if you want to play less per month.