HTC Flyer Impressions

HTC held an event recently in Toronto and we were given the chance to test out their newest tablet, the HTC Flyer.

Check out our impressions after the break.

Design:

The Flyer shares a striking resemblance to HTC’s previous mobile device, the HTC Legend. The tablet features a metal uni-body design and a relatively slim form factor coming in at 13.2mm. The solid metal body adds a slight heft to the device which can be associated with quality material, weighing in at 420grams. This is a fairly reasonable weight when compared to competing tablets such as the Nook Color which also has a weight of 420grams. Considering the Nook Color is not outfitted with a metal body nor does it possess a front or rear facing camera, the Flyer definitely packs more into its design.

Hardware:

The Flyer sports a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, which is great for viewing all forms of media and text. When using the device outdoors we found the display fairly bright. For those desiring a compact tablet for daily use, we find the 7″ screen size the most versatile in terms of portability vs screen real estate. A new feature HTC is implementing with this device is the stylus and many applications to imitate the conventional use of pen and paper for note taking. The stylus does not accompany the device at purchase, however is a very useful tool with many desirable features. There are two buttons that can be found on the stylus which allow the user to highlight or erase as well as the ability to take screen shots with a press of the stylus against the display.

The device features a 5 MP rear facing camera with auto focus and a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video chatting. The camera is capable of shooting 720p video which is adequate for most users’ needs. The only disappointing factor is the lack of LED flash on the device, meaning the camera is all but useful during low light or night shooting.

The device utilizes a 1.5 GHz processor along with 1GB of RAM allowing the Flyer to soar through multitasking applications. The Flyer is equipped with 32GB of internal storage, enough to store tons of media and applications. If that’s not enough you can add up to an additional 32GB with a microSD card. The HTC tablet is capable of connecting through Wi-Fi but there is no 3G connectivity to be found. HTC has also thrown in an internal GPS antenna which is always an added bonus.

Software:

The HTC Flyer runs the latest version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC’s Sense UI which has been custom tailored for tablets. The custom widgets HTC has provided in this version of Sense are catered towards the increased screen size that the tablet provides. The Sense UI is an effective interface in aggregating users’ information into a unified and manageable environment. The Stylus UI, also known as the HTC Scribe, made available when the stylus is pressed-up against the bottom left corner of the device, will provide a plethora of customizable writing tools to fit your unique style. HTC has cleverly integrated Evernote, the highly popular note taking application, into the ‘Scribe’ experience. While the Scribe may be found pricey at $80, the stylus provides an alternative input method that some users may find appealing, especially those who enjoy the pen and paper experience with the added flare of technology.

Final Thoughts:

The HTC Flyer is a reincarnation of the original tablet PC in the form of an elegant and portable handheld device. HTC accomplishes this with their new ‘Scribe’ stylus which adds a little extra functionality that is missing in other tablets. The Flyer has yet to be priced in Canada, however we expect it to follow suit of U.S. retail pricing of $499.99. To experience the full affect of the HTC Flyer a customer must spend $579.99 which is roughly on par with other tablet PCs that feature stylus interactivity. When contrasting the Flyer to other Android tablets which provide dual-core processors, larger displays, and Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the price becomes difficult to swallow. While the device is priced at a premium, we always appreciate HTC’s innovative designs and exceptional build quality that extend to both smartphones and tablet devices.