Looks like
Chris' hatred wasn't totally unfounded. We just got our hands on a Google Ion -- which as you can tell is a spitting image of the
HTC Magic -- complete with 30 days' worth of T-Mobile service on an included SIM card. It's not a public release model, but seems fully capable. Yes, it's got
Cupcake, and while the portrait keyboard seems more cramped than the iPhone's, we found it very comfortable to type in landscape mode. Form factor wise, this thing is as sexy as hardware gets -- light, sleek, and thin. The only thing that exceeds our love for it right now is its own love for fingerprints -- seriously, the entire body and screen attract them like flies to honey. Colorful similes aside, hit up the gallery below for all the pics you could ask for.
posted May 27th 2009 4:41PM
"Careful when unboxing"
Zing!
very cutting edge technology
looks like Ross got cut on its edge
This looks like toy
To answer my own question from the previous Ion post, the trackball IS that ginormous.
That's what she said.
Get some paper cuts ripping that handset from the box?
No duct tape band-aids?
...And you call yourself a nerd...
Wouldn't nerd bandages be made of electrical tape?
Or some cutting edge prerelease bandage from a new startup with cutting edge adhesives, micro fiber gauze, and a top secret polymer that lets your skin breathe, but doesn't let moisture in.
what happened when you opened that thing? did google rough you up?
google packed the case with razer blades stuffing peanuts
it wasn't the box it was the phone's chin that all the android phones seem to require.
Android is being secretly funded by Jay Leno and he has requested that all the phones have his trademark chin.
lol I never saw the connection but now that I do it seems so obvious!
Does anyone else thing this looks like an LG Decoy with a large touch screen?
It still looks hot, though. But I kinda prefer the white over it.
Agreed. White is sexy as hell. Some high-res shots of the Magic:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v709/monez/HTC%20Magic/?albumview=grid
This phone is soo sexy. I just jizzed in my pants.
looks great in its simplicity with familiar htc curves, but those buttons look kinda cheap.
Hrm - nifty! If Tmobile's 3G service existed where I live and work, I might have a real doozy choosing between an iPhone / Pre / Magic. Thankfully for my indecisiveness, Tmobile's slowness (in my neck of the woods), and ATT's pricing (about $50/mo more than Sprint's for two lines with comparable minutes/features) make the Pre an easy choice for me.
Yeah, I don't think I consider it to be "as sexy as hardware gets".
Do you think they are referring to the aesthetics or the specs/innards? I prefer the Diamond2 to this (on the outside), but I'd love me some Android.
Totally. This thing looks pretty standard issue. Next.
(that was all about the 'form factor', not the UI, never used the UI before.. it's just fugly as every other HTC device)
I'm guessing you hurt your fingers making devil horns because of your excitement over a free Ion?
Whatever the reason he sure picked the wrong hand to take a picture of.
Actually, the other one's missing a finger.
As I was looking at those pics, I got goose bumps.... that is until I saw the 3.5mm adapter. Then they go and tease us by showing it next to the iPhone, with the 3.5mm plug in plain view!
the screen looks as big as the PSP's.
Except it's not... Didn't you see when he held it against an iPhone for comparison? It has a smaller screen than the iPhone which is not nearly as large as the PSPs screen
Except it's not... Didn't you see when he held it up to the iPhone for comparison? It has an even smaller screen than the iPhone which is not nearly as large as the PSPs screen
broken comment system ;[
ho hum... next?
looks great... im waiting for a CDMA android phone! lol
OMG Jesus approves.. haha :P
CDMA? Why not WCDMA??
Stop with your douche comments.
Agree????
Seriously? You're supposed to take it out of your pockets before sitting down?
Wow...nice.
Makes the iPhone look fat for some reason.
I thought it looks HUGE! That or the guy in the photo has midget hands!!
Agreed, it looks big until its next to the iPhone. I am liking the design here. Especially that there are some buttons.
Android's definitely on the come-up!
I think the software's still just a bit immature, though. Once we see Android and Android apps making it into other devices like picture frames, home climate control and security systems, and car audio head units, owning an Android phone will be much more enticing. Lots of connected, mobile devices = good things.
2009 will be one hell of a year for mobile devices in general.
enjoy your grey for today
Ok, unless the guy in the photo with the band aids has midget hands that thing looks HUGH!! The pic with the box on his knee (Pic 3) makes the unit seem very large also...are these things really that big??
Huge...sorry
There are pics with an iPhone right next to it. They are literally touching
What, did you have the phone delivered to your local park bench?
engadget was a little too eager to open the box
Just hit the [!] next to his name.
Guru, you sir, are a douschebag and should go to a cartoon network blog site not a tech site because clearly you dont belong nor are welcome. ty.
Ouch. Sounds like some rough work going on at that I/O conference... Lol.
Looks nice. Good size.
Band-Aids, a WKRP in Cincinnati joke right?
Also, in the pics they tell you to take it out of your pants before sitting down? I mean, the phone cant survive in PANTS?!
HTC should be banned from making Android phones...
I think you should be banned from commenting...
Umm guys, since part of the issue with the G1 was the hump next to the keyboard, not having ANY pictures of the thing with the keyboard visible seems like a problem.
There is no keyboard...
Yup, that's the whole point of the device.
No keyboard, Cupcake. Keep up.
Any chance this might be used as a recession antidote?
so i guess i'm the only one that thought he was wearing band-aids to avoid leaving fingerprints?
I don't think he'd do that with his pinky. And besides isn't that phone capacitive, making band-aids more difficult to use it? Looks like injuries to me.
You know how I know this product sucks. The band aids more noticeable than the phone.
It kills me that Verizon doesn't get phones like this. I think I'm tired of waiting... T-Mobile here I come!!!
The white version looks so much better!
http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/photos/stuff-room/htcmagic_contacts.jpg
Why the fuck do these companies continue to omit the 3.5mm jack?? When will they learn?!!
cause your supposed to use Bluetooth AD2P. It's got the goods.
Sleek and SEXY!!!!
I like the New design!
No wonder they took so long to release Magic in the states, they wanted a whole New Distinct look.
GOod Job HTC and T-Mobile!
Any word on UMA?
Been reading engadget for years and can always count on good humor and a laugh in comments. Saw the picture and just knew I wouldn't be dissappointed today. lol.
it's a HTC Device, it has android OS, ok, but why they call it "google ion"?
The same way an unlocked, developer G1 was called the google dev phone 1.
"THE" Guru ^SARCASM^
2 words "Rescission Antidote"
2 words "I WIN"
This thing is not thin
How is it that the iPhone is soo old at this point, but still thinner than all of these new phones? There's no way I'm settling for anything thicker at this point.. duh
Can someone answer me why thickness seems to matter so much to some people? Honestly, I'm curious.
two things:
removable battery (iPhone can use a caseless battery, then again FTL)
SD card slot (iPhone FTL).
Probably because it's far and away the widest phone on the market. The volume of these two devices appears to be about the same, but the iPhone is thinner while the Ion is narrower.
So... was anyone else not surprised to see almost every comment be about the bandages?
it doesn't look all that much thinner than the g1 really.
You haven't even seen this thing while it's on. How can you tell that the iPhone is better?
Is this really "as sexy as hardware gets"? There are many lighter, sleeker, and thinner phones out there. The Samsung I7500 looks similar. I'll trade that Android chin anytime for a 3.5mm jack.
Somebody say Ion?
Yeah, I have to agree with a couple of guys here.............dude, what happened to your hand....????
Did you really "received" an htc Ion, or did you "took it" from somewhere else...???
I think they need to take a page from Amazon's "Frustration Free" packaging initiative....
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/05/black-magic-unboxing-dsc_0028-rm-eng.jpg
Gadget Pron, lol
wow that was really lame. Guru says one thing that goes against the grain and you flag him like none other. I agree by the way HTC releases too many too expensive phones with hardware that is just too cheap feeling. also the first thing i thought when i saw this was WTF those buttons!
Capacitive or Resistive!!!!!!!
How is the battery life on that phone??? I have to charge my G1 twice a day if I do anything more than make calls... I'm thinking about dropping 50 bones for a Sendio battery...
It looks sexier than the G1/Dream so I may just hold out for that...
Awesome! Another great HTC phone without an apparent audio jack other than their stupid mini-USB port. Seriously, it's almost as if HTC & Google don't actually want anybody to use all of that processing power for media of any sort. I
I think they're doing this because they don't see a need to have a dedicated audio port. I think they hope it will fade away like those PS/2 ports that I rarely see on anything but desktop pcs. USB is fast enough for just about anything, there's no need for anything else, in Google's opinion OFC.
they are pretty nice phones, i was looking at HTC magic dummy unit at a rogers store on wednesday of course since they just released the previous day that location had only sold one dream and didnt have a working demo unit of either. the voice data plan for them/any smartphone is crap, 500mb for data?! if it wasnt for the plan id totally get one, lol and the clerks were suprised why there wasnt much demand for them so far 1) your plans suck 2) pending iphone announcement . although in all fairness despite how crap their plans are today consider this: my dad had a carphone with them back they were Cantel AT&T and back them i sure a carphone costed alot. there was no such thing as subsidized phones and im sure the plan was ridiculously expensive(i remember how he would tell me that the airtime was lot and because of that i dont abuse my cell now), and you had to have the thing installed into your car and hard wire it into the cars electrical system im sure installation alone was alot too.
*YAWN* is there going to be a quiz on this? because if not...Zzz Zzz Zzz....
lolwut?
We wantses...