HTC Wildfire hands-on (update: video!)
By Vlad Savov 
posted May 17th 2010 8:14AM
posted May 17th 2010 8:14AM
The first thing to be said here is that if you've spent time with an Android device by HTC, you've already spent time with the Wildfire. It has the same 5 megapixel camera that's fast becoming the standard among the company's handsets, it has the Hero's now admittedly aging CPU, and it has the latest version of Sense UI that includes Friend Stream and the multitouch Leap homescreen viewer.
Where it diverges from its predecessors is in offering a new app sharing feature -- which simply gives you the ability to invite your friends, via Twitter, Facebook, or email, to download an app you really like off the Android Market -- and deeper Facebook integration than we've previously seen. The latter now means that when you receive or place calls to your friends, you automatically see their Facebook profile picture, latest status update, and birthday if it's coming up soon. Sort of a lazy man's social phone, but we reckon that can be quite a useful thing for the targeted demographic of college students. HTC openly admitted to shooting for the same crowd as Microsoft's Kin, intending to make this phone both as cheap and as easy to text, email and socialize with as possible.
Whether they succeed will depend mostly on the final pricing, but HTC seems confident of lowering the minimum cost threshold for Android, which can only be a good thing. We were told the use of a QVGA rather than HVGA screen on the Wildfire was a major saving in terms of cost, and we didn't feel like it was too big a sacrifice to make. One other interesting tidbit from HTC's presentation was the company's statement that it learnt its lesson from the Tattoo, which had a resistive touchscreen, and no longer plans on offering anything but capacitive displays in the future.
aww how cute
@ChairmanMeow
My Thoughts exactly...wouldn't mind this as a second handset...
@LordDarkGoose
Precisely. My Nexus is my baby, I would love to just do a SIM swap every time I go somewhere that it might get dropped or wet or otherwise messed up, this would be perfect.
@ChairmanMeow
It's Europe's Eris to me. It's cheaper than the big boys coming out (like the Eris was cheaper than the droid). It's similarly styled, and very similarly specced. I love my Eris, and I bet this phone will be good too.
Aw, don't tell me that you're whining about people breaking embargoes, Endgadget.
@ChairmanMeow It looks like this phone though, right? Although its cute.. http://j.mp/htc-leg3nd-unleash
Meh
@Physicsguy89
My sentiments exactly.
And are HTC trying to flood the market or what? There must be a new HTC phone out every week.
Time to use the exclude/htc me thinks.
@Physicsguy89 Before everyone starts moaning that this doesn't have a 7Ghz Snapdragon 2 and 64GB ram, remember this is being marketed as a direct competitor to the Microsoft Kin, and provided this is affordable I'd take this any day over the Kin.
@Physicsguy89
Before you write this off, you need to realise that you're probably not the target market that HTC is aiming for with this device. The US is surrounded by expensive smartphones which are generally on expensive contract plans in the region of US$100 per month or more, and is dominated by expensive devices.
Note that they're going to release it in Europe and Asia. The markets in Europe and Asia are very price sensitive, and you often see even iPhones being offered on plans which total around US$50-60/month. Outside of the US people are looking for good phones which are free on contract on a monthly plan that is not too expensive.
For example, many parents put their teenagers on the $29, $39 or $49/month plans and take advantage of the free phones that come with those plans. A low price point will mean that Android phones will sell into markets that are more price sensitive, and take market share away from Nokia and Symbian, particularly. That's going to put more Android phones in more hands, and given SenseUI has teenagers written all over it with the Facebook integration, this has the potential to take off in those markets. Apple should be worried.
@TC I'm with you. This is a sexy, small phone. This beats the Kin for me
Droid Eris much?
@Billy meh its more like mini desire much.
argh im trying to save myself for wm7... stop tempting me android.
im going to have to do something soon though, my super reliable iphone freezes every time i answer a call*.
*Apple please note: this is a joke, i love my iphone ipad ipod and imac.
@Punisher Plum
update, just after posting this my gf called and there we go, its off.
this is why i keep my 6610, people laugh but its never let me down, never will.
I'm sure it'll be a nice little phone. The processor could be better, but maybe it runs Sense ok?
@Waltah
No it couldn't be better. THAT is the point. Does everyone here live in a world where everything costs the same? This is a cheap solution for those who want the features of the Nexus One / HTC Desire / Moto Droid, but can't afford the top rate for the fastest smartphone. That seems quite hard for some to comprehend with the "why isn't it faster?!" or "what's the point of this if there are faster phones?" questions.
Well why buy a Ford if a Ferrari is also a car? Why eat a hamburger when Beluga caviar is a food? Why wear a plain t-shirt when an Armani suit will cover your back just as well? I mean, we're all loaded right?
@Tes
+1 Internets.
@Tes
So what's the price? I didn't seem to find it in the article. Lower cost compared to the Nexus One and Desire could be $400. Would you pay that for an Android phone with that processor? The reason for my comment is that I don't see this thing going for $99 or anything, so it would be underpowered for the probable cash layout. I wasn't saying everything needs a Snapdragon. I'm just saying to keep in mind the "mini" and "cheaper" version of the N1 and Desire probably will have anything but a "mini" price.
How's the weather up there on that super high horse?
@Tes I agree, I think a lot of people are misjudging this, but valid criticism could be pointed to the 7225's worse power consumption compared to the 7227 - especially as this is to be a competitor to the power-sipping Microsoft Kin. Hopefully the less power hungry screen evens things up. Also surprising is the lack of more 'feminine' colors such as Violet and Pink, not being sexist but these colors sell well on lower-end phones, as Blackberry can attest. Still, this is looking to be a solid, feature-packed phone for the segment it is aiming at.
@TC
So it competes with the Kin? I saw Europe and Asia on the list, but didn't see the U.S.
Guarantee this thing never has a subsidy in the U.S. and it's $400 unlocked.
@Waltah
Wait...you think they took the smallest screen that will run the OS, plumbed for LCD over the AMOLED they've favoured for a while now, the bare minimum processor and RAM that they probably re-purposed from Hero stock they has laying around, forgo the aluminium casings on the Desire and Nexus One for plastic...and only managed to save $129 per unit?
Are you sure about that? I think when you think it through you'll know how silly that sounds.
@Waltah Yes I think it is supposed to compete with the Kin. From the article - 'HTC openly admitted to shooting for the same crowd as Microsoft's Kin'
@Tes
dude you realizing that most of the high-end stuff are in that $200 mark now (subsidized) even if this is $100 or less, it's not a huge margin considering the $100+ monthly plans (after fees) that will go with it
@Tes
It's not about how much THEY save on the unit. Do you understand that in the U.S. unlocked Smartphones that aren't sold by carriers on Subsidy are priced pretty high. I understand the cost saving involved, but if you think that all of that savings will be passed on to the end customer maybe you will realize how silly that sounds?
In U.S. unlocked SE X10 is about $680. When the X10 Mini comes out do you think it'll be like $300 because it costs a lot less to make? It will probably be $550.
@TC
Yes I read that too. Maybe it will compete with the Kin in Europe and Asia;)
@Waltah
Again with the US...is the US the only country in the world? I was unaware I only existed at the deigning of the mighty US. There are 6 billion people on Earth...only 300 million of them are American. You do the math on how many people are NOT in the US. They're not even unveiling this in the US, it clearly says Paddington...you know...in London, where cheap smartphones make sense. I don't care about how broken the American system is, the rest of the world has freedom so actual market forces like demand and cost of manufacturing and services actually matter. You're all saying basically in the US no matter what the phone, what services are offered and what the cost of the phone is you get charged the SAME price every-time no matter what you do. That's a fucked up system guys. Sorry you have to live with it. The rest of the world doesn't.
Maybe it's time you realised we exist.
@Tes
Dude, we know you exist.
The reason we're all saying "in the U.S." is because we live in the friggin U.S.! lol
Your arguments hold no water here, and ours don't for you.
In the U.S. or the U.K., you're being a douche.
@Waltah
You bitched about a phone that was probably NEVER aimed at your market. People pointed out the phone makes sense in OTHER markets. Rather than saying "Yeah, that makes sense" you decided to continually point out why low cost handsets don't make much difference in the US...as if it mattered to the conversation. So you're saying the voice of the 5 billion plus who don't live in the US is less important than your own. Why not STFU and move on? Have you commented on EVERY item Engadget has posted not directly aimed at you to point out how inappropriate it would be for you? No you haven't...because you felt the phone itself was stupid and now you're backtracking and looking foolish.
You know the score. You made a fool of yourself and rather than hold your hands up you engaged in spurious arguments about a market sector the phone was never intended for. You sir are an ass.
@Waltah
This phone is not planned for the US. Evidence for that are the 900/2100 UMTS bands that only T-Mobile uses there.
And I agree with you, it doesn't make any sense to buy a phone like that in the US. In the US carrier system, you pay 50-200 dollar up front, and almost 100 dollar a month for talking and data combined, right?
Now compare that to Europe. I buy this phone for 280 Euro unlocked (source is a German news site) and get a cheap plan from the carrier of my choice, because they all use the same wireless tech and bands. The cheapest plan in my country would be 4 Euro a month per GB of data, and 4 cent per minute/SMS.
Makes a lot more sense, right? I think it's funny that the US have a kind of smartphone communism. You pay almost the same for everything, no matter how high or low end your phone is.
@Tes
You're right. I'm wrong. I'm throwing my hands up right now. My original comment about the processor is based on phone pricing that I would see here. I'm sure that it will cost you the equivalent of a shiny new nickel and it's great for the money. Here, it would cost a ton and be well over priced. My opinion of the cost that it would cost someone in the U.S. means nothing because I'm not allowed to have an opinion. Thanks for clearing that up.
@Waltah
It's not that your opinion isn't valid...it's just in the face of being told it wasn't really that big a deal in the context of this story, that this phone was intended for Europe and Asia, YOU basically said "So? My situation is more important" and went on and on about the US market.
@Tes
I apologize if I came off that way. It really isn't a big deal as it wouldn't work for me anyway. I have a tendency to get a bit defensive, lol. It's all good though, Tes.
@tocharius
yea, in the US we have a fine system of carrier oligarchy. what do you think the average monthly cost is for an equivalent voice/text/data plan where you live, when the phone is purchased unlocked?
@Tes You'd think that they'd understand, but they don't. *sigh* I give up tryng to make them see the world through little slits... There's so much more...
@andreb My plan in Germany is 8,50 € for unlimited data (well, unlimited... after 200 MB it's 2G only, but for checking mails, surfing a bit, chatting, twitter etc. that's usually enough), 13 cent for SMS/per minute. VoIP is allowed (only works using 3G or WiFi though...). If I hit 50 € my plan is turned into a flatrate, meaning I can't reach more than 50 € per month... but if I don't hit that, I pay less (usually around 10-15 €). And I can cancel at any time.
Sometimes there are even better deals... like paying 70 € or so for a Nokia 5800 (or was it the 3G-less 5230?) over 2 years (including all costs for phone and contract) and getting maybe 60 free minutes a month.
The prices in the US are insane, and yes, we rarely have no connection, though 3G might be a bit spotty (I'm on o2 though, T-Mobile has a better network but charges a bit more, just like Verizon in the US I suppose).
Not the sure the point of this phone with other higher end androids about unless it's either free on contract or very cheap.
@plbelanger
yeah in magical phone land (ie the us) where you can have anything you like for 200 or under... i wish...
@plbelanger Well, it's going to be free on contract and very cheap on PAYG. The T-Mo Pulse, for example, is £150 PAYG and free on a £15/month contract with unlimited web, and it has a higher specificaton. I'd be unsurprised if this was free at £10/month and under £100 PAYG.
@plbelanger
It WILL be cheap and that IS the point. It's called market segmentation and believe it or not, not everyone in the world is a gadget-obsessed geek with a need for the absolute latest and greatest.
@plbelanger
Those are my questions. Just, why do these devices keep showing up? The only reason to even manufacture a smartphone is to make it better than what is already available. Quit trying to make a cheaper device, manufacturers, The Price Does Not Matter; the service plan requirements dwarf the initial cost! $200, that's pretty much what we've all agreed upon.
@plbelanger
As I've said above, the "point" is that not everything in the world costs the same. We don't all live in communist countries where the School teacher earns the same as the janitor. A guy who can't afford the £300 smartphone may just appreciate the £150 smartphone instead.
Could I ask, seeing as you geniuses know all this already, what large multi-national companies do YOU run, seeing a HTC obviously don't know what they're doing?
@Tes True but your still going to end up paying for a data plan either way. I think most non-techy types would just prefer a dumbphone with no data plan
@plbelanger
And they can buy them...who removed the choice?
The point is there are tiered price plans. I have unlimited data, but I was on a 1gb capped data plan when I first got my Nokia N95. IT wasn't that great on the net and I only used wap sites so that was adequate. Pay as you go tariffs here in the UK often throw in unlimited data as long as you top up a certain amount of voice minutes every month (O2 give you unlimited data and texts every time you top up £10) so a cheaper phone makes sense. Not everyone is going to be constantly connected
@Tes Ah see you are in the UK, things are done differently there. We don't have as many options as you. With the carrier I am on I only have the option of unlimited data and that is it so despite whichever phone I get I'm stuck with that one option.
@plbelanger
Yeah. If you check out the location aware weather widget, it seems this is being shown off in central London, so I have no clue if it'll ever see the light of day in the US. There's a huge market for low cost smartphones here in the UK. My cousin just bought his little sister a cheap Blackberry. All the features of the top spec BB, but pretty much at a throwaway price at the point of sale. They know they'll make their money on data and top ups. Plus these cheaper phones go to teenagers mostly who will eat away at their credit and constantly buy more.
It sometimes works out actually more expensive than having a contract, but with the added security of not being tied to a long term contract, and also most teens would fail the credit check instantly anyway.
@plbelanger
For low/mid end smartphones, if that's all your budget allows, you can do an outright purchase (off contract) and sign with a plan that meets your overall budget. This is how the Europeans and Asians have been enjoying their phones.
For myself, I have an unlimited data plan that's about $30 p/mo. A low/mid end smartphone fits my budget (or rather, my wife set my budget!). It's also much, much cheaper for me to buy something like this phone off-contract and use it on my existing line.
Keep in mind, in the rest of the world, ppl change their phones every 6-14 months (I change every 6-8 months). Can't be done with a 2 yr contract so they pay for handsets outright. My guess is, this is why the low end smartphone segment is the fastest growth segment of the smartphone range (Nokia controlled segment). Even if you're well off, it certainly would suck hard to be paying $600 every 6-14 months for a new top tier phone. 14-24 months is more justifiable to spend that kind of money.
It won't be long before the USA starts in that exact same pattern. We don't see it now because we haven't reached that point yet, so phones like this look out of place in NA. But believe me, there's a huge market for it.
@Tes
There's no tiered data plan in the U.S. Phones the go for $300 here with contract can be bought in Europe for next to nothing on plan. Pricing is different and if this doesn't come to a U.S. carrier subsidized, then this thing is going to be over priced for many HERE considering that the Incredible and Evo will avail for $200 or less.
@Waltah
Lovely...where have they said this would ever see the US?
@Tes
Just pointing out that all of your reasoning and tiered data plan talk don't apply to us. That means no subsidy for us and high prices. That's all I was saying before and you got your panties in a wad.