SLCD-equipped HTC Desire 'coming soon' to Telus
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 15th 2010 5:09PM
posted July 15th 2010 5:09PM
We'd already seen an HTC Desire with North American 3G hit the FCC, and it looks like we now know exactly where it's headed -- Telus has just announced that the phone is "coming soon" to its network. What's more, the carrier has also confirmed that the phone will be equipped with a 3.7-inch Sony Super LCD screen instead of the regular AMOLED display that's in short supply. Otherwise, the phone is the same Android 2.1-powered, Snapdragon-based, Sense-skinned device we've seen all along, which is hardly a bad thing -- unless you're waiting for a Desire HD, that is.
Grats Canada
Thanks man, we need more phones; our selection is frankly disappointing :/
@Seb6554
Hopefully I can get my (American) hands on one to use on AT&T.
I SERIOUSLY want this phone.
@BigJayDogg3 Telus is actually really good when selling no-contract phones. Unless they're CDMA, they're pretty good.
@iMiiTH
I don't suppose they ship unlocked versions outside the country?
@BigJayDogg3 Nope. :(
@Xtole
Yes! Im thinking of actually picking this up and unlocking it for use on Rogers... Going to be sweet with froyo..
@Squarerootoftwo
This phone is pretty old... I'd imagine some even sweeter android stuff is coming to Rogers sooner rather than later.
@Xtole Yeah.. we don't have lots of cell phones to choose from when it comes to smart ones.. but you know? If Dell release its Streak in US, unlocked, iWontCare about lack of phones in Canada anymore.. US is in driving distance, I'll just go and by Mini 5.
P.S. Yes, I like 'mini 5' name better.
@jellotime91 Are you kidding? Rogers is RIDICULOUSLY slow at picking up new (non-iPhone) handsets. I think they have been relying for too long on the iPhone and Blackberry to pick up all their smartphone needs - their best option on an Android phone right now is the X10! Bleh. I hope they pick up some variant of the Galaxy S to compete with the iPhone 4, but I cannot IMAGINE Rogers getting *2* good phones in a short timeframe.
I wonder when production of these screens wont be a problem...
So how good is a Sony Super LCD thingamajig? Can you see what's on the screen in broad daylight?
@Wokis
Dunno. I'm interested in seeing how SLCD compares to AMOLED.
Really hanging out for new Palm hardware... it can't be too long now, right? Right?!
@archkron
Well, if there is one main difference, it is regarding daylight viewing of the screen. LCD can be read under the sun, while AMOLED cannot. I just hope Sony's SLCD has the same power rating as the AMOLED.
Well at least now we know what the delay was in getting it out the door, since it's been known for a long time that the Desire is coming.
Bell is getting a Galaxy S variant, hope this is enough to compete as the Desire is already getting old since it is merely a HTC branded Nexus One.
glad to see it finally getting close though, even if I am not interested in it personally.
@KC I wouldn't exactly call the Desire outdated. If you think about it, it has almost the exact same internals as the more modern Evo - the only differences are the Evo's (significantly) larger screen, and 8MP camera.
The same argument could be made for the Nexus really, though it does have less RAM.
And, judging by the hacked builds of Sense'd Froyo that are floating around for the Desire, when it finally gets it's official 2.2 build, the camera will support 720P video recording. Of course, that's just a guess based on unofficial ROMs, so I could be entirely wrong.
@KirkyX
The Nexus does not have less RAM. Google states only the system RAM as RAM and HTC states System RAM + Modem RAM (used only by the cellular radio) as RAM, that is why they always have an odd RAM size.
@KC
Didn't the HTC Desire had plan to come to US Cellular?
http://www.facebook.com/USCellular/posts/109582565746792
@Neuralgia
Yeah, and since US Cellular is bigger then Telus, I would imagine they are getting the very same version Telus is getting.
But the shortage of AMOLED and the swapping of the screen to an SLCD seems to explain the delay since Telus has all but officially announced they were getting the desire for months now.
@KC Isn't US Cellular CDMA only? If so then they won't be getting the same one Telus will; all Telus's Android handsets so far have been on their HSPA network, and I don't see them changing that.
now can i get that from canada and use it with any carrier state-side?
@kongmw AT&T 3G, T-Mobile EDGE.
A shame Telus is such a horribly overpriced carrier.
@DonBellows
as apposed to which Canadian provider?
@DonBellows
They're all 50$ for a Smartphone plan...
why there's no led screen in the phone?
@techlord
Shortages
@techlord
...because they are in short supply?
Did you even read the article?
I wonder how the screen will look next to the AMOLEDs. Hopefully someone will do a side by side comparison.
@System
WAY better then the PenTile screen in the normal Desire. Worse than a Super AMOLED screen with RGB arrangement.
@Peter F
Super AMOLED use pentile too
@curio There are two types of PenTile arrangements: RG-BG and RGBW. RG-BG is the bad one and is in the Nexus One, Desire and Droid Inc. The RGBW does display the real amount of pixels and is the one used in the Galaxy S. I think the Zune just uses RGB. Also, PenTile have abandoned the RG-BG arragment and removed all mention of it from their website.
At least they're publicly stating the screen it'll come with. I thought it would end up like a lottery where they don't tell you and you hope you get the model of screen you want.
The screen is going to look 100 times better now. I hate the stupid PenTile OLED screens used in the Nexus One and similar HTC devices. I miss my good old LCD from my TP2 that looked way better thanks to having actual 800x480 resolution, not this garbage that is Pentile arragnement.
@Peter F Spoken like someone who reads more than they experience. My friend has a TP2 and I have the Nexus One and we both agree the Nexus One's screen is far superior. Keep regurgitating what others have written and someday maybe your post will be the one regurgitated. This view is completely exaggerated.
I would get the unlocked Nexus One directly from Google or get the Samsung Galaxy S from Bell.
@04k3R I agree.. looking at my N1 right now next to my gf's TP2 and the Nexus looks far better. Why the hate on pentile? Guess I need to google, lol.
@04k3R
Nope, spoken like someone who owned both and compared them side by side.
On my COMMUNICATION device I prefer to text be more legible than have the colors in my photos pop out more.
@Peter F
I also like how I could read my TP2's display when I was outside.
Overall I like my Nexus More thanks to the Snapdragon in it (and the HORRIBLE MSM7200 in the TP2) but I like my TP2's screen way more and I really miss that keyboard.
@Peter F Seems to me on macro pictures of my Nexus that the actual practical resolution for text display is in fact 800x480. However the full colour RGB resolution is lower. However, the colours are VERY vivid. I noticed a few problems:
1. Green tint compared to viewing identical pictures on a G1 and a PC
2. Burn-in of the notification bar (though this is only visible on a completely white screen.
@ohnoitsaspider
No, the text is what is noticeable bad. You wouldn't notice it coming from a G1, but coming from another 800x480 LCD, you do.
Super LCD? LMAO! That's the second most stupid name for a screen.
Retina Display get the first place of course.
@gollu How about Super Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode?
When are we going to see another Android handset with a decent keyboard? Soft keyboards/Swype whatever are just not as good when you use a lot of unique words or apps that suffer from loss of screen space (ConnectBot). The G1/Dream set the standard here. Give me a G1/Dream with updated specs and I'd be thrilled.
@huh
+1
@huh HTC Vision due in the next few months. It's basically a Desire with a keyboard.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/04/htc-vision-with-android-full-qwerty-in-the-wild/
@tuatha the Dream has a full keyboard with number keys - no compromises. Nonetheless the Vision looks do-able, I just hope against all hopes it makes it to Rogers.
@huh
What about the compromises on the screen size, resolution, processor speed, and RAM?
@Peter F 3.7" sounds good to me, I find 4" too large. how are the screen resolution, CPU or RAM a compromise compared to current Android device?
Does it still have the crappy pentile screen layout?
@Biggs
The pentile matrix greatly increases the life of the screen. It's not the best solution for the variance in subpixel life, but it works.
Hopefully in the future they'll find another solution and can return to normal RGB subpixels.