Mobile phone reviews – Rated Mobiles

HTC HD Mini

HTC HD Mini

HTC has recently unveiled its new HTC HD Mini, which is a Sense-based Windows phone that has focussed on the delivery of the very popular HD2 only in the sleeker and more compact design found in many popular minis today. Indeed, Peter Chou, the Chief Executive Officer of the HRC Corporation, stated that the initial demand for the HD2 has exceeded all original expectations and the new HD Mini is aimed at ‘bringing all of the experience and capabilities of the HD2 to customers in a more compact design, thereby fully satisfying customers on all levels of design and function.’ Mr Chou went on to say that the HD Mini’s integration of HTC Sense and Windows Mobile affords customers much more choice ‘for an advanced Windows phone that is well-crafted, sleek and user-friendly.’

The HTC HD Mini is indeed beautifully designed, and is eminently user-friendly right out of the box. Its precision fasteners used to assembled the phone are still visible to users from the outside and, far from detracting from the overall aesthetic, this merely shows the high levels of craftsmanship that have gone into making the phone. This concept of strong and original design is also visible under the battery cover, and is visible in a striking yellow internal structure when you look inside.

HTC HD Mini

Like all of the new device unveiled by HTC of late the HD Mini smartphone also uses HTC Sense, which HTC have also designed very much with the user in mind and ‘with the aim of putting the user right at the centre of their mobile world and experience.’ Sense is very good to use and incorporates what is called the ‘helicopter view’ known as Leap which allows the user to navigate easily between screens and operate the phone in much the same way as Expose on the Mac.

The handset also continues the concept of putting the user in the centre of the experience with its Outlook integration that provides a single contact view enabling the user to see individual snapshots displaying all conversations with that person, be they text messages, calls, e-mails or just status updates. It also features HTC’s Peep, HTC’s Windows-based Twitter application, which allows users to tweet without any problems and also to follow their online Twitter stream.

The HD Mini further appeals to many people by featuring a capacitive touchscreen which allows websites to be not only viewed but also zoomed in and out of and also re-sized to suit your particular needs. You can also do the same to PDF documents and all Microsoft Office files and pictures with just a pinch of the finger, a great feature of Sense.

Spec wise the HD Mini also comes complete with 3G broadband and Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing for seamless wireless connection and date transfer. The user may also choose to download a range of applications from Windows Marketplace for Mobile in order to further customise their mobile experience, though this is of course options.

For power the HD Mini relies upon a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer or lithium-ion battery that allows the user a fully-charged talk time of around 400 minutes. It also packs a decent 5-megapixel integral camera which comes with a range of useful features, including an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, auto-focus facility and widescreen photo capture. There is also a fully integrated Windows media player that supports the full range of media files for around eight hours of playback as well as video playback formats that can support around 12 hours of video playback. For those needing more space users can also utilise the MicroSD expansion card in the integral slot in order to further enhance the storage memory capacity of the Mini HD. Though no official price and release date information is confirmed as of yet the HD Mini is pencilled for release in the second quarter of 2010.