Extended review HTC Wildfire S

Already wrote a one page review on the magazine. Here's there rest where I can't put in.

HTC Wildfire S - How fast the hot stuff spread?

Messaging is a challenge



First stuff I have to let it out is the fact that typing on the display can be troublesome. I know that I have a stubby fingers, this phone highlighted that fact and leave me feeling depressed. Translation: Hard to type. The only good thing here is how HTC simplified editing and selecting words. Just use your thumbs and move around the words you want to cut/copy/paste and presto! If you are feeling adventurous (I pick that word because it is), try their voice input. Speak in short sentence and you are good to go. If you talk a lot then the voice input will struggle to separate the words.

Meh, camera



The camera was omitted in the magazine because there is really nothing to talk about it. It is a decent 5-megapixel camera with few options for customisation. The picture looks decent but nothing to yell with affection. And the flash works like any other flash: it's bright.

No shout out for video

Like the camera, the video is omitted too because err.. same reason. Comes in 640 x 480, which means no HD recording. You can zoom in but expect very pixelated pictures. Yes, VERY pixelated as the pixels looks like boxes! The good thing about it is that they have a good frame rate.

Average Joe media

It comes with typical HTC video player that forgo everyone's favourite format: avi. You can play/pause, skip clips, all the usual normal stuff. Music player is the same, play/puse, skip, browse through different categories, normal stuff again. And just for kicks, HTC throws in an FM player. It does what standard FM player does.

Here's a question, what does all three need? Speakers! The sound quality for this smartphone is good but I can't help but to think that it can improve on the bass division. They need more oomph.

Battering battery life

Well, I have problems with the battery life because it cannot last long. Sure, I understand that for a starter phone (in HTC standards) that it should be understandable but it is not enough. Using WiFi to browse through the Web half the day will suck up more than half of Wildfire S' life. Nothing much you can do with the phone with weak battery.

My thoughts?



Well, to get this phone at the RRP of RM1,099 is tad bit too much. It is a well featured phone but push it to the limits and you will find the phone crawling on the floor. Instead of being the horse that brings you around, you have to drag it real hard to show real results.

Throwing in Android 2.3 Gingerbread is a nice gesture. I really do appreciate it. The only problem is to find ways utilising the latest Android OS. So my tips for using this phone is simple: make it light, make it easy and that should keep your relationship with the phone sweet. For the price you pay for this phone, think a little harder.