HTC Flyer review

Can HTC own the tablet market?

12 May 2011 0:27 GMT / By Stuart Miles

  The tablet market is heating up and heating up fast. So what makes HTC think that it has what you need when it comes to a tablet? Some have called out some glaring spec shortcomings of the HTC Flyer. Can HTC overcome and weave its magic with HTC Sense? Is their first tablet “quietly brilliant”? We’ve been living with the new 7-inch tablet to find out how it stands against the competition.

Design

If you thought the iPad was a giant iPod touch, the first impression of the HTC Flyer is that it’s a giant phone. Measuring 195.4 x 122 x 13.2mm and weighing 420g the Flyer sports the company’s now familiar design; it is well built and solid in the hand. The front is dominated by the 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with a black bezel around the edge.

Like the BlackBerry PlayBook there are no buttons to distract - that is until you turn it on - and the only real tell-tale sign of which way is “up” is the HTC logo. While other tablets encourage you to hold them horizontally, like phones, the design intonation here tells you the best way to hold the tablet is vertically. That’s not to say you must hold it that way. Obviously HTC has designed it to be held in landscape as well, and that is expected when it comes to video calling as the front facing camera is at the top when held in landscape.
Those appearing and disappearing buttons (Home, menu, back, and pen - no search though) are a nice trick too. Hold it portrait and they appear at the bottom of the screen on that black bezel. Hold it landscape and they shift to the landscape bottom bezel. iPad users will be very jealous with their static physical home button that does nothing of the sort.

Switch around to the back and the UK version of the Flyer shows off it's silver and white colours. In the US the Flyer will sport a moody black and red paint job. (UK readers needn’t get excited: we’ve been told that paint job isn’t coming to Britain.) Another logo lets those who see you using it know just exactly what tablet you are using while the white elements of the design allow for the radio and wireless antenna to get a signal.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/review/5407/htc-flyer-android-tablet-review