This is the HTC Wildfire. It’s the new name for the HTC Buzz and we got a sneak peak at it last week. Available in Q3 this looks like a smaller version of the HTC Desire. It’s not quite as powerful though, and is perhaps a more entry-level door into the world of Android. This will be cheaper to buy but with all the benefits of Android and HTC Sense.
The Wildfire has Android 2.1 (Eclair) on board and a 3.2″ QVGA TFT capacitive screen. There’s 512MB ROM, 384MB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, aGPS, 3.5mm audio jack, 5 megapixel camera (with autofocus and flash) plus microSD, 1300mAh battery, proximity sensor, G-sensor, compass, light sensor, FM radio and the now familiar optical joystick. It’s powered by a Qualcomm CPU running at 528Mhz and will arrive in a range of colours.
Networks and pricing is yet to be confirmed but you’ll be seeing it across Europe and Asia very soon indeed. Click on for the press release or dive into our massive gallery.
When we popped down to see HTC they pointed out some of the new features. When you receive a call from someone this will connect to Facebook and shows profile updates, pictures and whether their birthday is coming up soon. There’s also an app-sharing feature, so if you like an Android game or program you can share it with others via an SMS link, even to those who aren’t using HTC-built Android phones.
The Wildfire is probably targeting the school / college / university crowd who want this technology but don’t necessarily have a stack of cash. HTC also told us that using resistive screens won’t be done again – a lesson from the HTC Tattoo.
Update – Gallery now fixed. Sorry guys, it was locked due to the embargo. Should be OK now.
Link – HTC Wildfire Gallery
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE WITH HTC WILDFIRE
Share apps, updates and experiences with the latest social powerhouse from HTC
LONDON – 18 May, 2010, 07.00 CEST – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today introduced HTC Wildfire™, a new HTC Sense-based Android phone that integrates the most popular social networks to help bring your friends closer to you. HTC Wildfire closely follows the success of the acclaimed HTC Desire and makes the company’s signature HTC Sense experience accessible to a younger audience.
“Today’s social networks provide an essential forum for friendship with more than 400 million users* – many of whom are young adults – actively sharing their lives with their friends through Facebook,” said Florian Seiche, Vice President, HTC EMEA. “HTC Wildfire makes the HTC Sense experience available to young mobile users for the first time. It brings all your communications into one place, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, text messages, images or email, ensuring that you are never far away from the conversation and always close to your friends.”
HTC Wildfire helps you stay connected with those who are most important to you through HTC Sense, a user experience focused on putting people at the centre by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. You won’t miss out on the fun as HTC’s Friend Stream application seamlessly gathers and displays content from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr into one organised stream of updates. HTC Wildfire enables you to stay up to date with your friends’ posts, comments, alerts and photos, wherever you are.
In addition, each contact viewed in HTC Wildfire’s address book includes a thread of recent communications with that person, including when you last spoke, recent text messages and emails, and social network updates. When your friend calls, HTC Caller ID displays their Facebook profile photo and latest update, as well as a reminder if their birthday is fast approaching.
Thanks to a new app sharing widget, HTC Wildfire enables you to recommend an application by email, text message or over social networks. Your friends will receive a link allowing them to find the application on the Android Market with a single click and download it to their phone.
Florian Seiche continued, “We understand that people need a better way to navigate their way through the tens of thousands of applications that are currently available on the Android Market. In fact, our own independent research found that consumers are not only hungry for the latest and most popular applications that their friends are using, they want an easier way to find and download them. For the first time ever, you can recommend the newest and coolest apps to a friend or group of friends with HTC Wildfire. With so many applications to choose from, there’s a world of content to discover and pass along to your friends.”
HTC’s latest advanced smartphone is great for viewing and sharing photos on Flickr and for surfing the internet thanks to its 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen. A five-megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash allows you to capture special moments, while a 3.5mm audio jack and micro SD card slot mean you are never without your favourite songs.
Availability
The new HTC Wildfire will be broadly available to customers across major European and Asian markets from Q3 2010.