Android tablets have become a dime a dozen, but HTC’s foray into the space has some major distinctions from the pack. The HTC Flyer has the more portable 7-inch form factor, and is running Android Gingerbread instead of the tablet-optimized Honeycomb. HTC has also added the ability to take notes on the screen with a digital pen, a first for an Android tablet.
I just received the Flyer so I can only share my first impressions of the tablet. The HTC Flyer will be available at Best Buy this Sunday, so until then take a look at the photo gallery below to get a look at it. The gallery has photos comparing the Flyer to a couple of 7-inch tablets on the market, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the BlackBerry PlayBook.
| Hardware specs: | ||||||
- CPU: Snapdragon 1.5 GHz (single core)
- OS: Android Gingerbread (2.3) with HTC Sense 3.0
- Storage: 16GB internal, 1GB RAM
- Display: 7-inch (1024×600) capacitive with active digitizer for optional pen input
- Connections: 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB (charging, connection to PC)
- Camera: front- 1.3MP; rear- 5MP
- Connectivity: WiFi (b/g/n); Bluetooth 3.0
- Sensors: Ambient light, G-sensor, digital compass
- Dimensions: 7.7″ x 4.8″ x 0.52″; 14.82 ounces
I will be posting a full review next week, but after an hour’s use of the Flyer can offer up these quick impressions.
Pros:
Nice aluminum and plastic construction
Fits nicely in the hand, especially in portrait orientation
HTC Sense 3.0 provides useful widgets and makes the transition from portrait to landscape well
Cons:
A bit heavy in the hand (almost a pound)
Thicker than other 7-inch tablets
Only special screen controls can be tapped with the pen, making it necessary to constantly shift between pen and finger control
No place to store the pen without buying carrying case
Android tablets have become a dime a dozen, but HTC’s foray into the space has some major distinctions from the pack. The HTC Flyer has the more portable 7-inch form factor, and is running Android Gingerbread instead of the tablet-optimized Honeycomb. HTC has also added the ability to take notes on the screen with a digital pen, a first for an Android tablet.
I just received the Flyer so I can only share my first impressions of the tablet. The HTC Flyer will be available at Best Buy this Sunday, so until then take a look at the photo gallery below to get a look at it. The gallery has photos comparing the Flyer to a couple of 7-inch tablets on the market, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the BlackBerry PlayBook.
| Hardware specs: | ||||||
- CPU: Snapdragon 1.5 GHz (single core)
- OS: Android Gingerbread (2.3) with HTC Sense 3.0
- Storage: 16GB internal, 1GB RAM
- Display: 7-inch (1024×600) capacitive with active digitizer for optional pen input
- Connections: 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB (charging, connection to PC)
- Camera: front- 1.3MP; rear- 5MP
- Connectivity: WiFi (b/g/n); Bluetooth 3.0
- Sensors: Ambient light, G-sensor, digital compass
- Dimensions: 7.7″ x 4.8″ x 0.52″; 14.82 ounces
I will be posting a full review next week, but after an hour’s use of the Flyer can offer up these quick impressions.
Pros:
Nice aluminum and plastic construction
Fits nicely in the hand, especially in portrait orientation
HTC Sense 3.0 provides useful widgets and makes the transition from portrait to landscape well
Cons:
A bit heavy in the hand (almost a pound)
Thicker than other 7-inch tablets
Only special screen controls can be tapped with the pen, making it necessary to constantly shift between pen and finger control
No place to store the pen without buying carrying case
Remember how 1080p used to be the “next big thing”? Well tomorrow’s HDTV is going to make 1080p look like a fuzzy UHF signal. No, I’m not even talking about 4k, which hasn’t reached the marketplace and promises double the horizontal resolution of 1080p. Instead, Sharp and Japan’s NHK broadcasting company are leaping ahead to Super Hi-Vision, which promises 16 times the resolution of your current high-def set.
This week, Sharp unveiled the first direct-view display that could handle Super Hi-Vision in its 103 pixels-per-inch glory (compare to 36ppi for a 1080p big screen), an 85-inch LCD that boasts a staggering resolution of 7,680×4,320. It also features 10-bit color depth, though only a 60Hz refresh rate. Of course, NHK won’t be showing any trial broadcasts in Super Hi-Vision until 2020, so there’s more than just a little time to perfect this display technology further.
Those lucky enough to be in Tokyo between May 26 and May 29 will be able to see the Sharp set in action at NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories. The rest of us will have to settle for watchingthis video clip and imagine what HDTVs will be like in the next decade.
Remember how 1080p used to be the “next big thing”? Well tomorrow’s HDTV is going to make 1080p look like a fuzzy UHF signal. No, I’m not even talking about 4k, which hasn’t reached the marketplace and promises double the horizontal resolution of 1080p. Instead, Sharp and Japan’s NHK broadcasting company are leaping ahead to Super Hi-Vision, which promises 16 times the resolution of your current high-def set.
This week, Sharp unveiled the first direct-view display that could handle Super Hi-Vision in its 103 pixels-per-inch glory (compare to 36ppi for a 1080p big screen), an 85-inch LCD that boasts a staggering resolution of 7,680×4,320. It also features 10-bit color depth, though only a 60Hz refresh rate. Of course, NHK won’t be showing any trial broadcasts in Super Hi-Vision until 2020, so there’s more than just a little time to perfect this display technology further.
Those lucky enough to be in Tokyo between May 26 and May 29 will be able to see the Sharp set in action at NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories. The rest of us will have to settle for watchingthis video clip and imagine what HDTVs will be like in the next decade.