HTC Magic+

“Well, for starters the Android sure looks more human. The formidable and weapon-like G1/ HTC Dream needed every ounce of weight to stand its ground. With an honestly lighthearted and disarming approach, the HTC Magic is willing to play by the conventional touchscreen rules. And may as well be eyeing massive sales. Compact dimensions and distinct styling, decent all round functionality and system expandability, the HTC Magic seems to have what it takes to keep both smart and feature phone touchscreens on edge. The second edition of the OS should have dealt with the issues of the forerunner and given the Magic that extra bit of pace. So, what do you call a good platform getting better and a gadget looking more mainstream but still creative enough? We call it good sense but who knows, it may be Magic.”

“Back in February HTC and Vodafone sprang a surprise in Barcelona with the launch of the HTC Magic, but TechRadar managed to get half an hour in the Spanish sun in the company of the latest handset everyone's talking about. The first impression is one of weight, or lack thereof. The decision to strike off the QWERTY keyboard might have helped make it more svelte, and has certainly contributed to a thinner design, but it makes the whole thing feel a little lightweight. However, we're sure that a lot of people will be enjoying the fact it could slip into your pocket unnoticed, and it certainly doesn't suffer from the fact it's been hitting the mobile phone gym to shed some weight.”

“Hey, this Android thing may take off after all!After wowing virtually no one with the hacker's delight T-Mobile G1 (one of the most egregiously ugly phones ever to hit the market), T-Mobile and manufacturer HTC have spent nearly a year re-educating themselves about what a cell phone should look like and how it should work. The result of that hard work is the myTouch 3G, a vastly better cell phone that finally gives the more mature handsets on the market a run for their money.The most immediately noticeable thing about the myTouch 3G is its new styling. Gone is the clumsy, Sidekick-like chassis of the G1, replaced with a classic, scalloped shell and — more importantly — a much smaller size. At just 4.1 ounces, it's tiny in comparison to the G1 (though the screen is almost the same size, at 3.2 inches diagonally), easily fitting into a pocket and comfortable to hold.”

“We like the Magic, maybe even love it a little bit, but we can't deny being disappointed at the parts of this phone that are missing. The Magic is perfect for young, hip, tech-savvy types for whom the lack of decent multimedia will be a major turn off, especially when compared with the iPhone's excellent iPod capabilities. This wouldn't be such a huge problem if it shipped with an iTunes-like syncing and conversion software, but it doesn't. Confusingly, the Magic will be released in Australia in two variants, one offered by Vodafone with a couple of consumer-focused additions like geotagging, and the other offered by 3 Mobile with baked in Microsoft ActicSync compatibility. Pricing also differs greatly, with 3 offering a free phone for AU$99 and Voda for AU$69. Vodafone also bundles data with the plan while 3 customers will need to add a data plan at an extra cost — a significant consideration for a phone that surfs the web so beautifully.”