HTC Flayer

    Apple Chief Exsekutive Steve Jobs once called 7 inches tablet as “dead on arrival”. His argument is, you need something bigger to be really productive. But the first generation Samsung Galaxy Tab proved this argument quite weak, since the hardware is made well and turns to be favorable.

    HTC Player is a smart idea, but dark by the similar problem as 7 inches Galaxy Tab. The price is too expensive. Compared with iPad, competitor needs to tag lower price or there won’t be incentive for consumer to choose other than market leader.

    Physically, Flyer overcomes general HTC great standard. Its front part is a mixture of plastic and white metal. HTC logo is scratched by silver ink, and tagline ’White HTC Sense’ which recently has been familiar is texted near its lower part. There’s also big camera lens watching out from upper side of its plastic part.

    Below it, there’s SIM socket and micro SD. You’re gonna need enough power to open its cover, especially when it’s the first time to do it.
   
    In upper side of the device, there’s headphone socket and power/sleep button. On the right side it’s planted volume control, and below it is USB recharge point. As expected before, you can use Flyer in portrait or landscape mode. Its Android function buttons are smart, move to below part of screen in both modes. The only problem is it means you can only work two-two from its four axis. iPad for example, can be used in any parts. This small cons, but worth to be noted.

    Just like 7 inches Samsung, Flyer is a Android Gingerbread device. But, difference with Samsung, HTC has plan to upgrade this product to Honeycomb in near time. However, it will work in smaller screen, should be watched. But Honeycomb offers so much benefits for tablet, so let’s expect that the update would be available soon.

    Surely, HTC sense interface will make it slower, and it probably will make the stylus pen in Honecomb will be more complex. But at least, consumer who bought this expensive device now assured that there would be update in the future.

    Talking about tablet, you really need unique selling value. HTC is input pen (stylus) which is designed to help you conjuring the tablet into invaluable business tool.

    In some things, the idea is great. Example, note application is able to do synchronize to evernote, which means, your tought and work will be synchronized to cloud automatically, and it can be used from other device which also able to run Evernote. Because there are other applications for smartphone provided virtually, it’s a good way to track all your note while changing intra-device.

     HTC is also able to record audio from meeting while you making  a note. Unfortunately, this feature would be useless with loud leading voice from the pen when touching its capacitive touchscreen. Its note itself is produced well and it can be useful in meetings.

    Writing in Flyer is not something comfortable to be done in long term, but well enough when it’s used once or twice, making small note to support our memory in a meeting.

    Its pen needs AAA battery which is installed by rotating its upper end. There are some programming button in pen you can use for various functions, including erasing note. The most frustating fact about the pen is its unflexible system. Example, when you touched its screen to start taking a note about something. Some option would be appeared below the screen. 

    Then sometimes user want to press pen option button with finger, but it’s not allowed. The end result is, you have to move a lot between finger and pen, it can be said illogical. You can get used to, but it’s still frustating.

    Flyer device battery durability is very impressive. This device can be activate, most in standby condition, for 100 hours. Its Android battery monitor claimed that this product has been active for 16 hours. It’s one of the tablets with the best power source ever and tested.

    HTC uses Li-ion battery for Flyer, but Samsung placed lithium polymer cell in its 7 inches Tab, which offered better battery durability, but it’s not as impressive as Flyer.

    One of the best things from Samsung Galaxy Tab is, the device is phone with full function. It means, you can use it to call and receive a call, also text message, in addition of surfing the internet. It probably sounds silly to use a tablet like this, but if you add a Bluetooth headset, you’ll get complete device.

    Not allowing Flyer to be functioned as phone device wouldn’t be polite if you try to make great 3G device. Surely, it’s also princhesple followed by Apple, but it would be better for Android tablet to be difference from Apple iPad, because if it’s not, there would be only small reason to consider it.

    From hardware sector, processor 1.5 GHz and system RAM 1GB makes it as powerful tablet.However, although this device is comfortable to be used, Flyer never really shows its extra power which made many difference. Flyer’s really not faster than Galaxy Tab when it’s used in daily life.

    But its internal storage 32G is really generous with twice storage provided by Samsung. Added SD card 32GB will make this device level up into Apple high-end level, by small additional budget.

    As usual, Flyer users must love Android market. Although its application often not as smooth as iPhone, there are so many options, and you would almost always find application you needed. They oftenly cheaper, and there are many free useful application in Android than any platform ever used.

    Although this is not important consideration for business user, media playback in Samsung device tend to be more advanced with many codec support and also fast and responsive media hub to play files.

    HTC provides its media download service in Flyer, but their titles are expensive, and their interfaces also seemed complicated.

    HTC Flyer is really favorable tablet. The device is not cheap product. Although so, you can get qualified laptop by such price. Recently, RIM BlackBerry PlayBook is the most suitable product for business user who searched for tablet, but if you cannot live without pen interface to note, Flyer is surely the right hardware for you.