Looking at the Titan and the Radar, it’s was a toss up for me which phone I would actually prefer. Even though the HTC Radar is smaller and is the lower specced of the two devices introduced, it looks like a good phone and is of a sturdier construction. While the device previewed in white, it will also ship in a similar colour scheme to the HTC Titan. Most people might think the device is a bit ho hum so it’s been dressed up, to all intents and purposes though it’s a capable new phone. The Radar has a very familiar shape and size, echoing the Trophy and the Mozart, more the Mozart with its unibody design. There’s plenty of questions about why the CPU wasn’t on steroids and why there’s only a 5 Mp camera, and they go along with the many looks we have had at a prototype device that was deemed the Mazaa. It begs the question, is the Radar the budget choice in second generation HTC Windows Phones?. Will it have a more powerful sibling that bridges the gap between it and the Titan? Hard to say at this point, but you would have to think that HTC will not rest on it’s laurels in the Windows Phone arena with only two devices.
Testament to the Windows Phone OS, even with this major update it doesn’t need a major hardware bump. The trend in mobile devices is leaning towards dual core CPU’s, and the general public only hears about the big changes like that. Of course cutting edge technology sells itself, but the ever more powerful devices produced, really gives developers a lot of excuses not to optimize their applications. Microsoft with it’s Windows phone strategy, and some would say things are missing like dual core support have kept the OS tidy and kept app development precise, by slowly releasing API’s, so that devs do not try to pile feature upon feature into every app they produce. An app can be shoddy if a developer can rely on a device to run it that has power to spare. Windows Phone Mango is the antithesis of that idea, it brings streamlined a whole new meaning.
The Titan and the Radar, are not just new HTC phones, they represent the impending maturity of Windows Phone. Impending? Why?
Windows Phone 7.5 brings with it a lot of things users expect from a smartphone, and the perfect opportunity for HTC to its new devices running the OS. In fact they are playing a major role in bringing the OS to a wider audience, supplying five out of the ten initial Windows Phones. If HTC and Microsoft can pull this off, we will see a lot more WP devices in the wild, being the OEM partner that launces the “Mango” update, will also hold well in the future. As it is now, Both the Titan and the Radar look to go for a reasonable price, and hopefully a release of October fifteen holds firm. Either of these phones could be my next, what about you?
