HTC Radar 4G Review and Specs
HTC Radar 4G is the first smartphone released in the U.S. that would carry Windows 7.5 (otherwise known as Windows Phone Mango) as its OS. Will this be an advantage or disadvantage for HTC Radar 4G?
Before answering this question, let's take a look on the detailed specifications for HTC Radar 4G. The HTC Radar 4G sports an all-white aluminum design which measures around 4.7x2.4x0.4 inches and weighs 4.8 ounces. It has a screen size of 3.8-inches, 480x800 pixels, 16M color, and TFT capacitive touch screen. HTC Radar 4G also has 1GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM.
As for camera features, it has a 5MP auto-focus camera with F2.2 lens and LED flash though there is no option for Wi-Fi calling. Storage capacity for this smartphone is up to 6.08GB and there is no option for expendable memory storage. Despite that, users could get 25GB of free cloud storage through Microsoft SkyDrive. It has Bluetooth capability but comes with a non-removable battery.
One of its popular features is the smartphone's OS which is Windows Phone 7 which could be updated to Windows 7.5 Mango. This OS specializes in multitasking with third party apps as well as with IE9. Users could go back and forth with recently used applications by holding the back button. This principle could also be applied in messaging apps like SMS to Facebook chat to Windows Live Messenger.
The "hubs" included in this OS also underwent changes, like the People Hub, which now connects with different social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Outlook, etc. Though having Windows Phone 7 is a good OS, it has still some work to be done particularly with the number of available apps-something that Microsoft is already focusing in.
The HTC Radar 4G is available in the U.S. through T-Mobile for only US$100 with a two-year lockdown period. It is the first Windows Mango-based smartphone that supports T-Mobile's HSPA+4G network. All in all, the selling price combined with its smartphone features makes the HTC Radar 4G a "sensible choice" when choosing a Windows-based smartphone.
The HTC Radar 4G is currently available in the U.S. market. HTC is yet to release an official announcement for its availability in the Australian market.