HTC Desire Z

The HTC Desire Z (also marketed as T-Mobile G2 in the US) (codenamed HTC Vision)[3] is a slider-style smartphone developed by HTC Corporation and announced on 15 September 2010; it was released in Europe and Canada in November 2010, following a number of delays related to Google's quality assurance tests.[4] Other than its slider configuration, the Desire Z features specifications similar to the HTC Desire and the HTC Desire HD.[5] The design of the HTC Desire Z has capacitive face buttons rather than the mechanical ones the HTC Desire features.

HTC Desire Z
A HTC Desire Z - shown with keyboard open and closed. A custom ROM - CyanogenMod is used
CodenameHTC Vision
ManufacturerHTC Corporation
SeriesA Series
Compatible networks900/2100 or 850/1900 MHz HSPA/WCDMA, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM
Availability by region1 November 2010 (Europe)[1]
PredecessorHTC Dream (T-Mobile G1)
Form factorSlate slider smartphone
Dimensions119 × 60.4 × 14.16 mm
Mass180 g
Operating systemOriginal: Android 2.2.1 "Froyo"
Current: Android 2.3.3 "Gingerbread"
System-on-chipQualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230
CPUARMv7 800 MHz Scorpion
GPUAdreno 205
Memory512 MB RAM[2]
Storage1.5 GB Flash
Removable storagemicroSD (SD 2.0 compatible)
Battery1300 mAh Lithium-ion
Display3.7-inch 800 × 480 WVGA Super LCD capacitive touchscreen@ 252 ppi
Rear camera5-megapixel autofocus with LED flash, face detection, geotagging
Connectivity3.5 mm stereo jack, micro-USB hi-speed, Bluetooth 2.1, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Data inputsMulti-touch with HTC Sense 2.1 interface, QWERTY keyboard, 3-axis accelerometer, digital compass, proximity and ambient light sensors
OtherProximity sensor, accelerometer, FM Radio, Facebook, Twitter, MS Exchange, compass, GPS, A-GPS, Google turn-by-turn navigation, Flash 10.1 enabled, upgradable to Flash 10.3

According to HTC's Vice President Bjorn Kilburn, the phone is the last Google-Assured QWERTY slider to be manufactured by HTC.[6]

Features
Overview of the keyboard

The HTC Desire Z features an improved version of HTC Sense and online services at HTCSense.com. It has a proximity sensor, a G-sensor and an ambient light sensor. The Desire Z has HTC's new "Fast Boot" feature, which is a type of sleep/hibernation mode instead of the traditional full power off, letting it power on in less than 5 seconds; a full boot can be accomplished by removing the battery or by restarting the phone from the power menu of Android which is reached by a long press of the power button. After having been shipped originally with Android 2.2.1 (Froyo), OTA updates have now been pushed which upgraded the firmware to Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) with the HTC Sense 2.1. Unofficial versions beyond official 2.3.3 are also available, as well as an early port of Sailfish OS.[7]

Hardware

HTC Desire Z has an aluminium shell and QWERTY keyboard with three programmable keys. The smartphone has an 800 × 480 3.7-inch Super LCD capacitive touchscreen. The HTC Desire Z has a 5-megapixel camera with flash on the rear side.[8] The camera is capable of recording 720p video.[9]

Reception

The reception for the HTC Desire Z has been mixed with some website reviews praising the keyboard typing and citing similar features to the critically acclaimed HTC Desire while others have had complaints about the hinge in the "Z style" sliding out keyboard and the lack of strong battery life.

Variants

T-Mobile USA sold a variant of the Desire Z called the T-Mobile G2, which it discontinued in June 2011.[10] The primary operational difference is that the G2 runs the stock Android interface instead of HTC's customised Sense interface, and that the G2 has 4 GB[11] of internal storage (only 2 GB user accessible, usable equivalent equal to Desire Z)[11] while the Desire Z has 2 GB. The Canadian version of the HTC Desire Z comes with 1.5 GB.[12]

The Scandinavian countries have a modified version of the physical keyboard, where the programmable keys and the right FN key have been replaced by five buttons corresponding to different characters from Scandinavian alphabets.

NAND lock

As with some previous HTC devices, the G2 has a NAND lock that normally prevents overwriting the operating system unless authorized by the manufacturer. Third parties have overcome this lock and custom operating system builds such as CyanogenMod are available.[13][14]

Advertising

Bell Mobility was the exclusive carrier of the HTC Desire Z in Canada. The company heavily advertised the Android smartphone, its full QWERTY keyboard and the preinstalled Bell Mobile TV app. Advertisements in NHL locations such as the Scotiabank Place include a boutique where the phone can be purchased, a lighted display panel near big screen TVs, and even most elevator doors featured the smartphone. As of September 2011, Bell discontinued the phone, but the NHL advertisements have yet to be fully replaced.

See also

References
  1. "HTC Desire HD and Desire Z delayed until next month". top10.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  2. "HTC - Products - HTC Desire Z - Specification". HTC Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  3. "T-Mobile G2 (HTC Vision) mini-site goes live, teases HSPA+". Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  4. "HTC Desire HD and Desire Z face release date delays". TechRadar. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  5. "Live from HTC's London 2010 launch event". Engadget. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  6. Segan, Sascha (19 April 2012). "HTC's Future: Slim Phones, Less QWERTY, Wi-Fi Display". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. Kiran Usman (3 October 2014). "HTC Desire Z receives the porting of Sailfish OS". bubblews.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  8. "Hands on: HTC Desire Z review". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  9. "HTC Desire Z - A Closer Look". HTC Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  10. Melanson, Donald. "T-Mobile G2 quietly discontinued, Z-Hinge's future remains unclear". Engadget. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  11. "HTC Vision - XDA-Developers". Forum.xda-developers.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  12. "Mise à l'essai du HTC Desire Z". . Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. Paul, Ryan (12 October 2010). "G2 doesn't have rootkit, it's just the same old NAND lock". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  14. "[Update] T-Mobile G2 Root Finally Permanent". Phandroid.com. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
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