Product Listing

HTC Desire Z - The A to Z of an Android

By Seow Tein Hee - 27 Oct 2010
Launch SRP: S$718

Features

F(eaturing) the Desire Z

At first sight, you might be worried at how flat the keys appear to be. Fortunately, first impressions don't count here, and we were pleased at the good tactile feel we get from the compact, yet well-spaced keyboard. Typing is definitely easy on the fingers, but when it comes to wide screen devices, there's always one issue - the length of your keyboard. While this means you get ample space between each keys,  this leaves the keys situated at the middle slightly further from your thumbs to reach.

We loved the keyboard design - slim, great tactile feedback, and well-spaced. In fact, it's too well-spaced, making it hard for our thumbs to reach the middle keys.

The Function and Caps Lock key are found on both ends. Unfortunately, we also noticed the absence of directional keys, thus relying on the screen and optical trackpad to navigate through the interface.

Having a 3.7-inch display does make it easier on usability, but if you prefer to rely on the keyboard, you'll be glad to know that shortcuts are in abundance. But that requires some time for you to do some customizing on the menu. On the keyboard, you'll notice two shortcut keys that can be pre-assigned to launch your favorite app, say Twitter or Gmail. Should you find a need to add more shortcuts, each alphabetical key can also be assigned accordingly. The only difference is, the two dedicated shortcut keys will launch with one click, while you'll have to press and hold for the shortcuts on the alphabetical keys.

You can add multiple shortcuts with your keyboard. You can choose to press and hold onto the keys to assign them...

...or head straight into the Menu > Settings > Keyboard shortcuts to add or edit your existing shortcuts.

Like its larger and more powerful Desire HD sibling, the Desire Z is loaded with some impressive software features. As explained earlier, HTCSense.com makes its debut appearance on this device and the Desire HD. The online service comes with a few security and backup features such as remote lock and wipe. Further to that,  HTCSense.com gives you the option to forward calls in the event you misplaced your phone. In our earlier Desire HD review, HTCSense.com provides contacts and messages backup. To learn more about HTCSense.com, we've highlighted some of its practical features here.

If you prefer to work on landscape orientation, you'll be glad to know that even the HTC Sense home page orientates accordingly when the keyboard is active.

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8.5
  • Design 8.5
  • Features 8.5
  • User-Friendliness 8.5
  • Performance 7.5
  • Value 8.5
The Good
Slim profile even with QWERTY keyboard
Sturdy build
Good tactile feedback from keyboard
The Bad
Low battery mileage
Heavy
Need to familiarize with keyboard layout
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