Encased in a sleek aluminum unibody, the HTC Flyer tablet exudes the iconic style and build quality HTC is known for. It is also ultra-light, weighing as little as a paperback book, and compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket only. With a seven-inch display, lightning fast 1.5Ghz processor and high-speed HSPA+ wireless capabilities, the HTC Flyer tablet is perfect for those who have been waiting for a tablet that is both compact and powerful. HTC Sense for Tablet HTC Sense revolutionized smartphones by placing the person at the center of the experience. HTC Flyer’s tablet-focused HTC Sense experience focuses on surprising and delighting people with its gorgeous 3D home screen. A unique carousel of widgets puts a user’s most important content and information at the visual center of the experience. The HTC Flyer tablet also offers uncompromised Web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5. HTC Scribe Technology Touch interaction lights up the HTC Flyer tablet experience, but it also offers a groundbreaking pen experience. With the new HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet, people can rediscover the natural act of writing. HTC Scribe Technology introduces a wave of integrated digital ink innovations that make it easy and natural to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or even write on a web page or photo. HTC Scribe Technology on the HTC Flyer tablet transforms traditional note-taking into smart note-taking by integrating natural onscreen writing with thoughtful and integrated innovations. A feature called Timemark enables you to capture the audio of a meeting in line with your written notes, so tapping on a word in your notes instantly takes you to that exact place in time in the audio recording of the meeting. Notes are also integrated with the calendar so when there is an appointment reminder you are automatically prompted with an opportunity to begin a new note or in the case of recurring meetings, to continue where the last meeting left off. In an industry first, the HTC Flyer tablet also features built-in synchronization with Evernote, the world-leading notes application and service. Fly Through The Web Wherever You Go Conveniently compact and light for travel, yet packed with all the power you need in a tablet, the HTC Flyer’s 7-inch display and superfast 1.5 GHz processor is perfect for web browsing at home, in the car or on a business trip. To enhance the experience further, it features Adobe Flash support, multi-window pinch to zoom browsing, and a smart quick look-up that allows you to tap into Wikipedia, Youtube and other web resources. Shape and Form 195.4mm (L) X 122mm (W) X 13.2mm (T), Weight: 415g (with battery) A Pen That’s Quite Magic HTC Flyer's magic pen transforms anything. Draw, paint, write, and even retouch pictures on your tablet with ease. You can also use it as a highlighter for the reader, collating all your highlights when you’re done. Link audio to the notes you take for work and even add voiceover to a storybook you're drawing up at home. Be it work or play, it’s magic for the whole family. Be In Two Places At Once Make live video calls to those closest to you on your HTC Flyer even when you’re stuck in traffic, working late or halfway around the world - straight from your contact list. We’ve removed the barriers so you can say it in person as if you’re face to face, no matter if they’re on their PC at home, on the office computer or on the other side of the world using their HTC Flyer. Specifications Processor : Qualcomm MSM 8255, 1.5 GHz Operating system : Android™ with HTC Sense™ Internal Storage : 32 GB RAM : 1 GB Dimensions : 195.4 mm (L) x 122 mm (W) x 13.2 mm (T) Weight : 420 grams (with battery) Display : 7-inch touch-sensitive TFT screen with 1024 x 600 resolution Network : - HSPA/WCDMA (900/2100 MHz) - GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) 3G : - Up to 14.4 Mbps download speed - Up to 5.76 Mbps upload speed GPRS : - Up to 114 kbps download speed Wi-Fi : IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Tethering : USB and Wi-Fi® tethering GPS : Internal GPS antenna Sensors : - G-sensor - Digital Compass - Ambient Light Sensor Connectivity : - 3.5 mm stereo audio jack - Standard micro-USB (5-pin micro-USB 2.0) Wi-Fi : IEEE 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth : - Bluetooth® 3.0 - A2DP for wireless stereo headsets Camera : - 5.0 megapixel colour camera with auto focus - 720p HD video recording - 1.3 megapixel front camera Audio supported formats: - Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 9) - Recording: .amr Video supported formats: - Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 9), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3), .xvid (MP4 ASP and MP3) - Recording: .3gp Battery : 4000 mAh Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery Standby time : Up to 820~1470 hours Video Playback : Up to 4 hours Expansion Slot : microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
I was able to test the HTC Flyer for a few minutes during the launch, and was pretty impressed with it. It's definitely NOT an iPad in the sense it lacks the key advantage of the Apple iPad - the Apple Store and its huge library of games and apps. However, the HTC Flyer has some advantages. For one thing, it's smaller and lighter. Now, that may be a plus for some and a minus for others, depending on how you feel about the 10" size of the Apple iPad. It is definitely more portable and is easier to carry and use with a single hand. However, you do have to contend with the smaller screen which may limit the usability of some apps or games. The biggest advantage IMHO is the HTC Scribe pen. It really makes the HTC Flyer a very good note-taking tool. You can easily change the size and type of "nib" used for different effects, and with a push of the button, you can convert the pen into an eraser. Very neat! The pen is big and is NOT designed to be inserted into the Flyer for easy storage, but that is a good thing. It fits very nicely in my hand and its size means it won't easily get lost or damaged. A leather case with a pocket for this pen would go well with the HTC Flyer. IMHO, the HTC Flyer is an interesting tablet. I would say that it's best for folks who like to take notes or draw doodles with a pen. Of course, if you hate the iPad (or the way Steve Jobs controls what you should do or not do with it), then the HTC Flyer is something to consider. With that said, I find the price a bit startling. If HTC wants to put a dent in the iPad, it has to do better than the listed price of RM 2,499 (US$ 833). Seriously...
I don't think Android tablet will do well. They have fairly limited apps, and that's exactly the opposite what makes iPad so great. Unlike Android phones which has more capabilities, Android tablet is fairly useless without the apps. Oh well, what do I know? I used to bash iPad, but it is now one of the most popular gadget.
Yeah, the limited apps is the Android tablet's biggest weakness right now. However, big boys like HTC can develop their own apps that can add a lot of functionality. Case in point - the HTC Scribe technology. You can do a ton of cool stuff with the pen. If you need to take notes or draw diagrams, for example, you will find that the Flyer is a much better tablet than the iPad. Of course, it all depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to play games, then I don't think the Flyer is anywhere close to the iPad. My biggest problem with the Flyer is the price. HTC will have some serious convincing to do if they want to sell the Flyer at that price point.
