HTC Wildfire brings capacitive touch to low-end Android
updated 08:35 am EDT, Mon May 17, 2010
HTC Wildfire replaces entry Tattoo in summer
HTC today gave a major upgrade to its entry-level Android smartphones with the post-leak launch of the Wildfire. It replaces the several months old Tattoo and switches from a cruder resistive touchscreen to capacitive touch; the display is still kept cheap with a 320x240 resolution but is larger at 3.2 inches. It appropriately moves to Android 2.1 and, while it uses a 525MHz Qualcomm chip, carries a larger 384MB of RAM.
The smartphone gets a much improved camera too and has a 5-megapixel camera that also brings autofocus and flash, both of which now let it work with apps such as Google Shopper or others that need an in-focus shot to work. Sense UI is improved even compared to other Android 2.1 HTC phones as a new App Sharing feature gives an option to share word of an app over e-mail, SMS or social networks. A microSDHC slot, 3G, 802.11g Wi-Fi and GPS keep the Wildfire on par with many other smartphones.
Phones should ship to both Asia and Europe sometime in the summer and should have a particularly low price. No word has been given of a North American release; the Tattoo has never reached the US, but previously international-only phones like the Desire and Legend are already known to be reaching North America after initially being promised only for other regions.
