HTC ARIA REVIEW
In the world of HTC it has been raining smartphones in 2010. HTC’s Aria is the latest of the bunch and on paper looks an equally feature-rich phone aimed at the mid-sector of the mobile market.
Look and Feel
Where the HTC Wildfire looked like a cut-down Desire, the HTC Aria looks much like a miniaturised HTC HD2. The Aria with a glossy black face and chrome compliments is a very neat looking phone that is sexy, sleek and cute to hold in the hand. The back has a matte black finish.
And at the chin of the front of the device there is an optical trackpad with a row of four buttons above fitted in with the LCD screen.
Usability
The Android OS with HTC Sense UI has worked a dream on all HTC handsets lucky enough to get that, and it’s the same deal here. What’s more, the Aria is not only slick and responsive to swiping, but fast with everything. We weren’t ever irritated by lag, only pleasantly spoiled by the responsiveness of this phone, even with just a 600MHz processor under the hood. The Aria even dealt with multi-tasking with pure ease.
Camera
The 5 megapixel camera here is in keeping with most mid-range to high-end smartphones and is quick to use, and again, very little lag time, even when focusing. The pictures however may be somewhat subject to blur due to a slow shutter speed. The Aira’s shooter is also combined with a VGA camcorder which will have no problem capturing the world around you.
Verdict
The HTC Aria drips with cool and comfort, and will surprise you for speed and its battery seems to last forever. The Aria is a fantastic entry-level Android handset that whilst not as hot on spec as the Desire or EVO 4G, is a refreshingly capable handset without the cost.
