Being An Android Virgin

Right. I know it's been far too long since my last blog, and I always seem to make that comment at the start of most of my posts. Tragic huh? Well today I have some exciting news. I'm the proud owner of a brand spanking new HTC SENSATION XL... It's quite simply a lovely phone. It was only released about a month ago but more importantly this is my first android based smart phone. I have until recently been an owner of an iPhone 3GS. The transfer from Apple iOS to android isn't an easy one. Filled will the constrictive safety of Apple, I finally took the plunge and got my hands on a new HTC handset which has blown my mind.

As I finally have something worth writing about, I thought I'd give you all a quick 'first impressions' blog about my first day with the Sensation XL.

When I opened the box, the reason I decided on this phone became immediately apparent. The 4.7 inch screen stares back at you just wanting to be used to browse web pages easily and there is enough space on the device to comfortably navigate around the varied functions and menus.

This particular phone comes with beats audio headphones and functionality endorsed by Dr Dre. Without sounding insincere, this is an amazing facility that I was truly amazed when I tried the headphones for the first time. The bass levels are notably rich and all those audiophiles are probably nodding in agreement right now. I've already been searching through my extensive music collection for songs that can take full benefit from my new beautifully sounding earbuds.

Ok, now the part that I was most worried about. The change over.

I'm a longstanding Apple user, so my brain is now hard wired into the navigation style on an iPhone. The biggest change I'm going to have to get used to, is the new feeling of freedom. As I said earlier, the constrictive 'safety' of Apple is at times reassuring, but now I have been faced with all this android potential.

Obviously with great freedom comes great responsibility. I now have to be a little bit more careful when I drunkenly go on the app store and purchase something that I probably shouldn't. I have even had to install a virus protection program for the first time ON MY PHONE... Madness.

So what's the phone like to use then? Well, after getting used to the gadgets and gizmos I've not had before, I realise I can make this phone exactly what I want it to be. The home page is fully customisable, as are most settings such as when your phone is 'offline' so you can sleep in peace.

The screen is colourful and vibrant, with rich depth and video playback is smooth and not jerky in the slightest. Really satisfied I must say. The camera is an 8megapixel lens of loveliness and it does do mobile phone pictures justice. Very clear, very sharp. Also the amount of freedom (there is that word again) with ISO settings and HDR capability make me think twice about buying a new pocket cam for that reason. The video also has a slo-mo feature, which to be honest I haven't tried out yet.

My one gripe with the handset is the positioning of the screen on the device when using the keyboard in landscape mode. Because the screen itself is not completely central, I find that my thumb ends up missing the space bar meaning my text can quite easily be.punctuated.inbetween.words.

Anyway, I'm going on a bit here, so if there is anything you would like to know about other than my rumblings here, drop me a line or comment below and I'll let you know my personal (and very scientific) opinion.

Til next time,
Snare.