Smart, HTC unveil HTC Magic powered by new Android OS

MANILA, Philippines – Smart Communications, together with smartphone specialist HTC Corp. of Taiwan, unveiled recently the HTC Magic, the first mobile phone available in the Philippines to run on the new Android operating system.

A sleek and compact tablet-style device, the HTC Magic promises a superior mobile Internet experience with its Android platform. Further enhanced with Outlook synchronization, Smart Dialer, and an on-screen keyboard with predictive text, HTC’s newest handset is a powerful entertainment and communications device.

The HTC Magic has a 3.2-inch HVGA touch-screen display and features a trackball for easy access, a 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, and GPS. Boasting 3.5G and Wi-Fi connectivity, it provides a complete PC browsing experience, where users can expand and personalize the phone to fit their lifestyle.

“The HTC Magic embodies the compact style and sophistication for which HTC has come to be known, with the powerful and intuitive Internet experience for which the Android platform was designed,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO of HTC Corp.

“To truly maximize the power of advanced, all-in-one devices, they need to be powered by innovative operator technologies. Offering the HTC Magic through Smart Gold is a natural fit,” added Annie Naval, marketing group head of Smart.

The HTC Magic features a trackball with zoom in/out function. It also provides fit-the-width rendering and auto-screen rotation for easy navigation and Internet browsing as well as easy viewing of PDF files and Microsoft Word and Excel documents.

The phone is enhanced with HTC goodies like Smart Dialer and a versatile on-screen keyboard. Smart Dialer lets you call people by either dialing their phone number or by dialing the first few letters of their name. The versatile keyboard lets you choose your preferred way to type and the predictive text completion helps you write faster than you can type.

For mobile e-mail, the HTC Magic makes it worry-free with easy account set-up, multiple mailbox support and Microsoft Exchange server synchronization for e-mail, calendar and contacts.

The HTC Magic will be available for New Connect and Retention subscriptions through Smart Gold Plans 500, 800, 1200, 1800, 2500, and 3500. 

The postpaid line will be under a 24-month lock-in period. The standard retail HTC Magic package comes with a 2GB microSD card.