Gsmarena have posted their review of the HTC Tattoo. Here are the phone’s key features, main disadvantages and their final impression.

Key features

* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
* 3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
* Heavily customizable: exchangeable covers
* Android OS v1.6 (Sense UI), upgradeable to 2.1 Eclair
* 2.8″ resistive touchscreen of QVGA resolution
* Qualcomm MSM 7225 528 MHz CPU, 256 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
* 3.15 megapixel fixed-focus camera
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and GPS receiver
* Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
* Standard miniUSB port for charging and data
* Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
* microSD card slot, up to 8GB support (a 2GB card in the box)
* Standard 3.5mm audio jack
* Direct access to the official Android repository
* Smart dialing
* Stereo FM radio with RDS

Main disadvantages

* QVGA resolution doesn’t do Android/ Sense UI graphics justice
* No video-call camera
* Camera lacks auto focus, flash and has a rather basic UI
* CIF@15fps video recording (352 x 288 pixels) is below par
* No voice dialing
* No DivX or XviD video support or a third-party application to play that
* Poor MP4 playback performance – barely watchable in video resolution above QVGA
* No Flash support for the web browser
* No Bluetooth file transfers (not without rooting)
* No TV-out port

The HTC Tattoo took the plunge to a lower segment of the smartphone market to give Android some fresh air and open space. It was quite a while ago really but now that more and more droids are keen to think small, let’s see how it works for one of the pace setters. Compact size and reasonable price tag, the HTC Tattoo was among the first to try and sell Android to the masses.

The Tattoo will undoubtedly benefit from a recent surge in QVGA droids: the Android Market is always busy anyway but more native applications available are undoubtedly welcome. Not to mention the one-of-a-kind customization which lets it stay fresh (on the outside at least) for years.

Of course it’s not all rosy in the Tattoo garden. QVGA resolution is the Android way of staying within budget but Symbian will offer you nHD res even cheaper. It’s a matter of touchscreen experience against hardware and price tag, says the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

One should also make sure not to miss the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 mini if looking for a cheap and compact Android. The baby XPERIA doesn’t exactly fit the bill for cheap but is as compact as they get these days. The X10 mini pulls better imaging and overall performance which is not to be ignored as well.

If the low-res screen is a deal breaker, take a look at the Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica. It matches all the major features of the Tattoo and doubles the pixel count, but at an obviously higher price.

Then, there’s the HTC Touch2 for the unconvinced by Android. Coming with the Sense UI, it will make sure user experience feels familiar. A PocketPC in an equally compact package and signed by HTC – there must be plenty of users who believe they can’t go wrong with that one.

All that said, the HTC Tattoo doesn’t seem to have a direct rival in the classical sense of the word. There isn’t another handset with the exact same price tag and a close enough feature set to make the choice between the two strictly a mater of brand loyalty. And finding a niche is always a good thing, especially in the mid-range segment.

Even that aside, the HTC Tattoo is a pretty attractive package: customizable to the point of being one-of-a-kind, nice and shiny interface (well, QVGA but still), decent performance and a reasonable price tag. Cool and friendly smartphone, unbothered by the high-end hustle and bustle.

Gsmarena have posted their review of the HTC Legend. Here are the phone’s key features, main disadvantages and their final impression.

Key features

* Aluminum unibody design
* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
* 3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
* Android OS v2.1 with latest Sense UI
* 3.2″ capacitive AMOLED touchscreen of HVGA resolution
* Qualcomm MSM 7227 600 MHz CPU, 384 MB RAM
* 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and VGA@30fps video recording
* Web browser comes with Flash support
* Multi-touch zooming in gallery and web browser
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and GPS receiver
* Digital compass for automatic navigation of maps
* Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate and turn-to-mute
* Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP); File transfer over Bluetooth
* Standard microUSB port for charging and data
* Standard 3.5mm audio jack
* FM Radio with RDS
* microSD card slot with support for up to 32GB cards (2GB one included)
* Tethering support right out-of-the-box
* Social networking integration with Facebook and Twitter
* Direct access to the official Android application repository

Main disadvantages

* No video-call camera (or videocalling whatsoever)
* No dedicated shutter key or lens cover
* No TV-out port
* No voice dialing
* No DivX or XviD video support out of the box
* Dodgy flash video support

The HTC Legend has the tough task of filling the shoes of what was considered the best Android handsets. What makes this task even harder is the fact that the Hero lost its top-shelf status just before its successor was announced.

The HTC Desire, Google Nexus One and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 are now battling it out for a spot at the top of the Android food-chain and the HTC Legend has been relegated to the mid-range segment where fierce competition arises.

In theory the HTC Legend puts enough new stuff on the table to justify its existence. More RAM, faster CPU, AMOLED screen and aluminum unibody all sound like perfectly good reasons for an upgrade. The Android 2.1 is hardly a factor as the Hero’s own Android 2.1 update is just around the corner. We will let you decide for yourselves if the rest of the upgrades are worth the price premium but both devices seem like a decent deal at this stage.

If you are looking to step outside the Sense UI world, you might also want to check out the Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica. Admittedly target at a bit younger audience than the Legend it comes at a lower price for a similar package but lacks the shiny aluminum case, which might or might not matter to you.

If it has to be AMOLED then the Samsung I7500 Galaxy is even willing to throw DivX and XviD support to the mix. Again it’s not quite the looker but offers a viable alternative to those wanting to save a few bucks but do insist on those deep blacks that only OLED screens can provide.

Of course, the Android fans wanting the ultimate performance will have to dig deeper in their pockets and reach for one of the abovementioned trio – HTC Desire, Google Nexus One and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10. The three 1GHz Snapdragon-powered handsets have the speed and plenty of it. Plus you can pick between an 8 megapixel snapper and an AMOLED display.

There are also some HTC Legend alternatives outside the Android world. For about the same kind of cash you can get an unlocked iPhone 3G and sacrifice some hardware power for access to one of the richest mobile AppStores and all the consequent fun. You can also wait a few weeks for the HTC HD Mini and have a taste of the Sense UI running on WinMo 6.5.

So the HTC Legend certainly has a competitor or two for its place under the sun, but it looks well prepared to tackle them. With the Android platform expanding as rapidly as nothing else we have seen before, chances are there will be enough customers out there for it.

It will probably fail to achieve the iconic status of its predecessor, but that is a task given to the HTC Desire. However reaching a similar amount of sales is on the cards, which leads to better support for the owners, which in turns makes the HTC Legend an even better deal.

Gsmarena have posted their review of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10. Here are the phone’s features and their final impression.

Key features

* Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support
* 10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA support
* 4″ capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 854 pixel) resolution and scratch-resistant surface
* 16M-color ready (65K effective colors under Android OS v1.6)
* Android OS v1.6 with complete Sony Ericsson UI customization
* Timescape and Mediascape UI
* Excellent social networking integration
* Excellent build quality
* Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz CPU, OpenGL ES 2.0 support; 384 MB of RAM
* 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, touch focus, image stabilization, geotagging, face and smile detection
* WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) video recording @ 30fps
* Wi-Fi and GPS with A-GPS
* 1GB storage, microSD slot, bundled with an 8GB card
* Accelerometer and proximity sensor
* Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
* microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
* Document viewer
* Li-Po 1500 mAh (BST-41) battery

Main disadvantages

* No DivX and XviD video playback
* No smart and voice dialing
* No secondary video-call camera (or videocalling whatsoever)
* No free GPS navigation solution
* No Flash support for the web browser
* No FM radio
* An extra xenon flash would’ve made the very good camera perfect
* Feeble loudspeaker
* Poor audio quality

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is company’s first Android-powered device. But being first is not always a good thing. You have to face some serious initial expectations and justify them. That is the best case scenario. But obviously Sony Ericsson haven’t read that script. Even now, several months after our two X10 previews, there are still some final touches needed.

We really hope we’ll get a new software update quite soon and we’ll be able to write off many of the stuff we frowned at this time around.

That put aside, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is a promising device with (mostly) bright future waiting for it. It’s quite a looker, as you see, but it’s also powerful and smart.

You just can’t miss the zippy 1GHz processor, or the marvelous 4” capacitive display which takes the whole front. The 8-megapixel autofocus snapper on the back either. On top of that you get great connectivity capabilities and all the popular social networks which are a tap away from you no matter where you are in the phone menu.

The two UIs, namely the Timescape and the Mediascape (which is actually not a general UI, but a media interface), look fresh and do great what they were meant to do.

But there’s still some stuff that needs polishing. And Android ver. 1.6 is now considered almost outdated – especially for a high-end flagship.

The good thing from a user’s point of view though is that there are at least four other devices that you can choose from in this market segment.

HTC Google Nexus One and its brother from a different father, the HTC Desire, are just as powerful as the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 but both have some advantages over the X10. They feature the latest (so far) version of the Android OS, support multi-touch and have AMOLED touchscreens and a little bit more RAM memory. However, both can’t match the 8-megapixel camera of the XPERIA.

Next up is another smartphone made by HTC, the WinMo-based HTC HD2. Windows Mobile devices, as we know them now, are a dying breed but that shouldn’t discourage you from buying one of those. The HD2 has a huge capacitive touchscreen display able to deliver excellent image quality. Also on board is the well-known 1GHz Snapdragon CPU as well as an inbuilt GPS receiver and support for the standard connectivity trio – HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You also get a 5-megapixel autofocus sharpshooter recording VGA videos at 30fps. Not to mention the access to a huge choice of third-party apps (although not as conveniently concentrated in a single AppStore).

Last but not least is the iPhone 3GS. Its processor isn’t that fast, there is no multi-tasking, the display doesn’t measure 4 inches and is of lower resolution. The camera is a joke, and a bad one too. However, there is still no device that can beat iPhone’s UI and the overall experience (not to mention its industry-leading AppStore).

As we already mentioned, we expect the retail firmware update to come knocking on our door any moment now, so we’ll update this review should we see improvements in any aspect of the XPERIA X10. For now it remains what it is – a huge leap from what we saw several months back and an exceptional high-end cameraphone with only a few faults that can be exused.