HTC Flyer 7 inch 32GB Android Tablet PC with WiFi and 3G

I've had the HTC flyer for almost a month now. Being a bit of a techno-junkie I also have the iPad 2 and the Dell Streak 5 inch android.

The 7 inch flyer is, as far as I'm concerned the ideal size for everyday use. Whilst the iPad is without question the best viewing tablet probably available today, it is also large and I have rarely taken it out with me because of its size. The HTC flyer on the other hand is with me all the time and fits into a very neat compact bag for everyday use. It comes with a rather OTT white leather case, which although is excellent in quality is a bit gaudy, pity they didn't make it black or brown.

I first learnt about the flyer in the Sunday Times (I didn't even know it existed), and ordered one straightaway from Amazon even though the review (and indeed others) criticised the battery performance. I have to say this is totally unfounded and may be when the unit was upgraded to gingerbread it improved battery use. I easily get a day and a half of use.

HTC promote heavily the pen feature which allows you to write on the screen and make annotations etc. I'm sure it works very well but I've yet to see any YouTube reviews where HTC sales guys are not writing in kids crayon type sized letters. Maybe it has more use in commercial applications where templates are used on the screen and the user just checks boxes etc.

The screen is particularly excellent, very bright and can be read in sunlight (albeit reasonably difficult in direct, but no worse than my iPad 2). It's very fast to use and I love the customisation and indeed the excellent HTC sense which in version 3 is very good indeed. I have no hesitation in recommending the Flyer to anyone and have even thought of selling my iPad but maybe hang onto it and little longer, ask me in another month or so! The Streak is definitely going to go.

A little heavy and quite thick to hold, it would be better if it were slimmer but no doubt the next version will offer exactly this and indeed dual core processing (which no doubt will be faster and may be improved battery life), so possibly the current HTC flyer may have a relatively short life.

Ideal for reading books (the Kindle app works perfectly on the Flyer (and again the 7 inch screen size really does emulate reading a paperback book), web browsing is superb with auto adjusting text size when tapping the screen on a particular section.

I think HTC need a round of applause for bringing this unit to market but maybe not so for the lack of promotion and marketing of the product to date. Not quite sure what they're waiting for as this is their flagship product and they have hardly made a whisper about it.

Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Update March 2012 - Sold the unit on only for the reason of buying a new Samsung Galaxy Note which is a fraction of the weight and very fast. The screen is smaller but can be used as a phone too - albeit a rather large one!

There's a huge amount of negative publicity out there about the Flyer: "the screen's too small"; "it's just a big phone"; "the battery life is poor". Frankly those comments are rubbish written mostly by people who see the iPad/iPad2 as the be-all and end-all - which it isn't. Probably the best review to read is the one on Engadget which gives just about the most balanced comparison of the Flyer and iPad from someone who has both.

Firstly the screen quality. It is a way, way better screen than that provided on the iPad2. And we have an iPad2 at home as well to compare! One reason is that the pixel density ie, the number of dots available to draw a given size character, is twice that of the iPad. This means that characters are crisp and sharp. Going from an iPad to the Flyer is like going from an old smartphone with a 240x320 pixel screen to a modern one with an 800x480 resolution. I'm sure Apple will fix this in due course but, for the time being, the Flyer is much better.

Secondly, screen size. Frankly you "pays your money and makes your choice". Smaller is also lighter. An iPad2 weighs approximately 50% - yes, that's right *50%* more - than a Flyer. Do you want a brick with a large display or a device with a smaller display that is pocketable and you can take with you everywhere? Remember that the pixel resolution of the Flyer (1024 x 600) is only slightly less than an iPad (1024 x 768) so it can display almost as much information, just a bit smaller!

Thirdly, the "big phone" argument. So if the Flyer is a big phone, the iPad is an even bigger phone. The reason for choosing a tablet is to get more real-estate and see things more clearly and both devices achieve that aim. How far you want to go in size is up to you.

Fourthly, battery life. Like another reviewer, I don't see this as an issue - for me. I'm not planning to use the Flyer day-in day-out. I prefer to use a device with a proper keyboard for heavy-duty typing. And I'm never going to be that long away from a USB charging point. So if I can get 1 1/2 days of life out of the device it's quite sufficient.

I guess the final sticking point raised in reviews is price. But at the moment you can get the 3G/32GB version of the Flyer for 20% off here on Amazon. At that price it is very very competitive.

OK, with the supposed bad points out of the way, here are some of the good points of the Flyer: Have I mentioned the crisp bright display? Good! Characters that look as sharp as on my HTC Desire only on a much bigger screen.

Then there's the apps. If you install a legacy iPhone app on an iPad you get a tiny app in the middle of the screen. Do a x2 on it and it's just bigger and all pixelated. It makes absolutely no use of the extra screen space. With the Flyer, legacy Android apps - and yes, the Flyer has full access to the Android marketplace - scale perfectly, making full use of the extra space available. That means if you're using a legacy email app, you simply have more space to type your emails. And, of course, Android has a far greater proportion of free or advertising-supported apps than do the iPhone/iPad. Yes OK, I'm a cheapskate but not in exchange for quality!

The Flyer interface is fast and smooth - the first Android tablet I've seen where this is the case. Flip through screens quickly and easily using HTC's Sense interface. A minor downer which will be fixed by an eventual software update: Android 2.3 - Gingerbread - only supports phone-type widgets and icon spacing on the home screens even though the space could be used more efficiently. Not that much of an issue but it does reinforce the "Flyer is just a bigger phone" argument, even though the home screens are simply the means to gain access to apps.

So in summary, I think the HTC Flyer is a great little tablet, easy (and familiar if you're into Android) to use, superb screen, easy to carry around with you, and lots of apps as per any Android phone. The 3G version is particularly good value at the moment from Amazon. Don't leave it too long to buy one!

Had the flyer for a few days now and I've not put it down. The build quality is great feels solid and looks great. The screen is also bright and clear when used outside. Internet over WiFi is fast and looks great when using the flyer horizontally. Apps from android market look good could be better resolution though, as the market doesn't accept maestro I've only tried the free apps. Battery is good also last a full day when using it for browsing the web. HTC watch is great movies look good and start playing immediately.
The negatives, its very expensive, when using it horizontally the keypad is better suited for large hands if you like typing with both hands.