A year of Desire

It's 12 months now since I first started using an HTC Desire smartphone and I can't think of a more aptly named device.

Before I expand on these comments - some context...

At the outset of this new century, I was involved in the development of 3G mobile internet technologies with US telco giant Lucent where we were envisaging what future services might look like. By the middle of the decade I was working for a hosted services company specializing in Windows Mobile and Blackberry based mobile email services. And, right now, I am working for a company immersed in how mobile and smartphone technologies can be integrated into cars, homes and the workplace.

So, here are five main reasons why I find the Desire so desirable?

1. I am a PC - in purely black and white terms, I don't relate to Apple's worldview - I enjoy freedom and hate to feel locked-in to anything or any environment. My wife and kids have Apple devices, I have used theirs on occasions but have never owned one myself. This previous post expands on such comments.

2. It's 'good enough' - I don't have a desire to take the best photos or the most amazing quality video but every time I have used the device for either of these functions I have been pleased with the results. In fact, I find the camera and video controls simple and intuitive and ideal for capturing ideas and memories spontaneously. Having a comparatively large screen to view what you are capturing as you do it is also better in some respects than traditional digital stills and video cameras. Distribution of the captured results is very straightforward, particularly with easy WiFi access.

3. The on-screen keyboard - I never thought I'd say this with fingers and thumbs as big as mine - but it works a treat. It took a bit of getting use to but I have now typed many thousands of words using it. If it didn't work well enough I simply wouldn't use it and I have abandoned many so-called smartphones in the past because of the difficulty in typing in text.

4. The Apps - I have relatively simple needs in this respect so Android has delivered all I need. I'd categorize this as follows...

Email and Docs - Gmail runs superbly as you might expect and as I've had 6 years of almost flawless email service from Google I don't see myself using anything different for years to come... Likewise Google Docs is a service that I am using more and more these days, particularly with its excellent performance on Android and the Desire (can't remember the last time I used Word now...)

Blogging - The Wordpress Android app is excellent. I am writing as much via my phone as via the PC these days. I predicted 5 years or so ago that my blogging activities would move to my phone but with the devices back then it was hard to believe...

Music - I love Spotify, the one and only Android app I actually pay for is well worth the money. An excellent 'paid-for' model all round which I really hope survives and prospers. Although my hearing is poor, the sound output quality from the Desire is excellent and combined with quality noise cancelling ear buds from Kicker - an Armour distribution brand it helps to compensate for frequencies I'm losing, particularly on classical music.

Photos - The free Flickr app works a treat and is a great way to help 'single source' and simplify the distribution of family photos as well as providing an instant personal photo album to help lift those dull moments.

Maps/GPS - Google Maps running on Android  and combined with GPS has delivered every time, particularly overseas, from the Spanish coast to the Florida Everglades. It is more than sufficient for my occasional Sat Nav needs as well.

Content Management - Beyond the simple and slick Wordpress app mentioned above, I have successfully managed content sitting within EPiServer, Joomla and Drupal via mobile web access and apps. These capabilities are ripe for innovation, particularly combining voice text input.

Mobile Web -Bottom line is it works well and probably better than any of us imagined 10 years ago when first developing mobile web services. For a deafened person like me it is often a godsend, particularly when travelling. I struggle to hear tannoy announcements, particularly on trains - so being able to access the web easily on the move and get travel service updates is very useful and has saved a lot of hassle on occasions.

Social Media - On those occasions when I can be bothered with 'Social Media' and am not disillusioned with it, the Twitter apps have been far too easy to use (and very intrusive and distracting) . Likewise, the Facebook app is equally easy and can be equally distracting.  Basically it works as well as you'd hope or ever need...

5. The Interface - I had reason to help my mother with some simple functions on a supposedly very simple Nokia phone the other day. It was a timely reminder of how navigation can be made very unintuitive and useful settings can be buried where you'd least expect them. I'm pleased to report though that with the excellent  HTC Sense, I've sailed through all of the much more complex applications listed above with absolute ease and I love the degree to which multiple screens can be highly customised to how you best use the device.

Perhaps the only negative thing I can say about the Desire is that, ironically, I don't find it particularly easy to use as a phone. Given my hearing problems I don't use the phone functions that much but if I used it a lot I'm sure I'd find it frustrating. I find the standard phone interface over sensitive and clumsy and I'm forever ringing people by accident and then fumbling around trying to stop the unplanned calls.

On balance, and all things considered, I have to say this is the first 'gadget' that I have ever truly 'desired'.