HTC Tattoo Review

Introduction:

There´s quite a hype surrounding Android on a daily basis. The green robot has become a major part of the news for quite some time now and its image is gaining popularity of iconic proportions in the cell phone world. The platform has one major advantage over its rivals – it´s open-source. This allows more and more developers to jump on the bandwagon and contribute to its fast evolution. Version 1.6 (also known as the policeman´s temptation) has just been cooked and the operating system has made not just a step, but a major leap forward in terms of supported hardware and can now run on a wide variety of handsets, regardless of the particular screen size and native resolution. 

And this leads us to the subject of the current review – the HTC Tattoo – the latest Android-based addition to the product catalogue of HTC and the first one ever equipped with a 2.8-inch display with a resolution of 240x320 pixels. Considered an affordable option for people on a tight budget, you can see the manufacturer has made several hardware compromises to keep the price of the HTC Tattoo low. Read on, because the current review will answer the question whether or not the charm of the likeable and compact Tattoo would be enough to make up for its technical imperfections.

Design:

We have already told you the HTC Tattoo is a compact smartphone, so one would think the smaller size would have made the handset easy to use with one hand. In reality, however, this is not the case. It´s not that you can´t actually use it in such a way, the thing is we have seen cell phones that are much easier to operate. The main reason behind the problem is the rounded lower part of the body that simply doesn’t allow for a proper grip. Paired with the slithery plastic it´s made of, the smartphone is extremely easy to accidentally slip out of your hand. Fortunately, HTC seem to have staked on proper build quality and tightly fitting parts, because even removing the back panel requires some strength.



You can compare the HTC Tattoo with many other phones using ourSize Visualization Tool.

The major compromise the manufacturer has made relates to the screen of the HTC Tattoo. With the modest 2.8 inches it measures, it´s not only smaller than what´s considered mainstream for today´s “androids”, i.e. 3.2 inches, but also comes with lower native resolution – QVGA, instead of HVGA with the latter being pretty much the contemporary standard for the Android platform until now. To top it off, HTC has equipped the phone with resistive and not capacitive screen and as you can expect, this has definitely affected the overall ease of use and sensitivity of the display negatively. The manufacturer claims the issue is due to no other thing, but the smaller size of the screen. We believe this sounds rather unconvincing, given Android has been optimized for bare fingers and the only logical explanation is the manufacturer has cut corners trying to slash costs. Anyway, the final result is not just lower quality, but certain software problems, but we will tell you about them later.

The D-Pad is easy to use and so are the send and end keys on its either side. The backspace and search buttons feature pleasing travel as well, but unfortunately, the latter doesn’t apply to the key that takes you to the home screen and the “menu” key. The volume rocker is on the left hand side of the handset, the 3.5mm jack is on the top and the microUSB port - on the bottom. 



The back side hosts the 3.2-megapixel camera that we don’t expect much of. There is a picture of the iconic green robot next to it, but as you probably know, HTC has recently started a dedicated service that allows HTC Tattoo owner hopefuls to unleash their creative thinking and come up with their unique designs. Cool! Still... keep in mind the indisputable pleasure of personalizing the appearance of your future handset will set you back with extra 15 EUR.



Looking at the HTC Tattoo, we do like what we see, because it´s the first Android-based handset that comes with a jazzy, offbeat overall design, therefore we need to congratulate HTC on their creativity. This is, however, a far cry from the way we feel about the display. How come? You have no idea, just keep reading, because the most interesting part is yet to come.

Interface and functions:

The HTC Tattoo is the first Android smartphone that comes with version 1.6 of the operating system right out of the box. Moreover, it runs Sense, the personalized interface of the manufacturer with distinguishing features like even more widgets, colorful design and improved integration of popular social networks. We have already taken a detailed look at the OS in our review of the HTC Hero, so we will only tell you what the more significant changes are.



For starters, searching now closely resembles the universal search function as seen on Palm´s webOS platform, meaning you can dig for information not only in your contacts, calendar, emails, messages etc., but in the boundless expanse of the Web as well. We had it switched off, because we fear vast open spaces. This is a joke, of course. The function is classy and you can find whatever it is you are looking for in mere seconds.



Dialing a number and selecting a contact entry are both as easy as ABC thanks to the large “Phone” button at the bottom of the screen. All told, HTC has really fallen over backwards to make sure you feel completely at home using the handset. The home screen consists of seven separate pages, just the way it is on the HTC Hero and they all can host widgets, shortcuts, folders and what have you. As a whole, the personalization options are, as expected, top notch.



The social network integration is here as well. Each phone contact entry can be linked to the corresponding Facebook profile of the person and your contact gets assigned the profile picture and birth date of your online buddy automatically. Moreover, you can keep an eye on all profile updates the person makes in their profile with the popular social networking service. Each contact can also be linked to the corresponding picture galleries on Flickr. All these integration options are welcome indeed, because they lend color to the interface and contribute to the overall satisfaction you get out of using the handset.

The phone gallery offers you the option to browse the pictures your contacts have published on Facebook and Flickr. This is a really nice function indeed - it´s snappy (depends on your internet connection, of course) and sports appealing, user-friendly interface.



Typing away text and email messages is equally easy and enjoyable on the HTC Tattoo, thanks to the grand screen keyboard integrated into Android. The email client requires little effort to use and comes with automated setup for Microsoft Exchange accounts.



The new internet browser was supposed to be much faster than the version available in Android 1.5, but we don’t really the overall speed has been considerably improved. You can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi or over HSDPA 7.2Mbit/s networks.

Camera, mutlimedia and software:

All snapshots we took with the 3.2-megapixel camera of the HTC Tattoo proved to be of decent quality. They are rather sharp, but have enough details and colors look realistic. Unfortunately, the phone comes without flash and autofocus, so you better stay away from dark places. The settings include white balance, ISO sensitivity, effects, brightness etc.





The maximum video capture resolution is 352x288 pixels and the clips have passable quality, given the low resolution. We cannot say the sound is exactly crystal clear, but it´s acceptable, meaning more often than not you will catch onto what the person is saying.

We decided to test the video playback capabilities of the HTC Tattoo using Meridian Player Evolve (we got it from Android Market), because we find its interface more enjoyable than the one of the built-in application. Unfortunately, the program still doesn’t add support for DivX and Xvid, so basically all we could play on the device was MPEG-4 videos. The phone handles them properly, provided their width doesn’t exceed 480 pixels, in which case the overall performance plummets quickly. 



You can put the 3.5mm jack to good use and plug in the boxed headset. On the overall, sound through the mentioned accessory packs more than enough punch and while the audio quality is not amazing, it´s not disappointing either.

Come to disappointments, the major one is the lack of compatible software on Android Market, due to the non-standard native resolution of the HTC Tattoo of 240x320 pixels. As it is, almost all applications released to date have been developed for 320x480 capable devices. This means we will never see the wealth of software available to owners of other Android handsets come to the HTC Tattoo. This is a serious drawback, given the functionality of any operating system depends to a large extent on whether or not customers are able to install third party applications. Moreover, it seems the manufacturer has made another hardware-related compromise with the HTC Tattoo. We got a copy of the OpenGL-ES 1.1-based game Armadillo Roll that has obviously been converted so as become compatible with cell phones equipped with QVGA resolution displays. It turns out the Tattoo doesn’t support the eye candies the title comes with, because the only thing we could do on starting the game was contemplate a rather boring, whitish blank screen. At the same time we didn’t have any problems with less demanding applications, although we can´t say you´ve got a lavishly rich catalogue of programs at your fingertips.


Android 1.6 adds a small application that allows you to see all running applications and their corresponding energy consumption. We like it, because any information on how to extend the battery life is invaluable.

Performance:

In terms of operational speed, the HTC Tattoo is a good performer. Obviously, the Sense interface has been properly optimized, because it runs smoothly and its voracious appetite for system resources has been quenched, at least alongside of the version running on the HTC Hero. All applications start up fast and there is no apparent interface lagging either.

As a tool for phone calls, the Tattoo is not exactly brilliant, because the sound it delivers is neither loud, nor clear enough with the overall in-call quality being virtually identical on both ends of the line - voices tend to be sharp and monotonous, although you can understand your caller.

The battery of the HTC Tattoo keeps the handset operational for a decent amount of time, given the handset passes for a multifunctional smartphone. According to the official data, it should be able to provide 6.5 hours of continuous talk time and 340 hours (14 days) in standby.

Conclusion:

Frankly, we are in two minds about the HTC Tattoo. On the one hand, it´s a likeable, compact Android smartphone running the cool Sense interface. On the other, the concessions the manufacturer has had to make to keep the price low are neither minor, nor just a few. We don’t really have a problem with the screen size itself, the thing is the lower resolution is equivalent to extremely poor catalogue of applications, compatible with the device. This is a bitter pill to swallow and definitely something we are unwilling to put up with. Even more so, now that Android seems to be making evolutionary leaps forward and its development is picking up speed.

The unhandy resistive technology incorporated into the display and the barren waste that the application catalogue for the device is, paired with all the other minor, yet real drawbacks of the handset would have made the HTC Tattoo a viable option if it was available at an affordable price. Sadly,, this is so not the case. Just for a few bucks more you can easily get yourself the myTouch 3G – yes, it comes without the Sense interface, but is superior to the Tattoo in every single way. In case you are flat out determined to get a cell phone delivering the handy features of the socially-oriented Sense interface, we would definitely advise you to consider the HTC Hero – its price is not that much higher now and the handset is head and shoulders above the Tattoo.

HTC Tattoo Video Review: