With a new mobile phone introduced in the market almost fortnightly, one can't help but be baffled, not just dazzled, as to which one is the best. One good thing is that there are reliable market trackers that one can bank on for helpful tips. And whether the choice is for the best budget music phone or a high-end smartphone, the best ones are available for anybody's pick. Besides, there is no better way of knowing the best rather than putting the product into meticulous test. This is precisely what happened when HTC Legend was probed. Legend is a sleek and very aesthetically pleasing phone that is certain to create a buzz in the market. It's a gorgeous piece of kit, featuring a full aluminum body which sets it apart from the other phones and high-resolution OLED screen, an optical four-way control set minimally into the phone's subtle “chin”, soft touch pads on the rear to prevent the silver finish being scratched, as well as the latest version of Android from Google, HTC Legend is comfortably put on a pedestal after the scrutiny. Its touch screen is sensitive to the slightest of touch. The Legend has a 600MHz processor and 384MB of RAM which enables smooth menu transitions and quick opening of applications. Its profile - all sensuous curves, not-too-sharp edges and rounded corners - means the Legend is a fabulous phone to hold in the hand. Even the battery compartment is smart. Instead of the rear panel clipping on and off, the SIM card, battery and microSD slot all sit beneath a small rubberized cap on the bottom edge. Screen transitions are very smooth, although in some cases if there are widgets using the network in the background, the screen transition takes a beating (although not very noticeable). HTC has also replaced the trackball that is often found on other Android phones with a round, metal-trimmed, touch-sensitive trackpad, which is extremely user friendly. The Legend's tremendous OLED screen glows into life. Colors take on an almost hyper-realistic hue, which helps UI elements, graphics, video and web pages leap from the screen. Another advantage is the brightness, which keeps things clear and readable even when dialed down to one step above minimum to conserve battery. The beauty of the Legend isn't just skin deep, however. There's plenty of substance behind the perfect facade. For starters it runs Android 2.1 (aka Eclair), which means one gets a unified email inbox, support for multiple Gmail accounts and five home screens. Then there's the latest version of HTC's Sense UI added on top. The key benefit of this is that it unifies contacts, pictures and updates from Facebook, Flickr and Twitter into one location. But it also adds a home screen overview mode: simply hit the home button, click the four-way optical control or pinch as if to zoom out, and up pops a thumbnail view of each of your home screens. The striking features of Legend makes it true to its name.
