HTC Rhyme
Ask HTC and they will stoutly deny the fact that the HTC Rhyme was made with women as the target consumers. Everything about this smartphone – right from the colors to the design to the accessories that arrive with it are feminine in nature. However, if that is going to be the basis for you to not accept that phone, then beware! The Rhyme comes loaded with a whole gang of features and accessories which would make any dismissal a grave mistake. The tanglefree headphones and the incoming call charm definitely up the attraction quotient of the phone.
A 1GHz single core processor from Scorpion (Adreno 205 GPU with the Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset) sits inside the phone. The daily, simple operations happen like a breeze but the minute complex graphics and multi-tasking comes into picture, there are occasional lags in the operation. The lag is as small as a second or two but that is the kind of scale we are talking about. The CPU performance if almost thrice as good as an average Android phone. The text and images that appear on the screen as as sharp as can be and there is no questioning the call quality. The sensitivity of the touchscreen is fantastic and responsive. The battery life is really long for a smartphone and this is because the phone does not support 4G.
Running on HTC Sense, the Rhyme features all the latest enhancements in the HTC arsenal when it comes to the user interface. There is the 3D home-screen carousel, intelligently reworked widgets and an updated screen lock which offers greater access to content as well as shortcuts to any selected four apps. The screen has a very clean and uncluttered layout. Unwanted home screen panels (there are a total of seven) can be removed as per user choice and the shortcuts on the left side can be used to expand or collapse information based on user needs. The charming feature about the phone is a ‘charm’ that lights up with every new message or call. It glows softly letting you know of what is pending.
The HTC comes in feminine colors – plum, clearwater and hourglass. The earbuds, the lighted charm and the packaging box are all in the same color lending the handset a monochrome effect of class. The phone has been made to fit smaller hands easily and ergonomically. The 3.7 inch WVGA TFT screen is touch sensitive and a VGA camera sits above it. This camera enables video calling facility. The volume rocker is on the side. The phone achieves an iPhone-like look and weighs only about 140 grams. Below the display are the usual buttons which are touch sensitive for navigating home, menu, search and back. The back features the main 5 MP camera with an LED flash though the phone does not have a dedicated camera key.
The phone has excellent features and accessories, no doubt. But the question is whether any of these would be of actual practical use for the customer. For instance, a glowing phone is indicator enough without the charm. The vibration alert is always there for those seeking the silence the phone. Though not outrightly targeted to women, the phone definitely polarizes with its shape and color. It would have been a good, recommended smartphone if not for its overly high price tag of Rs. 27,000. You may find the ‘rhyme’ but you need more ‘reason’ to buy this phone.