As we inch closer to the end of December, picking up tech gifts for loved ones will continue to be a hot trend. There are plenty of smartphone choices on the market these days, but HTC has created one that puts the competition to shame. Ease of use, dynamic functionality and outstanding performance; these are the things you will find in the HTC One (M8) .
The HTC One weighs just over a quarter of a pound, sports a 5-inch, 1080p HD display, wields 2GB of RAM, contains of 16GB or 32GB of storage (depending on the model you purchase) and directs an internal GPS antenna that has a GLONASS digital compass. While its battery is listed to last about 20 hours while talking, I found it to hang around for closer to 19 hours, not that the result is a major discrepancy. Its main camera is capable of 1080p HD with HDR video, while its front camera captures the same resolution with HDR capability.
The setup of your HTC One is fairly simple to complete. You will need to make sure you have a Google account in order to utilize all of the phones functions. With a phone that places such an emphasis on Google, it's the smartest decision to have a Google account, even if you don't have one when you purchase the phone. Once you have gotten through all of the setup options, it's time to customize your phone. Changing the wallpaper is a breeze and only requires a few second touch to do so. On a side note, the double-tap function users can execute to wake up their phones isn't totally responsive and may cause slight annoyances here and there.
Adding important apps to your home screen is simple to do. All it takes is finding the app you want, holding down on it like you did for your wallpaper and it immediately appears on your home screen. The layout of the home screen is standard for most smartphones, with a few less icons being present. This is where a benefit of the larger screen comes into play. When you group multiple apps into a box, you can easily see the icons you have, even if there are up to four. In contrast, when you group apps together on an iPhone, it can be more difficult to tell which apps are which.
The highlights section users can find by swiping left from their homepage is a nifty function. Users can subscribe to a variety of apps, like YouTube, ESPN and the Associated Press. While it provides a nice breakdown of the day's events, the weather, date, city you are in and time, it is a bit disappointing that you can only see highlights one subscription at a time. There are multiple levels that display stories, but it would have been better if stories from all three previously mentioned apps could be displayed at once. This isn't a major problem, but some users may find it frustrating, switching back and forth between app subscriptions.
Using email with the HTC One is a breeze. Creating a new email, searching for an old thread and vetting messages are all made easy by its slick functionality and practical UI. For users who are email hoarders that just want to view all unread messages, doing so is only two right swipes away. Google Chrome is yet another simple, effective function of the HTC One. While browsing and searching are both easy tasks to accomplish, going to be previous webpage isn't the swipe some users are familiar with. The simple back arrow located on the bottom of the phone serves the role, and does so practically.
As users will open up a variety of apps over the course of time, closing apps will be an inevitability. While the iPhone has the swipe function where you shuffle from one to the next, individually, the HTC One gives you a top down view of nearly every app currently running. Closing an app is remarkably simple on the HTC One and quite frankly puts the iPhone to shame with its practicality.
Installing a typical application is accomplished within the blink of an eye. So long as you have a decent connection, the HTC One completes application installations quickly. Deciding which apps to disable or uninstall is a simple process as well. The availability of information, app size and which apps are taking up the most space on your phone ensures users are always informed.
Going back to the home screen, the first page to the right will find the Top Apps feature located on the top half of the screen. This gives people a brief look at a half dozen of the most popular apps, which is great for those who wish to stay in the know on what's new.
Personally, the keyboard for messaging and emailing is just about the same as Apple's. With no real difference there being present, let's talk about the voice function of the HTC One. Much like the Nexus 9, the One has an exceptional voice capturing function. Even in considerably louder environments, the HTC One does a fine job of accurately transcribing the things you're saying.
I have to say that the front camera on the HTC One is magnificent. Not that selfies are a frequent photo on my phone, the HTC One takes phenomenal pictures using its front camera. Taking 360 degree panorama shots are not as impressive as the ones you can take on the Nexus 9, but even with that said, the HTC One captures fantastic images, with the option of save certain parts of your 360 degree photo as a separate image.
Streaming video on the HTC One is an enjoyable experience with exceptional resolution and imagery making for crisp, clear motion pictures. Sound is another stellar aspect of the video consuming experience and the auditory functions of the device help improve a video's overall presentation. From watching a tv show or clip online to viewing a downloaded film, the HTC One is a fabulous device for consuming video.
Overall, the HTC One is an outstanding, dynamic piece of technology. While some phones on the market deliver the combination of functionality and performance, the HTC One does so in spectacular fashion.
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