HTC has been making smart-phones and PDA phones for a while now. We’ve tested quite a few over the years, some pretty good, and others not so. We present their recently announced, (in India), Android flagship device – the HTC Desire. At the very outset, (huge spoiler warning!), it is an amazing device with a few quirks that are nonetheless noticeable, just like tiny flecks of rust in hard-to-reach-recesses on a near perfect paint job. However, in case of the Desire, some of its quirks aren’t as inconspicuous. For when one looks a cellphone in this price range, it’s reasonable to expect a near-perfect device and a near-perfect interface. Sadly, we’ve learnt to live with imperfections. A human trait that the devices we build are not impervious to either.

Don’t get us wrong – HTC has dished up tremendously capable hardware, shoehorned it into a very sleek device, and garnished this with a new-age platform and a king-size feature set. Desirable the Desire might be, but it’s still far from perfect. Although mostly minor, some of the quirks are rather annoying. A near-perfect device is a conglomerate of great hardware, great software and a great interface and the Desire has very minor, (but noticeable), issues on all three fronts.

The touch and feel: most(ly) desirable

We open the rather compact box and go “man, whatta beauty!” And it is. You can kiss the all-metal construction of the HTC Nexus One good bye but this is a beautiful looking device – slim and sleek with contours enough to give others phones an inferiority complex. Although the bezel is rather narrow, it’s not as narrow as the one on the Touch HD2 – and the latter still looks smarter owing to this. However, the Desire has a beautiful facia – a trim bezel of metal that tapers around the corners of the display with the pearl grey bottom region that houses all the keys, is, oh! So tasteful that you’ll be staring at it for a bit.

The keys have a matte chrome finish that oozes suave sex appeal, light years away from the garish chrome buttons some manufacturers insist looks hot. Even the shape of the keys is near perfect to our aesthetic senses. The earpiece consists of twin slits with a chrome trim, and this is, perhaps, the sexiest part of the phone, at least for this reviewer. And we haven’t even switched it on!

The rest of the body including the rear has the same pearl grey, smudge-resistant finish. The battery cover fits securely, but when you remove it, you realise how flimsy the plastic really is. More importantly, the clasps on the battery cover feel like they’ll break off given a dozen SIM-card removals – shoddy job HTC. Incidentally, the microSD card isn’t hot swappable, as battery removal is required before you can access it. The power-cum-screen lock button located on the top is designed to merge with the body, although a hint of unevenness in the region is a welcome ergonomic/usability cue.

Click next for more on the touch and feel of the HTC Desire