HTC Incredible: My Mother's Day Present

I'm chained to Verizon as my cell phone carrier due to my family. That's why I don't have an iPhone. When I was asked what I wanted for Mother's day, I squinted at the screen of my HTC Eris and said I wanted something with a bigger screen.

I don't need reading glasses to read the newspaper, books, or magazines...yet, but I found that I was grabbing my husband's glasses to read my Eris.  Who wants to keep up with reading glasses just to deal with a cell phone?   I don't.

Here is a video from CNET that gives a nice overview of the Incredible's features:



I am happy to say that I love this phone.   I don't need reading glasses to use it.  The only things I couldn't read all of the fine print that was displayed during the initial set-up.  In my excitement to get things set up, I think I might have opted in for more than I wanted!

For some reason, I now have every contact I've ever made, all on this phone,  with phone numbers of people that I never have called,  courtesy of Facebook, I assume.  I'll have to spend some time organizing this mess later on. I'll also have to hunt for my husband's reading glasses after work today to read the fine print and make the correct privacy settings!

Update on Interactive Mobile Phones: Sony Ericsson's Android Rachael; HTC Hero

Both Sony Ericsson and HTC have built upon Google's Android build to create new "user experiences" for mobile phones.



Sony Ericsson Rachael UI Video:


Related:
"Sony Ericsson "Rachael" Android XPERIA handset unveiled?"
(Paul Miller, engadget, 7/4/09)
Sony Ericsson's Android Rachael UI Makes Me Want to Ditch My iPhone
(Jesus Diaz, Gizmodo, 7/8/09)


"Make it Mine, Stay Close, Discover the Unexpected!" Personalization with HTC Hero Touch-enabled Smart Phone"



HTC recently launched the HTC Hero. I haven't had a chance to touch one, but it looks interesting enough to make a trip to my local mobile phone service provider and see how it works.

"HTC Hero launch event video featuring HTC Sense™ - an intuitive, seamless experience built upon three fundamental principles - make it mine, stay close, and discover the unexpected." -HTC

The two video clips below explain the rationale behind the HTC Hero and why the company thinks it is an important innovation:

PART I



PART II


A few quotes from the video:

"It begins with listening and observing people as they use their phone..."

"...there has been a fundamental shift in people's phone expectations..."

"People want to stay close with the important people in their lives, and have online information...Voice is key, but no longer enough...The SmartPhone is the New Phone, people no longer expect their Internet to be at their desks anymore. They expect it everywhere they are. The Internet is becoming the fundamental of the mobile phone. Access to web browsing, streaming media, and connected applications has taken off, and this is where Smartphone really excels. People really appreciate the experience..."

HTC Hero UI Video


Related:
HTC Debuts Hero, With Fresh Face for Android
(John Herman, Gizmodo, 6/24/09)
Google Android Info
"Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications that run on Android-powered devices."

Cross-posted on the Technology Supported Human-World Interaction blog.