HTC Legend review

Taking Android to the next level - Apple should be scared

The definitive HTC Legend review
The definitive HTC Legend review

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It's difficult to know how to rate the HTC Legend in terms of applications - do we look at it as a standalone device, with a pretty well-stocked Android Market app portal, or do we compare it to the iPhone with its gargantuan App Store?

The thing to note is that while Android Market is around seven times smaller than the App Store, it's growing quickly and also offers more developer freedoms - this means more will start coding for the platform as time goes on.

HTC legend

But this is also about the applications on the HTC Legend already too - and these aren't insubstantial at all.

We've covered the excellent Peep app, but there are others on there from HTC and Google that just rock.

HTC legend

For instance, the version of Google Maps on the HTC Legend is awesome - you get all the best features that the likes of Symbian, Windows Mobile and iPhone users can only dream of.

For instance, you get access to Google Labs, which adds in elements like compass direction, measurements and terrain scaling as well - plus the addition of layers to give you Wikipedia and transport links on the map.

HTC legend

The GPS receiver is so fast on the HTC Legend as well, finding you in a matter of seconds when you're out and about - it even worked near windows too, and the maps loaded really quickly over 3G.

HTC legend

There's no Google Navigation for the UK sadly - but until Google sorts out whatever wranglings are going on behind the scenes, we wouldn't hold our breath for free turn-by-turn navigation on our Android phones.

The other cool application on the phone is the weather app - this is a favourite of HTC CEO Peter Chou, who loves showing off the fact that the weather widget will even cloud up the screen or speckle it with rain depending on the current conditions.

You can add in other cities and locations too, and the cool thing is you also get a four-day forecast as well - making it a really handy too.

HTC legend

There's a desk clock as well, which has a night mode for bedside viewing - without a dock this is a little pointless, but hey - it's a nice touch.

The clock also comes with a stopwatch and countdown timer as well - something so few phones manage to bring.

The Android 2.1 Market portal is slick too - the categories are clear and well defined, and the definition between free and paid-for apps shows the plethora of applications available for the HTC Legend.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.