HTC Flyer tablet hands-on

By on May 23, 2011 at 11:35 AM
Tablets May 23, 2011

HTC’s first tablet is now on sale exclusively at Best Buy, and we’ve been playing with one for the last couple days. We first saw it at MWC and then we played with Sprint’s version, the EVO View 4G, at CTIA, but you know the drill… it’s always totally different when you have one up close for an extended period of time. For all intents and purposes, the HTC Flyer really is a large HTC Sense smartphone, and that results in a good experience at some times and a not-so-good experience at others. The Flyer features the latest Sense UI that included 3D home screen effects, an improved lock screen, an updated UI and more. However, the tablet is a bit chunky and it’s kind of annoying that the rear cover isn’t symmetrical; the plastic antenna covers jut out from the smooth machined aluminum case and the end result is odd. The Flyer features capacitive Android menu buttons on both orientations which is a nice effect — they disappear and reappear along the bezel for landscape and portrait use — and battery life in our limited use seems to be pretty solid. All in all, however, the experience isn’t too different from HTC’s smartphones and we wish there were some bigger twists that might help make the Flyer more unique. We’ll have much more in our full review soon, but in the meantime, you know where to find the high-res shots.

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  • http://twitter.com/NICKVALENTIN0 Nick Valentino

     Gallery fail.

  • RK

    And an iPad is just a big iPhone… I don’t hear anyone asking for any “twists” from Apple!

    • Anonymous

      But the iPad runs tablet specific apps and software while this thing is running just 2.2 with an tabletized version of sense sitting on top.

      • Slapisaurus

        2.3.3 which is Gingerbread not Froyo 

      • Anonymous

        My point still applies however

      • Mikewong271

        who cares???

      • Anonymous

        Are you saying who cares in reference to the fact the no one will buy this thing or who cares in reference to the idea that Android tablet buyers who DO buy this will be dissapointed it doesn’t run honeycomb Apps, and many other apps are just scaled up versions of whats on their phones? I mean, come on this distinction WILL be important to buyers, not when compared to the iPad, but when compared to the steadily growing stable of good HONEYCOMB android tablets.

      • http://twitter.com/brianchau Brian Chau

        iPad runs the same iOS as the iPhone.

  • Kyle

      the tablet is a bit chunky and it’s kind of annoying that the rear cover isn’t symmetrical

    Thanks thats all i needed to know good post !!

    • Anonymous

      That rear cover jut is a hand grip like on compact cameras BGR! A genius feature to make it easy to hold it for long periods.

      Meantime, finally playing with the Flyer convinced me the Nook Color is better for the price and my feature set.

    • http://twitter.com/turkudellinger Misha Dellinger

      Exactly, esp. that picture of the back was super helpful! 

  • Anonymous

     thing looks ridiculous 

  • Helmholtz

     That’s a mighty big cell phone you’re holding. 

  • Anonymous

    This is one of the weirdest posts ever.   Here is an idea, hold a 7 inch tablet like a smartphone.  Review only the features on the tablet that can be found on a smartphone.  Then, make the inevitable jump that this tablet is really “just” a big smartphone.  Why don’t you review the things that make it different than a smartphone like the pen/notes application?   Oh, I get it, you can’t do that on a smartphone and that sort of ruins your comparison.

    I mean, seriously, how does one talk about the only tablet utilizing a pen and neglect talking about that? 

    • Anonymous

      be patient…. “We’ll have much more in our full review soon” … it’s not like you’d base your buying decision off a ‘first impression’ article anyway

      • Anonymous

        I wouldn’t base my buying decision off any article, any time.  That being said, my comment was more about the oddity of the post.  He writes:

        “All in all, however, the experience isn’t too different from HTC’s smartphones and we wish there were some bigger twists that might help make the Flyer more unique.”

        Bigger twists?  You can take notes on the thing for crying out loud!  You certainly can’t do that on ANY smartphone, ANY other tablet.  That sort of makes the Flyer unique, yes?

    • Anonymous

      You are so right.  Any article that doesn’t praise the awesomeness that’s Android is crappy to me.  Of course, any article that doesn’t bash Apple is crappy by my standards as well.  You and I agree 100%

    • Mikewong271

      Why review this flyer like a smartphone?  flyer is not a smartphone, it’s a tablet…

      • Senor Chang

        Why call a non-review a review?

    • http://twitter.com/therobcollings Rob Collings

      Must be a teaser of whats to come in the full review…if anyone will really read it now. Not really seeing the point of first impression posts.

      • Senor Chang

        Jesus, smartest thing I’ve read so far.  Skip the ‘hands on’ and ‘first impressions’ and just keep it for the review itself… or else you get a ton of retarded comments about how this ‘review’ sucked.

  • Anonymous

    Nice reflections on that screen.  Any reason why the pictures had to be taken outside?  To show off your lovely garden you were able to afford when you sold the site?  I guess I should be thankful that they aren’t the smudged mess that you took during the Xoom review.

    And besides the “magical” BS, how is the iPad any different than this, which is just an even bigger smartphone?

  • Anonymous

     Huh it’s just a even bigger HTC phone. O what it’s ok for the fandroid’s to call a ipad a big iphone. When it’s really not.

    • Senor Chang

      That’s backwards actually.

      Android tabs are bigger versions of Android phones, just like the ipad is just a bigger version of the iphone.

      And the only argument anyone ever has is,  ”well, no its not! Because they optimized the apps for use on a bigger screen”

      Oh, well whoopity doo then!   Angry Birds made for a 3 inch screen vs Angry Birds made on a 10 inch screen.  Wow… yeah, the latter is totally not just a ‘bigger version’ of the former, its so much more! /s

      Yeah, I know, the iPad has a handful of ‘iPad only’ apps and that’s the other argument.  So let’s stand corrected:  Any tablet is just a bigger form of a smartphone, albeit a handful of exclsuive apps.

      Does that make tablet owners feel better?

      Whatever.

      • Anonymous

        You call 65,000 apps dedicated to the iPad a handful? When android has over 200.

        Whatever.

  • Anonymous

     Hey haters… Just like cars, appliances, TVs, etc etc, People want CHOICE…
    If everyone likes to pick their own style and content when buying anything, what makes these Apple fans believe that the iPad will appeal to everyone?
    The iPad doesnt work for me.  I use my tablet for work. I need access to a file system.  A rock band app?  Who cares?  Not me…
    Different devices for different folks.

    • Dario69

      What good is CHOICE when the options continue to suck.  While I love my iPad I am still on the lookout for an alternative tablet for work.  None of these Android tablets do it for me.  At this point my CHOICE is the iPad2.  Thanks Google and OEMs.  Choice is great.  I stay with Apple because your solutions suck.

      • Stupid hurts

        Have you used the other tabs or are you just basing this off the fact it’s not apple? Sorry but I’ve played with both the 2 and all the honeycomb tabs and I have to say a500 > iPad 2. Oh and I am posting this from an iPhone 4 so yeah no bias

      • Senor Chang

        The irony of your statement is you just defined choice and why we should have choices, because choices allow one to tailor to their PERSONAL PREFERENCES in which your personal preference does not equate to my personal preference.

        If you truly understood what ‘choice’ meant, you’d be happy with you iPad and just accept that Android tablets are not for you.  You obviously have NO IDEA what choice means because you insist that your solution is superior to any other when you don’t even bother to understand why the alternative might be a better solution for others.

        For my personal preferences, no tablet is good enough and all are pointless junk.  I guess that means my choice should be considered better than your choice?  NO, I would never say that because I am not a self-absorbed fanboy idiot.

  • http://twitter.com/jonjmetz jonjmetz

    did you try out the cloud gaming functionality?  i believe this is the first SKU that reflects the OnLive partnership. thanks.

  • Charles Matthews

     kill this tablet…. 

    • Dario69

      Agreed.  I played with this one at Best Buy over the weekend.  Too little, too late.  I might give Sammy a try when they come out with the 10.1 or whatever they are calling it.  But if they release it with unfinished features and no 3.1 Honeycomb that will kill it for me.  iPad2 is in my future. 

      I feel like this is 2007,2008 all over again with Apple and WinMo phones.  Every WinMo attempt to compete with Apple just dug them in a deeper hole and made the iPhone look great.  MS made it easy for Apple to succeed.  Now these Android tablets are doing the same thing for the iPad.  It just makes the iPad look like the best overall solution. 

      Keep talking about choice Android fans.  All it does is make people see their best choice is an iPad.  Pathetic.

      • Steve Hillshire

        If this is anything like Android for smart phones, right about mid-next year Android tablets should start looking better and be more feature packed than the iPad.  It just takes these places about 2 years to get the memo for some reason.  A tablet at this stage with anything but honeycomb on it is a fail.  Not sure what HTC was thinking, but this is pathetic.

  • http://twitter.com/Michael_Ludden Michael Ludden

    … Did you try the pen? At all?

  • http://twitter.com/borax99 Alain Chappaz

    Screen size is nice, and I *really* like the capacitive pen option. Now, if only there was some kind of handwriting recognition baked in, instead of just ink capture….

  • Cmfeutz67

    “ we wish there were some bigger twists that might help make the Flyer more unique.”   ummm….the digital pen and note taking capability???  that was a really dumb statement and i would expect more from a leading tech site!!  i have a flyer – got it Saturday - and i am delighted with the product and would recommend it to anybody even slightly interested.  don’t ever base a buying decision on somebody’s review…go buy the damn thing and try it out.  you’ve got 14 days (in California) to return it if it doesn’t suit your needs!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/bela.goblos Bela Goblos

    In Europe this thing is super expensive..More than an iPad…its a joke…Noone will buy this…

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