HTC Desire HD and Z: hands on

If we're honest, the entire internet had a pretty good idea of what HTC had planned for its launch, but that didn't make it any less fun to play around with the Desire HD and Desire Z.

HTC's Desire HD (left) and Desire Z (right).

If you're familiar with HTC's last half-dozen releases, then you'll see the similarities immediately. The Desire HD is exactly what the HTC HD2 would look like if it was running Android 2.2, but hey, we're not complaining.

There's not much in the way of external switches and keys on the Desire HD. In this image you can see the volume rocker.

As expected, a 3.5mm headphone socket. Not as expected is the position: in the middle on the bottom of the phone.

There's something about the extruding camera that makes us think someone back at HTC HQ is watching our every move. This shooter has an 8-megapixel resolution.

Zoologist? The Desire Z is the same size and shape as the original Desire, but manages to look completely different; thanks mostly to the black, square optical mouse on the front.

HTC calls this the Z-hinge, a nifty feature of engineering that lifts the screen as you slide it to sit flush with the keyboard.

HTC's lead designer explained that the Z-hinge was created so the screen would be completely out of the way when the user began typing on the keyboard.

Like the Desire, the Z has its 3.5mm headphone socket on the top of the phone beside the standby key.

Also like the original Desire, the Z has a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash.

Unlike previous HTC Androids, the Desire HD and Z will both have interchangeable skins. Applying one will change the wallpaper and appearance of the top and bottom taskbars.

This is the interface for the new media-streaming software.

The new car-panel interface with huge button shortcuts to maps and points of interest.

Viewing the maps is free, and you can download maps from all around the world for no extra charge, but if you want turn-by-turn directions you'll have to pony up an as-yet undisclosed subscription price.

Give Charles Dickens the same funky treatment as Hendrix and Pearl Jam. The new Kobo ebook reader app allows users to add annotations, define words, highlight passages and use a "Featured in bookstore" button to find new books to download.

HTC has given the camera software a mild makeover, adding a range of filters and making accessing certain options easier than before.

This was a pleasant surprise. HTC Likes is a new app that lists some of HTC's favourite apps on the Android Market.