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HTC Rhyme hands-on (photos)

HTC and Verizon go for style with the HTC Rhyme. Check out the fashionable Android smartphone and its accessories in CNET's hands-on photo gallery.

Bonnie Cha
Bonnie Cha was a former chief correspondent for CNET Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
Bonnie Cha
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HTC Rhyme for Verizon Wireless

The HTC Rhyme is Verizon's latest Android smartphone and will be available starting September 29 for $199.99 with a two-year contract. The price includes three accessories: a desktop dock, a cell phone charm that lights up when you have incoming calls, and tangle-free headphones. HTC and Verizon were careful to say that the Rhyme wasn't specifically for females. Instead, the companies said it was for those who want a stylish handset with a solid set of features and a collection of accessories.
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HTC Sense

The smartphone runs Android Gingerbread along with slightly different version of HTC Sense, designed specifically for the Rhyme. This includes a new home screen that has a less cluttered look and provides access to just the essentials. Now, you can simply tap on the icons on the left and quickly see if you have any new messages, launch the music player and photo gallery, and more.
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Home screens

You now also have the option to remove home screen pages if you don't need all seven.
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Custom wallpapers

The HTC Rhyme also comes preloaded with custom wallpapers.
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Design

Like all of HTC's devices, the Rhyme is very solid and attractive. It features a unibody design and measures 4.6 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.4 in thick. Verizon will only offer the phone in plum, which is very nice, but we're not sure if it will attract anyone but women.
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Other colors

The Rhyme does come in other colors, including "clearwater" and "hourglass." However, those styles will only be available globally.
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Top view

The top of the phone features a power button and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
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Back

The back of the phone features a three-tone color scheme, as well as the 5-megapixel camera and LED flash. There's also a front-facing VGA camera for video calls.
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Camera app

The camera app includes new tools and options. For example, like the T-Mobile MyTouch Slide 4G, the Rhyme offers HDR, panoramic, and burst-shooting modes.
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Automatic uploads

There is also a new setting that instructs the camera to automatically upload photos to a specific Facebook or Flickr album.
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Cell phone charm

The included cell phone charm plugs into the 3.5mm headphone jack and illuminates when you have an incoming call. We could see how this would be appealing to some users, but we don't think it will be for everyone. Its included in the cost of the device and you don't have to use it if you don't want to.
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Dock sensors

Below the camera, you'll find sensors for the desktop dock.
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Docking station

The HTC Rhyme docking station is actually a very neat accessory. It features integrated speakers, so you can listen to your phone's music library or use it as an alarm clock. It also charges your phone.
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Docking station

The best part of the docking station? It comes included with the phone!
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Bluetooth speaker

There are other accessories for the HTC Rhyme that you can purchase separately, such as a Bluetooth speaker system for the car.
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Cases

You can also choose from various cases.
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Apps

There were some rumors that the HTC Rhyme would come preloaded with shopping and calorie-counter apps, but fortunately, we didn't find any on the device. Instead, the smartphone comes with the usual Google apps and several Verizon services.

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