Hey, everyone.
I'm Bonnie Cha, Senior Editor at CNET.com, and I'm here with your first look at the HTC Wildfire S. This is an entry-level Android smartphone for T-Mobile that comes with a nice wallet-friendly price tag.
It doesn't skimp on too many features.
As you can see, it's a pretty compact phone which is both a good thing and a bad thing.
On the positive side, it's so much easier to carry around and hold compared to some of today's larger devices.
It's also got a nice solid build
which isn't always the case with the lower-end smartphones.
The downside of a smaller device, of course, is a smaller display.
The Wildfire's screen measures 2.2 inches diagonally and has that HVGA resolution.
It's clear and bright enough to see but viewing web pages and typing can be a bit of a challenge since you're dealing with less screen real estate.
The phone does offer pinch-to-zoom support, a built-in accelerometer and the Swype keyboard.
But if you got larger hands, this may not be the phone for you.
On the features end, the Wildfire S ships running
Android 2.3 Gingerbread with HTC Sense.
It's not the latest version of Sense so you're not getting the new Lockscreen and other enhancements, but it still provides a nice user experience.
I also like that HTC and T-Mobile didn't load up the phone with too much Flo-Ware.
The phone offers all the standard wireless options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
It's not a big surprise but the Wildfire is 3G only, but it does support Wi-Fi calling so you can make calls over a wireless network.
On back is the 5-megapixel camera and flash.
The picture quality isn't all that great for indoor shots, but it does alright when shooting photos outdoors.
And this smartphone's performance has been pretty solid too.
It only has a 600 megahertz processor but the Wildfire is responsive with minimal lag.
Call quality is also clear and I haven't had any dropped calls here in New York.
Overall I think if you're new to smartphones or if you're on a budget, the Wildfire is good option as long as you're fine with a smaller design.
If you want something bigger, T-Mobile also offers the Samsung Exhibit 4G which has
similar features for the same price.
The Wildfire S is available now for $79.99 with a 2-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.
I'm Bonnie Cha.
This has been your first look at the HTC Wildfire S for T-Mobile.
