The HTC Magic - what sets it apart from its competitors?

Recently released in the UK, the HTC Magic is the next vehicle for the Google Android OS... but how well does it stack up against its rivals? How long can it reign supreme before something knocks it off its perch?

HTC Magic - the basics

The first important fact about the HTC Magic, and the bit that has made it so talked about, is its operating system: Google Android. As it's only the second phone to officially go on sale using Android, the HTC Magic has garnered an awful lot of trade and consumer interest. Even more importantly, the HTC Magic is the first Android phone to feature a keyboard-less, touchscreen-only design, a thing that seems to be all the rage in 2009. It's certainly more of a looker than its predecessor, the G1, and that fusion of enhanced looks and the still-awesome power of Android makes the HTC Magic a very compelling phone indeed.

Nokia N97 - Symbian the true challenger to Android?

However, Android isn't the only touch-based operating system out there, and Symbian is one of the heavyweights in the mobile world. That's sure to give the Nokia N97, the next phone with Symbian Touch, some serious clout when it arrives. The Nokia N97, to be frank, easily outdoes the HTC Magic in terms of hardware features, with a 5 megapixel camera, and 32Gb of memory built in; simply, the Nokia N97 dwarfs the 3MP and memory-card-only storage of the HTC Magic. The big thing, though, that will settle this debate is the interface, and in that arena, the Nokia N97 isn't such a b contender. It uses Symbian Touch, but not the fully open source version that's coming later in the year, and it remains to be seen how good the Ovi Store will be on the Nokia N97. Given how good the Android Marketplace, with its selection of downloadable apps is, it's going to be difficult for the Nokia N97 to top it.

Palm Pre - war of the interfaces

If the interface on the Nokia N97 can't beat the Android powered HTC Magic, what can? Well, there's one phone whose interface tops everything on the market today: the Palm Pre. It features the slickest interface ever witnessed on a phone, with sleek transitions and touch controls, not to mention the tightest integration between apps that's ever been experienced. The WebOS interface that powers the Palm Pre really is a thing of beauty, and as its hardware specs are at least on a par with the HTC Magic, it seems a foregone conclusion that it's going to be the winner in this fight, yes? Well, that depends. The Palm Pre is very much a make or break product for Palm, and if things don't quite go according to plan, they maybe in some insurmountable financial trouble. Add in to that the fact that there's no news yet of a UK release for the Palm Pre (with some commentators starting to get the feeling if it doesn't perform well in the USA, the Palm Pre will never get released in the UK), and it means that as things stand at the moment, the future for the Palm Pre just isn't looking as rosy as the HTC Magic...