HTC Sapphire / T-Mobile G2
No, not my own hands-on impressions on the HTC Sapphire, sadly, but those of somebody I trust. I’ll not go into details, in order to protect her identity, but let’s just say that it makes perfect sense that she would have access to this phone.
Bear in mind that these comments are about a pre-production device, and much can happen between now and when the device gets released for real. But here’s what my source said (paraphrased):
- The OS looks pretty much like that on the G1 (for now, at least)
- The phone body itself looks nice, and has a smaller chin than the G1
- It is solidly built, and quite a bit lighter than the G1
- The paint is a smooth and shiny pearly white color
- The button to the left of the trackball is the Home key, not a MyFaves key
- Auto-focus camera, but still no flash
- Still no video (though again, this is pre-production software)
- It uses the same screen as the G1
- Auto-rotation works only for certain apps, like the browser. No auto-rotate support for the home screen or main menu at this point
- Still no 3.5mm headphone jack
- All of the “iPhone lovers” seem to love the virtual keyboard
- The virtual keyboard works in both landscape and portrait modes
As my friend says, it is “basically a G1 without the keyboard.” She also confirmed that the photos we saw earlier are indeed of the G2/Sapphire.
Anything else we should ask about? Leave your question in the comments….
