Thread: HTC ChaCha

It is true that the HTC ChaCha sings a completely different tune- mid range Android smartphone offering a touchscreen and phys*ical QWERTY keypad. We have the Samsung Galaxy Pro for the lower end of the market, while the HTC Desire Z caters to the higher end. Straight off, the looks of the phone will catch your attention. While there is nothing very dif*ferent, there are these little things that make a difference. The slight banana curve makes typing a lot more comfortable. The little "F" button lets you post on Facebook with just one click.

However, while this phone essentially shows off the social networking capabilities, the real value pack is the touchscreen and physical keypad combo. The dual capabilities will appeal to those who want a touch device, and also to those who want a physical QWERTY keypad for their mails and messages. The ChaCha is built well. Despite the pia sticky looks, the phone does feel very solid. No creaks or rough edges anywhere. What is really impressive is the typing experi*ence offered by the keypad. No problems with the key size *they are adequately big and well spaced out. Key-press is quite soft, so much so that even the keypad of the phone you are used to will start feeling a little uncorn fort able! The "F" button, for all its hype, lets you only postto Facebook,and not much else.



To read the timeline, com ment on posts or chat, you will still need to use the official Facebook app. Call quality offered is okay, but the phone does tend to lose some grunt at high volumes, both for the earpiece and the speaker. No problems with the quality though. The battery life however, is a huge disappointment. With just a few calls, SMS and FB chat running in the background, the ChaCha barely lasts a day. Abso*lutely no doubt that this phone needs a higher capaci ty battery.