Huawei Ideos
Marketed as the second Google phone, the Ideos is a compact handset based on Android 2.2. It’s aimed at the budget end of the market and represents Huawei’s push for adoption outside its native far Eastern markets.
The backplate is easy to remove – good news for SIM access or to customise it with different coloured rears. There’s no disguising that this is a cheap-feeling handset, but we enjoyed using it more than some.
The modest 2.8in screen has a resolution of 320×240. It’s blurry and far from pin-sharp but, given the low price, it’s a small compromise.
It doesn’t support multitouch, but finger navigation is fast and responsive. A Google search bar sits on the front page and can’t be moved, and a mic shortcut lets you narrate your searches.
You can flick between five screens side to side – without fancy visuals a la FITC or Samsung, but it nonetheless allows the Ideos to be an ambassador for basic Android 2.2.
A sweep to the left brings up local weather and tabbed news. Top stories, UK, Sport and Entertain tabs precis what’s happening, but we found the content wasn’t refresher as often as you might expect.
Getting online is fast and painless. Logging on to our home and office Wi-Fi networks was
also straightforward.
Hardware buttons below the screen are used to start and end calls, while a wobbly central button wakes the screen from standby and is used for moving up and down lists. Other navigation functions are covered by touch buttons at the bottom of the display and onscreen.
The phone’s text-to-speech and voice-recognition options include an ability to block offensive word recognition, so your little darlings don’t use speech-search to find a website they shouldn’t.
New for Android 2.2 is support for Flash. This battery-draining feature isn’t offered in lower-spec handsets like the Ideos, however.
Web surfing is fine, considering the small screen and manual zoom in/out buttons. An accelerometer is quick to respond and let you read pages in landscape mode.
Verdict
Running the latest Android 2.2 and offering coloured backplates, the Ideos offers a cheap entry point for the Android platform without the drag of an expensive contract.
Price £129
Marketed as the second Google phone, the Ideos is a compact handset based on Android 2.2. It’s aimed at the budget end of the market and represents Huawei’s push for adoption outside its native far Eastern markets.
The backplate is easy to remove – good news for SIM access or to customise it with different coloured rears. There’s no disguising that this is a cheap-feeling handset, but we enjoyed using it more than some.
The modest 2.8in screen has a resolution of 320×240. It’s blurry and far from pin-sharp but, given the low price, it’s a small compromise.
It doesn’t support multitouch, but finger navigation is fast and responsive. A Google search bar sits on the front page and can’t be moved, and a mic shortcut lets you narrate your searches.
You can flick between five screens side to side – without fancy visuals a la FITC or Samsung, but it nonetheless allows the Ideos to be an ambassador for basic Android 2.2.
A sweep to the left brings up local weather and tabbed news. Top stories, UK, Sport and Entertain tabs precis what’s happening, but we found the content wasn’t refresher as often as you might expect.
Getting online is fast and painless. Logging on to our home and office Wi-Fi networks was
also straightforward.
Hardware buttons below the screen are used to start and end calls, while a wobbly central button wakes the screen from standby and is used for moving up and down lists. Other navigation functions are covered by touch buttons at the bottom of the display and onscreen.
The phone’s text-to-speech and voice-recognition options include an ability to block offensive word recognition, so your little darlings don’t use speech-search to find a website they shouldn’t.
New for Android 2.2 is support for Flash. This battery-draining feature isn’t offered in lower-spec handsets like the Ideos, however.
Web surfing is fine, considering the small screen and manual zoom in/out buttons. An accelerometer is quick to respond and let you read pages in landscape mode.
Verdict
Running the latest Android 2.2 and offering coloured backplates, the Ideos offers a cheap entry point for the Android platform without the drag of an expensive contract.
Price £129
