A new phone based on Google’s smartphone operating system Android has been unveiled by Vodafone and HTC at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This latest Android baby is called HTC Magic and it seems that we’d only hear Android handsets with these abstract names like Dream and Magic. May be the next Android phone will be called Oasis.

The touchscreen HTC Magic will feature a 3.2 Megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and GPS but no slide-out keyboard. The first “Google phone”, called the G1, was launched in September by HTC and is exclusive to T-mobile. The Magic will feature new Android firmware, known as “Cupcake”, with changes based on G1 user suggestions.

The 3.2 inches display boasts the same 480 x 320 resolution as the G1 and the Apple iPhone 3G, although it’s a few millimeters smaller than the screen on the Apple device. It boasts the full arsenal of wireless data connections, including support for 7.2Mb/sec downloads over HSDPA, 802.11bg Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0. It also includes GPS to help take advantage of the Google Maps application that is bundled with Android.

Irritatingly, the device sports a proprietary headphone or mini-USB jack, meaning that music fans will either have to put up with the bundled headphones or risk draining their battery with a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

Vodafone will be selling the second Google phone exclusively in the UK.

Popularity: 3%