The budget smartphone of HTC – Tattoo will get update of the newest version of the Android operating system.

If you thought that the further updates beyond Android 2.1 are for Google phones of high-end class, this news will really surprise you. It seems that Google and HTC have become so close as a result of the joint fight against Apple, that even the HTC budget smartphone based on Android will receive a free update of the OS to the newest version.

It has recently been reported that the update to the version of Android 2.1 will be available for users of HTC Tattoo. It is interesting that the update for the Tattoo will be parallel with the release of update for the Nexus One, which is the main and the only smart phone from Google. The main problem associated with optimization of Android 2.1 for HTC Tattoo is the debugging of Sense user interface.

We’ll keep you updated once receive confirmation.

But when it’s turned off it can not be distinguished from the original: it has exactly the same size, materials, a 2.8-inch touch QVGA screen, button layout ..

Turning on the device you will immediately see the familiar interface of TouchFlo2D and icon of Windows Mobile in the upper left corner.

The differences of the technical characteristics are even more obvious. Touch G4 (according to the source) is equipped with a Hisilicon R3 processor with a clock frequency of 460MHz, 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM (HTC Tattoo – Qualcomm MSM7225 @ 528 MHz, 256RAM, 512ROM). From the additional features it is worth noting that Touch G4 has WiFi, GPS, G-sensor, FM-radio, etc. – almost everything available in the original model.

This stylish mobile device, performed in a streamlined form factor, has no keyboard, and a nice size: 105x60x11 mm. The capacitive touch QVGA-screen of the phone has the diagonal of 3.2 inches.

In addition, the new device code-named Buzz is equipped with a 5 megapixel digital camera with auto-focus, flash and face recognition. The “heart” of the HTC Buzz is the Qualcomm MSM7225 CPU processor running at 528 MHz, 256 MB RAM and 512 MB of physical memory slot for microSD format memory cards, FM-radio, G-Sensor and the HTC Sense Interface. The most significant feature of this device is the Application sharing option integrated in the interface for the opportunity of sharing applications.

The year is almost over, so it’s time for many companies to look back and see what they have achieved during the year and make plans for the future.

The Taiwanese HTC remained true to itself and continued to produce “smart” devices in 2009. In particular, in 2009 there were updated versions of classic HTC smartphones — the HTC HD2, the HTC Touch Diamond 2 and the HTC Touch Pro 2. Particular success was achieved by the HD2 with its huge 4.3 inch capacitive screen of 480×800 resolution, 1 GHz processor, a 5 megapixel camera and the Sense UI.

However, HTC also emerged in radical changes — part of its production was changed from using the familiar Windows Mobile to Android operating system. Including the HTC Hero, which combines good functional specifications (5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and many others) with a stylish design. Another interesting model of the company is the relatively inexpensive HTC Tattoo, which is also running the operating system from Google.

Moreover, despite the relatively low price, this functional specs of the smartphone were not so bad, taking into consideration the presence of a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus, the support for microSD memory cards, FM-radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS modules.

In general, the trend of the transition to the Android in the HTC products is systemic in nature – from the eight smartphones scheduled for the first half of the next year five will be running the operating system from Google, which clearly shows that Android will be present in HTC smartphones for a long time and in some cases will be replacing Windows Mobile.

Of course we’ll have a much more detailed report on HTC’s performance in 2009; above we are just rejoicing seeing how our beloved brand is growing and growing from a local producer of phones to one of the world’s top device makers.

HTC A3288 Tattoo and Samsung I5700 Spica are the most inexpensive Android phones available on the market. These classic bar form factor phones are the simplified version of the older HTC Hero and Samsung I7500 Galaxy, respectively while having a super-decreased prices. Two new items represent potential best-sellers in their class, and each of them is good enough.

HTC Tattoo is a unique smartphone with removable panels. Moreover, you can not just order a standard option, but also to choose prints of your own style. In addition, the remarkable feature of the device is its compactness and generally a very nice design. It is a real Qtek S200 of our times. In addition, follows the basic functionality compared to Hero, including a Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5 mm jack, and so on. There is also an FM-radio and the HTC Sense UI to make things easy. The latter is the biggest asset of this model until it is ported to other devices. The phone has Android 1.6 on board, while the official update to 2.0 has not been announced yet, though the number of rumors tell us we’ll see it soon..

HTC A3288 Tattoo Specifications:
Network: GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, HSDPA 2100 MHz
Software platform: Android 1.6, HTC Sense UI
Processor: Qualcomm MSM7225, 528 MHz
Memory: 512 MB ROM, 256 MB RAM, microSD slot
Display: touchscreen, TFT, 2.8 “, QVGA (240×320 pixels)
Camera: 3.2 megapixel with fixed focus, no flash
Communication: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g, GPS, HTC ExtUSB
Other: FM-radio, 3.5 mm in the case, the accelerometer
Battery: removable Li-Ion, 1100 mAh
Dimensions / weight: 106×55, 2×14 mm / 113 g

Samsung I5700 Spica is a pretty promising Android phone. The main contribution to this is, of course, a record low price, which makes the most affordable model of Android on the market in some countries. In addition, the smartphone has a powerful processor of 800 MHz and preinstalled DivX codec, which allows you to watch DVDRip movies (there were no problems when tested at 700 MB and 1.4 GB). Other Android phones today, even more expensive ones do not have this feature. Other features of the phone are mainly the same as on the Galaxy , including a Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5 mm jack, etc. The interface of the phone is the standard Android. The phone has no custom UI, while it seems that TouchWiz user interface will, in fact, suit the phone.

Samsung I5700 Spica Specifications:
Network: GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, WCDMA / HSPA 900/2100 MHz
Software platform: Android 1.5
Processor: Samsung SC36410, 800 MHz
Memory: 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM, microSD slot
Display: touchscreen, TFT, 3.2 “, HVGA (320×480 pixels)
Camera: 3.2 megapixel with autofocus, no flash
Communication: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g, GPS, microUSB
Other: 3.5 mm in the case, the accelerometer
Battery: removable Li-Ion, 1500 mAh
Dimensions / weight: 115x57x13.2 mm / 124 g

Last week, HTC’s CEO Peter Chou said that in the second half of this year, the main income of the company will come from smartphones of middle class.

HTC expects to increase revenues by 11% and shipments by 19% in the fourth quarter of 2009. The main hope, of course, is the release of the new HTC Click (Android) and HTC Mega (Windows Mobile) smartphones within a price range of $300-$400.

That is why HTC decided to focus on the issue of less expensive, “budget” smartphones with the Android OS.