Detailed Review of HTC Ozone

Detailed Review of HTC Ozone
Page content

Introduction

The HTC Ozone is a mid-priced handset with a good array of messaging and connectivity functions like email, Wi-Fi, and GPS. The phone appeals to mobile phone users who are in need of a handset with decent messaging features at an affordable price.

Design (4 out of 5)

The HTC Ozone has the same design as the HTC Snap, although it is more lightweight by 0.5 ounces. It has the same dimensions of 4.5 inches in length, 2.5 inches in width, and 0.5 inches in depth. Like the Snap, it has the simple black colored scheme on the front, with a gray back cover. One of the more common comments about the Ozone, however, is the plastic feel of its design.

The Ozone has a QVGA display screen measuring 2.4 inches, capable of supporting 64,000 colors at a resolution of 320x240 pixels. The display can show bright and clear images, although sharpness tends to be disappointing at times.

This particular device comes with a central OK button, a couple of soft keys, a shortcut for the main menu and a back button. There are also buttons for Talk, End/Power with the former doubling as a shortcut for voice recorder control.

User Interface (4 out of 5)

The HTC Ozone has a similarly styled keyboard to the HTC Snap. There is not enough space between the individual keys, so it can be very hard to type in messages. The Ozone, however, is better than the Snap with its Shift key button located on the bottom row allowing easier typing of this key. The space bar is uniquely used as a shortcut for features such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and airplane mode. There are also specific shortcuts for the messaging menu and mute mode.

The right spine of the device features a volume rocker while the bottom end of the phone features the mini USB port for headphone and charger. The camera lens is located at the back of the phone, with the microSD card slot placed behind the battery cover.

The HTC Ozone runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and the menu layout is clear making navigation easy. However, this is a dated mobile OS and in terms of usability it can’t compete with iOS, Android or even the new Windows Phone 7 platforms.

Features (4 out of 5)

HTC Ozone

The Ozone is heavy on messaging features. Being equipped with the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform, it comes with the Microsoft Direct Push Technology allowing users to receive and deliver e-mail in real time. The phone can also be synchronized with MS Outlook for tasks, calendar and contacts through the Exchange server. Users can also access their POP3 email accounts and the Ozone also supports text, instant and multimedia messaging.

The more basic features include calendar, calculator, task list, alarm clock, and Microsoft Office Mobile featuring document editing. It also has Internet Explorer Mobile, Adobe Reader and Wi-Fi. The phone also supports mono and stereo headsets for Bluetooth as well as object push and file transfer.

The HTC Ozone also has voice features like speakerphone, conference dialing, speed dial, and voice command. The address book’s memory is dependent on the available memory of the phone. Each contact can have multiple phone numbers, instant messaging handles, email addresses and can be assigned with pictures or custom ringtones. The Ozone also has a voice recorder and a couple of pre-installed games- Bubble Breaker and Solitaire.

There aren’t enough multimedia features onboard the HTC Ozone. The phone has a 2 megapixel camera capable of taking pictures in five resolutions with a maximum of 1600x1200 pixels and a minimum of 320x240. The camera is embedded with editing features like color effects, quality modes, spot metering, self timer, brightness, white balance, and time stamp. The camera can also record video clips. The Ozone also has Windows Media Player. Its memory is about 256 MB although it can be expanded up to 16GB through the microSD card slot.

Performance (3 out of 5)

The HTC Ozone should not be expected to deliver much in terms of multimedia performance. The camera isn’t the best, as photos taken using the 2 megapixel shooter are usually poor in photo quality, with a brownish hue on the images. The video recorder is no good either, with video clips looking dull, even when taken under good lighting conditions. The media player of the Ozone, however, makes up for the poor performance of the camera as it can play good quality music.

The main strengths of the HTC Ozone include connectivity and messaging. Users should expect clear and audible voice calls when using this handset. Users should have no trouble hearing a person’s voice on the other line using the Ozone, even when using the speaker phone. The Ozone can also be relied upon when talking over a Bluetooth headset. In terms of connectivity, the Ozone does not disappoint. The Ozone’s browser can display websites in full HTML.

The Ozone’s battery can last up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 14 days while in standby.

Verdict (4 out of 5)

Overall, the Ozone is a pretty decent phone with a good set of messaging and connectivity features. Multimedia functions of the phone are not exactly impressive but still, the Ozone is a good phone for just about everyone and you can pick one up cheaply.

You may also be interested in the top 5 HTC Ozone accessories.