Everyone seems to want a smartphone these days, and there's really only two options if you want the best: the iPhone or an Android phone.
If you're on a tight budget, you can forget about an iPhone, and many of the Android phones like the HTC Desire or the Samsung Galaxy S are priced near the top of the range too.
But there's one phone that stands out in the budget smartphone sector: the HTC Wildfire.
The Wildfire is available for not much more than £150 on pay as you go, or as little as £15 per month on contract.
That puts it within reach of most users and explains why it's selling like hot cakes! The Wildfire offers many of the features that made the HTC Desire into the most popular Android smartphone so far.
It runs Android version 2.
1 and has a superbly responsive capacitive touchscreen, making it ideal for running apps.
And there are now something like 100,000 apps available from the Android Market, many of them free, offering anything from live wallpaper to translation tools and augmented reality browsers.
This is perhaps the secret to the Wildfire's popularity.
The Wildfire's LCD display isn't as big or finely detailed as that on the HTC Desire or HTC Desire HD.
It's a 3.
2 inch screen with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.
That compares with the Desire, which has a 3.
7 inch AMOLED screen with 480 x 800 pixels, and the Desire HD, which has a massive 4.
3 inch screen.
Still, 3.
2 inches is big enough for most apps, and you have to remember that this is a budget smartphone.
Despite being on a budget, the Wildfire still comes equipped with assisted GPS, Wi-Fi, a super-fast HSPA 3G internet connection and a memory card slot.
This can take microSD cards up to a whopping 32MB, giving ample storage for all your videos and other data.
The camera is excellent, having a 5 megapixel resolution with autofocus and a flash.
The Wildfire is great for music too, with a digital music player and an FM radio as standard, plus the ability to connect headphones via a 3.
5mm audio jack, or using the wireless Bluetooth connection.
If we have to criticise the Wildfire, it would be for its small display, limited onboard RAM and the processor, which is noticeably slower than the ultrafast processors used in the high-end Android phones.
But some compromise is inevitable at this price point, and we feel that the Wildfire is the best of the entry-level Androids.
Check out the Samsung Galaxy Apollo and Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 as possible alternatives.
Available in Black, Red, Silver and White.
If you're on a tight budget, you can forget about an iPhone, and many of the Android phones like the HTC Desire or the Samsung Galaxy S are priced near the top of the range too.
But there's one phone that stands out in the budget smartphone sector: the HTC Wildfire.
The Wildfire is available for not much more than £150 on pay as you go, or as little as £15 per month on contract.
That puts it within reach of most users and explains why it's selling like hot cakes! The Wildfire offers many of the features that made the HTC Desire into the most popular Android smartphone so far.
It runs Android version 2.
1 and has a superbly responsive capacitive touchscreen, making it ideal for running apps.
And there are now something like 100,000 apps available from the Android Market, many of them free, offering anything from live wallpaper to translation tools and augmented reality browsers.
This is perhaps the secret to the Wildfire's popularity.
The Wildfire's LCD display isn't as big or finely detailed as that on the HTC Desire or HTC Desire HD.
It's a 3.
2 inch screen with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.
That compares with the Desire, which has a 3.
7 inch AMOLED screen with 480 x 800 pixels, and the Desire HD, which has a massive 4.
3 inch screen.
Still, 3.
2 inches is big enough for most apps, and you have to remember that this is a budget smartphone.
Despite being on a budget, the Wildfire still comes equipped with assisted GPS, Wi-Fi, a super-fast HSPA 3G internet connection and a memory card slot.
This can take microSD cards up to a whopping 32MB, giving ample storage for all your videos and other data.
The camera is excellent, having a 5 megapixel resolution with autofocus and a flash.
The Wildfire is great for music too, with a digital music player and an FM radio as standard, plus the ability to connect headphones via a 3.
5mm audio jack, or using the wireless Bluetooth connection.
If we have to criticise the Wildfire, it would be for its small display, limited onboard RAM and the processor, which is noticeably slower than the ultrafast processors used in the high-end Android phones.
But some compromise is inevitable at this price point, and we feel that the Wildfire is the best of the entry-level Androids.
Check out the Samsung Galaxy Apollo and Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 as possible alternatives.
Available in Black, Red, Silver and White.
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