Taiwanese phone maker HTC has released yet another phone based on the Android operating system.
Called the Tattoo, the device has a 2.8-inch touch screen display, a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, FM radio, GPS a and expandable microSD memory. It integrates Google’s services such as maps, search and email and runs HTC's custom interface called Sense. The phone allows users to customize the device through changeable covers and pick from a choice of designs to ink the back of the phone. The Tatoo also has a HTC-designed interface that users can personalize to bring Facebook, twitter feeds and Flickr apps to the home screen.
"Everyone wants their own phone to feel like it was specifically made for them. The Tattoo, with HTC Sense, represents an easy way to shape your own distinct mobile experience and really make it your own," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.
HTC has become the torchbearer of the Google designed open source Android mobile operating system. The Tattoo will be the company's fourth Android device in less than a year. HTC launched the first Android phone called the T-Mobile G1 in the U.S. last October. Since then, the company has introduced the HTC Magic, a touch screen phone that eliminates the physical keyboard of the G1 and the HTC Hero, which is scheduled to be available on Sprint's wireless network later this year.
The Tattoo is the second phone, after the HTC Hero, to use the company's custom designed Android interface called Sense. Like the Palm Pre's webOS interface, HTC Sense organizes the phone around contacts and widgets such as twitter feeds, weather data, email or calendar. This allows users to personalize the start up screen on their phone and create profiles around specific functions such as work and home.
The current version of the Tattoo does not support 3G in the U.S. But the Tattoo, which was earlier nicknamed HTC Click, is expected to cost lesser than current Android handsets in the market. HTC hasn't specified pricing or telecom carrier partners for the device.
The Tattoo is expected to debut in Europe at the beginning of October and will be available in the U.S. a few months later.
See more photos of the HTC Tattoo below.
See Also:
- T-Mobile Announces Android-Powered MyTouch
- Second HTC Android Phone Peeks Out
- Android-Powered G1 to Premiere in San Francisco
- HTC Magic Android Phone Gets Unboxed
- Smartphone War Heats Up, Google Phones Still MIA
Photo: HTC Tattoo/HTC
