HTC Legend Review

Back in October I switched from an iPhone to a HTC Hero running Android. You can read my HTC Hero Review that I posted shortly after switching.

There is a lot to like about the Hero. The Legend is the clear successor to the Hero and is in many ways an evolution rather than a revolution. This is no bad thing. The Legend takes pretty much all that was wrong with the Hero and makes it much better.

Hardware

The worst thing I found about the Hero was the way it looked and felt. It was plastic and looked a bit rubbish. The Legend looks and feels amazing. Made from a single piece of aluminum, it is like a tiny Mac Book Pro. On the back there are two small plastic parts to allow access to the battery, for the antennas to work and to stop it slipping out of your hand.

The phone really feels solid and can probably take a few knocks although the screen would probably not take a big fall. The aluminum could also get scratched and I have ordered a case for mine.

One interesting thing I have noticed about the phone is that if you are somewhere cold the phone gets cold too (as it is metal!). I also think the case means that phone reception isn't quite as good as the Hero but this isn't a massive issue.

The screen is in a word stunning. It is apparently OLED technology but it just looks bright and clear and is much better than the Hero (or the iPhone). At 3.2" some may find this a bit small  - if so the bigger but less pretty HTC Desire with its 3.7" screen is probably for you. The smaller screen makes the whole phone noticeably smaller than  an iPhone and easier to put in your pocket.

There is also more RAM and a beefier processor that really helps to make the whole phone snappier although it isn't as fast as the new Desire with its 1GHz processor!

Setup

This was already a strength of the Hero and the Legend makes it all even easier. A very simple and quick wizard on the phone sets up Google and Exchange email/calendar/contact sync as well as Facebook, Twitter and Flicker integration. Within literally a few minutes all these are set up and working without the need to download any apps.

Android 2.1 and HTC Sense


The Legend runs the latest version of Android which is a bit more slick than the 1.5 version the Hero is currently stuck on. HTC Sense is HTC's user interface software that runs "on top" of Android and this also sees an improvement with "live" wallpaper showing the weather forecast with literally rain drops falling down your screen and an easy way to see all 7 of your home screens at one time. There are also some improved and new widgets.

The combination of Android and Sense creates a very slick and usable interface which shows you lots of information (for example time, your calendar, tube line problems, facebook updates, emails etc) on your home screens. This all automatically updates in the background and saves the need to constantly open apps as on the iPhone.

Web Browser

The Hero had a pretty good browser with multi-touch and it was supposed to have Flash support but this never seemed to work. Early reports said the Legend didn't have Flash support but it does and most Flash content seems to work fine although it can be a little slow. Videos from the BBC News website played fine for example both embedded in the page and on their own if you double click on them.

The rest of the browser is slick and the visual bookmarks showing screenshots of web pages are a particularly nice touch.

Having Flash really does make the difference and much more web content is accessible than on the iPhone.

Messaging

As on the Hero the Legend has messaging well covered. It syncs of course with Google but also very well with Exchange (and any POP/IMAP email). It does this with two separate email programs which at least can split your home and work email nicely.

Navigation

The Legend has fast GPS performance (like the Hero) but adds the up to date version of Google maps that shows compass direction and "layers". It still doesn't have multi-touch though and no voice navigation in the UK at least.



Apps

If it weren't for the massive iPhone App Store you would think there were loads of Android apps. And there are plenty, mainly free as well. The Legend comes with a new version of Market Place which adds application screenshots which was a notably missing feature on the Hero. There do seem to be a few apps missing that were available for Hero, notably the Twidroid twitter app but I think this is a temporary problem.


Conclusion

The HTC Legend is a great phone. It builds on the already solid HTC Hero correcting pretty much all of the weaknesses. To me there are only three Smartphones worth considering currently, the HTC Legend, the bigger HTC Desire, and the iPhone 3GS. All three are great and choosing between them is not easy!

If you have used an iPhone and are wondering what the fuss is about, here are a few advantages:

• Much better notifications on the top bar of the screen that can be literally pulled up and down like a blind
• Multitasking so apps like Spotify and GPS can run in the background and apps like Guardian Anytime can run scheduled tasks
• Widgets and the Home Screen - you can see lots of information (news, tube line status, weather, emails, twitter, facebook) and it all keeps itself up to date
• Tight integration of social media so that for example each contact shows all their Facebook updates and Flicker photos
• Flash support for web browsing

The NASUWT and pupil involvement in teacher appointments

The NASUWT has produced a report that is critical of the involvement of pupils in the selection of teaching staff. This has been widely reported in the Guardian and Independent for example.

The NASUWT's general secretary, Chris Keates is quoted as saying:

Children are not small adults. They are in schools to learn, not to teach or manage the school. Many of the reports from members make distressing and disturbing reading. Many of the practices described are grossly unprofessional on every level. They are stripping teachers of their professional dignity.

It is clear that too many schools are engaging not in student voice but in the manipulation of children and young people to serve the interests of school management and its perspective.

What appears to be disturbing to Chris Keates includes asking long standing teachers why they wanted to enter the profession or if they like children.

All these, to me, seem entirely reasonable questions from pupils - who are after all the main stakeholders for schools - to be asking.

BBC News 24 had an interview with a 17 year old pupil who was very articulate and when challenged about the way recruitment decisions are made gave an excellent description about how the decisions should be based on the person specification that many an adult involved in education could do well to listen to.

Sometimes children might ask inappropriate questions or make comments about the physical appearance, gender or other things about the candidates but sadly this is not unheard of amongst adults. This presents a learning opportunity to explain why these kinds of things should not a part of the decision.

A teacher really should be able to cope with a 12 year old girl saying "Never mind — that was a hard question." when he was apparently "left speechless" by a behavior management question. The teacher with the 1st class degree rejected by pupils for not having "substance" might need to work on communicating the knowledge they have as first class subject knowledge is not much use without teaching ability as well.

As for the suggestion that such pupils are being "manipulated" by the schools management, I think Chris Keates shoud reflect that the more likely and less paranoid explanation is that school leaders and pupils want the same things, high quality and engaging teaching that inspires children to learn.

At the end of the day the selection panel of teachers/governors will make the decisions. This kind of feedback is however important and useful but does not take that responsibility away from the panel.

Oh and if children aren't "small adults" what are they? Some schools actually have adults as pupils (if they have a sixth form) and those of us who have worked in Higher Education know that student power has been a major recent factor since students who pay fees see themselves more as consumers of a service. This can be positive and certainly keeps those of us providing a service on our toes and accountable which is just how things should be.

Rural Headship: A Headteacher Speaks!

My recent blog post about Threats to Rural Primary Schools was prompted in part by the attendance of our Headteacher, Melanie Barrow at a rural headship event run by the National College.

The National College have now posted a copy of the video and powerpoint slides from Melanie's presentation. You can watch the video or download the Powerpoint Slides.

Melanie makes the point that rural headships can be an excellent first appointment for younger heads. This does mean that local authorities and governing bodies need to ensure that there is high quality support in place. Melanie talks about her own path to headship and her experiences since being a head.