HTC Salsa Preview

The HTC Salsa is set to be released soon and carry on the strong-chinned legacy of the HTC Hero and HTC Legend, although with somewhat less focus on the unique case design and more on social networking (the iconic chin has seen a definite decrease in size when compared previous models). Also noticeable is the lack of any trackball or touchpad at the base of the device, HTC opting to instead include a dedicated Facebook button that lights up at different times, but more on that later.

As a spiritual successor to the Legend and Hero handsets, the HTC Salsa is set to be a mid-range contender in the smartphone market. Its 800MHz processor, 5MP camera and surprising width of 12.3mm are definitely indicative of the more affordable end of the mobile device range, as is its very niche-market focus on social media.

The aforementioned Facebook button takes smartphone Facebook integration to the next level and operates slightly different depending on what you're currently using your phone for. Users will have the ability to upload photos to Facebook directly after taking them, post what music they're listening to, update their status, post articles and check in to locations all at the touch of one button. While a Facebook focus on a smartphone is not something new, the HTC Salsa and its QWERTY keyboard cousin, the HTC ChaCha, have definitely taken a unique approach towards Social Media.

In short the HTC Salsa doesn't look like a particularly groundbreaking device, but its Facebook integration should help it find its niche market. For anyone looking for a social media-centric device it's definitely worth keeping the Salsa in mind when next you're in the market to compare. Based on its hardware specs and the fact that it will be running Android Gingerbread with HTC's Sense UI the Salsa should still be a solid-mid range smartphone for anyone else. But customers who aren't too in to social networking might want to look for something a little more aimed at theirr specific needs.

Alex Angove-Plumb

Digital Content Editor

Alex Angove-Plumb is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut and an award-winning journalist. He's been in the tech publishing industry since 2010, putting him a few short years away from the title of Grizzled Ancient in his chosen profession. He was an original WhistleOut-er before running NBN Co's corporate blog for two years, then moving on to a lengthy stint at CHOICE. Now he's come home.

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