HTC Jetstream Review

In a bid to ensure that their tablet stands out in the competition, Android tablet manufacturers are offering users more than just standard Android experience. HTC Jetstream from AT&T is the first Android tablet which will be riding high on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. Jetstream is very much the same as that of HTC Flyer/EVO View 4G but it has a bigger screen and along with a sleek design it has features which seek to make it a compelling device. Read our HTC Jetstream review to know what the tablet has in store for you.

HTC Jetstream Case

Jetstream has a nice elegant look with majority of the rear of the tablet being covered with a silver-brushed metal with HTC logo at the center. At dimensions standing at 251 x 178 x 13 mm, Jetstream is thicker than Apple iPad 2 which measures (241.2×185.7×8.8mm). Jetstream is quite bulky weighing 709 grams.  The cool brushed metal back made it quite comfortable to be grip. On the left side of the tablet, you will find a volume rocker button while at the bottom you will get a microUSB port. Since, it is quite bulky users can find it a bit difficult to carry the tablet around.

HTC JetStream Screen

The tablet is equipped with a 10.1 inch Super LCD screen which displays pictures of resolution measuring 1280×800 pixels. The colors were quite crisp, sharp and vibrant and the viewing angles were quite wide. We watched a Youtube video at a rough angle of about 45 degrees and to our surprise the colors did not fade. However as compared to the colors of Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad 2, Jetstream’s colors were a bit on the dull side.

HTC Jetstream Tablet Features

The 1.5GHz processor performed well and the tablet performed well on graphics and browsing benchmarks. It offered 32 GB of internal storage which helps you to store a large amount of data. Let us check out some of the enticing features of HTC Jetstream:-

Software and Interface

Jetstream has been designed to run on Android Honeycomb and the HTC Sense UI gives the tablet a great feel. Thanks to HTC Sense, the lock screen gets a much needed refreshed look. There are four customizable shortcuts to your favorite applications. When users press on for a long time on an empty section of the screen, then you get a paint brush and a pallet icon which takes you to the menu from where you can change wallpapers, lock screen etc.

Pen Support

Jetstream is equipped with a digital pen input which helps you to take down quick notes. The pen is only included if you purchase the tablet on a two year contract for $ 699. You can also purchase the pen for an additional $ 79.

Keyboard

The laptop is equipped with a standard Android keyboard which is very responsive. Users can also add a number pad on either side of the notebook. Like ThinkPad tablet, the keyboard offers a nice gentle haptic feedback whenever you tap at them.

Apps

Jetstream is equipped with lot of applications both from HTC and AT&T. The HTC hub offers you access to wallpapers, Jetstreams, scenes etc. With HTC’s footprint app you can create a travel diary with all the pictures of the places you have visited. There are several standard Android apps which allow users to monitor social media networks from one single location. AT&T’s apps include AT&T FamilyMap, AT&T navigator and AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. There are also a couple of more apps such as Press Reader and Zinio. There is also a PDF viewer application which allows you to view PDF files on the tablet.

HTC Jetstream Camera

Jetstream is equipped with a 8MP rear facing camera which captures crisp and colorful images in bright light. When we tested the camera inside, then the images fell below our expectations. There was a bit of red tint on them when clicked inside. There is also a 1.3MP front facing camera which comes in handy while carrying out video conferences.

HTC Jetstream Video

The tablet is capable of recording videos at 30fps in both 720p and 1080p. But we found 720p videos much smoother than 1080p videos. The front camera is capable of recording 720p videos at 15fps and VGA video at 30fps.

HTC Jetstream Web Browsing

Web browsing was a delight on Jetstream. It took only few seconds for the tablet to load websites and thanks to the 4G LTE network we obtained some high download and upload speeds.

HTC Jetstream Battery Life

In our laptop battery test, the battery of JetStream lasted for about 8 hours which is way above than Galaxy Tab which runs for approx 6 hours.

HTC Jetstream Price

On contract price of HTC Jetstream is approximately $ 699 while if you plan to purchase the unlocked version, then you can buy the tablet for $ 849. HTC Jetstream price in India is approximately Rs 36,000.

HTC Jetstream is undoubtedly a powerful Android tablet, but the biggest drawback of this tablet is its price. The tablet is quite expensive as compared to Samsung Galaxy Tab and HTC needs to rethink about its pricing, if it wants to make the tablet more enticing to users.