0Vodafone
Magic
Announced
16 February 2009
Weight
119 grams
Features
The Magic, which was manufactured by HTC, was Vodafone’s first Android device. At the launch, it was described as “a tablet-style device, with a sleek design and unprecedented compactness for a smartphone”.
The project was started because the first Android phone in Europe was exclusive to the Orange network (although the UK exclusivity deal for the G1 / HTC Dream went to T-Mobile). Vodafone was keen to have its own Android device. The Magic was offered exclusively on Vodafone networks in Germany, Spain and the UK, SFR's network in France and on a non-exclusive basis in Italy. The phone was available in white in the UK, Spain and France, black in Germany and in both colours in Italy.
As the second European Android device, there was a lot of time pressure to have the product ready for the launch by Vodafone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2009.
Two days before the launch, Google saw a picture of the device and realised it did not have a dedicated search button, which was mandated as part of the Android specification (see below). It told Vodafone that the launch could not go ahead unless this was rectified.
As a result, an extra button was required for the launch to go ahead. HTC CEO, Peter Chou, tasked his internal teams to pull out all the stops and make two mock-ups for the launch event. They also prepared updated renders of the device with the search button added (see below).
The two phones arrived in Barcelona on private jet from HTC’s factory in Taiwan just a few hours before Vodafone’s head of devices Patrick Chomet was due to present them at a media event. The launch was successful and nobody knew how close Vodafone had come to having no announcement at all.
Further modifications were made to the design after the launch with the search button being moved from the left hand-side to the right hand-side to improve the ergonomic design.
When it started shipping, the Magic was available exclusively on Vodafone networks in Germany, Spain and the UK, SFR's network in France and on a non-exclusive basis in Italy.
As a result, an extra button was required for the launch to go ahead. HTC CEO, Peter Chou, tasked his internal teams to pull out all the stops and make two mock-ups for the launch event. They also prepared updated renders of the device with the search button added (see below).
The two phones arrived in Barcelona on private jet from HTC’s factory in Taiwan just a few hours before Vodafone’s head of devices Patrick Chomet was due to present them at a media event. The launch was successful and nobody knew how close Vodafone had come to having no announcement at all.
Further modifications were made to the design after the launch with the search button being moved from the left hand-side to the right hand-side to improve the ergonomic design.
When it started shipping, the Magic was available exclusively on Vodafone networks in Germany, Spain and the UK, SFR's network in France and on a non-exclusive basis in Italy. 