What HTC Flyer 2 Needs to Trump the Nexus 7

HTC recently said that it is working on a sequel to the HTC Flyer, Although, the Taiwan-based company did not say anything about the kind of features that we can expect from the upcoming tab. What is confirmed is that it “definitely” will be launched in the UK.

If HTC is looking to compete with the Google Nexus 7, it would bode well for it to consider this checklist carefully:

Android Jelly Bean

It is an absolute necessity for the HTC Flyer 2 to run the latest version of the Android OS. Besides the cool and more responsive user interface, it also boasts of the splendid Google Voice Search, compared to which Apple’s Siri is nothing. Also, Google Now is included, which is aware of what you’re doing and gives useful information that may come in handy. All these features will be included in the Nexus 7 from the very first day of its launch itself, while the Galaxy Nexus can obtain these features through an OTA update. So, the HTC Flyer 2 really needs the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in order to stay in the competition.

The original Flyer was shipped with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, while most tablets used to run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb. This was a major factor in the failure of the original HTC Flyer.

Remove stylus

The original Flyer came with a stylus that seemed to differentiate it significantly from the hordes of other Android tablets. It allowed you to write notes on any place on the UI! However, the public did not really respond too warmly to the idea of a stylus, in an age dominated by the Apple iPad, where we use nothing but our fingers while using tablets.

Although it offered many cool features, a stylus is a complete no-no on the Flyer 2.

Better battery life

The original Flyer disappointed greatly in battery life. The Nexus 7 is promising around 300 hours of standby battery time, 9 hours of video playback, 10 hours of ebook-reading and 10 hours of web browsing. Thus, the Flyer 2 really needs to step up its game in the battery department.

Separate 3G and Wi-Fi-only versions

The Google Nexus 7 does not support 3G and this may just be its Achilles’ heel. However, you can find Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere today and easily surf the Web on Wi-Fi on the Nexus 7. Similarly, HTC may offer a non-3G version of the Flyer 2 in order to price the device more competitively.

Affordability

The Google Nexus 7 has been priced at a shockingly low £160. Although any other 7-inch tablet will have a hard time pricing itself at such a low level, the Flyer 2 will have to keep its price in the sub-£200 level in order to afford any competition to the Nexus 7.

People do not wish to spend much money on a 7-inch tablet since it’s actually not that much larger than the modern big-screen phones that take up much of the shelf-space today. So if HTC wants to do well in tablet market with the Flyer 2 then we hope would see all these features in the upcoming HTC tab.