HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa

Available now
15th February 2011

The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are two Android smartphones aimed at Facebook fans. Although very different in outward appearance, their function and target market are very similar.

Both the ChaCha and Salsa are based around a 600 MHz processor with 512Mb of RAM, they support 3.5G data and WiFi, have GPS and a microSD slot. On the back of both phones is a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, and they also both have a front-facing VGA resolution camera for video calling.

What sets these apart from other Android smartphones is the inclusion of a Facebook button on the front of the handset. This acts as a shortcut for sharing things (such as photographs) with your friends.. although at first glance it looks like some sort of operator logo.

Facebook updates are integrated into the phone's regular inboxes, and there are all sorts of widgets and gadgets to keep Facebookers happy. Out of these we think the most interesting feature is one that displays your friends latest status updates and photographs if you are making or taking a call from them which even lets you know if their birthday is approaching.

Out of these two handsets, the HTC ChaCha is the most interesting. On the bottom of the ChaCha is a nice looking QWERTY keyboard topped out by a small 2.6" 480 x 320 pixel display, which is a bit less than half the size of the HTC Desire but just as sharp. The whole device curves slightly and it does look quite interesting. The ChaCha weighs 120 grams, comes in at a normal smartphone size of 114 x 65 x 11mm and has a 1250 mAh battery capable of giving up to 7 hours talktime.

A more conventional handset to look at, the HTC Salsa features a 3.4" 320 x 480 pixel touchscreen, also weighs 120 grams and measures a slightly more compact 109 x 59 x 12mm. Inside is a 1520 mAh battery offering a shade under 8 hours talktime. The Salsa is a little better specified than the new HTC Wildfire S and we presume a little more expensive.

As we've said before with "Facebook phones", they're a good idea if you are a Facebook fan, but if you are not then these are almost definitely not for you. Although we think that the ChaCha is a promising looking device in its own right, turning off all the Facebook add-ons to turn it back into a normal Android phone might be a bit difficult.

These are both Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" smartphones, so they can download and run thousands of applications from the Android market. We suspect that the small screen on the ChaCha might be fiddly with some games, where the Salsa might be better suited. On the other hand, if you type a lot of text then the ChaCha might be the better choice.

There's no word on pricing, but these two phones should come in at the less expensive end of HTC's range when they are released in Europe and Asia during Q2. There will also be US versions launching later this year exclusively on the AT&T network.