Getting Started with the HTC Desire Z

If there’s one company that gets the Android fan’s twitching and reaching for their wallets it’s HTC. They produce more Android phones than anyone else and are just about to launch two more – the Desire HD and the Desire Z.

Both phones are big improvements over their predecessors, the Desire HD replaces the Desire and the Desire Z replaces the aging G1 – the first Android handset that was only available on T-Mobile.

The Desire Z is the phone that heavy texters, emailers and writers have been waiting for. A slim, fast, powerful Android handset with a full slide out QWERTY keyboard. Although we’re now hearing that it’s been pushed back to November, the Desire Z is bound to be a big success.

If you’re getting one, you’re going to want to be up and running as fast as possible, so we’ve put together a quick, 5 step getting started guide for the HTC Desire Z

Charge it up:

It’s fairly obvious, but before you can use your Desire Z, you’ll need to charge it. You’ll find that the phone will come with some charge in it, but you’ll still need to charge it for around 4-6 hours before you start to use it. You no longer need to charge them for 24 hours as battery technology has improved significantly over the last few years. Just charge it as you would normally.

If you need to go out and don’t have access to a mains power supply, you can use the HTC CC C200 Car Charger to charge your Desire Z in the car. It will still charge the battery, although not quite as quickly as a mains charger would.

Get a bigger Memory Card:

The Desire Z has 1.5GB of internal memory, that’s not bad, but it will soon fill up with your Apps, photo’s videos and music so a memory card will be one of the first purchases you’ll want to make. The Desire Z supports cards up to 32GB in capacity. When choosing a memory card for your phone, always get the largest card you can afford. You may not need all the space straight away, but over the length of your contract you’ll easily fill what ever card you get. If your budget allows it I’d suggest either a 16GB or 32GB memory card. A 16GB memory card will let you store over 2000 high quality photos, 2000 songs and around 1 hour of standard definition video with room left over for your apps. The larger 32GB Micro SD HC memory card obviously holds around twice as much.

Protect it:

Whether you bought a Sim Free Desire Z or took it out on a lengthy contract, the Desire Z will have cost you a lot of money and the last thing you’re going to want to do it it is damage it. There are a few simple things that you can do to keep your Desire Z in top shape. The simplest is to protect the screen using a Desire Z Screen Protector. These are tough, precision cut plastic films that stick to the screen of your phone and protect it from scuffs and scrapes. They don’t use any messy adhesive and use static to stay in place. The best value Desire Z screen protector is currently the HTC SP-P400 Screen Protector as you get two in a pack for less than £10. They are perfectly clear, they don’t interfere with the sensitivity of the touch screen and don’t distort any colours.

HTC Desire Z Screen Protector SP P400 – Twin Pack

Screen protectors are great for keeping the display intact, but what about the rest of the phone? A case is the best way to protect the back cover from those tiny scuffs and scratches and to protect the corners if you drop your phone. The sliding mechanism on the phone can make finding a case for your Desire Z a little tricky – most conventional silicone cases won’t work very well with it, so I’d recommend sticking with a simple carry pouch such as the HTC PO S540.

The PO S540 is also made by HTC specifically for the Desire Z. It’s made from leather and has a soft microfibre lining that helps to prevent scratches and wipe away finger marks. Removing your phone is easy as it has a pull tab that helps to lift your phone out of the case.

Set up your Bluetooth Devices:

If you’ve got a Bluetooth Headset, Stereo Bluetooth Headphones or a Bluetooth Car Kit you’ll need to set these up to work with your Desire Z. It’s a simple enough process, just search for bluetooth devices on the Desire Z and make sure that what ever you’re trying to pair with is in pairing mode. Your devices should connect in seconds and be ready for use.

If your Bluetooth devices are looking a little worse for wear or don’t work as well as they should, now is the perfect time to upgrade them. The Desire Z supports all the major bluetooth profiles, allowing you to stream your music from your phone to bluetooth speakers or headsets.

One of my favourite bluetooth accessories at the moment is the Jabra Cruiser. It’s a Bluetooth Car Kit that clips to the sun visor in your car and allows you to listen to music from your phone and listen to your phone calls through the speakers in your car. Your Desire Z connects to it using Bluetooth and then the audio is broadcast over FM to your car stereo. What really makes this a great accessory are the music controls built in to the Cruiser. You can play/pause/skip your music without touching your phone, just press a button on the small unit that clips on to your sunvisor. It’s got dual microphones and advanced noise cancellation technology – something that no other bluetooth car kit has got.

Download Apps:

Once your Desire Z is charged, has some free storage space and is protected it’s time to head to the app store and start downloading some apps to your device. There are so many to choose from that it can be a bit overwhelming, but we recently compiled a list of the top ten apps for the Desire and they’ll all work fine on the Desire Z too. We’re working on a top ten apps for the Desire HD and Desire Z and should have that guide available for you soon.

There are loads of other HTC Desire Z accessories available, so if you’ve not seen what you’re looking for here, head over the the HTC Desire Z accessories page where you’ll find everything from HTC Desire Z Cases through to HTC Desire Z Car Holders.