iPhone Free Week – Day 3: HTC Tattoo, Camera & Video Recording Quality

HTC Tattoo camera
HTC Tattoo camera

Welcome to day 3 in my iPhone Free Week where I’m using only a HTC Tattoo running Android, instead of my trusty old iPhone 3Gs. Today, I also have a home-made video for you.

Before we continue, please allow me to mention some of the previous posts in the iPhone Free Week series:

HTC Tattoo Camera Review

Today I would like to focus on the built-in camera in this HTC Tattoo device. According to the reviews I’ve read, it’s supposed to be a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus. But, I don’t see any evidence that it actually does support autofocus, nor does the HTC specifications mention any of it.

Let it be said right away. You’re not going to buy HTC Tattoo for the camera. It’s there, but it’s not worth much. I guess you could compare it with the 2 megapixel camera found in iPhone 3G, but it certainly doesn’t measure up against the 3 megapixel autofocus camera in the iPhone 3GS.


Video recording is even worse. It supports up to 352×288 where the iPhone 3GS records video in 640×480. The HTC Tattoo camera is great for Facebook picture/video sharing and such, but I wouldn’t rely on it for anything more than that.

Check out my video – and please don’t leave angry comments 🙂 I only have a few YouTube videos in my experience, so consider me a video-newbie…

(I know that it’s supposed to be an “iPhone Free Week”, but obviously I had to turn on the iPhone to shoot some pictures for comparison…)

16 thoughts on “iPhone Free Week – Day 3: HTC Tattoo, Camera & Video Recording Quality”

  1. Pingback: Klaus
  2. Angry comments! 😀 Yep, I’m angry all right. I’m angry I don’t have an iPhone. Your video illustrates how awesome the iPhone is – aside from the other photos and videos it takes so much better than the Tattoo, the excellent photo of text is something I could really use. Take pictures of bills and other papers, send ’em to Evernote, and throw away the paper! Very well done video – you did a fantastic job.
    .-= Christie´s last blog ..Thanks, but I have my own drummer =-.

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  5. nice one Klaus – and yeah I’m angry! or … we are it seems.
    I want an iPhone too. Anyways, good review – horrific camera on the tattoo. Guess it would have been okay some years back, now it just looks – well horrible.

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  6. nICE REVIEW WITH NICE VIDEO BRO. THANK YOU.
    .-= chandan´s last blog ..New from google work at home affiliate network-November 25, 2009 =-.

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  8. Pingback: iPhone Free Week – Day 4: HTC Tattoo, Web Browser & Text Input — TechPatio
  9. Nice review, thank you very much…

    But you forgot to mention one characteristic in the comparison: The price tag for each!

    I guess that iPhone costs at least the double price than Tattoo does. So you cannot say that one phone is better than the other at least it is not fair, as the expensive one will be better for sure… You can say that only when they have about the same price.

    Nevertheless nice comparison so as to have a point of view.

    Reply
    • Sure, the HTC Tattoo is cheaper and I mention that in my conclusion as well. But that doesn’t change the fact that the HTC Tattoo camera is crap, compared to the iPhone 3GS 🙂

      Look at it this way – when the iPhone 3G came out, it was pretty much as expensive as the 3GS is today (more or less) but you could easily buy a much cheaper phone with a much better camera.

      Either way – I didn’t intend to make this review a “fair comparisment” but rather how it would be for an iPhone user to switch over to an Android-based phone and/or HTC Tattoo 🙂
      .-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..iPhone Free Week – Day 5: HTC Tattoo, Android Market & Conclusion =-.

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  10. Pingback: iPhone Free Week – Day 5: HTC Tattoo, Android Market & Conclusion — TechPatio
  11. You cannot, in any way, compare the Tattoo and the iPhone, no matter what version the iPhone is.
    If you want to compare how it would be to change to Android, then compare it to the Hero. By comparing specs, camera, resolution and so on, the Hero is more of a match than the Tattoo.
    The Tattoo is a low budget phone, and is to be treated as one, whereas the iPhone, Hero, Nexus One, X10 and so on is in another league and pricetag

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    • Hi Flemming – thanks for your comment. I understand what you mean, but my goal with the “iPhone Free Week” was to replace my iPhone with an Android-based phone. HTC supplied me with the Tattoo so that’s why I had to compare the iPhone with, hence there’s no other option than to comparing what I had (iPhone) with what I got (Tattoo).

      As I wrote (a few places, I believe), the Tattoo is in my opinion not a match for the iPhone – but for users who does not already own an iPhone, the Tattoo is a very interesting phone.

      Wouldn’t mind checking out the Nexus One or similar some day though, HTC just gotta let me know 🙂
      .-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..Aperture 3 Brushes – A Quick Demonstration =-.

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