ZTE Tania – Preview
The new ZTE Tania smartphone is forecast to bring the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem to the masses. ZTE showcased it at the CES 2012 in Las Vegas. Top-end brands are hampered in using the Windows Phone operating system since Microsoft’s tight control of the OS means they can’t distinguish their product from the competition; the user experience looks the same whichever device you use it on. For budget manufacturers this is an advantage, as they can offer the same theme and functionality as anyone carrying the Windows Phone 7 OS.
Thus the ZTE Tania offers a similar user experience to that found on the Nokia Lumia 800 – the same live tiles, but with a larger 4.3-inch display. Admittedly, the ZTE Tania build quality is slightly inferior – its smooth pastic rear panel doesn’t give the same premium ergonomic look and feel as top HTC or Nokia handsets, but of course ZTE won’t be able to invest the same amount in manufacture if they’re to charge so much less than the big boys.
On the rear of the ZTE Tania a 5MP LED-flash camera delivers average shutter speed and mediocre flash length, yet the snaps it takes are not so far from anything found on mid-range smartphones right now. There’s also a dedicated camera key too, which Microsoft has decreed as one of their criteria for carrying WP7.
One or two features mark out the Tania from the rest of the pack. Internet Sharing enables users to take 3G data from a contract and convert it to a WiFi signal, something HTC accomplished with the Titan you also have the option to tether the phone via USB. Tania also features MegaTile, which permits users to extend the live tile interface to show more of the items they want to see on the homescreen. It’s a useful feature for adding the personal touch to your WP7 experience. The unibody chassis of many modern smartphones is sacrificed to give a removable battery, which can help prevent or curing bricking of the device. The ZTE Tania uses a 1400mAh battery to run its 1GHz CPU.
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